Tag: 3BL

“As goes California, so goes the nation” is a popular refrain, and the domain of environmental policymaking is no exception.

From air pollution control to tailpipe emissions standards for cars, the state of California, which is on track to become the fourth-largest economy worldwide, has consistently led America in environmental matters, with many of its innovative policies being adopted at the federal level. The state’s environmental leadership also extends to climate change mitigation policy. 2013 witnessed the launch of the state’s economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions trading system, the first in the U.S. In 2011, enforcement began of the state’s low-carbon fuel standard, the world’s first.

In October 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom cemented California’s status as a climate leader when he ushered in three landmark pieces of legislation: Senate Bill (SB) 253, the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, SB 261, the Climate-Related Financial Risk Act, and Assembly Bill (AB) 1305, the Voluntary Carbon Market Disclosures Business Regulation Act.

These sweeping laws mirror and go beyond efforts at the federal level. They require the disclosure of climate-related information by most public companies in the U.S. and update the guidance to companies on the claims they can make about the goods and services they sell on the American market. In this article, we’ll summarize each new law as well as outline the likely impact on businesses.

SB 253: Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act

The common phrase in the GHG accounting world “you can’t measure what you can’t track” underlines the fact that decarbonization action starts with GHG emissions accounting. SB 253 requires all businesses with revenues exceeding $1 billion operating in California to annually disclose their Scope 1 and 2 emissions, starting in 2026. It will also require the disclosure of Scope 3 emissions starting in 2027 for the prior fiscal year, in accordance with guidance provided by the GHG Protocol. SB 253’s mandatory Scope 3 disclosure requirement goes beyond the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s proposed climate-related financial disclosure rule, which would potentially require Scope 3 reporting based on materiality or a Scope 3 reduction target. (Read here for a simple breakdown of what Scope 3 GHG emissions are.)

Under SB 253, Scope 1 and 2 emissions will initially be subject to limited assurance from the first year of disclosure in 2026 and reasonable assurance starting in 2030. Scope 3 assurance requirements will be determined by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in 2027. The bill specifically notes that emissions reporting is deliberately structured to minimize the reporting burden on the companies already aligning with other national and international reporting. Overall, companies impacted by the bill should take action now, gather their emissions data, and accelerate their journey towards assurance-ready GHG emissions reporting.

SB 261: Climate-Related Financial Risk Act

The financial impact of climate change is a growing area of concern, and California’s economy is among the hardest hit. Acute and chronic physical climate risks facing California range from heatwaves to persistent drought, and a seemingly never-ending fire season. As the first mandatory climate risk disclosure statute for private companies in the U.S., SB 261 requires businesses with revenues exceeding $500 million to issue a climate-related financial impact report biennially starting in 2026, for the prior fiscal year.

Within the report, businesses will need to disclose identified climate-related risks and opportunities while reporting on climate-related governance, strategy, risk management, metrics and targets that are in line with the TCFD recommendations. The bill also requires disclosure on adopted measures to reduce and adapt to climate-related risks. SB 261 does not go so far as to require climate-related financial impact to be integrated into financial filings, which is a key distinction from other global climate risk reporting frameworks like the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) S2 Climate-Related Disclosures and the SEC’s proposed climate-related financial disclosures rule. The bill supports the interoperability of global climate risk reporting by allowing entities that already report to Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) or align with IFRS to comply.

The influx of TCFD-aligned reports will supply stakeholders and state decision-makers with consistent and comparable climate-risk data points. Investors, lenders, and insurance underwriters aided with this data will be able to more appropriately assess and price climate-related risks and allocate capital more effectively. For the state, this information will allow policymakers to identify the macro trends of sector-wide climate risks within California in order to execute a more proactive, targeted climate strategy going forward.

AB 1305: Voluntary Carbon Market Disclosures Business Regulation Act

For its part, AB 1305 will impose new disclosure requirements on companies – public and private, of all sizes – that make net-zero GHG emissions, GHG emissions neutrality, or similar claims. Due to take effect on January 1, 2024, AB 1305 will mandate that companies operating in California publish and regularly update information to support their climate claim. This information could include an independent third-party entity’s verification of the company’s GHG emissions or information on their science-based target. For claims underpinned, at least in part, by the purchase of carbon offsets, companies will have to provide the following information:

the type(s) of project(s) generating the offsets used to make the regulated claim;basic information about the project(s) from which the offsets derive, such as the carbon offset standard(s) issuing the carbon offsets and the name(s) of the project(s) from which the offsets derive; andthe permanence of the GHG emission reductions or GHG removals represented by the offsets, among other pieces of information.

