Tag: 3BL

T‑Mobile’s Project 10Million helped millions of kids nationwide get and stay connected for remote learning when Covid upended the educational system. Here, a technology expert shares how the initiative supported thousands of students in New Jersey and continues to provide the hotspots and technical support students need to have equitable access to learning.

When you ask Damien Dimeno if he has a sense of how many kids in New Jersey’s Union and Middlesex Counties he has helped obtain hotspots and reliable internet access during the thick of Covid’s remote learning, he goes quiet trying to assess the numbers.

“About eight thousand,” he says after a long pause.

“I haven’t even really thought about quantifying that until you asked,” he admits. “The scope is too big to think about when you’re tackling the problem. You don’t look back, you don’t look forward. You just do the moment. We do the best we can with what we have. But we had T-Mobile on our side, so we were empowered. And if I can help 10 million more, I’m there.”

It’s a goal that’s in full view. Damien, whose information technology consulting firm, Aeneas Technology, serves various school districts in New Jersey, was instrumental in helping thousands of students across two counties back in 2020 by discovering T-Mobile’s Project 10Million, a $10.7 billion nationwide initiative aimed at helping to close the digital divide in education by offering free internet connectivity and mobile hotspots to up to 10 million eligible student households. The company also offers school districts free and heavily subsidized data plans as well as access to affordable laptops and tablets. By the end of 2022, T-Mobile provided $4.8 billion in services and connected more than 5.3 million students across the U.S. through Project 10Million and its other education initiatives.

“When Covid happened, the hardest thing for us was equity,” says Damien. “Union County School District serves the entire county of over twenty towns. They range from very well-off, with students who have reliable internet and laptops, to towns that don’t have the same access to technology. Equity is impossible if you can’t provide a level playing field for internet access. It’s just a basic need.”

Damien says when Covid mandates paused in-person learning, he was getting calls from school administrators who were panicking at an obvious lack of equal internet access and devices for students who in a moment’s notice had to attend classes and submit homework online. In his search for a solution, Damien says he was horrified to find that many providers were up-charging exorbitant rates for hotspots and meager amounts of pooled data to capitalize on people’s desperation.

“There was no way any business administrator or board of education was going to be able to approve those rates,” says Damien. “And I felt so badly because all I could think about were the kids that didn’t have access, and it’s not their fault! I was calling and emailing and begging so many people and organizations, and I don’t even know how it happened, but I got in contact with T-Mobile and I told them my plight and I figured it would just be another dead end but, sure enough, they got back to me and said, ‘Let us give you sixty hotspots.’ I was in shock. I only asked for fourteen!”

Damien says Union County then used school buses to distribute those sixty hotspots to the students’ homes. Only problem was, they quickly went through every last one because everyone was in such need.

“I called up my contacts at T-Mobile and I asked for twenty more, and I couldn’t believe their response: ‘No problem. We got you.’ I went from finding nothing after an exhaustive search for help to then suddenly having eighty hotspots on a free plan. My thoughts were to immediately start calling other school districts I work with. Middlesex County was also in need and wound up receiving 160 hotspots through Project 10Million!”

Damien is still in awe at how effectively and efficiently T-Mobile was able to address the specific challenge at hand in 2020 and, perhaps even more importantly, how the program is continuing to close the digital divide for those students today.

“This problem we were having where we could barely find Chromebooks, let alone internet access, just went away,” he says. “It was the first time in my life I’d ever really seen equity in action, and when I got to speak with T-Mobile educational representatives, I understood that the company really had put so much work into understanding all the issues school districts were facing, not just in that moment but also at large, so they were prepared to answer the call.”

Dr. Kiesha King is one of those educational leaders on T-Mobile’s team helping to guide and inform Project 10Million in its efforts to serve communities holistically.

“From a perspective of not only access, but also sustainability of that access, Project 10Million is really something that’s unheard of,” says Dr. King, T-Mobile’s Senior National Education Administrator for K-12.

Dr. King also says because education is a data-driven world, the pandemic forced educators to make some quick decisions they weren’t prepared for and, according to newly released research, the effects of that can be longstanding without proper support.

“We knew that schools needed more than just the hardware,” she explains. “Yes, we have hotspots available that we want to put in the hands of your students, but we know that administrators need help with staging, kitting, labeling, asset tagging, distribution, etc. We know that they need implementation support and folks from the education world like me who can sit beside you and plan out what this can look like over time. And T-Mobile’s Project 10Million is more critical now than it’s ever been in providing technology and continuing connectivity for students as pandemic-related funding is ending and new governmental programs are still being ironed out.”

It’s the kind of support that Damien says is the real deal.

“Covid was its own problem,” he says. “But equity continues to be a problem for so many schools. That’s no longer the case in Union and Middlesex counties thanks to T-Mobile. When I can give a family internet, it changes that student’s ability to access learning materials, access their teachers — access society, really. And the beauty of this program in my opinion is not how it started, but how it continues. I have never once been bothered for a balloon payment or change of contract terms. I never had a moment where I thought they were trying to take advantage like everyone else was. T-Mobile is the only company that I trusted through the pandemic and they continue to deliver.”

