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Schneider Electric

The demand for metals and minerals is increasing as they become vital to constructing renewable generation sources. Here’s how we can improve resource utilization, while increasing profits.

By Juan Manuel Pardal

How global metals and mining can trim GHG emissions while boosting throughput and profits

Metals and minerals are the backbones of our renewable energy transition, and their demand is increasing. They are vital to constructing renewable generation sources like solar panels and wind turbines and crucial ingredients in energy storage mediums such as the batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs).

Projections indicate that demand for key minerals and metals will expand exponentially with the continued development of renewable energy technologies. And it’s not only exotic metals like lithium or rare earth elements (REEs) experiencing supercharged demand, even common metals such as copper and aluminum have an outsized role to play in the renewable energy journey. As such, it is impossible to overstate how important the Mining, Minerals, and Metals industry will be in helping countries worldwide achieve their net-zero goals.

Download the Frost & Sullivan report: “A New Age for Metals and Minerals Processing”

Pressure on the industry to supply much-needed raw materials to support surging clean energy markets is only forecast to grow. Frost & Sullivan’s research estimates that annual investments in renewable energy for North America will more than double over the decade, rising from $28 billion in 2021 to more than $58 billion by 2030. The company also predicts that yearly global investments in renewable energy sources will rise to $500 billion in the same period. These supplies include wind, solar, geothermal, and sustainable bioenergy, with solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind dominating the mix.

The metal-intensive, net-zero economy is a climate paradox

It is estimated that the sector currently contributes as much as 7% of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. But the same clean energy forces that today are boosting the demand for metals are simultaneously challenging the industry to transition to cleaner technologies and develop climate strategies while reducing its CO2 footprint.

This critical mass of economic, environmental, and regulatory pressures motivates industry players to investigate options for increasing operational sustainability specially when demand for metals skyrockets, extraction becomes increasingly difficult, expensive, resource-intensive, and polluting as the most concentrated resources are mined, and ore quality deteriorates.

Delay is not a sound business strategy, as organizations that fail to establish a plan to achieve GHG reduction and efficiency benchmarks could see their social license and future value severely impacted.

Efficient, sustainable, and profitable mining operations start with improved resource utilization

Becoming a sustainable organization often involves developing fully integrated operational strategies to create a robust, resilient business. Still, many organizations are unsure of what specific investments to make or where to start. Improving resource utilization to decrease their environmental footprint is an excellent place to start. Specific initiatives should include:

Reducing energy intensity and GHG emissions – with the metal industry constituting up to 12% of global industrial sector energy use, largely from high carbon sources, significant emissions result from energy-intensive mining and processing activities. Meaningful reductions can be achieved by using renewable energy sources wherever possible, upgrading to more efficient equipment, and accelerating digital/smart plant initiatives with low-cost, high-functionality sensors and analytics software better to control the mine and processing plant’s operational efficiency.Cutting water use and pollution – mining often requires large volumes of water to sustain operations, causing water depletion and pollution. Deploying tools and technologies that further conserve, reuse, and improve treatment regimens can reduce water and energy use.Lowering waste, contamination, and air pollution – more efficient/effective plant processes can substantially trim air and land pollution from particulate and gaseous emissions.

The business case for improving resource utilization is clear, but positive action can also mitigate a major risk – maintaining their license to operate (LTO). Transcending simply the legal right to operate, LTO includes the acceptance of business practices by every stakeholder in the value chain partners and financial, governmental, and public partners.

How to reduce emissions and grow profits while creating business and operational resilience

Research from Frost & Sullivan reveals that a digital revolution is required to improve resource utilization and power the next generation of metals and minerals processing. In their report “A New Age for Metals and Minerals Processing,” they suggest that within a decade, the industry’s digital transformation could reduce carbon emissions by more than 600 million tons while increasing profits by 9%, adding more than $320 billion in industry value. However, even though the metals and mining industry is increasingly adopting sensors and tracking equipment to optimize assets, measure and improve performance, and reduce risks, it still lags behind many others. It is at least 30% less “digitally mature.”

One proposed solution is to springboard MMM sustainability to pending, must-have levels with input from advanced process automation tools such as distributed control systems (DCS) combined with optimization applications and by moving to a digitalized “system of systems,” known as Unified Operations. Enabling this end-to-end visibility, planning, workforce management, predictive maintenance, and scheduling in mining operations will empower organizations to significantly increase efficiencies, reduce errors, and improve profits from the mine to the plant and through distribution.

Chose a partner with a record of success and growth

Using unified digital solutions to optimize an organization’s processes can yield higher throughputs and reduce costs, improving revenues and profits. The report affirms that partnering with an advanced DCS provider is vital to attaining those improvements while realizing the following benefits:

Improved LTO, ESG, and attained business goals – by developing advanced control strategies, advanced DCS providers can help organizations monitor real-time GHG emissions, identify process improvements to reduce emissions, energy, and water use, and attain greater productivity from existing equipment.Expanded collaboration and best practices – a cutting-edge DCS provider can leverage expertise from across the industry, with regulators and research organizations, to promote and improve the advantages of open standards, technological breakthroughs, and cybersecurity advances, as well as integrate best practices from complementary sectors and cross-industry organizations with similar goals, such as UniversalAutomation.org.Superior workforce management and safety – by helping optimize skillsets and resources and combining control strategies and operations, a leading DCS provider can enable proper control in changing environments, thereby speeding workplace safety, alerts, and productivity improvements.

