After an extensive effort to research, map, and identify expertise and infrastructure to accelerate the move to circular systems, Accelerating Circularity Project is going to the trial phase in the U.S. and Europe to demonstrate what is possible and to measure environmental savings. Trials will showcase the ability to mechanically and chemically recycle cotton, and…
In an innovative plan to try to ensure constant electricity supply, members of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber have stepped up to provide security guards to protect the metro’s electrical infrastructure after cable theft caused the loss of millions of rands in the manufacturing industry. The business community in Nelson Mandela Bay will now guard electricity substations in the metro after rampant cable theft paralysed several industries, leading to lost revenue amounting to millions of rands. “This is a game changer for municipalities. It is an extreme thing for people to do, to use their own security guards to look after public infrastructure, but this is a very serious problem,” said Denise van Huyssteen, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber. The Nelson Mandela Bay metro, consisting of Gqeberha (formerly known as Port Elizabeth), Despatch and Kariega (formerly known as Uitenhage) is the Eastern Cape’s biggest metro and home to several key players in the vehicle and vehicle components manufacturing industry. It also houses the infrastructure for large citrus exports.
From planting thousands of trees and seedlings, to installing more solar PV systems, running a zero emission fleet, upgrading 400 streetlights to LEDs and awarding $1.07m+ grants to local residents, groups and businesses, the City of Cockburn’s state of sustainability is on track. The City’s 11th annual State of Sustainability Report has been adopted by Cockburn Council with a new action plan due to be developed in 2022. The annual report confirmed that 100 per cent of the 76 key performance indicators (KPIs) in the City’s Sustainability Action Plan 2017-2022 have either been achieved or are in progress. In 2020-21, nine of 14 targets across important sustainability areas including water conservation, waste minimisation, energy and emissions reduction, and biodiversity were also achieved. Highlights include the completion of the garden waste bin rollout, receiving a Platinum Waterwise award, production of renewable energy for council facilities and a zero emissions fleet.
Innovation along the digital thread is a powerful mechanism for manufacturers to increase ROI through creating process efficiencies, optimizing energy usage, and avoiding critical errors before they happen—among many other benefits. But how can those same benefits be used in the fight to create a more sustainable, lower-carbon future? Join MxD, McKinsey, and Microsoft as we explore what sustainability in manufacturing really means, the short-term and long-term considerations for businesses, and how digital technology is already impacting the manufacturing industry’s footprint.
Today’s global challenges, from climate change to health and digitalisation, are of unprecedented scientific complexity and transcend national borders, rendering isolated action ineffective. A prime example in this regard, the COVID-19 pandemic has drawn attention to the need for more science-informed public decision-making and international scientific collaboration on solutions to global crises, once again making science-policy interfaces and science diplomacy a priority for governments worldwide. At global, regional, and national levels of governance science-policy interfaces, fostering relations between scientists and policymakers to enable joint formulation of knowledge and policy solutions, are today widely established.
Forget furnaces and fireplaces. In Stockholm, Sweden, residents are staying warm with the help of excess heat from more than 6,000 computer servers. It’s one of the many creative ways that green data centers around the world are trying to become more energy-efficient and more environmentally friendly. The idea belongs to Swedish internet service provider Bahnhof, which has turned an old rock cavity below a public park into a cutting-edge data center. Known as Pionen, the futuristic space is filled with densely packed IT hardware and infrastructure that produces a massive amount of energy and heat. When it established Pionen in 2007, Bahnhof wasted that heat by venting it away. Then, it decided to partner with local energy company Stockholm Exergi, whose Open District Heating program allows entities that produce excess heat to generate revenue by recovering surplus heat and selling it as energy with which to heat homes and businesses.
A Tesla Cybertruck has been sighted in California with an updated design, Drive Tesla Canada reported. The article noted that Jesse Sandoval spotted the Cybertruck and told them the photo was taken at the Castle Airport in Atwater, California — just two hours from the Fremont factory. What’s notable are the side mirrors on this particular Cybertruck. When I was at Tesla’s AI Day event, the Cybertruck I took photos of did not have any side mirrors. That is how the Cybertruck has always been seen when spotted out in public up till now. The video shows that Tesla has updated the prototype.
A new guide to help collegiate foodservice operations across the globe contribute to a better world is now available from the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS). The NACUFS Collegiate Foodservice Sustainability Guide© helps collegiate foodservice operators implement or enhance a sustainability program, whether they are in the early stages of building a comprehensive program or already have a mature program underway. The Guide provides an overview of 10 key sustainability issues, from animal welfare to sustainable seafood, and implementation of best practices. Further, a Self-Assessment Tool is provided to measure and assess current efforts and track improvements year-over-year.
As a core component of the wider EU Sustainable Finance Action Plan which aims to channel capital flows towards sustainable investment while managing financial risks, the EU Taxonomy heralds a new era for the sustainable investment landscape. In its simplest terms, the Taxonomy Regulation is a classification tool to determine whether an economic activity is environmentally sustainable. It helps investors, companies and policy makers to make more informed decisions by identifying activities that are deemed to make substantial contributions to environmental objectives and thereby help to finance the transition to a more sustainable economy.