FACTS AND SIGN UP

Project 10Million is T-Mobile’s $10.7 billion initiative to offer connectivity for up to 10 million eligible student households that lack equal access to the internet.

Thanks to Project 10Million and T-Mobile’s other education programs to help close the digital divide, the company has provided $4.8 billion in products and services, connected more than 5.3 million students and equipped them with free or highly subsidized service so they can have access where and when they need it.

Learn more about Project 10Million and register your school district or student for the program.

Originally published in International Paper’s 2022 Sustainability Report

Forests play a vital role in the health of our ecosystems. They produce oxygen, clean water, improve air quality, store carbon, stabilize soil and provide wildlife habitat.

The sustainability of forests is not only integral to our business model, but also essential to the planet’s ecosystems and climate health. It’s no wonder, then, that we are steadfast in our commitment to global forest stewardship as a key to building a better future. International Paper sources fiber from forests that are healthy and growing.

As we deliver on our Vision 2030 responsible fiber sourcing target, each year we purchase and use:

51M tons of new and recycled fiber4M tons of fiber fuel5M tons of recovered fiber used to make fiberbased products

Our 2022 Fiber Sourcing: Transparency in Action 

100% meets the FSC Controlled Wood Standard and International Paper ’s Global Sourcing Policy100% direct sourcing from uncertified forests traceable to origin100% direct sourcing verified no conversion of HCVFs100% indirect sourcing traceable to a country and county level of origin100% suppliers monitored meet International Paper Supplier Code of Conduct96.7% from forests within the U.S.97.3% Southeast U.S.2.7% Oregon3.3% from forests in Canada (Alberta Province)0% sourcing from Peatlands or High Carbon Stock Forest0% sourcing from Intact Forest Lands (IFLs)

Our Vision 2030 progress 

Our leadership in forest stewardship centers on two targets that are driving progress toward our Vision 2030 goal.

Goal: Lead forest stewardship efforts globally

Target: Source 100% of our fiber from sustainably managed forests or recovered fiber while safeguarding forests, watersheds and biodiversity. 

Leveraging a broad range of tools to ensure responsible harvesting and purchasing of fiber from landowners and suppliers, we continually raise our stewardship game to enhance biodiversity and advance responsible sourcing and fiber renewability.

2022 Impact: 79% of fiber sourced in 2022 is verified as derived from a sustainably managed forest, or is third-party certified to a forest management standard such as FSC®, PEFC™, SFI® or Recycled Content.

The remaining 21% of fiber volume complies with International Paper ’s Global Fiber Procurement Policy; we will continue to increase verification efforts toward our Vision 2030 goal.

Goal: Lead forest stewardship efforts globally

Target: Conserve and restore 1 million acres (~400,000 hectares) of ecologically significant forestland.

Conservation and restoration are two areas where we can have a significant global impact through our long-standing partnerships with organizations such as World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

2022 Impact: 124,327 total acres of ecologically significant forestland have been conserved

Improved forest management on 8,973 acres as part of due diligence efforts in ForSite™

As part of our Forestland Stewards initiative with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, we conserved and restored 113,956 acres

As part of our strategic partnership with WWF, conserved and restored 208 acres of rainforest in Brazil’s Mogi Guaçu River basin Total goal completion progress: 361,023 acres (36%) since 2020

Our Approach 

Recognizing that sustainably managed forests provide economic, social and environmental benefits, our approach centers on three elements of responsible forest stewardship: responsible fiber procurement, forest certification and stakeholder collaboration. We create the products our customers need while being a dutiful steward of the world’s natural resources.

Responsible fiber procurement

It all starts with responsible and transparent sourcing. Our corporate fiber sourcing policy states, “We will not knowingly accept fiber from illegally logged forests or from forests where high conservation values are threatened by management activities.”

To achieve this goal, we engage in responsible fiber sourcing, with the following highlights:

International Paper’s Fiber Supply Team is a diverse group of more than 200 professionals who work together to ensure fiber is responsibly sourced across our mill footprint.We have developed an internal mapping tool called ForSite™, our industry-leading platform that exemplifies transparency, risk mitigation and targeted collaboration. ForSite™ enables us to know where our wood is coming from and ensure that the right resources and decisions are made before the fiber enters our mill system. (See next page.)We maintain chain-of-custody certification at all mills, including certification to the FSC Controlled Wood Standard.We have developed and continue to support the largest private landowner assistance program in the U.S. to offer FSC Forest Management Certification.Because of our extensive fiber supply network and ForSite™, we can connect our forest conservation partners with private forest landowners to help make a positive on-the-ground difference in the areas that matter most.

