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<keyword id="19907392" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change" source="keywords">Climate change</keyword> could become the main driver of <keyword id="21446697" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="biodiversity-decline" source="keywords">biodiversity decline</keyword> by the mid-century, a new research has found. Studying changes in land-use patterns and their impacts on biodiversity, an international team of researchers found that biodiversity around the world could have declined by 2-11 per cent. <br /><br />"By including all world regions in our model, we were able to fill many blind spots and address criticism of other approaches working with fragmented and potentially biased data," said Henrique Pereira, research group head at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), and the first author of the study published in the journal 'Science'. <br /><br />Examining how biodiversity and ecosystems might evolve in the future, the researchers found that the combined effects of land-use change and climate change lead to biodiversity loss across all global regions, regardless of emissions scenario. <br /><br />"We found that climate change poses an imminent threat to biodiversity and ecosystem services. While land-use change has historically been a significant factor, our findings indicate that climate change could overtake it as the primary driver of biodiversity loss by mid-century," explained study co-author, David Leclere, researcher at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Austria. <br /><br />The researchers called for a "truly integrated approach" considering varied <keyword id="21447217" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sustainability-aspects" source="keywords">sustainability aspects</keyword> to reduce conflicts between policies and safeguard biodiversity in the coming decades. <br /><br />"For instance, while <keyword id="21447218" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bio-energy-deployment" source="keywords">bio-energy deployment</keyword> is still a critical element of the majority of climate stabilisation scenarios, it also poses a threat to species habitats," said IIASA Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program Director Petr Havlik, one of the study co-authors. <br /><br />The findings suggested that conservation and restoration efforts should be prioritised globally as necessary natural climate solutions, the authors said.<br /><br /><b>SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/realme-c65-5g-with-5000mah-battery-120hz-display-launched-starting-at-10499/articleshow/109619597.cms" target="_blank"></a></b><br /><br /> <b><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/realme-c65-5g-with-5000mah-battery-120hz-display-launched-starting-at-10499/articleshow/109619597.cms" target="_blank">Realme C65 5G with 5,000mAh battery, 120Hz display launched starting at ₹10,499</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/webstories/ultraviolette-f77-mach-2-electric-sports-bike-launched-in-india-starting-at-2-99-lakh/slidelist/109615934.cms" target="_blank"></a></b><br /><br /> <b><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/webstories/ultraviolette-f77-mach-2-electric-sports-bike-launched-in-india-starting-at-2-99-lakh/slidelist/109615934.cms" target="_blank">Ultraviolette F77 Mach 2 electric sports bike launched in India starting at ₹2.99 lakh</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/jiocinema-introduces-new-ad-free-premium-plans-starting-at-29/articleshow/109581033.cms" target="_blank"></a></b><br /><br /> <b><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/jiocinema-introduces-new-ad-free-premium-plans-starting-at-29/articleshow/109581033.cms" target="_blank">An Ambani disruption in OTT: At just ₹1 per day, you can now enjoy ad-free content on JioCinema</a></b><br />

Climate change could become main driver of biodiversity decline by mid-century: Study

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Eileen Fisher and her team set a goal of making their company 100% sustainable.</li><li>Fisher said that while that's not  attainable, it's essential to try.</li><li>The company still has a long way to go, according to a nonprofit that grades sustainability efforts.</li></ul><p>Eileen Fisher knew she had to set a goal she could never achieve.</p><p>A decade ago, Fisher and her team were gathered at a meeting away from the company's headquarters north of New York City. The focus was on how her eponymous fashion label could boost its sustainability cred.</p><p>"There was this moment where I realized that I had to actually say, 'We really want to be a 100% sustainable company,'" she told Business Insider. But because she knew that wasn't possible, she hesitated, even as her staff grew more excited. "They were all saying, 'Let's do it. Let's make it the goal.'" Fisher, 73, said she pushed aside her initial doubts and agreed they had to try.</p><p>To date, the company says more than 80% of its raw materials meet third-party sustainability criteria, and some 70% of materials are processed using what is calls "safer chemistry."</p><p>Fisher knows that producing clothing to be sold across 57 company stores in North America and at high-end department stores will have some environmental cost. But she credits the audacious goal with remaking the label she started in 1984 with a handful of garments and $350 left in her bank account — injecting sustainability into areas like production and design.</p><p>The sustainability pledge "really changed the company," she said. "Not just my voice, but that idea that we made a commitment."</p><h2><strong>Simple yet sustainable</strong></h2><p>Eileen Fisher's clothes have long been known for their simplicity — simple cuts, toned-down colors. Some of her earliest designs drew from the timeless shape of the kimono, a silhouette she got to know while spending time in Japan early in her career.</p><p>Fisher said while the company's apparel can't get much simpler, many aspects of its business can.</p><p>That includes how the company handles its inventory and communicates with customers about how to mix and match its clothes — what the company calls its "system of dressing."</p><p>Five years ago, the label was using 1,000 types of fabric; now that's down to about 200, Fisher said, adding that they're the ones the designers love and that meet sustainability criteria.</p><p>The brand gives shoppers $5 gift cards for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.eileenfisherrenew.com/">returning unwanted Eileen Fisher clothes</a>. Some of those clothes can then be made into new products. Since 2009, more than 1 million items have been resold, donated, or remade, according to the company. The take-back effort helped Fisher and her designers better understand how to make clothes that can more easily have a second life. The simpler the clothes are, "the easier they are to work with or to remake into other things," she said.