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Tag: digital tool

Apple touts its first carbon-neutral products

Posted on by dishanth
Apple touts its first carbon-neutral products

The Apple product launch event is a highlight in the calendar for anyone working in digital technology. At its headquarters in California on Tuesday (12 September), Apple launched its new iPhone 15 series and ninth Apple Watch series, plus its second iteration of Apple Watch Ultra.

Apple has stated that the new Apple Watch lineup consists solely of carbon-neutral products. It has delivered a 75% reduction in the life-cycle emissions of its watches since 2015 due to investments in clean energy procurement, energy efficiency and reducing transport emissions.

Product re-design and supply chain engagement have also driven reductions in emissions. Each of the watches includes at least 30% recycled or renewable material by weight, for example, including a 100% recycled aluminium casing and 100% recycled cobalt in the battery.

It bears noting that Apple’s carbon accounting for the carbon-neutral claim also covers consumer use of products.

In a statement, the firm said: “Electricity for manufacturing and charging devices represents the largest source of Apple’s emissions across all product lines. To address the latter, Apple has committed to invest in large-scale solar and wind projects around the world. For the carbon-neutral Apple Watch models, the company will match 100% of customers’ expected electricity use for charging.”

To address the 25% residual emissions associated with the watches, Apple will invest in carbon credits “primarily from nature-based projects”.

It has stated an intention to ensure that carbon credits are “high-quality” by assessing whether they represent additional, measurable, quantified and permanent carbon removal. Another key requirement is that the credits are not double-counted.

A surprise move?

Science reporter Justine Calma has argued that Apple’s announcement distracts from the company’s overall impact on climate and the environment. She said a far more important measure of the firm’s work on climate will be whether it delivers its 2030 and 2050 goals.

Apple achieved carbon neutrality for its global corporate operations in 2020 and subsequently pledged to deliver a carbon-neutral value chain by 2030.

It is seeking to reduce emissions upstream and downstream by at least 75% on 2015 levels, only relying on offsetting for a maximum of 25% of residual emissions.

Apple has described this ambition as “aggressive”. Meeting this goal will require increased investments in decarbonising national electricity grids; low-carbon transport innovations and transport efficiencies; product re-design and material innovation.

On the latter, Apple is working to switch to 100% recycled cobalt in batteries, plus 100% recycled tin soldering and gold plating in circuit boards, by 2025. It is also ending the use of leather across all product lines with immediate effect, switching to a new ‘FineWoven’ textile made from 68% post-consumer recycled fibres.

Apple continues to use the language of carbon neutrality despite a forthcoming crackdown on this kind of claim in the EU. Lawmakers voted in May to support a new directive that will prevent companies from badging consumer goods as ‘carbon-neutral’ or ‘carbon-negative’ if they use offsetting.  Only time will tell how Apple will choose to communicate its climate efforts to customers in the EU once this directive comes into force.

Charging port changes  

Another sustainability-related facet of Apple’s latest product launch is the switch from the Apple-exclusive ‘lightning’ charging port to a USB-C port for the iPhone 15.

The change is being made because the EU is mandating that all electronic devices sold within the bloc from 2024 use USB-C charging, in a bid to reduce the e-waste generated by the need for each home to have an array of different chargers.

In the long-term, the result is likely to be waste reduction. But, in the coming months, there are concerns that there will be a spike in the discarding of Apple ‘lightning’ cables. It is estimated that one-quarter of European residents own an iPhone.

 

 

Source edie

Sustainability & digital skills: Education can change world

Posted on by dishanth
Sustainability & digital skills: Education can change world

Today’s world is facing a twin challenge: recovering from the pandemic, and struggling to become more sustainable. As we shift from the pandemic, a big realisation across companies and governments alike is the role that education plays in ensuring an analytical and scientific response to the challenges we face.

In recent years, we’ve seen the rise of terms such as digital natives associated with the younger generation. However, the ability to use digital devices and consume digital content does not necessarily translate well to enhancing employment prospects for all. Today’s digital world, with its massive amounts of information and misinformation, requires an unprecedented level of fluidity from students. They must be able to distinguish fact from opinion, objectivity from bias, and honesty from insincerity in an online setting.

They must understand the risks of technology and the internet, and how to mitigate those risks. At the same time, the digital world requires them to have the soft skills of an adapter, a creator, a problem solver, and a critical thinker. Are students ready?

Why we need to understand digital skills

The worrying answer is that not all students may be ready for a digital future. In a new comprehensive report from the Capgemini Research Institute titled Future-Ready Education, we found that across all students aged 16–18, only 55% say they have the digital skills necessary to be successful in today’s workforce.

More worryingly, there also appears to be a perception gap between teachers and parents when it comes to the abilities of students, and their perception of students. The usage of digital media is often conflated with digital skills, leading teachers and parents to overestimate their students’ abilities and knowledge of digital technologies.

Digital skills as a competency include four categories: digital literacy (understanding how computers, the internet and mobile devices work), digital citizenship (engaging in appropriate and responsible behaviours online), data literacy (understanding how to work with data and how to analyse and interpret it) and media literacy (understanding how to determine which online sources are credible, with the ability to evaluate content online).

The growing importance of soft and green skills

The digital world requires students to have the soft skills of an adapter, creator, problem solver and critical thinker. Creative thinking and analytical thinking are the most important skills for workers in 2023 and are the top two fastest-growing skills per the latest Future of Jobs Report from the World Economic Forum. Our research found that a large share of students lack key soft skills for employment.