Of the ~51M tons of fiber that International Paper purchased in 2022 (including recycled)

32% from forests managed to FSC,® PEFC™ or SFI® Forest Management standards

37% verified through ForSite™ Geographic Information System (GIS) sourcing tool and sawmill due diligence

10% from recycled fiber purchased in North America

The remaining 21% of fiber volume complies with International Paper’s Global Fiber Procurement Policy; we will continue to increase verification efforts toward our Vision 2030 goal.

About International Paper

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a global producer of planet-friendly packaging, pulp and other fiber-based products, and one of North America’s largest recyclers. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., we employ approximately 39,000 colleagues globally who are committed to creating what’s next. We serve customers worldwide, with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, North Africa and Europe. Net sales for 2022 were $21.2 billion. Additional information can be found by visiting InternationalPaper.com.

About International Paper – EMEA

In Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), International Paper focuses on the production and marketing of fiber-based packaging and pulp, employing approximately 4,200 people. As a leading supplier of high-quality corrugated containers for a multitude of applications, we serve customers throughout the region from our network of two recycled containerboard mills and 23 box plants in France, Italy, Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Pulp production is centered in Gdansk, Poland. Other products available from International Paper in the region include Kraft linerboard and recycled containerboard, as well as pulp.

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Since 2020, Ben & Jerry’s has a business model of linked prosperity. Their social mission is to work towards their goal to create positive change in the world from inside the pint out, starting with responsible sourcing and support of their suppliers. To date, Ben & Jerry’s have donated $50,000 to Whole Planet Foundation. Now, as a $25,000 Poverty is Unnecessary Fund member in 2023, they extend that support in the form of microloans to microentrepreneurs living in poverty all around the globe.

Whole Planet Foundation’s $25,000 donors believe Poverty is Unnecessary. That’s why they support our mission to empower microentrepreneurs with income-generating opportunities, like Margaret a microcredit client from Uganda. Watch the video about Margaret’s inspiring story and how you can help support our work here.

By Liz Peters

Do you hear what I hear? Are you listening?

July 18 marks the birth of R. Murray Schafer, a Canadian composer and founder of the movement of acoustic ecology, which focuses on how humans interact with and respond to the sounds in their environment. Deemed World Listening Day in 2010, it raises awareness of the importance of listening to the world around us–and a time to hear something new.

Within the WELL Building Standard, the Sound concept aims to bolster people’s health and well-being through the identification and mitigation of acoustical comfort parameters that shape our experiences in the built environment, promoting reduction of harmful or distracting noise through various building elements, surface finish treatments and enhanced noise control.

IWBI caught up recently with Ethan Bourdeau, Sound Concept Lead on our Standard Development team, to discuss the nuts and bolts of sound, how it differs from noise and the ultimate power of listening–with some inspiration to take to heart (and our ears!).

Listen

View original content here.

Corporate purpose is the reason a business exists beyond making a profit. A company with a strong corporate purpose sets forth a vision of a better world and commits to helping make that vision into a reality.

Purpose is a company’s north star. It guides decision making at every level—from product development to hiring practices and marketing strategies. In particular, an authentic purpose lends credibility to corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs.

Authenticity is essential because customers and employees expect businesses have a clear corporate purpose that they actually follow through on. Being authentic means that the ideals you commit to are a natural extension of your business mission. But that commitment isn’t enough. You also need to articulate your purpose in a way that resonates with all stakeholders–employees, customers, your community, and more. A good corporate purpose not only makes an impact, it sets an example for others to follow.

If your company doesn’t have an authentic purpose or you aren’t communicating it clearly to all your stakeholders, here’s how to sharpen your vision and message.

How to shape your corporate purpose messaging

Most companies have everything they need to create a compelling and authentic corporate purpose. But it takes work to bring all the elements together.

Step 1: Start with your “why”

Corporate purpose is the reason your business exists at all. It connects what you do to why you do it. Again, it’s not just about making a profit. It’s about how your company shapes the world. 

The concept of purpose is often used interchangeably with vision. But the two are distinct. Purpose often changes over time as the business grows or the culture shifts, while vision can hold steady in the long term.

To define your corporate purpose, start with the reason your company exists:

As a company, what problem are you solving for your customers?How do your products or services improve people’s lives?What unique point of view do you bring to the table?What kind of workplace do you aim to create for employees?

Staring with these questions will ensure that your corporate purpose stays aligned to your business mission.

If you look at CVS Health’s purpose, you can see how it connects to their products and services. Their purpose is to “bring our heart to every moment of your health.” They aim to make people’s lives better through empathy and trust, and they build their teams and processes around that.

eBay strives to “make selling and buying equitable and attainable for all.” This purpose is a natural extension of their product, which connects individual buyers and sellers. As they’ve built out their messaging around community programs and business initiatives, they consistently evoke this idea of equity and inclusivity.

Step 2: Plant your flag 

You’ve clarified how you improve your customers’ lives. Now it’s time to connect that to a broader story. You need to define the change your company wants to be in the world. This requires you to identify and commit to a set of values.

