Happy Tuesday, and happy climate week – it’s only Tuesday and we’ve already seen a boatload of commitments, pledges and funding. Get the lowdown below.
In today’s edition:
💰 How Gates is scaling clean tech
🐄 Potty trained cows
🔄 The circular economy for packaging
Big Business (2-minute read)
Mercedez join the fossil-free steel party
We’ve spoken previously about how Swedish company SSAB had produced steel without relying on fossil fuels for the first time. Mercedes-Benz has announced a partnership with SSAB to source low-carbon steel for its vehicles. The carmaker believes steel produced using green hydrogen will be an important part of its aim to ensure all its new passenger cars are carbon-neutral by 2039.
The competition edge: Another motivation behind the move is that Volvo Cars have already started producing cars using SSAB’s steel. The adoption of innovative tech is helping manufacturers remain relevant (and competitive) with eco-conscious motorists.
Gates Raises $1 Billion as Corporate CEOs Join Race to Scale Clean Tech
Problem: Many solutions to tackling the climate crisis face a chicken and egg issue: they aren’t cheap enough to spur widespread adoption, but they won’t become cost-competitive without capital being raised from adoption at scale. For example, jet fuel derived from sustainable sources is 5x as expensive as kerosene.
Can I pay your Bills? Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Catalyst aims to accelerate the commercial viability of four climate tech solutions (green hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuel, battery storage and carbon capture). The catalyst will supply the cash needed to get capital-intensive projects off the ground. Gates has just announced $1 billion in corporate funding from the likes of BlackRock and Microsoft.
England will be first country to require new homes to include EV chargers
The British government will introduce legislation that will require all newly built homes and offices to feature electric vehicle chargers in England, expected to come into force by 2022. The proposal is part of the movement to rapidly boost the number of chargers across England ahead of the UK’s 2030 ban of new fossil-fuel vehicles. It will also boost confidence in helping those who transition to electric cars to overcome ‘range anxiety’.
🤖 Future of Tech (1-minute read)
The recyclable wind turbine
Landfill, where wind turbine blades go to die… In the U.S. alone, 8,000 aging blades (and growing) will be decomissioned each year. The fibreglass resin used to make blades lightweight and efficient has also made them difficult to dispose of.
RecycleBlades: Siemens Gamesa have manufactured the first recyclable blades of their kind, confirmed for installation at the Kaskasi wind farm off the coast of Germany in early 2022. The blades are designed to be more easily taken apart at the end-of-life phase when resin will be removed and repurposed with potential applications including boats, car manufacturing or even… children’s playgrounds.
Potty trained cows = lower farming GHG emissions
Livestock farmers who let their cows roam the fields (meaning they are reared in a more humane way) face a trade-off known as the “climate killer conundrum”. More space to roam = more space for cattle to urinate. When cow pee mixes with the soil, nitrous oxide is released into the atmosphere – a greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. Scientists have successfully trained cows to use toilets, meaning it’s easier for farmers to collect and treat waste so it’s safe for the environment. This could be a significant breakthrough, as agriculture is the world’s biggest source of ammonia, and capturing 80% of cow urine could lead to a 56% reduction in ammonia emissions.
💡Deep Dive (1-minute read)
The problem: An estimated 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced since the 1950s, 60% of that ended up in landfills or in nature. We need dedicated funding for the collection, sorting, and recycling of packaging. Otherwise, the economics simply do not stack up – it costs more than the money it makes selling the recycled material.
Enter EPR … a policy approach that shifts the cost and responsibility of managing post-use products from local governments to the industry that produced them:
- A producer creates a product and packaging which is purchased by a consumer
- A non-profit third-party ‘Producer responsibility organisation’ (PRO) collects fees from the producer for collecting, sorting and recycling.
- The PRO cooperates with all stakeholders to invest in systems that ensure recycling in the most cost-efficient and environmentally friendly manner
Benefits:
- Design: Encourages the industry to design products in ways that enhance their reusability, boost their recyclability and minimise the impact of products
- Developing nations: EPR encourages collaboration between competitors, critical where local governments have less funding for waste collection schemes.
- Funding: EPR ensures ring-fenced funding for developing recycling systems vs a tax which can see money raised funnelled to other public initiatives.
💭 Little Bytes
Quote: “All of us—whoever and wherever we are—can play a part in changing our collective response to the unprecedented threat of climate change and environmental degradation…. Our children’s future and the future of our common home depend on it.” A joint statement by the heads of the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, and Eastern Orthodox Church.
Stat: Two thirds (fewer than 1 in 12) of UK businesses have no plan for sustainability – Survey by recycling group Suez
Watch: Manchester City FC trial edible coffee cups in the stadium
🗞 In other news…
- The World’s First Battery-Electric Freight Train Has the Power of 100 Tesla Cars
- Purdue record for the whitest paint appears – a potential alternative to air conditioning emissions
- PepsiCo launches a new sustainability framework and expands its ESG goals
- Rolls Royce all-electric aeroplane completes maiden flight
86 new businesses sign up to Amazon’s climate pledge
