Tag: 3BL

An aspect that frequently gets forgotten in these discussions is that carbon markets have evolved tremendously over the years. Their evolution has been a continuous effort of learning, sharing, debating, and improving by various stakeholders. We think it is timely to share some of this story with a wider audience by reflecting on the past 17 years of the South Pole history.

Since its founding by an ambitious group of social entrepreneurs in 2006, South Pole has constantly been at the forefront of improving market-based mechanisms to solve climate change. Transparency, quality, and scalability were always the main drivers of these innovations – and these same principles continue to drive the work of our +1,200 committed experts today

Our team is united in the common goal of leading a revolution of how we do business within the limits of our planet, prioritizing climate risk, and taking action to reduce our emissions – action that has tangible, measurable benefits for people and communities that have the most to lose, despite contributing the least to the problem.

It all started in a lab…

South Pole started as a spin-off from ETH Zurich – one of the world’s most prestigious universities in science and technology – inspired by my and Christoph Sutter’s scientific research on sustainability criteria of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects.

Over the past 17 years, South Pole has innovated, pioneered, improved, and scaled various approaches to achieve its vision of genuine climate impact at scale. Some of these innovations and approaches have not worked, and have offered valuable lessons and ways to improve. Others have scaled and removed or avoided massive volumes of carbon emissions, and brought countless benefits to vulnerable communities.

We’ve been through a lot in nearly two decades – including the failed 2009 climate negotiations in Copenhagen, after which climate change was no longer top of mind among key policy makers. As the financial crisis hit the global economy, our team also braved the near collapse of the carbon markets, notably the collapse of the UN Kyoto Protocol that resulted in carbon credit prices slipping below US$1 per credit. This put into jeopardy our work and the future financial flows designed to give poorer countries access to green technologies.

Times have thankfully changed, with government commitments through the Paris Agreement, but through all these years we have consistently strived to advocate for higher standards and improved environmental integrity in carbon markets and climate finance.

In this article I aim to outline our team’s contributions to getting carbon markets to where they are today: imperfect but effective. Armed with the experience of where we have come from, we hope that those committed to driving finance into climate action will come together to ramp up the speed of improvements in the VCM and beyond.

Improving the effectiveness of carbon markets to finance science-backed climate technologies

From the very beginning, we’ve been in the business of fighting climate change and engaging in results-based collaborations. The carbon market was (and still is!) a way to facilitate such collaboration: it is accountable and payments are only done based on performance

However, mainly due to the extremely slow response of governments, the private sector and the public to climate change, still today the carbon market is in its infancy. We are proud to have been there from very early on:

South Pole managed the first ever Gold Standard Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs) in the Malavalli project in 2006. The project, located in the Mandya District in India, used low-density crop residues – sugarcane trash, coconut fronds, corn cobs – to generate cleaner power and contribute to sustainable development by assigning economic value to agricultural waste that was previously burnt or left to decay (which in turn leads to methane emissions).Our team also led the development of the first, multi-country Program of Activities (PoA) on water purification registered under the CDM. We did this because we identified that the WASH sector was woefully underfunded without anyone taking meaningful action to change that. Still today, a large number of villages benefit from water purification equipment co-financed through carbon credits.

In order to shape the market mechanism of the future, South Pole has, since 2007, consistently and vociferously made hundreds of contributions to the continuous improvement and development of methodologies through relevant industry associations, including the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), the International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance (ICROA) and the Project Developer Forum. Here are some examples:

Under the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS), the Gold Standard, and the CDM we helped develop methodologies to reduce emissions in the chemical, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, and, most recently, the carbon dioxide removal sectors. As part of the latter, we have initiated an important debate on how to define a high quality removals, and what a functioning market for high quality removals would need (see here, here, here and here).We continue to push the envelope on what robust principles for carbon credit use look like, drawing on rapidly evolving best practices.Together with partners, in 2022 we launched NextGen, the world’s first procurement fund for carbon removal credits, designed to help revolutionize the market for long term carbon removals and provide revenue to innovative technologies that remove and store carbon.South Pole has co-authored, as part of a large consortium of experts, the first globally approved methodology for the utilization and application of biochar under Verra’s VCS. Biochar is a soil supplement used thousands of years ago in the Amazon basin that permanently locks carbon in soils. To date, biochar projects have been limited due to high cost and scarce funding, as well as a lack of scientifically backed methodologies. Directing finance from the VCM tackles these challenges head on, allowing biochar projects to expand their operations and impact by bringing down costs associated with the technology – all while ensuring that environmental integrity is upheld.With the award-winning SHIFT Program, South Pole is helping to deliver one of the world’s first Paris Agreement Art. 6.2 transactions between the government of Thailand and the government of Switzerland on e-vehicles, and created an entirely new digital MRV concept for quality assurance.

Upholding the environmental integrity of current methodologies, and supporting the development of new methodologies to scale critical, nascent climate solutions remains central to our purpose.

South Pole staff and project co-developers after a successful workshop session at the forest protection project in Colombia, where topics included how to gather project data using GPS.

Building on lessons learnt and taking action beyond carbon markets

From the get-go, South Pole acknowledged that the VCM is not the ‘silver bullet’ to solving climate change. Therefore, throughout our journey, we have continuously innovated beyond carbon markets, launching solutions for decarbonisation and climate adaptation.

