Tag: 3BL

Southwire reduces emissions through multipronged investments that support our sustainability goals and broader corporate strategy. These efforts reinforce our commitments to operational excellence, site efficiency, workplace safety and product quality, while reducing Southwire’s carbon footprint and minimizing our environmental impact. 

In 2025, we advanced key emissions reduction initiatives and reinforced our approach through strong sustainability oversight at our facilities. We conducted a series of energy assessments for each manufacturing site, using the results to develop site-specific energy roadmaps to guide sustainability efforts for the next two to five years. We also continue to deploy our Sustainability Playbook across all facilities, which guides our teams on sustainability fundamentals, including key culture, technology and programmatic initiatives. 

Embracing Renewable Energy 

As leaders in the re-electrification of America, we leverage alternative and renewable energy sources in our own operations. We continue to advance renewable energy initiatives across our facilities, from contracting renewable energy credits (RECs) to installing on-site solar. We continued construction on a new solar power installation at our North Campus in Carrollton, Georgia, which is expected to begin providing power to our facility in late 2026. 

We expect participation in Georgia Power’s CRSP program to offset more than 6% of our total footprint.

Through our partnership with the Carroll Electric Membership Cooperative, our Carrollton Southwire Continuous Rod (SCR®) plant is powered with 100% renewable electricity. Additionally, in 2025, we activated our contract with Georgia Power’s Customer Renewable Supply Procurement (CRSP) program, through which we subscribe to the utility’s renewable electricity allocation program. Leveraging utility green power programs is part of Southwire’s multi-tiered strategy to reduce emissions, and we expect participation in Georgia Power’s CRSP program to offset more than 6% of our total footprint. Over the course of 2025, CRSP credits helped reduce costs, support renewable initiatives and advance progress toward our emissions targets. 

Growing Green Through Facility Expansions & Improvements

Over the course of the year, we deployed a range of expansion projects and facility upgrades that increased our capacity to meet evolving customer needs while also supporting energy efficiency and emissions reduction. We design all new and expanded facilities to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification in collaboration with third-party partners. In addition, all expansion projects include EV charging stations to support team members and visitors who drive EVs. 

At our plant in Heflin, Alabama, we began an expansion project to increase Southwire’s core wire and cable operations capacity. The facility, slated to open in 2027, will include comfort cooling and other modernizations that support team member safety and well-being, as well as a rainwater collection system to support designated facility operations. 

We also celebrated the opening of a new industrial plant at our campus in Bremen, Indiana, which includes four manufacturing facilities and serves some of the company’s largest customers. The facility became the first Southwire building expansion to achieve LEED Silver certification. 

Aligning Product Innovation with Sustainable Operations 

Southwire’s new W.M. Berry Innovation Center opened in 2025, significantly expanding our R&D footprint. The Center supports innovation across our product portfolio and helps power the grid of the future. It was built with sustainability front of mind, helping to reduce the environmental impacts of our operations. The Center earned LEED Silver certification and features geothermal heating and cooling, as well as daylight LED panels, to improve energy efficiency. In addition to the sustainable construction features in the new facility, our existing Cofer R&D Center was previously modernized with geothermal energy and an updated HVAC system. 

Facility Upgrades Focused on Energy Efficiency 

We continue to upgrade equipment and infrastructure at our existing facilities to increase energy efficiency, reinforce site safety and bolster productivity. These upgrades help to drive operational efficiencies that reduce costs to our business. 

Through this project to replace aging melters, we anticipate reducing the plant’s energy consumption by an estimated 205,000 dekatherms of natural gas.

In 2025, we introduced new equipment upgrade projects across our facilities, including a multi-year melting efficiency initiative at our aluminum rod plant in Hawesville, Kentucky. The project, currently in development, aims to replace aging melters — which heat raw materials in our manufacturing process — with equipment that uses regenerative burner technology to recover and reuse heat that would otherwise be wasted. Through this project, we anticipate reducing the plant’s energy consumption by an estimated 205,000 dekatherms of natural gas. This would reduce Southwire’s carbon footprint by an estimated 11,000 metric tons per year. 

We also made progress on ongoing equipment upgrade initiatives, including: 

• Implementing a green hydrogen ecosystem at our new distribution center in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, which is expected to displace about 500 metric tons of CO2 per year from our direct operations. 
• Conducting a pilot to convert shunt trucks, which we use to transport materials within and between our facilities, from diesel to electric power.

To learn more about Southwire’s emissions reduction initiatives and to view the full 2025 Sustainability Report, visit https://southwire.com/sustainability.

ST PAUL, Minn., September 3, 2026 /3BL/ – Antea Group USA is proud to announce that it has been named an Accredited EcoVadis Consulting Partner by EcoVadis, the global standard for resilient, sustainable supply chains. Accredited EcoVadis Consulting Partners are formally equipped to help businesses complete sustainability assessments, review performance results, and strengthen programs across Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement practices.

Accredited EcoVadis Consulting Partners are selected based on their experience and expertise and complete rigorous training on the EcoVadis methodology and assessment process through the EcoVadis Academy. To qualify, partners must demonstrate a strong understanding of environmental, ethical, and human rights issues and regulations, and complete an EcoVadis assessment for their own business.

As an environmental, health, safety, and sustainability (EHS&S) firm, Antea Group USA has helped organizations navigate complex environmental, social, and governance (ESG) challenges for the past 40 years. As regulatory expectations and stakeholder scrutiny continue to grow, organizations are seeking trusted advisors to help them strengthen sustainability and health and safety programs, improve transparency, and effectively communicate ESG performance.

“Our EcoVadis capabilities, combined with our EHS&S services, enable us to help clients strengthen both their overall ESG performance and the credibility of the information they share with stakeholders,” said Sarah King, Consultant, Corporate Reporting and Disclosure Services Lead at Antea Group USA. “We help our clients not only complete a questionnaire, but we help them understand and interpret the scorecard results to take meaningful action within their own operations as well as within their value chain.”

