Tag: 3BL

Originally published in Principal Financial Group 2024 Sustainability Report

Our approach

Encouraging Principal employees to bring their passions and purpose to work is the core of the Principal For Good program, which connects them to our philanthropic culture through volunteering opportunities and giving program. The program draws on the expertise and resources of the business to strengthen communities and create lasting impact in the cities where our employees live and work.

True to our culture, our participants supported 5,330 causes across 30 countries and volunteered over 95,616 hours. By dedicating their time, expertise, and resources, Principal employees made significant contributions to the communities near and far. They took part in a variety of activities such as giving to community- based organizations through match giving and Dollars for Doers programs, packaging food and hygiene kits for underprivileged families and unhoused individuals, and mentoring school children and young people

Philabundance

In 2024, 44 Principal volunteers came together and volunteered over 285 hours, donated thousands of pounds of food, and raised funds to fight hunger in the Greater Philadelphia area with Philabundance through Preston & Steve’s Camp Out for Hunger.

This weeklong food drive, which has become the nation’s largest single location food drive, is a great display of the employee volunteer culture at Principal and our commitment to supporting the communities where our employees live and work.

Principal Malaysia

As stewards of the environment, we recognize the importance of sustainability and are committed to making a positive impact in our communities around the globe. Our employees’ passions came to life once again, as part of the celebration of the new eco-friendly office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In collaboration with Free Tree Society, an environment organization dedicated to changing the way people interact with the planet, 60 employees volunteered over 236 hours, planting trees in the Taman Tugu Forest. Their efforts not only contributed to creating green spaces for the community but also helped improve air quality and the local ecosystem for future generations.

Our actions and performance in 2024

In 2024, Principal employees supported our communities with:

• 95,616 volunteer hours logged by eligible users
• $6.2M matching dollars given to eligible organizations by Principal® Foundation

To learn more, read the Principal Financial Group 2024 Sustainability Report.

Insurance products issued by Principal National Life Insurance Co (except in NY) and Principal Life Insurance Company®. Plan administrative services offered by Principal Life. Principal Funds, Inc. is distributed by Principal Funds Distributor, Inc. Securities offered through Principal Securities, Inc., member SIPC and/or independent broker/dealers. Referenced companies are members of the Principal Financial Group®, Des Moines, IA 50392.

About Principal® Foundation

Principal® Foundation is a duly recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit entity focused on providing philanthropic support to programs that build financial security in the communities where Principal Financial Group, Inc. (“Principal”) operates. While Principal Foundation receives funding from Principal, Principal Foundation is a distinct, independent, charitable entity.

 

CHARLOTTE, N.C., December 2, 2025 /3BL/ – Discovery Education and Dell Technologies today announced the launch of a new educational initiative, Tech Career Circuit. Tech Career Circuit is a one-stop hub offering complementary learning resources to prepare students in grades 6-12 for success in the IT industry.

Using Tech Career Circuit’s unique hands-on learning opportunities and digital literacy resources, students can develop the essential workforce skills required in the IT industry. The Tech Career Circuit resources are standards-aligned, making integration in any classroom environment simple. The Tech Career Circuit resources include wrap-around lesson plans, activities, and educator supports available in multiple formats such as web-based content, PDFs, learning management system integrated designs, and more. The resources are designed to fit into any 6-12 classroom and support career and technical education tracks.

“Technology is moving at an incredible speed. At Dell, we want to prepare students for the future workforce, and technology and career skills are critical to participation. With Tech Career Circuit, we are providing access to opportunities and learnings that help K-12 educators anywhere in the world prepare students for skills needed in a career tomorrow,” said Carly Tatum, head of Giving and Impact at Dell Technologies. “We’re proud to partner with Discovery Education to connect students everywhere to critical future ready skills.”

Tech Career Circuit builds upon Dell Technologies’ work to support education through Dell Student TechCrew, Girls Who Game and other programming aimed at strengthening K-12 educational institutions in our communities. Dell Student TechCrew, a student-led help desk, enables students to become Dell technicians, certified to repair and refurbish devices for their school. Girls Who Game builds STEM interest in young girls through gaming and experiential challenges.

“The latest research shows that 87% of high school students find school more engaging when they see real career connections. With Tech Career Circuit, students gain engaging classroom lessons that support the development of work-ready skills,” said Catherine Dunlop, Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships at Discovery Education. “We are thrilled to partner with Dell Technologies to prepare students for in-demand careers.”

