January, 2021

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5 sustainable packaging developments to watch in 2021

GreenBiz

5 sustainable packaging developments to watch in 2021. Meg Wilcox. Mon, 01/04/2021 - 01:15. For companies with sustainable packaging goals, 2025 is fast approaching. That’s the year when many have pledged to become zero waste, or to use 100 percent reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging. But COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in those plans, with single-use packaging skyrocketing, low fossil fuel prices and disrupted recycling systems, already weakened by China’s 2018 plastics waste ban. .

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COVID Shines a Spotlight on the Link Between Building Health and Our Health

VIBE

There has been a growing body of research that shows that buildings that are designed passively and sustainably—with plenty of natural daylight, ventilation, biophilia, and green materials—have a positive impact on occupant health, productivity, and satisfaction. This article from National Geographic though over three years old is still an excellent summary of the research behind, and the design considerations for healthy building best practices.

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What the U.S. return to the Paris Agreement means for investors

Impact Alpha

After years of signaling its intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement to fight climate change, the United States made the decision official. The post What the U.S. return to the Paris Agreement means for investors appeared first on Impact Alpha.

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Construction begins on world’s largest integrated solar-powered battery system

Renewable Energy World

Florida Power & Light Company announced that construction has begun on the FPL Manatee Energy Storage Center , which is expected to become the world’s largest integrated solar-powered battery system, according to the company. Located in Parrish, Fla., the 409-MW/900-MWh FPL Manatee Energy Storage Center is expected to begin serving customers in late 2021 by storing extra solar energy produced by the nearby 74.5-MW FPL Manatee Solar Energy Center and sending it to the grid when there is a hig

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How to Drive Cost Savings, Efficiency Gains, and Sustainability Wins with MES

Speaker: Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions

Is your manufacturing operation reaching its efficiency potential? A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) could be the game-changer, helping you reduce waste, cut costs, and lower your carbon footprint. Join Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions, in this value-packed webinar as he breaks down how MES can drive operational excellence and sustainability.

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Bitcoin and Blockchain: A Small Glimpse Into Big Digital Disruptions

Daniel Burrus

Several of us likely remember the Bitcoin boom around the end of 2017, when thousands of individuals bought Bitcoin, seeing the value of their dollar skyrocket for a brief period. This sent the banking industry into a tailspin, desperately trying to understand this new concept of a digital currency system, and areas of the government even began to prepare a way to legislate this unfamiliar system.

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Funding for plastic recycling tech

Envirotec Magazine

Image: Shutterstock.com/Dusit Kachatong. Greenback Recycling Technologies , a company striving to develop circular solutions for packaging waste, has closed an approximately £8m series A financing round. The firm says it is building a globally distributed, decentralised network of advanced recycling plants near the sources of plastic waste. It buys this waste from local collectors and sorters to provide feedstock for the production of food-grade packaging.

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Coming Soon: SDSN Pakistan

Sustainable Development Network

SDSN Network’s Strategy Council approves the establishment of a National SDSN in Pakistan, hosted by the Institute for Global Health and Development at the Aga Khan University. Pakistan ranks 126 out of 156 countries on SDSN’s SDG Index and is a priority country for action by the SDSN. Pakistan has several strong universities, many of them known for their engineering disciplines, crucial to promoting solution initiatives for some of the most critical challenges of the country.

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Upaya Social Ventures supports ‘good jobs’ in India with four investments

Impact Alpha

ImpactAlpha, January 27 – Seattle-based Upaya Social Ventures invests in small and growing businesses creating dignified jobs for underserved Indians. It closed four convertible. The post Upaya Social Ventures supports ‘good jobs’ in India with four investments appeared first on Impact Alpha.

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Global corporate clean energy purchasing up 18% in 2020

Renewable Energy World

Corporations purchased a record of 23.7 GW of clean energy in 2020, up from 20.1GW in 2019 and 13.6GW in 2018, according to new research published by BloombergNEF (BNEF). The increase came despite a year devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic, a global recession and uncertainty about U.S. energy policy ahead of the presidential election. The analysis is presented in BNEF’s latest report, 1H 2021 Corporate Energy Market Outlook.