As an Accredited EcoVadis Consulting Partner, Antea Group USA can support organizations through:

• Assessment Completion, Awareness, and Compliance
• Post-Assessment Review, Strategic Integration, and Efficiency
• Enabling Buyers with Program Launch, Setup, and Network Engagement
• Supporting Buyers with Advanced Value Chain Performance, and Driving Impact

The accreditation complements Antea Group USA’s growing portfolio of sustainability services, including sustainability reporting, greenhouse gas inventories, climate strategy, supply chain engagement, corporate reporting and disclosure, and its recently launched limited assurance support service.

To learn more about Antea Group USA’s Sustainability services, visit: https://us.anteagroup.com/practices/sustainability-consulting

About Antea Group USA

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.

ST PAUL, Minn., September 3, 2026 /3BL/ – Antea Group USA is proud to announce that it has been named an Accredited EcoVadis Consulting Partner by EcoVadis, the global standard for resilient, sustainable supply chains. Accredited EcoVadis Consulting Partners are formally equipped to help businesses complete sustainability assessments, review performance results, and strengthen programs across Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement practices.

Accredited EcoVadis Consulting Partners are selected based on their experience and expertise and complete rigorous training on the EcoVadis methodology and assessment process through the EcoVadis Academy. To qualify, partners must demonstrate a strong understanding of environmental, ethical, and human rights issues and regulations, and complete an EcoVadis assessment for their own business.

As an environmental, health, safety, and sustainability (EHS&S) firm, Antea Group USA has helped organizations navigate complex environmental, social, and governance (ESG) challenges for the past 40 years. As regulatory expectations and stakeholder scrutiny continue to grow, organizations are seeking trusted advisors to help them strengthen sustainability and health and safety programs, improve transparency, and effectively communicate ESG performance.

“Our EcoVadis capabilities, combined with our EHS&S services, enable us to help clients strengthen both their overall ESG performance and the credibility of the information they share with stakeholders,” said Sarah King, Consultant, Corporate Reporting and Disclosure Services Lead at Antea Group USA. “We help our clients not only complete a questionnaire, but we help them understand and interpret the scorecard results to take meaningful action within their own operations as well as within their value chain.”

As an Accredited EcoVadis Consulting Partner, Antea Group USA can support organizations through:

• Assessment Completion, Awareness, and Compliance
• Post-Assessment Review, Strategic Integration, and Efficiency
• Enabling Buyers with Program Launch, Setup, and Network Engagement
• Supporting Buyers with Advanced Value Chain Performance, and Driving Impact

The accreditation complements Antea Group USA’s growing portfolio of sustainability services, including sustainability reporting, greenhouse gas inventories, climate strategy, supply chain engagement, corporate reporting and disclosure, and its recently launched limited assurance support service.

To learn more about Antea Group USA’s Sustainability services, visit: https://us.anteagroup.com/practices/sustainability-consulting

About Antea Group USA

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.

Originally published on CVS Health Company Newsroom

As summer winds down, many families are preparing for a new school year filled with new teachers, new routines and new opportunities. But before students head back to the classroom, it is important to make sure their health needs are covered.

From school physicals and vaccinations to managing chronic conditions and preventing common illnesses, MinuteClinic providers say early planning can make a big difference.

“Back-to-school season can feel overwhelming for families, especially when health requirements and school deadlines start piling up,” said David Fairchild, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Retail Health, CVS Health. “Getting a head start on physicals, immunizations and medication needs can help reduce stress and ensure students are healthy, confident and ready to learn on day one.”

Schedule physicals and vaccinations early

Two of the most common back-to-school health needs are school and sports physicals and required vaccinations.

Physicals are often required for students participating in school or recreational sports, while vaccine requirements vary by state, school district and grade level. Reviewing requirements early can help families avoid scrambling for appointments as the start of school approaches.

MinuteClinic offers school, camp and sports physicals, as well as routine childhood immunizations for children 18-months and older. Parents should remember to bring any required school forms, health assessments, and immunization records to their appointment.

“One of the simplest ways to save time is to bring all of your child’s paperwork with you,” said Liz Morgan, FNP-C, Regional Quality Lead, MinuteClinic. “Having the right forms on hand can often prevent the need for a second visit.”

Be prepared for common back-to-school illnesses

As students return to classrooms and other crowded settings, MinuteClinic providers typically see an increase in certain illnesses.

Early in the school year, common concerns include:

• Strep throat
• Pink eye (conjunctivitis)
• Common colds

As the school year progresses, flu and COVID-19 also become more common. Providers encourage families to stay current on recommended vaccinations and pay attention to symptoms that may require medical evaluation.

Parents should also be aware of ongoing measles activity in some parts of the country and ensure children are up to date on recommended immunizations.

Reinforce healthy habits at home

Many illnesses spread quickly in schools, but healthy habits can help reduce risk.

Providers recommend reinforcing:

• Frequent handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• Covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue
• Throwing used tissues away immediately
• Avoiding sharing water bottles, utensils and personal items
• Cleaning reusable items such as water bottles and lunchboxes regularly

Sleep is another important piece of the back-to-school routine.

Experts recommend gradually shifting bedtime schedules one to two weeks before school starts to help students adjust to the school-day routine. Adequate sleep supports learning, emotional well-being, and overall health.

Convenient care for busy families

MinuteClinic offers a range of services designed to help families prepare for the school year, including physicals, vaccinations, illness evaluation and treatment, and chronic condition support.

Appointments can be scheduled in advance, although walk-ins are also accepted at many locations. MinuteClinic providers accept most insurance plans and offer same-day availability at many locations.

For families on the go, MinuteClinic also offers 24/7 virtual care. Virtual visits, which can be paid through eligible insurance, are also available through a cash-pay option for $89, making it easier for parents to access care when and where they need it.

To learn more or schedule an appointment, visit MinuteClinic.com or use the CVS Health app.

