Tag: Additional Articles

Ten Nature-Inspired Companies Addressing Enviro and Social Issues from Biomimicry Inst

Ten Nature-Inspired Companies Addressing ESG Issues

>> Back to September 2022 Issue

Biomimicry Institute announces new cohort of bioinspired startups participating in the Ray of Hope Prize program.

Biomimicry Institute LogoFrom inventing higher-performing and more sustainable renewable energy systems, to reducing food waste, to solving the plastic waste problem, the 2022 Ray of Hope Prize® finalists offer inspiring solutions through their use of biomimicry (also referred to as nature-inspired or bioinspired design). Selected from hundreds of impressive submissions from companies around the world, the Biomimicry Institute is proud to announce the top 10 finalists selected to participate in this transformational program designed to help startups cross a critical threshold in scaling their sustainable solutions. The 10-week virtual accelerator program culminates in the chance to receive the $100,000 grand prize and additional equity-free funding.

“Every year we see more and more breakthrough, nature-inspired companies apply to the Ray of Hope Prize®, indicating that this field is growing to meet the climate and biodiversity challenges facing our planet,” said Jared Yarnell-Schane, Innovation Director at the Institute. “Among them are companies that are creating brand new chemicals and materials that are in tune with those that already exist in nature, and companies that are creating products to make critical infrastructure more efficient and sustainable.”

The 10 participating companies include:

Amphibio United Kingdom
Amphibio has developed a recyclable and PFC-free alternative to traditional waterproof breathable textiles in the outdoor and sportswear industry. This is accomplished via their unique manufacturing process and PFC-free superhydrophobic yarn, which was inspired by water and liquid repellent nano-structures found in nature. Their textiles are made from one source material and do not need any chemical treatments, mitigating two of the biggest barriers of sustainable textile production today.

Biome Renewables Canada
Biome Renewables is an engineering and design firm that learns from nature to create higher performing and more sustainable renewable energy systems. Their first product, the PowerCone®, is a wind turbine retrofit inspired by the aerodynamics of a falling maple seed, which moves through the air with a pattern of least resistance. The PowerCone, which is a second smaller rotor bolted to the hub of existing wind turbines, can increase the annual energy production of a wind turbine, while minimizing the amount of loads and vibrations experienced by the turbine. Currently, they are bringing their second technology to market: a serrations technology that mimics an owl’s wing to deliver quieter wind turbine performance. Recent wind tunnel testing in Germany revealed noise reductions up to 4 dB.

Fusion Bionic GmbH Germany
Fusion Bionic creates laser-generated surface textures inspired by textures found in nature, opening up new possibilities for functionalized surfaces. Their Direct Laser Interference Patterning (DLIP) can create micro- and nano-scale surface textures on which, for example, ice does not stick, (anti-icing for e.g. aviation), glass surfaces of smartphones do not reflect (anti-reflective), and implants are better accepted by the body (biocompatible, antibacterial). All of these surface textures replace ecologically harmful processes, such as chemical de-icing, sand-blasting, or etching, while meeting the demand of increased product performance via industrial-scale surface finishing.

GreenPod Labs India
India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables, but ~40% of fresh produce is lost before it reaches consumers. GreenPod Labs have created bio-inspired packaging sachets that release plant based volatiles to activate the built-in defense mechanism within specific fruits or vegetables, in order to slow down the ripening rate and minimize microbial growth. By understanding crop physiology and spoilage types, GreenPod Labs is able to create the right formulation for produce to fight against biotic and abiotic stresses at ambient temperature, lessening the need for cold storage and cold supply chains.

Intropic Materials United States
Intropic Materials is solving plastic waste from the inside out by embedding enzymes directly inside plastics to aid and significantly speed up natural degradation. These plastics rapidly and completely break-down at the end of use into biodegradable or chemically recyclable small molecules without producing microplastics, in accessible life-friendly conditions like warm water baths or compost. This is enabled by their proprietary enzyme stabilization platform, designed to function similarly to chaperone proteins, which protect and preserve enzymatic structure and function in foreign environments. By bringing together natural and synthetic materials, Intropic Materials is unlocking a more innovative and sustainable future.

Metavoxel United States
Low-density, high-performance cellular materials like bone, bamboo, and marine sponges are nature’s way of doing more with less, providing structural efficiency and multifunctionality across scale. The key is in the specific internal cellular geometry. Metavoxel recreates these cellular geometries to produce lightweight and strong metamaterials which can improve structural efficiency and reduce the cost and environmental footprint of the built environment. The goal for Metavoxel is to do more with less—to conserve energy and material resources while accomplishing specific mechanical and structural objectives.

Mycocycle United States
Mycocycle works with nature’s master decomposers, fungi, to break down complex waste streams such as construction materials and asphalt. Using a systems-level biomimicry approach, Mycocycle’s process enables a circular industrial supply chain, becoming ever more important as landfills reach capacity. To accomplish this, Mycocycle first optimizes fungi in a lab to decompose specific waste streams. Then, they remediate the waste on site in collaboration with manufacturers, recyclers, and waste management companies. The resulting by-product can then be used to create new products.

Sóliome United States
Sunscreen has become a part of the daily routine for millions of consumers, however the current market choices often contain toxic chemicals or are damaging to sensitive organisms like coral. Sóliome has created a novel sunscreen inspired by compounds that naturally concentrate in the lens of the human eye to absorb UVA and UVB radiation. By isolating and stabilizing this molecule, Sóliome is able to create a safe, affordable, and environmentally friendly sunscreen.

Strong by Form Chile
In nature, trees are able to withstand high wind and snow stresses by growing the right form, density, and fiber orientations. This allows natural wood to achieve a specific strength that is even higher than the one of steel. By combining material science with the latest digital optimization tools, Strong by Form has developed Woodflow, a fabrication technology that follows these natural form functions. Their proprietary additive manufacturing process can create high performance, ultralight, timber-based structural composites for the construction and mobility industries at a fraction of their environmental impact.

Sudoc United States
Sudoc creates chemical cleaning products that emulate how enzymes work in the human liver to efficiently oxidize harmful and toxic micropollutants. By closely mimicking the mechanism of these peroxidase liver enzymes, Sudoc’s innovative chemistry platform can reduce, replace, and eliminate toxic chemicals in a wide range of applications. The company’s first product outperforms traditional mold stain removal products with 1/30th the chemical content, and they are developing a range of other household and commercial cleaning products, as well as solutions for the treatment of wastewater and waste pharmaceuticals. By creating chemistry in balance with nature, Sudoc is helping to address a massive increase in global chemical toxicity that is contributing to the greater incidence of infertility, diseases such as cancer, and impacted developmental behaviors.

