Recent Articles
Mitrex turns building cladding into solar energy producer
Mitrex turns building cladding into solar energy producer
Every building in Toronto could operate as it’s own powerplant if the founders of Mitrex, a solar-cladding business, get their way. The solar-integrated products are designed to provide a unique way for developers to create renewable energy and cut costs.
Mississauga battery recycler Li-Cycle files to go public
Battery recycler Li-Cycle Corp. is raising cash for global expansion by going public on the NYSE in a deal that values the Mississauga-based company at US$1.7-billion. Li-Cycle repurposes worn-out lithium batteries using a patented process with low environmental impact.
Canadians recycle record 4.1 million kg of batteries
• Canada Newswire • LesAffaires
Call2Recycle Canada, the national consumer battery collection and recycling program, announced 4.1 million kilograms of household batteries were recycled in 2020, contributing to the largest amount of batteries diverted from landfills in Call2Recycle’s history, despite the pandemic.
Carbon footprint of battery metal commodities growing
Roskill issued a report that warns experts expect carbon emissions from the transport of nickel sulphate feedstocks such as mixed hydroxide product (MHP) to grow over the coming years due to rising demand for battery metal commodities.
Money invested in ESG funds doubles in a year
• CNBC • CNBC • Globe and Mail
Investors poured record amounts of money last year into funds that aim to help the environment and promote social good, more than doubling the previous year’s take according to Morningstar. They captured $51.1 billion of net new money from investors in 2020.
How ESG scores can affect the cost of credit
The U.S. arm of Bridgestone has signed a $1.1-billion credit facility with Tokyo-based SMBC with interest rates pegged to ESG risk scores it earns from ratings organizations Sustainalytics and FTSE Russell – the better its ESG scores, the lower the interest.
Environmental risks to cause $120B ‘chain reaction’
• Sustainable Brands • CDP study Transparency to Transformation: A Chain Reaction
New research by CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) reports companies will face up to US$120 billion in costs from environmental risks in their supply chains by 2026. The study analyzed data from 8,000+ supplier companies disclosing to their corporate customers via CDP in 2020.
Improving the poor corporate performance on DEI
SRI investment professionals, who target sustainable, responsible and impactful investments and collectively determine where to invest trillions of dollars, have started to make broad industry commitments to corporate performance on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Mircogrids help Texas, on the verge of catastrophe
• Microgrid Knowledge • GreenBiz
The electric grid has been around for nearly 140 years, but it’s yet to overcome its biggest nemesis: the weather. Texas is showcasing that point this week as it suddenly rivals California in proving the need for microgrids.
Giatec Scientific building a greener concrete industry
Giatec Scientific, one of Ottawa’s hottest tech startups, specializes in developing wireless sensors that measure the quality and consistency of concrete during the construction process and beyond in an effort to cut down on material costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
Manulife earns GBAC STAR real estate accreditation
Manulife Investment Management has become the first Canadian real estate landlord, joining more than 1,100 facilities worldwide, to achieve the coveted GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association.
Canadian cities not doing enough to mitigate flood risks
Canada’s cities have made little progress in preparing for flooding since 2016, according to a new report by the University of Waterloo’s Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation even as increasing numbers of homeowners discover their homes are effectively uninsurable.
EarthRenew bids for 100% of Replenish Nutrients
• Globe Newswire • Sustainable Biz Canada • Globe Newswire
EarthRenew announced it has negotiated an increase to its proposed equity ownership stake from 38 per cent to 100 per cent of the issued and outstanding shares of Replenish Nutrients Ltd., a privately-held regenerative fertilizer and nutrient company located in Okotoks, Alta.
Clean Earth recycles nearly 450,000 tons of soil on-site
Harsco Corporation announced that its Clean Earth Mobile Soil Services division has treated and beneficially reused nearly 450,000 tons of contaminated soil using mobile thermal remediation technology for a military contractor in Northwest Florida, exceeding the remediation goals for the project.
One-third of farmland in U.S. corn belt lost its topsoil
• Yale360 • Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
More than a third of farmland in the U.S. corn belt — nearly 100 million acres — has completely lost its carbon-rich topsoil due to erosion reducing corn and soybean yields in the Midwest by six per cent, nearly $3 billion a year for farmers.
SDTC announces $55.1M for clean-tech companies
• Globe and Mail • Winnipeg Free Press
Ottawa announced $55.1 million in grants for clean-tech companies as it bets on the sector to help Canada’s economy rebound from the pandemic. The funding will come from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), a government-funded foundation first launched in 2001.
IJEM finds dramatic energy savings from SHARC system
• Globe Newswire • Sustainable Biz Canada
The International Journal of Energy Management (IJEM) has reported that B.C.-based SHARC Energy’s PIRANHA HC wastewater heat recovery system installed in a 60-unit residential building in 2020 in North Vancouver dramatically eliminated GHG emissions by capturing the energy from wastewater.
Carbon Engineering recognized by World Economic Forum
Moon shots don’t get bigger than what B.C.’s Carbon Engineering has set out to do: remediate our increasingly heat-trapping atmosphere by pulling out the carbon dioxide compelling the World Economic Forum to recognize Carbon Engineering as one of 100 global Technology Pioneers in 2020.
General Fusion continues to pursue long-term goal
Burnaby’s General Fusion has continued to pursue its decades-long quest to harness the as yet untapped power of nuclear fusion. New sources of capital, board appointments, and hiring an architect to design its Mississauga location are among its recent initiatives.
World’s first Hualong One reactor begins operation
Unit 5 of China’s Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant, the world’s first Demonstration project to adopt China’s indigenous Generation III nuclear power technology Hualong One, also known as HPR1000, was put into commercial operation, China National Nuclear Corporation announced on Jan. 30.
Industry Events
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Sustainable Finance Forum 2024
Nov 28 2024
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Shaw Centre, Ottawa -
Zero Carbon Building Standards Interactive Workshop
Dec 10 2024
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Feb 10 2025
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Feb 11 2025
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Apr 28 2025
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Building Lasting Change
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