The requirement to disclose this information should not deter companies from making use of offsets on their climate journey. Recent studies have shown that 78% of customers consider a brand’s social and environmental actions when making a purchase, a trend that continues to grow year after year. But claims made must be accurate and compliant.

South Pole recently announced a new Paris-aligned corporate claim called “Funding Climate Action” that builds on the SBTi’s beyond value chain mitigation (BVCM) guidance. We recommend that companies take immediate action above and beyond their science-based targets to contribute to reaching global net-zero through climate action beyond their value chain. This transparent and robust claim mitigates the risk of greenwashing or greenhushing, in conjunction with the “Funding Climate Action” label. South Pole’s recent “Mastering Climate Claims” report dives deeper into how corporations can better understand the complex climate action claims landscapes.

Getting ahead of regulatory compliance

The urgency of the climate crisis requires transformative action from all actors in society: consumers, governments, and businesses alike. The three pieces of legislation recently enacted mark an important moment for California – and the entire U.S. – by joining the global movement of mandatory climate-related disclosures and taking advanced strides to shift toward a net zero-compatible economy. With so many moving parts, navigating the complex and evolving climate policy and carbon markets landscape can prove challenging. South Pole’s dedicated team of experts can help companies make sense of this landscape as they progress on their decarbonization journey.

Originally published by ACHR News

Christina Spalding

Title: Americas Marketing Manager Automotive Refrigerants and Specialties

Company: Chemours

Educational Experience: B.S. in Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina

Industry Work Experience: I began my working career as an engineer and then operations leader before transitioning into refrigerant sales. My first role in the HVACR industry was in sales for the refrigerants aftermarket distribution network, covering the western half of the U.S. I worked with wholesale distributors, contractors, and end users in both a/c and commercial refrigeration, helping to transition away from ozone-depleting substances. In 2018, I moved into a national accounts role to focus on the transition to lower-GWP refrigerants. After almost 20 years in sales roles, I shifted to marketing in a business development role to focus on commercial refrigeration and retail.

In 2021, I made a bit of a shift within marketing to focus on the automotive a/c market. The great thing about HVACR is that comfort cooling is needed in multiple applications, and I was able to leverage my skills to jump in and learn about the mobile side of our refrigerants business. Today, I am the Americas Marketing Manager for Automotive AC (OEM & Aftermarket), and I support both North and South America as the mobile industry transitions to ultra-low-GWP refrigerants.

What caused you to/when did you enter the HVACR industry?

Prior to my first HVACR sales role, I was an account manager in our specialties segment. I had already established strong skills and experience in sales, and when an opening came up to shift to refrigerant sales, I jumped at it. Entering the HVACR industry has been one of the best decisions that I have made in my career.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of working in HVACR?

Hands down the most rewarding aspect is the people that I have been privileged to work with over the course of my career. In my 30-plus-year career, over 25 of those years have been supporting HVACR. This industry has exceptionally talented, dedicated, and knowledgeable people supporting it. There are many professional accomplishments that I could point to, but in reality, those accomplishments are achieved by working with stakeholders throughout the value chain — internal to Chemours and external as it relates to customers and end users.

Describe the proudest moment in your career.

I think I am most proud of my career arch. When I graduated from college with a degree in chemical engineering, I imagined that I would work at a plant site for most of my career. Stepping out of my comfort zone and moving into customer-facing roles opened a wealth of opportunities and exposure to different career paths. From there, I moved into HVACR and contributed at very high levels in sales, marketing, business development, marketing communications, etc. Having those experiences with a focus on refrigerants, I have been able to partner with industry stakeholders to transition away from ozone-depleting refrigerants and help move the industry to lower and lower-GWP refrigerants. 

Continue reading here.