The Ray of Hope Prize participants will now begin the 10-week virtual program and will be delivering their pitches to an expert judging panel in November. During this program, the Institute will help these startups scale more quickly in order to compete in multi-billion dollar, extractive industries; avoid the common push to produce products cheaply, leading to further (unintentional) harm (such as the use of toxic chemicals); and help them to easily communicate their science and biomimicry. The program concludes with an immersive retreat in the California Redwoods for participants to reconnect with the natural world and form bonds with their fellow bioinspired innovators.

“The 10 companies selected to participate in this year’s Ray of Hope Prize give me hope for a more vibrant, sustainable, biodiverse world,” said Yarnall-Shane. “I look forward to supporting these brilliant entrepreneurs and scientists!”

Previous Ray of Hope Prize finalists include breakthrough innovators such as Spintex Engineering, ECOncrete, Biohm, Werewool, Spotless Materials, Impossible Materials, and Nucleário. These companies have gone on to raise millions more in seed funding and have made inspiring impacts to the industries they’ve designed solutions for. For more information about the Ray of Hope Prize and how to support the Institute’s nature-inspired design innovation initiative, visit Biomimicry.org/rayofhopeprize.

 

About the Biomimicry Institute

The Biomimicry Institute is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded in 2006 that empowers people to seek nature-inspired solutions for a healthy planet. To advance the solution process, the Institute offers AskNature.org, a free online tool that contains strategies found in nature and examples of ways they are used in design. It also hosts a Youth Design Challenge to support project-based education; a Biomimicry Launchpad startup accelerator program; and the Ray of Hope Prize® for early-stage biomimetic companies to bring solutions to market. In 2021, the Institute launched a new collaborative initiative called Design for Decomposition which will pilot technologies that convert discarded clothes and textiles into biocompatible raw materials. For more information, visit biomimicry.org.

Additional Articles, Energy & Climate, Food & Farming, Sustainable Business

2022 GreenBiz 30 Under 30 List of Leaders

2022 GreenBiz 30 Under 30 List of Sustainability Leaders

>> Back to September 2022 Issue
Image Credit: collage by Julia Vann/GreenBiz Group

Transforming CO2 into concrete and plastics. Designing cutting-edge green university campuses. Sourcing circular materials for consumer electronics, cleaning products and fashion. Expanding diverse talent in sustainability professions.

Those are just a few of the ambitious efforts led by the 2022 members of the GreenBiz 30 Under 30.

This seventh year of celebrating 30 young outstanding leaders in sustainability represents four continents and major cities including Amsterdam, Brussels, Hong Kong, London, Nairobi, Paris and Toronto. In the United States, they hail from Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Seattle. True to the times, several among this cohort work at home in relatively small towns for big-city offices hundreds or thousands of miles away.

They are inside corporations as varied as Bath & Body Works, Converse, Danone, Dell, General Motors, Goldman Sachs, Lineage Logistics, Primark, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Weyerhauser and Whole Foods. Their employers make goods as varied as cars, consumer electronics, soap, yogurt and refrigeration systems. Some offer services from banking to consulting to investments in clean tech. Other honorees are influencing the business world through startups and nonprofits they have founded or through roles at the United Nations and the European Commission.

What they have in common is setting their minds to making a sustainable impact on fields as diverse as banking, fashion, food, transportation, venture capital and waste management.

We’re thrilled to present the 2022 GreenBiz 30 Under 30 below, in alphabetical order by surname. Thank you to Net Impact, the World Council for Sustainable Development and the World Economic Forum for helping spread the word and drum up more nominations than we have ever received. We’re excited to see what these individuals do next.

The 2022 30 Under 30 Honorees List:

Michelle Aboodi, 28, Global Sustainability Analytics Product Manager, Converse; Boston

Silvia Ainio, 28, Policy Expert, Sustainable Finance, European Commission; Brussels, Belgium

Vaughan Andrews, 28, Senior Sustainability Analyst, Climate & Carbon, Weyerhaeuser; Seattle

Mel Bandler, 29, Sustainable Sourcing Manager, Bath & Body Works; Bloomfield, New Jersey

Sophia Borroni-Bird, 29, Global ESG Engagement Lead, General Motors; Detroit

Miles Q. Braxton, 25, Incoming Director, Risk Management, Summit Ridge Energy; Co-founder and Director of Strategic Partnerships, BlackOak Collective; Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Shaandiin Cedar, 29, Associate, Powerhouse Ventures; Oakland, California

Roxane Clement, 29, Global Senior Sustainability Manager, Dairy Category, Danone; Paris 

Sydney Covey, 27, Senior Manager of Sustainability, STRUCTR Advisors; Chesapeake, Virginia

Ashley Fill, 28, Director, Sustainability and Whitespace; Procter and Gamble Home Care Canada; Toronto, Canada

Jacob Gisler, 29, Senior Program Manager of Compliance, Whole Foods Market; San Clemente, California 

Jeanette Mwendwa Gitobu, 27, Director, Women in Wind Global Leadership Program, Global Wind Energy Council; Nairobi, Kenya

Sandra Gonza, 29, Impact Program Manager, Global Fashion Agenda; Amsterdam, Netherlands

Eva Grundon, 26, Environmental Sustainability Coordinator, Primark; London

Chante Harris, 28, Director of Climate Investment and Partnerships, Venture For ClimateTech; SecondMuse; New York City

Joshua M. Hellman, 24, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, Green Bank of Colorado; Castle Rock, Colorado

Claudia Herbert Colfer, 27, Program Manager, United Nations Global Compact Network USA; New York City

Raven Hernandez, 26, Co-founder and CEO, Earth Rides; Nashville, Tennessee

Sabeeha Islam, 27, Senior Manager, Portfolio Development for Climate and Transportation; Munich Re Ventures, San Francisco

Alex Laplaza, 27, Partner, Lowercarbon Capital; Palo Alto, California

Justin Chongyi Lee, 29, Associate Director, TRIREC; Singapore

Cosmo Lo, 27, Circular Economy Senior Manager, Sustainable Office Solutions Limited; Hong Kong 

Hardik Miyani, 27, Senior Energy and Commissioning Engineer, Baumann Consulting; Chicago

Adam Mohabbat, 28, Senior Manager, Market Development and Public Policy, EVgo; Los Angeles

Holly Moynahan, 28, Sustainability and ESG Manager, Hubbell Incorporated; Boston

Kyle Ritchie, 29, Education Market Sustainable Design Lead, CannonDesign; St. Joseph, Michigan

Brennan Spellacy, 27, Co-founder and CEO, Patch; San Francisco

Jash Vora, 23, Technical Project Manager, Lineage Logistics, San Francisco

Allison Ward, 26, Senior Sustainable Materials Engineer, Dell Technologies; Northville, Michigan

Peter Zhou, 29, Product Development Lead of Composites, Carbon Upcycling Technologies; Calgary, Canada

You can read more about each of these innovators here.

