Tag: 3BL

Originally published on Climate Central

A new report from Nielsen and Climate Central explores how and when local television news discussed climate change when covering recent extreme weather events. This report yields insight into whether and how local television broadcasts in the U.S. connect the dots between climate change and extreme weather events as they occur. The results indicate that such coverage: reaches large and widespread public audiences; is most prevalent for heat-related extreme events; highlights specific hazardous impacts from climate-linked events; and rapidly incorporates the findings from event-specific attribution analysis to better inform audiences.

In a warming world with extreme weather events rising in frequency and/or intensity, local media has increasingly critical roles in both preparing audiences for near-term hazards and informing audiences about how our warming climate is driving long-term changes in extreme events.

This collaborative report by Nielsen and Climate Central quantifies the frequency and audience reach of local television news segments that provided climate change context in their coverage of four notable extreme weather events in the United States. Nielsen provided audience and closed captioning data and insights about local news audiences. Climate Central’s expertise in climate science and communication were applied in data analysis, interpretation, report drafting, and data visualization.

KEY CONCEPTS

Most adults in the U.S. (72%) are convinced that global warming is happening, yet only 58% understand that human activities are the main cause.Local news is uniquely positioned to fill these knowledge gaps and inform the public on the causes and consequences of climate change — especially during extreme weather events.A new report from Nielsen and Climate Central analyzed four recent extreme weather events in the U.S. to understand when and how local television news coverage discussed climate change.Audiences surged during these events. Related coverage that discussed climate change reached over 17 million people across the 50 largest U.S. media markets.Attribution science was also reflected in television coverage, informing local audiences about the influence of human-caused climate change on extreme weather events as they unfold.A roundup of science-based reporting resources can help bring climate change context into a range of stories.

KEY FINDINGS

According to research published by the American Meteorological Society, local weather broadcasting is extremely effective in raising awareness about climate change Feygina et al., 2020. This report analyzed local television news coverage of four recent extreme weather events that had notable impacts in the U.S. to understand when and how event-related coverage discussed climate change. The five key findings are:

When television segments with climate change context occur, they have high reach and impact. Although just 5% of event-related segments provided climate change context those segments collectively reached more than 17 million people across the 50 largest U.S. media markets. Even when they occur at relatively low frequency, television segments that provide climate change context during extreme weather events have a large and widespread impact.Audiences surged during extreme weather events. Local television news audiences grew dramatically in the most directly impacted media markets as extreme events unfolded, likely due to the breaking news nature of these events and the immediate threats they posed to public safety. Most notably, local television audiences doubled in Orlando (Hurricane Ian) and increased 78% in Los Angeles (Tropical Storm Hilary) compared to the week prior to each event. As extreme events occur, the public turns to local television broadcasts to stay prepared and informed.Extreme heat was connected to climate change most often, reflecting the state of the science. The extreme July 2023 heat streak in Phoenix accounted for almost half (48%) of all climate-contextualized segments across all four events. Significantly higher rates of climate contextualization during extreme heat events are notable because they broadly reflect the state of the science. Scientific confidence in the attribution of extreme heat to human-induced climate change is considerably higher than for any other type of extreme weather event.Climate-contextualized segments highlight hazardous impacts. An analysis of closed captioning text from contextualized segments found communicating the hazardous impacts extreme weather has on local communities was key. While all segments mentioned at least one event-related impact, nearly all (96%) climate-contextualized segments mentioned at least one major impact that fell into one of five categories: health and safety, vulnerable communities, power supply and demand, the economy, and travel disruption. The most frequently mentioned impacts were related to health and safety—consistent with the acute risks faced during extreme weather events. Contextualized segments on Canadian wildfires in June 2023 had the highest rate of health and safety mentions, reflecting the serious and widespread health risks from exposure to wildfire smoke.Local news is a critical lever for raising science-based awareness about climate change. Local newscasters, particularly broadcast meteorologists, have daily contact with the American public. They can inform audiences about how specific weather events are connected to rising temperatures and climate change. As extreme weather increases with climate change, viewers overwhelmingly turn to local news for answers. For example, during Hurricane Ian, local news streaming apps in Orlando saw increases of over 244% for persons aged 2 and up and 395% for persons aged 25-54. Local broadcasters play a crucial role in keeping the public safe and empowering people to make informed decisions.

Read the report here and find Climate Central Climate Reporting resources here.

FARMINGTON, Conn., April 22, 2024 /3BL/ – Otis (NYSE: OTIS), the world’s leading elevator and escalator manufacturing, installation and service company, announced that the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has approved its near-term science-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets.

Otis’ SBTi-approved targets are:

Reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 55% by 2033 from a 2021 base year.[1]Reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services, business travel, and use of sold products 33% within the same timeframe.

