Month: March 2024

Nasdaq

In this episode of ESG Trendsetters, we learn about Applied Materials. Founded in 1967, Applied Materials is a leader in designing and manufacturing the machines that make semiconductors, which can be found in virtually all digital devices. Applied Materials also provides equipment used to produce flat panel displays for TVs, IT, and mobile products.  

The semiconductor industry is growing, and the products people use every day are highly dependent on semiconductors, according to Chris Librie, Senior Director of ESG at Applied Materials. “The average electric vehicle contains about 6,000 semiconductors in it, which astounds even me. The point is you can’t have renewable and clean energy and the transmission of power without semiconductors.” As we witness the rise of AI and autonomous vehicles, Librie believes that the semiconductor industry could double in size by 2030, potentially crossing the trillion-dollar mark. Given this, he explains that “one of the challenges of that growth is that if we don’t take action and reduce our footprint, it could quadruple in that same time period. For us, this isn’t tolerable given the current situation the planet is in.” 

Librie joins Mike Stiller, New Initiatives for Capital Access Platforms at Nasdaq, to discuss prioritizing sustainability in a long-established industry, and how the organization is determining its ESG goals and developing a net-zero playbook. 

With many of Applied Materials’ customers having net-zero commitments, this drives the organization to do what it needs to do to not only distinguish itself, but for overall customer satisfaction, relationship building, and promoting deeper discussions needed for better ESG actions. 

Librie acknowledges that organizations looking to improve their ESG practices and programs may benefit from insights and data coming from a wide range of companies and industries. He shares, “One of the key things in building an ESG program is to see what others are doing. Having access to information from notable ESG and sustainability leaders, but more importantly, customers and competitors, helps us see what everyone is doing and what is important to them.” 

Having been involved in ESG and sustainability for 15 years, Librie understands the evolution of the sustainability narrative and recognizes how ESG has become central to Applied Materials’ business strategy. Librie also believes that it has brought the organization’s employees together and credits connectivity as the “conductor” of their achievements. “In terms of net-zero, it involves every part of the organization,” he says. “We need to have our supply chain, product design, customer service, and sales and R&D working together. It’s really a comprehensive effort.” 

Over the last 12 to 18 months, Applied Materials has focused on getting clear about its ESG objectives each fiscal year, which involves looking at the pioneering aspects of net-zero, leading the company to take advantage of new innovations and make the most impact they can—particularly with nature-based solutions. “The assumption is that there will always be emissions. So, we have to work hard to reduce as much as we can all the way up to 2040 and beyond,” shares Librie.  

For issuers looking to tell their best ESG story, Librie’s advises focus on the governance aspect in ESG. “My advice would be to spend the time in creating those teams and continue creating that connectivity within your organization.” Applied Materials has at least 100 employees across the organization solely dedicated to ESG. These subject matter experts work on different aspects, such as reporting, finetuning the company’s 2030 goals, and revising the net-zero playbook.  

In addition, Applied Materials has set up an ESG leadership council responsible for the different ESG and sustainability milestones the organization is trying to accomplish. Some leadership council members focus on climate strategy, while others focus on measuring carbon footprint and making sure the organization’s ESG data is assured. Collectively, they pay close attention to renewable energy and the financial discussions that come along with it to help reach their goal of getting to 100% renewable energy globally by 2030. 

By The Black & Veatch Insights Group

Known in the water treatment world as the “Father of BNR” – biological nutrient removal – Dr. James Barnard recently retired from Black & Veatch after a long, distinguished career as an expert in his field. Over the years, his numerous contributions included developing cutting-edge technologies to improve water quality and reduce pollution. The biological process he designed for removing nitrogen and phosphorus from used water facilities now are applied around the world. In this Q&A, Dr. Barnard shares his insights and reflections on his career, his accomplishments, and the future of water treatment technology.

What inspired you to focus your career on nutrient removal?

