Tag: 3BL

Do you feel a bit lost when people refer to certain environmental sustainability topics and aren’t sure where to start when it comes to learning more? Sustainability 101 is a blog series that you can turn to for information about different environmental terms that may come up at work, during discussions with friends, and even at your annual holiday gathering.

Much of the climate change conversation is focused on the impacts of actions we take every day — choosing vehicles that run on low-carbon electricity or green hydrogen instead of gasoline or diesel, shifting to electricity from less emissions-intensive sources, or using products made of recycled content and/or that are recyclable.

However, shifting to products and services that generate lower emissions while they are in use tackles only part of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions puzzle — what’s referred to as operational emissions. The other part of the equation — and one that Cisco has also been working to reduce through how we design, manufacture, ship and manage our products at end of life — is what’s referred to as embodied emissions.

Embodied emissions are the GHG emissions generated when manufacturing a product (or the components that go into a product), when transporting it and when it is treated at the end of its useful life. These emissions are already part of it before you buy and/or use it [1].

A key focus area for many technology companies is to address the operational emissions of devices in use today by improving the energy efficiency of these products. However, where companies have the greatest ability to affect emissions is through the design, manufacturing, transportation (including reverse logistics) and reusability/recyclability of products. To make a product with a lower carbon impact over its lifecycle, we have to understand what makes up the embodied emissions in a product and how we can design or adjust the ways we make and transport it to reduce emissions.

A not-so-small step for humankind: quantifying a product’s embodied carbon emissions.

The full scope of emissions generated by the production, transportation, use and end of life of a product can be quantified through a lifecycle assessment (LCA). This involves assessing what emissions resulted from manufacturing a product: from extracting or manufacturing its base materials (e.g., plastic for computer cases, battery materials like lithium), to the share of energy used in factories to transform materials into components and then assemble components into that single product. Emissions can also be generated when producing packaging for a product, when transporting it to the end-user and from treatment at the end of its useful life.

In a way, measuring operational carbon is likely more straightforward — based on measurable metrics such as source and quantity of electricity used, gallons of fuel consumed, and the emission factors associated with them. By comparison, assessing embodied carbon of a product requires a range of activities:

Defining the system boundaries, i.e., which process steps are included and excluded;Using a recognized methodology for the collection of data and emissions quantification — for example, guidance from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (i.e., Product Lifecycle Accounting and Reporting Standard), Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2050, the ISO14040-44 standards or the ISO14067 standard;Collecting data on the quantity of materials used and energy consumption at each lifecycle stage, as well as the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emission factor for each material and process to quantify total CO2e emissions; andMaking sure the data for the chosen assessment is consistent (e.g., functional unit, timescale).

Once you have that information, you can quantify the embodied carbon emissions in a product and start the real work — using that information to identify ways to reduce these emissions.

The right data can point the way to targeted emissions reductions.

With a rich understanding of a product’s embodied carbon emissions, product designers can then potentially make choices that reduce that product’s embodied emissions moving forward. During product design, companies can consider substituting lower-carbon materials into products. That substitution can take the form of using the same material(s) produced in a less emissions-intensive manner (i.e., by using recycled material, more energy efficient industrial processes and/or lower-carbon energy at the factory level) or by using an alternate material that is less emissions intensive to produce.

In addition, manufacturers can optimize processes and implement design changes to reduce the overall use of materials and the amount of waste generated during manufacturing. Embodied emissions can also be reduced by using more energy efficient manufacturing processes and technologies, and using low-carbon sources of energy for these processes. The impact of transportation too can be reduced by implementing changes such as using low-carbon modes of transport and fuel types.

Closing the loop.

Cisco’s team has been hard at work performing its own lifecycle assessments and product carbon footprints assessments to account for the greenhouse gas emissions from its manufacturing, transportation, and end-of-life treatment for its products. Information about these processes can be found on Cisco’s ESG Hub.

Manufacturing, transport, and end-of-life emissions can make up roughly a quarter of total emissions in Cisco products [2], which is why it’s critical to account for and work to reduce emissions not resulting from product use. Calculating the impacts of Cisco products enables our teams to not only understand the lifecycle carbon impacts of our products, but to model the impacts of various design, material and process changes that can be made to our products.