Vanguard Renewables, based in Weston, Massachusetts, is a national leader in developing food and dairy waste-to-renewable energy projects. The Company owns and operates on-farm anaerobic digester facilities in the northeast and currently operates manure-only digesters in the south and west for Dominion Energy. Vanguard Renewables plans to expand nationwide to more than 150 anaerobic digestion facilities by 2026.

The Company is committed to advancing decarbonization by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from farms and food waste, generating renewable energy, and supporting regenerative agriculture on partner farms via Farm Powered® anaerobic digestion.

In 2020, Vanguard Renewables launched the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance along with founding members Starbucks, Unilever, and Dairy Farmers of America to tackle food waste generated by food and beverage manufacturers. That movement now includes more than 20 national industry leaders across food and beverage, healthcare, and non profit sectors.

Vanguard Renewables is a portfolio company of BlackRock Real Assets.

About Vanguard Renewables 
Vanguard Renewables, based in Weston, Massachusetts, is a national leader in developing food and dairy waste-to-renewable energy projects. The Company owns and operates on-farm anaerobic digester facilities in the northeast and currently operates manure-only digesters in the south and west for Dominion Energy. Vanguard Renewables plans to expand nationwide to more than 150 anaerobic digestion facilities by 2026. Vanguard Renewables is committed to advancing decarbonization by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from farms and food waste, generating renewable energy, and supporting regenerative agriculture on partner farms via Farm Powered® anaerobic digestion. Vanguard Renewables is a portfolio company of BlackRock Real Assets. To learn more visit www.vanguardrenewables.com.

COUNTDOWN TO 2045 WHITE PAPER

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON

Creating an electrified economy, powered by clean generation and enabled by unprecedented buildout of the electric grid, requires state agencies and utilities to think differently. This means changes for how California’s entire energy infrastructure is planned and operated.

Countdown to 2045: Realizing California’s Pathway to Net Zero updates and expands Southern California Edison’s 2019 analysis, Pathway 2045. A key driver for this updated analysis is AB 1279, which made the state’s carbon-neutral goal into law in 2022 and established a deeper requirement for direct GHG reductions. The paper identifies feasibility challenges to affordably meet state goals and calls for policy changes and technology developments to address them.

California must keep exploring options, including greater use of emerging technologies such as carbon capture, to find even more feasible and affordable approaches in reaching carbon neutrality. These investments will create opportunities for economic growth, along with reducing air pollution and climate risks. Similar transformation is needed worldwide to reduce global GHG emissions at a scale that will meaningfully slow climate change.

COUNTDOWN TO 2045 WHITE PAPER
Edison’s updated analysis of the bold steps needed to enable massive electrification growth and expand the grid.

COUNTDOWN TO 2045 WHITE PAPERAPPENDIX

COUNTDOWN TO 2045 FACT SHEET
One-page overview of the most feasible and affordable solutions to meet California’s ambitious net-zero goal.

FACT SHEETSPANISH, KOREAN, VIETNAMESE AND CHINESE TRANSLATIONS

ELECTRIFICATION GROWTH

Since Pathway 2045 was published, changing conditions from policy updates, market and technology developments, expected climate change impacts and electric sector reliability analysis have accelerated the projected electrification growth necessary to achieve net zero.

ELECTRICITY DEMAND
Leveraging proven technologies to the extent possible to present an optimized 2045 solution while complying with current state laws, Countdown to 2045 anticipates that overall electricity demand will nearly double over the next two decades.

TRANSPORTATION ELECTRIFICATION
Since the transportation sector is the largest source of emissions in the U.S. and responsible for nearly half of emissions in California, leveraging proven zero-emission technology for passenger and commercial vehicles is essential to achieving carbon neutrality in the state.

BUILDING ELECTRIFICATION
The building sector is critical to meeting California’s decarbonization goals, as nearly all space and water heating in residential and commercial buildings must become electric.

Although electric bills will increase, savings from reduced or eliminated fossil fuel expenses will more than offset the increase for households that adopt electrified technologies. Relative to what the average SCE customer household pays today for electricity, gasoline and natural gas, combined energy expenses will decrease by about 40% by 2045.

HOW WE GET THERE

SYSTEM PLANNING
System planning must be reimagined by state agencies and utilities for greater speed, efficiency, integration and flexibility.

EMERGING GENERATION TECHNOLOGY
Emerging generation technology needs near-term investment to enable longer-term emission reductions.

