Month: November 2022

Principal® Releases First Sustainable Financing Report Announcing Allocations of $600M Sustainability Bond

Stuart Mitchell

Principal Financial Group® has released its first Principal Sustainable Financing Report to highlight the proceeds allocated to eligible green and social assets from the issuance of the company’s $600 million sustainability bond in August 2021. The report details allocation and key performance indicators of the proceeds, which went toward initiatives such as green buildings, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and affordable housing. The bond is one example of the company’s commitment to advancing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices in its organization and operations – with a client-first focus central to…

Read More

Discovery Education and Dollar General Literacy Foundation Partner on New Initiative Promoting Literacy

Stuart Mitchell

Discovery Education recently announced the launch of a new education initiative – Discover Literacy – created in partnership with the Dollar General Literacy Foundation promoting literacy nationwide. Designed to support the development of critical literacy skills in K-2 students, Discover Literacy offers teachers, students, and caregivers access to a powerful suite of in-school and after-school digital resources at no cost. Discover Literacy’s standards-aligned resources are designed for wherever learning takes place. Addressing the five key literacy topics of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, Discover Literacy provides educators, students,…

Read More

Berry Global and Mars, Incorporated Announce the Launch of Recycled Content Packaging

Stuart Mitchell

Berry Global Group, Inc. is collaborating with snack and treats leader Mars, Incorporated to launch its popular pantry-sized treats in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) jars that have been optimized to be lighter weight and include 15% post-consumer resin (PCR). With the shared mission of creating more sustainable packaging solutions, Berry and Mars will launch the new jars for the M&M’S®, SKITTLES®, and STARBURST® brands later this month. The easy-grip square jars are produced at Berry’s manufacturing facility, using a single-pellet, food-grade resin to assure a clean, consistent substrate sourced from mechanical…

Read More

Renewable energy jobs hit 12.7 million globally

Stuart Mitchell

Worldwide employment in renewable energy reached 12.7 million last year, a jump of 700,000 new jobs in one year, despite the lingering effects of COVID-19 and the growing energy crisis, according to a new report. Renewable Energy and Jobs: Annual Review 2022  identifies domestic market size as a major factor influencing employment generation in renewables, along with labour and other costs. Solar energy was found to be the fastest-growing sector. In 2021 it provided 4.3 million jobs, more than a third of the current global workforce in renewable energy. The…

Read More

Algae cultivation is now heating up to 2,500 apartments in Gustavsberg, Sweden

Stuart Mitchell

Excess heat from AstaReal’s algae cultivation is now being used for district heating for up to 2,500 apartments in Gustavsberg, outside of Stockholm. Vattenfall’s innovative installation uses waste heat from AstaReal’s production process, that would otherwise be lost. “AstaReal’s production process is energy-intensive and requires both electricity and cooling. The excess heat is now being used for heating homes and premises, and Gustavsberg’s residents now get more than 20 per cent of their heating needs from the new technology,” says Kurosh Beradari, Sales and Marketing Director at Vattenfall Heat in…

Read More