Cisco has a public goal for 100% of new Cisco products and packaging to incorporate Circular Design Principles by FY25. Cisco has identified 25 Circular Design Principles, organized across the 5 focus areas below. These Principles play a pivotal role in enabling the reduction of GHG emissions across the lifecycles of Cisco products, especially their embodied carbon emissions. Visit the ESG Hub for more details on Cisco’s goal and its Circular Design Principles.

Cisco also has programs to encourage product returns, reuse, and recycling to reduce emissions from product end of use. When products are returned to Cisco, we evaluate their condition and eligibility for reuse. If the product is in usable condition or repairable and there is demand for the product, it undergoes a testing and/or repair process to meet Cisco’s quality standards. One of the primary goals of product return process is to redeploy as much material as possible, thus reducing the production of virgin materials and subsequent emissions.

Product returns: Various programs offered for customers to return products back to Cisco to ensure that they follow the highest value end of use pathway.Product reuse: Reuse is always a top priority. Returned devices that can be reused are remanufactured, refurbished, or repaired, and resold by Cisco Refresh, or used by Cisco service operations or our internal labs.Product recycling: Any products that are not reusable are harvested for components that can be reused, and remaining materials are recycled where possible by one of our authorized recyclers. We currently have two contracted e-scrap recyclers. Each recycler uses both company-owned facilities and subcontracted recyclers to provide global recycling coverage.

Please visit the ESG Hub for details on the various returns and reuse programs offered.

Calculating product embodied carbon emissions is critical for Cisco to support our customers in quantifying the carbon impact of the products they purchase, and it also provides Cisco with information that is important in our efforts to reduce the GHG emissions associated with our products.

[1] Carbon Herald, https://carbonherald.com/what-is-embodied-carbon-and-why-does-it-matter/

[2]This is based on lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions quantified for Cisco ICT products using global electricity-use emission factors. Visit the ESG Hub (“Environmental Footprint of our Products”) for more details.

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UVALDE, Texas, November 7, 2023 /3BL/ – Georgia-Pacific partner American Lumber has deep family and business ties to Uvalde, Texas. When tragedy struck the small community on May 24, 2022, at Robb Elementary School, the team at American Lumber knew they wanted to help. Georgia-Pacific is committed to giving back to the communities in which its employees and partners live and work, and when American Lumber stepped up to help, we wanted to support their efforts.

“American Lumber was founded by my father, Barry Hendler, and our corporate headquarters was once located in Uvalde. My mother worked at Robb Elementary School, where the tragedy occurred, and we still have an office in the city. I graduated from Uvalde High School, as did my siblings Joe and Hollie Hendler,” said BJ Hendler, chief operating officer, American Lumber. “When the incident occurred, even though we were in shock, we knew we wanted to help, and we received calls from others who wanted to help too.”

American Lumber worked with Georgia-Pacific and many other organizations to raise $255,000, which included its own $100,000 match. Quickly raising $255,000 was a monumental accomplishment – but the challenge wasn’t over. What would be done with the money? What does a grieving community need short-term and most importantly, long-term? American Lumber wanted to ensure that the initiative would provide significant help to the community in the aftermath of the school shooting.

American Lumber fielded ideas and proposals from the community and organizations that wanted to help in Uvalde. It chose a nonprofit with a long, proven history in Texas, and expertise in helping with tragedies. The Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas (CBCST) serves children affected by the loss of a loved one through ongoing support groups, individual and family counseling, and professional education and training programs. CBCST’s goal is to help children and their caregivers understand the depth of their grief, stabilize and preserve family relationships, and develop healthy coping skills after the death of a loved one.

Through American Lumber’s leadership, and partners such as Georgia-Pacific which donated funding and building products, the Uvalde Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas opened in a beautifully renovated space in what was an abandoned garage donated by St. Philip’s Episcopal Church. The center held a ribbon cutting event, hosted by children in the community affected by the tragedy, on June 29, 2023. Counselors and other trained professionals are now easily accessible to the community, and offer free therapy, support groups, camps, and crisis response services.