Additional Articles, Energy & Climate, Food & Farming, Sustainable Business

UNFI Climate Goals validated by SBTI-GreenMoney

UNFI’s Climate Goals Validated by SBTi

>> Back to July 2022 Issue

Company commits to significantly reduce emissions across its operations and value chain

 

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE: UNFI) (“UNFI”) announced in late May its science-based emissions reduction targets covering the organization’s operations and value chain have been validated and approved by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), making the Company among the first North American wholesale grocery distributors to adopt these targets. A core element of UNFI’s 2030 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) agenda, Better for All, is a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, waste, and make progress on other key ESG priorities.

“Climate change continues to pose a serious threat to our planet and UNFI is committed to taking bold action on environmental issues and investing in opportunities to reduce our emissions,” said UNFI Chief Executive Officer, Sandy Douglas. “Through adoption and pursuit of these science-based targets, UNFI is proud to help lead the North American wholesale and grocery distribution industry, and humbly recognizes the critical importance of coordinated and rapid decarbonization.”

UNFI’s emissions reduction targets1 approved by the SBTi are consistent with levels required to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. The three validated targets below are based on a fiscal 2020 emissions base year and fiscal 2030 emissions target year.

Operations Targets

  1. Reduce scope 1 and 3 heavy freight well-to-wheel GHG emissions from transportation by 38 percent on an intensity basis.
  2. Reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions from all other emission sources by 50 percent.

UNFI’s fleet of over 2,000 owned and leased trucks makes 1.37 million deliveries to over 30,000 customer locations each year. These deliveries are facilitated through UNFI’s 56 distribution centers which represent approximately 30 million square feet of warehouse space. Together, distribution centers, retail, fleet and all refrigerant emissions account for less than 5 percent of the Company’s total scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.

Value Chain Target

  1. Reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services by 25 percent.

UNFI purchases nearly 300,000 products from over 12,000 suppliers and growers, which account for around 90 percent of total scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. To promote reductions, UNFI created the Climate Action Hub to provide tools and resources, including opportunities for suppliers and vendors to learn from experts and each other, to innovate and scale climate solutions across the food system. Hub visitors will find resources such as a Climate Action Guide which provides tips on how to advance their own emissions reduction work.

“We are excited to take the next step in our emissions reduction journey by having our targets validated by SBTi, but we know we can’t accomplish these goals alone,” said Alisha Real, UNFI Director of Sustainability and Social Impact. “We take the need for business accountability in solving this global challenge seriously and look forward to engaging our value chain in these important efforts.”

“UNFI’s commitment to reducing their emissions, including their scope 3 emissions, sets a strong precedent in the food industry. By working in collaboration throughout their network of suppliers, UNFI is helping to activate and support much needed climate action,” said Courtney Pineau, Executive Director at The Climate Collaborative. 

To see a short video with UNFI Chief Executive Officer, Sandy Douglas, please visit – https://vimeopro.com/user48556009/sbti

  

About United Natural Foods

UNFI is North America’s premier food wholesaler delivering the widest variety of products to customer locations throughout North America including natural product superstores, independent retailers, conventional supermarket chains, ecommerce retailers, and food service customers. By providing this deeper ‘full-store’ selection and compelling brands for every aisle, UNFI is uniquely positioned to deliver great food, more choices, and fresh thinking to customers everywhere. Today, UNFI is the largest publicly traded grocery distributor in America. To learn more about how UNFI is Fueling the Future of Food, visit www.unfi.com.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding the Company’s business that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” that involve risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations and management estimates; actual results may differ materially. Examples of these statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our emissions reductions targets and related plans to achieve those goals. The risks and uncertainties which could impact these statements include those described in the Company’s filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended July 31, 2021 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on September 28, 2021 and other filings the Company makes with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and, as such, speak only as of the date made. The Company may from time to time update these statements, but it is not obligated to do so.

Footnote:
[1] UNFI commits to reduce scope 1 and 3 heavy freight well-to-wheel (WTW) GHG emissions from transportation 38% per tonne kilometer by FY2030 from a FY2020 base year. UNFI also commits to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions from all other emission sources 50% by FY2030 from a FY2020 base year. UNFI further commits to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services 25% within the same timeframe.

Additional Articles, Energy & Climate, Food & Farming, Impact Investing, Sustainable Business

Bloomberg Launches Indices in Climate Index Family

Bloomberg Launches Indices in Climate Index Family

>> Back to July 2022 Issue

New indices include EU Paris-Aligned Benchmarks, as well as broad equity, corporate and sovereign fixed income offerings

 

Bloomberg announced in early June the launch of new indices within the Bloomberg Climate Index Family, expanding the firm’s fixed-income and equity index offerings.

Newly launched indices in the family include those labelled as EU Paris-Aligned Benchmarks (PAB), which deliver investors the tools and insight they need to measure and align their investment strategy with the Paris Climate Agreement’s decarbonization targets. The Climate Family also includes indices providing comprehensive exposure to broad equity, as well as corporate and sovereign fixed income universes, that incorporate various climate and low-carbon themes, including a new Government Climate Risk score developed by Bloomberg Sustainable Finance Solutions.

“Investor demand for tools that help them build trustworthy ESG investment products and lower their carbon footprint has never been higher and Bloomberg’s new Climate Index Family provides industry-standard climate benchmarks investors can use with confidence,” said Chris Hackel, Head of ESG Indices, Bloomberg. “To be at the forefront of the net zero transition, investors can also rely on Bloomberg’s Paris-Aligned Indices, built using Bloomberg emissions data. We will continue to build upon this family to support customer demand of solutions backed by Bloomberg’s sustainable finance expertise and look forward to working with investors to leverage our ESG data sets to create additional custom climate strategies to meet their specific needs.”

Bloomberg’s PAB offering is underpinned by the Company’s comprehensive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data on over 50,000 companies, which includes company-reported data and estimates for companies that do not report their emissions. Bloomberg’s GHG emissions estimate model provides a distribution of estimates and confidence score showing the quality and availability of data for each estimate. This approach allows for the use of more conservative estimates, which follows the United Nation’s precautionary principle to ensure corporate GHG data is not underestimated to incentivize companies to report their GHG emissions.

As with all Bloomberg Indices, the Bloomberg Climate Index Family is available for benchmarking, asset allocation and product creation purposes. The indices can be further customized to meet specific individual investor needs with respect to liquidity requirements, decarbonization trajectory, additional ESG exclusions, portfolio construction and the inclusion of additional ESG data sets.

