Sustainability News and Trends – August 2022

Posted by | Fuld & Company

For the latest and most important sustainability news and developments from June and July 2022 please see below for all the key stories.

For a PDF version of this news please download here.

National Governments’ Announcements

A summary of the key announcements by national governments in relation to sustainability is as follows:

Companies Making Sustainability Linked Acquisitions & Investments

Some of the key sustainability linked acquisitions and investments have been made by the following companies.

Key Sustainability News

A summary of the key sustainability news that has occurred over the past month is listed below.

14-July-22: Real estate

EEBA and Ecomedes have launched a free online tool for builders to source sustainable materials for construction in real-time

• The Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) and Ecomedes, a cloud-based sustainability-collaboration-service for builders, have jointly launched a new and free-of-cost EEBA-Ecomedes sustainable building products ’database’
• The free tool intends to help transform the way commercial designers, building owners, and building product manufacturers work together, enabling cost and carbon impact reduction for them
• The database is designed to simplify the sourcing of green materials, allowing builders to select products by sustainability attributes, labels, and certifications

13-July-22: Sports, Automotive

Real Madrid and BMW have come together to implement initiatives for future mobility, sustainability and diversity

• Real Madrid, a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid, has entered into an agreement with BMW Spain, making it the European champions’ new official car supplier
• Under the agreement BMW will provide cars to the club’s players, coaches, and basketball squad, where they could choose from the five 100% electric models in the BMW catalog: the iX, i4, iX3, i7 and iX1
• The partners plan to collaboratively undertake initiatives in the fields of future mobility, sustainability and diversity

30-June-22: Telecom

Spain-based Telefónica plans to curb equipment waste by developing a more responsible and transparent supply chain using blockchain technology

• Telefónica, a Spanish multinational telecommunications company, intends to use blockchain technology for sustainable equipment tracking to help curb wasted electronic equipment, by further sustaining a device’s initial working lifespan
• The company plans to track reusable and recyclable products, and the repair and recoverability of mobile devices, supporting a circular economy for devices, and hitting its sustainability targets
• The telco also offers the Aitana AI platform that provides predictive models on repairability and recoverability, with real-time management of each repair ticket, developing a responsible and transparent supply chain

30-June-22: Agriculture, Chemicals

UPL and Bunge have come together to form a new firm, Origeo, intended for enhancing Brazilian farmers’ sustainable practices

• UPL Limited, an Indian Agrochemicals MNC, and Bunge Limited, an American agribusiness and food company, have collaborated to lay down the foundation of a new firm – Origeo – intended for sustainability for farmers in Brazil
• Origeo will provide end-to-end solutions to farmers aided by the technical team’s understanding of each producer’s needs from crop planning to harvest, and consulting on sustainability and low carbon agriculture
• Companies intend to develop sustainable solutions, including bio-solutions, for farmers to become environmentally conscious, based on sustainable practices, including carbon soil sequestration to reduce atmospheric CO2

28-June-22: Construction, Infrastructure

Honeywell introduces sustainable buildings software for carbon & energy management

• Honeywell International Inc., an American MNC operating in aerospace, building technologies, performance materials and technologies, and safety and productivity solutions, has launched a new carbon energy management software for buildings under its new Sustainable Buildings Solutions portfolio
• The software uses AI and ML to autonomously identify and implement energy conservation measures, driving efficiency, resiliency, and accountability throughout a real estate portfolio
• The software intends to help building owners and operators reduce the environmental impact of buildings while optimizing indoor air quality to support residents’ well-being

27-June-22: Packaging

Sydney-based Grounded Packaging introduces mono-material packaging as an alternative to indispensable packaging material for food producers and retailers

• Grounded Packaging, a Sydney-based provider of innovative & sustainable packaging materials, has launched the world’s first-of-its-kind post-consumer recycled film laminate made with 83% recycled materials
• RE: MONO, which is made for food manufacturers as a sustainable alternative packaging solution compared to traditional products, contains the highest volume of post-consumer recycled content that is available in the world today for food packing
• The mono-material initiative is in line with the Company’s target of removing 4 million kg of ocean-bound plastic by the end of 2022

23-June- 22: Textile

EU-India sustainable leather project has been launched in Tamil Nadu, India to promote sustainable consumption and production of leather across the state

• The European Union (EU), and Solidaridad Regional Expertise Centre along with its partners – Politecnico Internazionale per lo Sviluppo Industriale ed Economico (PISIE), Indian Finished Leather Manufacturers and Exporters Association (IFLMEA), Council for Leather Exports, Tata International Limited, have initiated an EU-India sustainability project for the leather industry in Tamil Nadu
• The project is a 42-month-long program funded by the EU under its SWITCH-Asia Program, in line with Tamil Nadu’s effort to transform into a resource-efficient and circular economy model to focus on solid waste management in state’s leather clusters
• The program will include collaboration with partners and technical specialists to showcase a number of circular tanning and waste-to-value technologies

20-June-22: Aviation, Energy

Shell and Accenture have joined hands with American Express GBT to introduce Avelia, the world’s largest sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) program

• Shell, a British multinational oil and gas company, Accenture, an Irish-American professional services company, and American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT), a multinational travel and meetings program management company, have collaboratively launched Avelia, a sustainable solutions program for business travel
• Avelia is the world’s first digital sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) book-and-claim program that uses blockchain technology to ensure secure allocation of SAF’s environmental attributes to companies and airlines
• The program includes Amex GBT’s travel management services that enable airlines and business customers to simultaneously reduce emissions within their reach, by avoiding issues such as double-counting

For a PDF version of this news please download here.