These targets demonstrate the company’s commitment to meeting the objective of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

“We are responsible for delivering sustainable value for all stakeholders. At Otis, ESG is firmly embedded in our business strategy and culture. We see it as a critical investment in our future, driving innovation and making our business stronger and more resilient,” said Otis Chair, CEO and President Judy Marks. “This approval from SBTi is an important milestone in our sustainability journey.”

To learn more about the company’s commitment to sustainability, visit ESG at Otis.

SBTi is a partnership between Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). The SBTi call to action is one of the We Mean Business Coalition commitments. It defines and promotes best practices in science-based target setting, offers resources and guidance to reduce barriers to adoption, and independently assesses and approves companies’ targets.

[1] The target boundary includes biogenic land-related emissions and removals from bioenergy feedstocks.

About Otis

Otis gives people freedom to connect and thrive in a taller, faster, smarter world. The global leader in the manufacture, installation and servicing of elevators and escalators, we move 2.3 billion people a day and maintain approximately 2.3 million customer units worldwide – the industry’s largest Service portfolio. You’ll find us in the world’s most iconic structures, as well as residential and commercial buildings, transportation hubs and everywhere people are on the move. Headquartered in Connecticut, USA, Otis is 71,000 people strong, including 42,000 field professionals, all committed to meeting the diverse needs of our customers and passengers in more than 200 countries and territories. To learn more, visit www.otis.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook @OtisElevatorCo.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements (including statements that constitute forward-looking statements under the securities laws), including, but not limited to, statements that relate to our intent to achieve certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) commitments, plans, targets, goals and future risks associated with climate change and their impact on our future business. These forward-looking statements are intended to provide management’s current expectations or plans for our future performance, based on assumptions currently believed to be valid. The forward-looking statements are subject to future events, risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the company, that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical results or current expectations, including, but not limited to the availability and cost of low- or non-carbon-based energy sources and technologies; third-party coordination and alignment over which we do not have control and may be unpredictable; evolving regulatory requirements affecting ESG standards or disclosures; the availability of suppliers that can meet our sustainability, diversity and other standards; severe weather events, including from the effects of climate change; changes in the economic and political conditions in the industry and markets in which we operate; and other risks and uncertainties described in detail in the company’s most recent Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and in similar sections of other filings made by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. The forward-looking statements speak only as of this date. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

Tackling macro technology challenges often entails devising micro solutions that scale. At AMD, we have embraced this approach for 55 years as we design high performance and adaptive computing solutions. In my role to advance sustainability at AMD, I have seen incredible innovations where AMDers think small to think big and in doing so, create major co-benefits for technology users and the planet.

A powerful example is AMD developing “chiplets” – a revolutionary semiconductor design approach that embraces modular architecture. The innovation addresses several technology and sustainability challenges simultaneously such as cutting manufacturing environmental impacts and costs while increasing compute performance and energy efficiency. Instead of one large monolithic chip, AMD engineers reconfigured the component IP building blocks using a flexible, scalable connectivity we designed known as Infinity Fabric. This laid the foundation for our Infinity Architecture configuring multiple individual chiplets to scale compute cores in countless designs that further optimize energy efficiency.

AMD recently measured the sustainability benefits of chiplets in the wafer manufacturing process for one product line, and the results are compelling. Producing 4th Gen EPYC CPUs with 8 separate compute chiplets instead of one monolithic die saved ~50K metric tons of CO2e in 2023 through avoidance of wafers manufactured, approximately the same as the annual operational CO2e footprint of AMD in 2022.i 

Modular designs inherently provide sustainability benefits by leveraging interchangeable component configurations to provide flexibility in product offerings while cutting manufacturing cost and waste. For example, modular home construction is estimated to reduce waste by over 80% and cut costs nearly in half compared to a traditional new construction home.ii

In the case of the AMD modular chiplet approach, the waste reduced is the percentage of silicon wafers with defects. The silicon wafers are circular (300 mm diameter), and the individual chips are squares/rectangles. Each wafer is cut to yield a certain number of chips, and not all of them are perfect. The smaller the area of the chip, the more chips we can get per wafer and the lower the probability that a defect will land on any one chip. As a result, the number and yield percentage of “good” chips per wafer goes up, and the wasted cost, raw materials, energy, emissions and water goes down.

Like any disruptive design approach, AMD chiplet technology encountered initial skepticism – both internally among AMD engineers and externally from the competition, as AMD CTO Mark Papermaster and Sam Naffziger, senior vice president and AMD Corporate Fellow, discussed in this AMD Advanced Insights podcast. But by diligently following the data and devising key solutions, like a lightweight and high-speed communication fabric, the compelling benefits in performance capability, configuration flexibility and energy efficiency prevailed. Today, much of the industry is trying to replicate the chiplet approach.

