The advent of cleantech is going to transform capital markets as well as the business and physical landscape.

What is cleantech and why is it important?
Cleantech – short for clean technology – is mitigating the negative consequences of the climate crisis and improving environmental sustainability through various technologies and practices: from renewable energy and recycling to improving efficiencies in production processes and supply chains. To ensure that we have a liveable planet in the future, we urgently need to transform our industrial economy and encourage the investing public to support a broad range of capital-intensive clean technologies.
Moreover, professional PR agencies can help cleantech companies better position themselves and achieve better branding results by doing the following:

→ Help cleantech fast growth businesses find the necessary funding to get to market.
→ Drive exposure for cleantech businesses into key vertical markets.
→ Drive the profile and brand of cleantech business in front of key financial markets when it comes to further fund raising.
→ Help position cleantech businesses in front of the employees of tomorrow.
→ Assist cleantech business to shine a light on their circular economy prowess.
→ Drive cleantech success stories towards maximised exits.

A lighthouse project for circular economy

by open up communications and PR consultancy, Switzerland

The circular economy is a model in which existing buildings, materials and products are preserved, reused, repaired, refurbished and recycled for as long as possible. “We are in the middle of the cycle because we live in a built environment,” says Kerstin Müller in reference to the construction industry. The architect is the managing director of Zirkular, which specialises in expert planning for circular economy and reuse in the building sector. The company, which is based in Basel and Zurich, emerged from the building office situ.

Because most of Switzerland is already built up and the construction industry cannot simply start from scratch, Kerstin Müller advocates giving materials a second life.

Kerstin Müller notes a growing ecological awareness in the industry. Unfortunately, however, there is more talk than action. There are still some hurdles to overcome: “The classic construction process is designed for new buildings. All processes are standardised and well-rehearsed. With material reuse, we still must find an efficient process. We learn more about this with every project,” says the architect.

At the moment, a building that incorporates the circular economy is still more expensive than a standard building. The fact that circular building is more expensive is mainly due to the fact that CO2 is not priced as it should be. Certain production processes and materials are kept artificially cheap, whereas manual labour with Swiss wages is expensive. The circular managing director sees an opportunity in the current crisis: “Materials are now becoming more expensive and the logic of calculation that has long applied is being thrown overboard.”

Another hurdle for circular building are standards. The circular specialist addresses the energy regulations in particular: “It is a pity that the focus here is on operations. We have reached a point where creating a building with standard materials costs more CO2 and energy than later during its entire life. We need to rethink the standards.”

Kerstin Müller would also like to see a change in thinking when it comes to introducing new materials into a building. She says that buildings must be built with ecologically sustainable materials. And in such a way that the individual raw materials can be taken apart again.

Kerstin Müller describes the HORTUS on the BaseLink site as a lighthouse project. The building pays back its construction energy in one generation and is energy positive from then on, according to the balancing methodology used by SENN. “I was immediately enthusiastic.. The HORTUS is not just a symbol, but serves as a practical example. “For our hope, energy and creativity, we have to produce images to work towards. The HORTUS is a promise that we can make it as a society. It gives us perspective,” says Kerstin Müller.

Sendle is now climate neutral certified

by Boulevard Public Relations, Canada

Sendle, the Certified B Corp shipping solution that offers 100% carbon neutral shipping for small businesses, today announced that it is now Climate Neutral Certified. The certification was issued by Climate Neutral, a non-profit organization that helps brands measure their carbon footprint and implement strategies to reduce their footprint down to zero by measuring greenhouse gas emissions, purchasing eligible verified carbon credits to offset that footprint, and implementing plans to reduce emissions.

As the leading consumer label for climate neutrality, Climate Neutral Certified is carried by brands that are accountable for the greenhouse gas emissions generated in the production, operations, and shipping of goods and services. To meet Climate Neutral’s rigorous certification process, Sendle measured its overall carbon footprint for 2021 and developed strategies to reduce it.

Sendle believes that shipping can make a positive impact in the world, and accounts for the CO2 released for every parcel sent through its service. Sendle reduces the environmental impact of shipping by tapping existing shipping providers and filling their vehicles to ensure every trip is as efficient as possible. With this model, Sendle helps its shipping partners make their routes more efficient and profitable, and in turn, passes that savings along to Sendle customers.

To account for any remaining carbon emissions, Sendle purchases carbon offsets to address the impact of every Sendle parcel sent. Through its partner South Pole, Sendle invests in highly credible environmental projects around the world – including Darkwoods Forest Conservation in British Columbia – that account for carbon by protecting and managing forests and other vital ecosystems. Each year, customers select the project they want Sendle to support on their behalf.

“Currently, the transportation and logistics industry is responsible for 17% of greenhouse gas emissions globally,” says Veena Harbaugh, Director of Sustainability at Sendle. “Reducing the harm of shipping on the planet has always been a top priority for us, so we have been committed to making our shipping network 100% carbon neutral from day one. We are now extending that commitment to carbon neutrality to everything we do, and achieving this certification is another step in our journey to becoming net zero by 2030 and continuing to work towards a more sustainable industry overall.”

“Climate Neutral Certified companies show the world that immediate action on climate change is possible and essential,” says Austin Whitman, CEO of Climate Neutral. “Sendle is leading the way by recognizing that climate change must be solved and they have dedicated their mission to this cause by engaging their customers and addressing their carbon emissions.”