We started on this journey in 2013 with the creation of the subsidiary Climate Neutral Investments (CNI), launching the world’s first tool to calculate carbon emissions of all listed companies in the world. This approach is widely used by asset managers, asset owners and financial industry consultants, particularly in light of Task Force for Climate Related Disclosures (TCFD) reporting requirements.We have been involved in launching various standards and initiatives including the W+ Standard that aims at quantifying specific benefits of carbon projects to women and girls,, the Landscape Resilience Fund that provides patient capital to businesses in vulnerable communities,, the Circular Economy Advisory Service, and the Guidelines for Corporate Plastic Stewardship which has helped lay the foundations for Verra’s Plastic Waste Reduction Standard.Our D-REC initiative has expanded the reach of renewable energy to off-grid communities, taking on the challenge of bridging the yawning finance gap for universal energy access, especially among millions of households in Africa and Asia.We are also developing approaches to a future biodiversity credits market to finance desperately needed nature protection and restoration. In 2021 we began development of our first project in biodiversity credits (El Condor). The project is 51.2 ha with a focus on restoration for the compliance market in Colombia.

When it comes to investing in nature specifically, South Pole is a key contributor to global developments and discussions. To name but a few, we are a member of the Task-force for Nature-related Financial Disclosure (TNFD) forum, a solutions partner to the Natural Climate Solutions Alliance convened by the WBCSD and the World Economic Forum, a financial partner to 20*20 – a country-led effort to change the dynamics of land degradation in Latin America and the Caribbean by protecting and restoring 50 million hectares of forests – and we have joined over 1,000 other companies in calling on governments to adopt policies to reverse nature loss in this decade, today.

The future of climate action

What started as a dream of idealistic climate scientists has become South Pole. Our roots may be in Switzerland, but today, our work truly stretches from pole to pole, with passionate experts stationed in over 30 locations, from Bangkok to Bogota. To deliver global climate impact, you need a global team of climate revolutionists.

Our relentless drive to innovate, spur emission reductions, and deliver sustainable development has ultimately earned us the trust of many FT500 companies and world-class investors. South Pole is also recognised by the World Economic Forum’s Schwab Foundation as a Social Innovator, and is today considered to be a global leader in climate action.

While it may be foolish to predict the future in these turbulent times, our vision to boost market-based instruments to finance climate action has led us thus far – and we will continue to follow our north star of impact and innovation. It is clear that the world is shifting gear and we are on the precipice of a total transformation of our economies and societies. Through our work, we will continue to pursue positive climate impact at a greater scale so that this transformation happens in time to avert the worst effects of a warming planet, and in a way that is equitable and improves the lives of the world’s poorest.

This is what we are all about – and this is what we will continue to be about: innovating fearlessly, improving consistently, and taking action, now.

HOUSTON, May 18, 2023 /3BL Media/ – LyondellBasell (NYSE: LYB) announced that LYB International Finance III, LLC (“LYB International Finance”), its wholly-owned subsidiary, priced a public offering (the “Offering”) of $500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 5.625% Guaranteed Notes due 2033 (the “Notes”). The Notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by LyondellBasell. The Offering is expected to close on May 19, 2023, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

The Notes are the first green financing instruments pursuant to LyondellBasell’s Green Financing Framework published on May 8, 2023. The net proceeds of the Offering are expected to be used to finance or refinance, in whole or in part, new and/or existing Eligible Green Projects as set forth in the preliminary prospectus supplement. Eligible Green Projects may fall in the following categories:

Circular economy adapted products, production technologies and processes;Renewable energy;Pollution prevention and control; andEnergy efficiency.

Pending the full allocation of an amount equivalent to the net proceeds, we may temporarily invest amounts that are not allocated to Eligible Green Projects in cash or cash equivalents or other short-term investments, including marketable securities, or the repayment of debt.

ING Financial Markets LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC are acting as the joint book-running managers for the Offering.

The Offering is being made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement that was previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). A preliminary prospectus supplement has been filed, and a prospectus supplement relating to the offering of the Notes will be filed, with the SEC, to which this communication relates. Prospective investors should read the preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus included in the registration statement and other documents the Company has filed with the SEC relating to the Offering, copies of which may be obtained for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus may be obtained by calling ING Financial Markets LLC at +1 646-424-7913 or Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC at 1-866-718-1649.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of the Notes in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. Any offering of securities will be made only by means of a prospectus supplement, which will be filed with the SEC.

About LyondellBasell

We are LyondellBasell – a leader in the global chemical industry creating solutions for everyday sustainable living. Through advanced technology and focused investments, we are enabling a circular and low carbon economy. Across all we do, we aim to unlock value for our customers, investors and society. As one of the world’s largest producers of polymers and a leader in polyolefin technologies, we develop, manufacture and market high-quality and innovative products for applications ranging from sustainable transportation and food safety to clean water and quality healthcare.