 

Originally published on CVS Health Company Newsroom

As summer winds down, many families are preparing for a new school year filled with new teachers, new routines and new opportunities. But before students head back to the classroom, it is important to make sure their health needs are covered.

From school physicals and vaccinations to managing chronic conditions and preventing common illnesses, MinuteClinic providers say early planning can make a big difference.

“Back-to-school season can feel overwhelming for families, especially when health requirements and school deadlines start piling up,” said David Fairchild, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Retail Health, CVS Health. “Getting a head start on physicals, immunizations and medication needs can help reduce stress and ensure students are healthy, confident and ready to learn on day one.”

Schedule physicals and vaccinations early

Two of the most common back-to-school health needs are school and sports physicals and required vaccinations.

Physicals are often required for students participating in school or recreational sports, while vaccine requirements vary by state, school district and grade level. Reviewing requirements early can help families avoid scrambling for appointments as the start of school approaches.

MinuteClinic offers school, camp and sports physicals, as well as routine childhood immunizations for children 18-months and older. Parents should remember to bring any required school forms, health assessments, and immunization records to their appointment.

“One of the simplest ways to save time is to bring all of your child’s paperwork with you,” said Liz Morgan, FNP-C, Regional Quality Lead, MinuteClinic. “Having the right forms on hand can often prevent the need for a second visit.”

Be prepared for common back-to-school illnesses

As students return to classrooms and other crowded settings, MinuteClinic providers typically see an increase in certain illnesses.

Early in the school year, common concerns include:

• Strep throat
• Pink eye (conjunctivitis)
• Common colds

As the school year progresses, flu and COVID-19 also become more common. Providers encourage families to stay current on recommended vaccinations and pay attention to symptoms that may require medical evaluation.

Parents should also be aware of ongoing measles activity in some parts of the country and ensure children are up to date on recommended immunizations.

Reinforce healthy habits at home

Many illnesses spread quickly in schools, but healthy habits can help reduce risk.

Providers recommend reinforcing:

• Frequent handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• Covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue
• Throwing used tissues away immediately
• Avoiding sharing water bottles, utensils and personal items
• Cleaning reusable items such as water bottles and lunchboxes regularly

Sleep is another important piece of the back-to-school routine.

Experts recommend gradually shifting bedtime schedules one to two weeks before school starts to help students adjust to the school-day routine. Adequate sleep supports learning, emotional well-being, and overall health.

Convenient care for busy families

MinuteClinic offers a range of services designed to help families prepare for the school year, including physicals, vaccinations, illness evaluation and treatment, and chronic condition support.

Appointments can be scheduled in advance, although walk-ins are also accepted at many locations. MinuteClinic providers accept most insurance plans and offer same-day availability at many locations.

For families on the go, MinuteClinic also offers 24/7 virtual care. Virtual visits, which can be paid through eligible insurance, are also available through a cash-pay option for $89, making it easier for parents to access care when and where they need it.

To learn more or schedule an appointment, visit MinuteClinic.com or use the CVS Health app.

 

As demand for AI, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure accelerates, data centers are becoming critical assets for economies worldwide. But behind that growth lies a complex set of environmental, health, and safety challenges that organizations must proactively manage. This Q&A explores the emerging risks, opportunities, and best practices shaping one of the fastest-growing sectors globally.

Key Takeaways:

1. Global demand for cloud services, digital infrastructure, and AI is driving unprecedented growth in the data center sector.
2. Data centers introduce unique EHS risks, including complex electrical systems, large-scale construction activities, cooling infrastructure, backup power systems, and evolving operational demands.
3. The industry’s rapid pace creates challenges around safety maturity, management systems, contractor oversight, and supply chain quality.
4. Brownfield redevelopment is becoming increasingly attractive for data center development, but can introduce legacy environmental liabilities and remediation challenges.
5. Strong management systems, local expertise, and global collaboration will be essential to building a more resilient and sustainable data center industry. 
    

Listen to the full episode:
Powering the Future: EHS Challenges in Data Centers

 

Introduction

Data centers have become the physical backbone of our digital economy. Every cloud-based application, AI model, online transaction, streamed video, and connected device relies on data being stored, processed, and transmitted through increasingly sophisticated facilities around the world. As demand continues to surge, organizations are racing to build more capacity and expand infrastructure at unprecedented speed. 
In Episode 4 of Season 3 of Rethinking EHS, host Charlotte Buffoni of Antea Group UK is joined by Julie Kreger King of Antea Group USA and Alessandro Intile of HPC Italy to discuss the environmental, health, and safety realities behind the data center boom. Together, they explore the industry’s rapid evolution, emerging risks, environmental considerations, and the growing importance of global collaboration and local expertise.
 

What is driving the rapid growth of data centers?

Charlotte Buffoni: Data centers are expanding rapidly across the globe. What’s driving this growth?

Julie Kreger King: The shift toward cloud computing began well before the pandemic, but COVID-19 significantly accelerated adoption. The emergence of advanced artificial intelligence technologies has added another major growth driver, creating demand that many providers are struggling to meet.

Alessandro Intile: Everything we do today has a digital footprint. Whether we’re streaming content, using AI, or simply navigating daily life online, that data requires physical infrastructure. The cloud may seem virtual, but it depends on buildings, electrical systems, cooling infrastructure, and significant physical resources.

Why are certain regions becoming major data center hubs?

Charlotte Buffoni: We’re hearing more about emerging hubs such as Milan. Why are these locations attracting investment?

Alessandro Intile: Traditionally, Europe’s largest data center markets were concentrated in cities such as Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, and Paris. As those locations become constrained by power availability and space limitations, new hubs including Milan, Madrid, and Lisbon are becoming increasingly attractive. Many of these cities already have strong electrical infrastructure and former industrial sites that can support redevelopment.

In Italy, recent legislation has also recognized data centers as strategic infrastructure, helping streamline permitting processes and improving regulatory certainty for developers.