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Innovation and Customer Relationships: 4 Keys to Keeping Your Ratings High

Daniel Burrus

Between fact-checkers and Yelpers, the Information Age is laden with a visual archive of how customers and clients perceive products, services, or even your organizational culture. Navigating how to keep your customers happy is already an insurmountable task some days, and now we must factor in their very public display of their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with you.

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The Key to Sustainable Energy Optimization: A Data-Driven Approach for Manufacturing

Speaker: Kevin Kai Wong, President of Emergent Energy Solutions

In today's industrial landscape, the pursuit of sustainable energy optimization and decarbonization has become paramount. ♻️ Manufacturing corporations across the U.S. are facing the urgent need to align with decarbonization goals while enhancing efficiency and productivity. Unfortunately, the lack of comprehensive energy data poses a significant challenge for manufacturing managers striving to meet their targets. 📊 Join us for a practical webinar hosted by Kevin Kai Wong of Emergent Ene

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Offsite manufacturing’s moment?

Envirotec Magazine

Rich Matthews, MD at water technology firm Siltbuster Process Solutions (SPS), makes the case for offsite manufacturing treeatment facilities, which he says can deliver multiple benefits for water and wastewater infrastructure projects. He argues for a more “enterprise thinking” approach to capital delivery. Given the ever more exacting compliance and efficiency pressures being felt by water firms, the 2020-2025 investment cycle could be a time for offsite manufacturing to demonstrat

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The State of Green Business 2021

GreenBiz

The State of Green Business 2021. Joel Makower. Mon, 01/25/2021 - 02:11. Adapted from the 14th annual State of Green Business report, our annual report card on progress by the world’s largest companies. The report, published in partnership with S&P Global Trucost, is a free download. Now, where were we? A year ago at this time, we looked ahead and confidently saw more engagement, new initiatives and a continuation of the forward march of progress that constitutes a typical year in the world of s

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The Book Club With Jeffrey Sachs launches with Martin J. Sherwin’s Gambling with Armageddon

Sustainable Development Network

28 January 2021 — Jeffrey Sachs, Columbia University Professor, President of SDSN, and UN SDG Advocate launched his new Book Club today with a lively and compelling conversation with Dr. Martin J. Sherwin, author of Gambling with Armageddon: Nuclear Roulette from Hiroshima to the Cuban Missile Crisis. During the hour-long conversation, Prof. Sachs and Dr.

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Medical Credit Fund blends $19.2 million to finance Africa’s frontline health clinics

Impact Alpha

ImpactAlpha, January 13 – Small, privately-run clinics are often the only providers of essential health services in remote and low-income parts of Africa. The post Medical Credit Fund blends $19.2 million to finance Africa’s frontline health clinics appeared first on Impact Alpha.

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Are Your Impact Comms Resonating With Stakeholders?

Whether your organization is at the start of its sustainability and impact journey or years into it, many brands share a common concern: the uncertainty of whether they are sending stakeholders mixed messages. Creating content that speaks to your audience's “love language” can be a tricky dance. But, worry not! 3BL has put together tips to ensure that your content not only finds its rhythm but also resonates with your target audiences.

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Rooftop solar booming in Hawaii as utility launches ‘Quick Connect’

Renewable Energy World

Hawaiian Electric announced that rooftop solar installations increased by 55% in 2020 despite the global pandemic. In 2020, 5,965 new rooftop solar systems were installed across O?ahu, Hawai?i Island and Maui County, up from the 3,840 systems in 2019. Of the new systems, 4,624, or 78 percent, include battery storage, it said. Hawai‘i leads the nation in per capita use of rooftop solar, with over 20 percent of customers, including 36 percent of single-family homes on O‘ahu, with solar systems con

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Being able to Pivot Helped Manufacturing Survive. What will it Take to Thrive?