Sendle joins the growing number of companies that are prioritizing the reduction of carbon emissions. Together, Climate Neutral Certified brands are making an impact on climate action right now, working to eliminate more than 1,000,000 tonnes of carbon emissions this year.

Clean and renewable energy is growing in the country and improving health and wellness

by SPMJ, Brazil

Renewable energy distribution systems (wind and solar) generate savings, improve storage, and contribute to environment preservation.

Alternatives that improve people’s health and wellness, such as clean and renewable energy from the wind and the sun (solar) are already here  and are becoming  more and more of a reality  in the country. In March, solar energy alone reached 14 gigawatts of operational power, exceeding the production of the Itaipu Power Plant, the largest hydroelectric plant in the country, according to data from the Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association (Absolar).

In recent years, new technologies have been incorporated, which favours a more efficient clean and renewable energy distribution system. “Smaller, decentralized plants can function as a large company if they are linked together. This makes small systems economically viable”, says Cyro Boccuzzi, senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.

These distribution systems provide more reliable service to consumer units, increasing the availability of energy for end uses, generating a high degree of autonomy. “The reality is that in a few years, a hospital will be able to generate  its own energy , gaining autonomy and no longer having to depend on energy from large concessionaires”, he says.

The distribution systems also allow the integration of micro networks, with storage resources, which turns into an even more reliable service, reducing the losses of conventional systems. “The energy surplus can be captured by batteries, to face the absence of wind or sun at night”, says Boccuzzi.

Renewable energies globally allow for lower levels of pollution, which is very important for health and nature, especially in countries that are most dependent on thermoelectric and non-renewable energies. In Brazil, 70% of our energy already comes from a renewable source from hydroelectric plants, but we still use thermoelectric plants – expensive, non-renewable and polluting the environment.

Prova Investments looks to the future with composite braiding manufacturer

by Prova, England

Prova Investments continues to grow its European portfolio of early-stage businesses operating at the forefront of cleantech, sustainability and the circular economy, by taking an equity stake in Composite Braiding.

Based in Derby, East Midlands, Composite Braiding produce advanced composites by combining materials such as carbon, glass, aramid and basalt fibres with thermoplastics. Using an award-winning automated manufacturing process, components can be braided quickly and at scale, reducing labour costs by 90%, waste by 97% and using 95% less energy.

Composite Braiding recently won the sustainability award for net-zero initiative at the Composites UK Awards for pioneering work to devise a lower-carbon manufacturing process for structural composites.

Richard Postins, of Prova Investments, commented: “We’re thrilled to be welcoming Composite Braiding to our portfolio. Over the past decade, we’ve worked to build an impressive portfolio of investments across cleantech, sustainability and circular economy sectors – seeing our first successful exit last year. With unique processes to manufacture advanced composites using sustainable materials, Composite Braiding is a great fit for our growing portfolio. We’re looking forward to supporting the company’s growth as it continues to pioneer composite manufacturing.”

To find out more about Prova Investments, click here.

Photo Credit: Composite Braiding

CO2 emissions savings by 97% when recycling PVC roofing membranes – The experience of RENOLIT ALKORPLAN in Finland

by SOLUZIONE – Communications Group, Itlay

A multinational team led by RENOLIT ALKORPLAN roofing products replaced 11,000 square meters of PVC membrane from the roof of the exhibition center and delivered them to a recycling facility in Germany.

Compared to incineration, the economic savings reached 33% and the savings of CO2 emissions 97% Sant Celoni, Barcelona, December 7, 2022- Recycling the old synthetic membrane of a roof brings environmental and economic benefits. Even if the recycling facility is not located right next to the roof. This is the teaching that comes from Tampere, Finland, where 11 thousand square meters of old PVC membranes from the roof of an event center were cut into small pieces, transported to Germany and recycled for other uses in construction. The project involved RENOLIT ALKORPLAN roofing products together with the installer Suomen Teollisuuskatot Oy, a company recognized on the market for being a PVC specialist and for the ability to manage complex projects, and Ekopartnerit Turku Oy, a company specializing in waste management, recycling and special transport. It was necessary to proceed in stages, removing small portions of the membrane and immediately replacing them with the RENOLIT ALKORPLAN F membrane. However, the old cut membranes were not disposed of in landfills or incinerated, as it is customary in Finland, but after being cut and packaged, they were transported to a recycling plant in Saxony, Germany, about two thousand kilometres away. Specific studies have shown that this was the best solution, both environmentally and economically. Moreover, according to the calculations made by Tomi Norrby, the owner of Suomen Teollisuuskatot Oy, the recycling operation was also economically advantageous. The total recycling cost was lower than either alternatives of landfill transfer (-1%) and incineration (-33%!). The multinational team led by RENOLIT ALKORPLAN roofing products has shown to the world that recycling PVC is always the best solution for the environment and also for one’s pocket.

Photo Credit: RENOLIT ALKORPLAN 

“Green City” PR campaign for Chytré Líchy

by Lesensky.cz, Czech Republic

Lesensky.cz was in charge of the PR campaign for Chytré Líchy, a “green city” district project that was developed on the outskirts of the South Moravian town of Židlochovice. The new approach to sustainable urban development is unique in the country and is intended to serve as a model for dealing with modern and sustainable housing in the Czech Republic.

