Printed each week, this collection charts how companies and sustainability professionals are working to realize their ‘Mission Possible’ throughout the marketing campaign’s 5 key pillars – vitality, assets, infrastructure, mobility and sustainability management.
Throughout the UK and internationally, main companies, cities, states and areas are turning environmental ambitions into motion. Right here, we spherical up 5 optimistic sustainability tales from this week.
ENERGY: Germany confirms 15 coal plant closures
Coal is the world’s most considerable, and most polluting, fossil gas. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has stated that all nations should finish coal-fired electrical energy manufacturing by 2040 if the worldwide vitality system is to succeed in net-zero by 2050, and really helpful that OECD nations attempt to go quicker.
Germany’s Financial system Minister Robert Habeck confirmed as this week started that eight coal-fired energy vegetation throughout the Rhenish and Brandenburg areas had come offline on Easter Sunday (31 March). These vegetation had been saved on-line as a precautionary measure amid the vitality worth disaster, however at the moment are deemed “neither necessary nor economical”.
An additional seven vegetation will probably be shut within the coming weeks for a similar motive. Collectively, the 15 energy vegetation have a complete capability of round 4.4GW.
Germany intends to finish coal-fired electrical energy technology by 2030.
RESOURCES: P&G and Dow start quick work for brand spanking new plastic recycling tech
Solely 9% of the plastics ever produced have been recycled. Furthermore, plastic just isn’t infinitely recyclable, with materials high quality degrading by every processing cycle utilizing mechanical recycling processes.
Shopper items big Procter & Gamble (P&G) and chemical compounds agency Dow just lately confirmed that they’re working collectively to develop and commercialise a brand new chemical recycling know-how that may allow the recycling of multi-layer, hard-to-recycle packaging.
The partnership has been set into movement instantly and is about to proceed till the know-how is commercially accessible. Little has been mentioned in regards to the know-how apart from that it’s going to contain dissolution – submerging plastics in solvents and heating them till completely different supplies are separated.
Dow is striving for the method to have a low emissions footprint and produce plastics of “near-virgin” high quality. P&G is notably aiming for all of its consumer-facing packaging to be both reusable or made from 100% recycled supplies by 2030.
MOBILITY: Volvo ceases manufacturing of diesel vehicles
As 2023 begun, Volvo pledged to stop the manufacturing of diesel vehicles in early 2024. It had first said its intention to take action in 2017. The automaker made good on that pledge final week as its final ever automobile with a diesel engine rolled off the manufacturing line at its Torslanda plant in Sweden.
The blue XC90 sport utility car (SUV) will probably be positioned within the World of Volvo Museum in Gothenburg for posterity.
The transfer makes Volvo the final massive ‘legacy’ producer to thoroughly ditch diesel. Volvo is striving to turn into an electric-only model by 2030.
A press release from Volvo reads: “Solely 5 years in the past, the diesel engine was our bread and butter in Europe, similar to it was for many different automobile makers. The vast majority of the vehicles we offered in Europe in 2019 ran on diesel, whereas electrical fashions had been simply beginning to achieve traction.
“The all-electric direction we’re now heading towards is the right one to take, and we do so with our flag held high.”
THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT: Retrofit toolkit launched to assist decarbonise London’s historic buildings
The UK Authorities has said that “the vast majority” of buildings that will probably be in use in 2050 exist already. Globally, the proportion is estimated to stand at 80%. This presents all method of challenges and alternatives referring to retrofitting – that are maybe most pronounced for historic buildings.
Structure agency Purcell and the Metropolis of London Company, which manages the Sq. Mile district, have teamed as much as present an open-access toolkit on retrofitting heritage buildings to cut back emissions, enhance vitality effectivity and improve local weather resilience.
The toolkit supplies a step-by-step retrofit planning course of for people who personal, keep and occupy such buildings, with recommendation for constructing varieties starting from municipal buildings to locations of worship.
London hosts greater than 600 listed buildings, so it’s hoped that the toolkit will probably be used throughout the capital. The authors additionally declare its recommendation will probably be related in different areas.
Shravan Joshi, who chairs the Metropolis of London Company’s planning and transportation committee, mentioned: “Our ability to adapt our heritage buildings depends on developing a common understanding and promoting good practice of what can be achieved. This toolkit provides a structured approach to such collaboration.”
SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP: Speedy Rent and Sisk again native peatland restoration
Peatlands cowl round 10% of the entire land space within the UK and are essential carbon sinks. However the Authorities estimates that solely 13% are in a near-natural state.
edie recently featured Beam Suntory’s support for three large-scale peatland restoration projects in Scotland in this weekly roundup. Plainly enterprise urge for food for supporting these sorts of initiatives is rising, with Speedy Rent and Sisk unveiling a joint £10,000 funding in peatland restoration within the North Pennines.
The finance is supporting the North Pennines Nationwide Panorama initiative to replant England’s largest bathroom with cotton grass. These vegetation ought to assist vegetation development and, in flip, carbon sequestration and biodiversity.
In addition to finance, Speedy Rent and Sisk are offering volunteer hours to assist the challenge.
“The World Economic Forum has considered world ecosystem collapse as a very real risk over the next 10 years, and it is important for businesses to include nature and biodiversity in their ESG plans,” mentioned Sam Westran, who chairs Speedy Rent’s communities committee.
“We are proud to be supporting this important issue and making a direct contribution to peatland restoration.”
The information comes shortly after Speedy’s ESG director Amelia Woodley was crowned edie’s Business Leader of the Year at the 2024 edie Awards.