After finishing my Ph.D. at Vanderbilt in 1971, I returned to the National Water Research Institute in Pretoria (South Africa). The discovery of rich gold deposits more than a century ago resulted in a population of more than 12 million around Johannesburg on the continental divide and Pretoria only 35 miles to the north. This large population concentration at a high altitude where water was pumped from long distances to the emerging cities and while effluents were treated to high standards and returned to the reservoirs that also served as water supply, water treatment standards did not include nitrogen and phosphorus removal. This was causing severe eutrophication (i.e. algae growth oxygen depletion). When observing the green pea-soup overflowing one of these reservoirs, I decided to pursue biological means of removing these nutrients. At the time, practices like chemical treatment and stripping and ammonia were the standard. Biological treatment was still only lab scale.

What has been your proudest moment/accomplishment in your career?

This is difficult to say, but two moments stand out. The first is that the city of Johannesburg decided to apply the four-stage process that I developed in the laboratory for the 750,000 PE Goudkoppies Plant; the second was my discovery of biological phosphorus removal in a pilot plant, which Johannesburg also adopted during the construction of the plant. Many were to follow, such as receiving the Water Environment Federation Camp Award, the gold medal of the South African Academy of Science and Arts, the International Water Association Medal (handed over by Princess Anne), and other recognitions.

What excites you about where the industry is headed?

What excites me is how the latest findings are pointing at the possibility of biological nutrient removal (BNR) leading into producing rapid-settling granular sludge which could double the capacity of existing plants while increasing the rate of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification to also achieve very low total nitrogen levels. Then there is the possibility of combining suspended growth with attached growth to get even better results. Our Applied Research team has had some very promising results and I think Black & Veatch will be leading the industry in the future with this.

What advice do you have for your peers for the future challenges in the industry?

Be curious and, in the biological world, always remember that nothing happens without a reason. Keep asking ‘why.’ That’s what I did. Whenever I saw something happening, I kept asking ‘why’ to understand the underlying reason.

What breakthroughs would you still most like to see?

One is tempted to say being energy neutral, but that depends a lot on the effluent requirement and geography. But recovery of resources should get preference. The energy that can be recovered especially in colder climates is considerable, and the recovery of nitrogen would be rewarding since the energy required to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere is very high. The one thing that I feel we should look at more is resource recovery, especially protein recovery from food waste and then naturally re-use of the final product.

What advice would you give to early-career engineers?

Again, be curious and question everything. Don’t just accept that what’s in the box is final.

Is there a particular moment you recall when you reflected in the moment and felt that you have helped you in Building a World of Difference?

There were a number of such instances, but the most recent is after I heard about the great performance of the upgraded Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant. It was such a tight design with everything working so well. The facilities have all but eliminated ammonia and significantly reduced nitrogen in the discharge. Another was when I was honored with a Ph.D. from Iowa State University.

All of us at Black & Veatch would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Dr. James Barnard for sharing his valuable insights and expertise with our team and our clients these past 25 years. His contributions to the field of water treatment and pollution reduction have been immense and have helped transform the industry. His dedication and passion for improving water quality have inspired countless professionals to continue the work of advancing the field. We wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement and know that his legacy will continue to inspire future generations of water treatment experts.

Originally published on about.bnef.com

The electrification of ride-hailing and other point-to-point, on-demand and shared mobility services must be accelerated to maintain Europe’s decarbonization momentum in line with the Paris Agreement, according to BloombergNEF’s (BNEF’s) report ‘Driving the Next Phase of Electric Mobility in Europe’, which was commissioned by Uber.

Road transport currently accounts for around 18% of global CO2 emissions. While significant progress has been made in limiting emissions from the sector, further acceleration is required for the whole transport industry, including ride-hailing and other shared mobility services, to progress towards zero emissions. Ride-hailing is already going electric much quicker than other driver groups. Across Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Lisbon, London, Madrid, and Paris, nearly 10% of ride-hailing kilometres are now in battery electric vehicles, compared to about 2% in the general population.

The report identifies the key challenges and discusses potential solutions to accelerate the rate of decarbonization in the transport industry. The measures outlined within the report are not solely linked to the on-demand transport industry and have the potential to act as a catalyst for change across the entire mobility ecosystem.

The report lays out four key challenges and opportunities, with a focus on the European market.