Sustainability through technical innovation

Digital and automation technologies are currently available to help organizations across the sector meet increasing metal demand and achieve expanding sustainability goals. “A New Age for Metals and Minerals Processing” examines in detail the critical juncture the metals and mining are at today and how the renewable energy revolution, together with intelligent, data-driven solutions, will create resilient and sustainable industry players in the decades ahead, download it here.

Originally published in Owens Corning’s 2022 Sustainability Report

As part of the Gold Award-winning team in Taloja, India, Prasad Bodas has brought his passion for energy conservation to Owens Corning, and he has been instrumental in helping the facility achieve its aspirations for energy reduction. After spending four years at our facility in Liversedge, U.K., Prasad returned to Taloja to serve as an energy leader at the plant. In addition to ensuring that his facility is using energy efficiently, Prasad also encourages people to take steps to reduce energy at home as well — by setting refrigerators to 5° C and air conditioners to 24° C, people everywhere can make a real difference. Prasad has a great deal to share about the Taloja team’s progress, as well as the innovative ways that Owens Corning is driving energy efficiency.

”To be sustainable, we need to reduce energy consumption to improve our productivity and save our lovely planet.“

On what sets Owens Corning apart in energy conservation

We have formed a team of nearly 50 people from different departments. We conduct meetings every month and give updates on our progress. People float their ideas for energy conservation, and we take action initially on low-hanging fruits. For bigger projects, we can apply for capital expenditure (CapEx) funding. That is something that is unique about Owens Corning’s approach to energy. We offer team members freedom of expression, and we allow for the global sharing of ideas, which we can adapt as necessary.

On the ways that Taloja implements their energy strategies 

Owens Corning believes in reducing energy consumption by operationalizing many innovative ideas. As energy covers nearly 25% to 30% of manufacturing cost, any reduction in energy consumption can help our plant reduce manufacturing costs and improve productivity. We sponsor a number of events throughout the year that help us stay systematically focused on energy conservation. The energy contest is one example, and we also host an Energy Week event that uses quizzes and idea-generation discussions to raise awareness of energy issues throughout the plant. On a day-to-day basis, we conduct a lot of Kaizens, in which we look for opportunities to achieve continuous improvement in our energy use.

On energy projects that are having a real impact

As a team, we have conducted many low-cost and no-cost projects. Another very important project involves recovering waste heat from three of our furnace stacks. Waste heat here is recovered in the form of hot air, which is taken to the drying ovens. This project has enabled us to drastically reduce the amount of energy required to operate the drying ovens, and it will lead to substantial savings as well. As we look ahead, we recognize that for every construction of a new melter — or a rebuild of an old one — we must have a waste heat recovery project consideration, so that we can begin realizing energy savings from the word “go.”

Read more

Originally published in Henkel’s Sustainability Report 2022

We draw on our value-oriented corporate culture and our scientific and technological expertise to strengthen our performance while maintaining our integrity. We deliver safe and best-in-class product and technology solutions to our customers and consumers. We integrate sustainability in our portfolio and in our business processes, and provide transparent reporting on this to our stakeholders.

Performance

With our wide-ranging product solutions and technologies, we aim to support the economic, environmental and social transformation and drive it forward together with our partners. This will make it possible for us to contribute effectively to sustainable development both locally and globally, and to shape our business responsibly while increasing our economic success. In order to achieve this, we must offer our customers and consumers reliable, best-in-class product quality and safety.

It is our continuous ambition that each new product contributes to sustainability. We also intend to provide our customers and consumers with a comprehensive sustainability profile of our products by 2025. We aim to measure sustainable transformation with respect to both our product portfolio and our company. Our target for 2030 for the entire company is to triple the value we create for the environmental footprint made by our operations, products and services (compared to the base year 2010). We call this target to become three times more efficient “Factor 3.” The increase in efficiency results from the ratio of sales volume relative to the environmental footprint per production volume. The three dimensions of environmental footprint, CO2 emissions, waste and water, are equally weighted. In 2022, we increased revenue per sales volume by 30 percent compared to our base year of 2010. This development was strongly influenced by portfolio changes and price increases. In addition, compared to our base year of 2010, we reduced CO2 emissions by 55 percent per ton of product, used 25 percent less water and generated 43 percent less production waste. On average, we were able to reduce the environmental footprint across these three dimensions by 41 percent. The increase in efficiency totaled 121 percent in 2022.

A high degree of innovativeness is essential for sustainable and efficient transformation, which is why criteria for → assessing the sustainability of our products are systematically anchored in our innovation process. In 2022, we employed an average of around 2,700 people in research and development, and invested 543 million euros (adjusted operating profit) in these activities.

It is both our obligation and our commitment to ensure that our products are safe for people and the environment. This reflects our commitment to operating our business in an ethically and legally appropriate manner, which is crucial to fostering and maintaining trust in our products. We conduct comprehensive risk analyses and tests to ensure compliance with external requirements and our internal standards worldwide.