</p><p>Fisher and her company's CEO, Lisa Williams, whom Fisher brought on from Patagonia in 2022, also want their customers to buy fewer clothes. Fisher acknowledged the position is a tough one for a leader of a clothing brand to maintain.</p><p>"I look at the sales every week," she said. "I want to know how are these products being received — what are they liking."</p><p>Getting customers to be more selective might mean helping them understand the dozen foundational pieces of the season or the year and how to mix and match them, almost like Lego pieces, she said.</p><h2><strong>Educating consumers</strong></h2><p>Fisher sees making her brand simpler and more sustainable as an almost endless journey. Years ago she realized that using natural fibers wasn't good enough. Cotton production requires massive amounts of water. Then there are the dyes, which carry their own environmental cost. She said the company had worked "fabric by fabric" to make its materials more sustainable. It's working to move its organic cotton and wool toward <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/regenerative-agriculture-101"><u>"regenerative" agriculture</u></a>, designed to boost soil health.</p><p>Moving to regenerative production, which can have environmental benefits, also means the clothes can cost more, a point Fisher acknowledged. "They're pricier. It's true."</p><p>Eileen Fisher has also signed onto efforts aimed at cleaning up the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.thefashionact.org/"><u>fashion industry's dirty supply chains</u></a> and more than two decades ago hired a head of social consciousness, whose job includes focusing on the company's sustainability efforts.</p><p>The closely held company, which has gone on to become a B Corp and to sell a minority stake to its employees, had $267 million in sales last year. Fisher said that she's seen <a target="_blank" href="https://stylecaster.com/fashion/shopping-guides/1386890/brands-like-eileen-fisher/"><u>interest from Gen Zers</u></a> who are widely recognized as having more of a focus on sustainability issues. These younger fans are a couple generations behind the women who make up the company's primary customers.</p><p>"Sometimes you don't know why. But I do think that there is a desire for simplicity," she said, referring to the interest from younger women. "I do think they know about — they hear about — the sustainability work we do."</p><p>Even with all the efforts the company has made, it still has more work to do, according to Fisher herself and to a <a target="_blank" href="https://stand.earth/fashion/brand-scores/eileen-fisher/">review of Eileen Fisher's environmental efforts</a> from the nonprofit Stand.earth.</p><p>Yet even if the label somehow ironed out every environmental cost that comes from producing clothing, that impact alone wouldn't be enough, Fisher said.</p><p>"We're one drop in the bucket. We're one medium-sized company. The world will still be on fire," she said. "So we really need to work with others."</p><h3><strong>Read more from Transforming Business</strong></h3><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/industry-leaders-transforming-business-2023-11">10 industry leaders transforming business in 2023</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/companies-still-doing-esg-work-despite-politics-criticism-2023-11"><u>ESG backlash dominated headlines in 2023, but it's still 'quietly' reshaping industries behind the scenes</u></a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/advertising-transforming-new-digital-world-2023-11"><u>The digital world remade itself and now every company has become an ad seller</u></a></p>

Why designer Eileen Fisher set an unachievable sustainability goal

<p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/one-planet"></a></p><div type="image" title="john edel sits on a shiny green couch against a stained brick wall" height="1500" width="2250" msid="102622031" hostid="261" sizebytes="235056"></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>At The Plant in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chicago-cycling-bike-lane-expansion-urban-segregation-racial-equity-2023-6">Chicago</a>, small businesses are tinkering with sustainable food production.</li><li>This former meatpacking plant hosts a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-brewery-pliny-the-younger-russian-river-built-community-2022-1">brewery</a>, a coffee roaster, farms, laboratories, and more.</li><li>By sharing their <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/recycling-waste-heat-abundant-sustainable-energy-source-2023-7">waste heat</a>, wastewater, byproducts, and extras, they're attempting a "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/circular-economy-could-solve-smartphone-waste-problem-2023-6">closed loop</a>."</li></ul><p>CHICAGO — A giant, blocky, red-brick building rises above a sea of two-story houses, filling an entire city block in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.</p><p>The area is named for the stockyards at the turn of the 20th century: a square mile of tight pens stuffed with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/four-month-old-calf-roamed-brooklyn-saved-slaughter-animal-sanctuary-2023-3">livestock and slaughterhouses</a>. Workers lived in slums, and the industry carelessly dumped so much waste and blood into the river that the water began to bubble and emit a foul stench from the gasses of decomposing carrion.</p><div type="image" title="black decals on windows portray cow and pig carcasses hanging by their rear feet on railings for processing" height="1500" width="1999" msid="102622034" hostid="261" sizebytes="128050"></div><p>Chicago was the nation's meatpacking capital, and this 100,000-square-foot structure used to be a meatpacking plant. Today, two turtles, Justine and Laupland, lounge in a small wetland just inside the building's entrance.</p><div type="image" title="green grasses and leaves sprout from a small pond beneath a concrete and metal ramp indoors around a sign reading &quot;wetland&quot;" height="1500" width="1999" msid="102622036" hostid="261" sizebytes="365530"></div><p>Upstairs, someone checks the roastery's books among bags of fragrant coffee beans, while cheese chills in a cooler, bees make honey on the roof, and four researchers in a laboratory raise a glass to their experimental algae. In the basement, rows and rows of small edible plants stretch toward grow lights.</p><div type="image" title="bean sprouts grow in black trays washed in pink light" height="0" width="0" msid="102622039" hostid="261" sizebytes="4012"></div><p>On the ground floor, where a giant meat freezer used to be, a brewery is throbbing with heat and the hum of heavy machinery.