Forward-Looking Statements for LyondellBasell

The statements in this release relating to matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially based on factors including, but not limited to, our ability to meet our sustainability goals, including the ability to operate safely, increase production of recycled and renewable-based polymers to meet our targets and forecasts, and reduce our emissions and achieve net zero emissions by the time set in our goals; our ability to procure energy from renewable sources; market conditions; our ability to complete the Offering and apply the net proceeds as described; and our ability to comply with debt covenants and to amend, extend, repay, service, and reduce our debt. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the “Risk Factors” section of our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, which can be found at www.LyondellBasell.com on the Investor Relations page and on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov.

SOURCE LyondellBasell

Sometimes it’s obvious that sand is all around us, like when we spend a day at the beach or a child plays in a sandbox. It may be surprising to know that sand is also an ingredient in lots of products and materials we encounter every day. For example, if you’re sitting in a car, enjoying the view through your crystal-clear window, or admiring beautiful countertops in the kitchen, you’re experiencing the magic of sand.

Recently Covia had the opportunity to show a glimpse into how we mine sand at our operations on Tomorrow’s World Today. Tomorrow’s World Today (TWT) is an Emmy-nominated television show on Discovery and the Science Channel focused on finding ways to live more sustainably. It was exciting to be featured in the episode, and we are proud of our Team Members who helped bring Covia to TV screens.

We’ll take you through some of our favorite moments from our TV debut, and hopefully, you’ll learn something interesting along the way.

Mining Sandstone in Guion

The first location featured in the episode was our plant in Guion, Arkansas. What’s unique about this plant is that it’s our only underground mine. It’s also one of the sites where we extract silica. Silica shows up in everyday products such as:

ShinglesGroutsEquestrian arenasPlay sandTiles

However, before our silica sand can be used in products like these, it must be mined and processed. It is because of this, that Covia’s ESG program and goals are deeply embedded into how we operate. It is our privilege and responsibility to sustainably manage a variety of natural resources.

Fun Fact: Sandstone is commonly used in materials in homes because of its durability. Sandstone products can stand up to heavy use and challenging weather conditions, so sandstone is used in everything from paint to ceiling tiles and roofing shingles.

Mining Nepheline Syenite in Ontario (NSO)

Covia’s NSO plant, located in Ontario, Canada produces nepheline syenite. This pure stone is hard like granite and comes in a bright white color.

Blue Mountain and Nephton are not only the largest of Covia’s Canadian facilities, but the oldest continuously operated facilities dating back to early 1930s. Additionally, these sites are Covia’s only hard rock mining facilities, mining, and processing Nepheline Syenite, a coarse-grained high alumina feldspar with no free silica. Blue Mountain and Nephton manage 104 different product configurations, 17 product grades and sell to three major industries including glass, paint and polymers. 

Fun Fact: Covia has been mining at this site since the 1930s. 

Producing LUMINEX™ at Fort Smith

The last plant featured is also located in Arkansas, a few hours from our Guion plant. Here in Fort Smith, we produce our industry-leading product, LUMINEX. On a tour of the plant, we share information about the control room for the kiln, the heart of the plant’s operations. The kiln can reach up to 1500 degrees Celsius (2700 degrees Fahrenheit) and the control room carefully monitors the sand’s temperature to ensure the sand never turns to liquid.

From here, we explain how the plant screens off the sand to get bagged as our LUMINEX product or sent to the ball mill to be pulverized into ultra-fine powder. This ultra-fine powder is used to produce engineered stone, which is used in the production of kitchen and bathroom countertops.

Fun Fact: Silica fillers are present in many paints, improving the paint’s tint retention, durability, and resistance to dirt, mildew, cracking, and weathering.

Building a Better World for Tomorrow’s World Today

At Covia, we are committed to being more than just a leading provider of high-performance mineral and material solutions. Through the episode, we are proud to show a peek into some of the sustainability initiatives taking place at NSO. These initiatives include habitat conservation and biodiversity initiatives like turtle conservation.

These sustainability practices, plus more, are mirrored at sites across our footprint. In 2022, we received a bronze rating in sustainability from Ecovadis, one of the world’s largest and most credible providers of business sustainability ratings.

It’s mind-blowing to think about all the products that sand helps create. Whether you’re a manufacturer or a homeowner, you can trust that Covia is committed to operating as a responsible corporate citizen from start to finish.

Contact Covia today to learn more about our role in creating the everyday products. Also, we encourage you to check out our Tomorrow’s World Today episode, “If Isn’t Grown, It Must Be Mined.”

In April 2023, the Tapestry Foundation visited Mato Grasso do Sul in Brazil to visit sites that are part of a pilot program sponsored by a four-year, $3 million grant from the Tapestry Foundation. Launched in 2021, Tapestry and WWF are partnering to accelerate the development of deforestation- and conversion-free leather supply chains. 

In Central Brazil’s vast Cerrado savanna, a grand experiment is taking place. Baru trees by the hundreds are being planted – some in the form of seeds, some as seedlings, and some well on their way to maturity in agroforests alongside other native vegetation. In some tracts, cattle graze among the more mature baru trees, in other areas, no cows are allowed.

The point of all this testing is to uncover the premium growing conditions under which the baru (Dipteryx alata) can thrive. The species, native to the Brazilian Cerrado, is a key part of reforestation efforts in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. And overseeing a reforestation project on the Boa Vida farm near town of Bonito is a woman who is a “traditional seed guardian,” Elida Cristina Martins.

