Tag: 3BL

Originally published in GoDaddy’s 2023 Sustainability Report

Employee Experience

We’re fostering a culture of learning and engagement.

Everything we do rests upon GoDaddy’s incredible people who devote their time, talent, and energy to working here. That’s why we take a human-centered approach that focuses on individual needs. We facilitate the growth and success of our employees by creating an engaging and meaningful employee experience, providing career development opportunities, and offering competitive compensation and benefits. We continuously work to improve our talent management approach to better serve our employees and be an employer of choice.

Inclusive Recruitment 

Our commitment to inclusion and equity starts at the beginning of a potential employee’s journey with us. We strive to attract diverse and talented candidates by showcasing our inclusive culture and principles to the world. We carry this through to different policies, benefits, products, resources, and other efforts that help create an inclusive environment for us and our customers. These include:

Expanding candidate eligibility to include those with nonlinear or nontraditional backgrounds in early career talent positions, including university and early career partnerships with diversity and equityrelated organizations and groups. We focused on partnerships with organizations like Rewriting the Code and their Black Wings group and ColorStack.Highlighting our employer brand and culture to attract diverse talent by attending events like Pride and Veteran’s Day Parades, Black Tech Fest, and Conferences for Women; featuring employees from employee resource groups (ERGs) with diverse backgrounds to spotlight personal and professional journeys; and running gender diversity ads on social media focused on representation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)-based roles.Writing job descriptions to reduce gendered language bias and developing inclusive language across job descriptions.Posting nonconfidential job opportunities on internal job boards to encourage and enable mobility within the organization.Utilizing a virtual interview platform allowing applicants the opportunity to specify their pronouns, preferred names, and name pronunciation during the interview.Offering interviewer training on best practices for an inclusive candidate experience and to mitigate bias in the interview process.

Performance Reviews 

We value transparency in all areas of our company, and that extends to both feedback and introspection. Our performance review process includes formal mid-year and year-end reviews for employees with appropriate tenure. At these reviews, employees and managers discuss goal setting, career development, performance insights, and peer feedback. Employees can evaluate their own performance via self-evaluations. Through our annual GoDaddy Voice employee survey, we ask employees to share their feedback and their perspectives on their career development.

85/100: Achieved average scores of 85 out of 100 (scores converted to 100-point scale) on the questions, “My manager helps me stay focused on our top priorities” and “My manager provides me with feedback that helps me improve my performance.

Our performance management processes are also designed to be fair and equitable. We implement company-wide processes to help reduce variance in performance assessments between groups with different genders, ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, ages, and other factors. This involves ensuring that we assess both the work that people complete and how they complete it in alignment with our values. It also includes focusing on action and outcomes as opposed to style and personality to ensure consistency in feedback and providing equal evaluation time.

Promotion Parity 

We partnered with Stanford University’s VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab to create company-wide processes that reduce variance in performance assessments between demographic groups. 

As part of that effort, when we shared our first pay parity analysis in 2015, it showed that while women and men were paid at parity for similar roles, women weren’t advancing in all positions at the same rate as their male counterparts. This finding led us to create an ongoing process to proactively identify qualified employees who should be considered for promotion. This proactive promotion flagging process identifies potential eligible employees who could be reviewed for promotion, rather than relying on subjective criteria and identification. The initiative immediately impacted and continues to enable our ability to support the career advancement of all employees, while mitigating the potential effects of bias through the process.

Employee Engagement 

GoDaddy is a global company with employees around the world. We operate a hybrid workplace model, with employees working both in offices and remotely. While this allows GoDaddy to best serve our diverse global customer base, it can create distance between teams. To narrow this distance, we strive to foster communication and collaboration among employees, create meaningful opportunities for engagement, and cultivate an inclusive community. 

We do this through multiple employee engagement programs. The GoDaddy Fun Fund provides resources for employees to engage in important team building activities — either in-person or virtually. Everyday Champions is our global employee recognition program that connects our global workforce, allowing employees to recognize and celebrate each other’s successes, from going above and beyond at work to simply stepping in to lend a hand where needed. Employees can give recognition, and managers and people leaders can give points-based recognition to their coworkers. Recognized employees can redeem accrued points for items in our Everyday Champions catalog.

