Month: May 2023

As you begin working on your RY2022 Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) calculations and reports, it is important to consider the rule changes that will impact your RY2022 TRI reports due on July 1st, 2023.

First and foremost, the Environmental Protection Agency has added natural gas processing facilities to the TRI-listed NAICS codes. This includes all natural gas processing facilities that receive and refine natural gas. Facilities that primarily recover sulfur from natural gas were already covered by TRI. Facilities that are primarily engaged in natural gas extraction are not covered by this rule.

For RY2020, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) added 172 per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the TRI Chemical list and an additional four were added for RY2021. For RY2022, an additional four PFAS have been added per the requirements of the NDAA:

Perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (375-73-5),Potassium perfluorobutane sulfonate (29420-49-3),Perfluorobutanesulfonate (45187-15-3), and2-Propenoic acid, 2-methyl-, hexadecyl ester, polymers with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, ꭚ-ꙍ-perfluoro-C10-16-alkyl acrylate and stearyl methacrylate (203743-03-7).

For those that don’t know what PFAS are, they are materials that have been used to make household and commercial products that resist heat and chemical reactions, repel oil, stains, grease, and water. Since the 1960’s, PFAS can be found in industrial cleaners, hydraulic fluids, nonstick cookware, plastic mold release agents, resins, stain-resistant carpets and fabrics, water-repellant clothing, paper and cardboard food packaging, and firefighting foams. Industries that may interact with PFAS include manufacturing, military, firefighting, aerospace, automotive, construction, and electronics, among numerous others.

PFAS chemicals have been linked to health complications and there are still many unknown environmental exposure effects surrounding them as well. As a result, federal and state governments have begun regulating the chemicals.

The majority of these 180 PFAS chemicals have a de minimis level of 1% for TRI reporting, except Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) (Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) Number: 335-67-1) which actually has a de minimis level of 0.1%. The de minimis level means that if the material is present below 1% (or 0.1%), it should not be included in your total usage. The PFAS chemicals are each considered to be a separate TRI chemical and not a combined category. The reporting thresholds for each of the listed PFAS chemicals will be 100 pounds for manufacturing, processing, or other use of the chemicals at your facility.

In addition to the PFAS reporting updates, EPA has updated the de minimis levels for a few chemicals. The de minimis levels for aniline (62-53-3) and acrolein (107-02-8) have changed from 1% to 0.1% since these chemicals are now classified as OSHA carcinogens.

If you have a TRI-listed NAICS code, have more than 10 full-time employee equivalents, and determine that TRI chemicals are being manufactured, produced, or are otherwise being used at your facility, you should complete an evaluation to determine if you exceed the reporting threshold.

The EPA has put together applicable TRI guidance documents on the new and/or emerging TRI chemicals. The EPA asks for facilities to file an accurate and complete Form R or Form A and requests that voluntary revisions be submitted based on previously unavailable information or procedures, which improves the accuracy of the data initially reported.

If you need assistance with your TRI reporting this year, please contact us. Learn more about how PFAS could affect your operations with our on-demand PFAS webinar.

About Antea Group

Antea®Group is an environment, health, safety, and sustainability consulting firm. By combining strategic thinking with technical expertise, we do more than effectively solve client challenges; we deliver sustainable results for a better future. We work in partnership with and advise many of the world’s most sustainable companies to address ESG-business challenges in a way that fits their pace and unique objectives. Our consultants equip organizations to better understand threats, capture opportunities and find their position of strength. Lastly, we maintain a global perspective on ESG issues through not only our work with multinational clients, but also through our sister organizations in Europe, Asia, and Latin America and as a founding member of the Inogen Alliance. Learn more at us.anteagroup.com. 

By Scott A. Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Viatris

Since first joining the company as a member of the Viatris Board in December 2022 and now as CEO since April 1, I have seen firsthand the incredible passion and engagement that everyone throughout Viatris has for our mission to empower people worldwide to live healthier at every stage of life. This passion is one of the many things that attracted me to the company and that excites me about the work we are doing to deliver high quality medicines and health solutions at scale to people around the globe, regardless of geography or circumstance.

I continue to be thoroughly impressed by all that has been accomplished since the company was launched just over two years ago and by the well-crafted strategic plan laid out for Viatris’ future. As a company uniquely positioned to bridge between the significantly broad access of generics and brands, we combine the best of both, to address healthcare needs more holistically around the world. And while Viatris has already had many successes, we are constantly looking for ways to do even more to deliver on our mission.

