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.

Understanding soil biodiversity driven processes function, and delivery of ecosystem services, are crucial to promote knowledgeable functional diversity management to prevent crossing tipping points. We discuss options to prevent passing tipping points, by the governance of “functional diversity” across the biophysical, economic, and societal levels using southwestern Amazonia as blueprint. One of the main challenges to prevent crossing ecosystem thresholds of one state to the other is the rapid and often irreversible nature of tipping points. Additionally, in coupled natural and human systems, the impact of tipping points is not always recognized as a threat, and people usually see no reason to change their behavior towards ecosystem degradation as long as their livelihood, health, or economy are not impaired perceptibly. As such, addressing tipping points is complex, and requires a multi factorial analysis, and integration of natural and social sciences to understand the underlying processes governing ecosystem health and good science communication to engage society.

KEEN, Inc., the footwear brand on a mission to make outside inclusive and accessible to all, today announced that Good Housekeeping awarded the brand the Good Housekeeping 2021 Sustainability Innovation Award for its Detox the Planet initiative that keeps perfluorochemicals (PFCs) and per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) out of its footwear. PFCs/PFAS, a class of about 5,000 fluorinated chemicals also referred to as “forever chemicals” are often used in water repellent finishes in every-day products. These toxic chemicals enter the environment where the chemicals, components and finished products are manufactured, through contaminated water or waste, and spread easily, posing health risks to humans and animals.

Like many good things in life, wind turbines don’t last forever. But disposing of retired turbine blades has become a headache for the renewable energy industry. They’re made of materials that can’t easily be recycled.  But from cycle shelters to bridges, life-expired blades are finding innovative new uses around the world. And the first 100% recyclable turbine blades have just been produced in Denmark.  Up to 85% of an existing wind turbine, including the steel mast and electrical components made of metals like copper, can be recycled, but not the turbine blades, which already account for 10% of Europe’s fibre-reinforced composite material waste.

RWE, Germany’s largest power producer, announced it’s investing $21 billion in the UK by 2030 to accelerate its transition. The announcement comes as CEO, Markus Krebber is taking part in the Global Investment Summit in London. Firstly, the announced investment includes the already announced investment of five billion pounds into two offshore wind parks; one of which started the construction phase back in June. Those are the Triton Knoll and the Sofia offshore wind parks, the latter being the one that began construction recently. Indeed, much of the activity of RWE in the UK focus on offshore wind. Apart from the projects mentioned above, the company is currently developing four new offshore wind farms, representing a combined potential installed capacity of around 2.6 GW.

From ageing electric batteries to old engines to rearview mirrors, the auto industry is revving up its recycling efforts as it faces pressure to reduce its colossal carbon footprint. The world’s automakers are investing in facilities to salvage old parts but the industry is also looking to recycle the millions of electric batteries used for the cars of the future. While electric cars are cleaner than their fossil fuel forebears, the raw materials needed for their batteries are extracted from mines in Africa that are often accused of environmental damage and using child labour. “As demand for these materials increase, the pressures on these (economically marginalised) regions are likely to be amplified, risking the goals of a socially and ecologically sustainable renewable energy system,” according to the Institute for Sustainable Futures at University of Technology Sydney.

Athens Services has been presented the Legacy of Hope Award from St. Francis Center for the company’s support of the social services agency. The award was presented at the 12th Annual Friends of St. Francis Center Gala in Los Angeles on Oct. 2, 2021. Since 2017, Athens has worked with St. Francis to expand food rescue opportunities in Los Angeles, specifically in the North Central, West LA, and Harbor areas. Athens’ infrastructure grants have supported the collection and distribution of 82,000 pounds of edible food to those in need. The grants also funded the installation of refrigerators and stoves at the center.

Progress towards regenerative textiles. The Code Red warning for humanity from the recent UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report requires us all to take action to reduce the intensity of resource and energy use, and shift to more regenerative technologies and lifestyles. Jane Milburn believes in the power of adaptation in the natural world and her own. After agricultural science and leadership study applied to a career in rural communications and advocacy, Jane set up Textile Beat and wrote the book Slow Clothing before doing permaculture design and teaching courses to strengthen her focus on regenerative systems. Jane will discuss progress towards regenerative textiles and why we need to be living simply in a changing world.

The lack of reliable power is sparking a political crisis on the island territory of Puerto Rico, where years of neglect, a string of severe hurricanes and a shaky takeover by a private contractor have resulted in the most expensive and unreliable electricity in the U.S., according to The New York Times. And attempts to rebuild or patch a grid that was ailing even before the storms hit risk making things worse, University of Puerto Rico professor Agustín A. Irizarry told the Times.