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The pickle-wardrobe mania is emblematic of what sets TikTok Shop apart from e-commerce competitors like Shopify and Amazon. Just like TikTok's non-shopping content, TikTok Shop is built around viral videos, be it a surge in viewer interest in pickle-jar sweatshirts or a mad rush to buy freeze-dried Skittles . For UK sellers, chasing virality still seems to be the defining characteristic of the TikTok Shop experience. Jessica Slone runs TikTok shop Bad Addiction Boutique, which has sold tens of thousands of pickle-jar sweatshirts. "TikTok Shop is kind of this roller coaster, and right now it's on this amazing uphill journey.

Persons: TikTok, Dill, Frank Bloomer, Ashley Martinez, Michael Herling, I'm, it's, Herling, Jessica Slone, Slone, TikTok's, Lindzi Shanks, Shanks, TikTok doesn't, Virality, Laura Ritchey, Sellers, Julia Cote, hadn't, influencers, they'd, Ben Muir, virality, Hira Tariq, who's, Candy, there'll, It's, Boutique's Slone Organizations: US, TikTok Shop, Shipping Locations: Grillo's, West Texas

After two years of receiving federal subsidies, 220,000 child care programs across the country were cut off from funding Saturday. The largest investment in child care in U.S. history, the monthly payments ranged from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars, and stabilized the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said taxpayers will end up paying more in the long run to welfare programs if the government doesn't make investments now in child care. There are just two child care centers in the entire county, and the community can't afford to lose either one, she said. If West Virginia wants to grow its economy, child care is part the infrastructure necessary for that to happen, Tiffany Gale said.

Persons: WILLIAMSON, W.Va, — Kaitlyn Adkins, wouldn’t, ” Adkins, Adkins, Williamson, she's, ”, Jackie Branch, didn't, Goldie Huff, They’ve, Branch, Melissa Colagrosso, “, Tiffany Gale, she’s, Gale, Gale doesn’t, she'll, —, “ They’re Organizations: Century Foundation, Washington , D.C, D.C, Democratic, Child Care, American, U.S . Bureau of Labor, Children’s, West Virginia’s Department of Health, Human Resources, — Locations: West Virginia, Washington ,, — Arkansas, Montana , Utah, Virginia, Washington, Williamson , West Virginia, Mingo County, U.S, Williamson, Fayetteville , West Virginia, West Virginia's

☆ Mining Old Sites Can be a Shortcut to More Copper for the Energy Transition
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Yusuf Khan | Mari Novik | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

In the U.S. and beyond, some are jumping ahead by targeting a new but also old source—closed mines, also known as brownfield sites. In the mountains of northern Norway, Bluelake is seeking to reopen the Joma mine that closed 25 years ago because of low copper prices. “Røyrvik has a valued tradition of mining in the old times,” said Hans Oskar Devik, the leader of the local government. Despite the challenges, brownfield mining is also being seen as a way to help ensure mineral security in the U.S., especially in areas such as defense and energy. Preview SubscribeWhen MP bought its brownfield site in 2017, it had a mining permit but was in a state of disrepair, with the pit itself flooded.

Persons: Arne Hanssen, Bluelake, Bluelake Mineral’s, Arne Hanssen Bluelake’s, Peter Hjorth, ” Hjorth, Joma, “ Røyrvik, ”, Hans Oskar Devik, Maahke Joma, Joma —, Snorre, NRK Joma, wasn’t, James Litinsky, Litinsky, ” Litinsky, Jeremy Richardson, Richardson, Yusuf Khan Organizations: P Global Market Intelligence, Perpetua Resources, Materials, California -, Municipal, Bluelake, NRK, Resources, Defense Department, McKinsey Lyon, Business, Rocky Mountain Institute Locations: Røyrvik, Trøndelag county, Norway, U.S, Sweden, Perpetua, Idaho, Arizona, California, California - Nevada, Germany, Italy, Boise, United States, China

☆ My life as a startup founder is way better because I didn't take VC money. Here are 8 upsides.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Melissa Kwan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Here are 8 unconventional ways I get to live my life because I didn't take VC money:AdvertisementAdvertisement1. I'm able to make my own scheduleI start my day at noon, go out for dinner, and work until midnight. I'm able to grow slowly – the way that I want to growIt took us 36 months to hit $1 million annual recurring revenue. I can raise capital on my own termsA common misconception with bootstrapped companies is that they raise zero capital. That kind of sacrifice is not for everyone, and sometimes I do wonder whether it'd just be easier to raise capital.