</p><p>"Brewing is important to us because it's the low-hanging fruit of energy and waste recovery," John Edel, who bought this building in 2010, shouted to Insider over the roar of sours and ales brewing. "There's wastewater, there's grains, there's yeasts, there's heat. All of those things can be salvaged."</p><div type="image" title="person walks beneath four large metal vats for brewing beer" height="1500" width="2250" msid="102622041" hostid="261" sizebytes="230738"></div><p>The brewery, run by Whiner Beer Co., helps heat the building in winter. Spent grain becomes compost for farms on the property. As the beer ferments, it emits carbon dioxide, which is piped to the labs upstairs to feed growing algae. The grain has also been used to grow mushrooms in the basement and bake bread upstairs.</p><div type="image" title="large room with &quot;peer food products co&quot; in white letters on a brick wall with chairs lined up below and old meat railings on the ceiling" height="1498" width="1998" msid="102622043" hostid="261" sizebytes="210454"></div><p>Through a decade of tinkering, this colossal relic of one of the Midwest's biggest and dirtiest industries has become a playground for small businesses trying to <a href="https://www.insider.com/future-foods-whats-for-breakfast-2023-07">produce food sustainably</a>. It's called The Plant.</p><div type="image" title="tall unlabeled shiny metal beer cans stacked in six layers and wrapped in plastic" height="1500" width="1999" msid="102622047" hostid="261" sizebytes="112974"></div><p>Edel and his tenants have strung together a brewery, a bakery, small farms, and more to approximate what they call a "closed loop," where the waste of one business helps make a product in another.</p><div type="image" title="bucket full of coffee chaff" height="1500" width="1999" msid="102622050" hostid="261" sizebytes="83600"></div><p>The Plant is not inventing technology. Rather, it's finding creative ways to connect the dots with existing tech. The whole building is a living experiment.</p><p>It also offers an affordable, incubatorlike space for small businesses to establish themselves, cut costs by sharing resources, and learn from each other. The Plant is home to 105 full-time jobs, according to Edel.</p><div type="image" title="person in plaid flannel and jeans connects a tube to one of a dozen large metal canisters on a red brick floor" height="1500" width="1999" msid="102622054" hostid="261" sizebytes="228838"></div><p>"Our purpose is to push the boundaries of what can be done in technology and job creation," he said, sitting in the bustling taproom down the hall from the brewery.</p><p>As he spoke, Edel stretched two thin, dirt-dusted fingers into his half-full beer glass to pinch a fungus gnat out of the golden liquid. The bug must have made itself at home in the live plants rooted in a strip of dirt and rock running down the center of the long wooden table.</p><div type="image" title="john edel thin man with white beard round glasses blue shirt sits in a bar behind a plant" height="1500" width="2250" msid="102622055" hostid="261" sizebytes="162626"></div><p>Similar garden centerpieces sprouted from other tables in the dim light of the large concrete and brick chamber. Patrons talked, gestured, and laughed through gaps in the broad leaves, giving the space a buzz as lively as its greenery.</p><p>"I think people mostly regard us with curiosity, like, 'What is this strange place and what do you do in there?'" Edel said. "We try to make it as inviting and open as possible for people to come in and learn what we do and hopefully learn about some aspect of food production or sustainability or loop closing."</p><h2>Built for pork and beef but perfect for indoor farms</h2><div type="image" title="rows of green plants with yellow flowers growing on shelves beneath led grow lights in a basement visible through a circular hole in a concrete wall" height="1500" width="1999" msid="102622056" hostid="261" sizebytes="128494"></div><p>This building was made for large-scale food production. It has US Department of Agriculture-grade pitched floors with drains, and the walls and ceilings are waterproofed throughout. Plus, the structure is built to withstand heavy equipment on all floors.</p><p>Those features were essential for processing pig carcasses, but they come in handy for indoor farming, too.</p><p>"There's a value to a building like this that would never make good condos. It was designed to make food," Edel said. "And it doesn't have to be meat. It can be edible flowers."</p><div type="image" title="microgreens small green plants grow close together in black trays beneath growlights on shelves washed in pink light" height="1500" width="2250" msid="102622059" hostid="261" sizebytes="440948"></div><p>There are four farms at The Plant, some indoors and some outside on the facility's lot. Until a few years ago, there was even a mushroom farm in a large basement room, which maintained 99% humidity for the fungi.</p><p>Today, Closed Loop Farms grows microgreens in that room for restaurants and at-home delivery. Imperfect or used-up plants become compost for the outdoor farms. It's still humid.</p><div type="image" title="bearded long haired man in blue plaid flannel shirt holds up a black tray full of microgreens in a grow room" height="1500" width="1999" msid="102622060" hostid="261" sizebytes="225624"></div><p>"It is ideal for incubating small startup farming businesses because it is ugly space with no natural light in a basement that is cheap but food grade," Edel said.</p><p>Recently, one of the farm businesses grew so much that it moved into an old Target building for more space.</p><div type="image" title="microgreens grow in black trays under growlights on three tiers of racks in a room washed in pink light" height="1498" width="1998" msid="102622061" hostid="261" sizebytes="217084"></div><p>The food-friendly facilities have helped other young businesses gain their footing and grow from The Plant.</p><p>Earlier this year, Shawn Smith and Leonor Quezada moved their Texas barbecue business, Heffer BBQ, into the Whiner Beer taproom. The brewery had been serving food but wanted to outsource that work so it could focus on beer. Smith and Quezada had just finished a residency and needed a home for their barbecue.</p><p>"Their beers pair extremely well with our food," Smith told Insider as he sipped a cucumber-lime sour. "We're already doing better here than we did for our residency."</p><div type="image" title="man with large red beard wearing a baseball cap jeans black apron and holding a beer glass leans on a smoker in a dirt patch in front of a chain link fence" height="1500" width="2250" msid="102622064" hostid="261" sizebytes="335118"></div><p>Jana Kinsman got her footing at The Plant, too. She moved her beekeeping business onto the roof about eight years ago. At the time, a tenant was keeping a garden up there and thought her bees would be beneficial.