Month: January 2024

IFC Issues $1.5 Billion Social Bond to Support Low Income Communities in Emerging Markets

Stuart Mitchell

IFC issued a three-year social bond, raising $1.5 billion to support low-income communities in emerging markets. The transaction represents IFC’s largest ever social bond, with its largest ever order book. It is also the largest US dollar social bond issued by a supranational this year. This is IFC’s first US dollar denominated social bond benchmark in 2023, complementing the organization’s Canadian dollar and Australian dollar social bond benchmarks issued earlier this year.  “We are seeing tremendous demand from investors for our social bonds. With order books of over $6 billion,…

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How Live Electricity Readouts Allow Berry to Operate More Efficiently and Reduce Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Stuart Mitchell

Because data-driven decisions help improve energy performance, a robust, real-time energy monitoring system is key to a company’s ability to track energy use, lower electricity bills, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This data also supports environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting by backing up claims and shows how sustainability can be economically viable by driving cost reductions and operational efficiency improvements. Real-time energy monitoring provides up-to-date data that allows businesses to spot potential issues and make informed decisions to respond quickly. Berry works with multiple energy management solutions providers, including…

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Watching eye encourages plastics recycling

Stuart Mitchell

Plastic in waste streams used for energy recovery is an unnecessary source of fossil carbon dioxide emissions. Three Swedish cities are now testing a new digital camera technology with the goal of making it profitable to improve waste sorting and increase recycling. Waste incineration in state-of-art energy recovery plants is an important service to society. The recovered energy is then a fantastic source of energy for district heating. But if plastic waste is not first sorted out, that part is an unnecessary source of fossil CO2 emissions. Until today, it…

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Former refugee wins global Nansen award for championing education for displaced children

Stuart Mitchell

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, announced today that Abdullahi Mire – a former refugee and journalist who has championed the right to education while putting 100,000 books in the hands of refugee children in Kenya – will be the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award’s 2023 global laureate.  “Abdullahi Mire is living proof that transformative ideas can spring from within displaced communities,” said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “He has shown great resourcefulness and tenacity in strengthening the quality of refugee education.”  Born in Somalia, Mire grew up in…

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CAP – Updated environmental guidance: green disposal claims

Stuart Mitchell

The ASA/CAP have released a post called: Updated environmental guidance: green disposal claims. I have enclosed the text of the link below, but please have a look at the ASA/CAP site as there are lots of things of interest to anyone with an interest in Ethical Marketing. Today, the ASA announced key findings from its consumer research and issue-led review on green disposal claims (i.e., ‘recyclable’/’recycled’, ‘biodegradable’, ’compostable’ and “plastic alternative” claims). To accompany this, CAP and BCAP have updated their Advertising Guidance: The environment: misleading claims and social responsibility in advertising to…

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