“I found that if we planted baru with bananas nearby it grows much faster than when planted alone, and the bananas help break the wind and keep the ground wet to keep the baru healthy,” she said as she gave a recent tour of her farm to a group of visitors from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Tapestry Foundation.

The Tapestry Foundation is entering the second year of a four-year, $3 million grant to WWF to establish a deforestation-free leather supply chain and to work on reforestation efforts on the Cerrado, a vast tropical biome that includes the Pantanal headwaters, and which provides much of the water, produce and beef within Brazil and for export. One of the planet’s richest savannas and one of 34 biodiversity hotspots in the world, the Cerrado is being steadily deforested as individual landowners and companies clear natural habitat to graze cattle and grow soy.

Some of the Tapestry Foundation funding goes to WWF-Brazil to fund unique reforestation programs like the one on Boa Vida. Although national legislation requires that landowners must preserve 20 percent to 35 percent of their land and all riparian vegetation as well, the rest of the land can be legally cleared due to the lack of a zero-deforestation law for the Cerrado. Because half of the Cerrado has already been converted to pasture and farmland, it’s been under heavy use, and two-thirds of the pastures in the Pantanal headwaters are under moderate to severe degradation. Landscape restoration and pasture rehabilitation are key parts of solving the environmental crisis in Brazil and are therefore among the highest priorities of WWF and the Tapestry Foundation.

“The purpose of our work in Brazil is to try to be part of the solution towards a more sustainable leather supply chain- one that works for the environment and local communities. During our time in Brazil, it was important that we met with local people and communities to better understand the impact climate change is having on the most vulnerable populations,” said Julia Furnari, Director of the Tapestry Foundation. “For vulnerable communities like this one, where so many depend on nature to survive, protecting the community and the environment helps to turn sustainable practices into long-term solutions while creating opportunity for so many.”

Roughly 36 families live on the Santa Lucia settlement, of which Boa Vida is a part, and Elida Cristina Martins has been farming and raising cattle for more than 25 years on 12 hectares, or nearly 30 acres. Nearly one-third of the land in the settlement is owned by women, she said, creating a unique economic opportunity for a group that often gets overlooked in discussions about the wealth of the land and environment in South America.

“We have an integrated system, where baru is planted with Crotalaria and sorghum to determine which grows better together,” she said. The sorghum can be used for cattle feed, and therefore can be revenue-producing.

In the last year alone, she has planted 2,200 trees. “We’re always testing what will work better. We experiment with multiple people planting and with a single person – me – planting, to see which grows better,” she said. “And we plant mango, cashew, coconut, guava, lime, pineapples — all alongside the baru to protect it and help it thrive. Every species has a time to fruit and so you also have fruit all year long.”

We’re proud to celebrate Susanna Zhu, Bath & Body Works’ SVP of Supply Chain Operations and Commercialization, for her recent recognition on Supply Chain Digital magazine’s list of the Top 100 Women in the industry. The list celebrates female executives having a profound impact on global supply chain development.

“It’s such an honor to be in the company of these amazing supply chain leaders from all around the globe,” she continues. “I greatly appreciate Supply Chain Digital for celebrating strong female leaders in the field of supply chain and highlighting the increasing diversity of leaders in the profession.”

According to Supply Chain Digital, in 2022 women held fewer than 25% of senior leadership roles in supply chain organizations. Women represented on the publication’s list are not only recognized for their incredible careers, but also for their support of other underrepresented groups in the industry. They’re acknowledged for paving the way for other women and creating space at the table for new faces, new ideas and new growth, often leading to pioneering new developments.

“In the past few years, the pandemic further highlighted the global supply chain connectivity, complexity, and criticality to business success,” says Susanna Zhu. “Women are excellent collaborators, planners and problem solvers. We need more women in the field of supply chain, you’ll make real impact to the business, and we will support each other to drive business value and career success.”

See Supply Chain Digital’s full list at supplychaindigital.com.

It seems like every day we hear about emergencies on the news. Have you been thinking about how an emergency might impact your operations and wondering if you’re prepared?  Let us help you evaluate that concern and put steps in place to mitigate potential weak points.

Emergency incidents are not uncommon but can quickly become a focus in the public eye.

Let’s take a closer look at how organizations can prepare to meet incidents head-on by creating, practicing, and properly implementing emergency response plans.

Tips For Creating a Comprehensive Emergency Response Plan 

An actual emergency is where the contents of your plan and your organization’s people are put to the test. We have written extensively about emergency incident response planning best practices, and have compiled that knowledge here to help you get started preparing or updating your own emergency response plan.

Forecasting Emergencies 

Emergency preparedness requires understanding the potential fallout from incidents ranging from individual injuries to worst-case scenario events and ensuring that your organization is ready to respond.

Areas of risk to consider and evaluate when developing your plan include:

Workforce safety in routine settingsMore typical emergencies such as fires or regional natural disastersUnusual natural disasters that may have recently become more common with climate changeIncidents that could expand beyond site boundariesOff-property incidents, such as failures along transportation routesIndustry-specific risks

This is by no means an exhaustive list of possible issues to consider but rather offers a starting point for identifying potential areas of risk.