Lesensky.cz started their work on a greenfield site by employing an ecological approach. They look beyond using a strict architectural concept and created a logo inspired by living nature that evokes the interconnection of different elements. The logo resembles a cell and is a grouping and interaction of different elements, both natural and social. Lesensky.cz added an explanatory claim to the logo: The first sustainable urban district in the Czech Republic.

Lesensky.cz received over 110 media outputs in major daily newspapers, key online media and trade publications during the first phase of their campaign. Subsequently, they took advantage of the load-bearing capacity of the graphic documents and the media was intrigued, which was proved by a report on Czech television and by a major article published on Forbes.cz.

Sympra supports Dürr for over 10 years

by Sympra, Germany

Germany-based Dürr is a global leader in mechanical and plant engineering firms with outstanding expertise in automation and digitization. The long-established brand Dürr has been a byword for continuous innovation since 1896, with a wide range of products in robotic, processes and assembly technologies for all areas of vehicle production, focusing on painting and final assembly lines. Dürr also offers the latest system technology, permitting efficient disposal of exhaust gases and residues, reducing energy consumption, and ensuring high process reliability. Their clients benefit from their many years of experience with industrial processes and designing of tailor-made concepts – from the product to the turn-key solution and the design of individual service concepts. Sympra has been supporting Dürr with comprehensive PR services for more than ten years in Germany, alongside 10+ PRN partners in major markets worldwide. Sympra’s scope of work encompasses research, content creation, media relations and much more.

Photo Credit: Dürr

New Technologies Facilitate Heart Patients Monitoring

by SPMJ, Brazil

For a researcher at IEEE – Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity – equipment such as wearable sensors, virtual reality applications and games can help in patient adherence to physical exercises.

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the leading causes of death in the world. Among the main factors is the lack of engagement in rehabilitation exercises prescribed by health professionals, which usually significantly improves the quality life of patients. To increase the adherence of this public, a group of researchers – from the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS) and the Federal University of Pará (UFPA) – created the Maya Project to develop new low-cost technologies, aiming to increase adherence to prescribed exercises and monitor patients.

“Today we have several recent advances that may represent an improvement in the monitoring and prescription of physical activity such as wearable sensors, virtual and augmented reality applications and gamification, use of game elements, which create challenges and rewards to increase the motivation of participants,” reveals Jéferson Nobre, a member of Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.

According to Nobre, these technologies can be integrated to promote “biofeedbacks” on the prescribed physical activities, and can be accessed by applications and smartphones or websites. “Because sensitive data is produced with these technologies, information security mechanisms are needed to restrict access to such data. Such mechanisms should be user-friendly and non-intrusive to the user.”

Among these new technologies to ensure the protection of user information are cardiac biometrics, blockchain and Artificial Intelligence. “The use of these technologies should be flexible for use both in hospital environments and in other health spaces (such as, for example, in Basic Health Units – (Unidades Básicas de Saúde – UBSs)”.

Prova positions DS Smith as a world leading sustainable packaging company

by Prova, England

Prova is a multi-award-winning corporate communications consultancy that specializes in clean technology, sustainability, and the circular economy. Success stories include their client DS Smith, whose growth targets were helped met through Prova’s multi-channel content, which positioned the brand as a world-leading sustainable packaging company.

Photo Credit: DS Smith

Brand-building with the Home Energy Recover Unit (HERU)

by Prova, England

Prova also created industry buzz that put the Home Energy Recovery Unit (HERU) on the map of OEMs and key stakeholders, securing national press coverage and #1 waste technology to watch according to The Guardian.

“As a result of brand building, via PR, social media and a quarterly ezine, Prova secured five major meetings for the HERU with international OEMs and local authorities.”

Rebranding of Teréga

by Auvray & Associés, France

Located in South-Western France at the crossroads of major European gas flows, Teréga has more than 75 years of expertise in the development of gas transport and storage infrastructures. They research and implement innovative solutions to meet the environmental challenges and demands within the energy sector throughout Europe.

Initially, Teréga was known as TIGF, but Auvray & Associés took PR measures to announce the company’s name change, at the national and regional level, in Paris and in Pau, where the company headquarters are located. On March 30^th, 2018, local media were invited to attend the final of the Challenge Cup at Pau Stadium, sponsored by Teréga. Five journalists participated and the PR action generated 16 articles.

On April 4^th, Auvray & Associés hosted a press conference at the Intercontinental hotel in Paris, where seven journalists participated. This action resulted in 18 articles from specialized media and three articles from mainstream media.

Edenred launches digital vouchers in Austria

by Milestones in Communication, Austria

Milestones in Communication supports the sustainable company Edenred. They offer vouchers which employees can use for their lunch at work. The employees get the vouchers as a benefit from their employer. The products of Edenred are now fully digital. Edenred is the digital pioneer among domestic providers of employee benefits. Now the company is launching its latest product: Digital vouchers now simplify both the handling for employers and the redemption by employees at over 20,000 acceptance partners throughout Austria. The Edenred solutions Ticket Restaurant, Ticket Service and Ticket Compliments are now also available in purely digital form in the MyEdenred app. While maintaining the highest IT security standards, they replace conventional paper vouchers and, if necessary, prepaid cards made from recyclable material. From now on, employees have fast and uncomplicated digital access to their lunch allowance – whether at home, in the office or on the road between appointments.

