SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT

British Airways signs sustainable jet fuel supply deal with US start-up LanzaJet

British Airways has signed a deal with US sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) firm LanzaJet. The airline has invested an undisclosed sum in a commercial-scale SAF production plant, joining Japanese trading house Mitsui and Canadian oil and gas major Suncor Energy as a major investor in the renewable jet fuel start-up. LanzaJet will start supplying sustainable jet fuel to British Airways from 2022, while also undertaking preliminary planning for a potential commercial sustainable aviation facility for British Airways in the UK. LanzaJet makes jet fuel converted from wheat chaff and other agricultural residues, resulting in a product that produces 70% less greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional jet engine fuel. British Airways previously signed a SAF agreement with British company Velocys six months ago. (Business Green)

SUSTAINABLE FASHION

Fashion giants collaborate on Bangladesh textile reuse scheme

A group of 30 fashion brands, manufacturers and waste management firms have launched the Circular Fashion Partnership to improve textile resource efficiency and waste management in Bangladesh. Companies, including H&M, Marks & Spencer, Target Australia and C&A, will aim to develop systems that capture post-production fashion waste to then use in the production of new textile products. The partnership will also attempt to combat issues created by Covid-19, such as increases in deadstock. Businesses will engage with regulators and investors to create opportunities in Bangladesh, which possesses the most in-demand and recyclable waste of any garment-producing nation, and employs three million workers, of which 90% are women. The initiative is supported by textile-waste-tracking platform Reverse Resources, trade organisation The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, and sustainable innovation forum P4G. (Edie)

RENEWABLE ENERGY 

Almost half of global vehicle sales in 2050 will be zero emission

Global sales of zero emission and plug-in hybrid vehicles will outstrip those of internal combustion engines in 2047, according to research from oil and gas consultancy Wood Mackenzie. By 2050, EV sales are estimated to reach 62 million worldwide, reflecting 48% of global vehicle sales that year, and 78% or above in China, Europe and North America, the booming markets for EVs. Residential chargers will be the primary mode of powering up EV batteries, making up 90% of all charging outlets worldwide by 2050. Despite this, Wood Mackenzie predicts that 44% of vehicles sold worldwide will be still powered by fossil fuels in 2050, due to a slow phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles and increased demand for them in emerging economies. (Business Green)

ENVIRONMENT

Fossil fuel pollution caused 8.7 million deaths globally in 2018, research finds

Air pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil was responsible for 8.7 million deaths globally in 2018  new research warns. A team of scientists analysed the concentration of PM2.5, the sooty airborne particles thrown out by power plants, cars, trucks and other sources that may cause health problems. The study found that countries with the largest consumption of fossil fuels are suffering the highest death tolls, with over one in 10 deaths in both the US and Europe and nearly a third in Eastern Asia being caused by the pollution. The new estimate is higher than a major 2019 report by the Lancet that found 4.2 million annual deaths from air pollution coming from dust and wildfire smoke, as well as fossil fuel combustion. (The Guardian)

WASTE

Coca-Cola launches new bottles in the US made out of 100% recycled materials

Fizzy drinks leader Coca-Cola is launching a bottle in the US made from 100% recycled materials – excluding its cap and label – which is estimated to reduce the company's use of new plastic by 20% compared to 2018. The 100% recycled bottle will be used for Coke, Diet Coke and Coke Zero Sugar products and will include a label encouraging consumers to recycle it. The news comes after Coca-Cola was ranked the world’s biggest plastic polluter for the third year running by global initiative Break Free From Plastic’s 2020  audit. Coca-Cola bottles were the most frequently found littered on beaches, rivers, parks and other sites, more than the next two top global polluters (PepsiCo and Nestlé) combined. The new bottle will begin rolling out in February and be extended across the US this summer. (USA Today)