The equity indices launched include:

  • PAB Canada Large-Mid NR Index (CAD), ticker: CAPABNL Index
  • PAB Canada Large-Mid NR Index (EUR), ticker: CAPABNE Index
  • US Large-Mid NR Index, ticker: USPABN Index
  • Japan Large-Mid NR Index, ticker: JPPABN Index
  • Eurozone Developed Large-Mid NR Index, ticker: EURPABN Index
  • Europe ex Eurozone Developed Large-Mid NR Index, ticker: EUXPABN Index
  • APAC ex Japan Developed Large-Mid NR Index, ticker: APXPABN Index

Bloomberg EU Paris-Aligned Benchmarks Indices

The fixed income indices launched include:

  • Bloomberg US Corporate Paris-Aligned Index, ticker: I37119US
  • Bloomberg Euro Corporate Paris-Aligned Index, ticker: I37117EU
  • Bloomberg Global Corporate Paris-Aligned Index, ticker: I37120US
  • Bloomberg Global Treasury Carbon-Scored Index, ticker: I37033US
  • Bloomberg Pan-Euro Treasury Carbon-Scored Bond Index, ticker: I37034EU
  • Bloomberg Euro Treasury Carbon-Scored Bond Index, ticker: I37035EU
  • Bloomberg EM Local Currency Government Universal Carbon-Scored Bond Index, ticker: I37036US
  • Bloomberg EM Local Currency Government Carbon-Scored Bond Index, ticker: I37037US
  • Bloomberg Global Treasury Universal Carbon-Scored Bond Index, ticker: I37038US
  • Bloomberg Global Inflation-Linked Carbon-Scored Bond Index, ticker: I37039US
  • Bloomberg Pan-Euro Inflation-Linked Carbon-Scored Bond Index, ticker: I37040EU
  • Bloomberg Euro Inflation-Linked Carbon-Scored Bond Index, ticker: I37041EU

Bloomberg clients can access the available indices on the Bloomberg Terminal and all research and methodology for the indices is available at Bloombergindices.com.

Bloomberg provides an independent, transparent approach to indexing for customers across the globe. To learn more about Bloomberg’s Sustainable Finance Solutions, visit Bloomberg ESG.

 

 

About Bloomberg Index Services Limited
Bloomberg’s index team has a proven track record in creating industry leading and bespoke indices across asset classes, including best in class fixed income and commodity indices. Bloomberg Index Services Limited (BISL) takes an innovative approach to delivering strategic benchmarks that help market participants address their evolving needs. As an integral part of Bloomberg, BISL has access to a comprehensive range of trusted data and reliable technology for calculations, analytics and workflow automation, along with distribution capabilities that can help amplify the visibility of our customers’ products.

About Bloomberg
Bloomberg is a global leader in business and financial information, delivering trusted data, news, and insights that bring transparency, efficiency, and fairness to markets. The company helps connect influential communities across the global financial ecosystem via reliable technology solutions that enable our customers to make more informed decisions and foster better collaboration. For more information, visit https://Bloomberg.com/company or request a demo.

Additional Articles, Energy & Climate, Impact Investing, Sustainable Business

Sustainable Forestry Initiative-Conservation Iimpact-A decade of success

SFI’s Conservation Impact: A Decade of Success

>> Back to July 2022 Issue

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is pleased to announce its new publication: SFI’s Conservation Impact: A Decade of Success. This succinct document provides an executive-level summary of the results of SFI’s Conservation Impact work over the past 10 years and how the science behind well-managed forests and sustainable supply chains supports conservation goals. Readers will learn about 17 different conservation research projects that SFI has supported and participated in with numerous partners across its three main focus areas: climate change, biodiversity, and water quality and quantity.

“Identifying positive conservation outcomes, key learnings, and opportunities for improvement on SFI-certified lands is a critical component of the SFI standards. SFI’s Conservation Impact: A Decade of Success is a testament to the dedication and collaboration we see across the SFI network when it comes to advancing forest science and sustainable solutions,” says Kathy Abusow, CEO and President of SFI.

SFI is the only forestry standard that requires certified organizations to support forest and conservation research. In total, SFI-certified organizations invest over $60 million per year in forest and conservation research and have invested cumulatively over $1.8 billion since 1995.

This research, driven in part by requirements in the SFI standard, generates robust results with lasting benefits for the forest and conservation sector. SFI’s Conservation Impact work supports research over and above these investments by SFI-certified organizations.

SFI’s Conservation Impact work supports research that tests, evaluates, and validates the value and outcomes resulting from SFI Forest Management and Fiber Sourcing certification. Since Conservation Impact research is generated by SFI, rather than SFI-certified organizations, Conservation Impact investments of SFI are above and beyond the $60 million annual investments noted above.

“Conservation Impact has generated clear learnings, which enable SFI-certified organizations to convey and leverage conservation outcomes knowledgeably. It helps conservationists have a deeper insight into the value of sustainable forest management, and helps consumers make better choices for the planet,” says Paul Trianosky, Chief Conservation Officer at SFI.

Innovative conservation research is critical to ensuring continued improvement in sustainable forestry. With over 350 million acres (140 million hectares) certified to the SFI 2022 Forest Management Standard in North America, and tens of millions more positively influenced by the SFI 2022 Fiber Sourcing Standard, SFI and SFI-certified organizations have the scale and reach to generate meaningful results which advance sustainability in North America.

Three Research Project Highlights from SFI’s Conservation Impact: A Decade of Success

Sustainable Forestry Initiative Hummingbird with Fir tree illustrationClimate Change – SFI collaborated with American Forests to develop an approach to include soils in forest carbon calculations, because soils can account for a sizable, at times unconsidered, amount of carbon storage. This allows for better understanding of whole-ecosystem carbon dynamics. One Conservation Impact study area showed that, when the cumulative harvest, including long-lived wood products, was added to the greenhouse gas balance, SFI-certified forests acted as carbon sinks. Learn more.

Biodiversity – SFI collaborated with the American Bird Conservancy to examine the needs of a wide variety of bird species in decline, and their presence on select SFI-certified pilot areas, to help build understanding of broader ecosystem health and sustainable forest management. Many of the focal species were more abundant within SFI-certified forests, including Prairie Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Brown-headed Nuthatch and Wood Thrush. Learn more.

Water quality and quantity – SFI collaborated with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) to develop two management decision support tools to help plan activities around waterways to ensure protection of water quality and quantity. The Active River Area project helps identify riparian areas and freshwater conservation and restoration strategies and actions. Learn more.

Such management decision tools matter due to the reach and scale of water resources flowing from SFI Certified forestlands. A collaborative project of SFI and the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) determined that waterways on SFI-certified forestlands are collectively long enough to reach around the world 50 times, underscoring the importance of these forests to water supplies throughout North America. Learn more.

 

About SFI

SFI’s mission is to advance sustainability through forest-focused collaboration. We are a sustainability leader through our work in standards, conservation, community, and education and positively influence diversity, equity, and inclusion in the forest sector. We believe that sustainable forests and communities are critical to our collective future and as an independent, non-profit organization, collaborate with our diverse network to provide solutions to local and global sustainability challenges. SFI works with the forest sector, brand owners, conservation groups, resource professionals, landowners, educators, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, governments, and universities. We leverage the collective strengths and efforts of our network while proactively creating space for all communities to meaningfully participate in the journey towards a sustainable future. Learn more at forests.org.