Learn more about how to create targeted emergency preparedness plans: In Case of Emergency: Plans to Prepare Your Business for the Unknown 

Understanding What’s at Stake

As you develop or evaluate your emergency preparedness plan, it is essential to understand the potential impact incidents could have on your workforce, the environment, the surrounding community, and your bottom line.

Are you taking the correct steps to prevent incidents at the workplace, and providing your workforce with proper safety training?What proactive measures can you take to mitigate environmental risk from potentially hazardous materials your organization manufactures or uses?Does your organization have a good working relationship with surrounding emergency response agencies?Do your processes and policies align with any applicable regulations that govern your industry or jurisdiction?

When you have an idea of who or what may potentially be affected by an emergency incident, it helps you target your planning with greater precision.

Learn more about how you can ensure your organization is executing your response plan properly to minimize impact: Take Control of Your Incident Response 

Working with the Right Partners 

Your emergency preparedness plan must reflect compliance with any applicable laws and regulations. Having a good working relationship with governing authorities will help ensure that you have accounted for all possibilities and, should an emergency arise, are prepared to follow outlined best practices and any required reporting.

The right partners can also help you manage the complex transition between the emergency response and investigation/remediation stages. Bringing on experts in emergency response and incident management can expedite the process, saving you time and money, and potentially reducing the overall impact and liability of the incident.

Learn more about the stages of emergency response and how incident management professionals can help: Moving from Reactive to Proactive: Lessons from Three Decades of Incident Management 

Emergency Response Plans: Not If, But When 

Ignoring emergencies does not make them go away, so it’s best to be prepared well ahead of time so you can meet problems in the moment and reduce the total negative impact of whatever may occur.

Having and practicing a comprehensive set of emergency preparedness plans ensures you will be able to respond, mitigate, and remediate with attention to the well-being of your workforce, your community, the environment – and your brand.

How can Antea Group’s Incident Management (AIM) help you prepare for and respond to emergencies?

Learn More Here

About Antea Group

Antea®Group is an environment, health, safety, and sustainability consulting firm. By combining strategic thinking with technical expertise, we do more than effectively solve client challenges; we deliver sustainable results for a better future. We work in partnership with and advise many of the world’s most sustainable companies to address ESG-business challenges in a way that fits their pace and unique objectives. Our consultants equip organizations to better understand threats, capture opportunities and find their position of strength. Lastly, we maintain a global perspective on ESG issues through not only our work with multinational clients, but also through our sister organizations in Europe, Asia, and Latin America and as a founding member of the Inogen Alliance. Learn more at us.anteagroup.com. 

By Sebastian Steinhaeuser

Sustainability has risen quickly to the top of executive priorities, with climate action being the most pressing concern. The central question is no longer why, but how? A big part of the answer may come from the unlikely world of accounting. Companies need to start treating carbon like money – they need a carbon accounting system that mirrors their financial accounting system.

However, carbon accounting is still done mainly using spreadsheets and semi-automated tools that use estimates and averages for carbon footprints. Only 9% of companies have a comprehensive view of their greenhouse gas emissions and their impact across the entire value chain.

This is no longer enough. We need to account for carbon with much more precision and control by using actual data values across our business operations and supply chains in sync with financial flows. We need to redefine “resource” in enterprise resource planning (ERP) and extend our understanding of resources beyond financials. SAP now brings a precision-approach to do just that by enabling transactional accounting for carbon.

Introducing Future-Proof Solutions for Transactional Carbon Accounting

SAP’s approach to transactional carbon accounting comprises three future-proof capabilities.

First is SAP Sustainability Footprint Management, a single solution to calculate and manage carbon flows with high granularity on company, process, and product levels across Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. The solution integrates capabilities from previously released SAP solutions and adds new functionalities, such as the ability to manage a greater scope of emissions sources and support for a broader range of industry-specific requirements. Using SAP Sustainability Footprint Management helps provide a seamless integration with SAP S/4HANA, allowing for a strong data foundation to calculate footprints directly from individual transactions at each step of production. Companies can reduce their climate risk and make progress towards their climate commitments by better adhering to and reporting on rapidly changing standards. They can also achieve operational excellence by dramatically improving the speed, accuracy, and efficiency of emissions calculations and management. SAP Sustainability Footprint Management will be available from June 2023.

Second, SAP offers SAP Sustainability Data Exchange, a new application designed to securely exchange standardized sustainability data, including product footprints, along the value chain. The application allows precision accuracy by gathering actual carbon data directly from suppliers. SAP Sustainability Data Exchange, part of SAP Business Network, uses the carbon data interoperability standards established by the Partnership for Carbon Transparency (PACT), hosted by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). The beta version is available and will be generally available in Q3 2023.

Third, SAP also introduces the green ledger concept, which combines financial and environmental data to enable deep insights and effective decision-making at different points across the business process. Green ledger will be embedded into RISE with SAP and GROW with SAP for SAP S/4HANA Cloud and will deliver new capabilities with each release. The next major update, for example, offers a new way to embed carbon data, starting with most impactful scope categories, into product-level costing.

Using these three powerful capabilities that reinvent carbon accounting, executives can have a future-proof tool kit to help manage and reduce their carbon footprints. The SAP solutions record data based on actuals instead of averages to increase data transparency, accuracy, and reliability. The high-quality carbon data, like the financial data, is auditable, transparent, and reliable. To take climate action, companies sync the emissions data with financial data to make granular, accurate, and right-time decisions that are both financially and environmentally sound.