To access the Tech Career Circuit resources, visit techcareercircuit.discoveryeducation.com.

For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources and professional learning solutions, visit www.discoveryeducation.com.

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About Dell Technologies
Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) helps organizations and individuals build their digital future and transform how they work, live and play. The company provides customers with the industry’s broadest and most innovative technology and services portfolio for the AI era.

About Discovery Education 
Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art, PreK-12, digital solutions help educators engage all students and support higher academic achievement. Through award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, and innovative classroom tools that are effective, engaging, and easy to use, Discovery Education helps educators deliver powerful learning experiences. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Through partnerships with districts, states, and trusted organizations, Discovery Education empowers teachers with essential edtech solutions that inspire curiosity, build confidence, and accelerate learning. Learn more at www.discoveryeducation.com.

Contact 
Grace Maliska
Discovery Education
Email: gmaliska@discoveryed.com

Holiday Demand Is Rising — and So Are the Risks

U.S. consumers just spent a record $11.8 billion on Black Friday, indicating robust consumer spending in the face of tariffs and inflationary pressures. The stakes are high – and as the holiday shopping season continues to peak – consumers expect products to arrive faster, cheaper, and more reliably than ever. Yet according to DP World’s Without Logistics: Retail Edition report, retailers face more than 18,000 logistics disruptions every year – driven by capacity constraints, port congestion, labor shortages, and shifting trade routes.

These disruptions pose a major challenge during the busiest shopping period of the year, where every delay or stockout can lead to frustrated shoppers, lost revenue, and weakened brand trust.

The High Cost of Disruption During Peak Season

The average logistics disruption now costs $420,000, contributing to more than $7.5 billion in annual sector-wide losses. And 56% of retailers say disruptions eliminate more than a month of operational capacity — a near-impossible setback during the crucial final weeks of the year.

In a season defined by speed and consumer expectations, a single logistics failure can derail an entire holiday strategy.

Holiday Shoppers Feel Logistics Breakdowns Immediately

After a logistics disruption:

• 84% of retailers reported a rise in customer complaints
• 71% lost contracts or business
• 63% said their brand reputation suffered

In December – when shoppers demand precise delivery windows and have endless alternatives – logistics becomes the frontline of customer experience.

Resilient Retailers Are Investing Strategically

While 84% of retail leaders believe they are more resilient than peers, the data reveals gaps: nearly half require more than a month to recover from major disruptions.

Retailers investing across four or more logistics areas reduced disruption costs by 47%, especially through digitization, ESG initiatives, warehouse optimization, and stronger inbound logistics.

The takeaway: logistics is no longer a behind-the-scenes function – it is a strategic differentiator during the holiday surge.

The Holiday Season Runs on Logistics – And Logistics Runs on Insight

Behind every doorstep delivery, gift order, and replenished shelf is a global ecosystem that must operate flawlessly. DP World’s logistics network helps retailers navigate:

• Demand surges
• Cross-border complexities
• Warehouse and capacity constraints
• Changing trade routes
• Increasing sustainability expectations

When disruptions occur during peak season, shoppers notice immediately — which is why resilience matters more than ever.

Explore DP World’s Full Retail Report

As holiday shopping accelerates, the retailers that win will be those treating logistics as a strategic growth engine—not a background function.

Download the full report and explore the Retail Edition of DP World’s “World Without Logistics” campaign. 

Originally published on Engage For Good.

Aligning your brand with impactful, authentic, and globally resonant campaigns is essential in today’s environment. Cutting through the noise to ignite genuine empathy and drive action requires a bold, values-driven approach.

CARE has an 80-year legacy of global development and humanitarian aid, making it a benchmark for trust and effectiveness. Yet, even legacy organizations must constantly evolve their message. CARE recently launched its provocative new brand campaign, “Who Cares?” which premiered on the world stage at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)—a strategic move designed to challenge the status quo and remind global leaders of their core mission.

Monica Rowe, Chief Marketing Officer at CARE, shares the strategic thinking behind the campaign—from its timely origin amid sector-wide aid cuts to the intentional choice of celebrating local heroes over overwhelming statistics. You’ll gain insights into how a global organization modernizes its message to reaffirm trust, galvanize partners, and create a strong foundation for long-term impact. The lessons here can inform your own brand and partnership strategies in the social good space.

