Unilever unveils climate and nature fund worth more than $1 billion
Comments Off on Unilever unveils climate and nature fund worth more than $1 billion
Unilever unveils climate and nature fund worth more than $1 billion Cecilia Keating Tue, 06/16/2020 – 00:30 Unilever has announced it will invest €1 billion (about $1.12 billion based on exchange rates this week) over the next decade in efforts to tackle climate change and deliver on a new goal to ensure net zero emissions across its value chain by 2039. The consumer goods giant unveiled its new Climate and Nature Fund on Monday as it set out a raft of fresh sustainability goals, which include plans to end deforestation in its supply chain and communicate the carbon footprint of every product it sells. The new 2039 target builds on existing sustainability goals to reach carbon neutrality across its operations and halve its value chain emissions by the end of the decade. Unilever CEO Alan Jope emphasized the company intended to eschew a sustainability strategy that focused on emissions alone and instead take a holistic approach. “Climate change, nature degradation, biodiversity decline, water scarcity — all these issues are interconnected, and we must address them all simultaneously,” he said. “In doing so, we must also recognize that the climate crisis is not only an environmental emergency; it also has a terrible impact on lives and livelihoods. We, therefore, have a responsibility to help tackle the crisis: as a business, and through direct action by our brands.” To reach its new value chain emissions goal, Unilever said it would prioritize partnerships with suppliers committed to science-based climate targets and work with partners across the value chain to drive lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions. Under the plan, the Anglo-Dutch company said it intends to set up a new system where suppliers are required to declare the carbon footprint of the goods and services while invoicing. It also outlined its intention to work with other businesses and organizations to standardize emissions data collection, sharing, and communication. The new fund will support a raft of initiatives, including landscape restoration, reforestation, carbon sequestration, wildlife protection and water preservation projects, the company said. While it’s critical to address the impact that our products have at the end of their life, it’s just as important to continue to look at the impact they have on the planet at the start of their life … The firm also confirmed that it is aiming to achieve a deforestation-free supply chain by 2023. As such it pledged to increase traceability and transparency by using emerging digital technologies — such as satellite monitoring, geolocation tracking and blockchain systems — to enhance oversight, accelerate smallholder engagement and improve its approach to derivates sourcing. Marc Engel, chief supply chain officer at the company, said that empowering farmers would deliver a “step change” in regenerating nature. “If we want to have a healthy planet long into the future, we must also look after nature: forests, soil biodiversity and water ecosystems,” he said. “In most parts of the world, the economic and social inclusion of farmers and smallholders in sustainable agricultural production is the single most important driver of change for halting deforestation, restoring forests and helping regenerate nature. In the end, they are the stewards of the land.” Unilever also has committed to step up its efforts to preserve water, with plans to make all its “product formulations” biodegradable in order to minimize their impact on aquatic ecosystems. It also said it would implement water stewardship programs for local communities in 100 locations by the end of the decade. Jope concluded that the suite of new initiatives would complement the company’s ongoing mission to curb its reliance on virgin plastic. “While it’s critical to address the impact that our products have at the end of their life, it’s just as important to continue to look at the impact they have on the planet at the start of their life — in the sourcing of materials — as well as in their manufacture and transport,” he said. “We will reduce the impact that our products and our operations have on the environment, and we will do our part to bring the planet back to health.” Last year, the company pledged to halve its use of virgin plastic and ensure it collects and recycles more plastic packaging than it sells. The announcement came the same day as the publication of an open letter to governments from leading green businesses and NGOs, calling on policymakers to prioritize nature restoration projects as part of their imminent coronavirus economic stimulus packages. Pull Quote While it’s critical to address the impact that our products have at the end of their life, it’s just as important to continue to look at the impact they have on the planet at the start of their life … Topics Corporate Strategy Supply Chain Natural Climate Solutions Carbon Removal BusinessGreen Featured in featured block (1 article with image touted on the front page or elsewhere) Off Duration 0 Sponsored Article Off Early evening view of Unilever office The Bridge in Feijenoord neighbourhood in Rotterdam
Original post:
Unilever unveils climate and nature fund worth more than $1 billion
Corporate renewable energy buyers remain undeterred
Comments Off on Corporate renewable energy buyers remain undeterred
The vast majority of corporate energy purchasers plans to pick up the pace on renewables in the decade ahead, according to research by GreenBiz and Apex Clean Energy.