Acting on Carbon Emissions Data

SAP’s carbon accounting solutions allow business decision-makers to not only see emissions on an operations level, but also at the product level by including carbon footprints alongside financial data to make trade-offs between cost efficiency and carbon intensity. To make these assessments, carbon footprints need to be available at a granular level and at the point where the business decision is made.

In the automotive industry, for example, the sources of steel, rubber, batteries, and electrical components are key elements of the carbon footprint of an electric car manufacturer’s product. SAP solutions provide the foundational data for these purchased materials and components, as well as consumed energy and other inputs, and combine it with additional data sources such as life cycle assessment databases.

Using the input data, the footprint is calculated by matching source data with emission factors. Like in financial accounting, the inflows and outflows of materials, components, and products are traced and accounted for with a high level of transparency and auditability.

This isn’t accounting for accounting’s sake. This level of data transparency helps teams across the business, from the C-suite to supply chain management to marketing, take sustainability action. They can make decisions together on both cost and carbon emissions that are rarely made in parallel today. Based on both cost and carbon values, the car manufacturer can scenario plan and make fully informed decisions about how to drive optimal financial and sustainability performance.

Bringing a Holistic View to Sustainable Business

To truly run sustainably and decarbonize business at the speed and scale needed, companies must record, report, and act on reliable and accessible sustainability data. By embedding sustainability data into their core business processes through their ERP, executives can achieve a holistic, enterprise-wide performance capability.

Based on the ERP backbone, sustainable business data is the foundation for setting regulatory-compliant KPIs and disclosing sustainability progress to a broad range of reporting frameworks using SAP Sustainability Control Tower. This holistic view is vital to understanding where emissions are occurring, setting accurate net-zero targets, and identifying specific areas to take action for maximum decarbonization impact. The SAP Sustainability solutions are cloud-based, modular, and integrate with SAP S/4HANA Cloud.

Peter Bakker, CEO of WBCSD, said accountants will save the world. He very well may be right. With over 50 years of experience in financial accounting, future-proof technology, and wide access to customer and partner ecosystems, SAP is well-positioned deliver high-quality emissions accounting to rapidly scale business decarbonization.

Sebastian Steinhaeuser is chief strategy officer at SAP.

SÃO PAULO, May 18, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Qualcomm Incorporated, through its Qualcomm® Wireless Reach™ initiative, along with Instituto Crescer announced the launch of the ASCON program – Student Always Connected, to fourth school in Goiania, Brazil. The program aims to close the digital gap by reimagining the way students learn, and educators teach, by bringing the modern classroom to life and enabling a world where all students are intelligently connected from home, from the classroom or from anywhere.

During Phase I, 120s ACER 511 Chromebooks equipped with the Snapdragon® 7C processor were provided to three school communities in Goiania. Today, more than 100 students and teachers have been provided with these Always On, Always Connected laptops (ACPCs) equipped with Embratel’s mobile LTE connectivity capabilities

The program aims to create an environment of digital inclusion where students have the tools needed to reach their full potential, increasing their digital literacy skills by leveraging the extended learning that ACPCs provide. “We have already seen how students can benefit from extended learning and the possibilities leveraged by using the devices outside of the school. Through the expansion to a fourth school, we ratify our role in facilitating innovative quality education, which permeates the actions of the program: devices with mobile connectivity anytime and anywhere, training of educators and students, and monitoring.”, says Francisco Soares, VP, Government Affairs, Qualcomm Serviços de Telecomunicações Ltda.

Through the ASCON program, teachers learn about cutting-edge technology and other topics including cybersecurity, cyberbullying, and emotional security, metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, emerging technologies, research, and basic programming concepts. In addition, security is embedded in the program structure through Calriz, an ASCON partner in charge of implementing advanced equipment safety policies. “We are proud to facilitate a secure platform that provides safe adoption of the apps used by students and offer real usage metrics and data analytics, including real-time geolocation of the Chromebook to monitor the effectiveness of the program” – says Cleber Calegari, Founder and Commercial Director of Calriz Sistemas.

During Phase II, the program will integrate virtual reality (VR) headsets to accelerate student learning. BEENOCULUS, a company that promotes innovation in education through VR experiences, will donate VR headsets powered by the Qualcomm® Snapdragon XR1 and Snapdragon™ Spaces™ platforms. and provide educational content and training. Through the use of VR headsets, students will have access to interactive and immersive learning content on various educational topics. “When educators experience new ways of teaching, they provide students with unique and innovative opportunities. VR headsets, as an immersive resource in the classrooms, can be applied in many ways, bringing several benefits in the development of both students and educators – contributing to the digital transformation in schools.”, guarantees the director of the Instituto Crescer, Dr. Luciana Allan.

ASCON is a collaboration between Wireless Reach, ACER, Claro, Embratel, Calriz, Instituto Crescer, Beenoculus and the Municipal Department of Education of Goiânia (SME de Goiânia).