Values are principles or standards that guide decisions inside the organization. They’re often aspirational, meaningful in a larger context, and consistent with the overall company vision.

But values cannot be vague or theoretical. They need to connect to concrete actions. Employees should be able to see the thru-line of how your company’s values impact business initiatives.

For some companies, this might be baked into the business mission. For instance, Desolenator, a company that produces thermal desalination technology, can draw a clear line from the innovative product they make to the sustainable and equitable world they aim to create.

Other companies might need to do more work to create that thru-line. CarMax is the nation’s largest retailer of used cars. Their purpose is to “drive integrity by being honest and transparent in every action.” That purpose not only shapes how they do business, but also their commitment to a diverse workplace and community investment.

Incorporating values into your corporate purpose ensures that the story you craft feels authentic and connects to your company’s roots. Plus, strong values create a sense of meaning for everyone within the company. Ultimately, that’s what defines brand identity and helps to retain talent.

Step 3: Weave in your origin story

Your origin story matters. And crafting the story of how your company was born is a crucial step in defining a corporate purpose that is genuine and will resonate with others.

The path of building a business—from that first lightbulb moment to hiring a team—is an important tale. It’s often a story of struggle, hard lessons learned, and sometimes surprise challenges. Resilience is powerful.

What’s more, an origin story reveals people’s creativity and drive. Communicating a business success story humanizes the people behind it: the founders and investors, the board of directors, and the employees.

So collect key story elements: the history, what sets the company apart from competitors, and the background of the people leading the way today. Weave this origin story together with the values you’ve identified to create a narrative that resonates on a personal level.

Bringing all these elements together ensures your corporate purpose feels like natural evolution for your company. And it keeps the story from falling flat.

Dick’s Sporting Goods aims to equip all athletes to achieve their dreams. They tie that purpose to the story of Dick Stack, who started the company with $300 and a relentless work ethic. Connecting their purpose to a personal narrative helps people understand how their corporate purpose is woven into the company’s DNA, making it clear that it’s an authentic commitment, not just a PR play.

Make corporate purpose your north star

An authentic corporate purpose involves more than crafting a mission statement and then allowing it to collect dust. Corporate purpose should genuinely guide decisions across the entire company over time, whether large or small. Corporate purpose is a way of thinking and operating. It’s a north star, not a press release.

While a corporate purpose should feel aspirational, it also needs to be concrete enough for employees to actualize.

Every time employees start a new project or initiative, they should make an effort to connect what they’re doing to the corporate purpose. This practice shows the company’s commitment to putting values into action and helps everyone stay connected to the meaning behind their work.

Google‘s corporate purpose statement is a good example: “To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” This is simultaneously a big idea, yet also feels understandable. It provides direction to employees when approaching problems or new projects, guiding them towards the company’s priorities.

At Google, their purpose extends into Google.org, the philanthropic arm of the company. During the Impact Studio Conference, Jen Carter, global head of technology & volunteering at Google.org, explained how she and her team leverage the company’s core ethos in their corporate giving programs: “Google is a place that has a big appetite for risky bets. We call them moonshots. So from Google.org’s earliest days, we’ve really looked for places where we can test out new ideas and direct risk capital toward big problems.”

Corporate social responsibility is an extension of corporate purpose

Consider corporate purpose a fundamental mindset that keeps the company on the right track. It bears repeating that this is more than a statement on the website.

As important as it is for your purpose to shape internal company culture and drive business strategy, it won’t mean much if it stops there. To make your purpose meaningful, you need to engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR). CSR is how you make an impact on the community and help shape the world inside and outside of your company.

Corporate purpose should inform your overall CSR strategy, corporate philanthropy programs, and efforts around environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing. If corporate purpose is an identity, action in these areas is how you express it. Without establishing a corporate purpose first, everything related to your CSR will likely lack substance and direction.

If you have yet to develop a CSR or corporate philanthropy strategy—or if you are suddenly searching “what’s ESG!?”—we’ve got you. Start by asking these questions:

What resources can you leverage to help the local or global community?Can you offer corporate volunteering programs for employees to give back during normal work hours?What kind of giving program can you sponsor? Can you offer corporate matching for charitable donations?How can you form or strengthen partnerships with community organizations?How can you ensure sustainability in your operations?

When it comes to CSR, you don’t have to do it all right away. Try different approaches and commit to iterating and growing as you go. Be sure to find a suite of CSR software that can grow with you.

Remember, neither your corporate purpose nor your CSR programs are static. They should evolve as needs change and priorities shift. And none of this work happens in a vacuum. It’s all in conversation with the work other companies, nonprofits, community members, and public institutions are doing to make the world a better place.

Originally published by the Los Angeles Times on LATimes.com

(BPT) – Recycling is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to help the environment. Although many people understand the significance of recycling, there is still room to improve participation and recycling rates. The Carton Council, which works to increase the recycling of food and beverage cartons, has several tips to help consumers become more diligent recyclers.