Persons: Melissa Kwan, bootstrapped, Kwan, —, we're Organizations: Service Locations: –, New York

☆ Residents alarmed as shoplifting incidents trigger store departures: ‘As a community we can’t allow this to continue’
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“Having Target here helped revitalize East Harlem with hundreds of new jobs, customers and more services to our area. Courtesy Lou MartinsThe retail industry said it is grappling with a particular type of store theft that is more dangerous than petty shoplifting, called “organized retail crime” or ORC. The East River Plaza shopping center in New York City's East Harlem neighborhood. “The East Harlem store could have been doing very high volume in sales but still losing money because of theft,” Cohen said. The Target store in NYC's East Harlem is set to close in October.

Persons: Lou Martins, “ I’ve, ”, Martins, Maria Gonzalez Arrieta, “ We’ve, ” Lou Martins, Alex Abreu, Abreu, “, ” Abreu, it’s, We’ve, Tom Wickman, ” Wickman, “ Abuelitas, ” Xavier Santiago, Santiago Xavier, Santiago, I’ve, Mark Cohen, ” Cohen, Venkatesh Shankar, ” Shankar, Fatih Aktas, Ted Wheeler, ” – CNN’s Matt Egan Organizations: New, New York CNN, Costco, 118th, Target, eBay, Facebook, ”, East Harlem, Blumfeld, The New York Times, New York Police, Walgreens, Business, US Chamber of Commerce, “, Commerce, Community Board, East, Community, Columbia, Texas, Mays Business School, Anadolu Agency, Blumenfeld, CNN, Portland Police Bureau Locations: New York, Manhattan —, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Target, Plaza, Harlem, Aldi, Burlington, Pleasant Avenue, East Harlem, NYC's East Harlem, River, Portland

☆ I visited one of the 9 Target stores about to close. I found sad customers, many of whom blamed theft, and throngs of students hanging out in the aisles.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins/InsiderNaturally, customers like Michelle Rodriguez were stocking up on their cleaning and beauty supplies in preparation for the store's closure. Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins/InsiderEmployees were tight-lipped. Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins/InsiderParents like Krystle Rogers carted their children through the toy section. Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins/InsiderDjeneba Kone used to be one of those kids. Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins/InsiderWhile most of the kids I saw were respectful, that's not to say they don't cause some trouble.

Persons: It's, —, it's, Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins, Michelle Rodriguez, Rodriguez, she's, Let's, Krystle Rogers, She's, she'll, Djeneba Kone, doesn't, I've, that's, seltzer Organizations: Service, East, East Harlem locals, Yankee, Bronx ., Costco, Employees, Starbucks, Walmart Locations: East Harlem, Harlem, Manhattan, Bronx, New Jersey

☆ Net Zero Is Still Possible, but Clean Energy Spending Must Go Faster
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Yusuf Khan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

At least $4.5 trillion a year in clean-energy investments will be needed by the start of the 2030s to reach net zero by 2050, the IEA said. “We have the tools needed to go much faster,” the report said. It estimates that 80% of the emissions reduction needed by 2030 can come from increasing renewable generation, energy efficiency and electrification, as well as from cutting methane emissions. The new report comes as policies toward green energy globally are at a crossroads, with politicians balancing green ambitions with energy security and a cost-of-living squeeze. “Without efforts to reduce methane emissions from fossil fuel supply, global energy sector CO2 emissions would need to reach net zero by around 2045,” the report said.

