At Sustainable Business Consulting, we want to share good news around sustainability and the environment. 2020 is already full of positive news to celebrate. Here are some good environmental news stories to get you through the week.
Microsoft made a historic announcement to go carbon negative by 2030, remove historical carbon emissions by 2050, and invest $1 billion in a climate innovation fund. They plan to achieve this by shifting to 100% renewable energy, electrifying global campus operations vehicles, attaining LEED Platinum Certification, and more.
Not to be outdone, Starbucks announced a new sustainability commitment to become “resource positive” by giving more than they take: by storing more carbon than they emit, eliminating waste, and providing more clean freshwater than they use. To achieve this, they plan to expand their plant-based options, shift to reusable packaging from single-use, invest in regenerative agriculture practices, invest in waste management, and innovate to create eco-friendly stores.
Davos Founder and Executive Chairman, Klaus Schwab, and the heads of Bank of America and Royal DSM invited all attending companies to commit to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 or earlier. Climate will be a central topic of the forum.
Mastercard, CitiBank, and partners including Saks Fifth Avenue, American Airlines, L.L. Bean, and more, announced the Priceless Planet Coalition, a platform to unite corporate sustainability efforts, and pledging to join to plan 100 million trees in 5 years.
The Chinese government has announced a plan to crack down on plastic pollution by 2025. The commitment includes phasing out single-use plastics items, plastic bags and straws, and even single-use hotel items and eliminating plastic packaging in the postal service. China is one of the largest manufacturers of plastic in the world, accounting for more than 29% of the world’s plastic products.
British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca committed to investing $1 billion to reach zero carbon emissions across its global operations by 2025, putting its decarbonization plan ahead of schedule by over 10 years. It plans to move to 100% renewable energy, reduce total energy consumption by 10%, and switch to an electric fleet.
SDG 500, a new investment platform, launched in Davos and is set to invest $500 million in businesses working to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This is a private, public coalition to address the missing middle financing.
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