1. Make a game plan: Develop a strategy for hassle-free recycling by keeping containers within easy reach in areas where recyclable packages are consumed. Know your community’s collection schedule and have enough space to store your recyclables until the designated collection day.

2. Know what to recycle and what to throw: Keep in mind that acceptable materials vary based on the recycling program and community. Turn to your community’s website to determine what can and can’t be recycled where you live.

3. Stick it to your memory: To help stick to your recycling plan, create reminders throughout your home. Try placing notes in visible locations, such as on your refrigerator or where you place your keys, to keep recycling top of mind. Make sure to note your collection day.

4. Make a difference by being a recycling influencer: Be the change you wish to see by inspiring others to recycle. Share your recycling efforts on social media and tag your local recycling program, homeowner’s association, and even the Carton Council to inspire others to join the recycling movement.

5. Don’t judge a book by its cover: Dirty, misshapen or dented packages can still be recycled. Unless the item is covered in food, such as peanut butter or melted cheese, place it in your recycling container.

6. Own your role in the power of recycling: Take pride in your efforts and recognize the positive impact your recycling makes. Without recycling, there would be no recycled materials available to create new products. For example, 30 food and beverage cartons can be recycled to produce a sustainable ceiling tile. A ton of paper made from recycled fiber conserves 7,000 gallons of water and 17-31 trees.

Recycling is an easy way everyone can play a role in helping the environment.

Not sure if food and beverage cartons can be recycled where you live? Check our address locator at RecycleCartons.com.

Our increased focus on smallholder farmers means an increase in products tailored to their needs.

The pressure to succeed falls directly on the shoulders of smallholder farmers. If a disease or pest wipes out a field of crops, their investment is a complete loss. There is limited societal or governmental support, and since these farming families often have no insurance, they absorb all the financial uncertainty. But advancements in technology are helping make farms more productive, and harvests more reliable. Learn more about some of our initiatives.

TELA Maize Partnership Project 

In Nigeria, maize is a food staple – making up a large portion of the nutrition of Nigeria’s population. However, severe drought paired with infestations by fall armyworm and stem borer pests have made conditions for growing maize incredibly difficult. This has meant significantly lower yields and income for smallholder farmers in Nigeria. And, without its staple to rely on, much of the country has become food insecure.

For years, our world-class scientists have been hard at work with external partners on a solution to end this devastating problem. And the fruit of the years of investment, development, testing and working through the regulatory process is a game-changing technology – TELA Maize. TELA Maize is genetically modified to tolerate drought and resist fall armyworm and stem borer insects.

It has recently been granted approval by the Nigerian government for evaluation and open cultivation, making it closer to becoming commercially available to Nigeria’s smallholder farmers. With the likelihood of a commercial introduction in the 2024 growing season, TELA Maize will play a major role in laying the foundations to ensure that Nigeria’s smallholder farmers are profitable and more of Nigeria’s people are food secure.

Read more about the TELA Maize Project.

Sustainable Rice Cultivation 

Rice is a staple crop for more than half the world’s population. To meet this need, 11% of cultivated land worldwide and up to 43% of the total water used for irrigation goes to irrigated rice1. Traditionally, rice fields are flooded because rice thrives when submerged, and water helps control weeds. But this conventional production is not only water-intensive, it’s also labor-, capital- and energy-intensive – and less profitable as resources become increasingly scarce.

Our plant scientists continue to pursue modern breeding methods to develop locally adapted hybrids that have higher flooding and stress tolerance. For example, our Arize® hybrid rice seed AZ 7006 is specially designed to survive even in extreme flood conditions, producing consistent yields even under unfavorable weather conditions. This helps safeguard the nutrition and livelihoods of people in countries struck by weather-related calamities like the Philippines, India and Bangladesh.

Our Rice Sustainability Initiative is helping to combat climate change. The adoption of new techniques like Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) and Alternate Wetting & Drying (AWD) is helping mitigate the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere and reduce water consumption, while giving farmers transparently priced rewards for reduced emissions.

Read more about the Sustainable Rice Project.

1Sources: Chakraborty et al. (2017); Rice Knowledge Bank (revised 2020)

Vegtable Seeds

For smallholder farmers, producing quality vegetables, reliably, on less than two hectares of land, is difficult considering the limited resources and lack of cohesive infrastructure to deliver fresh produce to market. We are strongly committed to providing solutions that mitigate the risks for vegetable smallholder farmers and increase their productivity and income while helping them to become more resilient to climate change. The Huntington Sweet Pepper variety is an example that performs well in both low temperatures (5 ⁰C) and high temperatures (40⁰C) – making it a perfect tool to support smallholder farmers in India.

We are also working to give smallholder farmers access to innovative vegetable seeds that are tailored for their specific needs, support diverse food systems and provide essential nutrients. This includes new breeding programs in crops that play a critical role in smallholder communities such as okra and bitter gourd.