Julie Kreger King: Similar trends are occurring in the United States, where data center development is concentrated around regions with available power, water resources, and suitable land. Regulatory requirements often differ significantly between states, creating unique local considerations for every project.

 

Why is the data center sector becoming such an important EHS focus area?

Charlotte Buffoni: Why are environmental, health, and safety professionals paying such close attention to this sector?

Julie Kreger King: Many technology companies historically operated in lower-risk environments. Data centers introduce entirely new operational realities, including high-voltage electrical infrastructure, complex mechanical systems, large-scale construction projects, and significant operational risks. Organizations have recognized that despite limited industry-specific regulations, proactive risk management is essential.

The sector also operates under intense public scrutiny. Organizations recognize the reputational, operational, and business risks associated with incidents, leading many operators to strengthen their EHS programs and mitigation efforts.

 

How mature are health and safety programs in the data center industry today?

Charlotte Buffoni: Data centers are evolving rapidly. How mature does safety feel across the industry?

Julie Kreger King: The answer varies significantly. Large hyperscale operators often have sophisticated programs and a clear understanding of their risks. However, the industry’s rapid expansion means many new entrants are still developing their systems and approaches.

One major challenge is the multi-employer environment. Data centers rely on extensive networks of contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers. While some organizations may have highly mature safety programs, consistency can be difficult when different parties operate at different levels of maturity.

 

What is the biggest challenge for organizations trying to scale safely?

Charlotte Buffoni: Are companies approaching safety differently than more established industries?

Julie Kreger King: Fundamentally, safety still comes back to strong management systems and clear processes. The challenge is balancing the need for speed against the need for structure. Organizations want to move quickly, but they also need procedures, controls, and governance systems that provide consistency and accountability.

As technologies continue to evolve, organizations must continuously revisit and improve their processes. Cooling technologies, electrical infrastructure, and onsite power generation systems are changing rapidly, creating new operational risks that must be understood and managed.

 

How is rapid innovation changing the risk landscape?

Charlotte Buffoni: What new risks are emerging as the industry evolves?

Julie Kreger King: One major challenge is that technology is changing faster than many organizations can adapt. New generations of cooling systems, power infrastructure, and data hall technologies often require organizations to revisit existing procedures and reassess their risks. Continuous improvement becomes critical.

There is also increasing interest in onsite power generation to address growing energy demands. For many operators, this introduces unfamiliar operational risks that require new expertise and risk management approaches.

 

Why are brownfield sites becoming more attractive for data center development?

Charlotte Buffoni: What development trends are you seeing in Europe?

Alessandro Intile: One of the most significant trends is the growing use of brownfield sites. Historically, developers preferred greenfield locations because they carried fewer environmental uncertainties. Today, the lack of available land and the advantages offered by existing infrastructure are encouraging organizations to repurpose former industrial properties.

However, redevelopment comes with challenges. Former industrial sites may contain contaminated soil, groundwater impacts, legacy buildings, asbestos, lead-based paint, or other hazardous materials. Identifying and managing these issues early is critical to avoiding unexpected costs, delays, and remediation requirements.

 

What environmental risks are frequently overlooked during development?

Charlotte Buffoni: Are there any risks organizations sometimes underestimate?

Alessandro Intile: Noise is often overlooked. Data centers operate continuously and rely on large numbers of fans, chillers, and cooling systems. If facilities are located close to residential communities, noise concerns can become a significant issue and even create legal challenges before operations begin.

Organizations also need to consider permitting requirements associated with backup power systems and fuel storage, as well as environmental risks associated with neighboring industrial activities and local site conditions. These factors can have important implications for both workers and facility operations.

Beyond technical and regulatory factors, public sensitivity around data center developments has increased in recent times. Growing community awareness regarding energy consumption, water use, and localized environmental impacts has fueled opposition, frequently resulting in public protests and class-action lawsuits that can delay or halt projects entirely.

To address these challenges, specialized social consulting services are increasingly being implemented to assess and mitigate the societal impacts of data center developments. These strategies foster early community engagement, support transparent communication, and help ensure socially responsible project delivery.

 

How can organizations create consistency across multiple regions?

Charlotte Buffoni: As operators expand globally, how do organizations maintain consistency while adapting to local realities?

Julie Kreger King: Data center EHS management typically spans three phases: site development, construction, and operations. Organizations need systems that support consistency across the entire lifecycle while remaining flexible enough to adapt to changing technologies, local regulations, and operational realities.

Rather than relying solely on policies, successful organizations develop management systems that clearly define expectations, accountability, and processes across all locations.

Alessandro Intile: Local expertise is equally important. Understanding local permitting processes, regulators, cultural expectations, and site-specific conditions can significantly improve project outcomes and help organizations navigate increasingly complex approval processes.

 

What opportunities does the sector offer for EHS professionals?

Charlotte Buffoni: What advice would you give to EHS professionals considering a career in data centers?

Julie Kreger King: The opportunities are enormous. Many experienced professionals from industries such as manufacturing, chemicals, and energy are moving into data centers because they see the chance to make a meaningful impact in an industry that is still maturing.

The pace is demanding, but it offers a unique opportunity to apply experience, influence industry practices, and help shape the future of safety, operational excellence, and environmental stewardship.

Alessandro Intile: Future professionals must also think beyond technical infrastructure. Data centers need to be responsible neighbors, balancing water use, energy consumption, environmental protection, and community expectations while supporting continued technological growth.

 

What should be the industry’s biggest EHS priority over the next few years?

Charlotte Buffoni: Looking ahead, what priorities should the industry focus on?

Julie Kreger King: Construction remains one of the most significant risk areas. As projects become larger and more complex, operators, contractors, and suppliers will need stronger safety capabilities, clearer expectations, and greater collaboration to ensure safe outcomes.

The broader opportunity lies in continuing to mature the industry through shared best practices, stronger management systems, and collective efforts to improve EHS performance across the entire value chain.

