Tag: 3BL

The Divya manual washing machine, developed by The Washing Machine Project which is supported by Whirlpool Foundation, was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025 in the social impact category.

Whirlpool Foundation
Since 1952, the Whirlpool Foundation has been making real, positive differences in local communities where Whirlpool Corporation families live and work. This is accomplished through two central pillars: House+Home. “House” supports a decent and affordable place to live and plan for the future, and “Home” focuses on creating thriving, resilient communities with the essential services, quality education, and job training needed to help people dream bigger and do better. The Foundation has an absolute commitment to equality and fairness and takes an innovative approach to social investing that prioritizes impact with measurable results.

Click here to learn more.

NEW YORK, December 15, 2025 /3BL/ – The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) today announced that WELL for residential, the only global certification program for healthier homes, has achieved phenomenal uptake and adoption while in pilot. Nearly 20 million square feet of real estate encompassing more than 40,000 residential units across 22 countries are now participating in the first-of-its-kind pilot program. Of these, more than 3,000 units encompassing more than 7 million square feet are already certified or precertified WELL Residences through the program’s evidence-based, third-party verified framework to create healthier, more resilient homes.

“We are immensely proud that the industry has so quickly and widely recognized WELL for residential as a market-leading solution – one that helps people elevate their well-being and thrive where they live,” said IWBI President and CEO Rachel Hodgdon. “This has been a global, collaborative effort to address the urgent need for homes that actively support the health and well-being of their residents while delivering tangible financial benefits for developers and investors alike.” Already, WELL for residential achievements span nearly 10 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, China, New Zealand, Japan, Italy, Spain, Malaysia and India.

IWBI, the global authority for driving market transformation through healthy buildings, organizations and communities, introduced the WELL for residential program to transform the way homes are designed, built and maintained to support resident health and well-being. With the help of more than 100 strategies, WELL for residential evaluates how health-focused design, operations and behaviors within the home can enhance human well-being. It covers critical aspects like indoor air and water quality, natural lighting, access to fitness and green spaces, and overall strategies promoting physical and mental well-being.

“As the residential real estate market continues to evolve, homebuyers and renters are calling for homes that prioritize their well-being,” said Liz Miles, Vice President of Residential at IWBI. “Healthy, resilient homes are better positioned to respond to climate impacts and improve residents’ well-being, and the WELL for residential program provides an actionable framework to design and build such communities.”

WELL for residential is the world’s first and only holistic, third-party verified certification program to exclusively address health and well-being in all residence types, including single-family homes and units in multifamily buildings. At the time of its launch in early 2024, WELL for residential garnered 25 global pilot participants that enrolled nearly 30,000 homes and residences.

What pilot participants are saying about WELL for residential:

• “Receiving WELL for residential precertification is a proud moment for us,” said B K Malagi, Vice Chairman, Experion Developers. “This recognition under the global WELL program reinforces our commitment to building homes that go beyond aesthetics and luxury to truly support the well-being of our residents. It reflects our belief that homes should be places of comfort, health, and vitality.” Three of Experion’s flagship residential complexes comprising nearly 1,000 residences have achieved the precertified WELL Residence designation.
• Chris Botten, the Head of Sustainability (Investments and Development) for Lendlease in the UK, said of its WELL for residential achievement: “Our goal is to create homes that go beyond beautiful design — we want to support healthier, happier lives. Achieving Europe’s first WELL Residence certification at Parkside reflects our commitment to putting resident wellbeing at the heart of everything we do.”
• Corvias CEO, Chris Wilson, said of its participation, “This is a foundational moment for creating and measuring standards for military housing. By joining the WELL for residential program, Corvias affirms our commitment to service members and their families and embodies our promise of Solutions Through Partnerships® to the U.S. Army.” He added, “Joining this program also demonstrates our spirit of evolution. Corvias is excited about what we will learn to further support the well-being and resilience of military families, through the science of this third-party, evidence-based program.”
• Alex Uregian, Managing Director of City Sanctuary, also an early adopter, said: “As a B Corp developer, balancing purpose with profit is in our DNA, and we do so by delivering homes designed to elevate the well-being of our residents. Albion Court, our Grade II listed retrofit, served as a deliberate test case, allowing us to explore this proposition in the mid-market rental sector and within a historic building with significant technical constraints. Flat 2 also provided an ideal environment to benchmark WELL for residential performance against similar sized non-WELL apartments in the building. Early results, including reports of calmer evenings, better sleep and a healthier indoor environment, demonstrate that wellbeing-led design is no longer confined to the luxury market. With an ongoing post-completion research study now underway, the data is informing a model that can be replicated at scale to raise standards across the sector.”
• “By integrating evidence-based WELL for residential standard into our already health and wellness focused strategies at Continuum 115 Apartments, we give residents an elevated sense of confidence that their inspiring and WELLIFIZE-technology-enabled homes are made even more healthy and resilient for them to enjoy,” said Jaykant Patel, ARCHETYPE founder and managing principal.
• Dr. Ted Caplow, an environmental engineer and co-founder of Caplow Manzano, which achieved the world’s first WELL Residence for its CM1 project in Miami, Florida, USA said, “We pursued WELL because healthy residential design is a vast but largely uncharted frontier—and pioneers need a shared compass. WELL gives us that. When we put the WELL Residence mark next to our work, we’re signaling to homebuyers and brokers that this home meets the requirements of a clear and credible healthy homes standard.”
• Nick Deacon, Development Manager at Johnson Development, whose community of Jubilee was the first Texas community to become an early adopter, said, “WELL for residential gives us a framework to communicate value across builders, residents and stakeholders. It allows us to provide something to our builders they could follow — not subjective, but evidence-based. Residents can see that it’s not marketing; it’s real.”

