Month: January 2024

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) has selected products from CNH brands, Case IH and New Holland, as 2024 ASABE AE50 winners.

This recognition signifies the 13th time in the past six years New Holland has been acknowledged during the awards.

The products awarded include the T6.180 Methane Power tractor and the T7.300 Long Wheelbase with PLM Intelligence™ from New Holland. For Case IH, the Steiger 715 Quadtrac, 2024 Steiger 425-645 tractors, AFS Furrow Command for Precision Disk Drills and toolbar lift system for 2120 Early Riser rigid trailing split-row planter were all recognized as well.

The ASABE AE50 is a unique awards program, dedicated to honoring groundbreaking product advancements within the domains of agriculture, food and biological systems. The awards are presented by ASABE’s Resource magazine, aiming to acknowledge the 50 most pioneering products introduced to the market annually across these sectors. A panel of expert engineers meticulously selects the winners, using criteria that emphasize innovation, engineering advancement and market impact as the key criteria.

“Receiving these prestigious AE50 awards is a momentous milestone for New Holland because it represents the culmination of countless hours of research, innovation and hard work,” said Carlo Lambro, Brand President of New Holland. “The AE50 award is a symbol of our commitment to farmers and a promise to keep innovating. We are grateful for this recognition from ASABE and eager to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in agriculture.”

Scott Harris, Global Brand President Case IH & Steyr, shared a similar pride in winning the awards, “Case IH has shown time and time again that through the evolution of technology paired with purposeful advancements in applications and iron, we can greatly improve the way farmers do their jobs,” said Scott, “The ASABE AE50 Awards are just another proof-point from Case IH that our actions speak louder than words. We’re here to serve farmers, and we are doing just that.”

The awards will be presented at the virtual ASABE Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference, February 11-14, 2024, in Louisville, Ky.

This victory highlights CNH’s continuous focus on technological innovation and dedication to make farming more efficient, effective, and sustainable across the globe.

GRI experienced another eventful year in 2023. One of the most significant happenings was the signing of a new collaboration agreement with EFRAG, the organization mandated by the European Commission to prepare the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), on November 30th. This agreement solidified the commitment of both organizations to ongoing collaboration in this critical time for the evolving global corporate reporting landscape.

A notable outcome of this renewed cooperation is the introduction of the GRI-ESRS Interoperability Index. This free tool is designed to help entities understand the commonalities between the two sets of standards in regard to impacts. It functions as a high-level tool, focusing on relevant ESRS data points corresponding to the GRI Standards, and includes explanatory notes on key differences when transitioning from ESRS to GRI. GRI has also developed a free spreadsheet, Draft ESRS-GRI data point mapping tool, to assist GRI reporters who are in the process of preparing for the first application of the ESRS. The tool offers a granular overview. For each of the approximately 1,100 ESRS data points, it indicates the relevant GRI disclosures that will help companies fulfill each data point, enabling data collection and GAP analysis.

A detailed examination of these resources is included in GRI’s Unlocking the ESRS for GRI Reporters course, including guidance on how to integrate ESRS into current GRI reporting processes and practices. All these resources are essential in simplifying the complexities of sustainability reporting for the over 3,000 US and 1,300 Canadian organizations that are expected to be directly pulled into the CSRD double materiality disclosure requirements. Beyond those affected, additional North American organizations will be indirectly affected by their business partners and customers subject to the directive.

GRI: The glue between jurisdictions

The sustainability disclosure landscape is changing rapidly, with new disclosures being announced in various jurisdictions, many of which may or may not overlap. Under this scenario, multinational companies will face the challenge of meeting multijurisdictional requirements, each with its own nuances that regional regulators may prioritize but not necessarily align with global stakeholder expectations, including international norms and instruments, such as the OECD guidelines. Adhering to credible and global standards, such as GRI Standards, enables organizations to effectively meet various regulatory purposes. With the ESRS and GRI overlap, GRI can demonstrate that similar cases can be made for future regulations. Another important aspect is that the ESRS do not comprehensively address all sustainability topics and metrics, and the GRI Standards can be a source to fill those gaps. Take tax standards that are not included in ESRS as an example: stakeholder expectations won’t go away on tax transparency. Companies can continue to rely on the GRI Standards to provide the global baseline for sustainability and impact reporting.

Numerous new disclosures mandates remain unknown, but the direction of travel is clear: more transparency and accountability will be requested, and more rigor will be needed for adequate reporting. GRI continues to collaborate with other thought leaders, jurisdictions, and entities to bring together the latest best practices and a means for standardized reporting, aligning with the latest authoritative instruments and addressing stakeholder interests effectively.