Prominent funder of climate sceptic and anti-regulation lobby groups died from advanced prostate cancer David Koch, the billionaire industrialist who alongside brother Charles waged a sustained war on government regulation and climate action, has died aged 79. The American’s death was confirmed today in a statement from Charles, the CEO and chairman of Koch Industries, […]

Oil giant makes first foray into Australia’s competitive power market as it continues drive into consumer energy supply, renewables, and clean technologies Shell is closing in on its first foray into Australia’s competitive electricity sector with a (AUS) $617m takeover bid for ERM Power Ltd, as the oil and gas giant continues its drive into […]

Business for Inclusive Growth (B4IG) coalition will launch at the G7 summit this weekend, warning inequalities around the world are economically-damaging More than 30 global companies boasting combined revenues in excess of $1tr have thrown their weight behind a drive to tackle inequality, support inclusive economic growth, and promote workplace diversity as part of a […]

BusinessGreen Leaders Summit 2019 The BusinessGreen Leaders’ Summit will bring together some of the UK’s top green executives, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, campaigners, and politicians to explore how the pace, reach, and adoption of green business innovation can be accelerated, and the barriers to adoption overcome. Date: 23 Oct 2019 The Crystal One Siemens Brothers Way […]

Macron said the Amazon rainforest fires were an ’emergency’ | Credit: Pablo Tupin-Noriega/Wikimedia France Fires currently ravaging the Brazilian rainforest should be top of the agenda at this weekend’s G7 Summit, says French President, as debate over future trade deals intensifies Devastating fires currently ravaging parts of the Amazon rainforest are an “international crisis” that […]

A growing number of companies are claiming that their products lead to negative greenhouse gas emissions Let’s test your sustainability knowledge. What do the following businesses have in common: Max Burger, a major Swedish fast-food outlet; Mevo, a New Zealand car-share company; Briggs Automotive Company,…

After a successful pilot on the Georgia Institute of Technology campus in 2017, DASANI PureFill stations can be found at Ohio State University and the University of Central Florida / Credit: Coca-Cola Alongside innovations in recycled content and renewable plastic, the company’s Dasani brand is expanding pilots of its water dispenser line, PureFill One of […]

Designer jeans brand unveils new strategy to combat water scarcity across its global supply chain Levi Strauss & Co. has unveiled a new plan to cut water use across its business and supply chain, promising to set more stringent targets for its factories and suppliers operating in water-stressed regions of the world, while exploring less […]

PARIS — On Friday, François-Henri Pinault, the chief executive of Kering, plans to unveil details of a Fashion Pact that he is to present to world leaders at the Group of 7 summit this weekend. The agreement outlines group commitments focused on climate, biodiversity and oceans. It defines itself as “a set of guidelines” and […]

Natural beauty retailer reveals its Cork Pot sequesters more than 33 times its weight in carbon dioxide Lush has confirmed its Cork Pots are officially ‘carbon positive’, allowing customers to directly support the planting of new trees in Portugal with each purchase. Cork is harvested from the bark of cork oak trees once a decade […]

Better transport policies targeting taxes at the most polluting vehicles would improve air quality, argues Bright Blue’s William Nicolle The recent heatwave in the UK recorded the hottest July temperature since records began, generating a flurry of stories that reflect just how unprepared Britain is for weather extremes – from buckling…

Demonstrator project will explore whether solar can directly supply power to railways’ traction systems Travellers journeying by rail between London Waterloo and Weymouth will get a solar powered surprise on the tracks from today, after a solar array in Aldershot becomes the first in the world to directly supply a railway line with green power. […]

Microplastics have been found in drinking supplies all over the world | Credit: Courtney Emery Huge numbers of tiny particles of plastics in water supplies are unlikely to post serious health risk, but data is ‘extremely limited’ UN health body warns The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for an urgent assessment of the health […]

All our coverage of SDG10 and the goal to eradicate financial and social inequalities SDG10 – the goal to “reduce inequality within and among countries” – “continues to be a significant concern”, according to the UN, with income inequality in particular on the rise in many parts of the world. BusinessGreen’s reporting series considers the […]