TRANSMISSION INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
Transmission infrastructure development needs process and regulatory reforms to accelerate.

DISTRIBUTION GRID EVOLUTION
Distribution grid evolution is required for utilities to serve electrification load and fully utilize local energy resources.

CREATING A CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE

ADAPTING FOR TOMORROW
Edison’s call to action for utilities, governments and communities to invest now in a climate-resilient electric grid and other critical infrastructure, based on findings from SCE’s Climate Adaptation Vulnerability Assessment.

MIND THE GAP
Edison’s analysis of the policy changes and additions needed to ensure that California meets its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030 — a reduction that is essential if the state is to achieve its ultimate goal of a decarbonized economy by 2045.

REIMAGINING THE GRID
SCE’s vision of the future electric grid — to enable efficient integration of clean resources, support customer adoption of new technologies and ensure climate adaptation and resilience.

PATHWAY 2045
SCE’s 2019 data-driven analysis of the steps that California must take to meet the 2045 goals to clean our electric grid and reach carbon neutrality.

One of the fundamentals of our Growing Green tenet is to make the most of the Earth’s natural resources. From metals to packaging to production materials, we take a circular approach to reducing our environmental impact.

Through careful materials management and collaboration — both across our sites and with external partners — we strive to “close the loop” on the products we create and the materials we use. We focus on incorporating recycled, biodegradable or otherwise sustainable content into our products and packaging where function and cost are not adversely impacted, including by enabling material reuse when our products reach end of life. It’s the right thing to do for our ecosystems and climate — and it’s a smart, sustainable and cost-effective way to continue Growing Green.

SUSTAINABILITY CASE STUDIES: 

HOW WE REDUCED WASTE IN 2022 

Year after year, we set out to refine our material-management practices, and that mindset led us to execute new initiatives in 2022. We also began the development of several future projects, such as a pilot project to create hybrid pallets from recycled PVC/nylon. During the year, Southwire’s deep investments in modernization continued to impact our waste intensity. Yet we know the results will make our organization leaner, less wasteful and more productive over the long term. Examples of our 2022 waste-reduction initiatives include:

Reclaiming & Recycling Used Reels 

One of the goals of our packaging group is to use 100% recycled materials in our packaging by 2023. In 2022, we supported this goal with an initiative out of our 12 for Life® facility to recover and reuse plastic reels.

Once the facility packages wire onto reels, it sends them to a local vender that cuts the wire into smaller sections. Historically, the vendor would discard the empty reels — many of which were still in good condition. Now, we repurchase used reels from the vendor, buying them back at a greatly reduced cost. In 2022, our reels initiative enabled more than $200,000 in savings and helped us divert 78,000 pounds of plastic from landfills. We also expanded our reel-recovery efforts to regions in the U.S. West and Midwest, with similar programs now in place at our Starkville, Miss., and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., sites.

Southwire’s plastic spools and reels are now made of 100% reground, reclaimed and recycled plastic materials — that’s 10 million pounds of recycled plastic put to good use every year.

Shifting to Biodegradable Film 

When we prepare many of our products for shipment, we use stretch film to secure them to our pallets for safe transportation. While stretch film is a useful product, we wanted to reduce our use of virgin plastic and avoid contributing to landfill waste.

In 2022, our Carrollton Building Wire plant introduced the use of Vanish® Stretch-film alternative, which has an additive that causes the plastic material to biodegrade by about 70% after two years. The remaining material is consumed by microorganisms, leaving no trace of the film behind. The new film is also stronger than its nonbiodegradable counterpart, so while it costs slightly more, the plant was able to use far less. The site achieved annual savings of $16,900 and avoided contributing 54,000 pounds of plastic waste.

Modernizing Our Heflin, Ala., Facility 

As part of our ongoing modernization efforts, we announced the installation of new medium-voltage technology at our Heflin manufacturing facility in 2022. The upgrades will help transform the plant into a world-class medium-voltage cable manufacturing facility with a focus on improving material flow, reducing raw material handling and modernizing existing assets.