Persons: Ajit Solanki, “, Yusuf Khan Organizations: Press, International Energy Agency, IEA, Business Locations: Surendranagar, Gujarat, India, Paris, Ukraine, China

Target said Tuesday that it will close nine stores in major cities across the country, citing violence, theft and organized retail crime. Target, which has nearly 2,000 stores in the U.S., has been outspoken about organized retail crime at its stores. When the company reported fiscal second-quarter earnings in mid-May, CEO Brian Cornell said organized retail crime had shot up at its stores. When asked if the company plans to close stores because of rising shrink, Cornell stressed Target's reluctance to shutter locations. Since 2022, at least nine states — six so far this year — have passed similar laws to impose harsher penalties for organized retail crime offenses.

Persons: Brian Cornell, Cornell, We'll, we'll Organizations: Coordination, CNBC Locations: New York, Harlem, Seattle, San Francisco, Oakland, Portland , Oregon, U.S

New York CNN —Target is closing nine stores across four states, claiming theft and organized retail crime are creating an unsustainable business environment. “We cannot continue operating these stores because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests, and contributing to unsustainable business performance,” Target said in a release. The retailer said it had added more security and implemented other anti-theft tools before deciding to close the stores. Affected employees will be able to transfer to other Target locations. Battle against theftTarget’s announcement comes on the same day that the National Retail Federation released new figures on the state of retail theft.

Persons: ” Target Organizations: New, New York CNN, Oakland, National Retail Federation Locations: New York, Harlem, New York City, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, East Harlem, Manhattan

☆ Clean Hydrogen Momentum Tested by High Costs and Lack of Support
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Giulia Petroni | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Photo: Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg NewsGlobal efforts to ramp up clean hydrogen are threatened by rising cost pressures and lagging policy support despite strong momentum across the sector, according to the International Energy Agency. The number of low-emission hydrogen projects continues to grow rapidly, but installed capacity remains low as developers delay or put off plans due to increasing manufacturing, construction and installation costs, the Paris-based organization said in its latest hydrogen report. Preview Subscribe“Political momentum behind low-emission hydrogen remains strong but deployment isn’t taking off,” the IEA said. In recent years, policy makers have rolled out financial tools such as tax credits or funding programs to support developers. “Governments need stronger policy action on multiple fronts to tap in to the opportunity that low-emission hydrogen offers,” the IEA said.

Persons: Adam Glanzman, Giulia Petroni Organizations: Bloomberg, Global, International Energy Agency, Business, giulia.petroni@wsj.com Locations: Paris

☆ More Companies Are Disclosing Their ESG Data, but Confusion on How Persists
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( David Breg | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

The proportion of companies disclosing sustainability and ESG information was 63%, up from 56% last year. Breaking that down, a quarter of private companies don’t plan any ESG reporting, while only 7% of public companies felt the same. Six percent said they don’t yet report, but plan to, while another 7% don’t plan to. The picture looks quite different for private companies: 45% don’t report ESG information and more than half of those don’t plan to. The sustainability information respondents were most likely to publish was for employee diversity, equity and inclusion, at 47%.

Persons: Thomas R, ”, Maria Ghazal, David Breg Organizations: Street Journal, Regulators, U.S . Securities, Exchange, Sustainability, Board, Business, Nations, Global Reporting, Task Force, Business Roundtable’s, david.breg@wsj.com Locations: U.S

☆ Companies Might Be Forced to Report Their Impact on Nature. A New Framework Aims to Help.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Joshua Kirby | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

New nature-reporting recommendations aim to help companies assess their impact on and risks from the world’s natural systems. This is despite growing awareness of the catastrophic effects of biodiversity loss, Capgemini said in a report, based on a survey of executives of large organizations from major economies. The TNFD recommendations are currently voluntary, but come as regulation tightens around degradation of the natural world. Separately, in the EU, many companies are already facing obligations to report their impact on nature under the bloc’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. “We recognize that nature loss poses both risks and opportunities for business, now and in the future,” said Jennifer Motles, PMI’s chief sustainability officer.

