Day: 22 March 2024

Climate Group and partners join forces to push for a renovation revolution in Europe

Stuart Mitchell

The EU must prioritise the renovation of millions of buildings every year to meet its 2050 net zero target, Climate Group warns. The EU has enshrined in law net zero by 2050. Currently, EU renovation rates to make buildings more energy efficient are around 1% each year, meaning the EU has less than six years to get to the 2.5% annual renovation rate that the IEA says needs to be achieved by 2030 to be on track for net zero.  Today’s warning comes as Climate Group, in partnership with CBRE, Danfoss, ROCKWOOL, Signify, and VELUX, launches a new…

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Robotic welding matches and can outperform manual construction and cut carbon emissions

Stuart Mitchell

Improved fatigue performance, through standardised high-quality welding conducted by robots, could enable offshore wind jacket foundations to last longer or potentially to use less steel, thus having the potential to reduce the weight and cost of the structures. The analysis, conducted by the Belgian Research Centre for Application of Steel (OCAS), is a joint industry project and part of the Carbon Trust’s Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA). The project ‘Improved Fatigue Life of Welded Jacket Connections (JaCo)’, launched in 2017 and concluded at the end of 2023. In addition to showing…

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Portugal ratifies the ILO Convention on Violence and Harassment

Stuart Mitchell

On 16 February 2024, Portugal deposited the instrument of ratification of the Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190) , with the Director-General of the ILO. By depositing the instrument of ratification, Portugal becomes the 37th country in the world, and the 8th country in the European Union, to ratify Convention No. 190. The first international labour standard to deal with violence and harassment in the world of work, Convention No. 190, together with Recommendation No. 206 , provides a common tripartite framework for action and a unique opportunity to shape a…

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News publishers must innovate to meet shifting Gen Z needs

Stuart Mitchell

Traditional news outlets seeking to engage younger audiences must embrace innovation or risk declining relevance, according to new research published by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR). The report – ‘What does news media mean to Gen Z?’ – was conducted by Rebecca Roberts, founder of Thread & Fable, and funded under the Institute’s Research Fund. It investigates the media habits of Gen Z in the UK and how the rise of digital formats has changed how younger generations view, trust, and interact with news compared to older groups, painting both…

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The National Lottery changes operator for first time in 30 Years

Stuart Mitchell

1 February 2024 marked the start of the Fourth National Lottery Licence and the handover to Allwyn as the operator of The National Lottery. This is the first time that responsibility for operating The National Lottery has changed hands in its 30-year history. During this time, it has made a huge difference to life in the UK – not just for the millions of prize-winners, but in generating over £48 billion that has been invested in almost 700,000 community, sport, arts and heritage projects. This has all been made possible…

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