“This center is designed around the community and what they need,” said Brenda Faulkner, the center’s director of programs. “Working through the tragedy, and how it has impacted the community, and still impacts the community, is led by the children who were at Robb Elementary School the day of the tragedy. They are participating in our programs, and showing the rest of the community that we are here to help. The children serve as an example that if they are benefiting from receiving help and support, others can benefit too.”

CBCST Uvalde provides services throughout south Texas for children, adolescents, and young adults ages three through 24. Services can also be extended to the child’s family once enrolled. Click here to learn more about CBCST Uvalde.

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BASKING RIDGE, N.J.  /3BL/ – Verizon announced the launch of a new online education portal with edX, a leading global online learning platform from 2U, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWOU) to help upskill and reskill Americans for today’s fastest-growing jobs. As recent research reveals, one-third of workers don’t have the foundational digital skills necessary to enter today’s jobs. Verizon Skill Forward, originally launched in 2020, will leverage Verizon’s new strategic partnership with edX to offer tuition-free, technical and professional pathways across in-demand industry sectors, with Verizon covering the cost to learners.

With no prior experience or college degree required, participants can register for Verizon Skill Forward to access self-paced, expert-led online courses designed by leading universities and industry experts in edX’s partner network for 12 months at no cost, including dedicated courses in Spanish. Participants will be able to access curated lists of more than 250 courses spanning 84 unique professional certificate programs that they can take on their own time and are designed to help them gain the skills necessary to pursue high-growth jobs across the in-demand areas of artificial intelligence, business, coding, communication, data, finance, IT and more.

Participants of Verizon Skill Forward will also be granted ongoing access to edX’s Career Engagement Network, which includes a suite of career development and exploration tools, including career tips, resources, and a job board, as well as industry-related events and workshops. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to engage with Skills Builder, a tool designed to align participant career goals to relevant learning opportunities across courses and programs.

This effort is part of Citizen Verizon, Verizon’s responsible business plan for economic, environmental and social advancement, and will build on the company’s goal of preparing 500,000 individuals for jobs of the future by 2030, as well as accelerate digital inclusion efforts nationwide through access to educational tools and resources.

“When you make quality education accessible to all, you give individuals the freedom to pave their own path,” said Rose Stuckey Kirk, Senior Vice President and Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer for Verizon. “Through Verizon Skill Forward, we remain committed to bridging the digital divide and providing access to opportunities for economic advancement in under-resourced communities across the country, from the moment a student enters a classroom, to the moment they embark on the pursuit of a career and higher education.”

“In an era where technology rapidly evolves and the nature of work continuously shifts, the need for lifelong learning and skills development has never been more crucial,” said Anant Agarwal, Founder of edX and Chief Platform Officer of 2U. “Together with Verizon, edX is expanding access to education, ensuring that everyone, irrespective of their background or current skills, can achieve their ambition. This collaboration is a testament to our shared belief in the power of high-quality online education to create a better future for all.”

To learn more about Verizon Skill Forward and register for courses now, visit partnerships.edx.org/verizon. Visit CitizenVerizon.com to learn more about the company’s responsible business efforts.

Media contact(s)

Rebecca Laming

rebecca.laming@verizon.com

New end-to-end green hydrogen system will be located at Duke Energy Florida’s existing facilities in DeBaryProject designed to provide innovative solutions to benefit customers by adding more renewable energy to the grid

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., October 31, 2023 /3BL/ – Duke Energy announced it soon will break ground in DeBary, Fla., on the first demonstration project in the United States to successfully create clean energy using an end-to-end system to produce, store and combust 100% green hydrogen.

The innovative system is the result of collaboration between Duke Energy, Sargent and Lundy, and GE Vernova and will be located at Duke Energy Florida’s DeBary plant in Volusia County, Fla.

“Duke Energy is constantly evolving and seeking ways to provide clean, safe energy solutions to our customers,” said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. “DeBary will be home to Duke Energy’s first green hydrogen production and storage system connected to existing solar for power generation, and we are grateful to the city for allowing this innovative technology in their community.”

System for production, storage and combustion of green hydrogen

This one-of-its-kind, end-to-end system will begin with the existing 74.5-megawatt (MW) DeBary solar plant providing clean energy for two 1-MW electrolyzer units that will separate water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen atoms.