With an exceptionally extensive and diverse portfolio of medicines to meet nearly every health need, a one-of-a-kind global supply chain designed to reach more people with health solutions when and where they need them, and the scientific expertise to address some of the world’s most enduring healthcare challenges, the pursuit of broad access takes on deep meaning at Viatris. With our ability to touch all of life’s moments, we put access into action every day as we focus on striving to meet individual needs, whether with a generic medicine, an improved version of an existing medicine, or a truly novel therapeutic solution.

Throughout 2022, colleagues across the company worked diligently to integrate our legacy companies, to deliver on the priorities of Phase 1 of our strategic plan and to advance commitments and performance in areas especially important to Viatris’ work in sustainability. Highlights include:

Actions and progress related to Viatris’ initial sustainability goals that were announced in 2022 in the areas of access and global health; diversity, equity and inclusion and the environment.Our targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions were validated and approved by the Science Based Target initiative in 2022, marking a significant achievement and testament to our commitment to address climate change and protect a reliable supply of medicines.

As a signatory to the UN Global Compact, we believe that companies can play a relevant role in serving as a positive force to help address some of society’s greatest challenges.

Looking to the future, we will focus on Phase 2 of Viatris’ strategic plan, continuing to move up the value chain and look for opportunities to provide even more medicines and healthcare solutions that meet unmet patient needs. It is an exciting time to be at Viatris, and I am honored to lead this team and this company in the continued pursuit of our bold mission.

View the full 2022 Sustainability Report here.

As managers of large vehicle fleets, both utilities and government entities are well positioned to be leaders in fleet electrification. In fact, many of these organizations are starting to put forth aggressive fleet electrification goals to support broader clean energy plans and internal carbon reduction objectives. However, the transition from fossil fuel vehicles to electric vehicles (EV) can often be complex and nuanced.

The path to successful fleet electrification requires careful planning and analysis that not only prepares for immediate EV needs but also future needs. The transition to an EV fleet must ensure that the power grid has sufficient capacity to deliver the additional electric load required to support EVs and charging infrastructure. To effectively execute a fleet electrification initiative, utilities and government entities need to employ a strategic framework that provides a comprehensive plan while also delivering the flexibility to adapt over time.

A Framework for Fleet Electrification

There’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to developing and executing a fleet electrification initiative. It is critical that utilities and government entities consider the wide range of factors that go into effective electrification – including EV fleet selection, charging needs, EV infrastructure logistics, required electrical infrastructure, existing power capacity, and site upgrades. Each of these factors will vary by organization and need to be tailored to the organization’s specific requirements. To support the journey towards 100% fleet electrification, utilities and government entities should consider a planning framework that focuses on seven core elements.

Set clear goals and objectives. Organizations should agree upon a set of core goals, assumptions, factors, key values, and other references. Examples include mission objectives, fleet conversion goals, fleet usage decisions, external constraints, and input assumptions.Develop a detailed database that describes the makeup and key features of your existing fleet such as unique vehicle identifiers, domiciling information, mileage, and fuel usage, among other data points. This data is used to identify corresponding vehicle replacements and the characteristics of the replacement vehicle fleet including battery capacities, and potential charging schedules based upon duty cycles. For instance, organizations will need to compare options such as battery electric vehicles (BEV) versus plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) to determine the vehicle type that best suits their needs.Create detailed usage models and trip statistics using available data drawn directly from the existing vehicle population or estimated using analogs. These models and statistics inform state of charge expectations, energy burden requirements, and charging objectives.Identify specific charging locations and power supply infrastructure required to support each location. Organizations should focus on an engineering analysis that utilizes load curves to model various charging options and optimizes capital requirements for the system at each location. The models assess total power demand, maximum point in time demand, energy replenishment, and managed versus unmanaged usage.Take the engineering analysis and develop specific lists of EV supply equipment and accessories necessary to meet the power requirements at each charging location in service of the assigned vehicles.Complete a cost estimation that encompasses equipment, engineering services, materials, construction labor, permitting, licenses, and other fees and provides a rational estimate for the development of each charging location.Estimate the total cost of ownership for the EVs and charging infrastructure, including any operations and maintenance (O&M) requirements and costs. As part of the total cost of ownership estimate, organizations should also consider the development of charging plans and policies as well as driver training needs.

As the EV market continues to mature and the supply of available vehicle types expands, utilities and government entities will be able to confidently undertake fleet electrification initiatives and overcome operational hurdles that have persisted in the past. And while fleet electrification can be a complex and nuanced process, proper planning and a well laid-out strategic framework will ultimately help large organizations reach their goals.