Photo Credit: Edenred

HCT shifts to virtual classroom model due to pandemic

by Perceptions, Bahrain & UAE

With the global COVID-19 pandemic severely impacting and restricting daily social and business activities around the world, traditional education models were also seismically disrupted. The Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), the UAE’s largest federal, applied higher education institution, was urgently required to consider how it would continue to provide classes and assessments mid-way through a semester, so approximately 23,000 students could complete their respective programs and graduate.

The result was a rapid shift to a virtual classroom model that adopts an Uber-like, service-on-demand, and a smart eLearning strategy. All students, faculty, and administrative staff at the 16 campuses were mobilized and engaged to ensure a seamless transition to a digital learning platform.

The program proved highly successful, with a 91.5% approval rating from students and faculty. Apart from ensuring continuity, the program also makes education more sustainable, inclusive, and accessible, and HCT’s strategies became a role model for other institutions to adopt. Perceptions, with offices in the UAE and Bahrain, supported the college with thought leadership, writing, and transcreation.

Photo Credit: HCT

Project of Santander Consumer Finance allows to offset the CO₂ emissions of your car

Aleph Communicacion, Spain

Aleph Communicacion supports the social media channels of Santander bank by managing a blog about financial education and personal economy. They also published a post known as “Choose”, a project in which Santander Consumer Finance collaborates and allows you to offset the CO₂ emissions of your car. The initiative gives every individual the opportunity to participate in different climate projects with the corresponding monetary amount of your CO₂ emissions.

Positioning ReFood at the heart of the food waste debate

by Prova, England

Moreover, Prova has positioned the food waste recycler ReFood at the heart of the food waste debate through powerful media relations, engaging digital content, hard-hitting thought leadership and visionary lobbying reports.

“Prova’s ideas generate significant media coverage and tangible business results. Prova adds value across our PR, marketing and wider business activities.”

Photo Credit: ReFood

BALSA gives contaminated sites no chance

by Milestones in Communication, Austria

The Bundesaltlastensanierungsgesellschaft (BALSA) – which translates to the federal agency for hazardous waste cleanup – was founded in autumn 2004 as a subsidiary of the Federal Environment Agency. With the wide-ranging expertise of its team, BALSA ensures significant milestones for the environment and society: The company’s task is to clean up areas that have been contaminated with pollutants, so-called contaminated sites, throughout Austria. If the polluters, who are obliged to remediate the environmental damage, can no longer be held responsible, BALSA will carry out the necessary measures on behalf of the Austrian state. BALSA is responsible for project management, project planning and control. In the past 17 years, numerous, sometimes extremely challenging projects have been successfully implemented.

Milestones in Communication has supported BALSA in communicating these environmental milestones since 2008. Their services range from crisis communication to press releases about the various remediation projects and their progress, background discussions and interviews, story placements in selected media to site visits and larger media events.

NEFIN consults local government on practical actions to attain zero emissions

by Creative Consulting Group, Singapore

NEFIN Group is a renowned Asian carbon neutrality solutions provider and investor with a unified energy management platform committed to achieving carbon neutrality for organisations. CCG has been working with NEFIN since 2019 as their sole PR and branding agency for Asia. Headquartered in Hong Kong, CCG’s footprint is all over the markets such as Singapore, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Alongside partner Asian teams, we provide consultation on their brand strategies and positions and are involved in communicating rollouts and creating milestone actions for various markets.

Hong Kong has announced its Climate Action Plan for 2050, setting out the vision of a “zero-carbon, emissions liveable city and sustainable development,” which outlines the strategies and targets for combating climate change and achieving carbon neutrality. Tagging along with this objective, NEFIN has offered a lot of consultation to the local government on practical actions to attain zero emissions. Meanwhile, CCG is working alongside experts to make sure NEFIN’s efforts and recommendations are made known to the sustainability industry and general public with massive media engagement and PR work.

CCG has launched multiple events for NEFIN throughout different markets. Press releases and media interviews are also regular arrangements to ensure NEFIN’s visibility in the market. Competition in the local market is fierce but NEFIN has shone in all strategic areas allowing them to differentiate from the competition.

Crowd-investing pioneer ROCKETS enables investment in a unique domestic circular economy concept

by Milestones in Communication, Austria

Futhermore, Milestones in Communication communicated for Insektianer. The company is specialized on insects that process food (that does not meet the high retail criteria and would be thrown away) into animal feed, cosmetics and fertilizer.

Austria’s leading crowd investing operator ROCKETS offers a new, forward-looking investment opportunity in an innovative, domestic start-up in the ‘GREEN’ category. The company Insektianer from Upper Austria uses insect larvae to process unconsumed food into animal feed, high-quality fats, oils and natural cosmetics. At rockets.investments, investors can now invest in the innovative start-up from 250 euros and benefit from up to 6.5 percent interest and a sales bonus.

What sounds unappetizing is unique and a reality in Insektianer’s sustainable day-to-day business: “In the spirit of a sustainable circular economy, we intercept food that does not meet the high requirements of the trade and process it further,” explains Philip Pauer, managing director of Insektianer. Insect larvae are used for this purpose. These further process fruit, vegetables, bread and flours into high-quality proteins and fats, which in turn are used in various industries.

According to Greenpeace, one third of the food produced worldwide ends up in the garbage untouched. In Austria alone, this figure amounts to around one million tons per year. Insektianer has taken on this problem. By collaborating with crowd investing pioneer ROCKETS, investors are offered the opportunity to contribute to solving food waste with their investments and at the same time share in the company’s success.