Employee Resource Groups 

Even when we’re physically apart, we aim to bring together our employees working across different areas of the company and from different backgrounds. ERGs play a critical part in fostering our culture. They’re employee-led groups formed around common missions, identities, affinities, or interests. Each ERG is open to all employees, including allies and champions. ERGs provide a space for employees to develop relationships, support professional development (both for themselves and others), engage in corporate projects and programs, learn from each other, and have some fun. In addition to the personal benefits, ERGs help empower GoDaddy’s business priorities and goals across talent, learning, business, and community development. 

In 2023, we continued to enhance employee engagement within ERGs and broaden their impact by developing new and refining existing procedures, processes, roles, and events.

Our 11 Global ERGs are:

GD Abilities in Tech GD Asians in Tech GD Black in Tech GD Entrepreneurs in Tech GD Fitness in Tech GD GreenGD LatinX in TechGD Next in TechGD United (LGBTQIA+)GD Veterans in TechGD Women in Tech

Employee Feedback 

Listening to our employees is a critical component of our talent management approach. Through GoDaddy Voice, our annual engagement survey, we learn firsthand from our employees what is working and where we need to improve. In 2023, 80% of our employees participated in the GoDaddy Voice survey, revealing insights such as:

90/100: Achieved an average score of 90 out of 100 (scores converted to 100-point scale) on the question, “Employees on my team treat each other with respect.”89/100: Achieved average scores of 89 out of 100 (scores converted to 100-point scale) on the questions, “My supervisor/manager supports me” and “My manger models inclusive behavior.”

To address employees’ feedback, we created action plans and aim to share periodic updates to increase transparency.

Learning and Development 

Through our learning and development program, we aim to activate the exponential power of our people. We believe investing in our employees’ growth and skills not only benefits them but also contributes to the overall success of our company and our customers. Through our learning and development initiatives, we aim to achieve three goals:

Align employees to GoDaddy’s company strategy and goals.Connect through experiential learning.Grow skill sets for the future.

Our learning experiences help our employees develop their skills, enhance their knowledge, and grow their careers. Some of these experiences include: 

The Care and Services Learning Summit: A highly rated summit focused on global leadership, coaching, and change management, offered annually.  GoDaddy Learning Days: Two full days of learning dedicated to professional development, inclusive engagement, and GoDaddy’s business, offered annually. More than 130 employees participated in Learning Days in 2023.  LinkedIn Learning: A digital library offering more than 13,000 courses covering a wide range of technical, business, software, and creative topics. Licenses are available by request to enable employee learning and growth in a wide range of topics, including DEIB. Decision Lab: A decision-making simulation dedicated to fostering better and faster decision-making, helping to drive better outcomes and contribute to our company goals, offered several times throughout the year. Nearly 230 employees participated in Decision Lab in 2023. Elevate: A focused, nearly year-long leadership training program that connects GoDaddy Guides in Care and Services with opportunities to develop operational excellence and build leadership skill sets. There were 41 learners that participated in the Elevate Guide program in 2023. 

In 2023, we continued to hold quarterly career workshops and released career spotlight podcasts to showcase the career stories of our own employees.

Leadership Training

We recognize that strong leadership inspires strong teams. In addition to our learning experiences, we offer several pathways for leaders to develop their skills, including:

New Manager Onboarding: A required four-week course for new managers to learn about the high standards required for those in GoDaddy management positions and provide resources to help them succeed. More than 120 new or newly promoted managers were assigned and/or completed the curriculum in 2023.GoDaddy Leadership Development Program (GoLD): A manager and leadership development program providing ongoing support through a suite of courses covering topics like leading virtually, leading through change, giving feedback, coaching, and having difficult conversations. Nearly 400 leaders engaged with GoLD content in 2023.Lift Manager Development Program: A multi-month program for Care and Services managers to enhance key leadership traits that enable leaders to achieve great results with their team. Almost 70 employees participated in this training program in 2023.

16 Hours: Employees spent an average of 16 hours on learning and development training in 2023.

We know everyone learns differently. GoDaddy believes conversation is a powerful learning tool to ignite change, help us learn more about each other, introduce new ways of thinking, and create a more inclusive environment. That’s why in 2023, we launched You Belong: A Speaker and Conversation Series. Through this series, we host both external and internal experts, thought leaders, and changemakers to discuss key topics such as DEIB, empathy, allyship, current events, and more. In 2023, we hosted conversations on critical topics including the importance of representation and equity in product design. Through this series, GoDaddy employees can expect fresh perspectives, thought-provoking discussions, and more opportunities to learn and grow. 