Transparency

Transparency is essential for assessing responsible action and sustainability performance. This applies both inside and outside the company. Business partners and consumers, as well as investors and the financial market, are increasingly interested in products and solutions that are sustainabilityoriented, and they attach more and more importance to understanding the impact of our activities along the value chain. International developments in sustainable finance and legislation are further strengthening the drive for greater transparency.

At the same time, it is crucial for us to be able to assess and manage our own sustainability and to measure the progress that we make toward our targets across the entire company and our value chain. To this end, we are driving digital solutions and drawing on cross-business unit and cross-functional collaboration and external partnerships worldwide. This strengthens our information base and builds necessary confidence in our sustainability performance. Our aspiration is to further integrate sustainability into our business governance, processes and policies while promoting transparent reporting, compliance with disclosure requirements and engagement.

The assessment and recognition of our performance by independent sustainability experts also creates transparency. As investors and customers increasingly focus on ESG, this is also reflected in the importance of these external assessments. Our participation in recognized ratings and rankings and our inclusion in numerous sustainability indices enable us to meet these information requirements.

Collaboration

Sustainable development requires a commitment to action, as well as cooperation with effective partners. The interlinking of different perspectives is an especially good basis for embracing the complex and globally interlinked context of sustainability. This is how specialized knowledge and resources can be effectively combined to drive transformational change. We understand collaboration to mean adopting responsible business practices and acting sustainably in partnership along the entire value chain.

Accordingly, we use a responsible sourcing approach to take a comprehensive view of sustainability aspects along our supply chains, including cooperation with our suppliers. Just as important is the cooperation with our customers. With our solutions, we aim to create the greatest possible value for our industry customers and business partners and drive sustainability in the focus areas of climate, the circular economy and safety. We also believe it is important to work closely with our retail partners to promote sustainable and resource-efficient consumption.

We are committed to engaging in active dialogue with our stakeholders. We are involved in initiatives worldwide together with industry representatives and civil society players, and participate in political and social discussions. This networking helps us make a more holistic assessment of impacts on the economy, the environment and society, and to develop joint systemic solutions.

Learn more in Henkel’s Sustainability Report 2022

Acre’s purpose is to create systemic change for our planet and society by activating people’s potential. Our two decades of sustainability-focused executive search and recruitment means that, in our efforts to live this purpose, we’ve built an expansive global network of people united by one common purpose: to build a more sustainable future for generations to come.

From time to time, we gather this network together to share challenges, knowledge and successes; after all, sustainable change cannot happen in isolation. But as a B-Corp ourselves, and a group of people with a passion for sustainability, we strive to ensure that when we do get together, the planet doesn’t suffer for it.

What we’ve learned along the way is that there’s no perfect formula – yet – but that doesn’t mean you can’t do things as sustainably as possible. Everything from the food you serve and the drinks you sip, to the nametags you wear and the decorations you use can still be good for the environment.

So, over the coming months, we’ll be sharing some of our favourite tips and tricks by spotlighting the partners and suppliers that make our sustainable event dreams come true.

And, in light of today being World Environment Day, what better way to start than by spotlighting some of the sustainable materials that allow us to maintain a high-quality event in an environmentally-friendly way.

How did we do this?

Back in March, we held our 6th Sustainable Drinks Fundraiser at London’s iconic Sky Garden – an event that is near and dear to our hearts. In support of Ocean Generation, the event provides an evening of sustainable drinks and canapés, alongside discussions about the challenges and opportunities associated with sustainability within the food and beverage industry.

A challenge we’ve always had in the past, is how to provide standard event materials – like nametags and lanyards – without having a room full of single-use plastic.

This year, we had the pleasure of partnering with Notpla to ensure that this wasn’t the case.

Who is Notpla?

Notpla is on a mission to make packaging disappear. The powerful startup used its innovations to disrupt the packaging industry and influence industry leaders to act against the climate crisis, as human activity generates more mountains of plastic pollution.

Last year, Notpla won the prestigious ‘Build a Waste Free World’ Earthshot Prize, founded by Prince William, for ground-breaking efforts to eliminate waste. With 6.3bn tonnes of untreated plastic waste polluting our land and sea, the team believes the future lies in seaweed as an alternative to plastic and has designed a line of products to support this.

Why did we partner with them?

Acre has had a long-standing search and recruitment partnership with Notpla. Not only is the team a group of purpose-driven professionals whose values align closely with ours, but their seaweed paper also added a valuable alternative to wasteful nametags and menus at our event. The paper, made from the company’s seaweed by-products from industrial processing, helps build a circular economy with very little waste (if any) and this level of innovation is a key industry disruptor which we hope will be an inspiration to other firms.

Beyond this, our guests also had the pleasure of trying their waste-free, edible cocktails throughout the night. Encased in an edible seaweed capsule, Notpla’s Oohos were the perfect replacement for single-use plastic cups and bottles. Guests simply popped one in their mouth and enjoyed the burst of flavour – pun intended.