Besides access to inputs, we focus on providing access to know-how and have launched the Knowledge Transfer Initiative (KTI), a digital platform that provides tools to help smallholder farmers improve their agronomic practices to grow healthy and nutritious vegetables for their communities. The KTI platform houses agronomic management information relating to all aspects of vegetable production from land preparation and in-season crop management to harvest and post-harvest best management practices.

Read more on Smallholders and Vegetable Seeds.

View original content here.

Originally published by TriplePundit

“Ancient wisdom meets futuristic technology” sounds like the concept for a new Hollywood blockbuster. But it’s the here-and-now direction of sustainable agriculture, supporting not only the planet and its people, but also the profitability of every entity in the food production chain —from farmers to agribusinesses to brands in the consumer goods industry.

Thousands of years ago, civilizations leveraged cyclical flooding for irrigation, let the land “rest” (lay fallow) every seventh year, and used terraced farming to produce food sustainably for their people, as well as external trade and philanthropic support of the poor. In modern times, this wisdom of the ages took a back seat to mechanization and industrialization — with short-term positive output effects and long-term catastrophic ones, such as the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

Over the last several decades, that same windswept stretch of country — Kansas, parts of Oklahoma and Colorado — has been among the regions reaping the benefits of sustainable agriculture, as are the companies reliant on farm products. Crop rotation, improved tillage and threshing techniques, as well as water-scarcity management advancements, make for better soil health and greater yield.

At the same time, climate change presents new challenges, such as water scarcity and increasingly severe and frequent extreme weather events. The good news is: Every region and every stakeholder in the agrarian economic system has an opportunity to be part of the global solution.

Environmental and economic solutions come together

Starting in 2013 and now operating in 14 countries, Indigo Ag set out to help the agriculture industry improve sustainability and profitability through the combination of science and technology — first with the use of microbes to improve soil and plant resiliency and soon adding project development and impact quantification of regenerative farming practices.

Indigo Ag’s Market+ Source program in particular links up farmers, agribusinesses, and food and apparel companies to source sustainable crops and quantify impact throughout the entire supply chain.

For corporations, this program enables them to score a win in improving the accuracy of their carbon footprints and in making progress toward their climate targets; and it does so while aligning to standards such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP) and Science Based Target initiative (SBTi). Market+ Source captures the measurements corporations need to support their Scope 3 claims for marketing, investment decision-making, and evolving industry standards, while supporting farmers to employ and scale the use of the practices that deliver these results.

Meeting any of these standards is a lot like detangling a fishing line: A company has to trace and document its suppliers’ practices and quantify what emissions are reduced. In agriculture, data science and technology are must-haves to accomplish this feat.

Rigorous data science, resourceful diplomacy

Jyoti Shankar, a principal data scientist at Indigo Ag, spoke with TriplePundit about both sides of the sustainable agriculture “adventure.” One is the complex data process, and the other is the human side of bringing related but separate types of companies and people together to collaborate.

On the data side, Indigo Ag avails itself of remote sensing data like satellite capture, as well as passive sensors and soil samples at farm sites, transaction and market data from various sources, and field experiments. Shankar analyzes and models the data to project the beneficial good of what is happening in the field, along the way looking for inconsistencies and missing data, so a love of sleuthing comes in handy. The data and analyses have to be scrupulously accurate to give multi-billion dollar global consumer brands the level of confidence required for use in Scope 3 emissions accounting, as Indigo Ag has been doing since 2019.

“We can simulate scenarios of potential regenerative farming practices or combinations of practices for farmers in our programs,” Shankar said. “Our goal is to determine the realistic impact of encouraging farmers to adopt more practices each year and/or increase their acreage of these practices. By managing the portfolio of practices adopted by farmers within our program, we can shape it to effectively reduce emissions and water used per unit of crop produced.”

The detective work is also needed when data comes from agribusinesses that still use manual or outdated technical systems, but it has to be coupled with a respect for the small companies that have vital information. Indigo strives for collaboration with such firms, becoming a technology provider to support their way of doing business, Shankar said.

“Scope 3 programs cannot succeed without the partnership of many supply chain partners. It’s a very fragmented industry, and the data is non-trivial,” she told us. “They are folks who have been in it for a long time, who have survived the longest with the least amount of margins.

How consumer brands benefit from sustainable agriculture

With consumers now highly tuned in to climate change and other environmental issues, many have demonstrated that their purchasing dollars will go to the brands that prove their commitment to sustainability through best practices. Increasingly, investors are seeking the same. Meanwhile, extreme weather and natural resource scarcity threaten the long-term viability of agricultural supply chains — making a clear business case for companies to push climate solutions forward. Therefore, data science and technology have a central role in providing that proof.

Post Holdings, known for its iconic cereal, snack and pet food brands, works with Indigo to quantify the climate impact of the sustainably grown wheat used in Airly crackers, a brand devoted to removing greenhouse gases. Airly is able to post its carbon reduction numbers on its website, thanks to the data Indigo provides.