In 2024, we continue our aim to empower employees, foster a culture of continuous learning, and provide opportunities for personal and professional growth. This includes evaluating the use of AI to facilitate opportunities to learn from each other and help identify what employees are seeking to create detailed, personalized development plans.

Awards and Honors

Brandon Hall Group HCM 
Best Advance in Creating an Extended Enterprise Learning Program — GoldBrandon Hall Group HCM 
Best Results for a Learning Program — SilverBrandon Hall Group HCM 
Best Use of Blended Learning — Bronze2023 Stevie Award
Human Resources Team of the Year — GoldJobgether 
Top 100 Flexible Employer 2023

Benefits 

Our employee total rewards include a range of comprehensive and competitive offerings that support our human-centered approach and allow us to attract and retain top talent. Our global employee assistance provider, Lyra Health/ICAS, provides various confidential support options, including virtual and in-person therapy, coaching, and unlimited access to self-care apps to help navigate difficult topics like stress, anxiety, depression, substance use, and relationship challenges. 

In 2023, to improve our benefits offerings, we provided a new medical plan option, improved network for dental care, increased GoDaddy contributions to the employee Health Savings Account, increased basic life insurance coverage, and added a surrogacy reimbursement, among other efforts. 

Additional benefits available in many of our locations include:

A U.S. benefits package offering comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and disability plans. 401(k) with employer-matching and 401(k) student loan provision (effective January 1, 2024). An equity plan and employee stock purchase program to promote a sense of company ownership among our employees. Professional development opportunities and tuition support. Global wellness days, which are four dedicated days for employees to disconnect from work and prioritize their well-being.Family benefits, like a day care subsidy, paid parental leave, foster care assistance, adoption assistance, and fertility coverage. Tuition assistance programs, which provide eligible full-time employees with up to $5,000 per year toward approved costs for higher education or professional certifications. 

For more information on our employee benefits, please review our Careers page.

Employee Giving and Volunteerism 

We inspire, enable, and encourage our employees to be a force for good through giving and volunteerism. All GoDaddy employees are eligible for 20 hours of paid time off annually to volunteer. On a first-come, firstserve basis, each GoDaddy employee can access up to $1,500 annually to match their donations to eligible nonprofit organizations and/or to reward eligible nonprofit organizations $35 per every hour the employee volunteers with the organization. Through this program lead by the Corporate Sustainability and ESG team, employees reported over 4,600 volunteer hours in 2023 alone.

4,639: Hours volunteered in 2023.$960,191: Donated through employees, volunteer rewards, corporate funds, and matching donations in 2023.757: Nonprofits donated to in 2023.$114,050: Lent to small businesses by employees and corporate funds through Kiva in 2023.

GoDaddy Employees Volunteering in their Community 

Since 2017, GoDaddy employees volunteered their time to participate in the U.S. Department of State’s TechWomen Program, aiming to empower, connect, and support women leaders in the STEM field. TechWomen provides participants access to networks, resources, and knowledge to empower them to reach their full potential. During the five-week program, emerging women leaders from Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East come together with GoDaddy employees at our U.S. offices for a projectbased mentorship and exchange program.

Fostering Inclusive Entrepreneurship Through GoDaddy Employees and Kiva

 Since 2015, GoDaddy has partnered with Kiva, an international nonprofit with a mission to expand financial access to help underserved communities thrive through crowdfunding loans. This partnership reflects our drive to make entrepreneurship more inclusive for all. In 2023, employees supported this mission by having the opportunity to choose which eco-friendly entrepreneurs received GoDaddy funds in celebration of Earth Day and by supporting the entrepreneurs of their choosing during U.S. Small Business Month. Additionally, GoDaddy publicly matched loans up to four times the giving amount, supporting select U.S. communities where Empower by GoDaddy has had programming. With employee help, in 2023, GoDaddy disbursed $114,050 across 640 loans to small business owners.

Ambitions for 2024 

We’ve come a long way in building an inclusive and equitable employee experience in the past decade, and we are incredibly proud of our achievements. We know, however, there isn’t a finish line and we’re committed to improving our performance on our ongoing journey. The more our people are empowered here at GoDaddy, the more we can empower entrepreneurs around the world to pursue and achieve their dreams.