Daniel Burrus

In the United States, manufacturing is a huge sector. Its importance to our national and global economy is evident in how many white- and blue-collar jobs are integral in each process. From plastic injection molding to hydraulic valve assembly, manufacturing is likely found in nearly every industry. With such an all-encompassing sector, it’s no surprise that disruptions run rampant, though even during COVID-19, many manufacturing businesses were deemed essential, keeping their doors open and emp

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Firm shortlisted in Singaporean challenge

Envirotec Magazine

Photo credit: Emma_Griffiths/Shutterstock.com. Environmental management technology firm Envirosuite has been shortlisted in Singapore PUB’s Global Innovation Challenge (GIC). Out of 104 applicants, the firm has been selected in the “Seamless Coagulation” category. PUB is the national water agency that manages Singapore’s water supply, water catchment and used water.

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Fighting deforestation should be a top priority for 2021, and here’s how it can be

GreenBiz

Fighting deforestation should be a top priority for 2021, and here’s how it can be. Heather Clancy. Mon, 01/11/2021 - 02:00. One of the biggest stories of 2020 was the rise of the corporate tree-planting movement, with dozens of multinational businesses from virtually every industry pledging millions of dollars to one of nature’s most effective carbon sequestration solutions. .

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Mastering Supply Chain Sustainability: Where Does ESG Fit In?

Speaker: Hortense Grouvel

In this new webinar, you will learn firsthand how to set up a sustainable supply chain program that will help meet increasing ESG requirements stemming from regulators, customers, consumers, and investors alike. Hortense Grouvel, ESG expert at IntegrityNext, and Sean Whelan, Global Senior Manager at Halliburton, will look at how ensuring compliance will also help you increase sustainability performance, resilience, and innovation, allowing you to unlock the full potential of your supply chain op

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Stress Testing Climate-Change Scenarios

MSCI

Regulators around the world are upping the ante on climate-related financial disclosures. How can investors stress test potential exposures to these changes in policy? We take a look within Europe.

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The next building block for impact investing: quality impact reporting

Impact Alpha

The impact investing industry has matured over the past couple of years, especially when it comes to aligning investors around common standards for. The post The next building block for impact investing: quality impact reporting appeared first on Impact Alpha.

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Californians to benefit from 400-MWh AES battery system

Renewable Energy World

The AES Corporation said today that it has commenced operations of the Alamitos battery energy storage system (BESS), which it says is one of the world’s largest battery storage systems in operation at the moment. The BESS, a stand-alone energy storage facility for local capacity, will provide up to 400 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy to Southern California Edison (SCE) customers, while also helping the State of California meet its sustainability goal of 100 percent carbon-free energy by 20

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Greenwashing, From the Eighties till Today (Part 1)

Sense and Sustainability

Editor’s note : This is the first of two articles published concerning greenwashing, both historically and at present. This week’s article examines the practice and its history. The second article can be seen here. What is Greenwashing and How does It Work? Greenwashing is a marketing strategy for companies and brands to generate Green PR by deceptively convincing the public that their goals and policies are environmentally friendly and therefore better at achieving ecological benefits.

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What Regulations Will Impact Sustainability Comms in 2024?

Navigating the waters of sustainability reporting disclosures and regulations can be intimidating, to say the least. With various measures set in motion in 2023 to keep companies accountable, there is a lot in store for brands’ impact communication in the upcoming year. 3BL is kicking off this January with our Navigating ESG Comms Through the Cosmos - Capricorn Edition by highlighting the impact of: The U.S Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Climate disclosure rules The European Commission

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£1.2m funding for waste vision start-up

Envirotec Magazine

Waste sorting at a recycling plant in Sterlitamak, Russia, in 2019. Image: Shutterstock.com/Vitaly Fedotov. Intelligent waste management start-up Recycleye has secured £1.2 million in seed funding, it was announced in mid-December. The firm is developing a computer vision system and affordable robotics, that will seemingly combine to create the world’s first fully automated, and deployable material recovery facility.

