January 2023 - Page 2 of 2 - Zureli

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Waitrose replaces small glass wine bottles with cans in bid to cut carbon

Posted on January 16, 2023 by dishanth

The supermarket chain, owned by the John Lewis Partnership, announced the change this week. Customers will begin seeing the wine lines in the new packaging from Sunday (15 January).

A total of 19 small wine lines are set to be housed in aluminium cans rather than glass bottles. Waitrose claims that the move will reduce the weight of its wine packaging used annually by 320 tonnes, while also reducing carbon emissions across the value chain.

As the cans are lighter than the bottles, transport emissions are set to be reduced. Emissions reductions are also expected in the upstream value chain. Waitrose’s own life cycle analyses have concluded that an aluminium can will create less than half the amount of CO2e across its lifecycle than equivalent glass bottles.

The new cans can be recycled in with household mixed recycling collections. Aluminium is regarded as an infinitely recyclable material; unlike plastics, the quality of the material does not decrease when it is mechanically recycled.

For these environmental reasons, and for reasons relating to cost and convenience, Waitrose has already moved to canned formats for products including craft beers and cocktails.

Waitrose’s beer, wine and spirit bulk sourcing manager Barry Dick said he hopes the move in the wine aisle will “encourage suppliers to continue to develop a diverse and exciting range of wines in cans”.

Waitrose is notably working towards a 2035 net-zero target for its entire value chain. The John Lewis Partnership moved its 2050 target forward by 15 years back in October 2020. It subsequently joined the UN-backed Race to Zero campaign. John Lewis Partnership is planning to set verified science-based climate targets covering emissions from all scopes, including Scope 3 (indirect) emissions in the supply chain, in the coming months.

Tackling vape waste

The news on the wine packaging comes shortly after Waitrose announced a decision to end sales of single-use vaping products. The retailer had already implemented a ban on sales of single-use vape pens but built upon this by delisting imitation cigarettes.

Waitrose said in a statement that it was concerned about the appeal of single-use vapes to young consumers and about the environmental impact of the products, which contain plastic and lithium and are often littered. Previous research from Material Focus revealed that at least 1.3 million disposable vapes are thrown away in the UK every week – equivalent to two every second. Recycling systems do not yet exist for these products.

Source edie

Delta to open innovation lab for low-carbon aviation tech

Posted on January 16, 2023January 16, 2023 by dishanth

Hosted at the company’s international headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, Delta Air Lines has stated that the ‘sustainable skies lab’ will host teams working to both scale and improve existing technologies and those working on “revolutionary” technologies which do not yet exist commercially. Research, design and testing will all be possible at the lab.

On existing technologies, the aim of the lab is to “connect, align, showcase” and accelerate work already underway at Delta by enabling co-working between teams on issues such as electrifying ground equipment and improving operational efficiencies.

Like many other airlines, Delta is using a mix of changes to operational procedures and aircraft upgrades to drive fuel efficiency, with 10 million fewer gallons of fuel used in 2022 than in 2021 by the firm. Older planes including its Boeing 777s have been retired to make way for next-gen aircraft including the A350 and the A300-900neo. Delta claims that these aircraft are 20% more fuel-efficient in terms of fuel used per passenger, per mile travelled.

For technologies that do not yet exist commercially, such as large electric passenger planes and hydrogen passenger planes, the lab will facilitate partnerships aimed at accelerating development. Delta is already partnering with some large aircraft manufacturers, such as Airbus, as well as emerging aircraft innovators like electric plane firm Joby. There will also be partnerships between the private sector and academia.

The strategy for the lab is being spearheaded by Delta’s chief sustainability officer Pam Fletcher. She is being supported by a new council including specialists from across the business, including those working in technical operations, flight operations, fuel, fleet management and customer service.

On collaborating for technology breakthroughs, Fletcher said: “With aviation being a hard-to-decarbonise industry, none of us can do this alone.

“We’re rolling out the welcome mat for disruptors of choice to take advantage of Delta’s global resources to accelerate our path to decarbonization and a fully sustainable travel experience.”

