Month: June 2024

Eastman

MILAN, June 17, 2024 /3BL/ – Eastman is on a mission to make sustainable fashion more accessible through the availability of Naia™ Renew at scale, offering versatility for a broad range of fashion segments. Integrating Naia™ Renew into the denim segment brings Eastman one step closer to its mission of making sustainable style accessible to everyone.

The U.S.-based company is showcasing the potential of Naia™ Renew alongside several of its global brand partners, which are already using the innovative fibers in denim.

“The added value we provide brands is not only a fashionable but also a sustainable fiber,” said Carolina Sister Cohn, Eastman global marketing leader for textiles. “Naia™ has a strong and transparent sustainability story that brands can pass on to their customers and denim lovers all over the world, making them more aware of their choices. Third-party certifications play a key role in this scenario because what we promise is verified and proven.”

Denim Première Vision brings designers and manufacturers from around the world together every six months. Exhibitors like the Eastman Naia™ team share denim innovations and explore trends in the fashion segment to meet consumer needs.

Naia™ Renew fiber blends well with natural fibers, other man-made cellulose fibers (MMCFs), synthetic fibers and multiple content yarns. This makes it the perfect ingredient for denim as it produces a sustainable and stylish fabric with an authentic look and feel that denim fans around the world will love.

Additionally, Naia™ Renew is hypoallergenic and skin friendly for denim that’s soft to the touch (before and after washing1), manages odor and moisture effectively2 and delivers better spreading speed. This makes denim blended with Naia™ Renew comfortable in any season.

Naia™ Renew is a cellulosic acetate fiber made from 60% sustainably sourced wood pulp and 40% certified recycled content.3 Certified recycled content in Naia™ Renew is diverted from landfills and broken down to its molecular building blocks via Eastman’s patented molecular recycling technology. The molecules are combined with sustainably sourced wood pulp to produce Naia™ Renew fibers for new textiles. This process produces a circular, fully traceable and biodegradable cellulosic fiber with a reduced carbon footprint. The process also reduces reliance on virgin material resources.

Naia™ Renew has received multiple sustainability certifications, including Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and OEKO-TEX class 1. Eastman partners with companies like Patagonia and Debrand to recycle pre- and post-consumer waste for its molecular recycling technology to create Naia™ Renew fiber.

1Based on ASTM D1388-18 test standard 
2Based on the SGS AATCC TM 195 test standard 
3Naia™ Renew recycled content is achieved by allocation of recycled waste material using a GRS-certified mass balance process.

About Eastman

Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The company’s innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. As a globally inclusive and diverse company, Eastman employs approximately 14,000 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. The company had 2023 revenue of approximately $9.2 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. For more information, visit www.eastman.com.

Media contact

Menabò Group 
pressoffice@menabo.com

Originally published on Saint-Gobain News

PARIS, June 17, 2024 /3BL/ – More than 224 universities from 29 countries participated in the 19th edition of the Architecture Student Contest. Students from all over the world imagined projects to transform a district of Helsinki in Finland. The winners have just been revealed during an event held by Saint-Gobain in the Finnish capital between June 10th and 12th, 2024.

This year’s competition, organized by Saint-Gobain in close collaboration with the University and City of Helsinki, Finland, asked the students to provide building ideas and solutions for 4 different zones in a plot located in Viikki, at the north-east of Helsinki, through a combination of temporary housing for students and researchers or permanent housing for residents, and nearby outdoor functions, focusing to both renovation and new construction.

“We at Saint-Gobain are convinced that architecture together with construction can bring strategic responses to the key challenges posed by climate change, resource scarcity and urbanization. Like the construction industry, architects are at the forefront of the transition towards developing sustainable living places to ensure a high quality of life as well as resource-efficient building solutions that respect the environment. They can make a real difference when, in 2050, 7 out of 10 people will live in cities and 80% of existing buildings will still exist. The jury and myself were happy to meet future architects so deeply committed to imagining projects that have a better impact for the people and a lower footprint on the planet.” Benoit Bazin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Saint-Gobain.