</p><p>"It was a major upgrade. It had water, a floor drain, electricity, all these things I didn't have before," she told Insider, adding that it was helpful to share materials and tools with the other businesses in the building.</p><p>"Everyone kind of has that mentality of using each other's garbage," she said.</p><h2>In the 'cool ship,' bacteria from the farms help brew beer</h2><p>Tucked in the back of the brewery, hidden behind a plywood board, is a small room wrapped in tubing that once piped ammonia for refrigeration. A giant vat fills the space. It was covered with a wooden board on this visit, but it's often full of beer or, sometimes, kombucha.</p><div type="image" title="flat wooden surface fills a room with rows of pipes wrapping around the perimeter and curved wooden slats from barrels hanging on the ceiling" height="1500" width="2250" msid="102622168" hostid="261" sizebytes="156448"></div><p>"We put in a duct that pulls air from above one of the outdoor farms and basically coughs it onto the surface of hot beer that's come out of the brewing process," Edel said.</p><p>That will "basically infect the beer" with bacteria that help it ferment, he added. Bowed wood from barrels hangs on the ceiling above to attract bonus bacteria, which live in the wood and later fall onto the surface of the beer.</p><p>They call this room "the cool ship." Beer cools in the vat for about a week and a half before going to barrels to sit for another year and a half.</p><div type="image" title="barrels stacked on racks with beer names sharpied onto them" height="1500" width="1999" msid="102622170" hostid="261" sizebytes="221496"></div><p>Not every experiment like this has worked. The bakery upstairs once tried fueling its ovens with spent beer grain, but it took more energy to make bricks of the grain than burning them produced.</p><p>Looming giant and shiny over the rows of vegetables in the backyard is one unsuccessful experiment Edel hasn't given up on yet: the anaerobic digester.</p><h2>The Plant's white whale is turning food waste into cash</h2><div type="image" title="view overlooking a large dirt plot with a greenhouse, a long giant metal cylinder called an anaerobic digester, and rows of crops with the chicago skyline in the distance" height="1500" width="2250" msid="102622171" hostid="261" sizebytes="406210"></div><p>Anaerobic digesters are commonly used to dispose of animal manure or waste from sewage.</p><p>The plan for The Plant's digester was that it would consume 32 tons of food waste each day and turn it into a liquid digestate, some compostlike solids, and biogas.</p><p>The biogas would power boilers throughout the building. The solids would enrich soil. The Plant's laboratories could extract growth stimulants from the liquid for farming.</p><p>The digester is key to The Plant's larger mission, Edel said: "coming up with ways to take the waste that surrounds us all and turn it into food and jobs."</p><div type="image" title="line of stainless steel doors with bathroom signs on them down a hallway with plants in bright light above" height="4000" width="5333" msid="102622173" hostid="261" sizebytes="564174"></div><p>But the costs turned out to be more than expected. It would take another $2 million to get the digester up and running, according to Edel. For now, that's not financially worth it.</p><p>"It would work but only marginally, and we need it to really sing," he said.</p><p>That's why the laboratories on the top floor are figuring out how to make the digester profitable.</p><h2>The ultimate circle of food production</h2><div type="image" title="a lit chandelier hangs at the top of a dark stairwell" height="1500" width="2250" msid="102622174" hostid="261" sizebytes="54972"></div><p>Leonard Lerer and three employees of his company, Back of the Yards Algae Sciences, sit among the whirring machines and tubes of floating algae in the laboratory.</p><p>The company's primary mission is finding ways to use algae and fungi as replacements for artificial food additives: colorants, flavors, protein powders, and even plant stimulants for indoor farming.</p><div type="image" title="four men sit around a long table with beer and plates in a laboratory" height="1500" width="2250" msid="102622175" hostid="261" sizebytes="206996"></div><p>On the side, Back of the Yards Algae Sciences has taken on the ambitious project of figuring out how to extract valuable molecules from waste in the anaerobic digester. The innovators believe they can pull antioxidants or vanilla, for example, from the digesting food waste and sell it.</p><p>If they can extract valuable molecules, Edel said, that will be the promise he needs to invest the $2 million to finish the anaerobic digester.</p><p>The labs are working on a pilot experiment with a mini digester to test their idea. Edel expects the pilot to start running in future months, he said.</p><div type="image" title="yellow counter with glass tubes full of dark algae running along the side" height="1500" width="1999" msid="102622177" hostid="261" sizebytes="131472"></div><p>Lerer's hope is that the laboratory's work, and implementation of these techniques in farms at The Plant, can help make vertical farming more sustainable and profitable. If it worked at scale, indoor vertical farming would use less land, energy, and water than traditional crop farms.</p><p>This is the ultimate circular vision for The Plant.</p><p>"Take the waste from vertical farming or food waste, put it in an anaerobic digester, generate energy — gas, or turn that into electricity. Use the digestive that comes off to feed algae. The algae make a biostimulant, which you give back to the plants, which allows it to grow," Lerer said.</p><div type="image" title="turtle in clear shallow water with pebbles along the bottom" height="1514" width="2019" msid="102622178" hostid="261" sizebytes="254908"></div><p>At the same time, his laboratory could extract food colorants or high-value molecules from the algae and the digester.</p><p>"There's never any real waste," he said.</p>

Small businesses turned an Chicago old meatpacking plant into a living experiment in sustainable food, and they are thriving

