archive2023

Steady Energy aims to decarbonise residential heating in Finland with small modular nuclear reactors. Steady Energy’s LDR-50 district heating reactor is a small modular nuclear reactor which has been in development at VTT since 2020. LDR-50 is a type name for a reactor with a heat output of 50MW. Designed to operate at around 150 degrees Celsius and below 10 bar (145 psi), its operating conditions are less demanding compared to those of traditional reactors, simplifying the technical solutions needed to meet the high safety standards of the nuclear industry. “The pressure required...

Three-quarters of energy leaders say that security of energy supply is the number one concern for their organisation. Energy security is the leading concern resulting from the global energy crisis that has led to a capital crunch and severely depleted investment levels, new research shows. The majority of energy leaders believe the current energy crisis is the most severe their market has ever experienced. And according to energy sector CFOs, investment levels between 2020 and 2022 were an estimated $203 billion lower than they otherwise would have been. The research...

The New Zealand government is set to collaborate with the U.S. investment giant BlackRock in its ambitious pursuit of making its electricity grid a global pioneer by relying entirely on renewable energy sources. The government has unveiled plans to assist BlackRock in launching a substantial $1.2 billion fund dedicated to accelerating investments in wind and solar energy generation, battery storage solutions, and environmentally-friendly green hydrogen production. Notably, a portion of this investment is anticipated to originate from government-owned entities. Having already achieved an impressive 82% reliance on renewable energy sources...

Research organisations worldwide face the challenge of developing climate-adapted crops and doubling crop improvement rates. Developing varieties of crops is a lengthy and costly process that can take up to a decade. During this process, thousands of potential varieties need to be evaluated. This process, known as plant phenotyping, has traditionally been performed visually or manually. However, these traditional methods are mainly ineffective in capturing the climate-smart characteristics of crops. A quantum leap in crop breeding speed, precision, and savings on labour costs is possible with the latest phenotyping technologies...

Scope 3 emissions are a minefield no matter how large or small the organisation – gaining oversight of your entire value chain is complex! Around 80-90 per cent of emissions sit in Scope 3 and yet there’s a huge disparity between its influence on net-zero and the amount of investment and progress made to address it. Jamie Ganderton, vice president of Proxima, believes that tackling the problem requires a detailed, credible strategy, which is interesting when you consider that recent research from The Carbon Disclosure Project revealed that of the...

Jeff Waller, head of sustainable finance at ENGIE Impact reveals three steps to bridge the gap to net zero with sustainable finance As decarbonisation efforts accelerate, traditional financing models are falling short when it comes to aligning organisations with their sustainability goals. Current capital allocation models leave many organisations struggling to find the necessary funds for their large-scale decarbonisation strategies. Narrow investment criteria limited internal budgets and strict payback periods prevent organisations from unlocking the scale and speed of change required by net-zero targets. The solution? Organisations need to reimagine their capital...

Net zero industry has taken a major step toward production of near-zero emissions materials including aluminium, ammonia and steel. Net zero industry leaders at New York Climate Week have endorsed strategies from the Mission Possible Partnership (MPP) to decarbonise some of world’s hardest-to-abate, carbon-intensive industries in this decade. The new plans have won support from 60 companies, bringing to more than 200 the tally of endorsements for MPP’s published Sector Transition Strategies which also include aviation, shipping and trucking. The signatories reflect growing momentum among high-ambition companies including steelmakers ArcelorMittal,...

ISB Global and SAP aim to digitally transform waste management with a focus on recycling, sustainability and zero waste across global supply chains.  At present, a lot of waste management providers still use legacy IT systems, making it extremely difficult to track where waste is going, and in most cases, more recyclable waste is sent Corporate sustainability is growing in importance, day by day. Businesses are regularly being called out for greenwashing and consumers increasingly want to only associate themselves with companies that take sustainability seriously, so the need for...

Kirsty Green-Man, head of corporate responsibility at Burges Salmon, explains how changes in governance regulations will have important implications for business. Watch Now » New liabilities around ESG will demand new skills and a new governance approach. Vera Cherepanova, ethics and compliance specialist at StudioEtica, explains how changing regulations Watch Now »...

Just 23 per cent of consumers take environmental claims and initiatives from businesses at face value, according to a new study by Sensu Insight. The 50 Shades of Greenwashing report reveals that almost a third (30 per cent) of Brits expect environmental claims from companies to be slightly exaggerated, while 14 per cent said they don’t believe them at all. This is largely due to the majority of people (71 per cent) assuming that claims are unlikely to be verified or checked by an independent expert or regulator, deeming them un-credible. The...