Alessandro Intile: Organizations also need to focus on preventing incidents, ensuring operational resilience, and designing facilities that can safely withstand environmental and operational risks. The consequences of major disruptions can extend well beyond a single site, creating significant economic and societal impacts.

 

How can global collaboration accelerate a more resilient future?

Charlotte Buffoni: How can organizations work together to support a safer and more sustainable industry?

Alessandro Intile: Data centers remain a relatively new sector, creating a need for shared standards, collective learning, and practical guidance that can be applied globally. Global networks help organizations transfer knowledge across regions while adapting solutions to local requirements.

Julie Kreger King: Industry-wide collaboration will be essential for improving consistency, accelerating maturity, and sharing lessons learned. Forums that bring organizations together can help establish common expectations and advance EHS performance across the sector.

 

What should organizations do today?

As data centers continue to expand globally, organizations should focus on a few critical questions:

• Are our EHS management systems keeping pace with rapid growth and innovation?
• Have we fully evaluated site-specific environmental risks before development begins?
• Are contractors, suppliers, and partners operating to the same safety expectations?
• Are we proactively managing emerging risks associated with power generation, cooling systems, and infrastructure changes?
• Do we have access to both global best practices and local expertise

How Inogen Alliance Can Help

Through its global network of local EHS and sustainability experts, Inogen Alliance helps organizations navigate the full lifecycle of data center development and operations, from site selection and due diligence through construction, operational safety, environmental compliance, and ongoing risk management.

By combining global collaboration with local expertise, Inogen Alliance supports organizations in building resilient, sustainable, and responsible digital infrastructure that can adapt to the demands of an increasingly connected world.

Inogen Alliance is a global network made up of dozens of independent local businesses and over 5,000 consultants around the world who can help make your project a success. Our Associates collaborate closely to serve multinational corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, and we share knowledge and industry experience to provide the highest quality service to our clients. If you want to learn more about how you can work with Inogen Alliance, you can explore our Associates or Contact Us. Watch for more News & Blog updates here and follow us on LinkedIn.

Following severe weather and prolonged commercial power outages in Indiana, T-Mobile teams helped customers and communities stay connected during recovery.

For customers impacted by the severe weather and prolonged power outages in Indiana, T-Mobile is offering unlimited talk, text and data to T-Mobile Postpaid and Prepaid, Metro by T-Mobile, UScellular, Assurance Wireless, Mint and Ultra customers in affected areas who don’t already have it, from Friday, August 21 through Tuesday, September 15.

T-Mobile also provided free Wi-Fi and device charging support in impacted communities across Northwest and east-central Indiana. Support was available to everyone in the community, no matter which wireless provider they use.

In Northwest Indiana, support was available in Merrillville, Highland and Gary, with additional support in Connersville in east-central Indiana. As commercial power was restored and T-Mobile coordinated with local agencies on remaining community needs, teams concluded on-site support at select locations while continuing to monitor conditions.

Behind the scenes, teams deployed portable generators and satellite backhaul solutions where needed, helping support connectivity as recovery efforts continued.

For the latest preparedness and response updates, visit T-Mobile’s Emergency Response hub: https://www.t-mobile.com/news/emergency-response.

Verizon
By Raquel Wilson

At a glance

• Verizon deployed Frontline Crisis Response teams and assets in Washington, Indiana and Hawai’i and new Community Disaster Resilience connectivity vans in impacted areas to provide emergency Wi-Fi, charging stations, and essential relief to first responders and displaced residents.
• To support long-term recovery, Verizon awarded targeted local grants to nonprofits in Hawaiʻi, Washington, Indiana, and West Virginia, assisting communities impacted by severe storms, wildfires, and flooding.
• Marking National Preparedness Month in September, select Verizon retail stores are handing out free portable power banks and encouraging residents to build digital preparedness plans. 

As natural disasters become more frequent, evidenced by recent weather across the country, communities are left increasingly vulnerable. Verizon is meeting this challenge holistically by combining long-term resilience investments with immediate aid. By deploying specialized connectivity fleets, awarding targeted community grants, and preparing communities before disaster, Verizon is on the scene when needed most.

On the frontlines

Built on the philosophy that Verizon runs to a crisis, the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response team provides mission critical support to emergency personnel and first responders. The team employs a host of Frontline response assets to provide vital connectivity and essential communications.

Following severe storms in Northwest Indiana, the team mobilized rapidly to support local emergency efforts by deploying satellite assets, 5G routers, and mobile devices. In addition, Verizon is keeping customers in Indiana connected by offering unlimited domestic Talk, Text & Data to our active postpaid and SMB customers and prepaid customers until September 15.

In Hawaiʻi, in response to Hurricane Lala, specialized engineers from Verizon’s Disaster Incident Response Team were on the ground to support technical crews.

Mobile assets were also deployed in Spokane, WA including mobile cell sites, portable generators and satellite links that were ready to deploy for rapid recovery and community support.

The Community Disaster Resilience Vans in action

The latest addition to our Frontline response assets are the Community Disaster Resilience (CDR) connectivity vans, created to deliver essential resources and critical internet access directly to local neighborhoods.

In response to the ongoing Hawk Wildfire in Reno, Nevada, a CDR van has been deployed to the Reno Community Resource Center stocked with LED rechargeable flashlights, water, document dry bags, chargers to distribute to the community along with Wi-Fi, charging, and printing capabilities.

After severe weather ripped through the Midwest, a CDR van supported hundreds of displaced residents and shelter guests in Hobart and Gary, Indiana, with bottled water, Wi-Fi, and continuous device charging.

Out West, a CDR van joined the Spokane Disaster Assistance Center to deliver secure device charging lockers, tabletop charging ports, and public-access Chromebooks. Teams also distributed critical supplies—including flashlights, dry bags for protecting vital documents, and N95 masks to mitigate poor air quality. Beyond the van, Verizon supplied emergency charging kits directly to American Red Cross evacuation shelters and opened local retail stores as dedicated community charging hubs.