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Biochar is a soil additive that can help store carbon dioxide for centuries. </li><li>Cities in Minnesota and Nebraska plan to build biochar plants similar to those in Nordic countries.</li></ul><p>A decade ago, Jim Doten was on a tour in Afghanistan with the Army National Guard searching for ways to help farmers improve soils depleted of nutrients and carbon.</p><p>The geohydrologist came across some studies on biochar, a material not unlike the burnt remains of a campfire.</p><p>Doten's biochar program in Afghanistan was short-lived, but the idea stuck. He's since convinced Minneapolis, Minnesota officials of biochar's value as governments search for ways to not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also remove them from the atmosphere. </p><p>"It took a few years to build credibility because people didn't understand why this was a carbon-negative technology," said Doten, the carbon-sequestration program manager for Minneapolis. </p><div type="image" title="Jim Doten" height="427" width="426" msid="92582934" hostid="261" sizebytes="26466"></div><p>The rationale for biochar being carbon-negative goes like this: Through photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and it's released when they decay or are burned. Gathering forest or yard waste, converting it into biochar using a process known as pyrolysis, and returning it to the soil can trap carbon for centuries and retain water while helping plants absorb nutrients.</p><p>Doten first worked with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, a tribe in Minneapolis that owns a compost facility and develops urban gardens to promote food security. The city paid for biochar trucked in from Missouri to be mixed with compost.</p><p>"That's a great way to demonstrate the work, but from a climate aspect, trucking biochar across the country negates its climate benefits," Doten said. "So we need local supply."</p><p>Minneapolis is among seven cities <a href="https://www.bloomberg.org/press/bloomberg-philanthropies-announces-mayors-challenge-winning-project-to-combat-climate-change-will-spread-to-seven-global-cities/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">that received a $400,000 grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies</a> this week to invest in biochar. The city is matching the grant to fund the construction of a production plant that will convert wood from nearby ash trees — which are getting decimated by an invasive pest — into biochar, Doten said. The plant will be <a href="https://www.startribune.com/zero-carbon-electricity-now-provides-the-most-power-in-minnesota/600047121/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">powered by a low-carbon electric grid</a>.</p><p>"Instead of burning the wood for energy, which is also bad for the climate, we're turning it into a soil amendment," Doten said.</p><p>The $50 billion global industry that combusts wood for power <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/03/26/biomass-carbon-climate-politics-477620" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">has been panned by scientists and environmentalists</a>, even as governments in the US, the European Union, and elsewhere categorize it as renewable. While some biochar on the market is a byproduct of that industry, Doten said most production was from plants like the one coming to Minneapolis, which will use the nearly zero-emissions pyrolysis process. That's the case in Stockholm, <a href="https://bloombergcities.jhu.edu/news/solution-spotlight-turning-garden-waste-carbon-sink-stockholm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">the original recipient of a Bloomberg Philanthropies grant</a>, where yard waste is being converted into biochar and <a href="https://biochar-us.org/sites/default/files/presentations/2.3.1%20Stockholm%20Biochar%20Project%20Mattias%20Gustafsson%20-.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">enough energy to heat 80 apartments</a>.</p><p>Bloomberg Philanthropies said all the projects combined would yield enough biochar suppliers to sequester nearly 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. It's a help though it's only a tiny amount relative to the scale of what's needed to keep global warming below catastrophic levels. Scientists <a href="https://www.wri.org/initiatives/carbon-removal" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">predict that 10 billion metric tons of carbon</a> will need to be removed from the atmosphere annually by 2050. </p><p>"Work like this, no matter the size, is important because it engages everyday people in finding solutions," Jim Anderson, the government-innovation lead at Bloomberg Philanthropies, said.</p><p>For now, Doten said government agencies with big public-works projects would be the main customers for biochar. A pilot project in Minneapolis demonstrated that biochar along highways helped sponge up stormwater, a climate-resiliency strategy as the risk of flooding increases. </p><p>Eventually, Minneapolis' plant could sell carbon-offset credits to companies that want to meet net-zero targets, Doten added. In 2019, biochar was listed for the first time on a voluntary carbon marketplace in Finland, followed by another listing in 2020, <a href="https://biochar-international.org/protocol/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">according to the International Biochar Initiative</a>.</p><p><em>Insider is seeking nominations for its first Climate Action 30 list, which identifies the top 30 global leaders working toward climate solutions.</em></p><p><em>Tell us about someone who you believe is doing some of the most impactful or promising work to tackle the global climate crisis:</em></p>

How a soil additive called biochar can help fight the climate crisis by locking away carbon for centuries

<p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/financing-a-sustainable-future-2022"></a></p><div type="image" title="Alberto Carrillo Pineda is SBTi’s cofounder and chief technical officer." height="2092" width="2790" msid="92443005" hostid="261" sizebytes="504570"></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Science Based Targets Initiative, or SBTi, helps large companies identify <keyword id="11896309" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sustainability" source="Orion">sustainability</keyword> targets.</li><li>SBTi's cofounder said organizations are signing on due to growing expectations from investors.</li><li>Here's how SBTi is helping companies set science-based greenhouse-gas emission-reduction targets.