Additional Articles, Energy & Climate, Sustainable Business

Newday Impact Launches Ocean Health ETF

Newday Impact Launches Ocean Health ETF

>> Back to July 2022 Issue

Pledges 5% Donation to Non-Profit Working in Ocean Health. The ETF has over 80% of Portfolio Actively Involved in Protecting Ocean Resources

 

Newday Impact, a San Francisco-based asset management and financial technology company that brings authentic responsible investing to those seeking investments that reflect their values, recently launches the Newday Ocean Health ETF (NYSE: AHOY). The fund – Newday Impact’s first exchange traded fund and one of the few ETFs dedicated to protecting and restoring healthy marine ecosystems – builds on the company’s five years of impact investing and strong relationships with grassroots nonprofit organizations working to mitigate environmental damage to the world’s oceans.

The Newday Ocean Health ETF seeks long-term capital appreciation through investments in companies that are diverting ocean-bound plastic waste, supporting sustainable fisheries, controlling ocean acidification caused by CO2 emissions, and actively using other strategies to combat ocean pollution and other threats to marine health. The entire portfolio is also aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals including zero hunger, clean water and sanitation, decent work and economic growth, responsible consumption and production, climate action, and life below water.

Through its ESG screening methodology and proprietary fundamental research models, the Newday Ocean Health ETF currently has over 80% of the companies that either has a direct or indirect connection to protecting and restoring healthy marine ecosystems and climate change.

Newday Impact has a policy to contribute a portion of revenues from its thematic portfolios to its nonprofit partners. The company will donate 5% of its net revenue of Ocean Health ETF to EarthEcho International, an environmental nonprofit organization established by Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau in honor of their father, Philippe Cousteau Sr., and their grandfather, legendary explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Newday Impact has partnered with Philippe Cousteau and EarthEcho International since 2021 to provide sustainability education to thousands of students and teachers who are part of the SIFMA Foundation’s National Stock Market Game. The EarthEcho team has also provided Newday Impact with important insights into ocean health and sustainability that the company uses in building its investment portfolios.

“Several sustainable investing ETFs are created by financial services companies that see marketing opportunities in the ESG space but include environmentally irresponsible companies to improve the fund’s performance,” said Doug Heske, CEO of Newday Impact. “Our Ocean Health ETF portfolio is 100% focused on companies with effective, legitimate green agendas, based on the knowledge and relationships we’ve built in our five years of impact investing. We believe that affecting positive change can also drive positive financial returns, and this fund is an opportunity for socially conscious investors to make a difference in both areas.”

“Ocean health is critical to the survival of the planet for reasons ranging from its role in absorbing CO2 and supplying oxygen to providing food for billions of people around the world, creating millions of jobs, and even supplying ingredients for life-saving medications,” said Philippe Cousteau of EarthEcho International*. “Newday Impact’s new ETF is an important step in helping fund companies that are investing in protecting the ocean ecosystem for future generations.”

The Newday Ocean Health ETF was developed in partnership with Toroso Investments and Tidal ETF Services.  For more information, visit newdayimpactetfs.com.

* Phillipe Cousteau may be indirectly compensated for this endorsement through Newday Impact’s donation to EarthEcho.

 

About Newday Impact

Newday Impact is a financial services company that provides authentic portfolios for socially responsible investors. Backed by insightful research and recognized community leaders, Newday Impact offers portfolios addressing the major ESG issues in the world. The company also supports its partners by donating 5% of net revenue to nonprofits focused on this transformational change. Newday Impact works with family offices, institutions, investment advisors, financial services platforms, and individual investors, who want both a return on investment and community impact. For more information about Newday Impact’s work and investment opportunities, email info@newdayinvesting.com or visit https://newdayimpact.com.

About Tidal ETF Services

Formed by ETF industry pioneers and thought leaders, Tidal ETF Services, LLC sets out to thoughtfully disrupt the way ETFs have historically been developed, launched, marketed, and sold. With a focus on helping ETF issuers, Tidal offers a comprehensive suite of services, proprietary tools, and methodologies designed to bring lasting ideas to market. We are advocates for ETF innovation on a mission to help issuers efficiently and effectively launch their ETFs and optimize their growth potential in a highly competitive space. Learn more at tidaletfservices.com.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Before investing you should carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. This and other information are in the prospectus. A prospectus may be obtained by calling 833-4UN-SDGS or 833-486-7347 or by visiting newdayimpactetfs.com.

Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest. 

Investing in ETFs involves risk including possible loss of principal.  The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history or track record to evaluate. The Fund’s portfolio composition is dependent on proprietary quantitative models and is subject to data risk. Any decisions made in reliance on the data could have a direct impact on the fund’s performance.

The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a smaller number of issuers or sector than if it were a diversified fund.  This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.  The Fund’s investment strategy or emphasis on the Ocean Health sector and utilizing Environmental, Social and Governance criteria may limit the types and number of investment opportunities available to the Fund and it could underperform other funds that do not use this screening methodology.

The Fund may invest in American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) which has the risk that it may not provide a return that corresponds with an underlying foreign share.  Investments in foreign securities are subject to risks associated with adverse political and economic developments including economic sanctions.  Also, there may be less rigorous disclosure or accounting standards and regulatory practices which may cause more fund volatility.  Investing in small or mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies. The securities of smaller companies generally trade in lower volumes and may be subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes.

The Fund is distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC.

Additional Articles, Energy & Climate, Food & Farming, Impact Investing, Sustainable Business

Ceres New Guide to Aid US Food Sectors Climate Transition-Food Emission 50 initiative

Ceres’ New Guide to Aid U.S. Food Sector’s Climate Transition Plans

>> Back to July 2022 Issue

The report is part of the Ceres Food Emission 50 initiative, an effort focused on decarbonizing the nation’s food sector as investors ramp up pressure.

Ceres Investor Guide to Climate Transition Plans in US Food SectorA new report recently released by the sustainability nonprofit Ceres reveals few companies in the U.S. food sector have disclosed their climate transition strategies nor concrete actions to achieve them, despite increasing investor pressures and the growing threats of climate change. The Investor Guide to Climate Transition Plans in the U.S. Food Sector provides the most comprehensive guidance to help food companies move beyond target-setting to creating and implementing sector-specific climate transition plans that chart pathways to greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

It outlines how, despite greater corporate climate disclosure and commitments to greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, net zero targets and other climate-related goals, many companies fail to adequately disclose sufficient information to investors on how they intend to achieve said ambitions. The quality of consistent disclosure currently varies greatly due to the high-level nature of existing guidance and a lack of clear consensus on what climate transition plans should include, leading to a clear transition disclosure gap.