The resulting oxygen will be released into the atmosphere, while the green hydrogen will be delivered to nearby, reinforced containers for safe storage. During times when energy demand is highest, the system will deliver the stored green hydrogen to a combustion turbine (CT) that will be upgraded using GE Vernova technology to run on a natural gas/hydrogen blend or up to 100% hydrogen. This will be the nation’s first CT in operation running on such a high percentage of hydrogen.

Operational Features

Safe, quiet generation and storage of energy 
 Optimizes on-site solar generation 
 Allows access to on-demand (dispatchable) energy 
 End-to-end technology demonstration that could provide cost-effective decarbonization

Environmental Features

No visual impact 
 Zero greenhouse gas emissions 
 Production of 100% green hydrogen from solar energy

“Duke Energy anticipates hydrogen could play a major role in our clean energy future,” said Regis Repko, senior vice president of generation and transmission strategy for Duke Energy. “Hydrogen has significant potential for decarbonization across all sectors of the U.S. economy. It is a clean energy also capable of long-duration storage, which would help Duke Energy ensure grid reliability as we continue adding more renewable energy sources to our system.”

Ensuring Future Reliability

Readily available hydrogen is a dispatchable energy source, meaning it is available on demand. It can be turned on and off at any time and is not dependent on the time of day or the weather, like sun, wind or other renewable energy sources known as intermittent.

Dispatchable energy provides a needed element of reliability that will enable us to add more intermittent energy sources, yet still ensure we can meet customer demand, even during extended periods of high demand. Using solar energy to generate green hydrogen enables solar plants to be optimized. Relying on intermittent energy sources without available dispatchable energy sources would put our future electric system at risk of having insufficient energy to serve customer demand.

Project Timeline

Construction of the demonstration project in DeBary will begin later this year and could take about one year to complete. Duke Energy anticipates the system will be installed and fully functioning in 2024.

For additional information on the project, visit duke-energy.com/debaryhydrogen.

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 10,500 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 1.9 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,600 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2023 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list and Forbes’ “World’s Best Employers” list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy’s illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media line: 800.559.3853

Media contacts:

Audrey Stasko 
(Florida) 
audrey.stasko@duke-energy.com 
Twitter: @DE_AudreyS

Jennifer Sharpe 
(Corporate) 
jennifer.sharpe@duke-energy.com 
Twitter: @DE_JenniferS

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JAKARTA, Indonesia, November 7, 2023 /3BL/ – Black & Veatch, a global leader in critical infrastructure solutions, has conducted a feasibility study for Augustus Global Investment (AGI) on the generation of green hydrogen in Indonesia.

The project envisions green hydrogen production using electrolyzers powered by grid-supplied renewable energy.

Black & Veatch provided a plant configuration and technology analysis and order-of-magnitude cost estimates for hydrogen generation and storage. The study finds that the project can be technically and economically feasible and has the potential to significantly contribute to Indonesia’s energy transition.

“With Indonesia’s vast energy and renewable resources including geothermal energy, there is great potential for this project to be a catalyst in creating a long-term hydrogen economy in Indonesia over this next decade,” said Narsingh Chaudhary, President, Asia Pacific and India, Black & Veatch.

“Black & Veatch is at the forefront of the green hydrogen value chain including currently building one of the world’s largest industrial green hydrogen production and storage facilities on a turnkey basis and we are pleased to bring our global expertise to the region to support these new project developments,” he added.

The proposed green hydrogen production plant would be built in the Arun Lhokseumawe Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the Aceh province of Indonesia. The plant is expected to produce 98.5 tons of hydrogen per day (TPD) and have a 300-megawatt (MW) capacity.

“Augustus sees worldwide prospects for long-term investment in the infrastructure and energy sectors. We are thrilled to invest in Indonesia and support the nation’s transition to a clean energy future,” said Fadi Krikor, CEO of AGI, a Germany-based investment firm focusing on infrastructure and energy.

Developing the green hydrogen production plant is estimated to cost USD 500 million.

Part of Indonesia’s efforts to meet carbon neutrality targets includes developing large-scale renewable energy, with a concentration on solar, hydropower and geothermal energy as well as hydrogen.

