Here is today’s sustainable IT services and climate tech news, research and analysis -- written for technology partners, green IT service providers, CIOs, chief sustainability officers (CSOs) and climate accounting professionals.
A. Sustainable IT, Talent, Partnerships and Green Tech Alliances
1. Apple Macs - Right to Repair: Apple has broadened its Self Service Repair program by adding parts and manuals for its latest M4 Mac models, Mac Daily News reported.
2. Data Center Thermal Management: Carrier Global has unveiled Carrier QuantumLeap, a suite of energy-efficient solutions for data center thermal management. The solutions span chillers and air handing; liquid cooling; differentiated controls; data center infrastructure management; and predictive maintenance and service.
3. AI Software - Financial Services: Auquan has launched Sustainability Agent, an AI agent "purpose-built to liberate sustainability teams from tedious and time-consuming manual work," the company said. The agent "automatically aligns issues and insights with major sustainability frameworks" that include:
- Modern slavery acts (UK, Australia, German Supply Chain Act)
- Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR)
- Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)
- Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB)
- United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)
- United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
4. Partnership - Facilities Management: ISS and Anthesis are partnering to help customers align facilities management with low carbon, zero waste and socially responsible strategies.
5. Real Estate: A white paper from BranchPattern, titled “Embodied Carbon in U.S. Industrial Real Estate,” explores embodied carbon emissions within the industrial sector, and quantifies the greatest contributors to emissions across the building lifecycle.
6. Brand Strategy: AXA has launched Climate Studio to "assist clients in all aspects of their communication: brand strategy, campaign design and deployment for both internal and external audiences," the organization said. AXA Climate’s suite of services includes consulting, SaaS tools, insurance and training.
7. Death of DEI: Accenture is the latest IT-focused company to end its diversity and inclusion goals, Reuters reported. Meta (parent of Facebook), Alphabet (parent of Google) and Amazon also scrapped their DEI goals amid Trump's return to the presidency, the report noted.
B. Sustainability M&A, Climate Tech Investments, Funding and Green IT Business Launches
1. M&A - IT Consulting and Supply Chain Management: Global IT consulting firm Accenture has acquired Staufen AG, a supply chain consulting company focused on such vertical markets as automotive, aerospace and defense, industrial goods and medical equipment. Staufen, based in Germany, helps customers to improve "product design, shopfloor processes, time to market and sustainability efforts, reducing costs, eliminating inefficiencies and optimizing production capacity," the buyer said. Staufen has 200 employees across Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the U.S., Mexico, and Brazil. The team will tuck into Accenture’s supply chain and operations practice. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
C. Regional and Global Sustainability Policies and News
1. United States - Trump Administration Halts EV Charger Funding: The Trump administration has ordered states to halt funding programs for EV charger networks, The Washington Post reported. The Biden administration attempted to fund EV charger network buildouts, but many of the network deployments have yet to happen.
2. U.S. Department of Energy - R&D Priorities: The department's R&D efforts will "prioritize affordable, reliable, and secure energy technologies, including fossil fuels, advanced nuclear, geothermal, and hydropower," according to an order from U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. The order did not mention solar or wind power.
3. United States - New York Explores Climate Disclosure Regulations: The State of New York appears to be following California's lead by reintroducing climate disclosure bills, JD Supra reported. The bills surface in contrast to the Trump Administration, which is striving to eliminate various climate regulations.
4. United States - Story Retraction: Bloomberg retracted a story that alleged the Federal Reserve had ended a climate program.
5. Norway - ESG Financing: Norway's wealth fund will continue to raise environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues with the companies it is invested in, including with Big Tech, despite a backlash against ESG, Reuters reported.
6. Japan Climate Plan Delayed?: Japan’s environment minister said it will be difficult for the nation to submit its updated climate targets by the deadline set by the United Nations, Bloomberg reported.
D. Sustainable IT and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- AHR Expo 2025 (February 10-12, Orlando, Florida)
- GreenBiz 25 (February 10-12, Phoenix, Arizona)
- IoT Evolution Expo 2025 (February 11-13, Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
- India Energy Week 2025 (February 11-14, New Delhi, India)
- Step Conference 2025 - Earth Track Dates (February 19-20, Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
- Complete Calendar of Sustainability Conferences
E. Previous Updates & Future News
Did You Miss Yesterday's Daily Update?: Here is our previous sustainable IT, climate tech and renewable energy news for technology partners.
Future Updates: If you have news to share then please email me the details.