Every year, the projects have increased their focus on environmental aspects including for example Life Cycle Assessments, while responding to the functional and user needs. This edition of the Architecture Student Contest was special: launched in Serbia in 2004, this is its 20th year of existence. A whole generation of students have now participated in the Contest and is shaping the future of sustainable architecture to make the world a better home.

The winners of the 5 prizes

New in the 19th edition is the Teacher Prize that is awarded to the project which received the most votes from all participating teachers.

1st prize: Sieni Park, Portugal

Sieni Park is grounded in Finnish culture and our sense of community. The project brings a peaceful retreat to Viikki, linking nearby homes, workplaces, and the University Campus. It combines old and new structures in a coherent design that rests on three foundational building blocks: sustainability, innovation, and comfort. Thus, producing a futuristic, long lasting, low-energy project, that honours and builds upon the local tradition of eco-conscious construction practices.

2nd Prize, Rurban Habitat, Poland

Rurban Habitat offers a vision of circular architecture in the rurban part of Helsinki. Following the ‘research, reduce, reuse, produce and integrate’ approach, the concept respects the existing context and utilizes vernacular and passive solutions. The modular design of the core houses promotes adaptability, prefabrication, and green energy production. An allocentric design approach allowed for the creation of an inclusive habitat for everyone, complimented by an innovative research and creation space.

3rd Prize, From Boundary To Gateway, South Korea

From Boundary to Gateway provides both residents and visitors with nature-friendly experiences. It brings Finland’s natural light and environment indoors, shown in the medium space, ‘Barnacle’, to make nature and light a daily aspect. The renovated building respects the original topography, improving the connection. The project repurposes the old museum for outdoor exhibitions. All buildings and recreational spaces kindly lead people to nature and this project will work as a gateway to nature.

Student Prize, Eco-Habitat: Greenhouse Dorms and Urban micro climate, Lebanon

Greenhouse Dorms and Urban micro climate blends Helsinki’s farmhouse heritage with modern urban elements, incorporating traditional shapes and a central greenhouse courtyard for passive solar heating. It aims to create a cozy microclimate for residents as self-sustaining city model, with residential blocks, aquaponics, gardens, waste management, and more, forming a closed-loop system. It includes amenities like a library and birdwatch tower, offering a holistic blueprint for sustainable cities.

Teacher Prize, Viikki – The Edu-Buoyancity Malaysia

Viikki – The Edu-Buoyancity addresses the growing concern of floods in Finland with ‘Urban Buoyancy,’ establishing housing for bioscience students above a lake that brings in wildlife to reinvigorate the lands and waters, around an architecture of buoyant foundations. The student community is likened to Buoyant Urban Nomads, with residences designed to promote movement around the community and nature, aiming to provide a unique educational experience and become a model of resilience for Finland.

About Saint Gobain

Worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, Saint Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial marketsIts integrated solutions for the renovation of public and private buildings, light construction and the decarbonization of construction and industry are developed through a continuous innovation process and provide sustainability and performance. The Group’s commitment is guided by its purpose, “MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME”.

€47.9 billion in sales in 2023
160,000 employees, locations in 76 countries
Committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050

For more information about Saint-Gobain, visit www.saint-gobain.com and follow us on X @saintgobain

MEDIA CONTACTS

Patricia Marie: (+33) 1 88 54 26 83
Laure Bencheikh: (+33) 1 88 54 26 38
Yanice Biyogo: (+33) 1 88 54 27 96

Originally published on about.bnef.com

• BloombergNEF’s Long-Term Electric Vehicle Outlook shows that as technology for electrification continues to improve, and battery prices fall, adoption moves from being policy-driven to being driven by consumer demand across all markets 
• Passenger EV sales are expected to exceed 30 million in 2027 in BNEF’s base case scenario and grow to 73 million per year in 2040 
• Strong and carefully structured policy support is still needed, however, on all vehicle segments but one to get on track for net-zero trajectory 
• According to BNEF’s Net Zero scenario, for the world to achieve a totally zero-emission vehicle fleet by 2050, sales of combustion vehicles will need to stop around 2038. In the Economic Transition Scenario, only the Nordic countries reach a full phase-out of combustion vehicles before 2038. 
• Currently, only one segment of road transport – three-wheeled vehicles – is fully on track to reach net zero by mid-century.