With more than 35 years of experience in the energy industry, Leidos is assisting utilities and government entities across the country with fleet electrification and carbon reduction initiatives. Our team has extensive experience in developing fleet electrification strategic plans and roadmaps, providing EV site studies, and helping organizations enact change management policies that are necessary with EV transitions. We understand that EV fleet needs are unique to each organization and we provide flexible support to maximize electrification initiatives. For more information on Leidos and our electrification support services, visit our Electrification web page.

As a mechanical engineer and the General Manager of Maintenance and Reliability for Suncor’s Base Plant Upgrading in Fort McMurray, Alta., Isabelle Varney knows firsthand what can be accomplished when women working in male-dominated roles and sectors, like energy, band together to share their successes.

“Seeing other women succeed in this industry has been important for me as a woman and as a leader,” says Isabelle. “There is something very powerful about being able to see women thrive in this field and making connections with other women in the energy sector.”

Working to celebrate the achievements and potential of women in the sector, Isabelle is active in Suncor’s employee inclusion network, Women Engage (WE). Through her work with WE, Isabelle was recently recognized by Young Women in Energy (YWE)—an organization with over 4,500 members—with an award naming her one of 10 inspirational young women leading Alberta’s evolving energy landscape.

“Receiving this award means a lot to me. First as a woman who has spent the last 12 years in the industry and second because it celebrates something I’m very passionate about: inclusion and diversity.”

YWE was formed in 2013 to bring women in the energy sector together to share their success stories, create more visibility and inclusion and celebrate the achievements of women, who make up 31 per cent of the workforce in Canada’s energy sector.

For Isabelle, who joined Suncor after working in the mining sector, having women’s voices included in the workplace is simply good business sense.

“We’ve only consulted a portion of the population when it comes to the people who can add value in this space. So, for me, it becomes even more important to pave a path and make sure women can be successful here. We need diverse thoughts, diverse people, diverse ideas at the table. We are not at our full potential because there’s a large portion of the population we’re not tapping into. This is true of the trades and of our technical teams—women need to see themselves in this field, so they want to join our teams and flourish.”

As a young engineer, Isabelle benefited from mentorships with men and women, who helped her grow in her career, provided her with different perspectives and showed her that she could succeed in the energy sector.

“I’ve had really great mentors throughout my career who trusted me and believed in my abilities,” explains Isabelle. “I see that I have an obligation to pay it forward, and to make the industry an even better place for women. We need to share stories of women who have had successful careers in the energy sector, while also working to create an environment where women feel included.”

Isabelle accepted her award in March during YWE’s annual awards celebration and is featured in a special edition of YWE magazine.

Although this is a bold statement, it is one that Keysight aspires to be. Why? Because it is critical to our mission.

Keysight works with leading innovators across the globe to bring new technologies to market to solve real-world problems by harnessing the perspectives of diverse teams. With their wide range of human experiences, we innovate more expansively and inclusively to achieve breakthroughs that change lives, secure the world, and connect people worldwide.

While diversity has always been in our DNA, we recognize that just as the technological innovations we enable evolve, so does the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

That is why Keysight has committed to ambitious goals to increase representation, build an inclusive workplace, and foster an environment where all our employees can thrive in every stage of their careers.

Keysight 2022 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Report shows significant progress

For the second year in a row, we are outlining our progress with the release of the 2022 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Report detailing the multi-faceted programs, intentional governance, rigorous metrics, and data transparency that drive us.

With the help of the data, we identified opportunities for improvement, which became the basis for new actions and goals. The report also showed significant progress in our strategic pillars, including advancing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs, assembling diverse teams, fostering inclusion, and creating a place to thrive.

Notable 2022 accomplishments and ongoing focus areas:

Hired over 600 women globally and 300 underrepresented minorities (URMs) in the U.S., surpassing our URM goal by 1.7 percentage points but falling short of our global hiring target for women by 2.8 percentage points.

While we have seen robust population growth for women, our ongoing hiring objectives emphasize the importance of our sustained efforts to advance our diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. These efforts are necessary to address the representation of women within Keysight and the STEM industry at large.

Increased representation of women and underrepresented minorities in the Keysight Board of Directors to over 50% combined. We also saw the most significant increase in our history of women in executive roles and improved the percentage of women and URMs in leadership roles.Hosted over 600 mentoring relationships internally, spanning nearly 5,000 mentoring hours, and increased DEI visibility, training resources and requirements, and opportunities for connection.Engaged over 798,000 students, future engineers, and technology skill learners through STEM programs in over 120 countries, many in under-resourced communities, while expanding and piloting new partnerships.