Black & Veatch is involved in building 245 MW of electrolysis capacity, nearly doubling green hydrogen production worldwide, including as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) provider for the Advanced Clean Energy Storage facility in Delta, Utah, USA, which will be among the world’s largest industrial green hydrogen production and storage facilities.

At Enlit Asia 2023, Chaudhary will propose a roadmap for achieving net zero emissions in Southeast Asia’s future energy systems.

Contact Black & Veatch for more information.

***

Editor’s Notes: 

Click here to download a supporting image.

About Black & Veatch 
Black & Veatch is a 100-percent employee-owned global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 100-year track record of innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people around the world by addressing the resilience and reliability of our most important infrastructure assets. Follow us on www.bv.com and on social media.

Media Contact Information:

EMILY CHIA | +65 6335 6623 P | +65 9875 8907 M | Chialp@bv.com

24-HOUR MEDIA EMAIL | Media@bv.com

Bayer plans to bring direct-seeded rice to one million hectares, supporting two million early adopter-smallholder farmers and their families in India by 2030 and expand to the Philippines starting 2024 / Potential to transform India’s rice production: 75 percent of total rice cultivation area expected to shift to direct-seeded rice practices by 2040 / Benefits of direct-seeded rice in comparison to transplanted puddled rice cultivation: Less water use (up to minus 40 percent), reduced emissions of greenhouse gases (up to minus 45 percent), removal of reliance on manual labor availability (up to minus 50 percent)

MANILA, Philippines, November 7, 2023 /3BL/ – On UN World Food Day, Bayer announced the introduction of its direct-seeded rice (DSR) system at the 6th International Rice Congress in Manila. Moving from transplanted puddled rice cultivation to direct-seeded rice can help farmers to reduce water use by up to 40 percent, greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by up to 45 percent and reduce farmers’ dependence on scarce and costly manual labor by up to 50 percent. The introduction of the DSR system is fully in line with Bayer’s recently announced approach to regenerative agriculture which will enable farmers to produce more while restoring more.

Driven by these advantages, DSR has the potential to be transformational with 75 percent of total rice fields in India expected to switch to this cultivation method by 2040, in comparison to roughly 11 percent today. By 2030, Bayer plans to bring the DSR system to one million hectares in India, supporting over two million early-adopter smallholder rice farmers through its DirectAcres program.

Already underway, DirectAcres has seen considerable success with 99 percent of indian farmers achieving successful plant establishment and 75 percent a higher return on investment compared to rice grown using the conventional transplanted method. Bayer plans therefore to introduce DirectAcres in other rice growing countries in Asia Pacific, starting with the Philippines in 2024.

“We are building entire systems based on regenerative agriculture practices that create value for farmers and nature alike and that help address the issue of global food security,” said Frank Terhorst, Head of Strategy & Sustainability at Bayer’s Crop Science division.

“Direct-seeded rice is an excellent example of a system that holds huge potential to create a positive impact going forward.”

A system combining seeds, crop protection and digital solutions

Traditionally, rice farmers first grow seedlings in nurseries before transplanting them in ploughed, levelled and flooded paddy fields. Over the subsequent months the water level must remain constant to ensure that the plants establish and grow. Shortly before the harvest the farmer drains the field. Some 80 percent of the world’s rice crop is today produced using this method.

Now, using advanced R&D capabilities, Bayer is designing climate-resilient rice hybrids with higher yields that can be sown directly in the soil and bred specifically for the different farm environments. By removing the standing water, machinery can perform much of the otherwise time consuming and arduous, manual farming practices. The reduced dependence on excess water – used partly to prevent weeds – means access to crop protection solutions will be key to the transformation. To address this, Bayer is developing new crop protection solutions including a new rice herbicide to ensure a successful and durable weed management program for the direct-seeded rice system.

Additionally, smallholder farmers are supported by Bayer’s digital platform FarmRise which gives farmers access to advisory services, necessary machinery, other inputs and services and with a longer-term aspiration to provide rice farmers with data-driven insights to empower them to make better agronomic decisions. FarmRise also connects smallholders to the company’s Carbon Program enabling them to earn additional revenues as they reduce emissions.