EFG: You recently launched a new brand campaign, “Who Cares?” that premiered at the United Nations General Assembly. Can you share a little behind the impetus for the campaign and the importance of launching it during the UNGA? 

Monica Rowe (MR): About a year ago we conducted extensive brand research and developed a new CARE brand platform entitled “CARE, Always There.” This new brand identity reasserts our 80-year legacy of being the largest and longest-serving humanitarian organization that shows up wherever CARE is needed, no matter what. The first major public expression of that platform became “Who Cares?”, a provocative and timely creative idea born out of a rapidly changing environment. When drastic aid cuts occurred earlier this year it sent shockwaves through the sector. We knew we had to act, not retreat. The question “Who Cares?” became both a rallying cry and a challenge—to remind the world that CARE does, and to invite others to stand with us.

The decision to launch during the United Nations General Assembly was highly intentional. UNGA is a global moment when world leaders, policy makers, and influencers are talking about the very issues we tackle every day—poverty, humanitarian crisis, and climate resilience.

 

Click here to continue reading on Engage For Good.

Originally published in Aflac’s Do Good Newsletter. Click here to subscribe.

Helping children with cancer and blood disorders is at the heart of the Aflac mission.

A feathery holiday hero with a joyful heart 

Celebrate the season of joy with the adorable Aflac Holiday Duck! Dressed in a festive hat, this cuddly companion brings smiles and warmth to all. Available in 6-inch and 10-inch sizes, every duck purchased helps support children with cancer and blood disorders, making it the perfect gift that gives back. Whether perched on a mantel or snuggled under the tree, the Holiday Duck spreads joy and hope wherever it goes. Let your holiday spirit take flight with this feathered friend!

Buy yours today! 

Aflac’s newest expression of care is “Beyond Words”

Get ready for an intergalactic adventure exploring the depths of empathy, love and understanding! When Buddy’s friend is returning to school after being in the hospital, he wants to find the perfect words to make her feel better. Through the magic of his imagination, he journeys through outer space in search of what to say. After a series of heartwarming experiences and out-of-this-world encounters, he overcomes obstacles and discovers ways to express love and friendship through helping, spending time together, loving touch and giving. “Beyond Words” empowers readers of all ages to be kind, loving and compassionate with themselves and others. Designed to help children express empathy for those with health challenges, “Beyond Words” is an extension of Aflac’s longtime culture of care, inspired by My Special Aflac Duck^® with 100% of net proceeds benefiting The Aflac Childhood Cancer Foundation, Inc.

Learn more 

Honoring 30 years of support for families facing childhood cancer and blood disorders

For 30 years, Aflac has stood beside families facing childhood cancer and blood disorders, transforming a heartfelt pledge into nearly $200 million in support. From funding groundbreaking research to offering emotional care, Aflac’s commitment is deeply personal and profoundly impactful. Join us in celebrating this legacy of compassion, innovation, and hope—and see how one iconic photo came full circle at this year’s anniversary event. 

Read More

My Special Aflac Duck lands in Motor City

My Special Aflac Duck brought smiles and comfort to pediatric patients at Corewell Health Children’s Hospital in Detroit. During a joyful event, kids received their own robotic duck companion to help them cope with cancer treatment — plus enjoyed crafts, coloring and naming their new friends. With over 40,000 ducks distributed since 2018, this initiative continues to uplift spirits and ease anxiety for children and families.

Read More

Sing along with My Special Aflac Duck!

Whether you’re singing the latest pop hits or getting into the holiday spirit with your favorite carols, invite My Special Aflac Duck to sing along! Simply tap the Silly Card to the duck’s chest and encourage your patients to talk or sing into the duck’s microphone (located just below the chest lights). Then get ready for the performance — the duck will sing or beatbox.

Learn More

This newsletter is for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation for insurance. Aflac includes Aflac and/or Aflac New York and/or Continental American Insurance Company and/or Continental American Life Insurance Company.

Aflac WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999

Z2501061

EXP 11/26

EMERYVILLE, Calif., December 2, 2025 /3BL/ – SCS Standards and Assurance Systems is pleased to announce that the established SCS-115 Certification Standard for Product Carbon Intensity and Reduction for Chemicals and Co-products has been expanded to include two new modules that cover requirements pertaining to renewable energy (Module D) and asset efficiency improvement (Module E). These modules were created with technical feedback from industry experts, including RMI and Shell Chemical, among other Standard Development Committee members.