The report also includes in-depth analyses of key food sector sub-industries such as packaged foods and meats, food distribution, food retail and hypermarkets/supercenters and restaurants. It contains a framework to help investors assess corporate climate transition plans in this sector, including guidance on evaluating corporate emissions disclosure, emissions reduction targets and climate transition strategies and actions.

“The food sector is a critical player in the transition to a net zero emissions economy, but the sector as a whole has been slow to translate emissions reductions targets into action,” said Julie Nash, senior program director for Food and Forests at Ceres. “There is no one-size-fits-all approach to climate transition plans, but this new Ceres report offers the support and context needed by companies and investors alike to move into the next phase of corporate climate stewardship. As momentum grows to standardize climate-related disclosures, such as the proposed rule from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, it’s in everyone’s best interest to get ahead on disclosure and action planning.”

The food sector displays a continued lack of progress when it comes to climate commitment disclosure. As of January 2022, only 21 of the 50 highest greenhouse gas-emitting North American food companies tracked by the Ceres’ Food Emissions 50 initiative have set any short-term emissions reduction targets inclusive of scope 3 emissions, the largest source of emissions in this sector. None have published a climate transition plan. The global food system is responsible for approximately one third of global emissions and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently outlined how global temperature rise stands to negatively affect the global economy, food security and both human and planetary health.

The report is primarily intended to support investor engagements with companies that have already disclosed their full-scope greenhouse gas emissions and have set 1.5°C greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets that cover Scope 3 emissions; without these foundational elements in place, companies face the risk of creating plans that are not ambitious enough to truly mitigate climate change. Investors can also use the guidance to engage companies by emphasizing the importance of getting ahead of forthcoming guidance and standards by preemptively aligning their actions with more ambitious standards.

“Decarbonizing the U.S. food sector is key in our efforts to limit global temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees,” said Mary Beth Gallagher, Director of Engagement at Domini Impact Investments. “It is not a simple matter of just purchasing renewable energy, we need to see clear evidence of how companies are scaling their climate ambitions and actions. This report gives a framework to help investors evaluate the credibility and authenticity of the full business model alignment to a net zero emissions future, including through procurement, operations, and capital expenditures.”

The report was developed with input from investor signatories of Ceres Food Emissions 50 initiative, food companies, and an expert advisory committee. Food Emissions 50 is Ceres’ strategy for reducing emissions in the food sector as part of the Ceres’ Ambition 2030 initiative, a broader effort to decarbonize six of the highest-emitting sectors in the U.S. by the end of the decade. Investor signatories to Food Emissions 50 seek to move companies to improve their greenhouse gas emissions disclosures, set ambitious emission reduction targets, and implement ambitious climate transition action plans in line with the Paris Agreement.

“As investors wake up to the economic impacts of climate change and treat corporate climate strategies with increasing scrutiny, food companies will need to develop tailored plans that inform business decisions at every level of operations,” said Kate Monahan, a Director of Shareholder Advocacy at Trillium Asset Management. “Companies and investors are actively seeking support and guidance on how to move into the next phase of corporate stewardship. The recommendations contained within this report will help investors – and in turn, the companies in which we invest – create measurable targets against which progress can be tracked and assessed.”

Forthcoming research through the Ceres Ambition 2030 initiative will provide further guidance on climate transition plans for other priority high-emitting sectors.

 

About Ceres

Ceres is a nonprofit organization working with the most influential capital market leaders to solve the world’s greatest sustainability challenges. Through our powerful networks and global collaborations of investors, companies, and nonprofits, we drive action and inspire equitable market-based and policy solutions throughout the economy to build a just and sustainable future. For more information, visit ceres.org and follow @CeresNews.

Additional Articles, Energy & Climate, Food & Farming, Sustainable Business

The Challenge of Decarbonizing Cities and Real Estate by Cynthia Curtis-JLL

The Challenge of Decarbonizing Cities and Real Estate

By Cynthia Curtis, JLL

>> Back to July 2022 Issue

Cynthia Curtis-JLL-GreenMoneyBased on government estimates, buildings account for 60% of carbon emissions in cities. And with more than 2.5 billion people moving into cities in the next 30 years, there is a responsibility to ensure that the real estate sector, and the permanency of buildings and our communities, are evolving and adapting in a sustainable way. This isn’t only good for the planet – it also benefits job creation, health, and equality.

As the world emerges from the pandemic and seeks to tackle multiple other pressing challenges ranging from war in Ukraine, food shortages, inflation, and cost-of-living pressures, it is vitally important we do not lose collective focus on the catastrophic risks posed by climate change.

Global urbanization offers a time-limited opportunity to work towards widespread climate-resilient development and transformational adaptation. There needs to be an all-in approach in the built environment sector to deliver the critical 1.5oC pathway. A significant majority of the world’s major cities have committed for all new buildings to be net zero by 2030 and all buildings to be net zero by 2050. But with approximately 80% of existing building stock set to still be standing in 2050, meeting this net zero goal is a huge challenge for the real estate sector.

The real estate industry must play a central role in enabling companies, communities, and cities to deliver their net zero goals. It is encouraging to see that our industry’s collective response is spearheaded by the growing number of net zero carbon commitments, as governments and companies act to limit global warming to 1.5oC. The urgency of which was reinforced by the IPCC’s latest report that calls for immediate, ambitious and sustained efforts to slash emissions. At the same time, the pandemic and continuing advances in technology have changed how and where we work, with long term implications for health, wellbeing, and inclusivity.

Taken together, these trends are likely to lead to substantial change, challenges, and opportunities for the real estate industry. For JLL, understanding and responding to these trends is fundamental to our purpose of shaping the future of real estate for a better world.

Responding to the Climate Emergency

To help inform real estate decarbonization strategy – looking beyond current regulation to create competitive advantage and future-proof real assets – JLL has released a new research study examining efforts taking place across 32 world cities.

Our findings point to five key issues:

  • The urgent need to decarbonize real estate: city governments are now recognizing that it’s time for action. They are introducing a raft of measures covering new and existing commercial real estate. Some cities are ahead of their peers in tackling real estate decarbonization – New York, Paris, Singapore, Toronto, and Sydney.
  • You can’t improve what you can’t measure: real estate owners/investors and occupiers are increasingly being asked to comply with mandatory regulations and to benchmark and report emissions, energy, water, and waste. U.S. cities like Boston, New York and Washington DC are leading the way.
  • There is an urgent imperative to address the retrofitting challenge of existing buildings. Around 50% of the world’s raw material is consumed in the development of buildings. And of the 40% of emissions stemming from the built environment, 11% is from embodied carbon from the construction process.1
  • Retrofitting a city’s existing building stock to net zero carbon is going to be central to decarbonizing a city’s economy. To meet the commitment for all buildings to be net zero by 2050, retrofitting rates will have to accelerate from the current level of 1%-to-2% per annum2 to 3%+.
  • Without decarbonizing the energy grid there are limits to what building owners can achieve in reducing their emissions. Most major global cities now have ambitious targets to move to clean energy generation. Leading the way is Munich, which aims to be powered 100% from renewable sources by 2025.3

The research points to a tapestry of responses: some cities are trailblazers, others just starting out. However, the direction of travel points towards harmonization over time and spotlights best practice, which can also be scaled along the way.