To create WELL for residential, IWBI convened more than 100 advisors – alongside 20 builder and developer groups – to design a program that would meet the needs of the residential real estate industry. Over the course of two years, the program was informed by extensive input, market insight and expert recommendations from IWBI’s WELL for residential Advisory, a multidisciplinary working group of renowned subject matter experts, including leading builders and developers, architects and engineers, public health and building scientists, government officials and academics, as well as other real estate professionals.

Off the back of this rapid adoption, IWBI also announced that the IWBI Governance Council has formally recognized WELL for residential’s progress through a unanimous vote that ratifies the program. WELL for residential will be graduated as part of the One WELL launch in 2026. The IWBI Governance Council, formally constituted in 2020 and composed of key global thought leaders, public health professionals and business executives, helps uphold the integrity of the development process for IWBI’s certification frameworks and accelerates the broader movement driving WELL’s adoption.

WELL for residential is part of IWBI’s WELL ecosystem, which provides an evidence-based roadmap for thousands of organizations globally to implement health-focused strategies. WELL programs, which include WELL Certification, the WELL Health-Safety Rating, the WELL Performance Rating, the WELL Equity Rating, the WELL Coworking Rating, the WELL Community Standard, as well as WELL for residential, have been embraced by organizations seeking to prioritize human health and well-being, driving market transformation by creating spaces that advance physical and mental health. IWBI’s WELL at scale program extends the benefits of WELL across entire organizations or real estate portfolios while supporting business performance and reporting. As a result, WELL strategies have been adopted in nearly 100,000 commercial and residential locations totalling more than 6 billion square feet of space in more than 140 countries. More than 180 Global and Fortune 500 companies are among the thousands of organizations that use WELL to benefit more than 30 million people worldwide.

About the International WELL Building Institute
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is a public benefit corporation and the global authority for transforming health and well-being in buildings, organizations and communities. In pursuit of its public-health mission, IWBI mobilizes its community through the development and administration of the WELL Building Standard (WELL), WELL for residential, WELL Community Standard, its WELL ratings and management of the WELL AP credential. IWBI also translates research into practice, develops educational resources and advocates for policies that promote people-first places for everyone, everywhere. More information on WELL can be found here.

International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL EP, WELL Score, The WELL Conference, We Are WELL, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rated, WELL Performance Rated, WELL Equity Rated, WELL Equity, WELL Coworking Rated, WELL Residence, Works with WELL, WELL and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute pbc in the United States and other countries.

Media contact: media@wellcertified.com

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• Many existing data center designs are failing to meet IT decision makers’ sustainability goals
• Data sovereignty and low latency are top priorities for IT leaders across EMEA, driven by real-time and edge computing demands
• 90% expect AI to significantly increase data usage – but just two fifths (41%) are ready to integrate it efficiently

December 15, 2025 /3BL/ – Data center design must evolve to future-proof businesses across EMEA, new research commissioned by Lenovo reveals. From powering AI workloads efficiently to meeting urgent sustainability and compliance demands, traditional data center designs are falling short, with nearly half (45%) of IT leaders admitting their current infrastructure does not support energy or carbon-reduction goals.