Target evolution

Delta committed to becoming a net-zero business by 2050 in 2021, through the UN-backed Race to Zero initiative. It subsequently had emissions targets for 2035 approved by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) as aligned with ‘well below 2C’. These targets entail cutting direct emissions (Scope 1) plus indirect emissions from jet fuel by 45%, on an intensity basis, against a 2019 baseline.

Delta is hoping to achieve verification under the SBTi’s net-zero standard, which will require it to strengthen its targets with a commitment for a 90% reduction across all scopes by 2050. The SBTi is notably in the process of phasing out ‘well below 2C’ targets through to 2025, with 1.5C targets needed for net-zero standard verification.

Fletcher has stated that, to meet its climate targets, Delta will need to consider different low-carbon solutions across different timelines. A blog post published in September 2022 by Fletcher states that the company is improving fuel efficiency and electrifying ground operations now, while also cutting single-use plastics. In the medium term, its approach is to scale sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production in partnerships across the industry and with governments, to bring down costs. The, in the long-term, hydrogen and electric aircraft could be commercialised.

“We’re optimistic about early-stage companies pushing the boundaries with futurist thinking on aircraft, propulsion and more, and look forward to fostering collaboration with the industry, academia, and start-ups to accelerate the sustainable future of flight,” Fletcher’s blog states.

Airlines in the UK are, by and large, following the Government’s strategy on decarbonisation – the Jet Zero Strategy. The Strategy bets heavily on efficiencies and SAF. Last month, the UK Government provided its latest tranche of funding for SAF developers, focusing on energy-from-waste and fuels created from carbon captured at industrial plants.

Source edie

German train operator to swap plastic cups and plates for porcelain in carbon-neutral drive

Posted on January 11, 2023 by dishanth

German train operator Deutsche Bahn will offer onboard food and drink in porcelain or glass to cut waste onboard its intercity and high-speed train services from 1 January 2023.

The reusable cups, plates and bowls will be free for customers to eat or drink from when ordering to-go products at the train’s bistro area, though passengers can still request plastic and cardboard packaging if they prefer it.

Rail customers will be able to choose between “high-quality” glass or porcelain for hot and cold drinks or food without needing to pay a deposit.

Deutsche Bahn’s passenger services chief Michael Peterson has said the “company is ‘driving forward its green transformation in onboard catering’”,The Guardian reported.

The move also lines up with a new supply chain law taking effect from January in Germany, which considers the environmental impact of medium and large companies.

The Supply Chain Act was passed in June 2021 by German parliament, and incorporates social responsibility as well as specific environmental risks.

Within this, all restaurants and cafes will be required to provide takeaway products in reusable packaging. There won’t be a single-use packaging ban, but a free alternative must be presented to consumers.

Sustainability is at the forefront of Deutsche Bahn’s core brand messaging, with the rail operator’s ‘This is green’ tagline signposting travellers to specified climate protection goals the company has outlined.

For example, according to the rail operator’s website, by 2030 Deutsche Bahn will have halved the amount of CO2 emissions produced. it’s also stated online that Deutsche Bahn already recycle more than 95 percent of the raw materials used.

Deutsche Bahn has set itself the goal of being climate neutral by 2040.

“To achieve this, we are utilizing an approach with three critical instruments: the shift to 100 per cent renewable power, the end of diesel and the start of the heat transition,” the German rail operator’s website says.

In August, rail analysts reported that short-distance train travel in Germany had increased by almost half after the new ticket was introduced.

Source INDEPENDENT

Lab-grown meat takes off, with the beef-loving US leading

Posted on January 11, 2023 by dishanth

The arms race of investment for lab-grown has commenced. Money is being poured in as many see the lucrative and environmentally-sound possibilities in weaning a sceptical world away from its love of pork, beef, lamb, chicken, and the such.

According to a report by GovGrant, in terms of numbers, the US is far ahead of the game, being the only market to have broken the £1bn mark for investment (£1.36bn). A strong second belongs to the nation of Israel (£474.5m) – with its mature venture capital sector – followed by the Netherlands (£123.m), and Singapore (£100.6m).

Bringing up the remainder of the top ten are, in order, the UK, China, South Korea, Japan, France and Spain.