Photo Credit: Insektarier

Auvray & Associés is proud to be part of Chimirecs success

by Auvray & Associés, France

Specializing in the collection and treatment of hazardous industrial wastes, the CHIMIREC GROUPE was founded in France and has developed multiple international subsidiaries. It has numerous collection and consolidation platforms, processing centres and oil depots.

Integrated into a circular economy and possessing triple ISO 9 001 and OHSAS 45001 certification, the CHIMIREC GROUPE has a workforce of approx. 1,250 employees and in 2019 generated a turnover of 176 million euros.

Auvray and Associés are proud to be a part of CHIMIREC’s success. They organized 12 press events including 34 journalists between March and October, 2018, in the various subsidiaries of Chimirec, to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the company. Numerous press releases were dispatched by AFP and 177 articles were published over eight months.

Photo Credit: Group Chimirec

Establish a low-carbon marketing alliance to jointly promote the development of low-carbonization of enterprise marketing

by CommNow, China

In 2020, the Chinese government officially announced that it would reach  carbon peaks by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. Many people might  not realize how this statement will  impact the  economy and society in the future, nor realize how  low carbonization will greatly affect each of our  lives.

This also includes marketers. Many marketers do convey their company’s low -carbonization goals and practice to the public, but this does not mean that they have integrated this concept into the strategy of their own marketing work, and actively and consciously review Low-carbon development of marketing behaviour.

Due to  this situation, the “Low -Carbon Marketing Alliance” (LCMA) came into being. This is a non-profit organization created for marketers to respond to low-carbonization trends. The mission of LCMA is to promote the green and low carbonization of marketing activities, helping an  enterprise’s carbon neutrality, hoping to drive marketers to establish the concept of low-carbon marketing in three aspects：

1. Integrate the low-carbon concept into the marketing strategy, and organically combine consumer interests, corporate interests and environmental interests.
2. Taking the goal of sustainable development, actively guide customers’ low-carbon needs;
3. Guide enterprises to operate all aspects of the management of low carbonization management.

In response to the confusion of marketers who don’t know what to do and how to do it, LCMA will hold a series of online and offline activities every year, inviting experts and enterprises to share low-carbon views, trends and marketing knowledge, organize case exchange discussions and corporate observation as well as related business training and provide relevant low-carbon business consulting services.

Understanding the carbon emissions of each marketing activity will help enterprises formulate and adjust low-carbon marketing planning, but many marketers do not know how much carbon emissions will be generated by each marketing activity. It doesn’t matter. LCMA has prepared carbon for everyone. Investigation services, enterprises can upload the basic data of each event through the interface developed by the alliance. After the carbon disk investigator specially established by the alliance, the carbon emissions check report was generated after using SGS software. In addition to the carbon tray check, the alliance can also provide carbon neutralization for enterprises with demand and issue  “carbon neutrality certificates” from  authoritative institutions.

The main responsibility of the marketer is to tell brand stories, which has positive influence and feedback in the hearts of customers and the public. LCMA will continue to collect low -carbon practical dynamics and excellent cases of member companies, and to jointly explore new methods and new paths for low-carbon marketing, explore new values, and tell new stories.

LCMA was established in November 2022. It is responsible for physical operations by the marketer aggregation platform Gita, which  invites well-known third-party certification agencies, SGS, one of the low-carbon pioneers and drivers as technical support partners, and low-carbon low-carbon as strategic partners. Alliance members provide services. At present, companies such as DOW, Huntsman, Avient, Americhem, Belimo, AVEVA and other companies have joined the alliance one after another.

United States Launches SERVIR-Southeast Asia, a USAID-NASA Initiative to Fight Climate Change

by Brandnow.asia, Thailand

The U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Robert F. Godec and Dr. Karen M. St. Germain, Earth Science Division Director at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), launched the SERVIR-Southeast Asia program – a collaboration between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and NASA – to help communities across Southeast Asia adapt to regional and transboundary climate issues and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

“This new venture expands the program’s geographic focus and deepens our engagement with regional institutions to accelerate climate resilience,” said Ambassador Godec. “SERVIR-Southeast Asia will go a long way to ensure that communities and businesses throughout Thailand and across ASEAN are not only resilient to the impacts of climate change, but prosper in spite of these challenges.”

SERVIR-Southeast Asia is one of five global hubs under SERVIR. The program builds on the successes of SERVIR-Mekong in using publicly available satellite technologies to support regional institutions, governments, and communities as they address climate-related challenges, including disaster preparedness and response, food security, water resource and land management, and air pollution. From 2014 to 2022, SERVIR-Mekong developed 21 decision support tools, trained over 1,500 people, mobilized $500,000 of additional investment, and influenced the adoption of four policies to ensure that the 250 million residents of the Lower Mekong Region are better prepared to respond to the impacts of climate change.

At the event, Ambassador Godec and Dr. St. Germain, together with Hans Guttman, Executive Director of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), also engaged with high school students from nearby communities to raise awareness about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) opportunities and the use of space technologies among youth and other underrepresented groups. The event, held at the Space Inspirium–Thailand’s first space museum and part of the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA)–
included a tour of a SERVIR-Mekong exhibit.