Huge potential to reduce environmental impact

The world’s third-largest crop, rice, sustains more than half the global population. With global population expected to grow to 10 billion by 2050, it is estimated that rice production will need to increase by 25 percent in this same timeframe to meet demand and keep prices stable. At the same time rice is an important contributor to climate change. It is estimated that rice production contributes to 1.5 percent of total global GHG emissions, 12 percent of methane emissions and consumes up to 43 percent of the world’s total irrigation water. Grown by 150 million smallholder farmers worldwide, 4,000 to 5,000 liters of water are needed to produce one kilogram of grain using transplanted puddled rice cultivation methods.

DSR has the potential to change this by reducing the water use and the GHG emissions created by methane emitting bacteria that thrive in the standing water. The reduction of on-farm manual labor – through mechanization – addresses the issue of continous labor shortage in the Indian countryside due to rapid urbanization. This has been recently confirmed in the Farmer Voice study supported by Bayer: 22 percent of Indian smallholder farmers see labor costs as one of the biggest challenges to their operations.

“The need to come together to shape more economically viable and sustainable rice cultivation systems has never been so pressing,” explained Mike Graham, Head of Breeding at Bayer’s Crop Science Division. “Our direct-seeded rice system will help smallholder rice farmers adapt to, and mitigate, climate change while running profitable businesses, improving their own and community’s social well-being.”

Ecosystem of experts to transform rice cultivation at scale

The transformation of rice production is an ambition that is vast in size, complex and will require a concerted and collaborative effort by the entire industry, food chain and beyond in order to advance adoption and bring to scale. To this end, Bayer is working alongside the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and has participated in the Direct Seeded Rice Consortium (DSRC) for many years. Just last year at COP27, Bayer announced together with IRRI and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) a partnership to improve the quality of life of smallholder rice farmers through the introduction, on-farm testing and scaling of improved, climate-smart rice varieties and agronomic practices.

“Partnerships across the agriculture value chain will play a crucial role in bringing regenerative agriculture solutions to scale,” added Frank Terhorst. “Only by creating an ecosystem of experts across the private and public sector will we be able to advance adoption and make the best innovation, tools and services widely accessible.”

At the 2023 UN Water Conference, Bayer committed to improving water use by 25 percent per kilogram of rice produced by its smallholder farmer customers enrolled in the DirectAcres program by 2030. Bringing direct-seeded rice to one million hectares by 2030 also contributes to the company’s sustainability goals of reducing customers’ on-field GHGs per kilogram of crop produced by 30 percent and empowering 100 million smallholder farmers to sustainably increase their productivity, improve the quality of their produce and enhance their livelihoods.

About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2022, the Group employed around 101,000 people and had sales of 50.7 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 6.2 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

Follow us on twitter.com/bayer

Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

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Originally published by Diversity Woman Media

Meet extraordinary women leaders who are making their mark

Ensuring women hold leadership positions—in business, politics, and the community—is so important to a thriving society that the United Nations (UN) has made it a focus under its goal of achieving gender parity and empowering all women and girls.

“Women’s equal representation in leadership matters—not only for achieving gender equality, but for making sound decisions in politics, the workplace, and every area of public life,” noted the United Nations when outlining this goal as part of its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted eight years ago by all UN member states.

The UN report also points out that women hold just 28 percent of managerial positions. McKinsey & Company, a management and consulting firm, drives home the disparity in its Women in the Workplace 2022report, pointing out that only 87 women (and 82 women of color) are promoted from entry-level to managerial positions for every 100 men.

The UN emphasizes that a lack of female leadership often means gaps in planning and decision-making. Because of the gender headwinds female business leaders themselves may have faced, they tend to be highly attuned to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Even with historic challenges in gender parity, remarkable female leaders have burst into leadership positions in every business sector in the United States and continue to fill a pipeline of talent. In Diversity Woman’s third annual Power 100, we found 100 emerging, rising leaders in technology, transportation, finance, retail, and medicine who not only have visionary ideas for their organizations but also want to make them more multiracial, gender diverse, and equitable.

These 100 are just a small sampling of the multitudes of women on the rise who are making their mark in their companies and also in Corporate America. With their talent, innovation, leadership, and perspective, they are changing minds by challenging preconceived notions of how a company can be both equitable and highly profitable.

Note: All titles and companies are accurate as of September 2023.