Introduced in April 2024, SCS-115 provides a methodology for third-party certification of the greenhouse gas intensity and reduction in carbon dioxide equivalents of a chemical material. SCS-115 is modular, allowing for different decarbonization levers. SCS-115 Modules D and E should be read in tandem with the core SCS-115 standard.

To download a copy of SCS-115 and all associated modules (A-E), visit the SCS Standards Website: Certification Standard for Product Carbon Intensity and Reduction for Chemicals and Co-products | SCS Standards

To learn more about SCS-115, register here to attend an informational webinar & Q&A session being held at 11:00 AM PST on December 16, 2025.

For SCS-115 Certification Services, please visit the SCS Global Services Website: Carbon Assured™ | SCS Global Services

To review guidance on SCS-115 certification, see the SCS-115 Auditor and Operator Guidance V1.0, which will be updated with information on Modules D and E shortly: Certification Standard for Product Carbon Intensity and Reduction for Chemicals and Co-products | SCS Standards

About SCS Standards

SCS Standards and Assurance Systems is an organization committed to the development of standards that advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Standards are developed in alignment with best practices and guidelines provided by internationally recognized bodies to ensure a robust, transparent, and collaborative approach. SCS Standards is the official standards development body for Scientific Certification Systems, Inc. For more information, visit www.SCSstandards.org.

Media Contact

Victoria Norman

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Sara Rosner| Director—Responsible Investing Research
James Russo| Senior Research Analyst—Strategic Core Equities
Henna Nordqvist, CFA| Corporate Credit Analyst—Fixed Income

AI’s rapid growth is driving demand not only for electricity but also for the clean water needed to run its physical infrastructure. As data centers expand, rising water intensity is straining supplies and testing long-term sustainability. In our analysis, these pressures create both risks and opportunities for active investors.

How Cool Is AI?

AI’s explosive growth shows little sign of ebbing, with a record $350 billion projected for AI-focused business investment in 2025 alone. As a result, global capacity for AI’s server-housing facilities, or data centers, is expected to rise 23% in each of the next five years, with the US dominating.

The build-out is expected to spike data-center electricity demand by 160% in the US, contributing to a 25% increase in overall power demand through 2030, according to the International Energy Agency. Meeting greater global power needs will have distinct challenges. But we also see a variety of potential risks stemming from water becoming either more scarce or less pure.

This is because AI’s powerful data centers tend to run extra hot, and many of them require a lot of ultrapure water to constantly chill them. Consequently, a data center’s success will likely depend as much on access to ample and clean water as on reliable power sources.

Rising Water Risk as a Market Disrupter

Data centers aren’t the only AI boom participants in search of water. Semiconductor manufacturers and utilities are also intensive water users and are likely to need even more of it (Display). US power generation—particularly coal and nuclear—accounts for about 70% of all freshwater withdrawals, though most is returned to its source after cooling.

Research we conducted with the Columbia Climate School shows that these three areas combined are expected to grow demand for clean water by 33% through 2030. Location can also add material risk, since many data centers are either situated in or planned for regions already stressed for water, our findings show.

We see a continued ramp-up in data center build-out, chip production and power generation in the near term. And water risk is emerging as a key constraint for these and other industries—potentially more disruptive than climate change itself. For instance, a Bloomberg study found that about $70 trillion in global GDP could be directly exposed to high water stress by 2050.

We’re already seeing companies change up their long-term playbooks due to near-term water concerns—Constellation Brands’ now-abandoned beer plant in Mexico and Google’s nixed plans for a data center in Chile, for example.

That’s why we believe water stewardship is integral to active investment selection. By the same token, company engagement is crucial to determining a business’s water-risk exposure and whether it’s helping to solve the problem for its own benefit and in some cases for others.

Assessing a Company’s Chill Factor

Many companies outside of the tech industry—whether household names or unfamiliar start-ups—are participating in the AI boom in some fashion. But we think progress will come more readily to innovators that share lasting solutions to AI’s biggest challenges, including water scarcity (Display).

We see a significant milestone in harnessing the ocean for cooling solutions. Though costlier than purifying water from municipal sources, desalinating seawater is very effective in semiconductor fabrication. The process uses either evaporation or membrane filters to remove minerals that harm equipment and microchips. Companies such as DuPont Water Solutions, LG Chem and Flowserve are among the key enablers in this growing market, which is expected to top $50 billion by 2032.