LONDON and NEW YORK, June 14, 2024 /3BL/ – BloombergNEF’s Long-Term Electric Vehicle Outlook (EVO) shows that EV adoption is still growing, despite the mixed near-term outlook. The new report indicates that rapidly falling battery prices, advancements in next-generation battery technology and improving relative economics of electric vehicles with internal-combustion engine counterparts continue to underpin long-term EV growth globally. However, the report indicates that the window to reach global net-zero transport ambitions is now narrower than ever.

The report presents two updated road transport scenarios: the base case Economic Transition Scenario (ETS) – in which EV adoption is shaped by current techno-economic trends and with no new policy intervention – and the Net Zero Scenario (NZS) – consistent with reaching a global zero-emission fleet by 2050.

In the base case ETS, electric-vehicle sales continue to rise globally, even though growth has slowed in the US and Europe as a result of regulatory and political changes, and some automakers pushing back their EV targets. In the US, a lack of lower-cost models and EV market jitters inflamed by the upcoming presidential elections helped slow down adoption this year, while block-wide fuel-economy targets in Europe do not become more stringent until 2025, releasing automakers active in the region from the pressure to substantially increase sales of EVs.

The report also shows that electric vehicles are no longer only a wealthy country phenomenon, and countries like Thailand, India and Brazil are all experiencing record sales as more low-cost electric models are launched targeting local buyers. China, the world leader on EVs, is not looking back, and despite early signs of saturation of some EV segments and a tougher economic outlook, the country is projected to maintain its lead as the biggest EV market globally.

The underlying technology for electrification continues to improve, battery prices continue to fall, and EV adoption moves from being policy-driven to being driven by consumer demand across all markets. Passenger EV sales are expected to exceed 30 million in 2027 in the ETS and grow to 73 million per year in 2040, contributing 33% and 73% to global car sales in those years, respectively.

BNEF also finds that electrification is now spreading quickly to all sectors of road transport, from rickshaws to heavy trucks. Two- and three-wheeled vehicle sales continue to rise in emerging economies and electric sales are expected to exceed 90% globally by 2040. The decarbonization of the commercial vehicle sector – including vans, trucks and buses – has already started and is set to accelerate. The rapid adoption of EVs across all vehicle segments creates an unprecedented market opportunity. The cumulative value of EV sales across all segments could hit $9 trillion dollars by 2030 and $63 trillion by 2050 in BNEF’s ETS. At least $35 billion needs to be invested in battery-cell and component plants by the end of the decade, though this is easily exceeded by the $155 billion already planned by companies.

Despite the progress, global road transport is still not on course for a net-zero trajectory. While BNEF’s NZS calls for 100% of the road-going car fleet to be electrified by 2050, the base case ETS only achieves 69% in the same year. This shows that current techno-economic trends alone are not enough to get the transport sector on track for global climate goals, and that continued strong regulatory support is still very much needed.

Currently, only one segment of road transport – three-wheeled vehicles – is fully on track to reach net zero by mid-century. Heavy- and medium-duty vehicles are the furthest off course for this goal: electric and hydrogen fuel-cell powertrains account for only 18% of global truck sales by 2030 and 43% by 2040 – and even this represents significant change for the industry.

“Truck manufacturers are about to undergo a rapid technological transformation on the back of strict environmental targets in Europe and the US. The speed of that change will be unprecedented for the industry, but meeting a Paris-aligned scenario requires even faster production of zero-emission vehicles,” said Nikolas Soulopoulos, head of commercial transport at BNEF.