</li></ul><p>Achieving sustainability doesn't happen overnight. It requires setting the right targets — clear short- and long-term goals for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions across all stages of a business. </p><p><a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/">Science Based Targets initiative</a>, or SBTi, is a nonprofit that works with some of the world's largest companies — from <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/companies-taking-action/case-studies/net-zero-case-study-astrazeneca">AstraZeneca and </a><a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/companies-taking-action/case-studies/sony">Sony to </a><a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/companies-taking-action/case-studies/procter-gamble">Procter &amp; Gamble</a> — to identify and hit those targets. SBTi boasts being the first framework for helping corporations set net-zero targets based on the latest climate science and the <a href="https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement">2015 Paris Agreement</a>, a treaty on climate change. </p><p>Since its founding in 2015, companies with approved targets have seen 29% reductions. The scale is growing, too, with partner companies representing 35% of global market capitalization. </p><p>Alberto Carrillo Pineda, SBTi's cofounder and chief technical officer, said more organizations are interested in the company's services due to growing expectations from investors and regulators that companies address emissions and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors across their supply chains.</p><p>In 2019, the UK passed a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-becomes-first-major-economy-to-pass-net-zero-emissions-law">law to achieve net-zero emissions</a> by 2050. This March, the <a href="https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2022-46">US Securities and Exchange Commission issued a proposed rule</a> that would require registrants to include climate-related disclosures in reports. SBTi is a key vendor in the sustainability revolution, enabling companies to demonstrate to investors and other stakeholders that they're working toward emission reductions, filling in the gaps left by standard ESG disclosures. </p><p>"More and more investors are looking at the climate targets of companies in their portfolios, and they're engaging with companies that don't have targets in place yet to incentivize them to set targets," Pineda told Insider. </p><p>Here's a look at how the process to set science-based targets works and how businesses benefit. </p><h2><strong>Offering industry-specific technical assistance helps companies set realistic emissions targets</strong></h2><p>Setting climate-based targets alone can be difficult for businesses because many don't know where to start, Pineda said. That's where SBTi can help. </p><p>SBTi works with companies by offering clear industry-specific guidance on how to set emissions goals to achieve net-zero. The organization provides worksheets, how-to guides, and online tools, then evaluates a business' targets based on the latest climate science, Pineda said. </p><p>"The transition to a net-zero economy requires a transformation of every aspect of the economy — transportation, energy production, the food system, the industrial system, and the land-use system," he said, adding that the path to achieving net-zero often varies by industry. </p><p>Pineda said SBTi helps "translate" the transition to net-zero based on the specifics of a company or sector, such as using carbon credits and guidelines for different types of passenger, freight, and commercial vehicles in the <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/sectors/transport">transportation sector</a>, so they can set more realistic targets. Companies in the <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/sectors/oil-and-gas#what-is-the-sb-tis-policy-on-fossil-fuel-companies">oil and gas sector</a> aren't yet able to set targets with SBTi, but the organization is developing guidance for that industry. </p><p>SBTi <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/about-us/funders">receives funding</a> from companies across industries, governments, and foundations. In November, the organization<a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/news/sbti-secures-37m-usd-to-scale-up-exponential-growth"> raised $37 million</a> from Bezos Earth Fund, IKEA Foundation, and Laudes Foundation to help support its growth.</p><h2><strong>SBTi helps hold companies accountable for sustainability goals</strong></h2><p>SBTi charges companies $9,500 to set and validate their targets, which starts with organizations registering <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfib_cuqxfiixppglIOCIG-N6Hxq-FUQzJRUVOrobFD-lkPYA/viewform">on the SBTi website</a> and submitting a <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/resources/files/SBT-Commitment-Letter.pdf">commitment letter</a>. Companies have 24 months to set and submit targets, which Pineda said may involve collecting data or conducting energy modeling. SBTi provides <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/resources/legacy/2019/03/SBTi-criteria.pdf">recommendations</a> and <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/sectors">industry-specific guidance</a> to assist organizations in developing targets. </p><p>After a company submits its targets, SBTi analyzes them to ensure they cover most direct and indirect emission sources, that the target is ambitious — companies are required to pledge to reduce their emissions by at least 4.2% a year — and whether a company is setting short-term emission-reduction targets or long-term net-zero targets. Pineda said SBTi requires companies to have short-term goals for approval so that they're driving action to reach net-zero.</p><p>Once SBTi approves a target, it publishes a <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/companies-taking-action/">list of companies taking action</a> on its website and encourages organizations to share details about their targets with stakeholders. SBTi expects companies to report progress every year and recalculate targets every five years to ensure they remain valid and align with the latest science, Pineda said. </p><p>SBTi had approved nearly 1,100 targets by the end of 2021 and saw over 1,100 commitments.</p><p>The organization is working on a new <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/measurement-reporting-and-verification-mrv">measurement, reporting, and verification</a> (MRV) system, which will launch in 2023, to standardize how companies report progress on targets, which Pineda said will increase transparency and accountability. </p><h2><strong>Setting targets boosts a company's credibility with investors </strong></h2><p>The benefits for companies that set emission-reduction and net-zero targets include increased profits, improved investor confidence, heightened innovation, decreased regulatory uncertainty, and stronger brand reputation, according to SBTi. </p><p>For example, setting science-based targets led <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/companies-taking-action/case-studies/sony">Sony to develop a new type of plastic</a> made of 99% recycled materials that saves 80% carbon emissions when the company manufactures it. More than a third of companies say setting targets is <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/blog/six-business-benefits-of-setting-science-based-targets">helping their business become more resilient </a>to future regulations. </p><p>Working with SBTi brings a sense of credibility to these goals, Pineda said, and it helps companies communicate their sustainability initiatives and the progress they're making. It also helps fill in gaps for investors and financial institutions seeking information about a company's ESG disclosures. </p><p>"More transparency on environmental and climate action makes it easier for investors to understand if companies are transitioning to net-zero or not," he said. </p>