Sustainability Spotlight: Making Every Last Bit of Our Copper Count 

Copper is at the heart of our operations, and we don’t want any of it to go to waste — even if it’s just a speck of copper dust. Southwire uses a solution system to break down large pieces of copper. During the process, the solution flows over copper filter paper, which collects pieces of copper dust. We then send the paper to a metal recycling partner. Southwire also sends all bare copper scrap back to our copper rod manufacturing plant in Carrollton, Ga., where it can be melted down and reused.

Visit https://www.southwire.com/sustainability to view the full 2022 Southwire Sustainability Report.

Our Costa Rica Manufacturing Sites and Commercial Office were awarded the Gender Equality Seal from INAMU (Instituto Nacional de las Mujeres/National Women’s Institute). Congratulations to our team in Costa Rica and thank you for your important work toward advancing gender equality.

Boston Scientific transforms lives through innovative medical solutions that improve the health of patients around the world. As a global medical technology leader for 40 years, we advance science for life by providing a broad range of high performance solutions that address unmet patient needs and reduce the cost of healthcare. For more information, visit www.bostonscientific.com and connect on Twitter and Facebook.

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Originally published by Taco Bell

This year, Taco Bell extended Digital & Technology apprenticeships to some of its restaurant team members. Called the Yum! Reskilling Academy (YRA), this 12- to 15-month program provides high-quality, on-the-job experience, virtual skills training and a peer community to its participants with the end goal of hiring team members into corporate roles. YRA is a Yum! Unlocking Opportunity Initiative program launched in partnership with the job training organization Multiverse

Read on to learn one of the stories of a Taco Bell participant: Toby C. 

Toby joined Taco Bell in 2019 while looking for a part-time, evening job to make extra money. Soon after, Toby lost his primary job, so what was supposed to be a six-month gig turned into a full-time position.

Five years later, Toby is still working for the brand and was encouraged to apply for Taco Bell’s parent company’s apprenticeship pilot program, the Yum! Reskilling Academy. He was accepted as a system engineer apprentice.

“When I got the offer letter to join the program, I was over the moon. I was already pursuing a degree in computer programming through the tuition reimbursement program, so it was even cooler that I was going to learn new skills and put them to use for the company.”

Although Toby would be leaving his team to go work for Yum!, it was not short of a bittersweet celebration.

“My team threw me a going away party, which was awesome,” he said. “They tried to hide the party as a store meeting, but one of the employees let it slip the night before. I was still very grateful that they took their time to give me this party as I had the city coach, two area coaches and my team there to celebrate this new beginning.”

Since joining Yum!’s team at the corporate office, Toby has gone through extensive training to get him prepared for this new role. Currently in month seven of the 15-month program, Toby remembers the initial learning curve.

“The first three months were very stressful as we packed several years of schooling into a 12-week bootcamp, but it was rewarding to see how fast I was learning everything,” he said. “Being online took some adjustment, too, as I’d been so used to going in person to my jobs, but that changed with this fully remote program.”

On the team, Toby works with the front-and back-of-house technology systems. One of his main responsibilities as a system engineer apprentice is to make sure people are being routed to the correct information to get their questions answered. He also assists in creating sites, with Yum!’s global career site being one of his primary projects.

“It’s crazy to think about how much new stuff I’ve absorbed in a small amount of time,” Toby said. “It’s also been surprising to see how fast my group has become so close. We have our own little support system, which makes work even better. It’s been awesome to see what corporate is doing to support the local restaurants.”

This program has also enabled Toby to gain some experience outside the engineering space, diversifying his skillset and exposing him to new pathways.

“Currently, I am volunteering as a regional leader for the Houston Multiverse group,” he said. “As the months go by, I’ll be taking on more responsibilities, exploring a little bit of the events space before my term is up.”

Looking to the rest of the program, Toby is eager to continue supporting the team in the most effective way he can.

“I’m looking forward to keep learning and growing so others, including our Taco Bell Leadership, can see what this program has to offer,” he said. “I hope they can take advantage of this opportunity in the future.”

Stay tuned to see where the apprenticeship program takes Toby!

At Taco Bell, we lead with a people-first mindset because the investments we make in our people are the ones we hold close to our hearts. To check out more opportunities, click here.

Latest round of UN Global Plastics Treaty negotiations begins in NairobiConsensus gained amongst UN delegates, industry and NGO organisations on need for comprehensive mitigation framework

November 27, 2023 /3BL/ – Leaders of global industry, NGOs and UN delegates have united in calling for a global policy framework that would address all stages of the plastic lifecycle.