Much hope has been staked in the UK as it seeks to diversify its economy in the wake of Brexit. With the exception of the Netherlands, it is the leader for lab-grown meat in the region.

According to Adam Simmonds, a researcher at GovGrant: “Although it’s some way behind the US, the UK is still a leading innovator in this area. Plus, because there’s such huge potential demand among consumers here, that’ll only spur companies on to innovate further and perfect their products.”

FDA approval opens the doors

This emerging food technology recently received approval from the US’ Food and Drug Administration, thereby opening the doors to a massive scaling up in the coming years. To believe one estimate, lab-grown meat will make up a quarter of meat consumption by the year 2035.

These developments are not coming a moment too soon: according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the livestock sector makes up 18% of all greenhouse gases. A robust lab-grown meat industry is sure to alleviate this pressure on the environment.

Alec Griffiths, IP Manager at GovGrant, commented on the technology’s extraordinary opportunities: “With the FDA rubber-stamping lab-grown meat as safe, the market should really take off now. That makes it more important than ever for companies to protect their assets, so we can expect to see an acceleration in the number of patents filed in the coming months and years – and plenty of new faces in the sector.”

Source Sustainability

Tevva gets go-ahead for electric truck manufacturing in UK and mainland Europe

Posted on January 11, 2023 by dishanth

The company is today (11 January) celebrating the achievement of European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) for its 7.5-tonne battery-electric truck. In doing so, regulators have deemed the model as compliant with relevant safety and environmental standards. This is a prerequisite to selling any new vehicle models within the European Union (EU).

Tevva states that this model has a range of up to 180 kilometres (110 miles) per charge and that it can charge to 90% of this maximum range within five hours using existing charging technologies. It is marketed as a solution for urban routes and last-mile deliveries for international routes. The model is manufactured at Tevva’s factory in Tilbury, Essex, with the brand eyeing new manufacturing locations elsewhere in Europe for the future.

The first Tevva 7.5T Electric Trucks were delivered to commercial customers in the second half of 2022. The first one off the assembly line was purchased by Kinaxia Logistics in September 2022, for use on a trial basis in the first instance.

With the confirmation of the ECWVTA, Tevva is anticipating sales of up to 1,000 electric trucks this year, predominantly to the UK market. Customers on the brand’s books include Travis Perkins, Expect Distribution and Royal Mail. Royal Mail is notably working towards a net-zero value chain by 2040, with plans to operate more than 5,500 electric vehicles (EVs) and increase charging infrastructure investment by spring this year.

Tevva’s founder and chief executive Asher Bennett has called the ECWVTA “the most important landmark [the company] has reached to date”. No other pure electric truck of this size has received the Approval yet.

The news will be welcome amid the ongoing uncertainty around EV battery manufacturing in the UK. Britishvolt this week wrote to existing investors confirming that it is in talks to sell a majority stake, in order to safeguard a sustainable financial future for the development of its Gigafactory in Blyth.

In the coming months, Tevva is set to deliver its first 7.5T hydrogen-electric trucks to customers, following the first public launch of the model at the Road Transport Expo in Warwickshire last summer. Combining a hydrogen fuel cell system with a battery-electric design extends the vehicle range; this model touts a range of up to 435km (270 miles). Tevva is then exploring heavier hydrogen trucks of 12 tonnes and 19 tonnes in the longer term.

Bennett said: “We are on a mission to make sustainable trucks accessible at scale and believe our technology will empower the transport sector and the governments of Europe to meet their net-zero goals. By embracing both hydrogen and electric fuel sources, we can rethink the energy mix in transport, reduce strain on our electricity grid and accelerate electric truck adoption.”

Trucks in the clean transition

The UK is set to end the sale of new diesel and petrol heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) weighing 3.5 tonnes to 26 tonnes from 2034. A later deadline of 2040 has been set for heavier models. These targets, set under the 2021 Transport Decarbonisation Plan, are in support of the UK’s legally binding 2050 net-zero climate goal.

EU lawmakers are currently being pushed by large fleet operators to set similar targets. More than 40 corporate members of the Climate Group’s EV100 coalition signed an open letter to EU lawmakers last month, asking for emissions targets for HGVs and a deadline on ending the sale of all new trucks which are not zero-emissions. Supporters of the letter included PepsiCo, Unilever and Henkel.