How to design sustainability targets the right way, according to a nonprofit working with Sony and Procter & Gamble

<ul><li>After the global pandemic, <keyword id="49089" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sustainability" source="Orion">sustainability</keyword> and health seem to have become important factors for consumers.</li><li>According to Capgemini’s recent report, consumers engage more readily with brands and retailers that they perceive to be sustainable and genuinely committed to green practices.</li><li>The report found that 48% of consumers share an emotional connection with products or organizations that demonstrate eco-friendly qualities.</li><li>As we move forward this year and health concerns and sustainability continue influencing consumer decisions, we speak to brands, research and design agencies about how brands can integrate sustainability into their core values and move beyond mere lip-service.</li></ul>It might be a new year but the world continues to grapple with familiar challenges and threats: we are on the verge of entering the third wave of COVID-19, the country’s capital, New Delhi is currently facing alarmingly high levels of indoor air pollution and Uttarakhand's forest fires emitted nearly 0.2 megatonnes of carbon in the past one month, a record since 2003 (CAMS report). So 2022 will clearly be a busy year for brands as consumers get more serious about climate change and expect brands to increase their focus on living sustainably in harmony with nature. <br /><br />While businesses exist to make money, Manish Chowdhary, Co-CEO, Body Cupid Pvt Limited says that there are two ways to do that. He explained, “One is sustainable, by keeping other living and non-living things in mind. The other one is inspired by greed. So no matter how small a brand’s effort may be, it has to be aligned with sustainability if the brand wants to continue in the long run. Brands exist for consumers and it is important that we listen to what they want.” <br /><br />From driving workforce diversity to taking a stand on climate change, there’s a definite change that has taken place in consumer expectations. In the last few years, sustainability has become one of the biggest decision-making factors for consumers, and more so after the pandemic. They have realised that mother earth has suffered enough. <br /><br />In this digital world, consumers are demanding more transparency and are quick to call out greenwashing. They are expecting to see concrete actions. And as Chowdhary said, it has become imperative for brands to listen to what consumers want because they exist to serve consumers. <br /><br />Today’s consumers are not only pivoting towards more sustainable products but are also willing to pay a premium for them. Gen Z and Millennials lead all other age groups in this respect. When shopping for groceries, 72% of Gen Z and 66% of Millennials say they are willing to pay more for organic foods and in fact, did so the last time they were grocery shopping, compared to 56% of Boomers, found Capgemini. Its recent report said that 80% of consumers want to contribute to the fight to save the planet for future generations. <br /><br />And it is not just a phase. 70% of consumers agreed that post-pandemic, they will be more careful in terms of maintaining and protecting their personal health. Covid has only reminded us that there is a long way to go on sustainability. <br /><br />On how the pandemic has altered consumer behaviour, Lulu Raghavan, Managing Director, Landor and Fitch said, “The pandemic has fundamentally shifted consumer behaviour. An IBM study shows that 93% of consumers have changed their views on sustainability after the pandemic. This is totally understandable. The horrid virus which came out of nowhere has ravaged lives, ruined livelihoods. The only silver lining is that it has woken us up to the paramount importance of our own health and wellbeing and that of our Mother Earth. Sustainability is now a definitive transformative force that will upend existing industries and create new ones. If digital transformation was the buzzword in corporate boardrooms, ECG will take centre stage in the coming decade.” <br /><br />But what exactly is a sustainable brand? Ashwini Deshpande, Co-Founder and Director, Elephant Design defines it as, “A brand that values ethical sourcing and supply chains, is inclusive, and follows environment-friendly processes and materials while staying viable for its stakeholders is qualified to be labelled as a sustainable brand.” <br /><br />Kartik Johari, VP, Marketing &amp; Commerce, Nobel Hygiene believes that in the coming months, people will start to question what is sustainable and what is not along with how we can continue to reduce our carbon footprint across all aspects of our lives.<br /><br />He said, “Consumers at the end of it are people and they expect what is good. The ‘brand promise’ is essential to them. Now, alongside they are also making space for the environment due to excellent work by activists and journalists around the world. You will remember, for example, that riveting photo of a straw stuck in a turtle's nose. How many millions of turtles have we lost to this? Yet it took just that one photo to break through the global psyche. Now straws are the Number One environmental enemy. But this does not mean the onus should be entirely on people to choose better! Companies have to improve their offering. And that is correct for consumers to expect. Moreover, important to note, there are some 50 or 60 companies in the world, which are responsible for majority of emissions. Strong regulations on them can solve what collectively 500 million people may have to do. But who’s going to bell the cat? As Mr Musk rightly has been saying that, give the solar industry the same amount of subsidies, for a year, that you give to oil and gas, and see the amount of transformative change it brings! The onus cannot be on that one little end consumer and their war to save their environment.”