At the same time, an overwhelming 99% of IT and C-level decision makers in the region say data sovereignty will be important to how data is collected, stored and processed in the years ahead. And while AI continues to accelerate data usage across industries, many organizations are still struggling to implement the technology effectively or power it sustainably, highlighting the growing gap between digital ambition and infrastructure reality.

Lenovo undertook the Data Center of the Future study, in partnership with Opinium, to provide a blueprint for the key factors influencing the future design, technology and location of data centers. It comes as the data center market grows, and energy usage, sustainability and costs become critical considerations for IT decision makers in EMEA.

Sustainability readiness gap requires new approach

92% of IT decision-makers prioritize technology partners who reduce energy use and carbon footprint, yet only 46% say their current data center design supports sustainability goals. This gap underscores the growing environmental pressures of AI, automation and exponential data growth, with traditional cooling systems (such as air cooling) struggling to balance efficiency, cost and carbon reduction.

Data sovereignty important for 99%

With 88% of IT decision-makers already viewing data sovereignty as a priority and nearly 99% expecting it to remain important over the next five years, it’s clear that compliance and control over where data resides will define future data center design. At the same time, 94% highlight low latency as a key requirement today and in the years ahead, driven by the growth of real-time applications and edge computing.

Powering AI at scale to define data center future

90% of IT decision-makers believe AI will significantly increase organizational data usage in the next decade, and 62% expect AI and automation to have the greatest impact on IT strategy. Yet despite the promise, 41% admit their organization is not prepared to integrate AI efficiently.

“The data center of the future will be defined by how effectively it can scale for AI, deliver on sustainability targets, and operate with maximum energy efficiency,” said Simone Larsson, Head of Enterprise AI, EMEA at Lenovo. “As demand for compute accelerates, customers will increasingly look to infrastructure partners who can deliver performance without compromise, and who take responsibility for reducing environmental impact.

“In EMEA, data sovereignty stands out as a particularly urgent priority, shaped by complex regional regulations and heightened scrutiny from CIOs and C-suites alike. Businesses must act now to align their infrastructure with these rising expectations, because preparing for the future starts with the choices they make today.”

Designing the Data Center of 2055 

Lenovo has worked with engineering firm AKT II and architects Mamou-Mani to consider how data centers could look in 30 years, as their importance to our personal and working lives continues to grow and energy demand increases. The concepts take the rack server data center model and leverage water cooling technology to boost their sustainability, while also making use of natural resources, disused spaces and unexpected locations to solve the challenges and meet needs of their users. The designs include:

• The Floating Cloud: A novel concept involving the suspension of the data center in the air, at an altitude of 20-30KM (safely away from commercial aircraft), with 24/7 energy from solar power and using pressurized closed liquid cooling loops to prevent air pollution. Smaller modules make the design feasible for floating in the air.
• The Data Village: Located close to water sources such as rivers or canals, the Data Village involves a modular, stackable brick or pod system of data centers linked to city needs. This location benefits from enhanced liquid cooling and the ability to transfer waste heat to power or heat local amenities like schools, or homes, as well as reducing latency thanks to its proximity to key locations. This model also extends into a Data Spa. Powered by geothermal energy, this concept blends into natural landscapes (such as a valley, lagoon, or geothermal pools), creating a low-visual-impact and biophilic data center.
• The Data Center Bunker: Utilizing disused tunnels, bunkers, or transport systems, the Data Center Bunker places the technology underground to minimize the need for new spaces to increase capacity. This reduces land use while allowing for facilities to be setup in central locations with lower impact. Benefitting from enhanced security resilience, the subterranean location creates a naturally efficient heat management system.

Importantly, all of the concepts would require and have been designed to incorporate liquid cooling technology to address the issue of heat in data centers and the limitations of traditional air cooling. Liquid cooling uses less energy than air cooling, increasing the efficiency and sustainability of the concepts.

“As architects and engineers, we have a responsibility to make data centers better, not just bigger. The Data Center of the Future project combines the evolving needs of businesses with practical pathways, from reusing mines and bunkers to high-altitude cloud modules, urban data villages, and data spas that pair server heat with public amenities”, said James Cheung, Partner at Mamou-Mani. “Based on Lenovo’s liquid cooling technology, we show how natural resources and existing locations can reduce overheads and return energy to communities. While we don’t have a crystal ball to show exactly what the future holds for data centers, this playbook provides a glimpse of concepts that could move from ideas to pilots, faster and with less risk.”