Chiplets not only avoid waste and conserve resources in manufacturing, but also in the data centers powering the digital services and experiences we use daily. Each chiplet houses multiple processor cores, and different chiplets can be added and even stacked in a package to create higher-performance and more energy efficient processors. Today, AMD EPYC processors power the most energy efficient x86 servers on the market.iii Using the most energy efficient servers means far fewer physical servers are needed to meet computing demands, which has a cascading effect of avoided environmental impacts – less raw materials, manufacturing, shipping, energy use and data center space. This is critical for companies needing to modernize data center infrastructure and increase compute capabilities while also aggressively pursuing sustainability goals. A case in point is Europe’s largest semiconductor company, STMicroelectronics. By upgrading their server processors to AMD EPYC, they slashed electricity consumption by 33% as part of their strategy to reach carbon neutrality by 2027, all while increasing compute performance.iv

When sustainability is built into design, it can avoid the need to manage waste on the back end. Our chiplet design approach is not only reducing the energy consumption and carbon emissions from end devices like servers and data centers, but also reducing waste and avoiding emissions in the supply chain.

To learn more about environmental sustainability at AMD, visit: https://www.amd.com/en/corporate/corporate-responsibility/environmental-sustainability.html

Footnotes

[i]AMD estimation based on defect density (defects per unit area on the wafer), chip area and n-factor (manufacturing complexity factor) to estimate number of avoided wafers in one year. Yield = (1 + A*D0)^(-n) where A is the chip area, D0 is the defect density and n is the complexity factor. The Area is known from our design. D0 is known based our manufacturing yield data and n is a number provided by a foundry partner for a given technology. The calculations are not meant to be precise since chip design can have a large influence on yield, but it estimates the area impact on yield. The carbon emission estimates of 49,934 mtCO2e were calculated by entering in the estimated number of 5 nm wafers saved in one year based on the TechInsights’ Semiconductor Manufacturing Carbon Model. Comparison to AMD corporate footprint is based on AMD reported scope 1 and 2 market-based GHG emissions in 2022, 50,198 mtCO2e.

[ii]https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/11/12/622

[iii]EPYC-028C: SPECpower_ssj® 2008, SPECrate®2017_int_energy_base, and SPECrate®2017_fp_energy_base based on results published on SPEC’s website as of 11/10/22. VMmark® server power-performance / server and storage power-performance (PPKW) based results published at https://www.vmware.com/products/vmmark/results3x.1.html?sort=score. The first 80 ranked SPECpower_ssj®2008 publications with the highest overall efficiency overall ssj_ops/W results were all powered by AMD EPYC processors. For SPECrate®2017 Integer (Energy Base), AMD EPYC CPUs power the first 11 top SPECrate®2017_int_energy_base performance/system W scores. For SPECrate®2017 Floating Point (Energy Base), AMD EPYC CPUs power the first 12 SPECrate®2017_fp_energy_base performance/system W scores. For VMmark® server power-performance (PPKW), have the top four results for 2- and 4-socket matched pair results outperforming all other socket results and for VMmark® server and storage power-performance (PPKW), have the top overall score. See https://www.amd.com/en/claims/epyc4#faq-EPYC-028C for the full list. More information about SPEC® is available at http://www.spec.org. SPEC, SPECrate, and SPECpower are registered trademarks of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation. VMmark is a registered trademark of VMware in the US or other countries.

[iv]https://www.amd.com/en/resources/case-studies/stmicroelectronics.html

By Mary Jacques, Executive Director, Global ESG & Regulatory Compliance, Lenovo

In my time at Lenovo, I’ve watched Earth Day develop from a single day of celebration and awareness in the U.S. – mostly around recycling – to a global event that doesn’t just celebrate awareness in the moment but fosters transparency and collaboration around our common goals all year. I’m proud to see this evolution and to lead the growth of Lenovo’s sustainability programs alongside it. Today, our global technology powerhouse is driving progress for our customers and communities around the world. From our services and solutions to our servers, PCs, smartphones, and monitors, Lenovo is striving to not just meet our own sustainability goals but help our customers on their sustainability journeys as well.

We’re developing solutions and services that support our customers’ sustainability goals. The rapid adoption of AI across sectors is generating a lot of questions for sustainability managers. We know that AI is an important part of our future and an emerging tool that can help us measure sustainability impacts to make more data informed decisions. Today, our Services and Solutions Group (SSG) announced LISSA, a Gen-AI powered Intelligent Sustainability Solutions Advisor that empowers our customers with the data they need to better understand the carbon footprint of their IT purchasing decisions. LISSA is just one of the latest innovations from a suite of options offered by our Sustainability Services Team. Today, they offer ways for customers to manage, measure and reduce the carbon footprints of their IT solutions from the point of purchase and shipment, all the way to the end of a device’s lifecycle.