The San Marcos City Council introduced an ordinance banning single-use plastic utensils and containers and Styrofoam products during its Oct. 12 meeting, becoming the latest in a string of San Diego County cities to implement such a ban. The council vote unanimously in favor of the ordinance, which will be officially adopted at an upcoming council meeting and phased in over two years. According to the staff report, the ordinance will “establish standards and procedures for the protection of the City’s environment, its economy, and the health of its residents and visitors by promoting environmentally sustainable practices throughout the City by controlling the use and distribution and disposal of certain non-recyclable single-use plastic products by City departments, City contractors, food servicers, and grocery stores within the City of San Marcos.”
Global processing technology and service provider Metso Outotec is the latest company to join the Coalition for Eco Efficient Comminution (CEEC) as a new sponsor, growing the global network of mining industry leaders to accelerate collaboration and uptake of more eco-efficient mining and comminution. Metso Outotec has a global reach, and has been championing sustainability for a long time by proactively developing technologies and partnering with mining companies to become more energy efficient.
When Los Angeles–based artist Shawn Button considered buying a rental property at the edge of Joshua Tree National Park during the height of the pandemic, he knew it would be a risk. But the stakes became even clearer when he set foot on the site of the dilapidated 1959 cabin. “The house was pretty busted up, but as I walked around the property, the sun was setting and I started having these crazy visions of what it could be,” Button recalls. “I knew it would be a gamble, so I asked the universe for a sign. Then, I looked down, and I saw a pair of dice in the sand.”
Smart Warehousing, a national warehousing and fulfillment solutions company, has launched an Innovation Hub in its original headquarters in Edgerton, Kansas. The company positions the move as enabling it to become one of the leading fulfillment players, while also supporting strategic partnerships with warehousing automation companies that will use the Kansas facility to test equipment in real-world scenarios. The Innovation Hub is attached to a 500,000-square-foot warehouse, allowing Smart Warehousing to test and optimize its technology and automation in-house before deploying it to over 34 national warehouse locations.
As we return to a new normal, industrial innovation is accelerating. A renewed focus on sustainability, the circular economy, and climate change is sparking innovation and powering transformational and technological change throughout the industrial sector. Resilience has been prioritized in the supply chain and throughout production operations. Digital leaders have now validated their strategies against the real-world challenges brought on by the pandemic, and are accelerating their innovation and transformation initiatives. Many companies supported ‘connected’ remote and frontline workers far earlier than they anticipated, and will now do more. Having seen the power of disruptive technologies to transform business operations and competitive strategies, improve resilience, reduce costs, and better serve customers, it’s full speed ahead.
Carbon is not the shiniest element, nor the most reactive, nor the rarest. But it is one of the most versatile. Carbon is the backbone of life on earth and the fossil fuels that have resulted from the demise of ancient life. Carbon is the essential ingredient for turning iron into steel, which underlies technologies from medieval swords to skyscrapers and submarines. And strong, lightweight carbon fibers are used in cars, planes and windmills. Even just carbon on its own is extraordinarily adaptable: It is the only ingredient in (among other things) diamonds, buckyballs and graphite (the stuff used to make pencil lead).
LyondellBasell has commercialised the production of PP and PE made from certified carbon-14 (C14) renewable content. The renewable feedstock, marketed globally as CirculenRenew, is made from 100 per cent bio-based waste and residues, such as used cooking oils. It is supplied by Neste, following the announcement of a long-term commercial relationship in June. As well…
Sustainability is one of the greatest transformation challenges of our generation. The stakes have never been higher, with less than a decade to deliver on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. On the flip side, the opportunities to harness technology, innovation and a shared commitment for a more sustainable world has never been greater. Business ESG performance not measuring up to reality. Why step up our game now on sustainability? For one thing, organizations are facing compounding pressure from a range of stakeholders, including investors, consumers, regulatory agencies, and employees to demonstrate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance alongside financial performance. Consumers are making more sustainable purchasing choices and investors are putting greater weight on a company’s ESG score. They want to see the data to back up an organization’s sustainability credentials.
“Among the many lessons learned from today’s global pandemic is that humanity’s choices today determine our future outcomes. In the area of sustainability (and elsewhere), we can always make better choices. And with technology, we have a powerful lever to make those better choices feasible. Thus, we must all show willingness to embrace this kind of change. Starting in 2020 — and building on 10 years of sustainability work — we have embarked on a bold journey that will provide year-on-year momentum towards a circular, carbon neutral and healthy future with the help of IT. We do this because we should and because we can…”
Our home designs are an identifying aspect of our nation’s culture. Wood panelling, bay windows, and stone bricks are instantly recognisable as a product of British construction when compared to other homes around the world. As we progress through the years, it’s inspiring to see how our homes have also changed with the times – both inside and out. From Tudor panelling to double-glazed windows, home designs throughout history have played a bigger role in our lives and culture than you may think. So, how have we got here? How have housebuilders and homemakers through the years shaped the development of what we call home?
Due to an increase in new products and services, along with overall store growth, a U.S.-based natural and organic foods supermarket chain decided to launch an expansion project, which would include two new 135,000-square-foot, multi-temperature grocery facilities on opposite ends of the country. As it prepared for the multifaceted project, the supermarket chain had a tight implementation timeline, as the second facility was intended to go live two months after the first.