Persons: ”, Elizabeth Mrema, David Craig, TNFD’s, “, Capgemini, Aurélie, Philip Morris, Jennifer Motles, laurent gillieron, Gillon, Gucci, Zoe Balmforth, ” Balmforth, Joshua Kirby, joshua.kirby@wsj.com Organizations: Sustainable Business, United Nations, Force, Economic, World Bank, EU, Philip Morris International, European Union, Unilever Locations: “, France, Montreal, Canada, Switzerland, ”

☆ After a year of chaos, CNN bets on new CEO Thompson to focus on long-term viability
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Entelis, Moseley, Sherling and Leavy all plan to stay at CNN as Thompson takes over as CEO, according to people familiar with the matter. Programming CNN MaxBefore joining The New York Times, Thompson was director-general — a combination of chief executive and editor-in-chief — of the British Broadcasting Corporation. He'll have a chance to develop new shows at CNN Max, a tab in Warner Bros. With CNN Max, Thompson will try to program for a younger audience. Thompson will have some runway to invest in CNN Max.

Persons: Brandon Bell, Mark Thompson, Thompson, Donald Trump, Entelis, CNN hasn't, Licht, Jeff Zucker, Andrew Morse, CNN Max, CNN's, —, Zucker, Jason Kilar, Max, JB Perrette, Gabelli's Kevin Dreyer Organizations: CNN, Getty, Licht, Warner Bros . Discovery, Republican, The New York Times, Times, New York Times, CNN.com, Athletic, British Broadcasting Corporation, Warner Bros, U.S, Variety, Disney Locations: Atlanta , Georgia, Thompson's, Moseley, Sherling

☆ Shake Shack switches up fan-favorite fry recipe with new sustainable oil
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Shake Shack will pilot the new oil at two New York City locations. Menu items that will be prepared in the sugarcane oil will include the fries, 'Shroom Burger, Chicken Shack and Shack Stack, among others. "We are continuously exploring new ways to reduce our environmental footprint," Shake Shack senior vice president of supply chain Jeffrey Amoscato said in a statement. It's not the first time that Shake Shack has tried something new with its fries. Customers, however, weren't happy with the switch, and Shake Shack quickly switched back to the fan favorite item.

Persons: Jeffrey Amoscato, It's, Shack Organizations: Zero, New, Battery, Shack, CNBC Locations: New York City

Legacy media companies like Disney , Warner Bros. Netflix was the first streamer to report a loss in subscribers in 2022, sending its stock and other media companies spiraling. Media companies also have begun slashing content spending budgets. Yet streaming remains the focus for all of these companies as consumers rapidly cut the cord and opt for streaming. Legacy media companies scrambled to follow suit, unsure if the model actually worked.

Persons: Mario Tama, it's, Steven Schiffman, NBCUniversal, Bob Iger, Ken Solomon, Solomon, Marc DeBevoise, John Hodulik, hasn't, —, Hulu —, Peacock, Max —, HBO Max, — Ryan Murphy, Shonda, Kenya Barris, David Benioff, Weiss —, Jonathan Miller, Shonda Rhimes, Presley Ann, Patrick McMullan, Bart Simpson, esports, DeBevoise, Peter Csathy Organizations: Netflix, Getty, North, Georgetown University, Legacy, Disney, Warner Bros, Discovery, Paramount, Media, Marvel, Tennis Channel, Sinclair, Companies, UBS, CBS, HBO, Max, Hulu, Integrated Media, Trek, Universal Studios Television, Getty Images Disney, Wars, Fox, Hollywood's, Creative Media, Charter Communications, ESPN, & $, + + Locations: Los Angeles, North American, J.J, Abrams, Kenya, Beverly Hills , CA, Georgetown

☆ Many Boards Are Playing Catch-Up on ESG and Green Issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Rob Sloan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

Other findings were that most believed sustainability efforts had brought real benefits and said ESG engagement with investors had been mostly positive. They also reported that while about half of big companies had ESG targets—many linked to executive compensation—smaller, private companies lagged behind. For public companies investors were most influential, followed by regulators, while directors of private businesses ranked their customers as top with investors in second place. “You had a wind that was giving companies and boards energy, and now you have a countervailing wind of political backlash,” Smith said. Despite those changes, half of respondents believe ESG will continue to be an important driver of their business decisions and strategy.