“What we’ve seen is a real hunger from our growers for, ‘What else can I do?’” said Jennifer McKnight, Airly’s chief marketing officer. “With Indigo Ag, we’ve been bringing together world-leading scientists directly with the farmers to help answer that question. Every single year, we’re getting better. The growers are learning from the scientists, the scientists are learning from the growers, and it creates that virtuous loop.”

McKnight’s last comment captures a sentiment numerous members of Indigo Ag’s team voiced as well: The partnership with farmers and agribusinesses is crucial.

What “tinkering” can teach us about sustainability

Shankar gets animated when talking about what Indigo Ag’s data scientists learned about sustainable approaches out in Kansas fields. While Indigo Ag has a set of practices that are part of its programs, the company runs trials and pilots in partnership with farmers and various corporate brands. The successful ones become candidates for the toolbox.

Jeff Murphy, whose family has been farming in southeastern Kansas since the late 1800s, started a transition to manage the farm after graduating from Kansas State in 2015. With his management comes an interest in farming more economically while building soil health and stewarding the land. Currently 90 percent of the farm’s acres of corn, beans, soybeans, wheat, and cattle are raised with practices such as reduced tillage and cover crops — two core regenerative approaches that deliver positive environmental impact.

“I really want to reduce the input costs to increase profitability, as well as improve our soil and leave the land better than I found it for future generations,” Murphy said. Last year, he experimented with a field where he applied no herbicide. “If there is a way that we could get away from these chemicals, I think it would be good for everybody.”

All of Murphy’s land is dryland — meaning they do not irrigate — which can be challenging in a region that has suffered drought conditions in recent years.

To gain the benefits of natural weed suppression and increased water retention, Murphy began using cover crops three years ago on just 30 acres. He now has cover crops across 75 percent of his acres.

“The main thing I can say is, we had crops to harvest. A lot of my neighbors had zero. They had no moisture left and couldn’t plant at all,” Murphy said.

Less tillage, more cover crops, fewer chemicals or lesser quantities of them — all of these translate to fewer carbon emissions and greater water conservation. Further, such natural methodologies can encourage the return of native wildlife species to revive ecosystems.

“What we notice with farmers like Jeff is that they’re constantly experimenting,” Shankar said. “He’s not playing with his livelihood. He’s a businessman. But he’s also tinkering. That tinkering is what we have to dial into.”

The data capture and analysis Indigo Ag conducts, along with its multi-pronged approach to assisting the sustainable agriculture supply chain, means less risk and greater resilience for farmers, agribusinesses, corporate brands, hungry people and animals, and a planet in need of climate relief from all quarters.

Based on these possibilities, the next “Field of Dreams” may be an entirely different movie.

Learn more from Indigo Ag about the progress being made to make agriculture more sustainable for people and the planet.

This article series is sponsored by Indigo Ag and produced by the TriplePundit editorial team.

Image credit: Adobe Stock

In a world where leaders are defined by their actions, Trane Technologies’ engineering leader Ricardo Ramirez selflessly serves his community, making a positive difference through his dedicated efforts. Whether participating in environmental clean-up initiatives, constructing homes for families, or mentoring young students, Ricardo continuously seeks opportunities to uplift his community and inspire others. He recently teamed up with university students and Trane Technologies volunteers to provide a fun and engaging robotics lesson to students at a local elementary school.

Trane Technologies’ vision of a sustainable future means having an uplifting and positive impact on people and society. We’re paving the way with our corporate citizenship strategy, Sustainable Futures, focusing on a generation of learners with the potential to transform our way of life and our world.

The three pillars of Sustainable Futures strategy are focused on uplifting and engaging students from underrepresented communities throughout their educational journeys:

Enhance Learning Environments by providing access to healthy indoor air and food.Accelerate Student Success with the early introduction of STEM and sustainability concepts.Open Career Pathways by providing experiences that support entry into STEM and sustainability careers.

We’re also uplifting our culture and communities through, Opportunity for All, an inclusive approach and a focus on education and career development for everyone and part of our 2030 Sustainability Commitments. Opportunity for All seeks to create a workforce reflective of its community and gender parity in senior leadership, in addition to uplifting communities through STEM learning.

As we close the fiscal year, it’s time to reflect upon the numerous challenges that Lenovo and the entire ICT companies have been managing, and the solid execution results and strategic breakthroughs we have delivered despite the tough market and all the uncertainties in the macro context.

Broadly speaking, global businesses were operating in a high inflation, high interest rate environment with exchange rate fluctuation and geopolitical tensions. For our industry, the past fiscal year also marked a turning point from a fast expansion period to a postpandemic, post hypergrowth era. It was a test not only for a company’s operational resilience to navigate a challenging time, but also for its strategic foresights to emerge out of this period stronger than ever, ready to win for the future.