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4 alternative protein trends to watch in 2021

GreenBiz

4 alternative protein trends to watch in 2021. Jesse Klein. Mon, 01/04/2021 - 01:30. It is highly probable your children will be vegans eating a Christmas ham Dec. 25, 2050. Alternative proteins will be the norm very soon and we might look back at this decade as the time when real shift in diets occurred. . Don’t believe me? Here are a few stats. Venture capital invested $1.5 billion in alternative proteins in 2020.

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SDSN Leadership Council Member Pavel Kabat Named New HFSPO Secretary-General

Sustainable Development Network

HFSPO Press Release - The International Human Frontier Science Program Organization (HFSPO) is pleased to announce that Prof. Pavel Kabat has accepted the offer of the Board of Trustees to succeed Prof. Warwick Anderson as its Secretary-General starting from 1 July 2021. The new Secretary-General will continue to build HFSP’s prestigious reputation as the leading body supporting international collaboration in basic life science research.

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Citi Impact Fund backs Black, female and veteran founders

Impact Alpha

ImpactAlpha, January 26 — Citi Impact Fund launched last year to invest in companies addressing workforce development, financial inclusion and sustainable energy and. The post Citi Impact Fund backs Black, female and veteran founders appeared first on Impact Alpha.

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What Questions Are Brands Asking About Their ESG Initiatives Ahead of 2024?

Temperatures are rising (and not just metaphorically) as key stakeholders anxiously anticipate the outcomes of COP28. While companies reconsider their 2024 environmental sustainability strategies, there is another aspect of ESG that deserves exploring, the social sector. In the latest edition of "Navigating ESG Comms Through the Cosmos - Sagittarius Edition", 3BL hones in on this sign’s bold quality of asking questions others are burning to know the answers to.

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Real estate developer adds 3.7 MW of solar to shopping centers in NY and Mass

Renewable Energy World

This week, real estate developer Kimco Realty Corp. announced that it has initiated five new solar projects. Four of the projects will be at Kimco properties in the New York metropolitan region, including the company’s new headquarters in Jericho, Long Island, as well as Greenridge Plaza, Forest Avenue Shopping Center and Richmond Shopping Center, all on Staten Island.

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Climate Change Evidence – Look for a Mammoth

Sense and Sustainability

For the better part of a century-plus, explorers, paleontologists and treasure hunters have pulled Ice Age fauna from the Siberian permafrost. Concurrent to the exploration and exploitation of ancient skeletons, science looks to examine the same melting earth and resulting release of organic carbon and methane. A simple indicator of the rapidity of melting permafrost comes from the boom in mammoth ivory.

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Time to put the foot down?

Envirotec Magazine

Image: Shutterstock.com/darksoul72. A decarbonisation rate of 11.7% per annum is now required to keep warming within 1.5°C – five times greater than what was achieved prior to the pandemic (2.4%), according to new analysis from PwC in December. The PwC Net Zero Index shows that, based on current trends in energy consumption and CO2 emissions, the century’s global carbon budget would be used up by the end of this decade.

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Why carbon tracking and reporting is necessary to hold corporations accountable

GreenBiz

Why carbon tracking and reporting is necessary to hold corporations accountable. Daniel Goldman. Thu, 01/07/2021 - 01:30. The world is changing, and it’s changing fast. More companies are committing to emissions reductions but still struggle to measure and verify the impact from corporate headquarters to global operations to supply chains. Now, new breakthrough climate accounting technologies are emerging as solutions to track and verify energy and carbon emissions, and report energy purchases a

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The Silver Lining to Corporate DEI Challenges

In our latest edition of Navigating ESG Comms Through the Cosmos - Scorpio Edition, 3BL embraces the perspective of one of the zodiac's most misunderstood signs: Scorpio. While this sign often has a darker view of the world, they do not shy away from shining a light on controversial topics. This month we take a deep dive into corporate pullback of DEI and how companies can utilize astrological advice to reinvent its social impact communication.