When a tornado displaced dozens of residents in Steger, Illinois, the CDR van brought critical infrastructure straight to the shelter doors. Fay Kiaurakis, Director of the Louis Sherman Community Center, shared her appreciation for how Verizon showed up during the crisis:

“Your charging stations were a godsend; we were running out of outlets…There are not enough words for how grateful I am for…Verizon for coming to our aid. Thank you for sending the truck and [the team]. They are welcome here anytime and so is Verizon.”
Fay Kiaurakis
Director of the Louis Sherman Community Center

In Menasha, Wisconsin, a connectivity van deployed directly into storm-impacted communities following severe weather disruptions, providing emergency high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity, multi-device charging lockers, and preparedness items like LED flashlights and foldable water bottles to prepare for future disaster.

Investing in the communities we serve

In addition to our on-the-ground response, Verizon is also reinforcing our commitment to the wellbeing of our communities by providing four local grants to nonprofits who are working to support individuals impacted by natural disasters.

Indiana—To directly support community recovery, Verizon is awarding $20,000 in emergency disaster relief grants to two frontline organizations: $10,000 to the United Way of Northwest Indiana to coordinate direct aid for rebuilding families, and $10,000 to the American Red Cross Indiana Region for local shelter and emergency supplies.

Hawaiʻi—After working with the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation in 2023 in response to the Maui fires, Verizon is teaming up with this local organization once again to support the Stronger Hawaiʻi Fund. Verizon’s $15,000 donation will help support statewide disaster and emergency related preparedness, response, recovery, mitigation, and resilience.

Washington—Verizon is reinforcing its commitment to the Spokane, WA, community with a $25,000 donation to Innovia Foundation’s Spokane Complex Wildfire Response Fund. These funds are intended to support immediate and long-term needs related to the ongoing fires in the Spokane region.

West Virginia—Verizon proudly donated $25,000 to the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce Foundation to coordinate direct aid and community resources. Verizon also donated  $25,000 to the Tygart Valley United Way in partnership with the West Virginia University Center for Community Engagement, funding the Lewis and Upshur Flood Fund to assist families in the state’s hardest-hit counties.

Preparing communities before the storm

September is National Preparedness Month, and Verizon is helping customers across several states ensure they are ready for whatever Mother Nature has in store.

For the second time this year, as part of Verizon’s community disaster resilience initiatives, Verizon is preparing communities before disaster strikes. Across the country select Verizon stores in California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington will be handing out free portable chargers, while supplies last, to local communities and urging residents to create their personal digital preparedness plans.

When Deana Youngblood returned from a trip to South Carolina in 2025, she was coughing up something dark and struggling to breathe. She had no health insurance and nowhere obvious to turn, so she called Wheeling Health Right, the only free clinic in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle.

By the next day, Youngblood had received a chest X-ray, an antibiotic, and a donated inhaler to manage her COPD, treatment she otherwise could not afford.

“What would be my workaround without Health Right?” Youngblood said. “I honestly don’t know.”

The inhaler Youngblood received was donated by Direct Relief through a partnership with Teva. Since 2008, Direct Relief has made 251,471 deliveries of donated medicines and medical supplies, with a cumulative wholesale value of $3.1 billion, to nonprofit health providers in all 50 states and multiple U.S. territories.

More than $1 billion of that aid has been delivered since June 2023. The total represents the cumulative wholesale value assigned to the donated products, not the amount Direct Relief paid for them or what patients would otherwise have spent.

The acceleration reflects both expanded capacity and rising need. Nearly six in 10 U.S. adults worry about affording prescription drugs, the highest share KFF has recorded since it began asking in 2018. More than four in 10 report taking at least one cost-saving measure that altered their treatment.

That affordability pressure is reaching the safety-net clinics that patients without other options rely on. At Mosaic Health Center in Georgia, a charitable clinic serving only uninsured patients, calls for new-patient appointments rose through the final months of 2025 after marketplace shoppers found higher premiums, enough that the clinic extended its evening hours.

Dallas Smith, a volunteer pharmacist there for five years, said the gap often isn’t the expensive drugs. “Medications like metformin and amlodipine and some of your basic hypertension or diabetes medications, they aren’t the most expensive, but patients who don’t have a lot of room to work with in terms of their budget, that adds up,” he said. “Even if it’s only $30 to $40 a month, that could be spent on food for their kids.”

What’s in the $3 Billion

The $3 billion total is the result of a nationwide distribution system built to move charitable medicine at scale. Because Direct Relief holds wholesale distribution licenses in all 50 states, the products move through the same regulated supply chain as commercially sold medicines, with pharmacist review and temperature controls throughout.

Teva Pharmaceuticals is providing inhalers for uninsured patients with asthma and COPD through a program launched with Direct Relief in December 2024. Medicines360 and Bayer have supported access to long-acting contraception for uninsured women, helping provide products that are otherwise among the most expensive contraceptive options to obtain out of pocket.

Donations often work in combination. Eli Lilly donates insulin for distribution to community health centers serving patients with diabetes, while  embecta contributes millions of pen needles and insulin syringes needed to administer much of that insulin.

Through Direct Relief’s ReplenishRx program, contributions from AbbVie, Alcon, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi and others provide uninsured patients with consistent monthly access to prescription medicines needed to manage chronic diseases.

Since 2017, Direct Relief has distributed more than 3.5 million doses of naloxone through partnerships with Pfizer, while BD has donated needles and syringes that go out with them.

Much of Direct Relief’s U.S. aid is transported with in-kind logistics support from FedEx, helping medicines and supplies reach nonprofit health providers across the country.

Together, those partnerships turn donated products, funding, logistics and technical expertise into a national supply network. More than 175 companies across health care, technology, transportation and other sectors help Direct Relief deliver more than $300 million in medical aid each year to more than 2,000 community-based organizations nationwide.