Source edie

Hydrogen-powered high-speed urban train unveiled in China

Posted on January 6, 2023 by dishanth

Hydrogen power continues to make waves into the new year, after the world’s first hydrogen-powered urban train was manufactured in China, coming off the assembly line last week in Xinjin, Chengdu.

The new train will incorporate technologies from China’s trademark Fuxing high-speed train, one of the pillars of a network that crisscrosses the country and which, over the last decade and a half has become one of the most sophisticated high-speed rail networks in the world.

The train is composed of four cars and reaches a maximum speed of 160 km/h. It has built in it a hydrogen power system which allows the train to travel up to 600 kilometres on a single charge.

By using a combination of hydrogen fuel cells and super capacitors, the new-style train is able to replace the catenary power supply source which typically marks train power. Catenary power supply refers to overhead wires powering the train. An electrochemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen in the fuel cell produces the energy. As a result of this power source, only water is produced as a byproduct, and there is none of the sulphur and nitrogen that comes from traditional train power.

The train was developed through a joint effort by CRRC Changchun and Chengdu Railway Group.

An integrated experience

Among the other features of the train are a passenger capacity of 1,502. The new design has also integrated intelligent driving features, such as automatic wake-up, start and stop, return to depot abilities, a complex system of sensors and monitors, the ability for big data analysis which evaluates train status and helps improve safety, and a 5G large-capacity train-to-ground communication system that allows for multi-network integration.

It comes as no surprise that this forward-thinking technology has come out of China. Over the past few years, the Middle Kingdom has become a global avatar in the development and deployment of train travel and technology.

Source Sustainability

UK Government confirms £32.9m boost for walking and cycling schemes

Posted on January 5, 2023 by dishanth

The Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed the £32.9m scheme on Monday (2 January), timing the announcement with the New Year in recognition of the fact that many Brits will be making resolutions to walk or cycle more.

Councils will need to apply for a share of the funding and will need to clarify their plans for ‘capability’ improvements and improving infrastructure. The former refers to training and retaining local members of staff – including engineers, planners and facilitators – to develop and deliver schemes. Staff will be supported to plan, consult, deliver and communicate schemes.

“Developing teams that lead active travel programmes will create more cost-effective and well-targeted projects,” the DfT said in a statement.

The DFT has stated that infrastructure options that could be eligible for funding include walking and cycling infrastructure on high streets, safety zones around schools and roads suitable for pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users.

Safety will be the main focus of all new designs and routes, given that DfT research has concluded that safety concerns are the top deterrent to cycling. These concerns impact women in particular, with eight in ten women polled by the DfT in support of more protected cycle lanes.

Aside from infrastructure, the funding will support cycle training schemes, school walking groups and subsidized bike rental schemes.

“If we want to enable hundreds of thousands more people to walk, wheel and cycle for everyday trips then we need to deliver high-quality schemes that make it feel easy, fun and safe,” said the Government’s National Active Travel Commissioner Chris Boardman.

“Of course, ensuring the right technical skills are in place at a local level is vital but so is engagement. Survey after survey has shown strong community support for making space for active travel but it’s vital that people get strong input into helping to decide what is the right solution for their area.”

Policy: Shifting gear?

The UK Government pledged £2bn to walking and cycling as part of its Covid-19 recovery plans – specifically the Ten-Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution. The Plan also earmarked £3bn for decarbonising and expanding public transport networks.

It has since trialled ‘cycling on prescription’.

Nonetheless, the Government has repeatedly been warned that its plans for decarbonising transport do not place enough of a focus on modal shift – the need to ensure that more journeys are taken using active transport and other zero or low-carbon options. The Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) most recent annual progress report to Parliament confirmed that the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, if enacted in full, will likely only bring about half of the emissions reductions needed through to the mid-2030s.

The current cost-of-living crisis may be a reason for the Government to rethink its approach. It is capping bus fares on thousands of routes across England at £2 until the end of March, recognising that costs and Covid-19 concerns have deterred members of the public from bus use in recent years. In launching the new walking and cycling funding, the DfT emphasised Cycling UK research concluding that motorists could save £126 per year by replacing short car journeys with bike rides.