To meet the dual challenges of increasing compute demand and stricter sustainability requirements, organizations must begin optimizing their infrastructure today. Liquid cooling technology offers a tangible and effective solution and with Lenovo Neptune liquid cooling, 98% of system heat can be removed directly at the source. Neptune also significantly reduces energy consumption and reliance on traditional air-based cooling methods. As businesses scale their use of AI and advanced analytics, Neptune solutions offer a future-ready platform that aligns with both performance objectives and environmental commitments.

“Lenovo is committed to enabling smarter, more sustainable infrastructure at scale,” Larsson added. “With Neptune liquid cooling technology, we’re already helping customers address the rising energy demands of AI by integrating liquid cooling solutions that are both highly efficient and immediately deployable. Future-ready data centers require a shift in mindset, one where sustainability is not retrofitted, but engineered into the system from the very beginning.”

——

The Data Center of the Future study features research from Opinium, commissioned by Lenovo, which surveyed 250 IT decision makers in companies of 250 employees or more in Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, the UK and UAE. Fieldwork was conducted in August 2025.

AI Transparency Statement: Some of the visual representations included in this work were created or enhanced using artificial intelligence tools, such as Midjourney, to support conceptual exploration and visual communication. These AI-generated images are intended to illustrate design intent and atmosphere; all underlying architectural ideas, spatial compositions, and design decisions were conceived and developed by the author.

About Lenovo

Lenovo is a US$69 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, ranked #196 in the Fortune Global 500, and serving millions of customers every day in 180 markets. Focused on a bold vision to deliver Smarter Technology for All, Lenovo has built on its success as the world’s largest PC company with a full-stack portfolio of AI-enabled, AI-ready, and AI-optimized devices (PCs, workstations, smartphones, tablets), infrastructure (server, storage, edge, high performance computing and software defined infrastructure), software, solutions, and services. Lenovo’s continued investment in world-changing innovation is building a more equitable, trustworthy, and smarter future for everyone, everywhere. Lenovo is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange under Lenovo Group Limited (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY). To find out more visit https://www.lenovo.com, and read about the latest news via our StoryHub.

AKT II – Engineering the Future

AKT II is an award-winning engineering design practice based in London, working internationally across architecture, infrastructure, and the built environment. Our approach unites creativity and technical excellence, integrating advanced analysis, digital design, and material innovation to deliver elegant, efficient, and sustainable solutions. We collaborate closely with architects, clients, and partners to create structures that are responsive to context, resource-conscious, and inspiring for people and communities while pioneering the future of engineering through computational design, emerging materials, and adaptive systems.

Mamou-Mani: Designing the Future of Architecture
Mamou-Mani helps people and companies envision and create inspiring spaces, products, and experiences that anticipate the future. We are an award-winning RIBA-chartered practice based in London, UK, with our own fabrication facility (Fab.Pub) and deep expertise in computational design. Our work is grounded in foresight: we explore how architecture can respond to shifting cultural, technological, and environmental forces. By harnessing parametric and generative design tools, we evolve projects based on rules and parameters that mirror natural systems making architecture more adaptive, predictive, and resilient.

Unlike traditional practices, we link design directly to fabrication through custom software and digital craft, allowing ideas to move seamlessly from concept to built reality. This integrated “design-to-fabrication” pipeline helps clients test future scenarios, prototype solutions, and deliver innovative outcomes with minimal waste. From visioning and computational design to fabrication, assembly, and even digital and graphic storytelling, we provide a holistic service for every stage of a project. This allows us not only to meet today’s challenges but also to anticipate tomorrow’s opportunities.

• Many existing data center designs are failing to meet IT decision makers’ sustainability goals
• Data sovereignty and low latency are top priorities for IT leaders across EMEA, driven by real-time and edge computing demands
• 90% expect AI to significantly increase data usage – but just two fifths (41%) are ready to integrate it efficiently

December 15, 2025 /3BL/ – Data center design must evolve to future-proof businesses across EMEA, new research commissioned by Lenovo reveals. From powering AI workloads efficiently to meeting urgent sustainability and compliance demands, traditional data center designs are falling short, with nearly half (45%) of IT leaders admitting their current infrastructure does not support energy or carbon-reduction goals.