Delivering Solid Results with Diversified Engines and Operational Excellence

I’d like to report that Lenovo delivered the most solid results we could reasonably hope for amid the ICT industry contraction phase in the past fiscal year.

Despite the broad market decline, we maintained a strong net margin comparable with the previous year and remain committed to doubling it in the medium term. This is a remarkable achievement. Our operational excellence keeps purchasing cost low with our global scale, ensures high productivity through inhouse manufacturing, turns inventory into cash fast through strong channel partnerships, and keeps a high efficiency of the entire company through strong expense management.

Our diversified engines in solutions, services and infrastructure demonstrated strong momentum and achieved hypergrowth in the past fiscal year. They not only helped offset the PC market decline, but also told a stellar growth story in themselves. Solutions and Services Group (SSG) continued to deliver double-digit growth with over 20% operating margin. Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) grew over 30% year on year at significant premium to market. As a result, we have dramatically increased the percentage of non-PC business in our revenue mix, which marks an important milestone in our transformation from a device or hardware company to a solution and service company.

And in PC market, the consumer demand for smart devices has been accelerating over the last three years, leading to channel overstock and then inventory correction. As a result, the PC shipments of the entire industry, including Lenovo, declined year on year, especially during the second half of the fiscal year. But Lenovo still outperformed the PC market in shipment and maintained our leadership position and industry leading profitability.

We believe the PC shipment has nearly bottomed by now, based on the activation number which reflects the real demand, as well as the channel inventory level, which has almost returned to the pre-pandemic level. From this point, the PC market is about to resume its year-on-year growth, as early as the second half of 2023. And Lenovo is ready to capture that growth from a position of strengths.

Enhancing Competitiveness to Capture Future Opportunities

As we enter the post-pandemic, post hypergrowth phase of our industry cycle, I believe our hard work over the past three years has elevated Lenovo to a new height not only in revenue, profitability and cash position, but also in our strategic direction. Going forward, we will continue to focus on the following areas.

First, we will accelerate our journey from a device or hardware company to a solution and service company. It all starts with providing total solutions to customers to solve industry specific pain points. And in this process, we will leverage our TruScale brand to boost Lenovo’s presence in the highly promising aaS market. Meanwhile, we will build more horizontal solutions including digital workplace, edge/AI, hybrid cloud, TruScale and sustainability solutions and embed them into vertical industries. Ultimately, these efforts will help steadily increase the percentage of solutions and services in our overall revenue mix.

Second, we will keep driving our investment in New IT. Lenovo has been the first one in the industry to define our vision of New IT, the technology architecture that includes client devices, edge computing, cloud computing, network and artificial intelligence. It differentiates from traditional IT which features on-prem data center and applications. Going forward, we are committed to doubling our R&D investment around New IT in medium term. Today, one in every five of Lenovo employees works in R&D or innovation, and we continue to bring innovative technology, products and solutions to the market, including rollable PC, Yoga Book 9i, ThinkPhone, ThinkReality VRX, extreme performance ThinkStation, new generation ThinkSystem, ThinkAgile, ThinkEdge, as well as smart space solutions such as ThinkSmart One, all launched last year, and many more in our pipeline.

Third, we will continue to leverage and optimize our unique “Global Sourcing, Local Delivery” model. Globally, we have access to advantageous resources, attract talent and build partnerships. And locally, we stay agile and flexible to serve customers’ needs. In supply chain, our global scale helps us secure key components. In manufacturing, we have our own factories to ensure capacity and uninterrupted supplies. In marketing, we use a “Global Might Local Fight” approach to build Lenovo’s global brand equity while generating local influence and demand in key markets. This is a strong core competency that Lenovo has built over years and will continue to make a big difference in the future.

And finally, we will maximize the advantages of One Lenovo. Today, customers need not just products but total solutions. Lenovo has all the pieces, including devices, infrastructure, solutions and services to serve their needs. And we will continue to leverage our existing platform and processes, build on our existing core competencies to grow adjacent business. The capabilities we’ve built with our core business are now the best soil that nurtures our new, diversified growth businesses. As One Lenovo, we are sharing the same vision, executing the same strategy, operating on the same platform, and building the same culture, in every business, every region, and every team.

Building a Smarter Future for All

Our solid results and clear strategic directions have prepared us well to navigate the current market headwinds, a challenging economy and numerous macro uncertainties. I firmly believe in the long-term opportunities driven by global digital and intelligent transformation. It is our strategic foresights and operational resilience that will help us transcend the industry cycle more smoothly than competition.

Beyond business success, our ultimate goal is to use technology to help solve humanity’s greatest challenges. We have made important progress including having our net-zero target by 2050 validated by Science Based Target initiative (SBTi). It’s our commitment that everything we do must serve the purpose of making life better, work more productive, society more equitable and inclusive, and our planet more sustainable.

To that end, let’s make the new fiscal year a new chapter in our journey of building a smarter future for all.

-YY

Read Lenovo’s Full Annual Report: click here