Why are materials like this so important for events?​

Even when hosting networking events, we pride ourselves on ensuring that, wherever possible, every element aligns with our purpose.

Therefore, it would be remiss of us to host a sustainable drinks event that didn’t encapsulate sustainable branding materials and refreshments. Entertaining a gathering of passionate sustainability leaders gave us the opportunity to showcase some of the great innovations out there, which can replace single-use plastic for a more positive impact, while underpinning our belief that hosting an event shouldn’t cost the earth.

All of this inspiration is brought to you on World Environment Day which reminds the global population that people’s actions matter when it comes to plastic pollution, with tens of millions of people expected to take part.

Policies such as plastic bag bans, innovative solutions to combat single-use packaging, and allocated finances for sustainability has accelerated the journey for change with the collective backing of a global agreement to end plastic pollution.

Under the hashtag #BeatPlasticPollution, World Environment Day 2023 provides an opportunity to further urge governments, cities and businesses to invest in and implement solutions to end plastic pollution.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the day has become one of the largest global platforms for environmental outreach – how will your business support World Environment Day today?

At Acre, we work with the most aspirational businesses with potential to make real change; from those who are just starting out to those who are well on the journey to crafting a legacy.

Our 18 years’ experience in sustainability recruitment, combined with our extensive global network, enables us to provide talent solutions that are designed to deliver this change.

Through our unique behavioural assessment technology, we understand the types of people, skills and behaviours required to create impact. We can develop these qualities within your existing teams too.

 We find talented people and develop their skills to ensure they make a true impact in ambitious, progressive organisations.

Acre. Making companies ready for tomorrow.

Each year, Covia sites participate in a company-wide Safety Day. Held annually in September, this program supports our aspirational goal of achieving zero harm and increases awareness and knowledge of safety practices among our employees. Each site chooses the activities that are most relevant to their operation with an additional focus on key risks known across the company.

In 2022, the theme was “Hazard Recognition,” and we provided educational sessions and additional resources to empower our Team Members to reduce the risk of hazard-related injuries and illnesses. All Covia locations were required to participate, and we worked with our operations facilities to extend their Safety Day activities over multiple days to ensure maximum participation. According to VP of Safety & Health, Andy O’Brien “Safety Day provides an opportunity for all Covia operations to suspend operations and refocus Team Member attention on our key safety principles.”

In conjunction with World Health Day on April 7th, our Monterrey, Nuevo León, location held an office-wide health fair, providing guidance and support on key health topics such as nutrition, eyecare, and mental health. Additionally, Team Members were given the opportunity to complete a variety of health assessments and receive select vaccines, underscoring the importance of Team Member safety and health, as well as safeguarding overall well-being.

Protecting the safety, health, and well-being of our Team Members around the world is of utmost importance. Click for more information about how Covia ensures the Safety and Health of our Team Members.

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) opened the doors to Planet Textiles at the Fiera Milano Rho exhibition center from June 12 – 13, welcoming attendees to the 2023 edition of the event, which was being hosted at this year’s Textile & Garment Technology Exhibition (ITMA 2023), the world’s largest international textile and garment technology exhibition. Under the theme, Future-Proofing Global Supply Chains, the event took place over two days and brought together over 200 delegates to network with industry peers and share learnings and best practices on how collective action can help accelerate industry transformation and future-proof global supply chains.

SAC CEO, Amina Razvi, began her welcome address by asserting the importance of collaboration in creating transformational change within the textile and apparel industry. Reflecting on the recent reports by climate scientists, warning that our world’s temperature could surpass the critical threshold of 1.5°C degrees for the very first time this year, Razvi highlighted the importance of future-proofing as the key to the well-being of millions of workers, their communities, consumers, and, above all, the planet we all rely on.

“Each and every one of us here today understands the complex and interlinked challenges before us. We share a steadfast commitment to fostering collective action, instigating change, and driving progress. So let’s seize the opportunity before us to create a more responsible, equitable, and just industry. By harnessing our collective vision, problem-solving abilities, and collaborative spirit, I am confident in our capacity to have a significant impact. I believe we can because I witness it every day within the SAC community,” Razvi said.

Razvi closed off her address with a call to action to attendees to join the SAC and support its initiatives and partners working to drive positive change and create a global industry that gives more than it takes – to people and the planet.

Zubeida Zwavel, Executive Director, Centre for African Resource Efficiency and Sustainability delivered the keynote addresses for day one of the conference. Andrea Rosso, Diesel Sustainability Ambassador, Diesel SPA and Kim van der Weerd, freelance consultant and host of the podcast Manufactured, delivered the keynote addresses for day two of the conference, respectively.

Zwavel shared how her experience growing up in Cape Malay, South Africa, working in her family-owned factory, influenced her journey into the field of sustainability. She highlighted the various projects she has been involved in, including working with the municipality in Hammarsdale on resource efficiency and waste minimization projects to reduce wastewater pollution from textile industries, and an eco-labeling project with the United Nations Environmental Programme among others. She highlighted the importance of building real partnerships and how, if we are to achieve the targets we’ve set, we must ensure key knowledge transfer, empowerment and, most importantly, compassion.