At the same time, an overwhelming 99% of IT and C-level decision makers in the region say data sovereignty will be important to how data is collected, stored and processed in the years ahead. And while AI continues to accelerate data usage across industries, many organizations are still struggling to implement the technology effectively or power it sustainably, highlighting the growing gap between digital ambition and infrastructure reality.

Lenovo undertook the Data Center of the Future study, in partnership with Opinium, to provide a blueprint for the key factors influencing the future design, technology and location of data centers. It comes as the data center market grows, and energy usage, sustainability and costs become critical considerations for IT decision makers in EMEA.

Sustainability readiness gap requires new approach

92% of IT decision-makers prioritize technology partners who reduce energy use and carbon footprint, yet only 46% say their current data center design supports sustainability goals. This gap underscores the growing environmental pressures of AI, automation and exponential data growth, with traditional cooling systems (such as air cooling) struggling to balance efficiency, cost and carbon reduction.

Data sovereignty important for 99%

With 88% of IT decision-makers already viewing data sovereignty as a priority and nearly 99% expecting it to remain important over the next five years, it’s clear that compliance and control over where data resides will define future data center design. At the same time, 94% highlight low latency as a key requirement today and in the years ahead, driven by the growth of real-time applications and edge computing.

Powering AI at scale to define data center future

90% of IT decision-makers believe AI will significantly increase organizational data usage in the next decade, and 62% expect AI and automation to have the greatest impact on IT strategy. Yet despite the promise, 41% admit their organization is not prepared to integrate AI efficiently.

“The data center of the future will be defined by how effectively it can scale for AI, deliver on sustainability targets, and operate with maximum energy efficiency,” said Simone Larsson, Head of Enterprise AI, EMEA at Lenovo. “As demand for compute accelerates, customers will increasingly look to infrastructure partners who can deliver performance without compromise, and who take responsibility for reducing environmental impact.

“In EMEA, data sovereignty stands out as a particularly urgent priority, shaped by complex regional regulations and heightened scrutiny from CIOs and C-suites alike. Businesses must act now to align their infrastructure with these rising expectations, because preparing for the future starts with the choices they make today.”

Designing the Data Center of 2055 

Lenovo has worked with engineering firm AKT II and architects Mamou-Mani to consider how data centers could look in 30 years, as their importance to our personal and working lives continues to grow and energy demand increases. The concepts take the rack server data center model and leverage water cooling technology to boost their sustainability, while also making use of natural resources, disused spaces and unexpected locations to solve the challenges and meet needs of their users. The designs include:

• The Floating Cloud: A novel concept involving the suspension of the data center in the air, at an altitude of 20-30KM (safely away from commercial aircraft), with 24/7 energy from solar power and using pressurized closed liquid cooling loops to prevent air pollution. Smaller modules make the design feasible for floating in the air.
• The Data Village: Located close to water sources such as rivers or canals, the Data Village involves a modular, stackable brick or pod system of data centers linked to city needs. This location benefits from enhanced liquid cooling and the ability to transfer waste heat to power or heat local amenities like schools, or homes, as well as reducing latency thanks to its proximity to key locations. This model also extends into a Data Spa. Powered by geothermal energy, this concept blends into natural landscapes (such as a valley, lagoon, or geothermal pools), creating a low-visual-impact and biophilic data center.
• The Data Center Bunker: Utilizing disused tunnels, bunkers, or transport systems, the Data Center Bunker places the technology underground to minimize the need for new spaces to increase capacity. This reduces land use while allowing for facilities to be setup in central locations with lower impact. Benefitting from enhanced security resilience, the subterranean location creates a naturally efficient heat management system.

Importantly, all of the concepts would require and have been designed to incorporate liquid cooling technology to address the issue of heat in data centers and the limitations of traditional air cooling. Liquid cooling uses less energy than air cooling, increasing the efficiency and sustainability of the concepts.

“As architects and engineers, we have a responsibility to make data centers better, not just bigger. The Data Center of the Future project combines the evolving needs of businesses with practical pathways, from reusing mines and bunkers to high-altitude cloud modules, urban data villages, and data spas that pair server heat with public amenities”, said James Cheung, Partner at Mamou-Mani. “Based on Lenovo’s liquid cooling technology, we show how natural resources and existing locations can reduce overheads and return energy to communities. While we don’t have a crystal ball to show exactly what the future holds for data centers, this playbook provides a glimpse of concepts that could move from ideas to pilots, faster and with less risk.”