Just like our services and solutions business, the developers of our servers and devices are constantly examining details and opportunities to increase sustainability. We are immensely proud of the team’s efforts and achievement in plastic-free packaging, repairability, and innovative materials in our PCs, and we know that Lenovo’s Neptune Liquid Cooling technology is the answer for customers who want increased energy efficiency and computing power. Our teams continue to find ways to contribute to the circular economy and make our products more energy efficient. Lenovo has included post-consumer recycled content in our products for well over a decade and continues to push the boundaries of taking a holistic approach to including recycled content in as many applications and products a possible – not just a select few. As part of our journey to net-zero, our business leaders are innovating to improve the carbon impact of our products, aiming to improve energy efficiency of our servers and desktop PCs by 50% (base year 2018/19) and energy efficiency of our laptops and Motorola smartphones by 30% (base year 2020/21).

At Lenovo we know that our journey to net-zero will require the support of our entire enterprise. With this momentum, we’re proud to be on-track in our 2030 emissions reduction goals, the first milestone in our journey to net-zero aligned to Science Based Targets initiative’s Net-Zero Standard. The Net-Zero Standard is the first of its kind standard for companies working toward net-zero, and Lenovo is proud to be in the first group of companies to have its 2050 net-zero targets validated by Science Based Targets initiative. As part of this commitment, we will transparently report on our CO2 emissions each year in our ESG Report – an effort we have made since 2008. We are constantly working to understand and measure our emissions in order to make more data informed decision, and we’re extremely proud of a recent initiative in our manufacturing operations– Lenovo ESG Navigator. The system measured ESG-related data from our factories to empower decision-makers with near real time understandings of our environmental impact. Our understandings can help Lenovo make better decisions but can also help us share best practices across the manufacturing industry to increase sustainability, just like low-temperature soldering, an innovation in our manufacturing process that has been helping us reduce emissions in manufacturing since 2017.

We understand that collaboration is critical to a more sustainable future. While sustainability can provide a competitive advantage, we know it will take collaboration to achieve a more sustainable future. Our transparent reporting, commitment to credible standards and taking a science-based approach, and willingness to share our breakthroughs across the industry demonstrate this value. Additionally, the Lenovo 360 Circle community that serves the IT channel has taken our commitment to collaboration to another level. Led by our international sales team, Lenovo 360 Circle gathers our channel partners, subject matter experts, and thought leaders across ESG to provide resources needed to achieve and expand our collective sustainability initiatives. Additionally, programs like our Work For Humankind that use Lenovo’s smarter technology across our pocket-to-cloud portfolio to support communities are also moving the needle in the right direction. Finally, being truly collaborative means meeting stakeholders wherever they’re at in their sustainability journey and making progress together. We’re proud of our partnership with Formula 1® and the smarter future our partnership is driving toward for motorsports.

On Earth Day 2024, a traditional theme like recycling is still a wonderful way to celebrate our love for the planet and efforts to keep it as our home. However, at Lenovo, I’m proud that Earth Day has become a time to look inward, hold ourselves accountable, and continue to challenge ourselves to make progress toward our goals. You can read more about Lenovo Environmental, Social and Governance goals and programs in our Annual ESG Report.

April 22, 2024 /3BL/ – The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) is thrilled to welcome Olympus, a leading manufacturer of optical and digital precision technology, as a new member. Olympus provides versatile medical devices including endoscopes, endotherapy, and surgical devices as well as products and solutions for lung, colorectal, and stomach cancer.

“Olympus has an established history of bringing innovation to the healthcare industry and has been a pioneer in MedTech products and services,” said Peylina Chu, Executive Director of HPRC. “We look forward to them bringing that innovative spirit to HPRC as they support our work to overcome barriers and identify solutions for healthcare plastic recycling.”

Olympus prioritizes patient safety and sustainability, innovation for growth, and productivity – these priorities drive their purpose of making people’s lives healthier, safer and more fulfilling. They understand the importance of tackling challenges related to climate change, human rights, and ESG head-on so that we can reach our collective goal of a sustainable society.

“As a leader in the area of MedTech, Olympus aims to demonstrate our commitment to sustainability and, in particular, the recycling of healthcare plastics,” shared Mr. Yuichi Morizane, VP of R&D ESG Global at Olympus. “By collaborating with other HPRC members, we can synergize our efforts towards common goals, leverage our unique insights and strengths, and learn from our collective experiences to accelerate our movement forward, together.”

HPRC is currently engaged in multiple initiatives aimed at enabling the recycling and circularity of healthcare plastics, including research into advanced recycling technologies to recycle mixed-stream healthcare plastics and a study of reverse logistics processes for collecting, sorting, and preparing healthcare plastic waste for transport.

 

About HPRC

HPRC is a private technical coalition of industry peers across healthcare, recycling, and waste management industries seeking to improve the recyclability of plastic products within healthcare. Made up of brand-leading and globally recognized members, HPRC explores ways to enhance the economics, efficiency, and ultimately the quality and quantity of healthcare plastics collected for recycling in support of a circular plastics economy. HPRC is active across the United States and Europe working with key stakeholders, identifying opportunities for collaboration, and participating in industry events and forums. For more information, visit www.hprc.org and follow HPRC on LinkedIn.