Rosso shared key aspects of Diesel’s responsible living strategy, lower impact material and circularity. On circularity, he highlighted the criteria established for each product, supplier and technology that the company follows in order to label their products with the responsible living tag. He stressed the importance of having standards across different stages of production – trim, fabric, fiber, treatment, etc – to empowering an organization’s requirement of the same of its suppliers before a final product comes in. He shared Diesel’s various innovative approaches to creating its products and projects such as Rehab Denim, as well as a pilot project with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Van der Weerd’s keynote focused on the need to establish common ground to drive effective decarbonization efforts. She called for all stakeholders to collaborate deeply and with empathy to drive change across the industry.

Navigating the Legislation Landscape

Addressing legislation and its impact on the footwear and apparel sector, Baptiste Carriere-Pradal opened the panel discussion by providing an overview of the current landscape, upcoming regulations and potential impacts for companies and how they can prepare for them.

Maxine Bédat, Director, New Standard Institute weighed in on upcoming legislation from the USA, specifically the New York Fashion Act, stating that feedback from various stakeholders has been instrumental in ensuring the policy developed is implementable. She highlighted how the Act has taken into consideration the fact that companies need time to make the necessary investments in readiness for its implementation. She went on to add that legislators are keeping track of developments in the EU to ensure it aligns as needed, avoiding a patchwork approach in its development.

Ilishio Lovejoy, General Manager, ESG, Simple Approach, shared the important role legislation has to play and the opportunity it offers to level the playing field. Speaking on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, she highlighted some of the challenges the industry is facing in implementing it because of a lack of clear understanding of the requirements and how to meet them as a new law and the various ways it can be interpreted.

SAC’s Senior Director of Public Affairs Elisabeth von Reitzenstein took to the stage moderating a panel that sought to take a deeper dive into the European Union (EU) proposed directive on substantiating green claims. Starting off by highlighting the purpose of the directive, she shared how it is intertwined with existing pieces of legislation and ongoing discussions around it in the European Union parliament and Council of the European Union, particularly on the need for a common methodology to ensure harmonization of legislation in the EU, and the opportunity to complete it before the European elections, slated for next year.

Jia Liu, Global Sustainability Director, TÜV Rheinland Group shared her perspective on the proposed directive as a certification testing company, highlighting one of the requirements of the directive will be that all claims be backed by a methodology based on scientific evidence and to ensure that everything claimed is based on a life cycle approach.

Jeremy Lardeau, Vice President, Higg Index, Sustainable Apparel Coalition called for companies to get ready for upcoming legislation and take the initiative to engage with relevant stakeholders and to understand the requirements such as preparing to understand and have better product and style level data. He also called for more recognition for companies taking the lead in investing in better sustainability performance practices.

Accelerating Action on Greenhouse Gas Reduction

This year’s Planet Textiles conference also featured a number of sessions focused on collective action towards tackling climate change. Jeremy Levin, Senior Energy Specialist, Global Thematic Lead, IFC Global Manufacturing; Kurt Kipka, Chief Impact Officer, Apparel Impact Institute; and Shuvajit Mandal, Advisor and Country Manager, GIZ joined Joyce Tsoi, SAC’s Director, Collective Action Programs, to discuss the industry’s progress towards decarbonization, challenges and opportunities to accelerate action.

Kipka highlighted the importance of accelerating action in a concerted and focused way and of ensuring engagement with the right stakeholder partners to minimize redundancy. He also spoke about the importance of collecting and sharing data points across the board.

Mandal shared insight on GIZ’s programs, highlighting three perspectives working to incentivize factories to shift to renewable energy: cost-advantage, where by a clear business case for factories will encourage the shift to renewable energy; energy security, where by factories are looking to tackle the energy crisis, by insuring the security and quality of their energy; and the commitment to climate protection goals by brands, in order to maintain good relationships with them.

Levin shared his perspective on how the industry can accelerate efforts towards decarbonization, stating that brands and stakeholders need to do more to accelerate and unlock existing financing to improve bankability of projects.

Role of Data in Sustainability

Begoña Garcia, Senior Product Manager, Jeanologia S.L.; Brooke Roberts-Islam, Founder, Techstyler & Senior Contributor, Forbes; Cerian Atwell, Senior Sustainability Manager, Marks & Spencer; and Michela Gioacchini, Fashion & Sporting Goods Lead Quantis Italy, Quantis joined Joël Mertens, SAC’s Director of Product Tools, to share the different perspectives on the importance of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data in the supply chain and what it means for manufacturers.

Atwell shared how Marks & Spencer is using LCAs to inform their business decisions in light of upcoming legislation, highlighting how it guides their raw material choices and conversion of their materials into more sustainable versions of the same. She asserted a key need within LCA tools was for a way to reflect the impacts of dyeing and finishing, which account for 52% of the impact according to the roadmap report by Apparel Impact Institute.

Gioacchini shared insight on the evolution of the LCA space stating that more companies requesting LCAs have matured and now understand the kind of data they are looking for, resulting in more specific questions to guide the primary data collection. She highlighted the EU Green Claims Directive driving the increased demand from companies for LCAs and corporate product footprinting to guide their external communications.

