March 31, 2020
IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) is an acronym that has been thrown around our industry for around 20 years. Ever since the first internet-connected device (a modified Coke vending machine at Carnegie Mellon University in 1982) was explored, inventory management optimisation was one clear benefit of these interconnected devices. Many plant managers are intrigued by the IIoT concept but are either
...March 31, 2020
If we have the chance to start anew, why would we want to rescue and lock in unsustainable systems and industries for another generation or more?
March 31, 2020
Sharing probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind during a pandemic. But countless thousands are rising to the occasion.
March 31, 2020
The business leaders and companies who use this moment to be creative are the ones who will not only weather this storm; they’ll be the preferred brands of the future.
March 31, 2020
Toyota has been a long-standing advocate of fuel cell vehicles. Now it's partnering with its truck and bus focused subsidiary Hino Motors Ltd. to develop and test the new model.
March 30, 2020
University of Tokyo researchers have found a way to improve the performance and safety of lithium-ion batteries. The research findings — published in Nature Energy — could lead to longer journeys in electric vehicles and to the creation of a new generation of home energy storage, both with improved fire safety. “A battery’s voltage is limited by its electrolyte material,”
...March 30, 2020
How, and how much, is the coronavirus pandemic impacting the clean economy? Our analysts share what they're seeing.
March 27, 2020
Will this upheaval slow clean energy goals? There's strong reason for optimism.
March 26, 2020
Australia is a unique space for a vast array of energy sources; coal, uranium, oil and gas have powered us for years, but as the demand for sustainable options increases, we must adapt and support industry innovation to fulfil these needs. Part of this is smart energy, which, among other improvements, will help in supporting our local electricity networks to integrate and maximise the use of solar and energy
...March 26, 2020
The construction of a 1026 MW wind farm complex in Queensland has been announced by Acciona following an agreement with CleanCo Queensland, the Queensland Government’s renewable energy generator. Reported to be the largest ever wind farm in Australia, the MacIntyre complex will boost the Queensland Government’s decarbonisation strategy, mobilising total investments of $1.96
...March 25, 2020
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that is currently gripping the world has already resulted in a vast number of changes to our way of life. International and domestic movements have been curtailed by travel bans and the grounding of entire airline fleets, social distancing regulations are in full swing and many workplaces are moving to online and virtual spaces in the interests of preventing
...March 24, 2020
When it comes to managing the challenges of water scarcity, Australia has it tougher than most. Of the 2,789,400 GL of rain estimated to fall on Australia per year, just 292,000 GL finds its way into surface water or groundwater supplies,1 with the rest either being lost through evaporation or absorbed by plants. As the world’s driest inhabited continent, Australia has learned to make the most of its
...March 23, 2020
Heavy metals in drinking water represent a serious threat to human health in many parts of the world — particularly developing countries — with the possibility of some heavy metals accumulating in the body over time and leading to cancers and organ damage. In addition to the health threats of contaminated water linked to poor sanitation, metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic can be present
...March 22, 2020
Water use has increased sixfold over the past century and is rising by about 1% a year. However, it is estimated that climate change, along with the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme events — storms, floods and droughts — will aggravate the situation in countries already currently experiencing ‘water stress’ and generate similar problems in areas that have not been
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March 21, 2020
Logan specializes in commercial real estate sales. He has worked in a variety of roles in Regina that have focused on commercial, residential and new home build sales.
March 19, 2020
Yume — a social enterprise with a mission to prevent edible food from going to waste — wants to tell the Australian food industry that it’s here to help. Connecting food suppliers with surplus stock in real time, Yume’s platform is host to 2500+ registered business buyers who are looking to purchase food products. “COVID-19 is having a severe impact on the Australian food
...March 19, 2020
Predictions about the economic fallout of the current Covid-19 crisis are just that – predictions. Yet, as stock markets plummet, government debt spikes and global events such as COP26 face cancellation or postponement, business leaders still need to strategise for the future as best they can.Image: Channels: Business StrategyTags: CoronavirusMcKinseyaviation
...March 18, 2020
We recently conducted a study reviewing carbon emissions disclosure in FTSE 350 year-end reports for 2017 and 2018. What became glaringly obvious is that companies need to raise the bar when it comes to disclosures around carbon emissions.Image: Channels: Communications & ReportingTags: TCFDcarbon efficiencyESG disclosuresethical investing
...March 18, 2020
More than half of Australian households own two or more motor vehicles, with only 7% of the population reported to own none. Despite cars being marketed as providers of freedom and idyllic lifestyles, Gilbert argues that there are growing reasons to question the cost of that freedom, and even challenge whether it is freedom at all. “There’s obviously the environmental impacts, and the
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March 18, 2020
Managing our Greenhouse Gas contributions is completely in our control. Carbon markets offer one solution to aid in helping us work together to solve an issue that took humankind more than 100 years to produce.