Direct-to-chip liquid cooling also has potential in a water-stressed world. This method places metal cooling plates in direct contact with processors to dissipate heat while low amounts of water carry the heat off through grooves. Asetek is one of the leading public companies in this space, which is currently dotted with private firms.

Yet another innovation is closed-cycle cooling, which is highly water efficient and environmentally friendly. The process lowers heat by circulating liquid coolant—mostly water—throughout a system that can range from evaporative towers to condensers. SPX Technologies stands out as a global pioneer in the public markets. However, numerous privately held companies are also leading advancement in this space, such as Kelvion and Hamon Group.

Global water scarcity isn’t a risk unique to AI, but the race for AI domination is increasingly revealing its hidden dangers and potential costs. And with so much of today’s market value tied to a handful of AI leaders, responsible investing requires recognizing water-risk exposure at every level—as well as the opportunities created by it.

The authors would like to thank Maxwell Lulavy, Responsible Investing Research Analyst at AB, for his significant contributions to the research behind this blog. 

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.

References to specific securities discussed are for illustrative purposes only and should not to be considered recommendations by AllianceBernstein L.P. It should not be assumed that investments in the securities mentioned have necessarily been or will necessarily be profitable.

Learn more about AB’s approach to responsibility here.

With the refresh of Chemours’ Corporate Responsibility Commitment 2030 goals, we are sharpening our focus and helping to build a more circular economy by improving manufacturing processes that close the loop on water and waste as well as promoting product and packaging reuse and recycling. We have announced our new circularity aspiration: to decouple our growth from resource consumption and reduce waste by implementing circularity principles in our operations and with our partners. To ensure a positive circularity trajectory, we plan to announce specific targets and key performance indicators in future sustainability reporting.

Our circularity aspiration is part of our broader commitment to make the most of critical resources, prevent waste, take climate action, and support a thriving society. As our understanding of circularity, product carbon footprint, and lifecycle analysis matures, we expect to see intersections between our circularity and climate goals.

Throughout our operations, many existing processes and practices encompass the principles of circularity and enable the use of resources and materials. We support a circular economy through initiatives that advance safe, global recovery, reclamation, and reuse of our products, including refrigerants. This helps our customers contribute to circularity by extending the lifecycle of materials and feeding them back into the value chain, which saves resources, reduces waste, and creates value for the next generation.

Circular Water Processes

Freshwater systems are under pressure in many areas of the world due to increasing demand, ecosystem degradation, and climate change. This makes incorporating circular principles into water stewardship even more important. We manage water at the local level to best address watershed challenges, including water stress, and then tailor our actions to business and stakeholder needs.

We use the World Resources Institute Aqueduct (Version 4.0) screening model and the World Wildlife Fund Water Risk Filter (Version 5.0) screening tool to evaluate local watershed conditions for baseline water stress. Identifying opportunities to reuse and recycle water in operations is a continuing priority. For example, our mining and mineral separation operations in Florida and Georgia continuously reuse and recycle process water during extraction and separation of mineral sands and rehabilitation of the mined lands. At the Mission Mine in Georgia, our careful management allows extensive reuse of the water until it is returned to the surficial aquifer, with only about one-fifth of the water that was originally withdrawn requiring treatment and offsite discharge.

Material Efficiency and Waste Management

We are moving to better embrace circularity, aiming to maintain the highest utility and value of our assets and products while reducing operational waste. Improving material circularity will become a focal point to drive overall improvement in performance. This represents a fundamental shift in how we view and handle waste. Instead of seeing waste as a problem to be managed, this approach treats it as a valuable resource for creating new materials. This shift in thinking has led us to broaden our goal to achieve a 70% reduction in landfill intensity by 2030 to be more holistic in alignment with our new circular aspiration for materials.

We also continue to encourage everyone at Chemours to rethink and improve waste management strategies, including landfill related waste, to reduce our impact on communities and the environment. As an example, our volunteer Landfill Champions Network is helping promote and implement waste reduction and recycling initiatives by inspiring colleagues to adopt more sustainable behaviors and sharing best practices.