According to the Net Zero scenario, for the world to achieve a zero-emission vehicle fleet by 2050, sales of combustion vehicles will need to stop around 2038, with leading markets needing to phase out combustion vehicles even sooner, in the early 2030s. In the Economic Transition Scenario, only the Nordic countries reach a full phase-out of combustion vehicles before 2038. As more countries implement industrial strategies to capture value from the transition, there is a risk that climate goals fall further out of reach. Governments will need to carefully weigh up competing priorities and avoid policies that reduce competition or access to affordable EVs.

“Governments trying to champion domestic manufacturing at the cost of faster decarbonization should consider very carefully what they are prioritizing, as reaching net-zero road transport emissions by 2050 is still possible, but much faster progress is needed,” said Aleksandra O’Donovan, head of electric vehicles at BNEF.

Other findings of the Long-Term Electric Vehicle Outlook include:

• Global passenger EV sales continue to grow, but the growth rate in the next few years is visibly slower than before. In the next four years, electric car sales grow at an average of 21% per year in the Economic Transition Scenario, compared to the average of 61% between 2020 and 2023. The EV share of global new passenger vehicle sales jumps to 33% in 2027, from 17.8% in 2023. Only China (60%) and Europe (41%) are above that global average by then. EV sales in Brazil quintuple by 2027 and triple in India. 
• The Net Zero Scenario requires a much faster transition. By 2035, there are 476 million EVs on the road, rising to 722 million by 2040, accounting for 45% of the fleet. In the Net Zero Scenario this is 679 million and 1.1 billion, respectively. 
• Internal combustion vehicle sales have peaked. Sales of internal combustion vehicles peaked in 2017 and by 2027 are 29% lower than their peak in our outlook. Our economic analysis indicates that electric vehicles are the primary method of decarbonizing road transport. Still, hybrids can play a meaningful role in the near-term, in particular in markets with increasingly stringent fuel-efficiency rules. Hybrid adoption reaches between 5% and 45% of sales by 2030 in our outlook, depending on the market. 
• Plug-in hybrids are making a comeback, but their full role in the transition is still unclear. Average PHEV range is rising quickly, hitting 80km in 2023 and making these vehicles more attractive, particularly in China, where sales are growing quickly. Still, there are big open questions on how often they are used in electric mode. If PHEVs displace BEV sales and are not utilizing their full electric potential, they can add to both oil consumption and emissions. 
• EVs are driven more than their combustion counterparts. Meta-analysis of EV driving patterns in different countries shows that fully electric vehicles are doing more annual kilometers than comparable gasoline powered vehicles. There is significant variation by country and the US is a notable outlier with fewer kilometers driven by EVs. 
• Electric heavy trucks become economically viable for most use cases by 2030. In heavier segments, battery electric trucks are mostly used in urban duty cycles initially. But their economics improve even for long-haul routes and around 2030 approach those of diesel powertrains. Fuel-cell trucks remain a viable option for some duty cycles and in some countries, but their outlook is far less certain. 
• Overcapacity is a big issue for battery makers. Planned lithium-ion cell manufacturing capacity by the end of 2025 is over five times the 1.5TWh global battery demand expected that year. Annual lithium-battery demand grows rapidly in our Economic Transition Scenario, approaching 5.9 terawatt-hours annually by 2035. 
• Lithium-iron-phosphate batteries (LFP) are taking over the EV market. Improvements in lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) technology are increasing its market share, particularly in China, where cell prices have fallen rapidly to $53/kWh so far this year. LFP crosses 50% share of the global passenger EV market within the next two years in this outlook. Nickel and manganese are set to feel the most pressure as a result. Due to the shift toward lower-cost chemistries, nickel, and manganese consumption by 2025 is 25% and 38% lower, respectively, this year than in the previous outlook. 
• Oil demand displacement from EVs starts to ramp up. With 83 million electric cars, trucks, and buses on the road next year, and over 340 million electric two-and three-wheelers, in the next three years oil demand displaced by electric and fuel-cell vehicles of all types more than doubles from today, to almost 4 million barrels per day by 2027. This is slightly more than the volume Japan consumed in 2022. 
• A fully electric global fleet could consume twice the amount of electricity as the US did in 2023. By 2050, in the Net Zero Scenario, some 8,313TWh of electricity is needed to power an all-electric vehicle fleet, double the amount of electricity consumed in the US in 2023. Despite the large growth in electricity demand, electric vehicles can aid the electrification of the energy system through smart charging, as grid operators apply variable pricing and other mechanisms to incentivize flexibility. 
• To meet the growing EV electricity demand, the charging industry will need to mature rapidly over the next decade. Between $1.6 trillion and $2.5 trillion in cumulative investment is required in charging infrastructure, installation, and maintenance by 2050, depending on the scenario.