From a Hurricane to a National Charitable Medicine Program

Before Hurricane Katrina, Direct Relief’s work was concentrated primarily outside the United States. When the storm struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, people with diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions lost access to the medicines that kept those conditions in check, and manageable illnesses became emergencies.

Direct Relief delivered more than $50 million in material medical aid and cash assistance within six months, then built the licensing and distribution infrastructure required to distribute prescription medicines nationwide. It has retained and expanded that infrastructure ever since, seeded by investments from medtech company Abbott Laboratories.

Direct Relief’s U.S. aid now fills persistent gaps in medicine access while turning an existing provider network into a lifeline when disasters cut patients off from routine care.

In western North Carolina, Hurricane Helene knocked out the roads, bridges, post offices and cell service that NC MedAssist, a statewide charitable pharmacy, relies on to reach more than 70,000 patients across all 100 counties.

Staff called patients individually to arrange insulin shipments through 80-degree heat, asked helicopter crews headed to rural areas to carry medicine with them, and moved prescriptions on hospital mobile-pharmacy units. Direct Relief sent insulin, tetanus vaccines, field medic packs and epinephrine injectors, the last for an unexpected reason. “With the pure disruption of the ecosystem, there are a lot of bees and yellowjackets,” said Dustin Allen, the pharmacy’s chief operating officer.

More telling was what patients weren’t asking for. Requests for mental health medications, anti-seizure drugs and treatments for hypertension and high cholesterol ran lower than expected. According to Allen, that was a sign that people were cut off from routine care were going without.

In Puerto Rico, Direct Relief spent the years after Hurricane Maria building the infrastructure the storm showed was missing. An estimated 4,600 people died in the storm’s aftermath. In roughly a third of cases, the reason was because they could not reach care in time.

Since 2017, Direct Relief has provided $56.4 million in financial support and $96.7 million in material medical aid across the island, funding 52 resilient-power projects, 67 mobile clinics and off-road vehicles, and wells serving communities without municipal water. The work was supported in large part by AbbVie.

At Profamilias, a San Juan clinic providing reproductive and chronic disease care, generators once ran mainly to keep the pharmacy cold — and during hurricanes, even that failed. “Employees had to take certain products home and keep them refrigerated because there was no way to store them at the facility,” said services manager Michael Domínguez. After Maria, he said, “people had to buy medications wherever they could, at whatever price.”

The resilient power systems have since been tested repeatedly. When Hurricane Fiona struck in September 2022, all nine solar-equipped community health clinics stayed operational and all 25 community wells kept delivering clean water.

What the infrastructure enables now expands beyond storms. In February, Direct Relief joined COSSAO, Ponce Health Sciences University, and RWJ Barnabas Health to provide cardiology, pulmonology, gynecology, and other specialist services to 59 residents of Utuado, many of whom were accessing this level of care for the first time.

The lesson is the same one Katrina taught two decades earlier: resilience depends on building systems before disaster strikes and sustaining them through the next crisis.

Dual Pressures of Coverage and Climate

Coverage pressures are also expected to grow. Federal law requires states to apply Medicaid work requirements to many adults covered through Medicaid expansion beginning Jan. 1, 2027, though states may act sooner.

KFF research has found that eligible people may lose coverage when state systems cannot verify their status or when enrollees are unable to provide the required documentation.

Health center leaders describe the strain directly. “Community health centers are caring for more patients with more complex needs than ever before, even as workforce shortages and financial pressures intensify,” Kyu Rhee, president and CEO of the National Association of Community Health Centers, said in April.

Meanwhile, billion-dollar weather and climate disasters are being recorded far more often. The United States averaged three such disasters a year during the 1980s and 20 annually from 2016 through 2025, according to Climate Central. Twelve occurred during the first half of 2026 alone.

For the health safety net, the pressures compound. A lapsed insurance plan and a washed-out road produce the same result: care that is harder to access.

What Happens Next

Against this backdrop, Direct Relief remains committed to expanding the network of providers it supports and the range of products it provides. The mechanics stay the same: eligible nonprofit providers request what their patients need, Direct Relief delivers at no cost, and no one is billed for a donated item. Not the patient, insurer or a government program.

Donated medicine does not fix insurance gaps or staffing shortages. But for patients like Youngblood, a free prescription can mean the difference between managing a chronic illness and being unable to breathe.

When Deana Youngblood returned from a trip to South Carolina in 2025, she was coughing up something dark and struggling to breathe. She had no health insurance and nowhere obvious to turn, so she called Wheeling Health Right, the only free clinic in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle.

By the next day, Youngblood had received a chest X-ray, an antibiotic, and a donated inhaler to manage her COPD, treatment she otherwise could not afford.

“What would be my workaround without Health Right?” Youngblood said. “I honestly don’t know.”

The inhaler Youngblood received was donated by Direct Relief through a partnership with Teva. Since 2008, Direct Relief has made 251,471 deliveries of donated medicines and medical supplies, with a cumulative wholesale value of $3.1 billion, to nonprofit health providers in all 50 states and multiple U.S. territories.

More than $1 billion of that aid has been delivered since June 2023. The total represents the cumulative wholesale value assigned to the donated products, not the amount Direct Relief paid for them or what patients would otherwise have spent.

The acceleration reflects both expanded capacity and rising need. Nearly six in 10 U.S. adults worry about affording prescription drugs, the highest share KFF has recorded since it began asking in 2018. More than four in 10 report taking at least one cost-saving measure that altered their treatment.

That affordability pressure is reaching the safety-net clinics that patients without other options rely on. At Mosaic Health Center in Georgia, a charitable clinic serving only uninsured patients, calls for new-patient appointments rose through the final months of 2025 after marketplace shoppers found higher premiums, enough that the clinic extended its evening hours.

Dallas Smith, a volunteer pharmacist there for five years, said the gap often isn’t the expensive drugs. “Medications like metformin and amlodipine and some of your basic hypertension or diabetes medications, they aren’t the most expensive, but patients who don’t have a lot of room to work with in terms of their budget, that adds up,” he said. “Even if it’s only $30 to $40 a month, that could be spent on food for their kids.”