Persons: aren’t, —, ”, Kristin Campbell, Campbell, “, Alan Smith —, Smith, ” Hilton’s Campbell, ” Smith, ESG, ” Campbell, — hadn’t, Rob Sloan Organizations: Pro, National Association of Corporate, ESG, Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Regency Centers, HSBC, Estates, Sustainable Business, rob.sloan@wsj.com Locations: U.S

☆ Artificial Intelligence Can Make Companies Greener, but It Also Guzzles Energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Nuha Dolby | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

Artificial intelligence can help tackle climate change, but to fulfill that promise companies need to find a way to limit AI’s own climate impact. Alphabet’s Google and American Airlines used AI to help planes create fewer vapor trails, which contribute to global warming. For many companies using AI there are both positive and negative effects on their carbon emissions and water use. In the U.S., where there is no central electric grid, training models in one state versus another can have a significant impact on carbon emissions. A Google data center in Oregon.

Persons: Omar Marques, Sasha Luccioni, Bloom, “, Luccioni, Andrew Selsky, Shaolei Ren, Ren, There’s, ” Ren, Amalia Kontesi, Equinix, ”, Christopher Wellise, Jacob Reynolds Equinix, Face’s, ” Luccioni Organizations: Sustainable Business, Google, American Airlines, Zuma, Bloom, Energy, Stanford, Associated Press, University of California Riverside, Research, Microsoft, Workers Locations: San Francisco, Bloom, U.S, California, Virginia, New York, Oregon, San Francisco and New York, Americas, Asia, Spain

☆ Africa’s Vast Solar and Mineral Resources at Risk of Being Left Untapped, IEA Warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Will Horner | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Energy investment in Africa needs to more than double by the end of the decade if the continent is to meet its energy and climate goals. “Energy investment on our continent has fallen short,” wrote William Ruto, president of Kenya, in the report’s foreword. Photo: Lucien Kahozi/Bloomberg NewsAll of these are pushing up the cost of capital which makes many African energy projects financially unviable despite ample local resources and proven technologies such as wind or solar power, the report said. PREVIEWCurrently, 600 million people across Africa lack access to electricity and almost one billion have no access to clean cooking fuels. African nations are seeking redress for the effects of climate change they experience despite contributing little to carbon emissions, the main driver of global warming.

Persons: ”, Fatih Birol, simon maina, William Ruto, Lucien Kahozi, Will Horner, william.horner@wsj.com Organizations: International Energy Agency, African Development Bank, IEA, Agence France, West, “ Energy, Democratic, Bloomberg, Sustainable Business, Africa Climate Locations: Africa, Paris, ” Africa, China, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine, Nairobi

☆ Biocredits Could Help Save the Earth. But a Market Is Some Way Off.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Joshua Kirby | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Biodiversity credits could be key to funding the conservation of the Earth’s ecosystems, but setting up a functioning market to buy and sell these payment tokens won’t be easy. The World Economic Forum is working on bringing together stakeholders, but admits that a scaled-up market is still some way in the future. It follows the lead of so-called voluntary carbon credits that allow firms to buy credits to offset their own emissions. Those global carbon credit markets are now worth some $2 billion, up from $200 million five years ago, according to environmental-finance data provider Ecosystem Marketplace. “I feel a bit of ‘carbon envy’ when I look at the carbon markets,” Cornell’s Tobin said, noting that biodiversity markets lack a universal metric that can apply to every project, unlike carbon markets where each credit represents one metric ton of carbon dioxide.