At the same time, green skills have gained prominence in recent years. Green skills enable students to live sustainably and manage their carbon footprint in a more effective manner. These skills can empower students to become changemakers in their own communities. One of the significant benefits of green skills is that they unlock new opportunities in emerging fields related to sustainability, providing a competitive edge in the job market. While nearly 80% of students globally say in our survey they are knowledgeable about recycling and waste reduction, only about half say they are knowledgeable about environmental policy (54%) and climate change (58%).

The rise of Generative AI

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is a key skill for future jobs and has the potential to disrupt education. Nearly 60% of secondary school teachers globally believe interacting with AI systems will be a skill required for jobs in the future. A majority of teachers have experimented with ChatGPT already and while they are worried about its impact on learning, many can also see its potential.

Globally, 52% of secondary school teachers in our survey believe AI tools like ChatGPT will change the teaching profession for the better. However, this would require adapting curriculums and assessments to account for student use of AI-generated content, which over half (56%) of secondary school teachers globally agree with.

Education as a driver of progress

In today’s interconnected world the future success of students depends on their digital literacy. Teaching digital skills to young children and teenagers in secondary education is crucial, particularly in a world that is rapidly shaped and transformed by AI. It allows them to engage with technology safely and responsibly, and equips them with the tools they need to succeed in a changing world.

Despite growing up surrounded by technology, not all of today’s students have the digital skills required to use technology effectively and confidently for their education, or for their future role in the workforce. The digital divide is not just about access to the internet and devices, but about the proficiency gap between students who have the digital skills to succeed and those who do not.

Addressing these gaps can help support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Goal #4 (providing equitable access to quality education) and Goal #8 (enabling decent work and economic growth). Digital skills enable digitisation, internet penetration, and accessible technology and are therefore the key to improving the existing structural flaws. While strengthening education systems will help mobilise new streams of progress and boost productivity and quality of work, innovation in education is the key to making sure our future workforce is positively transformed by AI and technology.

 

 

 

 

Source  Sustainability

Chipotle Launches Tool to Tell You the ‘Foodprint’ of Each Ingredient

Posted on by dishanth
Chipotle Launches Tool to Tell You the ‘Foodprint’ of Each Ingredient

How does your burrito impact the environment? If you ordered it from Chipotle, there is now a way to find out.

The chain on Monday launched a first-of-its kind sustainability tool called the Real Foodprint, which allows customers to see how each of its 53 intentionally sourced ingredients compares to the industry average when it comes to key environmental metrics like carbon emissions and water use.

“Just by eating real, responsibly raised food, you can do a little something to help cultivate a better world,” Bill Nye of Science Guy fame said in a video promoting the feature.

 

 

The Real Foodprint works like this, as Retail Leader explained. When you place an order on the Chipotle app or on the website, the tracker will show you the environmental impact of each ingredient you select compared to the conventional equivalent. The ingredients are assessed according to five metrics:

  1. Less carbon emitted (measured in grams)
  2. Water saved (in gallons)
  3. Improved soil health (in square feet)
  4. Organic land supported (in square feet)
  5. Antibiotics avoided (in milligrams)

So, for example, Nye’s chicken bowl emits 0.8 fewer grams of carbon dioxide, saves 0.4 gallons of water, supports 1.7 square feet of improved soil health, supports 0.9 square feet of organic land and avoids 42.3 milligrams of antibiotics compared to a similar order made with conventional ingredients.

 

 

The data points are provided by HowGood, an independent research company that draws on more than 450 peer-reviewed and scientific studies to compare Chipotle’s ingredients to conventional options, the website explained. Chipotle is the first restaurant to partner with HowGood, the company said in a press release. The data points will be updated on a regular basis, so customers can see if Chipotle’s environmental impact lessens or increases over time, Fast Company reported.

“Beyond asking people to make the right choice for the climate based on a carbon label, we are demonstrating the impact of our sourcing practices through data computed based on the ingredients in our guests’ orders,” Chipotle’s head of sustainability Caitlin Leibert said in the press release. “While our guests can make good choices for the planet by simply eating at Chipotle, the radical transparency provided by Real Foodprint also holds us accountable to improve our practices and source more sustainably over time. It is the combination of transparency for our guests and Chipotle’s commitment to higher standards that make Real Foodprint so impactful.”

Other restaurant brands have taken steps to provide environmental information to their customers, Fast Company pointed out. Meat alternative brand Quorn prints the carbon footprint of its products next to the nutrition label. And, two weeks ago, Panera started pointing out the “Cool Food Meals” on its menu, meals that have a lower carbon footprint. But Chipotle’s Foodprint is the most specific and detailed Fast Company has encountered, writer Mark Wilson pointed out.

“You can literally measure the impact of adding pinto beans or a scoop of pico de gallo,” Wilson wrote. “(Btw, order those beans! They capture carbon and fertilize soil with nitrogen naturally!)”

One downside to the Chipotle tool is the fact that it compares its own ingredients specifically to the industry standard, Wilson noted. This means that it tells you that choosing Chipotle-sourced steak saves 150 milligrams of antibiotics, while choosing tofu saves none, because conventional tofu requires none. The impact of the beef is compared to the industry standard for beef, but does not account for the huge environmental difference between choosing meat and choosing vegetarian options.

Chipotle chief marketing officer Chris Brandt said this was done to avoid passing a value judgment on individual foods.

“There’s a lot of other metrics that say meat is bad, vegetarian is good. If you wanna live your life that way that’s great … everything is relevant to an industry average rather than a value judgment as to whether you eat meat or not,” Brandt said.

 

 

By Olivia Rosane

Source: Eco Watch