Source edie

Sustainable smart cities for the future

Posted on January 3, 2023 by dishanth

Ian Todd, EVP of Automated Parking at Westfalia Technologies explains the importance of automated parking tech in developing smart cities of the future
There are currently roughly 150 smart cities under way around the globe with highly ambitious environmental and livability goals. From full fibre connectivity to prioritising minimising carbon footprints, (more than 75% of global carbon emissions and energy consumptions are from cities) key decision makers must address smart city infrastructure with a realistic, community-based approach.

Proven successful IoT technologies are in demand, and a crucial piece to that interconnectivity puzzle is automated parking. Given that more than 50% of the world’s population currently inhabit urban areas and that number is expected to rise to 66% by 2050, smart city governments, privately owned housing units, and businesses need to consider parking in their overall architectural design plans. Because vehicles themselves are becoming more interconnected and powered by alternative energies like electricity, smart cities don’t and won’t mean the end of private car ownership.

Automated parking is an innovative solution in a variety of ways. Real estate developers in urban areas must find contemporary and reliable solutions to everyday issues, like parking vehicles. Property owners, developers, and architects can obtain a sensible and cost effective solution with an advanced automated parking system (APS).

Here are some ways that automated parking will impact the future smart city:

The maximisation of urban green space

Sometimes expanding the footprint of a structure is not possible, whether it be too costly or simply geographically impossible.With an intelligently designed APS that utilises vertical storage in its designs, parking can extend up or down instead of contributing to urban creep through further development of green space. APSs enhance urban green space through their ability to park twice as many vehicles in the same amount of space as a conventional garage. This ability to park more vehicles in a dramatically smaller footprint contributes to the smart city overall goals. Considering that there are roughly four parking spots for every car in the US, consolidating those spaces, whether they are mixed-use, residential, or commercial, is essential to enhancing urban green space.

EV Charging: A must have for sustainable smart cities

Electric vehicles (EV) are the future of transportation. With major steps being taken to walk away from fossil fuels and turn reliance on clean, carbon neutral energy, parking infrastructure must include EV charging. The only difference in parking an EV in an APS versus a non-EV is that when the driver pulls into the transfer area, they need to plug the EV adapter into their vehicle and answer a few additional questions on the kiosk screen—such as estimated time of retrieval and desired charge percentage. After the vehicle is parked, the driver can monitor the charging status of their vehicle in real-time via a smartphone app. An expertly designed APS is able to charge more vehicles with less charging infrastructure thanks to the nature of cycling vehicles to be charged via automation. Offering EV charging stations is an absolute must for the future built environment of smart city infrastructure.

Reliable and consistent technology

APSs are at the forefront of integrated IoT smart cities. With the ability to integrate with other IoT systems like payment stations, automated parking is a vital piece of the smart city puzzle. For example, drivers are able to schedule the retrieval of their vehicles with a real-time countdown display on their smartphone of when their vehicle will be ready in the transfer cabin.

An expert APS partner will highly emphasise the importance of reliability and redundancy of their systems and you should look for a vendor with availability ratings greater than 99%. Additionally, the right APS partner will test their equipment and develop software solutions all in-house, providing total control and understanding of the system.

Environmental sustainability

In addition to requiring a smaller footprint, APSs are a truly sustainable parking option. In densely populated areas, both noise and air pollution are serious concerns, both of which can be addressed by an APS. In fact, emissions are decreased by 80% with an APS compared to a conventional garage thanks to the elimination of cruising for a parking space.

Conventional parking garages are one of the most likely settings for violent crime to occur. By completely eliminating public access to the garage, not only are vehicles protected from vandalism and burglaries, people are protected as well. Given that 20% of car accidents occur in parking garages annally, automated parking eliminates the issue. APSs provide positive impacts on surrounding communities through its environmental benefits and elimination of parking crime and accidents.

The future of IoT connected smart city infrastructure requires robust and reliable parking. A customised APS offers a plethora of benefits to the urban environment, all while contributing to carbon neutral goals. With the trends of increasing urban populations and the consistent reliability of privately owned vehicles, automated parking is a must-have for the smart city.