To learn more, read our 2023 Sustainability Report.

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About this Report 

The GoDaddy 2023 Sustainability Report details our progress toward our corporate sustainability goals, strategies, and initiatives in support of our overarching corporate mission and values. Unless otherwise noted, this report reflects our corporate sustainability performance across our global operations covering the fiscal year period from January 1 to December 31, 2023. To demonstrate our commitment to transparent communication regarding our sustainability progress, we routinely share updates through our website and our annual Sustainability Report. We welcome your questions, comments, and feedback on this report by contacting ESG@GoDaddy.com.

This report references the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards and includes select Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) metrics for the Internet Media and Services sector. We also disclose our contributions and progress toward priority UN SDGs. For additional information on how we align with these frameworks and key indicators demonstrating our sustainability performance, please review the Frameworks and Metrics section.

Our 2024 interns are joining multiple Northern Trust offices across North America including Chicago, Naperville, Boston, LA, Dallas, Miami, Coral Gables, Jersey City, New York, Tempe, and Phoenix.

Based on the energy and enthusiasm they brought to their first day with us, we can’t wait to see the impact they all make across our business over the coming months.

During their orientation, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mike O’Grady joined them and had these words of advice for them: “Step up, have confidence and embrace the richness of experiences you can have.”

Want to learn more about how we enable students & graduates to Learn then Lead? Find out more here.

BY KEVIN E. HOOKS

Originally published by Rolling Out

The Northwestern Mutual Hometown HBCU Connection is an impactful initiative that Crosby champions. This program aims to provide Milwaukee students with scholarships and robust support to attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). “We want to make sure that we provide some examples of excellence,” Crosby explained, highlighting the program’s goal to inspire and prepare the next generation of leaders.

Continue reading here

AEG’s Lee Zeidman, President of Crypto.com Arena, Peacock Theater and L.A. LIVE, received the Environmental Leadership Award from the Green Sports Alliance during the 14th annual Green Sports Alliance Summit on Monday, June 12, 2024.

The ceremony was hosted by award-winning sportscaster Sarah Spain and recognized individuals or organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary leadership towards sustainability, environmental stewardship, and community engagement. Former recipients of the award include renowned athlete Billie Jean King; Christina Lurie, Owner of Eagles; Gary Bettman, NHL Commissioner; and Bud Selig, former MLB Commissioner.

“I am deeply honored to receive the Environmental Leadership Award from the Green Sports Alliance,” said Lee Zeidman, President of Crypto.com Arena, Peacock Theater, and L.A. LIVE. “This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team, who strive every day to make our venues at L.A. LIVE a model for environmental stewardship in sports and live events. We are committed to continuing our efforts to create a greener, more sustainable future for our community and our world.”

Under Zeidman’s helm, Crypto.com Arena and the venues at L.A. LIVE have implemented several sustainability initiatives that have led the sports and live entertainment industry. In addition to achieving the International WELL Building Institute’s WELL Health-Safety Rating and being certified by the Global Biorisk Advisory Council for their Star Facility Accreditation, Crypto.com Arena was one of the first venues to install rooftop solar panels, Bloom Energy fuel cells, and LED sports lighting. During the Green Sports Alliance Summit, the arena and Peacock Theater announced that they will be implementing a full-time reusable r.Cup program throughout both venues in collaboration with r.World.

The 2024 Green Sports Alliance Summit: Faster, Further, Together, took place on June 11, 12 and 13 in Los Angeles, CA. The event brought together international partners, industry leaders, sustainability experts, athletes and entertainers, and organizations committed to advancing environmental and social responsibility in the sports and entertainment industries. To learn more about the event, click here.

June 17, 2024 /3BL/ – Upstate New York’s snowy winters don’t get to Dason Motayne, but the sweltering summers, which outcompete his mid-century apartment’s air conditioning, do.

“I think [my AC] is about to die,” he said. “It’s an old building, so it’s hard to regulate it in the summertime.”

That old building — the 418 Fabius senior public housing complex in Syracuse, New York — is far from unique. It was built in the 1950s, a time when the U.S. government authorized a huge influx of some 135,000 units of public housing per year. In 2018, inspectors found more than one in four public housing units were in a state of disrepair (PDF). Whether due to poor insulation or little to no air conditioning, these public housing buildings struggle with cooling, which means that the disproportionately older and chronically ill residents are more vulnerable to poor indoor air quality and worsening heat waves.