 

About Olympus

At Olympus, we are committed to Our Purpose of making people’s lives healthier, safer and more fulfilling. As a global medical technology company, we partner with healthcare professionals to provide best-in-class solutions and services for early detection, diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment, aiming to improve patient outcomes by elevating the standard of care in targeted disease states. For more than 100 years, Olympus has pursued a goal of contributing to society by producing products designed with the purpose of delivering optimal outcomes for its customers around the world. For more information, visit https://www.olympus-global.com/ and follow our global X account: @Olympus_Corp.

No matter the size or scope of a company’s operations, we all use natural resources every day at work and at home. Whether it is electricity used for lighting up the workplace or powering equipment, water used in bottling plants on a production line or as cooling water in data centers, or materials used in manufacturing, food production, or the office space that leave behind waste, natural resources play a critical role in our day-to-day work.

As we celebrate Earth Day 2024, we want to take the time to acknowledge the importance and role of our world’s natural resources and how we can better manage and conserve them. We all have a role to play in natural resource management, and in this blog we will discuss the importance of conservation and what your company can do to promote awareness and better manage natural resources.

The State of Earth’s Natural Resources

Earth’s natural resources, including minerals, water, fuels, soils, plants, and animals, are finite, even those that are labeled as renewable. At our current consumption and waste generation rates, it is estimated that we would need approximately 1.82 planet Earths to meet our demand for resources and absorb the waste that we generate. From 1970 to 2000, we have consumed over a third of the Earth’s natural resources in just thirty years according to a study from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). There are currently significant resource scarcity challenges that may have global implications in the future with minerals, ores, fossil fuels, and biomass consumption tripling between 2013 and 2050. The Earth is unable to sustain our current consumption, and therefore conservation and circularity practices are essential to ensure that our natural resources are not depleted over the next century and can continue to sustain us as the earth has for millennia.

The Importance of Conservation

Why should businesses of all types care about conservation? The overconsumption of Earth’s resources poses several risks throughout various industries and business segments. A lack of material resources or ecosystem services in the future such as water or materials provided by plants, animals, and ores will cause business to cease production and or operations. Conservation should be a key concern to all for long-term business continuity.

In addition to sustaining resources for future use, implementing conservation and efficiency practices in our homes and in the workplace often reduces utility and operating costs through reduced spending on resources such as energy and water usage, less materials purchased, and waste generated. Unlike the projected effects of climate change, where we won’t see catastrophic impacts for decades, the water cycle and our available water resource have already been impacted by worsening droughts and outcomes of poor water resource management in prior decades. There are impacts affecting certain industries now, and expected to get worse in the next 5-7 years (within the  business planning horizons for most companies).

We also have historic examples of how material shortages have reshaped whole industries in the past  including aluminum shortage in World War I changing  the aircraft industry, rubber shortage in World War II spurring innovation in automotive industry, ivory and whalebone shortages changing a slew of material and textiles industries.

Resource Management and Reduction

You and your company can aid in resource conservation through the development of a resource management plan. The first step is to gather data and track your energy, water, materials, and waste streams. This requires installing proper metering to effectively track energy and water as well as a defined process for documenting all materials used and waste generated. Tracking this data will help you develop key performance indicators that can be used to set resource reduction goals. The next step is to implement resource reduction practices.

Below is a list of a few (of many) general best practices that can help your facility reduce its resource consumption, increase its efficiency, and save money.

Energy

Energy is a necessity to any business operation, especially as we increasingly rely on our digital infrastructure for everything from making coffee to taking phone calls.

Install energy management and control systems in commercial and industrial facilities;Perform regular maintenance on equipment such as HVAC and boilers and create a maintenance plan;Check steam traps to ensure they are functioning properly;Only use compressed air where and when it is absolutely needed;Check for compressed air leaks;Fit motors with variable frequency drives (VFD);Maximize your boiler condensate return;Properly insulate all pipes transporting hot/cold air or water;Convert light fixtures and bulbs to LEDs;Participate in energy efficiency and conservation programs offered by utilities; andReplace old equipment with new energy efficient models.

Water

Water is a key ingredient to our day-to-day life. Most businesses cannot stay open without a water supply, whether water is only used for sanitary needs, or is a primary ingredient in production.

Perform regular maintenance on water systems and create a maintenance plan;Check for leaks in pipes and fixtures and implement a leak detection system;Install water meters to capture all uses of water;Install high-efficiency water fixtures (sinks, toilets, showers, etc.);Utilize drip irrigation systems and moisture sensors;Install rainwater harvesting systems;Reclaim and recycle treated wastewater for non-potable uses (e.g., irrigation, graywater, non-contact cooling, etc.);Close water loops to reduce/remove single time use; andReplace old equipment with new water efficient models.