March 17, 2020
The outbreak of the coronavirus disease Covid-19 continues to cause severe disruption and uncertainty to global trade. Now categorised as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, businesses must consider whether the impact of the coronavirus could cause them to default on their contractual obligations, whether this may be an inability to supply goods due to the effect on the supply chain, an
...March 17, 2020
A three-year Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage project will look to conserve the delicate balance of water flow through the Doongmabulla Springs Complex (DSC) in the Carmichael Basin in Queensland. Led by Professor Adrian Werner — hydrogeologist and founding member of the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training at Flinders University — experts in aquifer and
...March 15, 2020
In a bid to support energy affordability and innovation, NSW Energy Minister Matt Kean has announced more than $15 million in funding from the government’s Regional Community Energy Fund, including a $3.5 million grant to the Manilla Solar Project. The project — a partnership between Manilla Community Renewable Energy Inc and Providence Asset Group — will use an advanced hybrid battery
...March 12, 2020
CSIRO research indicates that — despite a rainfall decrease in Western Australia’s wheatbelt between 1900 and 2016 which has shifted wheat yield potential south-west by an average of 70 km — wheat yields have remained unchanged. CSIRO Farming Systems Scientist Dr Andrew Fletcher said the research highlighted the importance of research and development and the continued ability of farmers to innovate
...March 11, 2020
Given the rapidly evolving situation in New York, this morning we took the difficult decision to postpone The Responsible Business Summit until September 21-22, 2020. September’s event will take place in the same venue, The Marriott Brooklyn Bridge, and will benefit from co-location with the Reuters Events ESG Investment Summit.Image: Channels: Communications &
...March 11, 2020
A new method that involves converting durian and jackfruit waste into super-capacitors that can charge mobile phones has been developed at the University of Sydney. This system could substantially reduce the cost of energy storage and charge devices such as mobile phones, tablet, laptops and electric cars very quickly. “Using durian and jackfruit purchased from a market, we converted the
...March 11, 2020
Australians use approximately 17 billion bottles and cans each year. But only 57% of glass we put into our recycling bins is actually recycled, with the remaining 43% destined for landfill, where it takes around one million years to decompose. So why isn’t it enough to simply put glass bottles in the correct recycling bin? One reason is that due to the presence of unrecyclable waste materials or broken
...March 11, 2020
Electric vehicles are crucial in addressing the global climate crisis. Transportation emissions represent 29% of all US global warming emissions, the largest source of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. As we begin the critical decade for climate action, where global emissions must be cut in half by 2030 to limit the worst impacts of a warming planet, transitioning away from polluting vehicles to
...March 9, 2020
From the rise of green bonds and sustainable finance, to consumer pressure forcing companies to look at compliance along their entire supply chain, in theory at least, it’s never been easier to invest in a company, confident that it is deforestation-free. The reality, however, is somewhat different, with hundreds of the world’s largest companies – and the institutions that finance
...March 8, 2020
AkzoNobel has introduced the Polibrid 705E elastomeric polyurethane and Polibrid 670S concrete primer as part of its coatings and linings portfolio. Suitable for water and wastewater applications, the flexible system has crack and bridging properties and the ability to withstand concrete movements. Key features include: solvent free and zero VOC; high film thickness in a single coat (5 mm+ if
...March 8, 2020
An Australian producer of modular and custom-designed greenwalls — The Greenwall Company — is putting ground coffee waste to good use in its soil-less medium for greenwalls and greenroofs. An estimated 75,000 tonnes of ground coffee waste is produced by Australians each year, most of which ends up in landfill — contributing to climate change via the production of the greenhouse
...March 7, 2020
In Brazil, the sixth most populous country in the world, there are more cattle than people. Beef production remains one of the country’s most important industries, and in 2019 exports reached nearly $7.5bn. But beef is also the commodity that is most likely to be the cause of deforestation, with Yale’s Global Forest Atlas laying 80% of all Amazonian deforestation at the feet of the
...March 5, 2020
When the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were launched nearly five years ago, the United Nations Secretary-General declared: “Now is the time to mobilise the global business community as never before.” Unlike their predecessors, the Millennium Development Goals, the SDGs were designed not just for governments; companies are vital to their
...March 4, 2020
‘In traditional times there were no borders like now — no states and territories, no native title borders and different groups drawing lines. This project removes those borders so that we can work together to keep country and people healthy.”Image: Channels: EnvironmentTags: indigenous-led conservation10 Deserts ProjectSDGsbiodiversityTNCFirst
...March 4, 2020
Using photovoltaic elements on facades could be a useful way to supplement solar energy supply, new research suggests. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP have discovered that if they are appropriately designed, these elements can be attractively integrated and deliver 50% more energy than existing types of wall-mounted PV elements. Even concrete walls are
...March 3, 2020
This decade has been billed as the decade of climate action – but it’s not enough to cut carbon emissions, we also have to reverse the precipitous loss of our planet’s biodiversity.Image: Channels: EnvironmentTags: WBCSDbiodiversitysixth great extinctionParis AgreementUnileverDanoneUNWCMCGlobal Diversity ScoreOP2Bsustainable soy
...March 2, 2020
Nestlé and Australian recycler iQ Renew have announced a trial to find a way to collect, sort and process soft plastics. The trial will see soft plastics collected from over 100,000 homes through kerbside recycling and diverted from landfill. The announcement comes alongside the federal government’s National Plastics Summit, which aims to identify new solutions to the plastic waste
...March 1, 2020
Today’s National Plastics Summit in Canberra will gather a cross-section of 200 delegates from government, industry and community sectors to address the problem of plastic waste. In addition to examining solutions to the plastic waste challenge and mobilising action from governments, industry and non-government organisations, the summit will identify new opportunities to directly address
...March 1, 2020
April’s WIOA Water Industry Operations Conference and Exhibition will provide visitors with a chance to discover and research new technologies, equipment, services and ideas related to the water industry. With an increasing population, expanding manufacturing and growing regulatory requirements, demand for industrial wastewater treatment services is projected to grow by approximately 5.3%
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