SAC Executive Vice President Andrew Martin and Global Fashion Agenda CEO Federica Marchionni, delivered closing remarks for day one of the conference, while SAC Vice President of the Higg Index Jeremy Lardeau and ZDHC Implementation Director Klass Nuttbohm delivered closing remarks on day two of the conference.

The Planet Textiles conference concluded with the announcement of a partnership between the SAC and Apparel Impact Institute on an initiative geared towards supporting efforts to accelerate and scale decarbonization programs to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across the entire industry. The announcement was a testament to the SAC’s commitment to collaborating with stakeholders to co-create and scale solutions that drive systemic change.

Purchase Planet Textiles 2023 session recordings to watch the various panel discussions that took place. We also invite you to share your feedback on Planet Textiles 2023 using this survey link.

Originally published on HARMAN Newsroom

Autonomous vehicles have been in headlines for decades,  and we at HARMAN want to reflect on all the advancements in technology that have led us to entering a new era in travel; one where vehicles can go from one place to another without anyone touching the wheel. Cellular-vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technologies will enable autonomous vehicles, along with improved road safety, traffic efficiency, smart mobility, and driver convenience.

The recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) waiver approval permitting a select group of U.S. state agencies, automakers, universities and others to operate C-V2X technologies within the 5.9 GHz band in the United States is a significant moment. Now we can finally start to piece together not what the far-off future looks like, but the specific experiences and opportunities drivers can expect in the near future.

C-V2X technology connects vehicles to the world, sharing vital pieces of information and alerting drivers and other road users to potential hazards. C-V2X is a game-changing technology for preventing vehicle crashes, especially at intersections, and improving the efficiency of roads. In addition to the clear safety benefits, C-V2X is an essential enabler that will help boost autonomous and connected driving to its full potential. 

Why C-V2X technology is the safety solution

Traffic fatalities reached a 16-year high in 2021 with an estimate of more than 42,000 fatalities caused by vehicle traffic crashes. Many of these accidents could have been prevented. The vast majority of these accidents are due to preventable mistakes by drivers. Nine out of the top ten most common causes of vehicle accidents are related to human error, which is why we need an unprecedented collaboration between automotive OEMs, state and local transportation agencies, the federal government and other stakeholders to deploy C-V2X technology nationally and work toward a fully automated transportation utopia.

If deployed correctly, C-V2X can have an immediate impact on road safety, while also helping HARMAN to achieve its pledge to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040. The technology allows vehicles to communicate directly with each other, sharing vital pieces of information and alerting drivers and other road users to potential hazards. Today, this is experienced through simple C-V2X applications like “Left Turn Assist” which helps the driver safely navigate a turn at an intersection in the presence of oncoming traffic. Intelligent intersections can also reduce emissions by avoiding that vehicles have to stop; they can smoothly pass the intersection without colliding to other vehicles when an optimal speed trajectory

is used by all vehicles. And by scaling this technology, drivers can be alerted to even more hazards, such as pedestrians crossing around the corner, or ambulances about to enter an intersection from miles away.

The joint waiver approval could not have come soon enough, and together with Samsung, HARMAN brings a high degree of product maturity, readiness, and scale to address this tragic and preventable roadway epidemic.

Connected and Livable Smart Cities

It is estimated that there are 330,000 signalized intersections in the United States and, according to the latest call to action from ITS America, these intersections are ripe for modernization. ITS America’s recommendation to boost connectivity by equipping a substantial portion of intersections with C-V2X Roadside Units would enable a new era of powerful capabilities that support real-time communication for vehicle-to-pedestrian, vehicle-to-vehicle, and vehicle-to-infrastructure scenarios by leveraging edge-based nodes and networks. This is a crucial shift from cloud-based solutions where communication bandwidth and latency are critically important. ​

The C-V2X waiver approval is a significant step forward for American road users, city planners, and highway administrators, who can now experience the enhanced roadway safety and efficiency benefits only possible in a smart city. HARMAN’s robust portfolio of Smart City and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) infrastructure products can instantly turn any city into a smart city, opening a vast array of services and applications that mobility users and pedestrians can benefit from by making their daily lives and commute safer and more efficient.​

Paving Autonomous

Advancements in the autonomous vehicle industry to overcome the faults of human error are changing how we think about safety not only on the road, but also in the other sectors. The goal is for in-vehicle C-V2X technologies to serve as the foundation for vehicles to communicate with each other and everything around them—providing 360º non-line-of-sight awareness and a higher level of predictability for enhanced road safety and autonomous driving.

To be truly successful, connected experiences must be thoughtfully translated and engineered for safety, security, durability, and general effectiveness within an automotive environment. Additionally, enabling consumer trust in the fully autonomous vehicles of tomorrow is an incremental process, and it starts by building incredible connected, technology-enabled vehicle experiences today.

Delivering the Future with Heightened Collaboration

Even with all this momentum, there is still more that can be done. The FCC should finalize C-V2X rulemaking and provide a clear path forward for the industry. These critical safety solutions will benefit drivers and vulnerable roadway users of all types across the U.S. A national policy on C-V2X deployment will provide certainty and foster continued public-private and cross-industry collaboration, accelerated 5G network deployment, the scaling of “smart” infrastructure investment, and increased regional trials and pilot projects. As a leader in the intelligent mobility area, we at HARMAN look forward to continuing to foster public-private and cross-industry collaboration, accelerated 5G network deployment, the scaling of “smart” infrastructure investment, and increased regional trials and pilot projects.