Waste and Materials

Conserving materials is key to cost savings and minimizing waste, but did you know waste is also a resource?

Eliminate or reduce the amount of byproduct that is being generated through changes in processes;Reuse materials on-site (polyol, pallets);Reuse materials externally (scrap leather);Recycle materials on-site (solvent distillation);Recycle materials off-site (metal, oil, electronics);Compost (on or off-site);Recover energy from materials/waste (incineration plants with energy recovery);Incinerate/treat wastes to destroy, detoxify, and/or neutralize wastes into less harmful substances (without energy recovery); andSecure land disposal should be used only as a last option. If this method is used, it should be ensured that wastes deposited on land use volume reduction, encapsulation, leachate containment, and monitoring and controlled air and surface/subsurface waste releases.

Supply Chain Awareness

There is only so much that one facility can do to reduce resource consumption, which makes collective action a critical component of resource management to improve resiliency for all. Each company’s supply chain and resource providers play a large role in resource management and conservation. Contact your suppliers and utility providers to determine how they can help you meet your resource reduction goals. For example, request they work on reducing the amount of single use packaging associated with their materials. Some suppliers may also be able to accept packaging materials back for reuse, such as pallets.

Earth Day, Every Day

Earth Day reminds us that we depend on the resources and natural processes our planet provides for us. While natural resource conservation is a major challenge that threatens our future, we have the chance and obligation to take collective action and step up as stewards for the Earth, its resources, and all life that depends on them. Your and your business’s actions and choices can have a measurable and significant impact, and it is important to take action now to secure our future.

Antea Group and our Facility Optimization and Waste and Materials Management services can help your company get started on developing a resource management plan for your facilities, or we can help to reduce your energy, waste, and water consumption through energy audits, waste minimization plans, and water efficiency assessments. Reach out to our Antea Group experts today!

PLANO, Texas, April 22, 2024 /3BL/ – Pizza Hut has a long history of adding craveable goodness to its food, and that includes one of its most important ingredients – its cheese. To invest in making its cheese more sustainable, the brand partnered with Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a farmer-owned cooperative owned by more than 10,000 farm families, to provide select farmers in the U.S. with technology and data to help reduce on-farm greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The collaboration is producing positive results among participating farmers including a 10% decrease in GHG emissions intensity from the milk used in the production of Pizza Hut cheese.

“At Pizza Hut, we’ve always been focused on bringing the best pizza possible to our customers, starting with key ingredients like our cheese,” said Rachel Antalek, Pizza Hut Global Chief Food Innovation Officer. “In partnership with DFA, we’re further investing in making our cheese more sustainable and are very excited to see positive results in reducing our emissions at the farm level, by putting more good into our pizza.”

When the partnership began in 2022, Pizza Hut set a goal to source 50% of the dairy used to make its pizza cheese in the U.S. from dairy farms participating in a sustainability project, including enrollment in the Farmers Assuring Responsible Management Environmental Stewardship (FARM ES) program by 2025. The brand met this goal two years early in 2023, achieving 60% of its sourced milk from farms participating in the FARM ES program. That equates to over 2.35 billion pounds of milk from approximately 140,000 milking cows.

“DFA farmer-owners have always been focused on taking care of their animals and the land they farm. Companies like Pizza Hut are helping DFA bring more technologies to more farms, which helps to further reduce emissions,” said Jackie Klippenstein, Senior Vice President and Chief Government and Industry Relations Officer at DFA. “By working together with partners like Pizza Hut, our farmer-owners can continue to build on the good work they have been doing in new ways.”

Technology and data play a key role in the program. To determine the dry matter components of a cow’s diet – or what is left of cow feed after all the water is evaporated – farmers receive a SCiO cup. This cup moves testing out of the lab and directly onto the farm, which can help farmers more easily manage feed ingredients and optimize the cow’s diets. Using the information collected by the SCiO cup allows farmers to better deliver precise nutrition to their cows, which leads to a reduction in methane emissions and waste.

As work in the U.S. continues, the brand is applying its learnings to other markets around the world. This includes identifying and then working closely with sector partners and suppliers who have shared goals around energy reduction and sustainable practices.

“With almost 20,000 restaurants, we’re leveraging our iconic pizza brand and global footprint to scale innovative and sustainable practices across our business to keep amplifying and integrating good,” said James Watts, Pizza Hut Global Chief People & ESG Officer. “We’re very proud of the work happening in our U.S market with DFA and have taken these learnings to new locations and other partners as we deepen our investments in sustainably sourced cheese.”