To meet the dual challenges of increasing compute demand and stricter sustainability requirements, organizations must begin optimizing their infrastructure today. Liquid cooling technology offers a tangible and effective solution and with Lenovo Neptune liquid cooling, 98% of system heat can be removed directly at the source. Neptune also significantly reduces energy consumption and reliance on traditional air-based cooling methods. As businesses scale their use of AI and advanced analytics, Neptune solutions offer a future-ready platform that aligns with both performance objectives and environmental commitments.

“Lenovo is committed to enabling smarter, more sustainable infrastructure at scale,” Larsson added. “With Neptune liquid cooling technology, we’re already helping customers address the rising energy demands of AI by integrating liquid cooling solutions that are both highly efficient and immediately deployable. Future-ready data centers require a shift in mindset, one where sustainability is not retrofitted, but engineered into the system from the very beginning.”

——

The Data Center of the Future study features research from Opinium, commissioned by Lenovo, which surveyed 250 IT decision makers in companies of 250 employees or more in Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, the UK and UAE. Fieldwork was conducted in August 2025.

AI Transparency Statement: Some of the visual representations included in this work were created or enhanced using artificial intelligence tools, such as Midjourney, to support conceptual exploration and visual communication. These AI-generated images are intended to illustrate design intent and atmosphere; all underlying architectural ideas, spatial compositions, and design decisions were conceived and developed by the author.

About Lenovo

Lenovo is a US$69 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, ranked #196 in the Fortune Global 500, and serving millions of customers every day in 180 markets. Focused on a bold vision to deliver Smarter Technology for All, Lenovo has built on its success as the world’s largest PC company with a full-stack portfolio of AI-enabled, AI-ready, and AI-optimized devices (PCs, workstations, smartphones, tablets), infrastructure (server, storage, edge, high performance computing and software defined infrastructure), software, solutions, and services. Lenovo’s continued investment in world-changing innovation is building a more equitable, trustworthy, and smarter future for everyone, everywhere. Lenovo is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange under Lenovo Group Limited (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY). To find out more visit https://www.lenovo.com, and read about the latest news via our StoryHub.

AKT II – Engineering the Future

AKT II is an award-winning engineering design practice based in London, working internationally across architecture, infrastructure, and the built environment. Our approach unites creativity and technical excellence, integrating advanced analysis, digital design, and material innovation to deliver elegant, efficient, and sustainable solutions. We collaborate closely with architects, clients, and partners to create structures that are responsive to context, resource-conscious, and inspiring for people and communities while pioneering the future of engineering through computational design, emerging materials, and adaptive systems.

Mamou-Mani: Designing the Future of Architecture
Mamou-Mani helps people and companies envision and create inspiring spaces, products, and experiences that anticipate the future. We are an award-winning RIBA-chartered practice based in London, UK, with our own fabrication facility (Fab.Pub) and deep expertise in computational design. Our work is grounded in foresight: we explore how architecture can respond to shifting cultural, technological, and environmental forces. By harnessing parametric and generative design tools, we evolve projects based on rules and parameters that mirror natural systems making architecture more adaptive, predictive, and resilient.

Unlike traditional practices, we link design directly to fabrication through custom software and digital craft, allowing ideas to move seamlessly from concept to built reality. This integrated “design-to-fabrication” pipeline helps clients test future scenarios, prototype solutions, and deliver innovative outcomes with minimal waste. From visioning and computational design to fabrication, assembly, and even digital and graphic storytelling, we provide a holistic service for every stage of a project. This allows us not only to meet today’s challenges but also to anticipate tomorrow’s opportunities.

Bond issuance linked to environmental, social and governance (ESG) purposes dipped in the first half of 2025 following a strong second half in 2024. But we expect issuance of ESG-labeled bonds will pick up for several reasons.

Many debut issuers are still coming to the market (Display, left). Borrowers from Austria, Sweden and Spain have significantly increased their ESG-labeled bond issuance, providing over 5% of global total issuance year to date. Their contributions underscore the adaptability and resilience of the ESG-labeled bond market, as many issuers continue to prioritize responsible investing.