What’s in the $3 Billion

The $3 billion total is the result of a nationwide distribution system built to move charitable medicine at scale. Because Direct Relief holds wholesale distribution licenses in all 50 states, the products move through the same regulated supply chain as commercially sold medicines, with pharmacist review and temperature controls throughout.

Teva Pharmaceuticals is providing inhalers for uninsured patients with asthma and COPD through a program launched with Direct Relief in December 2024. Medicines360 and Bayer have supported access to long-acting contraception for uninsured women, helping provide products that are otherwise among the most expensive contraceptive options to obtain out of pocket.

Donations often work in combination. Eli Lilly donates insulin for distribution to community health centers serving patients with diabetes, while  embecta contributes millions of pen needles and insulin syringes needed to administer much of that insulin.

Through Direct Relief’s ReplenishRx program, contributions from AbbVie, Alcon, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi and others provide uninsured patients with consistent monthly access to prescription medicines needed to manage chronic diseases.

Since 2017, Direct Relief has distributed more than 3.5 million doses of naloxone through partnerships with Pfizer, while BD has donated needles and syringes that go out with them.

Much of Direct Relief’s U.S. aid is transported with in-kind logistics support from FedEx, helping medicines and supplies reach nonprofit health providers across the country.

Together, those partnerships turn donated products, funding, logistics and technical expertise into a national supply network. More than 175 companies across health care, technology, transportation and other sectors help Direct Relief deliver more than $300 million in medical aid each year to more than 2,000 community-based organizations nationwide.

From a Hurricane to a National Charitable Medicine Program

Before Hurricane Katrina, Direct Relief’s work was concentrated primarily outside the United States. When the storm struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, people with diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions lost access to the medicines that kept those conditions in check, and manageable illnesses became emergencies.

Direct Relief delivered more than $50 million in material medical aid and cash assistance within six months, then built the licensing and distribution infrastructure required to distribute prescription medicines nationwide. It has retained and expanded that infrastructure ever since, seeded by investments from medtech company Abbott Laboratories.

Direct Relief’s U.S. aid now fills persistent gaps in medicine access while turning an existing provider network into a lifeline when disasters cut patients off from routine care.

In western North Carolina, Hurricane Helene knocked out the roads, bridges, post offices and cell service that NC MedAssist, a statewide charitable pharmacy, relies on to reach more than 70,000 patients across all 100 counties.

Staff called patients individually to arrange insulin shipments through 80-degree heat, asked helicopter crews headed to rural areas to carry medicine with them, and moved prescriptions on hospital mobile-pharmacy units. Direct Relief sent insulin, tetanus vaccines, field medic packs and epinephrine injectors, the last for an unexpected reason. “With the pure disruption of the ecosystem, there are a lot of bees and yellowjackets,” said Dustin Allen, the pharmacy’s chief operating officer.

More telling was what patients weren’t asking for. Requests for mental health medications, anti-seizure drugs and treatments for hypertension and high cholesterol ran lower than expected. According to Allen, that was a sign that people were cut off from routine care were going without.

In Puerto Rico, Direct Relief spent the years after Hurricane Maria building the infrastructure the storm showed was missing. An estimated 4,600 people died in the storm’s aftermath. In roughly a third of cases, the reason was because they could not reach care in time.

Since 2017, Direct Relief has provided $56.4 million in financial support and $96.7 million in material medical aid across the island, funding 52 resilient-power projects, 67 mobile clinics and off-road vehicles, and wells serving communities without municipal water. The work was supported in large part by AbbVie.

At Profamilias, a San Juan clinic providing reproductive and chronic disease care, generators once ran mainly to keep the pharmacy cold — and during hurricanes, even that failed. “Employees had to take certain products home and keep them refrigerated because there was no way to store them at the facility,” said services manager Michael Domínguez. After Maria, he said, “people had to buy medications wherever they could, at whatever price.”

The resilient power systems have since been tested repeatedly. When Hurricane Fiona struck in September 2022, all nine solar-equipped community health clinics stayed operational and all 25 community wells kept delivering clean water.

What the infrastructure enables now expands beyond storms. In February, Direct Relief joined COSSAO, Ponce Health Sciences University, and RWJ Barnabas Health to provide cardiology, pulmonology, gynecology, and other specialist services to 59 residents of Utuado, many of whom were accessing this level of care for the first time.

The lesson is the same one Katrina taught two decades earlier: resilience depends on building systems before disaster strikes and sustaining them through the next crisis.

Dual Pressures of Coverage and Climate

Coverage pressures are also expected to grow. Federal law requires states to apply Medicaid work requirements to many adults covered through Medicaid expansion beginning Jan. 1, 2027, though states may act sooner.

KFF research has found that eligible people may lose coverage when state systems cannot verify their status or when enrollees are unable to provide the required documentation.

Health center leaders describe the strain directly. “Community health centers are caring for more patients with more complex needs than ever before, even as workforce shortages and financial pressures intensify,” Kyu Rhee, president and CEO of the National Association of Community Health Centers, said in April.

Meanwhile, billion-dollar weather and climate disasters are being recorded far more often. The United States averaged three such disasters a year during the 1980s and 20 annually from 2016 through 2025, according to Climate Central. Twelve occurred during the first half of 2026 alone.

For the health safety net, the pressures compound. A lapsed insurance plan and a washed-out road produce the same result: care that is harder to access.

What Happens Next

Against this backdrop, Direct Relief remains committed to expanding the network of providers it supports and the range of products it provides. The mechanics stay the same: eligible nonprofit providers request what their patients need, Direct Relief delivers at no cost, and no one is billed for a donated item. Not the patient, insurer or a government program.

Donated medicine does not fix insurance gaps or staffing shortages. But for patients like Youngblood, a free prescription can mean the difference between managing a chronic illness and being unable to breathe.