ADPC, in partnership with key regional organizations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Mekong River Commission, is implementing SERVIR-Southeast Asia, which advances the U.S. government’s commitment to a connected, resilient and sustainable Indo-Pacific

The Association of Austrian Leasing Companies (VÖL) calls for an extension of the e-mobility subsidy until 2025 as well as an electricity price cap for public charging stations

by Milestones in Communication, Austria

In the first half of 2022, 77.2 percent of all newly registered e-vehicles in Austria were registered by companies, according to Statistics Austria. Since company vehicles usually enter the used car market after three to four years, these young used vehicles also play a decisive role for private individuals to make a cost-effective switch to more environmentally friendly mobility.

However, the cancellation of the e-mobility subsidy now planned by the Austrian federal government – it is already no longer possible to apply for a new subsidy – would now seriously jeopardize the advance of e-mobility in Austria. After all, it is precisely in economically strained times that companies have to make decisions according to strictly economic criteria, which of course also affects the composition of the company fleets.

E-cars will be up to 28 percent more expensive than combustion engines

Measured in terms of total costs of ownership (TCO), according to VÖL, an average e-car in the compact car class was still around 6 percent cheaper than its diesel counterpart in January 2022, but will be around 7 percent more expensive once e-mobility subsidies are discontinued.

The situation is even worse for light commercial vehicles up to 3.5 t maximum permissible gross weight. While these were still 15.5 percent cheaper than diesel vehicles with subsidies, they are almost 28 percent more expensive without subsidies.

In addition to the discontinuation of the federal subsidy, electricity prices have also risen much more sharply over the course of the year than those for fossil fuels.

In Germany, too, the phasing out of e-mobility subsidies is currently the subject of heated debate. Here, for example, the renowned Center Automotive Research (CAR) under Prof. Ferdinand Dudenhöffer expects a slump in e-mobility registrations by half if the subsidies are discontinued and the Bundesverband Betriebliche Mobilität (Federal Association for Corporate Mobility) writes in a press release: “This will certainly lead to companies refraining from electrification. In the current situation, fewer and fewer companies can afford to accept additional costs for sustainability arguments. Image or not.”

To find the entire text in german, please click here.

IEE specialist joins a research group that uses robots to decontamine hospital environments

by SPMJ, Brazil

Robotic  applications in the health sector  has gotten  a new look during the  pandemic. An example of this is a pioneering work carried out by the Phi robotics research lab group, based at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, which provides for the decontamination of hospital environments through the use of robots. The device uses ultraviolet light and ozonated mist to prevent and reduce the spread of infectious agents such as the coronavirus.

“The task carried out by our group is to provide the robots with autonomy so that they can move efficiently in order to properly emit ultraviolet light throughout the environment to decontaminate it. For this, we maintain control of the disinfected area, with a map that shows what was decontaminated and what was not”, reveals Edson Prestes, a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity, and a researcher at UFRGS.

In such cases, robots could work autonomously or be controlled by a human operator. “Many lives could have been saved with this technology in hospitals during the most acute moments of the pandemic,”  says Prestes.

Research on robotics applied to health does not stop there. Scientists are studying the use of robotic pills that, when ingested by patients, can navigate the human body, filming internal organs and areas of interest to doctors, for a more assertive diagnosis. “It would be much less aggressive than endoscopy and colonoscopy exams, for example”, Prestes  emphasizes.

Also , during the pandemic years, there was greater attention to technologies applied to health, with the development of new systems such as videoconferencing and telemedicine, which use robotics to perform surgeries or as technological support for the doctor.

Photo credit: Instor Projetos & Robótica 

Carbon Robotics Unveils New LaserWeeder

by Communiqué PR, USA

In the spring of 2021, our client Carbon Robotics, an agriculture robotics company, became a sensation when it revealed a “laser-shooting” robot to eliminate weeds. This innovative and organic approach to weeding would help farmers solve one of the most challenging, time consuming and costly parts of farming.

So, when the Carbon Robotics shared the company was planning to release a new implement with higher-performance capabilities, we knew it was going to make a big splash.

Given the new implement would be revealed less than a year after the first robot was announced, we knew there would be questions about the differentiating features as well as motivation behind the change. We worked closely with the team to develop messaging that would address anticipated questions and highlight the enhancements of this implement, including the increased laser density and improved performance. Additionally, we thought it was important to emphasize that this change stemmed from farmer input, demonstrating Carbon Robotics’ ability to adapt to customer feedback and its commitment to supporting its customers.

To ensure reporters had time to ask questions about the change and understand the new robot, we wanted to offer them an opportunity to talk to Paul Mikesell, the CEO and founder of Carbon Robotics, before the announcement published. We pitched a variety of business, technology and agriculture publications, radio shows, broadcast stations and podcasts. We conducted six interviews in advance of the announcement going live and addressed many inquiries via email.

The media was intrigued by the 2022 LaserWeeder and this led to a significant amount of coverage, with even more scheduled to publish in the coming weeks.

Delta-Q Technologies Reaches Milestone, Ships Four Millionth Battery Charge

by Communiqué PR, USA

Reducing emissions is an essential component of reaching global climate goals. The pandemic may have reduced carbon emissions briefly, but as consumer demands for immediacy increase, emissions are likely to rise. Without making industrial equipment and manufacturing processes more sustainable, we risk falling short of climate objectives in an already imminent climate emergency.

Delta-Q Technologies (Delta-Q) has always been committed to sustainability and is leading the way on a local and global scale providing the tools to help international organizations electrify equipment and embrace green strategies. Delta-Q designs and manufactures battery charging solutions and is the supplier of choice to leading electric equipment companies such as John Deere, Polaris and Yamaha.