Reinforcing Chemours’ commitment to resource efficiency, our Thermal & Specialized Solutions business has created an international F-gas Lifecycle Program across the Americas, Asia, and Europe. The program aims to advance the global recovery, reclaim, and reuse of fluorinated gases (F-gases) safely across its low-GWP Opteon™ products, Freon™ refrigerants, and FM-200™ portfolios. Chemours continues to invest in and expand reclaim channels across regions. In a recent feasibility study, we also demonstrated a successful approach to recycling Nafion™ membranes for chlor-alkali production. The goal of the experiment was to extract impurities from the used membranes and reprocess the membrane to obtain a recycled film, with outstanding results.

Our product packaging has a direct impact on our customers’ waste, and we are working to help them reduce their waste footprints by researching and designing product packaging alternatives for recycling and reuse. We will continue to identify and refine opportunities and reporting capabilities. Examples of reusable packaging include railcars, tank and bulk trucks, ISO containers, Flo-Bins, and barges. Examples of recyclable packaging include static-dissipative; flexible, intermediate bulk containers; plastic drums and pails; and metal drums.

The Chemours Company is a global chemistry company with a vision to deliver Trusted Chemistry that makes people’s lives better and helps communities thrive. Read more actions taken toward circularity in Chemours’ latest Sustainability Report.

Mark Thorson began as an intern at Trane Technologies. Today, he’s a Data Platform Manager, leading a global team of experts to build smarter systems for customers. He and his team have powered over $1 million in fuel savings, streamlined product delivery and helped make the company’s data ecosystem faster, safer and more sustainable.

Building a career in data at Trane Technologies

In just over a decade, Mark Thorson went from college intern to leading a team of 15 people across North America and Asia Pacific. Their job? To develop systems that transform raw data into real-time feedback so customers can make better decisions about their equipment. “My team manages the data platform. That means, when all that data comes in, we manage where it’s stored, how it’s processed, and how we turn it into insights for our customers in the form of dashboards, predictive alerts or notifications showing whether their equipment is performing well or not.”

Mark attributes a lot of his team’s success to its structure, dynamism and vision, “We all work together to deliver our objectives. We have the same vision of where we need to go. It’s also a mix of various roles that give us a well-rounded team… from early talents to people that have been working for over 20 years.”

This well-rounded aspect isn’t unique to Mark’s team. In fact, he says it’s something that’s deliberately built into the company through investments in talent, like the Accelerated Development Program (ADP), an internal rotational experience designed to foster future leaders. Mark credits much of his success in the company to the program’s holistic structure. “In the ADP, they encourage you to jump around and try new roles… It helps build a really strong foundation.”

A culture of experimentation and growth

Mark believes this broad, supportive educational structure is what gives Trane Technologies teams the confidence to learn, experiment and grow. “They give you the freedom to experiment, encourage new ideas, and take calculated risks which keeps the team engaged and the work interesting. Also, if you’ve got a good idea and you’re willing to pitch, that’s encouraged.”

The culture of support and experimentation gave Mark the runway to contribute to one of the team’s greatest accomplishments: modernizing Trane Technologies’ analytics environment by transitioning it to Google Cloud. Mark led the DevOps workstream, working alongside colleagues responsible for the Platform and Data Engineering tracks. Together, their efforts used AI and DevOps best practices to dramatically increase deployment speed.

“After our large data migration, we 10x’d our deployment speed,” says Mark. “Now we’re doing about 200 deployments a month. A lot of it’s automated. Security scans automatically happen, and we use AI to help identify security vulnerabilities and it will automatically suggest a fix. It makes life significantly easier.”

Big data with even bigger impact

But for Mark, the true measure of success isn’t just in building smarter systems; it’s in the real-world impact those systems deliver. “When people think of Trane Technologies, they might picture HVAC equipment – not necessarily a data company,” he says. “But the reality is we’re pulling in billions of data points from our connected devices. In Thermo King alone, we’re collecting information from a quarter of a million assets every five minutes.”

That scale of data unlocks insights with massive potential. For one customer, Dot Transportation Inc., a simple change identified through the Thermo King Digital Analytics team’s dashboards translated into more than $1 million in annual fuel savings. That product, now a core feature of Thermo King’s TracKing Pro telematics, continues to deliver measurable impact for customers across the fleet industry. “That’s the kind of result that makes it exciting,” Mark explains.

Sustainability for people and the planet

Making a positive impact on the planet is something that lies at the core of Trane Technologies’ purpose to boldly challenge what’s possible for a sustainable world. But, for Mark, sustainability runs deeper than environmental outcomes.