Persons: John Tobin, de la Puente, Tobin, don’t, Cornell’s Tobin, ” Tobin, JULIAN HABER, Zoe Balmforth, ‘, ’ ”, Balmforth, ”, ” Nestlé, Nestlé, biocredits, Markus Mueller, ” Mueller, Joshua Kirby, joshua.kirby@wsj.com Organizations: Economic, Paulson Institute, Cornell University, Credit Suisse, Companies, UN, REUTERS, Sustainable Business, Unilever, Deutsche Locations: Australia, Switzerland, biocredits

☆ Premier League clubs spend record 2.36 billion pounds in transfer window
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The transfer window, which was open from June 14 to Sept. 1, exceeded last year's record 1.92 billion pounds, with the top-flight clubs spending 255 million pounds on deadline day alone, it said. Premier League clubs were responsible for 48% of the spending across Europe's top five leagues including Spain's LaLiga, Italy's Serie A, Germany's Bundesliga and France's Ligue 1. "Nearly three-quarters of Premier League clubs (14) spent more this summer than the last, reflecting the increased intensity of competition. Champions Manchester City signed midfielder Matheus Nunes for 53 million pounds this week, having brought Jeremy Doku for 55 million pounds, defender Josko Gvardiol for 77 million and midfielder Mateo Kovacic for 25 million earlier. According to the report, almost half of the transfer fees received by Premier League clubs from overseas came from the Saudi Pro League club (SPL), which has the fourth-highest transfer spend of any league globally.

Persons: Chris Radburn, Spain's LaLiga, Tim, Todd Boehly, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Matheus Nunes, Jeremy Doku, Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic, Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, Rasmus Hojlund, Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes, Calum Ross, Pearl Josephine Nazare, Martyn Herman, Gerry Doyle, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Soccer Football, Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion, West Ham United, American Express, Premier League, Deloitte, Serie, Bundesliga, Ligue, Deloitte's Sports Business, Chelsea, Clearlake Capital, Champions Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Saudi Pro League, Thomson Locations: Brighton, Britain, London, Bengaluru

"Increasingly we are going to turn used clothes into raw material from Europe for fashion companies." Also in Spain, rivals including H&M, Mango and Inditex have created a non-profit association to manage clothing waste, responding to an EU law requiring member states to separate textiles from other waste from January 2025. OBSTACLESThe obstacles to significantly reducing clothing waste are formidable, despite the EU crackdown, industry sustainability commitments and initiatives like the Moda Re expansion. Adidas (ADSGn.DE), Bestseller, and H&M (HMb.ST) have invested in Finnish start-up Infinited Fiber Company, which manufactures fibre out of textile waste, cardboard and paper. As in Spain, textile waste associations would be set up in each country.

Persons: Albert Alberich, Inditex, Dijana Lind, Hugo Boss, Lind, Moda, Aissatou Boukoum, Mauro Scalia, Corina Pons, Helen Reid, Horaci Garcia, Nacho, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: BARCELONA, Moda, Caritas, Union, European Commission, Union Investment, Adidas, McKinsey, Reuters, EU, ReHubs, Moda Re, United Nations, Inditex, Puma, Infinited Fiber Company, Thomson Locations: Spain, Barcelona, Spanish, Europe, Zara, Bilbao, Valencia, EU, Frankfurt, ReHubs Europe, Mali, Sant, AFRICA, Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, Africa, Senegalese, Germany, Texaid, Switzerland, Vestisolidale, Italy, France, EURATEX, Madrid, London, Nacho Doce

☆ Artificial Intelligence Steps In to Lower Carbon Footprint of Buildings
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Artificial intelligence is starting to help buildings go greener. Developers and construction companies have pursued more-efficient energy use in buildings over the past couple of decades. “We want to make every building out there as smart as it can be,” said Ramya Ravichandar, JLL Technologies’s vice president, technology platforms—smart and sustainable buildings. For instance, software and hardware that automatically manages lights, heating and cooling can help buildings cut 20% or more of their yearly energy use. “The main message overall is we’re not going to save the planet with software, and AI is software,” Smithies said.