Unfortunately, these types of public housing buildings have seen fewer investments or innovations that could make them more comfortable — and more environmentally sustainable, said Bill Simmons, executive director of Syracuse Housing Authority, which owns 418 Fabius.

“Who’s there to speak for the little guy to say, ‘Let’s try it here in public housing,’ where we could benefit and our resources are very, very scarce?” Simmons said.

Enter David Goldstein. Together with Lisa Hart, a public health analyst and grants manager at Syracuse Housing Authority, Goldstein is hoping to use public housing as a place to demonstrate a new innovation that could enhance aging buildings around the globe.

“Heating and cooling are major factors deciding quality of life around the world,” Hart said. “It’s the marginalized, the lowest income population who’d be able to benefit first from this project.”

How can occupied buildings be retrofitted for a net-zero future?

In Queens, 250 miles from Syracuse, Goldstein looks out the window of his home office and sees our heating-cooling problem — and a potential solution.

“I have a nice view of Manhattan, and even in just New York City, there are literally hundreds of thousands of buildings that need to be retrofitted if we want to be net-zero by 2050,” he said. “We’re just not going to do open-heart surgery on all these buildings.”

In 2020, Goldstein, an experienced mechanical engineer, was pondering this view when it dawned on him: “Why not wrap buildings in a heated blanket?”

Goldstein invented prefabricated, modular panels with heating, cooling, and ventilation that are installed onto a building’s façade. They can work with a variety of energy-efficient HVAC systems, including heat pumps. With these panels, a retrofit — rather than a costly rebuild — can bolster insulation, replace leaky windows, and filter indoor air of mold, smoke, and other pollutants.

These first-of-their-kind panels may work especially well for large-scale housing projects where people already live. By installing the panels from the exterior, residents may be minimally disrupted.

Goldstein founded Hydronic Shell Technologies to test his idea on real buildings. Its potential is huge. Modernizing older, inefficient buildings helps to improve unhealthy indoor air quality, reduce energy use, and save residents money. It could also help to save lives and improve residents’ quality of life.

“I couldn’t just turn my back on these people that need help,” he said. “I really think I can help them.”

Funding and partnerships can make scalable decarbonization a reality

Goldstein needed help to get his system out into the real world. He turned to the Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge, a $20 million competition from the Wells Fargo Foundation and Enterprise Community Partners to scale innovative housing solutions. One of six winners in 2023, the startup received a $3 million grant, paving a way for Goldstein to develop a prototype.

Once the prototype passes a series of tests, the technology will be installed for the first time on a wing of 418 Fabius in Syracuse. The project is expected to begin in late 2025.

Among the project partners is BlocPower, another startup that received support from Wells Fargo to help more communities access the benefits of clean energy technologies. The Brooklyn, New York-based company participated in the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) program and is now overseeing community engagement and construction management for Hydronic Shell’s efforts in Syracuse.

“Support that’s coming from Wells Fargo is really helping to fund that [cleantech] ecosystem,” Goldstein said. “As an industry, we can develop those innovative, those outside the box, solutions that we need in order to solve these huge challenges.”

Dom Lempereur, chief engineer at BlocPower, says if the Syracuse project is successful, the company could plug Goldstein’s technology into affordable housing retrofits nationwide.

“From a construction perspective, it’s brilliant,” he said. “If we can demonstrate this [in Syracuse], we’ll be extremely interested to have this as part of our offering.”

What will success look like? Goldstein will be measuring energy use, indoor air quality, and heating and cooling after the retrofit. But one of the most important markers will be if residents love it.

“What I hope will happen is that people in other buildings start demanding it,” he said.

If they do, it could be the first step into making Syracuse, and then the country, more sustainable.

“This could be so much bigger than this one building,” Hart said. “This invention could really be a worldwide phenomenon. Everywhere in the world needs to decarbonize.”

KPMG professionals from the Financial Services Forensic Team at KPMG in the UK explore Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index, a global ranking which scores 180 countries and territories according to their perceived levels of corruption in the public sector.

Click Here to Listen to Episode 25 of ESG Voices

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 
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“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.”

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