Focusing our Sustainability Efforts Where We Can Deliver the Greatest Impacts

JLL believes in leading by example. Being a responsible business is central to our values. Our global sustainability program is focused on three issue areas where we can achieve the greatest impacts: climate action for sustainable real estate, healthy spaces for all people, and inclusive places for thriving communities. These are informed by JLL’s purpose and aligned to the firm’s Beyond Business strategy.

JLL Climate Action Healthy Spaces Inclusive Places REPORT

In June 2022, we released our latest Global Sustainability Report. Key highlights included:

Climate action for sustainable real estate:

  • JLL’s net zero target aims for the full abatement of 95% of its carbon footprint by 2040. By the end of 2021, JLL had reduced Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 17% from our 2018 baseline and the firm is on track to meet its net-zero 2030 target for occupied office space and vehicle fleet.
  • The first real estate company – and one of just seven companies globally – with a net-zero target validated by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) – in 2021, the SBTi launched the world’s first corporate Net-Zero Standard, enabling businesses to set emissions reductions target in line with science.
  • 65,301 metric tons CO2e averted by advising clients on renewable energy projects, a three-fold increase on 2020.

JLL--Healthy spacesHealthy Spaces for All People:

As well as the focus on climate change, the program recognizes the importance of promoting health, safety, and wellbeing among our workforce through the buildings which JLL occupies and manages for clients.

  • 390 sustainable building certificates achieved for clients, over 30% more than in 2020.
  • 45% of JLL offices with a sustainable building certificate4, on track for 100% by 2030.

 

 

Inclusive places for thriving communities:

JLL’s sustainability program also puts diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) front and center. The firm is determined to create a culture that fosters DEI in all areas of its business.

  • 36% of our top two senior management levels are female, with a target to achieve 40% by 2025.
  • Supported 33 Women’s Business Network Business Resource Groups around the world and launched a global Women Transforming Tech resource group.
  • Continued to grow Business Resource Groups – nine in the Americas, eight in EMEA, and seven in Asia Pacific (along with 11 country and regional DEI groups) – which help drive the business by providing professional development, training and networking opportunities for employees with shared backgrounds, experiences, aspirations and goals.
  • Strengthened our global training to empower every individual to reach their full potential by launching a new learning platform providing access to 25,000 tailored courses and increased our investment per employee by four-fold in 2020, to $316 per employee.
  • $1.97 billion spent with diverse suppliers, doubling spend on the previous year – and set a target to reach $2.5 billion by 2025.
  • $8.9 million contributed to charitable causes – a 15% increase over 2020, with 919 organizations supported – an increase of 40% over 2020.

In the real estate industry, we’ve always been used to collaboration, whether that’s between the owner of a building, the occupier of a building, local governments to get permits in place to retrofit or to build buildings. To drive the change necessary to meet the challenge of decarbonizing our cities and sector, it’s going to take an ‘all-in’ approach. At JLL, we are committed to playing our part and supporting our clients on their journey. To discover how, read our latest JLL 2021 Global Sustainability Report or download the summary report here.

 

Article by Cynthia Curtis, SVP and Corporate Sustainability Officer, Americas for JLL. She is responsible for elevating JLL’s sustainability program across the region and embedding it broadly throughout the business. Included in her scope is delivering against JLL’s net-zero carbon target of reducing scope 3 emissions from the properties that it manages on behalf of clients. She serves as the company’s representative on the World Green Building Council’s Corporate Advisory Board. Cynthia also collaborates with the Investor Relations team to ensure its investors have a more complete understanding of JLL’s competencies, goals and impacts through outreach and disclosure.

Cynthia serves on the Board of Directors for Greenback Renewable Energy Company, LLC, which is dedicated to investing in projects and managing capital for its public shareholders as well as institutional investors in the sustainable infrastructure sector. Previously, Curtis has worked in the public, private and non-profit sectors, including Ceres and CA Technologies, where she served as vice president and chief sustainability officer. 

She lives in the Boston area, is a member of the New England Women in Energy and the Environment, chairs the Wellesley Village Church Energy Committee, and built one of the region’s first gold LEED-certified residences.

Footnotes:
[1] Source: WorldGBC, Bringing Embodied Carbon Upfront, Sept 2019
[2] World Economic Forum, A Framework for the Future of Real Estate, April 2021
[3] Stadtwerke München’s (SWM) target, https://renewablesnow.com/news/munich-on-track-to-reach-100-renewables-in-2025-770469/
[4] For JLL offices over 10,000 sq. ft.

Additional Articles, Energy & Climate, Impact Investing, Sustainable Business

100 Best Corporate Citizens of 2022

The 100 Best Corporate Citizens of 2022

>> Back to June 2022 Issue

Owens Corning, PepsiCo, Apple, HP and Cisco top annual U.S. ranking measuring environmental, social and governance (ESG) transparency and performance

3BL Media announced recently their annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking, recognizing outstanding environmental, social and governance (ESG) transparency and performance among the 1,000 largest U.S. public companies.

For the fourth consecutive year, Owens Corning tops the ranking. PepsiCo, Apple, HP and Cisco round out the top five.

The 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking is based on 155 ESG factors in eight pillars:

  • climate change
  • employee relations
  • environment
  • finance
  • governance
  • human rights
  • stakeholders and society
  • ESG performance.

Using a methodology developed by 3BL Media, all Russell 1000 Index companies are researched by ISS ESG, the responsible investment research arm of Institutional Shareholder Services. There is no fee for companies to be included in 100 Best Corporate Citizens.

View the 100 Best Corporate Citizens of 2022 ranking here.

To compile the ranking, corporate data and information is obtained from publicly available sources only, rather than questionnaires or company submissions. Companies have the option to verify data collected for the ranking at no cost. Data and information used in the 2022 edition of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking is from March 19, 2021 to March 18, 2022.

To ensure companies in the ranking were not lobbying against Paris Climate Agreement-aligned policies, in 2021 3BL Media partnered with InfluenceMap to assess a “red flag” penalty to such oppositional companies. Taking it a step further, in 2022 a “green flag” bonus was introduced to recognize firms using their political influence and spending in support of Paris aligned policies. PepsiCo, Apple, Microsoft, PSEG and Salesforce were the only companies to receive this “green flag.”

“Achieving the transformational targets in the Paris Agreement and UN Sustainable Development Goals in this decisive decade requires all companies to truly embed ESG issues into the core of their business,” said Dave Armon, CEO of 3BL Media. “The 100 Best Corporate Citizens of 2022 are answering the call by demonstrating the societal and bottom-line value of leadership and transparency around ESG topics. They are setting ambitious goals, outlining robust strategies for achieving them, disclosing data to measure progress, and accounting for all stakeholders in business decisions.”