Persons: JLL, “, ”, Ramya Ravichandar, ” Ravichandar, Thomas Kiessling, ” Kiessling, Greg Smithies, ” Smithies, Dieter Holger Organizations: International Energy Agency, Energy, Environmental, Envio Systems, Royal London Asset Management, JLL, London Asset Management, Siemens Smart Infrastructure, Siemens, Sustainable Business, Venture, Fifth, dieter.holger Locations: Turntide, Sunnyvale, Calif, Berlin, Birmingham, England

☆ Building Green: New Technologies to Create Less Polluting Cement
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Yusuf Khan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

Roughly 7% of all carbon emissions today come from cement production, making it one of the highest-emitting industrial sectors, according to the consulting firm McKinsey. PREVIEW“Concrete is an essential building material,” said Claude Loréa, director of cement, innovation and ESG at the Global Cement and Concrete Association. About two thirds of the clinker emissions are released by the limestone when heated while the rest come from the combustion of fuels to create the heat. Increased efficiencyOne way the industry is looking to improve sustainability in cement production is by targeting efficiency gains. Cemex, one of the world’s largest cement producers, has been working with Switzerland-based Synhelion to produce clinker using solar energy rather than coal.

Persons: ”, Claude Loréa, Aidan O’Sullivan, ” O’Sullivan, Gianluca Ambrosetti, Christoph Beumelburg, Rick Fox, Fox, Partanna, Hurricane Dorian, Yusuf Khan Organizations: McKinsey, Sustainable Business, Global, Concrete Association, Carbon Re, International Energy Agency, IEA, Shell, National Basketball Association Locations: portland, Spain, Switzerland, Heidelberg, Brevik, Norway, Bergen, “, Delaware, Bahamas, Vegas, yusuf.khan

☆ Plant-Based Plastics Gain Favor as Companies Pursue Sustainability Goals
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Plant-based plastic, that is. However, the environmental benefits of plant-based plastics are increasingly appealing to companies promising to use more sustainable materials by the end of the decade. Plants absorb the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide, which cuts the greenhouse-gas emissions from making bioplastics to at least half that of fossil-fuel-based plastics. A Lululemon shirt containing plant-based nylon. Only plant-based plastics that are chemically identical to fossil-fuel–based versions can enter the existing and growing recycling infrastructure.

Persons: Bioplastics haven’t, Michael Carus, “, ” Carus, Eastman, Chris Killian, bioplastics, Warby Parker, ”, Biden, Manav, olefins, Dow, bioethylene, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis, Haley Lowry, Dieter Holger Organizations: Sustainable Business, Kodak, U.S . Defense Department, European, dieter.holger Locations: China, Japan, biomanufacturing, U.S, Iowa

☆ Gabon Joins Blue Bond Wave With $500 Million Debt Refinancing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Will Horner | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Gabon completed mainland Africa’s first-ever “debt-for-nature swap” Tuesday, refinancing $500 million of its debt and earmarking $163 million in savings for marine conservation, the latest in a burgeoning list of “blue bond” deals. In their place, Gabon issued a $500 million blue bond which matures in 2038. The coupon on the new blue bond was priced at 6.097%, lower than the coupons on the repaid bonds which were between 6.625%-7%. TNC says its blue bond deals have provided $400 million toward conservation efforts. Bank of America, which served as sole initial purchaser, structuring agent and bookrunner on the Gabon deal, declined to reveal its transaction fees.

Persons: Gabon’s, Bond, ”, Ali Bongo Ondimba, TNC wasn’t, Scott Nathan, TNC, Will Horner Organizations: —, Sustainable Business, Moody’s Investors Service, U.S . International Development Finance Corporation, Conservancy, Greenpeace, Bank of America Locations: Gabon, Africa, U.S, Belize, Seychelles, Barbados, Ecuador, Galápagos, william.horner

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