<br /><br />During the pandemic, brands like WOW Skin Science, Diageo and Dettol launched eco-friendly packaging to test the waters, indicating that more brands in India have started reevaluating their packaging strategy to put the environment first. Big FMCG companies such as Marico, HUL, Nestle India, Future Consumer, Coca-Cola, Pepsi-co, Parle Agro also announced in 2020 that they will move to 100% recyclable packaging by 2025 helping towards a sustainable future. <br /><br />Joining the bandwagon, the Indian Government has also started its efforts towards reducing our country’s carbon footprint. Currently, India is the world’s third-largest emitter of carbon dioxide, after the US and China. According to an Assocham and PwC report, landfills are brimming with so much urban waste that by 2050, India is reportedly going to need a landfill that's the size of its capital, New Delhi. And consumers aren’t ignoring these horrifying numbers anymore. <br /><br />Elysha Young, Trends Manager, Mintel APAC said, "India’s Prime Minister has pledged it will reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, backed by aggressive 2030 targets. By laying the groundwork in the form of policies, India is signaling that it is open and willing to support innovation around sustainability, and indeed that carbon-emitting industries will no longer be tolerated. This presents an opportunity for global companies looking to tap into India's vast population but also issues a challenge to foreign and domestic companies to ensure they are cutting emissions throughout their value chain. It's in India's self-interest to stem global warming, with the nation of 1.3 billion people being one of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The nature of the short-term targets means that action will need to be taken immediately, which will see a strong focus on renewable energy sources like solar and wind power, as well as the batteries needed to store such energy. Companies would do well to look at the emissions within their own value chains and determine where cuts can be made. Communicating these to consumers will help them to make choices that align with the national strategy; the opportunity exists to ensure consumers feel like they're also doing their bit."<br /><br /><strong>In 2022, brands that snooze will definitely lose</strong><br /><br />More and more consumers are becoming aware of their choices and realising that whether it is a worn-out piece of mask they decide to throw or a sanitary napkin or even as simple as a plain t-shirt, never really goes ‘away.’ It all ends up in a landfill. Human activities are clearly harming the global environment and brands have no choice but to migrate to sustainable solutions and work towards building a circular economy. <br /><br />So, in 2022, if brands don’t switch, they lose consumers, investors, and all stakeholders. <br /><br />Chowdhary said, “At the industry level, there is nothing without sustainability. The consumers of today are conscious and aware. They know the choices they are making. So if companies &amp; brands do not opt for sustainable practices, eventually the smart consumers are going to make a switch. We can only expect the awareness to grow and actions to increase, especially with the challenges that our planet is facing today.” <br /><br />Anjali Malthankar, National Strategy Director, Tonic Worldwide sees sustainability as one of the big topics in 2022 – right from fashion, green products, green living to electric vehicles, every category will be touched by sustainability filter.<br /><br />She said, “If the brands have already not made sustainability part of their commitment in any form yet, it’s high time they join the eco-wakening movement. Consumers are already looking for some form of reassurance or the other from brands in terms of conscious behaviour, as consumers are at different stages of adoption – it is a mix of curious, concerned, and advocates. At the very least, they are looking to not feel guilty about consuming the brand. Conscious living, mindful living, Green living, purposeful living are all the buzz words in communications today. For brands it is inevitable to have sustainability as a larger goal.” <br /><br />It is not just the environment and consumers who benefit from eco-friendly practices, businesses with low carbon footprints are more likely to have a better brand image and can easily woo consumers. <br /><br />Deep Bajaj, CEO &amp; Co-Founder, Sirona Hygiene said, “Companies are realizing that being conscious of their environmental impact can benefit them in every manner possible. Consumers desire sustainability owing to the ailing earth. Companies that work to become more environmentally responsible, not only contribute to a better future, but also establish a progressive brand image, happier employees, and a loyal client base. Consumers are real people who are affected by real environmental issues on a daily basis. They are aware that it is no longer limited to textbooks and that industrial activities have a direct impact on their daily lives. As a result, what goes into the making of a product and what goes inside it is extremely important to them. Other than environmental consciousness, they expect transparency from brands.”<br /><br />While brands in India have already started taking baby steps towards converting their business into a sustainable choice for consumers, we will get to witness more demonstrable actions in 2022. And those who fail to prioritise mother earth, will have to face consumers’ wrath. <br /><br />Deshpande said, “The emerging consumer base of millennials &amp; Gen Z is not a forgiving lot when it comes to ethics or ecology being compromised by a brand. But others are not quite as aware and may base their decision only on factors like price or convenience above sustainability. <br /><br />There is no choice. It is a survival mandate for a brand to become sustainable. Otherwise, we will see every resource being depleted in the next few decades.” <br /><br />Kantar BrandZ data shows that brands with weak purpose grow 70% but brands with strong purpose grow 175%. At the same time, India is still a price-sensitive country and consumers stick to the convenience of buying what you are used to. <br /><br />So, on how brands can move beyond mere lip-service and greenwashing this year, Raghvan suggested, “Use innovation to develop products developed against that purpose. Embrace design thinking across the board. Embed a new mindset deeply in the culture and transform from within. Communicate and evangelise with consumers."<br /><br />In 2022, experts are confident that brands will embrace sustainability that will benefit people, planet and profit.<br />

You Searched For "sustainability aspects" and got 6 results

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How to design sustainability targets the right way, according to a nonprofit working with Sony and Procter & Gamble

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Is 2022 the year when Indian brands will get more serious about sustainability?

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