Day: 9 March 2026

Amazon begins construction on its first UK building to pursue zero carbon certification

Stuart Mitchell

Amazon has broken ground on a delivery station in Stockton-on-Tees that will become its first building to pursue Living Future’s Zero Carbon Certification. The facility represents a significant step forward in sustainable construction, combining advanced building techniques with smart technology to reduce environmental impact. The £40 million investment will create around 100 jobs in the north-east whilst setting new standards for lower-carbon logistics buildings across the UK and Europe. Testing new approaches to building design The 10,800m² building is pioneering several sustainability features that could reshape how Amazon—and the wider…

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Corporate Clean Energy Buying Fell in 2025 After Nearly a Decade of Growth

Stuart Mitchell

Global clean power purchase agreement (PPA) volumes fell for the first time last year in nearly a decade, as power prices and policy risks redefined market activity. Corporations announced deals for 55.9 gigawatts of clean power in 2025, 10% down from the record set the prior year, according to BloombergNEF in its 1H 2026 Corporate Energy Market Outlook.  The market is increasingly defined by a divergence between hyperscalers and the broader universe of corporate buyers. Technology giants Meta, Amazon, Google and Microsoft were responsible for 49% of all global activity last year. Meta and Amazon led global clean energy buying activity in 2025, contracting a combined 20.4 gigawatts (GW), including 4.7GW of nuclear power. While Meta’s activity was concentrated…

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Fairtrade flower worker wage increases must be matched with higher prices

Stuart Mitchell

Fairtrade International has increased the floor wage that flower farms must pay to workers at more than 70 certified organisations across Africa, and at the same time is encouraging actors in the supply chain to pay more competitive prices for flowers.   The floor wage is the minimum wage that a Fairtrade certified farm is required to pay its workers. It is designed as a safety net to protect workers from wages that fall below internationally recognised extreme poverty levels, especially in countries/sectors where legal minimum wages are absent or very…

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Octopus Energy Generation invests $1bn in cutting-edge Californian clean tech to boost UK growth

Stuart Mitchell

Octopus Energy Generation, one of Europe’s leading investors in renewable energy, is injecting nearly $1 billion in California’s next-gen tech scene – deepening its foothold in one of the world’s most advanced clean energy markets. Through its funds, Octopus will back two Californian carbon removal companies pioneering grassland restoration and reforestation to transform degraded land into high-quality CO2-absorbing assets – with several Big Tech companies already lined up as carbon credit offtakers. The newly unlocked funding will also invest in heat batteries to fast-track the decarbonisation of hard-to-electrify industries. Developed…

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Morrisons Backs British Farming With £1.6 Billion Commitment For 2026

Stuart Mitchell

Morrisons is committing over £1.6 billion to British agriculture and food production in 2026, underlining its position as British farming’s single biggest direct supermarket customer. The commitment will continue to support a series of multi-year partnerships with farmers supplying Morrisons with fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, dairy and eggs, extending Morrisons 127 year relationship with British farming and providing farmers with the confidence and stability needed to plan and invest for their future.  Morrisons works with its farmers in a partnership approach, with terms of trade between the parties governed…

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