Lindsay Williams Hirsch

VP, Strategy & Portfolio Governance, Sysco

Williams Hirsch oversees Sysco’s end-to-end strategic planning process and governance of the company’s strategic initiative portfolio, the Recipe for Growth, delivering programs on time, at budget, and with expected benefits. She works closely with the executive leadership team to ensure progress and focus on Sysco’s strategic priorities. While attending Harvard Business School, Williams Hirsch led Manbassadors for the Women Student Association, which engaged men on campus to actively promote gender equity at the business school and beyond.

“At Sysco, everyone has a seat at our table. This is demonstrated by the diversity of our executive leadership team; Sysco’s longtime sponsorship of Women’s Foodservice Forum, which provides unparalleled development and networking opportunities; and our strong Colleague Resource Group network, including the recent addition of Mothers Offering Mentorship, launched to support working moms.”

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McDonald’s McFlurry® spoon: It’s hard to think of a utensil that’s been the focus of more intense debate over the years. Why is the handle hollow? Is it a spoon, a straw, or both?

True McFlurry fans know the spoon doubles as a spindle, which restaurant crew use to mix the perfect amount of sweet toppings into our creamy soft serve. And starting this month, it’s about to get a sustainable glow-up in the U.S.

Restaurants across the country are transitioning to a reusable spindle that’s swapped out and cleaned after each McFlurry is made. Once the mixing magic is complete, your McFlurry will be served with a smaller black spoon that uses less plastic (the same one that comes with our Sundaes).

This small change will help reduce single-use plastic waste in restaurants – while giving customers the same delicious McFlurry they know and love. That’s a win-win in our book.

It’s just one example of how McDonald’s is redesigning some of our most iconic products to eliminate unnecessary waste and transition to more sustainable materials. You can learn more about our commitments and progress on more sustainable packaging here.

So while you may not see our famous spindle-spoon in your McFlurry anymore, know that it’s still working hard for you (and the planet!) behind the counter.

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Recently, Entergy’s employee resource groups, or ERGs, were awarded fifth place in the top 10 enterprise-wide competition at the prestigious 2023 Diversity Impact Awards ceremony during the Global ERG Network Conference held in Washington, D.C.

The award, which celebrates organizations that champion diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in the workplace, affirms the exceptional work Entergy’s ERGs have been doing and the pivotal role they play in fostering a more inclusive workplace.

This marks the second year in a row that our ERGs achieved this honor and, notably, Entergy is the only utility company in this category. In addition, Entergy’s Leadership ERG was also awarded second place in the Top 25 ERGs, making it the first time an individual Entergy ERG has achieved such recognition.

“We are incredibly proud to be recognized as one of the top ten companies at the Diversity Impact Awards,” said Taiwan Brown, Entergy’s vice president of diversity and workforce strategies. “This award is a testament to our ongoing commitment to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected and able to contribute their unique perspectives and talents.”

The Diversity Impact Awards are the premier annual awards to recognize, honor and celebrate the outstanding contributions of ERGs, business resource groups, or BRGs, and diversity councils. The Diversity Impact Awards were launched in 2020 – making them the first and longest-running and nationally recognized awards to honor the contributions and achievements of ERGs, BRGs and diversity councils.

Learn more about our journey to embrace diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging here.

November 6, 2023 /3BL/ – To support one of the highest emitting sectors in accelerating its decarbonization transition, Ceres released a new report today identifying critical ways food companies can drive agricultural innovation—both within their supply chains and sector wide—to meet ambitious climate targets outlined in their transition plans.

The report, Cultivating Innovation: Practical Solutions for Companies to Reduce Agricultural Emissions, summarizes emerging agricultural technologies, with specific examples from across the food sector of how companies, such as General Mills and Tyson, are leveraging innovation to significantly reduce the major drivers of the sector’s largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These solutions are needed for the food sector, which accounts for one-third of the world’s global GHG emissions, to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C by 2030 and avoid the worst impacts from climate change. Existing agricultural practices have been shown to mitigate around 20% of the required emissions reductions for the sector to reach that goal, making innovation pivotal to closing the gap.