Read the rest here:
Corporate renewable energy buyers remain undeterred
FOMO: Why I’m not going to Paris for COP21
Comments Off on FOMO: Why I’m not going to Paris for COP21
Here’s why EMC’s Kathrin Winkler won’t be at the biggest U.N. climate event of the decade, despite the dreaded Fear of Missing Out.
The rest is here:
FOMO: Why I’m not going to Paris for COP21
GE’s New ‘Magnetocaloric’ Refrigerator Cools Food With Water And Magnets
February 13, 2014 by
Filed under Green
Comments Off on GE’s New ‘Magnetocaloric’ Refrigerator Cools Food With Water And Magnets
GE just developed a brand new refrigerator that uses special magnetic materials to achieve temperatures cold enough to freeze water. The magnetic fridge is estimated to be 20% more efficient than current refrigeration technology, and it could be available by the end of the decade. Read the rest of GE’s New ‘Magnetocaloric’ Refrigerator Cools Food With Water And Magnets Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: fridge , general electric , magnetocaloric technology , prototype fridge , refridgeration , refridgeration technology
See original here:
GE’s New ‘Magnetocaloric’ Refrigerator Cools Food With Water And Magnets
SOM’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is the New Efficient Gateway to Mumbai
Comments Off on SOM’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is the New Efficient Gateway to Mumbai
Read the rest of SOM’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is the New Efficient Gateway to Mumbai Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport , Daylighting , eco airport. airport , eco design , energy efficient design , green architecture , Green Building , green design , India , mumbai airport , mumbai terminal 2 , Skidmore Owings & Merrill , SOM , sustainable airport , Sustainable Building , sustainable design , terminal 2
Read the original here:Â
SOM’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is the New Efficient Gateway to Mumbai
Spaceport Sweden Annouce Plans to Provide Commercial Space Flights Within the Decade
December 18, 2012 by
Filed under Green
Comments Off on Spaceport Sweden Annouce Plans to Provide Commercial Space Flights Within the Decade
Spaceport Sweden has announced plans to offer commercial space flights within the decade. Located in the small Arctic town of Kiruna, Spaceport Sweden aims to provide tourists with two-hour trips aboard a craft that will carry one-to-six passengers, a venture which the company hopes could establish Kiruna as the European port for commercial spaceflights. Read the rest of Spaceport Sweden Annouce Plans to Provide Commercial Space Flights Within the Decade Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: commercial space flights , Esrange Space Center , Kiruna Spaceport , Rexus 11 rocket , space tourism , Spaceport Sweden , Swedish Space Corporation SSC
See the original post:Â
Spaceport Sweden Annouce Plans to Provide Commercial Space Flights Within the Decade
Retrofits Could Yield $1T in Energy Savings in US in a Decade
Comments Off on Retrofits Could Yield $1T in Energy Savings in US in a Decade
Canny investment in energy efficiency retrofits could yield three times as much in energy savings in just 10 years, research from Deutsche Bank and The Rockefeller Foundation.
Read more here:
Retrofits Could Yield $1T in Energy Savings in US in a Decade
10 Predictions on Commercial Energy Management by 2020
Comments Off on 10 Predictions on Commercial Energy Management by 2020
A look at how this sector will evolve in the U.S. by the end of the decade in view of President Barack Obama's Better Buildings Initiative.
Read the rest here:
10 Predictions on Commercial Energy Management by 2020
Sainsbury’s Commits £1 Billion to Sustainability Initiatives
Comments Off on Sainsbury’s Commits £1 Billion to Sustainability Initiatives
The British retailer yesterday unveiled 20 green targets to be achieved by the end of the decade; the company has set an absolute emissions reductions goal of 30 percent by 2020, or 65 percent relative to revenues.
See the original post:
Sainsbury’s Commits £1 Billion to Sustainability Initiatives
How Sustainability Software Enters the Corporate Bloodstream
Comments Off on How Sustainability Software Enters the Corporate Bloodstream
Despite the large number of companies selling carbon- and energy-management software today, vendors of different sizes and backgrounds widely agree on the needs of the market, even if their approaches are very different.
See the original post here:
How Sustainability Software Enters the Corporate Bloodstream