Full access to the report:

Driving the Next Phase of Electric Mobility in Europe

About BloombergNEF

BloombergNEF (BNEF) is a strategic research provider covering global commodity markets and the disruptive technologies driving the transition to a low-carbon economy. Our expert coverage assesses pathways for the power, transport, industry, buildings and agriculture sectors to adapt to the energy transition. We help commodity trading, corporate strategy, finance and policy professionals navigate change and generate opportunities.

Sign up for our free monthly newsletter

NEW YORK, March 26, 2024 /3BL/ – Clarion Partners, LLC has been recognized as an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for the second consecutive year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy.*

Each year, the ENERGY STAR program honors a select group of businesses and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to energy efficiency and the transition to a clean energy economy. ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award winners lead their industries in the production, sale, and adoption of energy-efficient products, homes, buildings, services, and strategies. These efforts have saved more than 5 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity over the past 30 years.

Clarion Partner’s recognition as an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award highlights the Firm’s energy management program, which utilizes data tracking and benchmarking to drive new strategic initiatives. The Firm surveys our properties to review compliance with benchmarking legislation, track important sustainability data, and facilitate the recommendations of efficiency improvements and pursuit of ENERGY STAR certification where applicable. In 2023, Clarion Partners achieved ENERGY STAR certification for 75 properties and implemented 241 energy efficiency projects, including the installation of shadow meters and LED lighting.**

One of the Firm’s projects was the launch of an LED lighting retrofit program to analyze 63 million square feet of assets and identify the best candidates for retrofit opportunities. As of December 2023, 89 retrofit projects had been completed, covering 21 million square feet of industrial warehouses; this initiative is expected to save approximately 9.8 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) in energy consumption. In addition, Clarion also piloted enhanced “green” Property Condition Assessments (PCAs) on a select group of assets with the goal of identifying actionable decarbonization opportunities.

“Clarion Partner’s goal to improve energy efficiency across our portfolio continues to be the backbone of our sustainability strategy and we are honored to be recognized by ENERGY STAR once again,” said Karen Mahrous, Head of ESG for Clarion Partners. “Working together with our ecosystem of stakeholders, we continue to make progress on our top priorities utilizing ENERGY STAR’s extensive suite of tools and resources.”

Winners are selected from a network of thousands of ENERGY STAR partners. For a complete list of 2024 winners and more information about ENERGY STAR’s awards program, visit energystar.gov/awardwinners.

* The 2024 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award is issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy, and is valid in perpetuity. Clarion did not pay a fee to apply for this award.

** ENERGY STAR certifications are issued by the U.S. Department of Energy on a rolling basis and are valid for one year. Properties must re-certify to maintain certification standing. These Clarion properties held valid certifications as of December 31, 2023.

About Clarion Partners, LLC

Clarion Partners, LLC, has been a leading real estate investment manager for over 40 years. Headquartered in New York, the firm maintains strategically located offices across the United States and Europe. With $76.6 billion in total real estate and debt assets under management, Clarion Partners offers a broad range of real estate strategies across the risk/return spectrum to approximately 500 institutional investors across the globe. Clarion Partners is an independent subsidiary of Franklin Templeton. More information about the firm is available at www.clarionpartners.com.

About Franklin Templeton

Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN] is an international investment management firm with subsidiaries that operates as Franklin Templeton serving clients in more than 150 countries. Franklin Templeton’s goal is to help clients achieve better outcomes through expertise in investment management, wealth management, and technology solutions. Thanks to its specialized investment managers, the company has developed expertise in all major asset classes on a global scale – including equities, fixed income, alternative solutions and custom multi-asset solutions. With offices in over 30 countries and over 1,400 investment professionals, the California-based firm has over 75 years of investment experience and $1.6 trillion in assets under management as of January 31, 2024. For more information, please visit franklintempleton.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR® is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped American families and businesses avoid more than $500 billion in energy costs and achieve more than 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. More background information about ENERGY STAR’s impacts can be found at www.energystar.gov/impacts.

Press Contact:

Natalie Evertson

Natalie.Evertson@clarionpartners.com

212-883-2500

Disclaimer 
Nothing herein constitutes an offer or solicitation of any product or service to any person or in any jurisdiction where such offer or solicitation is not authorized or is prohibited by law.