Supply chain News and trends

The Impact of Deforestation on Carbon Storage
A one degree change in temperature could have catastrophic consequences.

One of the most notable influences on rising global average temperatures comes from deforestation. In fact, combined emissions from deforestation are higher than the annual emissions of any other country (apart from the U.S. and China) and contribute to roughly 12% of total annual greenhouse gas emissions.

This graphic from The LEAF Coalition takes a closer look at the impact deforestation has on global greenhouse gas emissions through carbon storage.

Via EcoVadis

Amid “the Great Resignation” and a volatile economic period, companies can’t afford to lose talent or customers. They must reinvent their business models to be both profitable and sustainable.

Establish a Sustainable Business Strategy Embed Sustainable Data into Business Processes and Networks Manage Carbon and Climate Exposure Throughout the Business Embrace Circularity and Become Regenerative Prioritize People Across the Supply Chain
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As the ever-expanding existential threat of global emissions reaches unprecedented levels, some companies are acting boldly and quickly to reverse runaway climate change.
Sustainability has been deemed by many international business leaders as a moral imperative, and the pace at which companies across the globe are committing to comprehensive ESG strategies is accelerating at a remarkable rate.
Large multinationals are tripping over each other in an effort to become sustainability leaders in their sectors, making intrepid commitments to become carbon neutral, or even carbon positive, by the end of the decade (my favorite example is Microsoft, which has not only committed to becoming carbon negative by 2030, it has also pledged to offset all of the carbon the company has emitted since its inception.)

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Earth day consistently serves as a reminder to reflect on the most impactful approaches to sustainability. This year is no exception given society’s recovery from a pandemic that has made us focus on building a better future, and an acceleration towards net-zero carbon commitments from businesses and communities worldwide. New strides are being made in the circular economy and how it applies to different sectors, including capital equipment – high-value products designed, built, and acquired to last. Ranging from MRI machines to wind turbines to data servers, the range of industries and products represented in the sector are as diverse as the sustainability opportunities surrounding it.

Circularity in capital equipment or heavy industry plays a crucial role in decarbonization efforts or the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to sustainable levels. While 6.5% of global emissions and over half the world’s ore production can be attributed directly to capital equipment itself, economically it contributes 13% of value added to the global economy, demonstrating a key circular economy principle of producing more value with less resources. Capital equipment manufacturers and users are building on this to realize the tremendous decarbonization and resource conservation opportunity for manufacturers and users of capital equipment.

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With consumers prioritizing environmental sustainability, Amazon and Target unveiled stores that aim to use less energy than they produce, the retailers announced last week. Target's first net-zero energy store is located in Vista, California, and the new Amazon Fresh store, which is pursuing net-zero carbon certification, is located in Seattle.

 

The new Amazon Fresh Seattle location features a CO2-based refrigeration system, has steel byproducts to reduce embodied carbon and fully sources its electricity from the company's renewable energy projects. Target's store has solar carports, CO2 refrigeration and LED lighting.  Drawing from its experience, Target said it plans to add CO2 refrigeration to all of its stores by 2040. Amazon said that some of the upgrades will be used at all of its Amazon Fresh grocery stores going forward, such as the lower-carbon concrete flooring. 
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Echo Environmental’s technology breaks wires down into raw materials that can be reused and resold, reducing landfill waste.

Comcast has committed to be carbon neutral by 2035 in Scope 1 and 2 emissions across the company’s entire global operations. Recycling the coax cable is a major step step towards addressing scope 3 emissions and Comcast’s broader environment goals. Coaxial cables include multi-layered cords with a steel inner conductor, insulating layer, and conductive shielding, as well as 27 different polymers requiring separation for use in new products.

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An in-depth look into the sustainability measures employed by industry players in the dairy, ingredients and flavor sectors, to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reveal that pooled efforts are being undertaken to source raw materials with a reduced carbon footprint and production of plant-based products has been prioritized.

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Memphis-based global freight transportation and logistics services provider FedEx announced this week it is making a $2 billion investment in order to have carbon-neutral operations by 2040, which it said will be focused on by initial investments in vehicle electrification, sustainable energy, and carbon sequestration.

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