Consensus was gained on the need for corporate targets that are transparent, robust, and actionable at an event in Nairobi, hosted by WBCSD, South Pole, EA Earth Action and TakaTaka Solutions. This comes as international negotiators gather at INC-3 in Nairobi to draft an internationally binding treaty on plastic pollution.

The high-level discussion was attended by the IFC-World Bank, World Economic Forum and UN delegates from Switzerland, Peru, Kenya and the USA. Attendees of ‘Scaling Local Solutions to Plastic Pollution’ experienced first hand in a tour of TakaTaka Solutions how plastic pollution could be properly managed in the Global South.

Whilst a future UN treaty is likely to set parameters for plastic pollution mitigation at a state level, attendees set out to align on how corporate plastic targets can mirror those of governments and support local solutions such as TakaTaka Solutions. Members of the Peruvian delegation to INC3 emphasised the similarities between the South American nation and Kenya, both being in need of vital investment in circular infrastructure to scale capacity.

Dr. Ayub Macharia, Director at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Kenyan Government discussed how private sector support for mandating an Extended Producer Responsibility scheme in the country was encouraging but stated the need for high quality data on plastic. Companies in the plastic value chain play a crucial role in supporting states as they have the data needed to address the full lifecycle of plastics and support investment in circular forms of waste management globally.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development emphasised that global industry alignment on target setting and reporting of plastic data is currently lacking. Data is needed to translate treaty targets into investment in circular infrastructure, especially on models that avoid the creation of waste. This was stated by the Plastic Footprint Network at the event.

The network is made up of 35 global organisations including EA Earth Action, South Pole, WBCSD, the Ellen MacArthur and WWF. It has urged for mandatory disclosure to be incorporated in the proposed treaty, centralising data from corporates and states by using the plastic footprint methodology.

The Network argued that the adoption of corporate plastic targets in a future treaty, that utilises policy tools such as EPR and mandatory disclosure, would help mitigate fears from corporations around accusations of greenwashing. It would also provide clear targets for organisations to meet instead of piecemeal voluntary measures.

Sarah Perreard, Co-CEO, EA Earth Action & the Plastic Footprint Network said: “After decades of scientific evidence documenting the impact of plastic pollution on the planet and humankind alike, this discussion represented the importance of public and private collaboration in working towards an effective solution to this crisis.”

“A future UN treaty on plastic should set mandatory targets that are transparent, robust, as part of an accountability framework that provides transparent strategic guidelines for corporate action with the highest pollution mitigation potential.”

Quentin Drewell, Director, Products and Materials, WBCSD: “The UN Global Plastics Treaty is likely to set parameters for national level plastic pollution mitigation, but a framework translating these goals to corporate targets is missing. The creation of ‘a plastics protocol’ – a global standard for plastic accounting – is critical for companies to manage performance and translate treaty targets into circular economy investment.”

– ENDS –

For more information please contact:

media@southpole.com

Notes to editor:

About the Event

“Scaling Local Solutions to Plastic Pollution” comprised of a site visit to TakaTaka Solutions on 12/11/23, a leading recycling facility in followed by a high level participatory discussion on how the private and public sector actions needed to scale-up local solutions to plastic pollution globally in order to achieve global circularity and put an end to the plastics crisis.

Organisations in attendance included: USA delegation to UN, Kenya Environment and waste Management Association, Ministry of Environment and Forestry (Kenya), Loop, EVEA, Green Solutions, Swiss delegation to UN, World Bank, TOMRA, Alliance to End Plastic Waste, The Consumer Goods Forum, ACT Commodities Inc., NEMA, International Chamber of Commerce, Chevron Phillips Chemical, Dow Chemical, Strathmore University, Kwale Recycling Centre, Gemini Corporation, rePurpose Global, Climeco, Systemiq, Universal Corporation Limited, World Economic Forum, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, IFC, Actionaid, Green Economy for Kenya(GEFOK), Ednaclimate, Greenways Africa, United Nations Environment Program, Tearfund, Braskem, GDI, PwC, International Council of Beverages Association

Nasdaq

Nasdaq is proud to participate in COP28, a global gathering to take action towards the world’s collective climate goals.