We’ve had the opportunity to work with the Delta-Q team for eight years. Throughout that time, we’ve supported a variety of product and company announcements and different campaigns. This month, we were thrilled to help announce that Delta-Q shipped its four millionth battery charger.

Each of Delta-Q’s chargers represents the potential to save one metric ton of emissions. The significant milestone equates to four million metric tons of carbon emissions saved since the company’s founding in 1999. In addition to the emissions savings, Delta-Q chargers rank higher than other chargers on the market, with more than a 93% energy efficiency rating. This means that the chargers are both more environmentally friendly and lower electricity costs for the end-user.

Delta-Q’s impressive and consistent role in reducing emissions was recently noticed within its home region. In April, Delta-Q secured a $300,000 grant from The CleanBC Go Electric Advanced Research and Commercialization (ARC) Program. The milestone and grant represent Delta-Q’s commitment to sustainability and further cement the company’s imprint on global electrification.

Photo Credit: Delta-Q Technologies

Health monitor devices invasions increase safety concern

by SPMJ, Brazil

Wearables, technological devices used as accessories, and even pacemakers can suffer concrete invasion threats, endangering the lives of patients, says Raul Colcher, a member of the IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.

The possibility of intrusions into devices that monitor the patients’ health worries safety experts. The use of wearables – technological devices used as accessories – and sensors to capture parameters related to health and well-being progressively grow in sophistication and diversification. These devices allow the real-time acquisition of vital and variable signs that assist in the diagnosis of diseases and medical monitoring. Despite the qualitative gain in the prevention, diagnosis and follow-up of patients, the possibility of invasion and cyberattacks exist, which can bring great damage to the lives of patients.

“There are concrete threats of intrusion and misuse of the data collected by these devices and applications and, in certain cases, even damage to the health and lives of those affected,” warns Raul Colcher, member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity and a partner at Questera Consulting.

Measures to prevent and mitigate these threats include increased security built into devices and sensors, the improvement of security architectures built into healthcare applications, and increased efforts and investments in education and awareness of professionals and executives in order to prevent or minimize attacks .

According to the IEEE expert, it is also important to implement measures to strengthen the legal framework for the protection of personal data, which is already in force in many countries, and to improve the relevant criminal legislation to punish and severely discourage crimes of hacking systems or misappropriation of data. “However, there is no perfect security or attacks that cannot be blocked, since the technology is the same for both flanks.”

On the roof of the Jam Hotel, the aperitivo is sustainable thanks to Derbigum

by SOLUZIONE – Communications Group, Itlay

A poolside aperitivo on the hotel rooftop surrounded by plants? Anything is possible in Brussels, where a somewhat anonymous concrete building has been transformed into the eye-catching Jam Hotel, whose main attraction is its rooftop garden, complete with a pool and cocktail bar to enjoy the capital’s skyline in the heart of Europe. Building a swimming pool and planting trees on a roof is easier said than done: waterproofing must be especially good and plant roots, logically, must not puncture waterproof membranes.  

Regarding the waterproofing system, Olivia Gustot started with the existing concrete structure, reinforced where necessary. The insulation panels were glued with Derbitech FA, and Derbicoat S and Derbigum SP bituminous membranes were used as underlay and waterproof membranes:

“For waterproofing, we systematically choose Derbigum membranes as they are reliable and very easy to use, both for laying and for detailing or finishing – explains Olivia Gustot – Derbigum was the perfect solution for the job we needed to do”.

The Jam Hotel roof is an admirable project that looks at comfort, sustainability and the future. In addition to being made with membranes that have a proven lifespan of more than 40 years (durability is the best guarantee of sustainability), the roof is in fact also multifunctional. It protects from the elements, it lasts over time, but it also serves other purposes, in this case to enjoy an afternoon or a sunset on the terrace, for example. The roof is also aligned with Derbigum’s ‘No roof to waste‘ program, based precisely on the recycling of bituminous membranes and the multifunctionality of flat roofs. 

Sustainable Digitalization Award for AMAG

by Milestones in Communication, Austria

Recently, Milestones in Communication communicated that AMAG, the Austrian Metall AG, won the Sustainable Digitalization Award in the field of “Data Science.” The award-winning project is about reducing scrap and saving valuable energy and raw materials using IOT, Big Data, Data Science and Microsoft Azure Cloud. For more than 15 years, AMAG has been developing physics-based simulation tools to describe and optimize the complex process steps in the manufacture of rolled and cast aluminium products. A few years ago, the application of statistical methods and the so-called big data approach to solving material and process development issues was started. In the meantime, the combination of these IT solution approaches has led to very successful new developments and optimizations at AMAG.

Photo Credit: AMAG

World Cup: Target with huge potential for cybercriminals

by SPMJ, Brazil

In 2006, the then Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, declared that the World Cup managed to be even more universal than the UN itself, as FIFA had 207 members compared to 191 of  the United Nations. From this statement, it is already possible to understand the dimension and power of attraction that the Cup and its stars exert on the world’s population. At the last event, in Russia, the audience reached 3.5 billion people. This year, in the Qatari edition, it is estimated at an incredible 5 billion people!

With all this visibility, the World Cup is a target with enormous potential for cybercrime actions. There is a real possibility of an increase in online scams practiced before and during a sporting event of this magnitude. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to fake and fraudulent websites, portals and e-mails that may appear official, especially those related to the event.