Ultimately, we are committed to fostering an equitable and inclusive environment where every employee is heard, belongs, and innovates without limits. We call this Engineering Equality – striving for equality in opportunities, contributions, and rewards. And it is work that is never done, but we have laid a strong foundation, and we have clarity on the steps we must take next to cultivate greater inclusion and operationalize DEI.

We invite you to read the report, explore the programs behind the metrics, and get a glimpse of the people and culture making our transformation possible. It is only with their collective passion and commitment to this journey, each other, our customers, and the company that we continue to make Keysight one of the best places to work in the world.

View the report: https://www.keysight.com/us/en/assets/3123-1270/corporate-reports/Diversity-Equity-and-Inclusion-Year-in-Review-2022.pdf

Last time, I wrote about why Qualcomm is the world’s leader in 5G technology innovation using the metaphor of a tree. I explained how different technologies in cellular have different roles and levels of importance, similar to the different parts of a tree. Some are fundamental ideas that make cellular communications work at a basic level, holding the entire system up like the trunk of a tree. Others are like branches that help cellular technology extend into different applications and end-use cases. And others are focused improvements and optimizations that resemble a tree’s leaves — small and plentiful, but individually less important than the trunk and branches. Qualcomm is the world’s leader in cellular technology research and development (R&D) and invention because we focus on the trunk and branches of the tree: the most foundational ideas, concepts, and breakthrough technologies that make cellular communications work.

This time, I want to take a deeper dive into a few key examples of these foundational inventions that illustrate our sustained leadership in cellular technology: one that is new and foundational to 5G, one that was born in LTE and has evolved in 5G, and one that is expanding 5G to cutting-edge new verticals.

Example #1: Advanced Channel Coding — Efficiently Transmitting Data

In wireless communications, you can’t just send raw data over the airwaves and expect it to reach the user just as you sent it. A wireless signal can fade over distance, be blocked, or get muddled due to interference or noise — meaning some data can be lost in the transmission. To overcome this, additional information is added to the data as it gets sent over the airwaves to help it recover lost bits. This is known as “channel coding”: adding extra information to a transmission to ensure that the receiver can detect and correct errors, resulting in all the data being fully received by the user. The faster data is generated and transmitted, the faster that extra information needs to be added in, and the more power is consumed for coding and decoding. With 5G’s ultra-high data rates, it was clear that 4G’s existing coding scheme — called “turbo coding” — wasn’t going to cut it.

Anticipating this fundamental need, Qualcomm started working on advanced Low-Density Parity Check (LDPC) channel coding techniques more than a decade prior to 5G. In the most general sense, LDPC codes have been around for decades since their initial invention in the 1960s. For 5G, our ground-up design marries LDPC with Hybrid ARQ (“automatic repeat query”, a fundamental piece of how cellular communication works) — enabling scaling to tens of Gbps data rates while simultaneously minimizing power consumption.

We promoted, demonstrated, and drove this idea in 3GPP, the collaborative global organization that defines the official 5G standard. Multiple contending options existed for a new data channel coding scheme in 5G, but in the end, our LDPC design was chosen as the best option. Every single bit of data in 5G uses Qualcomm’s advanced LDPC innovations, enabling 5G’s ultra-high data rates while limiting power consumption — and therefore keeping battery sizes down.

Example #2: Unlicensed Spectrum —Expanding Cellular “Real Estate”

Spectrum is a very scarce natural resource — the “real estate” of wireless communications. Controlled by government regulators, different spectrum bands are traditionally auctioned and licensed to individual operators to use as the basis for their different networks. In one recent US auction, a narrow slice of spectrum in the 3 GHz space raised over $80B.

Some spectrum, however, is usually kept unlicensed — i.e. unassigned to any operator — to use for other applications like Wi-Fi networks. This unlicensed spectrum was traditionally considered unusable for cellular networks, but years ago Qualcomm began to explore the idea of using this unlicensed spectrum to meet the growing bandwidth demands of LTE, while still sharing the spectrum responsibly with Wi-Fi usage. Our research began more than five years before we introduced the idea in LTE in December of 2013. We led the vision, research, education, standardization, and commercial efforts, working against skeptical reactions from a number of companies in the ecosystem. But little by little, we successfully illustrated that the idea not only worked, but was a significant improvement to LTE.

Thanks to Qualcomm Technologies’ R&D vision and leadership, the technology was proven successful and standardized in LTE’s Release 13 under the term “License-Assisted Access” (LAA). LAA is a backbone of Gigabit LTE, unlocking new capabilities in capacity, speed, and deployments. These days, LAA is used in numerous devices, including many popular Android phones and all current iPhone models.