Fifth Third’s approach to corporate sustainability is rooted in its purpose: to improve the lives of its customers and the well-being of communities. The Bank believes in the philosophy of doing well by doing good and focusing on generating long-term sustainable value for its stakeholders, including shareholders, customers, employees, communities and regulators. This continued focus drives Fifth Third toward achieving its vision to be the one bank people most value and trust, which is why it does what it does.

Fifth Third’s Corporate Responsibility Office 

Fifth Third’s commitment to sustainability is integrated across the Company and in its strategic planning. In March 2022, Fifth Third elevated Kala Gibson, executive vice president and chief corporate responsibility officer, with additional oversight of sustainability, as well as inclusion and diversity. A sustainability office was established within the Corporate Responsibility team to lead ESG reporting and governance that was previously managed by the investor relations team. The sustainability office is led by the chief sustainability officer, a new position, with support from the Corporate Responsibility team as well as partners across the Company.

Sustainability Committee 

In 2020, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Directors established the Sustainability Committee (previously named Environmental, Social and Governance Committee) with a charter to provide oversight and review of the Bank’s policies, programs, practices, strategies and approach to ESG topics.

In 2022, the Sustainability Committee’s membership was elevated to include the President and CEO, as well as other members of the senior executive leadership team. Updates on ESG topics are regularly given to the NCG Committee as well as to the Board of Directors through the year.

Members of the Sustainability Committee:

Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer (chair)Chief Community Impact Banking OfficerChief Credit OfficerChief Legal OfficerChief Risk OfficerChief Sustainability OfficerGroup Regional President and Head of Wealth & Asset ManagementHead of Commercial BankHead of Consumer BankingHead of Enterprise and Non-Financial RiskPresident and CEOSenior Deputy General CounselSenior Director, Investor RelationsChief Audit Executive (non-voting member)

To read the full 2022 Sustainability Report, visit www.53.com/sustainabilityreport.

July 11, 2023 /3BL/ – Franklin Templeton is pleased to announce its receipt of a top score of 100 in the 2023 Disability Equality Index® (DEI), a comprehensive benchmarking tool that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions they can take to achieve disability inclusion and equality. This is the fifth consecutive year that the firm has received the “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” designation.

Regina Curry, Chief Diversity Officer, Franklin Templeton, said, “We are committed to advancing a culture of inclusivity, in order to build strong teams that can deliver better outcomes for our employees, clients and shareholders. We are so honored to receive this important recognition of our efforts to promote disability inclusion in our workplace.”

The DEI is a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the nation’s largest disability rights organization, and Disability:IN, the global business disability inclusion network, to collectively advance the inclusion of people with disabilities.

“Businesses have the power to drive the global advancement of disability inclusion, and we’re thrilled to see more companies than ever leverage the Disability Equality Index to measure their progress. We recognize these top-scoring companies as a ‘Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion’ for their passion and efforts to lead the way in creating greater equity for people with disabilities in the workplace, marketplace, and supply chain,” said Jill Houghton, President and CEO of Disability:IN.

“These top-scoring companies understand deeply that people with disabilities represent a tremendous source of talent and innovation for their workforce and market share for their brands, and they are trailblazers in our journey towards full disability inclusion in business,” said Maria Town, President and CEO of AAPD.

The 2023 DEI measured efforts across categories including Culture & Leadership; Enterprise-Wide Access; Employment Practices (Benefits, Recruitment, Employment, Education, Retention & Advancement, Accommodations); Community Engagement; Supplier Diversity; Non-U.S. Operations (Non-Weighted). Each company receives a score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, with those earning 80 and above recognized as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion.” This year, 485 corporations utilized the DEI to benchmark their disability inclusion efforts, and 294 companies received a score of 100, 66 companies received a score of 90 and 45 companies received a score of 80.

Read more about Franklin Templeton’s commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at https://www.franklintempleton.com/about-us/diversity-and-inclusion.

About Franklin Templeton

Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN] is a global investment management organization with subsidiaries operating as Franklin Templeton and serving clients in over 150 countries. Franklin Templeton’s mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through its specialist investment managers, the company offers specialization on a global scale, bringing extensive capabilities in fixed income, equity, alternatives and multi-asset solutions. With more than 1,300 investment professionals, and offices in major financial markets around the world, the California-based company has over 75 years of investment experience and approximately $1.4 trillion in assets under management as of May 31, 2023. For more information, please visit franklintempleton.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

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Copyright © 2023. Franklin Templeton. All rights reserved.

Originally published on Illumina News Center

Lung cancer patients in Wales are about to get answers faster—and potentially find out if they’re a match for targeted therapies.

In Wales, lung cancer is the third most common cancer for women and the fourth most common for men, and it remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Welsh patients often present late, at stage III or IV lung cancer. Unfortunately, patients diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer face a one-year survival rate of 16%.