In terms of sectors, new ESG-labeled issuance by utilities comprises a substantial part of the market, averaging around 9% of annual issuance from 2018 through 2024. We expect that growing demand for energy from data centers (Display, right) will result in higher capex by utilities and a further increase in their ESG-labeled bond issuance. Why?

First, the rollout of data centers will likely widen to include a range of industries, not just tech companies. Second, financing is likely to diversify too, with public-market debt increasingly supplementing private-market debt. Third, data centers need energy supplies that are reliable: this means not only increased power generation but also more capex to upgrade ageing electricity grids. Finally, to minimize environmental impact, utilities will need to ensure diversity of energy supplies by harnessing more renewables alongside natural gas, which we think will lend itself naturally to more ESG-labeled issuance. 

The views expressed herein do not constitute research, investment advice or trade recommendations, do not necessarily represent the views of all AB portfolio-management teams and are subject to change over time.

Learn more about AB’s approach to responsibility here.

Bond issuance linked to environmental, social and governance (ESG) purposes dipped in the first half of 2025 following a strong second half in 2024. But we expect issuance of ESG-labeled bonds will pick up for several reasons.

Many debut issuers are still coming to the market (Display, left). Borrowers from Austria, Sweden and Spain have significantly increased their ESG-labeled bond issuance, providing over 5% of global total issuance year to date. Their contributions underscore the adaptability and resilience of the ESG-labeled bond market, as many issuers continue to prioritize responsible investing.

In terms of sectors, new ESG-labeled issuance by utilities comprises a substantial part of the market, averaging around 9% of annual issuance from 2018 through 2024. We expect that growing demand for energy from data centers (Display, right) will result in higher capex by utilities and a further increase in their ESG-labeled bond issuance. Why?

First, the rollout of data centers will likely widen to include a range of industries, not just tech companies. Second, financing is likely to diversify too, with public-market debt increasingly supplementing private-market debt. Third, data centers need energy supplies that are reliable: this means not only increased power generation but also more capex to upgrade ageing electricity grids. Finally, to minimize environmental impact, utilities will need to ensure diversity of energy supplies by harnessing more renewables alongside natural gas, which we think will lend itself naturally to more ESG-labeled issuance. 

The views expressed herein do not constitute research, investment advice or trade recommendations, do not necessarily represent the views of all AB portfolio-management teams and are subject to change over time.

Learn more about AB’s approach to responsibility here.

WASHINGTON, December 15, 2025 /3BL/ – The National Park Foundation is participating as a national charity partner beneficiary for the 13th consecutive year in the Subaru Share the Love® Event. Running from November 20, 2025, through January 2, 2026, the campaign connects people everywhere to help inspire a lifelong love of the outdoors and provide the opportunity to give back to national parks across the country.

Through the annual Subaru Share the Love ® Event, Subaru of America and its retailers will support the National Park Foundation, providing critical funding to help preserve and protect more than 400 parks across the country.

As the largest corporate partner of the National Park Foundation, Subaru of America has donated nearly $65 million in support to protect national parks since 2013. The automaker’s combined efforts have helped care for over 85 million acres of protected lands.

“We’re grateful for our long-standing partnership with Subaru, built on a shared belief in the power of our national parks that is as important as ever,” said Dawn Rodney, chief external affairs officer at the National Park Foundation. “Thanks to the generosity of Subaru, their retailers, and their customers, we’re able to provide the support needed to keep our parks vibrant and welcoming for today’s visitors and future generations.”

Click here to learn more about the Share the Love Event and Subaru’s longtime support of our national parks.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

The National Park Foundation works to protect wildlife and park lands, preserve history and culture, educate and engage youth, and connect people everywhere to the wonder of parks. We do it in collaboration with the National Park Service, the park partner community, and with the generous support of donors, without whom our work would not be possible. Learn more at nationalparks.org.

WASHINGTON, December 15, 2025 /3BL/ – The National Park Foundation is participating as a national charity partner beneficiary for the 13th consecutive year in the Subaru Share the Love® Event. Running from November 20, 2025, through January 2, 2026, the campaign connects people everywhere to help inspire a lifelong love of the outdoors and provide the opportunity to give back to national parks across the country.

Through the annual Subaru Share the Love ® Event, Subaru of America and its retailers will support the National Park Foundation, providing critical funding to help preserve and protect more than 400 parks across the country.