This tangible impact on teams, customers and the environment is what keeps Mark passionate about his work and excited for the future of digital solutions at Trane Technologies. “The digital side at Trane Technologies is such a great opportunity. As data professionals, we get to experiment with cutting-edge technologies, from AI to advanced analytics, and apply them in ways that will power smarter, more sustainable systems tomorrow.”

Ready to build smarter, more sustainable systems alongside leaders like Mark?

December 2, 2025 /3BL/ – My Green Lab, a global nonprofit dedicated to sustainability in science, today released its 2025 Carbon Impact of Biotech and Pharma Report in collaboration with Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). The report shows that the sector’s direct operations align with a 1.5-degree Celsius pathway, while supply chain emissions keep the total climate impact closer to 2 degrees and limit some of the progress made by the largest firms.

“Biotech and pharma companies are demonstrating that healthcare can expand while lowering the carbon footprint of their operations,” said James Connelly, CEO of My Green Lab. “Among the leaders in this report, we see operational emissions roughly aligned with a 1-degree Celsius pathway. Once supply chains are included, the sector still leans toward a near-2-degree Celsius rise. Most of the carbon remain in the value chain, and that is the part of the curve companies need to focus on next.”

The analysis uses ICE climate and financial data from 2019 to 2023 for 765 public companies and 290 private firms. These 1,055 companies together are responsible for an estimated 348 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2023 across Scopes 1 to 3, with about 224 million metric tons from public companies and 124 million metric tons from private firms. Scope 3 emissions account for approximately 75% of total emissions for public companies in the dataset and 88% for private companies, indicating that most of the sector’s climate impact comes from supply chains and other value-chain activities.

Key findings from the report include:

1. The implied temperature increase for Scope 1 and 2 emissions is 1.04 degrees Celsius, aligning with a 1.5-degree pathway. When Scope 3 emissions are included, the implied temperature rises to 1.9 degrees, which is still above the level needed to meet Paris Agreement goals.
2. Among the 146 companies with the highest-quality disclosures, 75.5% have set targets to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions. Within this group, 76 companies, or 52%, have medium-term Scope 1 and 2 targets for 2026 to 2035 that align with a 1.5-degree pathway. The report describes this as a tipping point for operational targets but notes that significantly fewer companies have Scope 3 targets with similar coverage and ambition.
3. Since 2019, the 25 largest biotech and pharma companies by revenue have reduced emissions intensity for Scopes 1 and 2 by about 10%, and Scope 3 intensity by roughly 5%. Among the broader group of 243 other public companies, Scope 3 intensity has increased by 2% during the same period. For private companies, the top 25 have lowered Scope 3 emissions by approximately 3% over the past year, while the larger group of 290 private companies has seen a 6% rise in Scope 3 emissions.

“The analysis provides a forward-looking view of how transition risk is developing in this sector,” said Scott Weitze, VP of Research and Technical Standards at My Green Lab and a report co-author. “It shows clear progress on operational emissions at the top of the market and highlights areas where supply chain emissions and inconsistent disclosures still hinder the sector. That level of detail is what investors, regulators, and boards need to plan for the next decade.”

Despite existing gaps, the report shows that biotech and pharma remain among the most active sectors in the United Nations’ Race to Zero campaign. Currently, 42 major biotech, pharma, and medtech companies are members, up from 38 last year. Of these, 64% have launched a My Green Lab Certification program, and 63% of those programs operate globally. Leading companies including AstraZeneca, Biogen, and IQVIA have certified over 95% of their laboratories, meeting the sector’s Breakthrough Outcome goal and demonstrating that green lab practices can expand from pilots to entire portfolios.

About My Green Lab

My Green Lab® is a nonprofit environmental organization with a mission to build a global culture of sustainability in science. The organization is the world leader in developing internationally recognized sustainability standards for laboratories and laboratory products—bringing sustainability to the community responsible for the world’s life-changing medical and technical innovations. Laboratories are some of the most resource-intensive spaces in any industry, but they don’t have to be. By introducing a new perspective and proven best practices within a carefully crafted framework, My Green Lab has inspired tens of thousands of scientists and lab professionals to make positive changes in their labs by reducing the environmental impact of their work.

For media requests, contact Christina Creager at christina.creager@mygreenlab.org.

For more information about My Green Lab, visit mygreenlab.org.