Source Sustainability

How sailing is being reborn as a sustainable sport

Posted on January 3, 2023 by dishanth

This year, SailGP – Sail Grand Prix, the Formula One of boating – launched the Impact League, which established social and environmental sustainability criteria for its catamaran-racing teams, awarding them points for reducing their carbon footprint and increasing inclusivity in sailing.

The ground-breaking initiative is set to change the course of sailing, turning it into one of the world’s most sustainable sports.

The only major international sailing event outside of the America’s Cup, SailGP introduced the Impact League while just in its second season, running the competition in tandem with its sailing championship.

“We have the sport championship – the teams competing against each other on the racecourse – but we also have the Impact League,” explains Julien De Biase, Chief Operating Officer of SailGP. “It’s a parallel leaderboard where the teams are scored on the positive impact that they have in reducing their footprint, sourcing their food responsibly, managing their waste, and having a number of operators stay at home and operate remotely, and all of that gives them a ranking.”

In the Impact League, teams are recognized for pioneering new green technologies in sailing, as well as following best practices, such as removing single-use plastics from operations.

“The boats are pretty innovative, starting with the design,” says De Biase, “Obviously, they’re pretty big boats, very light, supercharged, but quite big, and we need to transport them from one venue to another in containers. The first thing we did for efficiency is design a boat that you can fully pack up. So, imagine a boat that’s made of bits of Lego that you can disassemble and put in one or two containers. That makes us massive gains, both financially and in terms of carbon footprint when we transport our boats.”

The teams are also awarded for using their voice for good and demonstrating a commitment to diversity within the team. Each team is externally audited, and their scores are tallied on the leaderboard after each event, with the winners receiving cash prizes.

This year, while Australia won the championship, the New Zealand team came first in SailGP’s Impact League and New Zealand’s project partner, Live Ocean, was awarded $100,000 for the win. And this is just the beginning of sailing’s green rebirth.

Besides being the first major league sport to use sustainability as a competitive metric, SailGP has pledged that all its events will be powered by nature both on-water and on-shore by 2025. In addition, events are being broadcast sustainably. For the 2021-22 SailGP, broadcast operations were carried out and coordinated remotely through SailGP’s production hub in London, powered by renewable energy, making SailGP the first carbon-positive entertainment broadcast in the industry.

The association’s ultimate goal is to inspire other sporting leagues to follow suit.

Source euronews.green

Circular economy: Human hair recycled to clean waterways in Belgium

Posted on January 3, 2023 by dishanth

A Belgian NGO is using human hair clippings to absorb environmental pollutants.

The Hair Recycle Project is led by Belgian non-profit Dung Dung, which develops waste recovery schemes that support a circular economy.

For this project, clippings are collected from hairdressers across the country. The hair is then fed into a machine that turns it into matted squares. These can be used to absorb oil and other hydrocarbons polluting the environment. They can also be made into bio-composite bags.

The mats can be placed in drains to soak up pollution in water before it reaches a river. They can also be used to deal with pollution problems due to flooding and to clean up oil spills.

A single kilogram of hair can absorb seven to eight litres of oil and hydrocarbons.

How else can human hair be recycled?

While long, healthy locks can be donated to make wigs, shorter hair clippings have a variety of other uses.

Since hair is nitrogen rich, it can be used as a garden fertiliser. Various companies are also experimenting with hair as a building material.

London based biomanufacturing company Biohm is using human hair waste to produce alternatives to wood based sheet material and 3D objects. At this year’s London Design Week, Studio Sanne Visser unveiled homeware that incorporated human hair rope.

On its website, the Hair Recycle Project lauds the powerful properties of hair: one strand can support up to 10 million times its own weight. As well as absorbing fat and hydrocarbons, it is water-soluble and highly elastic due to its keratin fibres.

Isabelle Voulkidis, manager of the Helyode salon in Brussels, is one of dozens of hairdressers across the country that pay a small fee to the project to collect their hair cuttings.

“What motivates me, personally, is that I find it a shame hair is nowadays just thrown in the bin, when I know that so much could be done with it,” she says.

Source euronews.green