Join the Conversation

As a technology company with innovation in our DNA, Nasdaq is constantly working to reimagine the global financial markets. From the intersection of capital markets and technology, we’ve witnessed the recent evolution of how the markets and companies approach climate change, and we are dedicated to supporting the transition to a more sustainable world.

For the U.N. climate summit, taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, we are pleased to participate in critical discussions around financing the green transition and advancing the next evolution within carbon markets.

The event will be live-streamed and we encourage you to watch all the sessions on Business Sweden.

Meet the Team On-Site

Fredrik Ekström

President Nasdaq Stockholm & Chairman Puro.earth

Michèle Carlsson

Managing Director & Non-Executive Board Member, Nasdaq (MENA)

Tomas Thyblad

Head of ESG Solutions, European Markets, Nasdaq

Sarabeth Brockley

Head of Carbon Strategy & Lead ESG Advisor, Capital Access Platforms, Nasdaq

Gerard Smith

VP & Head of Product, Digital Assets & Carbon, Marketplace Technology, Nasdaq

Connect with the onsite team.

Originally published on Nielsen Insights

On October 5, 2023, more than 2,260 Nielsen employees across 39 countries volunteered for our eleventh annual Nielsen Global Impact Day (NGID). NGID is our annual day of service that brings our community and culture to life. Nielsen volunteers collectively logged more than 10,000 volunteer hours across 350+ events and individual activities for nearly 300 organizations.

Nielsen employees volunteer to support the communities where we live and work. “Volunteering is the compass that guides us through the winds of change, pointing us towards a purpose greater than ourselves,” said Benjie Lu, Executive Director – Digital Operations for Asia Pacific and Cares and Green BRG Regional Leader for Asia Pacific. “In times of transformation, I’ve witnessed volunteering programs like NGID not only ignite employee engagement but also foster a resilient spirit within organizations. When we give back to our communities, we strengthen the bonds that hold us together, and in doing so, we find the strength to navigate any storm with unwavering unity and purpose.” And volunteering doesn’t just happen on NGID—all employees have 24 hours of annual volunteer time to use not only during our global day of service but throughout the year.

This global initiative is the annual call to action for Cares, one of Nielsen’s 13 Business Resource Groups (BRGs), which focuses on driving social action through volunteering. With the guidance of Cares leaders, more than a hundred employees across the company mobilized to lead volunteering events around the world and encourage their peers to participate.

For example, Nielsen volunteers made flashcards to support the elderly with digital inclusion, sorted and packaged food, cleaned up parks and beaches, conducted workshops on leadership skills, created maps to aid humanitarian organizations, provided connection and companionship to the elderly, and so much more.

As part of our company’s purpose to power a better media future for all people, Nielsen also collaborated with Common Impact for our first in-person skills-based volunteering event at our New York City office. 28 Nielsen volunteers worked in teams to propose solutions and provide actionable recommendations to four nonprofits driving representation in media and technology and the use of technology for social impact. The participating nonprofits included: AI4ALL, The National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation (NABLF), The Paley Center for Media, and Potential Energy Coalition. Teams worked on a variety of projects covering website strategy, audience targeting, sponsorship growth, and data management. In a follow-up survey, all of the nonprofits reported they will be able to use or implement the work created and guidance provided in the next 12 months.

“While we’ve done virtual skills-based volunteering events before, it was amazing to see how this in-person experience really deepened the engagement between Nielsen volunteers and the nonprofits,” said Andrea Bertels, Vice President, Corporate Citizenship at Nielsen. “All the benefits of skills-based volunteering— exposure to senior leaders, sharing expertise across sectors, innovative thinking from using your skills in a new context, and a deeper social impact for nonprofits, just to name a few—came to life at this event.”

While our annual day of service is a high-point of our volunteering efforts, Nielsen’s commitments to our communities are year-round. As part of our ESG goals, we are striving to increase employee participation in community-oriented programs to 30% by 2024, and contribute $30 million in pro bono data, public reports and other support to organizations and efforts powering the better media future that we all envision. In 2022, we achieved 24.3% participation in community programs and provided an estimated $21.7 million in kind donations through pro bono projects and skills-based volunteering.