A comprehensive executive summary with key findings and more information on the Long-Term Electric Vehicle Outlook can be found at this link.

Contact 
Oktavia Catsaros 
BloombergNEF 
ocatsaros@bloomberg.net

About Bloomberg 
Bloomberg, the global business and financial information and news leader, gives influential decision makers a critical edge by connecting them to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas. The company’s strength – delivering data, news and analytics through innovative technology, quickly and accurately – is at the core of the Bloomberg Terminal. Bloomberg’s enterprise solutions build on the company’s core strength: leveraging technology to allow customers to access, integrate, distribute and manage data and information across organizations more efficiently and effectively. For more information, visit Bloomberg.com/company or request a demo.

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.

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Southwire is proud to announce its recognition as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Mental Wellbeing 2024 by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group. The designation is awarded to companies that promote behaviors and policies protecting mental wellbeing in the workplace through programs and initiative. The recognition is awarded based on survey results from more than 250,000 young professionals with more than 1.5 million company reviews.

“At Southwire, we know our team members are The People Behind the Power™, and we aim to support each person through building a workplace that is inclusive, supportive and engaging,” said Fernando Esquivel, Southwire’s executive vice president and chief People and Culture officer. “Safety and health are two of our top priorities, and we are proud of the industry-leading mental health and well-being initiatives we have in place.”

Southwire partners with multiple industry-leading organizations to provide the best work-life benefits possible. The company offers Spring Health to team members and their household family members, which gives them access to therapy visits, coaching, work-life services, and an on-demand library of self-guided exercises to improve mental wellbeing — all to help team members manage things like stress, anxiety, sadness and more.

Companies included on Newsweek’s America’s Greatest Workplaces 2024 for Mental Health were evaluated on four mental health topics, including:

Recognition of importance of mental healthEmpathetic managers who care about mental healthWorking conditions taking physical and mental health into accountEmployer providing mental health and well-being programs

Southwire prioritizes Living Well for its team members by investing in programs that foster a safe and inclusive environment including initiatives like standardizing nursing mothers’ rooms in all its facilities, increasing workplace flexibility and shift predictability and growing partnerships with organizations and nonprofit groups that reflect the interests of Southwire’s workforce.

In 2023, the company established new family-focused benefits, including increased maternity leave and paid parental leave as well as a partnership with Progyny, the nation’s leading fertility specialists. This partnership brings Southwire team members and their spouses more support on the path to parenthood, providing access to better care with more successful outcomes and better treatment options. Southwire also has an adoption reimbursement assistance program for team members going through the adoption process to build their family.

“Mental well-being is an increasingly important concern for U.S. workers—which means it’s increasingly important for U.S. employers as well,” said Newsweek Global Editor in Chief Nancy Cooper. “To spotlight the organizations prioritizing the mental well-being of their employees, Newsweek has partnered with data researcher Plant-A for the inaugural ranking of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Mental Well-Being, highlighting companies making a positive difference in the mental wellness of their workers.”

Southwire is poised for sustainable growth, not only in the industry-leading solutions it offers to its customers, but in its commitment to supporting team members in an ever-changing and quickly evolving world.

“It is our ambition to keep making Southwire a great place to work for generations to come,” said Deb Graham, Southwire’s vice president of total rewards. “From investing in meaningful development programs to maintaining a safe and inclusive environment, we’re building a workplace where all of our people can thrive.”

For more Southwire news, visit www.southwire.com/newsroom.