In New Zealand, Pizza Hut is kicking off a three-year project that will focus on farm efficiency improvements. Similar to the U.S. project, it aims to reduce on-farm GHG emissions by helping dairy farmers identify opportunities for efficiency gains through the adoption and use of farm reporting software. In the United Kingdom, the two-year project aims to reduce methane production in cows by improving the quality of the feed that’s given to the cows used to make the milk in the cheese supplied to Pizza Hut.

All of these projects are part of the broader climate strategy led by Pizza Hut and its parent company Yum! Brands, which includes a commitment to decrease GHG emissions 46% by 2030 with a focus on restaurants and supply chain. The work also supports the brand’s partners in achieving their sustainability goals, like DFA’s commitment to achieve a 30% emissions reduction across its supply chain by 2030.

For more information, visit pizzahut.com and yum.com/citizenship.

Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands Inc (NYSE: YUM), was founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas, by brothers Dan and Frank Carney. Since then, Pizza Hut has earned a reputation as a trailblazer in innovation with the creation of icons like Original® Pan and Original® Stuffed Crust pizzas. In 1994, a Pizza Hut pizza was the very first online food order. Today, Pizza Hut continues leading the way in the digital and technology space with over half of transactions worldwide coming from digital orders. Pizza Hut is committed to providing an easy pizza experience – from order to delivery – and has Hut Rewards®, the Pizza Hut loyalty program that offers points for every dollar spent on food any way you order. A global leader in the pizza category, Pizza Hut operates more than 18,000 restaurants in over 100 countries. Through its enormous presence, Pizza Hut works to unlock opportunity for its team members and communities around the world. For more information, visit www.pizzahut.com. You can remain up to date on what’s happening at Pizza Hut by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and subscribing to our YouTube channel.

Contacts
Chelsea Mack, Pizza Hut Public Relations, 972-338-7844

Eastman

KINGSPORT, Tenn., and ZURICH, Switzerland, April 22, 2024 /3BL/ – Eastman, a global specialty materials company, and Swiss Eyewear Group (SEG), a leading eyewear manufacturer, announce their partnership to celebrate the 10th anniversary of SEG’s INVU eyewear collection. The innovative eyewear collection features Eastman Tritan™ Renew in all the frames. The collection also offers a selection of polarized lenses that will elevate your style and protect your eyes with unparalleled clarity. 

INVU by SEG has established itself as a true industry leader, constantly pushing the boundaries of frame and lens materials while ensuring affordability for global consumers. By partnering with Eastman, SEG is taking a giant leap toward its commitment to offer enhanced sustainability for a premium consumer experience with clear conscience. Eastman and SEG are revolutionizing the world of eyewear fashion, ensuring that looking good and feeling good go hand in hand. 

“We are delighted to work with Eastman to ensure that fast-moving, affordable fashion and environmental responsibility are not mutually exclusive,” said Jerry Dreifuss, CEO of SEG. “With the launch of this new sustainable collection, INVU continues to deliver on its promise to offer cutting-edge eyewear while prioritizing sustainability.” 

SEG chose Tritan Renew as a unique material that combines exceptional, environmentally responsible qualities without imposing manufacturing restrictions. Tritan Renew, which is made with 50% certified recycled content* derived from hard-to-recycle waste, performs like virgin-quality material. 

“It is the first sustainable material that offers state-of-the-art optical properties while allowing freedom in design, lens selection and coloring,” Dreifuss said. 

With this 10th anniversary INVU partnership, Eastman and SEG are on a mission to make a real difference. The companies are passionate about promoting sustainability and driving positive change in the industry. The choice of Tritan Renew reinforces the industry’s recognition of Eastman Renew material solutions as the ideal responsible materials for frames and superior polarized sun lenses with a compelling sustainability story.

“Eastman is glad to collaborate with Swiss Eyewear Group, a global leader in fashion eyewear known for its commitment to innovation and quality,” said Rachel Oakley, eyewear segment leader for Eastman’s plastics division. “We are proud SEG has chosen Tritan Renew as they embark on a more sustainable eyewear journey. By joining our partners utilizing the wide capabilities of molecular recycling technologies, SEG ensures that Tritan Renew remains a reliable and environmentally responsible choice accessible to the greatest number of eyewear consumers.” 

Eastman is set to open the world’s largest material-to-material molecular recycling facility in Kingsport, Tennessee. The facility has the capacity to recycle approximately 110,000 metric tonnes (MT) of plastics annually. The launch of this plant furthers Eastman’s ability to reach its goal of recycling 225,000 MT of plastic waste annually by 2030. 

*Recycled content certified by ISCC using mass balance allocation. 

About INVU and Swiss Eyewear Group

Swiss Eyewear Group was founded in 2013 based on the principle that high quality eyewear should be affordable for everyone. Fancy sunglass brands demand huge royalties to finance their even fancier advertising campaigns. INVU uses a different approach by investing in lens technology and material innovations to ensure that customers can enjoy the latest optical industry advances at a fair price.