ABOUT QUALCOMM
Qualcomm is enabling a world where everyone and everything can be intelligently connected. Our one technology roadmap allows us to efficiently scale the technologies that launched the mobile revolution – including advanced connectivity, high-performance, low-power compute, on-device intelligence and more – to the next generation of connected smart devices across industries. Innovations from Qualcomm and our family of Snapdragon platforms will help enable cloud-edge convergence, transform industries, accelerate the digital economy, and revolutionize how we experience the world, for the greater good.

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, together with its subsidiaries, covering all of our engineering, research and development functions, and all of our products and services businesses, as well as including our QCT semiconductor business. Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm patented technologies are licensed by Qualcomm Incorporated.

About Wireless Reach 
Wireless Reach invests in sustainable programs that demonstrate innovative uses of wireless technology to strengthen economic and social development globally. Our programs foster entrepreneurship, aid in public safety, enhance the delivery of health care, enrich teaching and learning, and improve environmental sustainability. Since 2006, Wireless Reach has benefitted more than 24 million people.

Qualcomm, Snapdragon and Wireless Reach are trademarks or registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated.

ABOUT INSTITUTO CRESCER
Instituto Crescer is an institution founded in 2000 that performs in Education area in projects that aim to formation of teachers in different knowledge areas, digital inclusion projects, and professional qualification of youngsters.

ABOUT CALRIZ Calriz is a provider of digital technologies, specialized in helping its customers in the Journey for Cloud, Collaboration and Infrastructure. Our focus is to support our customers in the processes of innovation, secure connectivity and advanced internet use.

ABOUT ACER
Founded in 1976, Acer is one of the world’s top ICT companies with a presence in more than 160 countries. As Acer evolves with the industry and changing lifestyles, it is focused on enabling a world where hardware, software and services will fuse with one another, creating ecosystems and opening up new possibilities for consumers and businesses alike. Acer’s 7,500 employees are dedicated to the research, design, marketing, sale, and support of products and solutions that break barriers between people and technology. Please visit www.acer.com for more information.

ABOUT CLARO 
Claro is a leader in Telecommunications in Latin America and one of the largest multi-service operators in Brazil, present in all regions of the country. It is in more than 4,200 Brazilian municipalities and its networks provide services to more than 96% of the population. Claro offers integrated connectivity, entertainment, productivity and digital services solutions in a truly convergent way, across multiple fixed and mobile platforms. In 2019, the company created beOn Claro, its innovation hub, to facilitate, enhance and connect innovation inside and outside the company. Claro is a leader in pay TV, broadband and the fastest growing mobile operator. Through Embratel, it also leads the corporate services segment, which includes cloud, telecom, IT and network and application security offerings. It was a pioneer in the implementation of all generations of mobile internet in Brazil, including 4.5G, which allows browsing 10x faster than the traditional 4G network, and also in the implementation of 5G DSS which, through a frequency sharing feature that allows the use of the current spectrum already allocated, offers connections up to 12 times faster than conventional 4G. It is a leader in connection speed, both in mobile and residential broadband, with ultraspeeds. Claro is part of América Móvil, with presence in 25 countries, in Latin America and also in Europe and the United States. www.claro.com.br

ABOUT EMBRATEL
Embratel is one of the leading PROVIDERS of IT and Telecom services in Brazil and an enabler of digital transformation of companies of all segments and a leader in telecommunications with its high-level infrastructure. Embratel provides solutions such as Cloud Computing, Data Center, Security, Internet of Things, Professional Services, Connectivity and Collaboration, Omnichannel, Robotic Process Automation, data transmission, video, Internet, corporate mobile and fixed telephony, national and international long distance, as well as a number of other solutions to support the business market in its journey of growth in the new digital economy. Acting in the development, implementation and management of convergent solutions, Embratel is widely recognized for delivering excellent services with a focus on customer experience. Embratel is part of Claro and more information is available on the www.embratel.com.br.

ABOUT BEENOCULUS
Beenoculus is an innovative and pioneering company in the extended reality (XR) market, based in Brazil. Founded in 2015, the company stands out for creating immersive solutions and unique experiences, combining cutting-edge technology with innovative design. Beenoculus operates in various areas such as education, entertainment, health, and industry, developing customized projects to meet the specific needs of its clients. Furthermore, the company has spawned two innovative spinoffs: Beetools, an edtech focused on teaching languages through XR, and Junglebee, an award-winning XR storyliving production company, providing immersive and engaging experiences for users. With a highly qualified and multidisciplinary team, Beenoculus constantly seeks to evolve and improve its solutions, establishing itself as a reference in the national and international extended reality market. The company also demonstrates its commitment to sustainability and social responsibility, investing in initiatives that promote digital inclusion and democratization of access to technology.

Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB), the leading provider of software for powering social impact, today released its 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report, demonstrating how the company is taking action to amplify its own global impact through continued progress across key ESG priorities.

“Blackbaud is wholly dedicated to fueling impact—not only through our essential software that expands what is possible across the nonprofit and private sectors, but also in the way we operate our business,” said Mike Gianoni, Blackbaud’s chief executive officer. “We’re excited to highlight the important work of our team on our ESG priority areas, and even more proud to celebrate the exceptional accomplishments of our community of customers. We power the global software infrastructure that turns sparks of generosity into our customers’ social impact. It’s an honor to play this role, and our ESG reporting tells that story.”