“The big question companies, investors, and other stakeholders are asking is how can the food sector realistically deliver the huge emissions reductions necessary to meet their commitments and uphold global climate targets by 2030,” said Meryl Richards, Acting Program Director, Food and Forests, at Ceres. “Ceres new report yields important insights into new and emerging solutions that companies can implement as part of growth and innovation strategies in their climate transition plans to address this challenge.”

Strategies to drive agricultural innovation

As Ceres highlighted in The Investor Guide to Climate Transition Plans in the U.S. Food Sector, integrating emissions reduction outcomes into a companies’ forward-looking growth and innovation strategy must be a key component of effective climate transition plans. For the first time, Ceres recently benchmarked companies in its Food Emissions 50 initiative, an investor-led initiative to accelerate progress towards a 1.5°C future in the food sector, on those key components. Only nine of the 27 benchmarked Food Emissions 50 companies reported investing in climate-related research and development, and just two disclosed business-wide strategies to align growth and innovation strategies with emissions goals.

Ceres new report details two important strategies companies can implement as part of their climate transition plans to advance emerging agricultural solutions: advocacy and collaboration as well as direct company action.

Among the advocacy and collaboration strategies highlighted in the report are public research and development advocacy, public-private partnerships, and regulatory reform support, which could include participating in Ceres’ Climate-Smart Agriculture and Healthy Soil Working Group. It brings together food, beverage, and clothing companies within Ceres networks to engage in peer-to-peer learning and push for legislative and regulatory solutions to advance climate-smart agriculture practices in the U.S.

To increase the economic viability of promising emissions-reducing innovations, the report outlines several actions that companies can take in their own operations and supply chains. These include:

In-house R&D investment, such as General Mills and Patagonia use of a climate-friendly perennial wheat variety called Kernza in their products;Market development and demand creation, such as a pre-payment offtake agreement for sourcing lower-emission commodities;Pilot testing, such as Ben & Jerry’s trials of Brominata — a red seaweed feed additive that can reduce methane-producing bacteria in cow’s stomachs — to establish proof of concept and increase understanding of emerging practices and technologies;Corporate venture capital, such as Tyson Foods’ investment arm, Tyson Ventures, which invests in and partners with promising innovators working across a wide range of areas, including alternative proteins and other solutions that support a more responsible food system.

“Food companies have a menu of options that they can use to accelerate the adoption and use of new and promising technologies both within their own business operations and supply chains as well as across the sector as a whole,” said Nako Kobayashi, a manager of Food Emissions 50 at Ceres and author of the report. “These innovations have the potential to help further drive down emissions in combination with existing practices known to reduce emissions, curb the demand for high emissions products such as beef, and eliminate food waste.”

New and emerging agricultural technologies and practices

Ceres report details the many promising technologies that food companies are using – and can consider driving further innovation of – to address the key drivers of agricultural GHG emissions.

The report does not prioritize the technologies or advocate for any one over the others; instead, it provides information, including potential climate benefits, trade-offs, and innovation status, that can help companies evaluate which emerging innovations to support.

Among the new innovative solutions included in the report are wearable cattle devices that capture methane exhaled by cattle; manure methane inhibitors that prevent methane production; smart enhanced-efficiency fertilizers, which improve the timing of fertilizer nutrients’ release; green ammonia to cut emissions from fertilizer manufacturing; perennial rice varieties that require less tillage, promote healthy soils, and may reduce methane emissions; and electric tractors, such as those developed by Monarch and Solectrac, to reduce emissions from on-farm energy use.

See more corporate examples of emerging agricultural technologies here.

Read Cultivating Innovation: Practical Solutions for Companies to Reduce Agricultural Emissions here.

The food sector is one of six high-emitting sectors that Ceres Ambition 2030 initiative is focused on decarbonizing to raise corporate ambition and hold companies accountable for emission reductions. Among the other sectors include banking, electric power, oil and gas, steel, and transportation.

About Ceres 

Ceres is a nonprofit organization working with the most influential capital market leaders to solve the world’s greatest sustainability challenges. Through our powerful networks and global collaborations of investors, companies, and nonprofits, we drive action and inspire equitable market-based and policy solutions throughout the economy to build a just and sustainable future. For more information, visit ceres.org and follow @CeresNews.