As the largest corporate partner of the National Park Foundation, Subaru of America has donated nearly $65 million in support to protect national parks since 2013. The automaker’s combined efforts have helped care for over 85 million acres of protected lands.

“We’re grateful for our long-standing partnership with Subaru, built on a shared belief in the power of our national parks that is as important as ever,” said Dawn Rodney, chief external affairs officer at the National Park Foundation. “Thanks to the generosity of Subaru, their retailers, and their customers, we’re able to provide the support needed to keep our parks vibrant and welcoming for today’s visitors and future generations.”

Click here to learn more about the Share the Love Event and Subaru’s longtime support of our national parks.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

The National Park Foundation works to protect wildlife and park lands, preserve history and culture, educate and engage youth, and connect people everywhere to the wonder of parks. We do it in collaboration with the National Park Service, the park partner community, and with the generous support of donors, without whom our work would not be possible. Learn more at nationalparks.org.

For the ninth consecutive year, KeyBank has been named a Leading Disability Employer by the National Organization on Disability (NOD), reaffirming the bank’s longstanding commitment to disability inclusion in the workplace.

In addition to this recognition, KeyBank was also honored with the NOD ERG Excellence Award for Making a Difference, which celebrates the leaders of employee resource groups (ERGs) who are making a measurable difference in advancing inclusion for people with disabilities.

Both awards were presented during NOD’s signature event, the Technology and Disability Experience, held in New York City on September 30, 2025. The event brought together leaders from across industries to showcase how technology is driving accessibility, inclusion, and opportunity for people with disabilities.

“Being recognized as a Leading Disability Employer for the ninth consecutive year, along with the leaders of our Champions of People with Disabilities ERG receiving the NOD ERG Excellence Award, is a tremendous honor for Key,” said Jessika Poldruhi, Chief Inclusion Officer, KeyBank. “These recognitions highlight not only our ongoing commitment, but also the leadership of our Champions of People with Disabilities ERG, whose work creates awareness, drives understanding and advances opportunities for teammates with disabilities in our workplace. Their dedication exemplifies how inclusive cultures empower all employees to thrive.”

KeyBank’s approach to disability inclusion includes:

• Supporting our employees who are impacted by disabilities including caregivers
• Strengthening our relationships with community organizations that support the disabled population
• Growing our Champions of People with Disabilities ERG
• Educating and partnering with other ERGs to provide cultural awareness, professional development, and community engagement activities

About KeyCorp

In 2025, KeyCorp celebrates its bicentennial, marking 200 years of service to clients and communities from Maine to Alaska. To learn more, visit KeyBank Heritage Center. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $185 billion at June 30, 2025. 

Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,200 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank Member FDIC. 

For the ninth consecutive year, KeyBank has been named a Leading Disability Employer by the National Organization on Disability (NOD), reaffirming the bank’s longstanding commitment to disability inclusion in the workplace.

In addition to this recognition, KeyBank was also honored with the NOD ERG Excellence Award for Making a Difference, which celebrates the leaders of employee resource groups (ERGs) who are making a measurable difference in advancing inclusion for people with disabilities.

Both awards were presented during NOD’s signature event, the Technology and Disability Experience, held in New York City on September 30, 2025. The event brought together leaders from across industries to showcase how technology is driving accessibility, inclusion, and opportunity for people with disabilities.

“Being recognized as a Leading Disability Employer for the ninth consecutive year, along with the leaders of our Champions of People with Disabilities ERG receiving the NOD ERG Excellence Award, is a tremendous honor for Key,” said Jessika Poldruhi, Chief Inclusion Officer, KeyBank. “These recognitions highlight not only our ongoing commitment, but also the leadership of our Champions of People with Disabilities ERG, whose work creates awareness, drives understanding and advances opportunities for teammates with disabilities in our workplace. Their dedication exemplifies how inclusive cultures empower all employees to thrive.”

KeyBank’s approach to disability inclusion includes:

• Supporting our employees who are impacted by disabilities including caregivers
• Strengthening our relationships with community organizations that support the disabled population
• Growing our Champions of People with Disabilities ERG
• Educating and partnering with other ERGs to provide cultural awareness, professional development, and community engagement activities

About KeyCorp

In 2025, KeyCorp celebrates its bicentennial, marking 200 years of service to clients and communities from Maine to Alaska. To learn more, visit KeyBank Heritage Center. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $185 billion at June 30, 2025. 

Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,200 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank Member FDIC.