2022 Takeaways

Owens Corning topped the ranking for the fourth consecutive year and is the first company to ever do so.

Out of the 24 industries assessed, companies from 23 were in the top 100 (see FAQs for industry details). The Materials industry group had the most representation in this year’s ranking, with 11 companies placing within the top 100. The second most represented industry is Capital Goods, having placed eight companies in the ranking. No companies from either the Media & Entertainment industry made the top 100. In terms of highest performing industry, there are six companies in the top 100 from the Technology Hardware & Equipment sector, three of which are in the top five!

Twenty-one companies are new to the top 100 or returning after a hiatus (compared to 20 companies in 2021): Apple, Ford Motor Company, Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), Kimberly-Clarke, salesforce.com, International Flavors & Fragrances, Alcoa Corporation, Freeport-McMoRan, Illumina, International Paper Company, CSX Corporation, First Solar, NiSource, Yum! Brands, Applied Materials, Molson Coors, Hormel Foods, Humana, Starbucks, Berry Global Group, and Marriott International.

Since 2009, only 19 companies have made the ranking each year: 3M, Abbott, Accenture, Baxter, Bristol Myers-Squibb, Cisco, Colgate-Palmolive, Eaton, Gap, General Mills, Hess, IBM, Intel, Johnson Controls, Microsoft, Nike, PepsiCo, Weyerhaeuser, and Xerox.

Click here to access the complete 100 Best Corporate Citizens of 2022 ranking and methodology.

  

About the 100 Best Corporate Citizens Ranking
The 100 Best Corporate Citizens debuted in 1999 in Business Ethics Magazine and appeared annually in Corporate Responsibility Magazine for many years. 3BL Media has managed the ranking since 2018. To compile the ranking, each company in the Russell 1000 Index is ranked according to its transparency and performance on 155 environmental, social and governance factors.

About 3BL Media
3BL Media’s unrivaled distribution platforms and TriplePundit Brand Studio promote the environmental, social, governance (ESG) initiatives of leading companies, private equity firms, nonprofits and NGOs to a global audience. Learn more here.

Additional Articles, Energy & Climate, Impact Investing, Sustainable Business

Introducing the GoSun Grid – Outdoor Fun & Resilience

>> Back to June 2022 Issue

GoSun-LogoGoSun is focused on building resilience and supporting outdoor enthusiasts, and for creating products that are good for the planet and good for you. And since GoSun has a registered CF offering, GoSun also provides a unique Green Investment Opportunity.

GoSun has created a micro-grid of self-reliance that integrates nearly 30 products designed to work in unison, or as stand-alone portable energy solutions. These appliances that have been developed are some of the most efficient appliances possible, so you only need a small amount of energy to get the job done in the first place. Indeed, a conventional oven needs up to 4000wh to cook a meal, the GoSun oven only needs 150wh.

Designed to maximize versatility and compatibility – and unlike many other offerings – the GoSun Grid is an open ecosystem. All of these energy efficient appliances run on solar energy or 12 volts, the most common port in the world, and these products can continue to run even if the utility power grid goes down.

The following is an overview of the GoSun Grid and how each area can support self-reliance:

REFRIGERATION – GoSun’s top selling portable refrigerators, the Chill and Chillest, feature Tesla inspired, highly efficient brushless compressors, that only draw 40 peak watts of power when cooling is needed, and a lightweight lithium battery. Now there is never a need to buy ice again- and no more wet sandwiches. Both the Chill and Chillest come with their own battery, providing around the clock power regardless of weather or location. The coolers have a reflective white top paint so the unit never heats up, and when used in combination with the optional solar table can essentially run continuously.

COOKING – GoSun’s most remarkable products are their patented vacuum-insulated solar ovens that make meals in any sunlight; even the clouds, plus they can continue to cook even after the sun sets, with the compact lithium battery. These solar ovens can reach temperatures of 550 degrees! From backpack to BBQ there are now small, medium and large; there is the Go, great for hiking, the very quick Sport, and the impressive 150 watt Fusion that can cook an entire meal for a family day or night.

GoSun

WATER – Clean drinking water is critical, so the portable GoSun Solar water filter is capable of purifying from any water source, whether it’s a lake, stream, creek or even rainwater runoff. Thanks to an amazing micro USB powered pump, one doesn’t have to do the work, or wait for gravity to drain the filter. With the push of a button one can have purified water, a kitchen sink and even a shower. Make that a hot shower with the Fusion in the Sun or drop the 130 watt Submersion Heater into the vacuum tube.

BREWING – GoSun wants to keep everyone energized out there, so there is now an all-in-one coffee brewing travel mug and French press, called the Brew. The brew can run off any 12-volt battery-including your car, boat, RV or the GoSun portable power pack. Add up to 14 ounces of water, plug in the 130 watt heater, then add coffee or tea and your fresh, hot beverage is made anywhere you’re going.

LIGHTING – Gosun doesn’t want the darkness of nighttime to slow one down, so GoSun makes a range of lighting solutions to guide your way whether camping, working, or when the lights go out. The Solar Lamp weighing only 6 ounces can light for 6 hours with just one day’s worth of sunlight. It also can provide up to 50 lumens of light.

HEATING – Staying warm without a fire can be difficult, so GoSun developed a completely portable heated blanket to get comfy while you work, play, or rest, or if the power ever goes out. Use as a cover, a heated seat, or just on your couch. This battery-powered, solar rechargeable blanket is also great for taking to those cold football games.

COOLING – With all this fun in the sun, things can heat up and when they do, GoSun has a high-power fan to push out the sweaty, dog days of summer, helping you stay cool indoors or out. The fan includes a highly energy efficient brushless motor, so it can run on 12 volts or solar yet still put out a powerful breeze.

POWER – Now it’s time to get into the power generation and storage devices. Packed with energy and ports, these powerbanks run our technology when they aren’t running directly on solar power. They come in a range of sizes depending on how long you’re staying off-grid, and are named for the watt hours stored when fully charged. To re-charge the powerbanks, you can use AC power or 12 Volt.  Now with these solar generators, you can still have the power you need, without the noise, or pollution.

GoSun Power

SOLAR CHARGING – And since we are GoSun, we make a wide range of lightweight and portable solar panel solutions that also range in size to match your energy needs. Keeping the Go in GoSun, everything is designed for portability and durability to help you have more resilience and independence. The foldable solar panels can charge your phone or other electronic devices wherever and whenever you need a boost.

So there you have it, Portable Power for the People. Versatile, compatible, and complete, we invite you to start building your GoSun Grid. Check out all of the products of this micro grid at gosun or look at becoming part of Gosun at startengine.

Additional Articles, Energy & Climate, Food & Farming, Impact Investing, Sustainable Business

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