Aligned with its goal of powering social impact, Blackbaud’s ESG pillars and 2022 progress are categorized across a framework of four key ESG priority topics:

Fueling Social Impact: Blackbaud enables organizations of all types to run the essential business functions that enable them to deliver impact and empowers individuals with the trusted tools they need to make a difference. Blackbaud serves customers and empowers nonprofits, K-12 schools, universities, healthcare institutions, foundations, arts & cultural and faith organizations and individual change agents around the world.People and Culture: Blackbaud believes success can only be realized by embracing diverse perspectives and experiences. This pillar is vital to Blackbaud’s mission and includes the company’s DE&I focus, as well as its long history of philanthropy.Driving Climate Solutions: Blackbaud is dedicated to proactively protecting the environment through responsible operations, decarbonization and strategic partnerships with organizations making an impact through both the purchase of offsets as well as direct investments in companies like Project Drawdown, a nonprofit focused on solutions to climate change.Governance and Data Responsibility: Customer trust is a top priority and embedded in all facets of the company. Blackbaud is committed to providing customers the confidence that their technology and data are secure and continues to make significant investments in its security program.

Highlights of Blackbaud’s recent impact include:

Providing a multi-year gift to five organizations focused on workforce diversity and economic empowerment for underrepresented groups. Blackbaud employees will engage with these organizations throughout the partnership via learning and service opportunities.Sustained carbon neutrality for 2022 across its business operations by reducing emissions and investing in renewable energy credits and carbon offset projects.Engaging 3.4 million students in critical skills education through EVERFI from Blackbaud, fueling 9.5 million hours of learning across the globe.Igniting individual changemakers—over 1 million fundraising pages were created on JustGiving from Blackbaud, enabling over 17 million donations for good causes through the platform in 2022.Appointing United Airlines Chief Information Security Officer Deneen DeFiore to Blackbaud Board of Directors to provide another level of cybersecurity expertise and oversight for the company. ​

To learn more about how the company is fueling social impact, view the full 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report here.

About Blackbaud
Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) is the leading software provider exclusively dedicated to powering social impact. Serving the nonprofit and education sectors, companies committed to social responsibility and individual change makers, Blackbaud’s essential software is built to accelerate impact in fundraising, nonprofit financial management, digital giving, grantmaking, corporate social responsibility and education management. With millions of users and over $100 billion raised, granted or managed through Blackbaud platforms every year, Blackbaud’s solutions are unleashing the potential of the people and organizations who change the world. Blackbaud has been named to Newsweek’s list of America’s Most Responsible Companies, Quartz’s list of Best Companies for Remote Workers, and Forbes’ list of America’s Best Employers. A remote-first company, Blackbaud has operations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica and the United Kingdom, supporting users in 100+ countries. Learn more at www.blackbaud.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

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May 18, 2023 /3BL Media/ – AEG Presents’ New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell has been awarded Gold certification by the Council for Responsible Sport, in recognition for its outstanding approach to social, environmental, economic and community impact.

The recognition makes Jazz Fest, which hosted some 475,000 visitors across seven days, the largest cultural event to receive certification under the Council’s criteria.

Gold certification was awarded to Jazz Fest for successfully developing a comprehensive approach to minimizing the environmental footprint of the festival, while increasing the inclusivity, economic and social benefits of the event.

The achievement recognized Jazz Fest’s 2022 commitment to a broad range of sustainability and impact goals, as well as its effort to incorporate these methods into day-to-day activity and then track and measure performance consistently.

Some of the highlights included:

Composting 17.56 metric tons of recycling diverted from landfill and 4.37 metric tons of food waste;Collecting and recycling 1.13 metric tons of hard-to-recycle plastics waste which was sent to a Nexus facility in Atlanta as part of Shell’s “Plastics Circularity Project;”Recycling 2,500 gallons of cooking oil which is turned into fuel for local shrimping boats;Completing a carbon footprint study, including the offsetting of 7,098 mt of Scope 1 and some Scope 3 emissions;And, implementing the NOLA Supplier Impact Program which strengthened the business sustainability and continuity of Black Female Suppliers in the Greater New Orleans area. The program is focused on increased understanding of how to maintain business continuity and sustainability even in times of uncertainty and providing productive networking and increased connections within the Women’s Business community.

“On behalf of everyone at Jazz Fest, we’re honored to have the festival receive Gold certification from the Council,” said Quint Davis, Producer/Director of the event. “Thanks to our partnership with Shell, the Festival has been able to develop a robust sustainability campaign, which is an important complement to our longstanding commitment to the cultural and socio-economic wellbeing of our community.”

The festival’s efforts were assessed in adherence to the Council’s certification framework using the cloud based ReScore platform, which enables sporting event organizers to measure, track, report, and verify their progress on a broad range of environmental and social indicators.

The Council for Responsible Sport is a 501 (c ) (3) not-for-profit organization with a vision of a world where responsibly produced sports and events are the norm. It has been helping people measure, manage and verify the social and environmental impacts of their events since 2007. The Council provides independent verification and certification of mass participation events in terms of their environmental, social and economic impacts. Many of the hundreds of events that have been certified are among the world’s leading examples of mass participation organizations going beyond the “norm” to generate positive impacts. For more information, and to see certification criteria, please click here.