In 2017, the Welsh government issued the Genomics for Precision Medicine Strategy, and last December, the Genomics Delivery Plan for Wales 2022-2025, calling for nationwide clinical care based on next-generation sequencing (NGS). “We all agree that there is a critical need to rapidly implement the increased utilization of liquid biopsy within the cancer pathways for patients within the health care system in Wales,” says Sian Morgan, laboratory director of the All Wales Medical Genomic Service (AWMGS).

In collaboration with Illumina and 13 other organizations, AWMGS, the single provider of genetic services in NHS Wales, will make liquid biopsies available to 1260 lung cancer patients consecutively across the country’s seven health boards, under a partnership named QuicDNA. Rather than excising tissue from a patient, a liquid biopsy uses a simple blood draw, since fragments of tumor DNA shed into the bloodstream. The blood samples with circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) are sequenced on a 500-gene panel. The approach is known as comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) and it can assess multiple biomarkers in numerous tumor types in a single NGS assay.

In Wales, ctDNA is currently used in a limited fashion to investigate genes associated with targeted therapies (EGFR and KRAS genes), usually when tissue is unavailable in late-stage patients. The standard tissue biopsy can be painful and place patients at risk of complications, and is not always an option. And if the biopsy is of poor quality, or too small, there may not be enough tissue left for genomic testing, which then requires a second or third biopsy, adding to the patient’s discomfort and prolonging the diagnosis.

“We think it is critically important for stage III and IV lung cancer patients, in particular, to receive genomic results as soon as possible,” says Magda Meissner, a medical oncologist at the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff and the clinical lead for Liquid Biopsy for All Wales Medical Genomic Services. She refers to local studies that indicate a potential 25% of lung cancer patients miss out on targeted treatment, either due to becoming too unwell to receive anticancer treatment or passing away before receiving genetic results that could extend their lives. “We need to expedite the process.”

The standard guideline for the pathway to cancer diagnosis in Wales is 62 days or more. Currently it is challenging to meet even this parameter—time that many patients don’t have. First, a patient needs to make an appointment to see a general practitioner, who can then order required investigations and refer them to a rapid-access lung clinic at a hospital. At the clinic, a lung physician will assess the patient and the imaging results. If the physician suspects cancer, a tissue biopsy will be arranged, and the collected tissue will be sent to a pathologist for diagnosis.

In the United Kingdom, every patient with suspected cancer has their case discussed at a multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting, which includes the oncologist, radiologist, pathologist, respiratory physician, thoracic surgeon, palliative care team, and nursing specialist team. The team reviews the biopsy results and imaging before making a final diagnosis and discussing the best treatment options. Often at this point, the doctors will request genomic testing, which takes another 14 to 28 days before they can get results and potentially offer a targeted therapy.

Meissner says patient health can deteriorate during this multistep process, and the main goal in implementing ctDNA is to offer targeted therapy to patients with an identified genomic target sooner than they would normally receive it.

With the new QuicDNA program, patients will get a blood sample for ctDNA early in the diagnostic pathway when the lung physician suspects stage III or IV lung cancer. The genomic results will be available for the MDT meeting. Because more than 10 genetic biomarkers are associated with an approved therapy for lung cancer, genetic testing can significantly increase treatment options. “When you can identify, for example, an EGFR mutation through sequencing, a patient can potentially start oral therapy (tablets) the next day,” says Meissner.

What they’ll learn
The QuicDNA program will generate an enormous amount of genomic data, which will be used alongside clinical data to evaluate diagnostic efficiency and clinical utility of liquid biopsy. The partnership with Illumina will also further investigate why some patients might show an initial response to a treatment but then progress, or worsen, a few months later.

They will also evaluate the economic costs and effects of liquid biopsy for the Welsh health system. “Invasive tissue biopsies require highly skilled individuals, including clinicians, nurses, and pathologists who examine the tissue under the microscope,” says Meissner. “All of these personnel and resources need to be arranged within a hospital setting, which adds to the overall cost.”

A tool in disease monitoring
The investigators strongly believe that by the end of the study and based on the outcome data, the routine use of this technology can be justified and embedded in NHS practice across Wales. And the team on site is already thinking about further possibilities for ctDNA use. They might also be able to use ctDNA for disease monitoring. Rather than waiting for a regular scan every two to three months, clinicians could change treatment quicker if they learn that the patient isn’t responding well based on a blood test. Taking subsequent samples when a patient progresses on treatment could enable them to discover new mutations.

The potential for ctDNA is great, and Meissner says the medical community is excited: “I think people are realizing that ctDNA is a powerful analyte, not only in lung cancer but other cancers.” She already has oncologists contacting her to do ctDNA testing for other cancers. “As soon as we prove the value in lung cancer, we want to expand liquid-based CGP to other tumor types.”

Morgan adds that, given the rapidly changing landscape of cancer management, the growing number of targeted therapies and types of tumors, and the variety of treatment settings, “I can see liquid biopsy becoming the frontline test for many tumors, due to ease of sampling and time to return genomics profiling results that will impact patient management and outcomes. It is not entirely a question of replacing tissue, but the requirement for a more timely test for patient management.”