“Inequality is a policy choice”. So say campaigners, mindful that much inequality stems from political choices such as the level of taxation levied on the richest, whether to turn a blind eye to tax avoidance, and whether to legislate to tackle discrimination faced by minorities. But if so, it’s a choice that many governments are […]

With the right digital tools, natural capital approaches can transform a business’ relationship with nature, argues AECOM’s Robert Spencer With climate change and biodiversity urgently becoming a focal point for all UK businesses, the way in which the industry interacts with nature is significantly changing and will continue to transform…

Cuadrilla will now have to wait at least 18 hours before it can restart fracking operations | Credit: Cuadrilla A 1.55 magnitude tremor stops work at Preston New Road, just days after operations resumed following a seven-month hiatus Cuadrilla has been forced to once again stop its fracking operations in Lancashire after the largest seismic […]

Governor of Washington quits race for Democratic nomination, signalling he is confident the party will land on a candidate who prioritises climate action Washington Governor Jay Inslee has brought down the curtain on the first Presidential bid to focus almost exclusively on the climate crisis. The 2020 Democratic hopeful told MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show […]

Chief executive says hard-to-recycle plastic on own-brand products will be eliminated Tesco has pledged to step up its efforts in the battle against single-use plastic with measures that include banning brands using excessive packaging from Britain’s largest supermarket chain. Dave Lewis, Tesco’s chief executive, said the company would “reserve the right not to list” products with […]

Ipsos MORI poll for Evening Standard reveals 85 per cent of adults are now concerned about global warming and its impacts, as majority back earlier net zero target Public concerns about climate change have hit a record high, according to a new Ipsos MORI poll that shows 85 per cent of British adults are not […]

Global toy giant says it will start phasing out plastic packaging across its iconic portfolio from next year Hasbro has become the latest multinational to launch a major crack down on plastic packaging, announcing this week that it is to begin phasing out plastic packaging from new toy and game packaging from next year. The […]

The company claims to now be producing ‘carbon neutral’ milk-alternatives | Credit: Rebel Kitchen Company offsets CO2 from entire business supply chain by partnering with two rainforest protection projects in Peru Plant-based drink manufacturer Rebel Kitchen has become a ‘carbon neutral’ company six years ahead of its 2025 target date, after announcing this week that […]

Science and Technology Committee sets out 10 key areas in urgent need of fresh policy action, including heat, CCS, renewables, and EVs The government is yet again facing calls from MPs to urgently set out plans for achieving net zero emissions by 2050, with the Science and Technology Committee today calling for much-needed policy support…

Purchase beefs up plans to develop 600MW of onshore wind and solar generation in the UK The UK onshore wind market received a major vote of confidence yesterday, as leading European renewable energy developer Statkraft announced it has acquired the entire shareholding of onshore wind developer Airvolution Clean Energy Ltd. The company said the deal […]

the HS2 scheme would link London to Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester via high speed rail | Credit: Pelucco Move calls into question whether the controversial £50bn infrastructure project will go ahead The government has thrown the future of the planned HS2 rail line linking London to the North of England into doubt today with the […]

The Prime Minister is right to say the UK has some of the most ambitious environmental legislation in the world, but as a new report reveals many of those rules are going unenforced In his letter to European Council President Donald Tusk earlier this week Prime Minister Boris Johnson reiterated his commitment to the UK’s […]

Growth in environmental concern pushes retailers to speed up attempts at sustainability There have been few fashion statements over the years at G7 summits (dress code: world leader suit, sensible shoes). But this year, G7 leaders will be joined by more than 20 fashion retailers and brands, including the owner of Gucci, Kering, H&M and Zara’s parent company, […]

Smart Home Battery and solar package to allow drivers to ‘unlock the full potential’ of their solar panels, the firms claim Clean energy technology firm Moixa has paired up with electric vehicle (EV) charging specialist EO Charging to today launch a new Smart Home Battery and solar package they claim will help EV drivers maximise […]

University of Nottingham says new techniques give lower estimate than in 2013 report The UK’s underground shale gas reserves may deliver only a fraction of the gas promised by fracking firms and government ministers, according to a study. Research by the University of Nottingham found that early estimates may have exaggerated the UK’s shale reserves […]