Swiss Eyewear Group is the first-ever global Swiss eyewear company with headquarters in Zürich, Switzerland.

INVU Eyewear are distributed in over 90 countries around the globe.

Taco Bell blog

April was officially recognized as National Arab American Heritage Month in 2021, celebrating the heritage of Arab communities and their many contributions to society.

To amplify this historic month, we’ll be spotlighting Arab Americans within Taco Bell and their inspiring career and life journeys.

David S., Market Coach at Taco Bell Corp. started at Taco Bell as a Shift Lead in Alabama almost 30 years ago! Since then, he has worked his way up to his current position of Market Coach, running the Norfolk and D.C. markets.

“One of my favorite memories of working at The Bell was attending an annual operations meeting in the late ‘90s. It took place in Nashville and had over 7,000 attendees including Restaurant General Managers from all over the country. I met so many new people and had lots of fun.”

Before coming to the U.S. and finding Taco Bell, David spent his early years in Jerusalem with his family. At a young age, his brother left the family to attend college in the U.S. A few years later, his sister got married and moved to Alabama. When the time came for David to leave, he followed in his siblings’ footsteps.

”I finished high school and decided to move to the U.S. for college like my older brother. Coming to the States was hard; I applied for my visa nine times before getting accepted.”

After landing in the States, David found it challenging to not only navigate living in a new place, but also attending the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. Within a few months, he decided to move to Alexandria, Virginia, to live with his older brother and complete more courses at Northern Virginia Community College. That’s where he found his future wife!

“After getting married, my wife and I moved to Huntsville, Alabama. At that time, my brother-in-law knew someone who was working at Taco Bell, so he urged me to apply as well. It was tough in the beginning as I was assigned closing shifts with my wife working the morning shifts at her job, so we only saw each other on days off.”

Still residing on the East Coast, you can find David attending events or celebrations to stay connected to the Palestinian community and his Arab roots.

“I travel to Jerusalem one to three times a year to see my parents, brothers and their children who still live there. I also love hanging out with friends and relatives from Jerusalem who reside in my city as we all attend events together. I am very proud of my roots, and one day I hope my kids can carry that torch as well.”

One thing that David notes about the Arab culture is the importance of family.

“Family is important to us, especially respecting our elders and making sure they are taken care as they get older.”

When it comes to getting involved within the Arab community and learning about its rich culture and heritage, it’s all about finding a friend!

“Staying true to our values of hospitality, generosity along with cultural clothing and food are all things you can learn about through an Arab friend. They will be more than willing to show you where we come from by inviting you to events, feeding you traditional dinner and dessert and hosting you with the family.”

If David could share three pieces of advice, especially with those who’ve immigrated from different parts of the world, it would be the following:

Never give up on your culture or change who you are.If someone does not know about you or your culture and history, don’t be afraid to teach them.Stand up for what you believe in.

Originally published on GoDaddy Resource Library

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your career at GoDaddy.

Hello! I am Cole, a Data Engineer at GoDaddy. I live, work, and play in one of the most beautiful areas of Canada; the West Kootenays. While living in a historically rich area, I am grateful to apply my skills to the global workforce of employees that GoDaddy is comprised of. I love challenging my mind as I work, with the aim of delivering efficient and robust layers of data to our customers. Working on AWS with an internal culture of experimentation and exploration, I feel empowered to deliver complex data solutions. One concrete example of this would include migrating cloud compute for data processes to AWS Graviton. These changes frequently lead to a direct reduction in costs and environmental impact.

Can you share more about your involvement with GD Green?

Having been a member of the GD Green Employee Resource Group (ERG) for a few years, I felt that it was my time to contribute back to this initiative; encouraging both my colleagues and the company towards a more environmentally secure future while improving financial margins. I’ve recently become a VP on the GD Green board, generating ideas and roadmaps for how to grow our engagement towards “Green” initiatives within our cohort. We’ve just recently orchestrated monthly meet-ups where members of the ERG are encouraged to share environmentally relevant topics close to their hearts. Together, we can all collaborate on this journey towards more sustainable living.

How does GoDaddy support you to do the things that are important to you?

I love that GoDaddy offers me the balance to contribute fully to my work while having the confidence to donate back to my local community. I deeply value living a quieter balanced life, focused on outdoor recreation, community initiatives and plenty of backyard tinkering. I am on one local board that is spearheading a rural composting program having diverted over thirty tons of waste since 2018!

How will you be celebrating Earth Day 2024?

I am looking forward to this upcoming Earth Day where like every year, I will make an extended effort to go on a long walk in the forest.

Cole lives and works on the traditional unceded territory of the Sinixt Nation.

Are you enjoying this series and want to know more about life at GoDaddy? Check out our GoDaddy Life social pages! Follow us to meet our team, learn more about our culture (Teams, ERGs, Locations), careers, and so much more. You’re more than just your day job, so come propel your career with us.

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