Since then, we have continued to improve and evolve the use of unlicensed spectrum in 5G, called “NR-U”. Qualcomm’s inventions in 5G NR-U help alleviate spectrum constraints, boost deployments and speeds, and enable unlicensed spectrum-based private 5G networks that can form the backbone of industrial Internet of Things (IoT) deployments.

Example #3: Satellite Communications — Expanding 5G to New Heights

Satellite communication networks have been around for decades but have traditionally used proprietary technology and specialized equipment. This resulted in limited scale and expensive offerings, keeping satellite communications out of reach for mass-market usage scenarios.

Qualcomm has a long history in satellite communications, beginning in the early 1990s. In the 5G era, the satellite community was attracted by the vibrant 5G ecosystem and started some related projects in 3GPP — initially with public safety applications, fixed wireless access, and narrow-band IoT connections as early goals. At Qualcomm, we realized the potential for smartphones to fully utilize satellite communications as a core feature in 5G — well ahead of recent interest in the area. We drove a pivot of this project into smartphones: the biggest opportunity, but also the most complex due to the small form factor precluding the use of large antennas. Qualcomm Technologies has led the R&D of satellite communications capabilities in 3GPP’s recent 5G Release 17 and continues to drive satellite communications technology in 5G Advanced for both end user devices and IoT.

Bringing 5G satellite communications (also known as “non-terrestrial networks”, or NTNs) to smartphones and IoT platforms will enable truly complete global coverage, expanding from SMS emergency texting capabilities like the recently-announced Snapdragon Satellite to delivering true mobile broadband over satellites. This extension of 5G has the potential to connect extreme geographies and remote areas, support networks of remote IoT devices, and serve as a back-up in the event of major terrestrial outages such as natural disasters.

Continuous Invention 

Cellular technology is now a vital aspect of our lives, economies, and societies. Qualcomm’s world-leading R&D, testing, innovation, standards leadership, and commercialization efforts have driven the growth of cellular technologies for over three decades, from the early days of 2G and 3G, to the expansion of mobile broadband capabilities in 4G, to the blazing speeds and connected intelligent edge of 5G, and now to 5G Advanced and beyond. Our ideas built the trunk and branches of the cellular tree that the whole system is based on, making Qualcomm the indispensable R&D leader in cellular technology. For next-gen advancements that enable worldwide connectivity, always look to Qualcomm.

Whirlpool Corporation has been recognized by USA Today as one of America’s Climate Leaders for 2023. This inaugural award recognizes U.S.-based companies with the most significant year-over-year reductions in scope 1 and scope 2 emissions relative to revenue.

“We are proud to be named one of America’s top climate leaders of 2023 in recognition of our ongoing commitment to reduce our climate impact and achieve our Net Zero goals,” said Pam Klyn, Whirlpool Corporation’s executive vice president of corporate relations and sustainability.

“This progress has been made possible through the prioritization of energy retrofits, the use of offsite and onsite renewable energy, and continuous process improvements, which have all underpinned our environmental sustainability strategy that is focused on improving life at home and on the planet.”

In 2003, Whirlpool Corporation was the first appliance manufacturer to set an emissions reduction target and has continued to make progress through ongoing investments. In 2022, the company achieved an approximately 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (scope 1 and scope 2) in its global plants and operations. Whirlpool Corporation activated two virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs) that are expected to yield renewable energy to match 100 percent of Whirlpool Corp.’s electricity consumption by its U.S. manufacturing plants.

This past year, as part of the company’s longstanding commitment to sustainable operations, Whirlpool Corporation achieved Zero Waste to Landfill Gold or Platinum status (a greater than 95 percent diversion rate) at all 29 of its large manufacturing sites worldwide and has continued to invest in plant efficiency and waste reduction by working closely with recyclers and sustainability vendors to find new, innovative ways to eliminate waste and contribute to the circular economy.

Over the past several months, Whirlpool Corporation received several awards for its ongoing commitment to environmental and social sustainability, including being named to Forbes 2023 Best Brands for Social Impact list as well being recognized as one of America’s Most JUST Companies for 2023.

To create the inaugural list, USA Today partnered with Statista Inc, the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider, to calculate the year-over-year reduction in emissions intensity (compound annual reduction rate). Companies headquartered in the United States that achieved the greatest reduction in their core emissions intensity — that is, their scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions relative to revenue — between 2019 and 2021 were included in the list.

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