Cybercriminals often use mega-events like the FIFA World Cup as a pretext to attract and hook fans or unsuspecting users. While connectivity during a major event like the World Cup can be a challenge, the even greater difficulty is keeping users’ data secure.

During global mega-events, bad actors often take advantage of the massive movement on the internet, scale and intensify attacks on companies’ infrastructure, whether it’s itself, in data centres or in the cloud, with new and sophisticated tactics such as exploiting stolen credentials and identifying them to amplify ransomware attacks or even invade companies. Participants often find fake and fraudulent websites and emails that appear official, luring them with cheaper tickets, or simply by promising to broadcast the games live. With this, they can expose themselves to several additional blows.

Using service providers with few security and visibility policies and solutions can also result in theft of credentials, passwords and credit card information. Other threats include falling victim to ransomware or malicious software that can infect a user’s phone or computer. This can cause the unknown victim to spread the malware to family and friends, lose confidential data, or even suffer significant financial consequences.

Taking a rigorous and comprehensive approach is important when it comes to mega-events. It is therefore necessary to incorporate more than just basic security standards. The organizations involved in these events must assume additional responsibility for the development and operation of essential security to create a more secure software system. There is no better way to mitigate cyberattacks on such important events than to first understand them fully.

Users should approach website links in relation to the World Cup and all digital communication regarding the event always with caution. They should avoid clicking on emails or links from suspicious websites and ensure they are always using the latest versions of web browsers and never enter their credentials, passwords or credit card information on suspicious websites.

With attention, information and assistance from cybersecurity companies like NETSCOUT, organizations, companies and users feel safer and, thus, reduce the risks of a widespread attack aimed at their data and application infrastructures, which can always cause losses and irreparable damage.

Camerfirma helps the planet with its digital signature

by Aleph Communicacion, Spain

The Spanish company Camerfirma offers solutions to digitize all business processes of companies, organizations and institutions, ensuring compliance with general and sector-specific regulations.

One of the company’s objectives is to provide its customers, not only with fully integrated digital tools that meet all signature and authentication needs, but at the same time, to do so with the environmental commitment that is part of its values.

With the use of GoSign, Camerfirma’s digital signature platform, companies, freelancers and citizens can prepare, sign, authenticate and digitally store documents that previously could have only been presented and signed physically.

Each electronically signed document saves 3 sheets of paper and 5.35 glasses of water. Considering that 830 million digital signature operations have been performed with GoSign in 2021, the savings in paper, water and kg of  CO₂  have been very significant.

Camerfirma wanted to communicate this “green” message. Therefore, Aleph Comunicación saw an opportunity to make it newsworthy by taking advantage of the celebration of the World Day for the Protection of Nature and the International Day against Climate Change. Before the celebration, the company had reminded the public, through press communication, that the use of digital signature tools, in addition to  favouring the optimization of processes, also has a very positive impact on nature. In parallel, it has used this communication to convey the message to its customer.

Through this campaign of awareness and dissemination of the advantages of using  digital signatures, the company has managed to reinforce its brand image aligned with values of protecting and caring  for the environment.

The Spanish agency Aleph Comunicación has been Camerfirma’s press and communication agency since 2019 and has been in charge of carrying out this campaign as part of its press work.

The Styrian innovation company capito makes complex language understandable

by Milestones in Communication, Austria

The majority of people do not understand complex information. For them, this means not only being excluded from society, politics and business, but also incurring economic damage. With the help of artificial intelligence, the local Styrian company capito has set itself the task of translating texts and information into a language that everyone can understand. With its AI-based solutions, the Styrian innovative company makes a significant contribution to greater comprehensibility: the market leader in the field of information simplification supports public authorities, media and also private companies of all sizes in making their messages easy to understand for the respective target groups. In doing so, capito draws on more than 21 years of experience and comprehensive data material.

Photo Credit: capito

Beneo will reduce carbon emissions of rice transportation

by Aleph Communicacion, Spain

Aleph Communicacion also provided communications support to Beneo, a world leader in health and nutrition foods that has invested half a million euros in river transport to reduce its dependence on road transport. With this initiative, Beneo will reduce the carbon emissions associated with inbound transportation of rice from the port to the plant by 20% per year.

Strategic advice for Rothschild & Co Bank

by open up, Switzerland

open up in Switzerland has successfully supported Rothschild & Co Bank – who takes Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) seriously  –  by providing strategic advice on corporate communications and media relations since 2007. The bank provides wealth structuring, investment management and private banking services to wealthy individuals, organisations and families. It manages assets of approx. 20 billion euros. As a responsible investor Rothschild & Co also advises its client on their ESG compliant investment decisions and helps implement this accordingly. Rothschild & Co strongly believes that simply avoiding non ESG compliant companies is too short-sighted from an investor’s perspective. To have an impact, it selects all stocks carefully and then enters into a dialogue with the management to help the company move towards a more sustainable business model. open up supports Rothschild & Co Bank to position its ESG approach in relevant media as part of a broader communications strategy.

Remondis – European leader in managing hazardous waste

by Prova, England

Prova was productive in delivering market insight for their client REMONDIS through an integrated programme of creative marketing, industry-leading thought leadership and stakeholder engagement. Prova positioned REMONDIS as a European leader in managing hazardous waste.

“Prova’s content has helped increase traffic to our website, generated leads and significantly raised our global profile.”

Photo Credit: Remondis