Companies are missing out on major carbon savings by ignoring supply chain emissions, warns Karl Desai of the UK Green Building Council Too technical, uninteresting, difficult to communicate: the reserve of carbon accounting nerds. This was the feedback from some when we set out to develop a guide to support commercial real estate…

the US stands to lose 10.5 per cent of its GDP by 2100 if emissions aren’t curbed | Credit: Tankbmb New study from the University of Cambridge suggests seven per cent of global GDP could be wiped out by 2100 under business-as-usual carbon emissions scenario The US and Canada looks set to lose more than […]

Unchecked campaign launches with stark warning that funding for environmental enforcement agencies has been halved since 2010 The government may have repeatedly stressed that it remains committed to ‘world-class’ environmental standards, but the agencies tasked with overseeing and enforcing those standards have seen their funding halved inside a decade. That is the stark reality highlighted […]

Like a husband telling a suspicious partner he’ll be home on time, Boris Johnson is telling the EU the UK wants to have ‘world-class’ environmental standards, but it also wants the freedom to change them if it chooses Sovereignty and power. Power and sovereignty. It always comes back to sovereignty, and perhaps more importantly, the […]

Nearly 200 top US CEOs from The Business Roundtable set out new definition for the ‘purpose of a corporation’ that highlights the need for sustainable practices A group of major corporations have abandoned the profit motive as the sole driver of business success, instead naming ethical supply chains, value for customers, environmental protection, and long-term growth as […]

A palm oil mill in Kuala Lumpur | Credit: Marufish Malaysia’s offer to UK of preferential trading terms if it breaks with EU palm oil standards after Brexit raises alarm bells for environmental experts The last Cabinet may have repeatedly promised to maintain strong environmental standards after Brexit, but throughout Theresa May’s tenure fears that […]

National Grid has found a link between a lightning strike and major outages at two power plants | Credit: mdesigner125 Ofgem launches investigation into power cuts following release of initial report from National Grid revealing lightning strike played key role in sparking blackout National Grid has pointed to a lightning strike as being partly to […]

Prime Minister insists government remains committed to ‘world-class’ environmental standards, but insists laws and regulations to deliver them ‘will potentially diverge from those of the EU’ Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given the clearest indication yet that he envisages the UK diverging from EU environmental rules post-Brexit, declaring that the ability to introduce laws and […]

Leading African micro-grid specialist PowerGen acquires Rafiki Power from European energy giant The fast-growing market for off-grid renewable energy systems received a boost yesterday, as leading African developer PowerGen announced it has acquired rival off-grid specialist Rafiki Power from European energy giant E.ON. The companies said the deal – financial details for which were not […]

Thrive Renewables’ Matthew Clayton has three ways the UK can offer a brighter future for renewables The UK has installed an impressive 44GW of renewable energy capacity in the last few decades, meeting a third of our electricity demand. Government subsidies were instrumental in this success – putting…

Leading trade bodies, clean tech start-ups, and green campaigners join forces to put forward proposal for a new AI-focused research centre Some of the UK’s largest and most influential business groups have written to the government calling on it support new proposals for the creation of an International Centre for AI, Energy and Climate, which […]

Verco’s Tom Randall explores how to embed behaviours within your business that are compatible with the net zero transition Many people perceive achieving significant reductions in CO2 emissions and ultimately net zero emissions as primarily a technical challenge.  Despite being a chartered engineer, in my view, it’s a behavioural challenge. Our buildings and infrastructure may […]

Joint venture between Green Investment Group and UK government to invest £14m in development of 254MW of South African renewables projects UK Climate Investment (UKCI), the joint venture between Macquarie-owned Green Investment Group and the UK government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, has announced an agreement to mobilise £14m of investment in a […]

Sainsbury’s is phasing out its own-brand plastic applicator tampons | Credit: Nensuria No own-brand tampons will use plastic applicators as supermarket bids to ‘remove unnecessary plastic’ from its product lines Sainsbury’s has stopped producing and selling its own brand range of compact tampons with plastic applicators, it revealed this weekend. The supermarket said the move […]

Ovo Energy has promised to cut down printed marketing materials and staff flights Company promises to prioritise digital marketing, carbon offset any print-based messaging, and end all door drop marketing Leading green energy supplier Ovo Energy has today unveiled a new package of commitments designed to curb the environmental impact of its marketing activity. In […]