The 4 big ideas for net-zero carbon strategies

Experts across energy management came together at edie’s SPARK! 2.0 event to discuss the role that strategy could play in the delivery of net-zero carbon targets.

Five ideas to capitalise on your energy data

This report showcases the output of edie's SPARK! event, where roundtable participants shared experiences of energy data management tools and techniques, and explored some of the practical steps that can be taken to generate energy and cost savings through more effective monitoring and measuring approaches.

Industrial strategy fit for the future: perspectives on building a competitive UK economy

This publication brings together the views of respected thinkers from politics, business, trade unions and academia on the kind of economy the industrial strategy should be building and the role low carbon and resource efficiency can play.

Carbon pricing, flexibility and scaling-up hydrogen: UK energy sector unveils net-zero innovation plans

The body representing the UK's electricity and gas transmission and distribution sector has set out its plans for reaching net-zero by 2050, concluding that this ambition will only be achieved if a "whole-systems" approach to transformation is adopted.

BNEF: Green hydrogen could slash energy, transport and industry emissions by one-third

Large-scale, global deployment of renewable hydrogen across the energy, transport and industrial sectors could reduce their annual emissions by up to 34% by 2050 - at a "manageable cost".

Equinor leaves US oil and gas industry body due to 'lack of position' on climate policy

Norwegian oil and gas giant Equinor has announced that it is leaving a US oil and gas industry association due to a "misalignment" with the company's new climate commitments and is set to influence other associations to deliver strong climate targets.

US clears Exxon and Chevron to dismiss shareholder climate reporting requests

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved requests from both Exxon and Chevron to reject shareholder proposals that have called on the oil and gas giants to report on how the companies are addressing climate change by aligning to the Paris Agreement.

TODAY AT 1PM: Join edie's webinar on achieving net-zero

Readers have only a few hours left to register for edie's net-zero webinar, which will outline some of the key elements in the field of setting goals for net-zero carbon and greenhouse gas emissions.

Liverpool City Council unveils biogas-powered refuse trucks

Liverpool City Council has commissioned a fleet of refuse collection trucks to operate within the city that will be powered by low-carbon biogas.

Corporate leaders want decarbonisation as central focus for Europe's Industrial Strategy

Business giants including Unilever, Interface, and Coca-Cola have called for the new European Industrial Strategy to focus heavily on decarbonisation in a way that sets out clear strategies for investment into low-carbon solutions and provides price incentives for new goods and services.

E10 petrol, hydrogen and biomethane: Is the UK on the cusp of low-carbon heat and transport?

As the UK Government consults on a low-carbon fuel mix for petrol stations, two industry associations have called for refined government policy to enable the uptake of hydrogen and biomethane use to help decarbonise heat and transport.

EU debuts climate law 'compass', Greta dismisses it as 'surrender'

The European Commission officially unveiled its Climate Law on Wednesday (4 March), aimed at making the EU carbon neutral by 2050. But Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg criticised the plan as a "surrender".

Shell proposes 'Europe's largest' green hydrogen project

Energy major Shell has unveiled plans to develop what it claims will be Europe's largest 'green' hydrogen generation project, powered by wind energy, in The Netherlands.

Energy companies trial 'heat-as-a-service' to drive demand for low-carbon solutions

UK energy companies Bristol Energy and Baxi Heating have completed year-long trials funded by the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to explore whether offering heat as a service could drive demand for low-carbon heating solutions in the UK's domestic building stock.

30 Under 30: Class of 2019 report

Back in 2018, edie put out a call for ambitious young sustainability and energy professionals to join 30 Under 30 - a new, nomination- based community in which they could share ideas and further their careers. This report showcases the achievements of the inaugural 30, the Class of 2019.

RBS's climate goals and Aldi's plastic bag crackdown: The sustainability success stories of the week

As part of our Mission Possible campaign, edie brings you this weekly round-up of five of the best sustainability success stories of the week from across the globe.

Travel Matters partners with JUMP sustainable behaviour change scheme

Travel agency Travel Matters has launched a new partnership with the sustainable behaviour change scheme JUMP, to engage with sector workers in order to respond to the climate emergency.

Cabinet reshuffle: Is the promised 'green budget' in doubt?

Earlier this week Chancellor Sajid Javid was said to be reviewing a string of new subsidies to assist with the UK's net-zero transition. With Javid today (13 February) resigning from the position, doubts have been caused as to whether the UK Government can prioritise the green economy in the March Budget.

BP sets 2050 net-zero carbon target

BP's new chief executive has set an ambition to shrink the oil giant's carbon footprint to net zero by 2050 and will cut the carbon intensity of the energy it sells by 50% over the same period.

'Climate risk is financial risk': TCFD surpasses 1,000 global supporters

The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) has revealed that more than 1,000 organisations are supporting its recommendations, including corporates with a combined market cap of $12trn and investors with $138.8trn of assets under management collectively.

Equinor to dramatically increase wind investment under new climate strategy

Energy major Equinor has pledged to grow its renewable energy generation capacity tenfold over the next six years, in a major shake-up to its climate targets.

Five key takeaways from edie's net-zero energy masterclass

Last week, edie undertook a masterclass with Smartest Energy on evolving your energy strategy for net-zero, which included a case study with property giant JLL.

COP26: Boris Johnson to move diesel ban forward to 2035 and call for global net-zero transition

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use the COP26 climate conference to call on other nations to follow the UK in setting a net-zero target and is also set to reveal plans to move the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars forward five years to 2035 as part of a "year of climate action".

Change climate policy now to avert oil market crisis, warns thinktank

The oil industry is at risk of a global market shock that could halve the value of fossil fuel investments if governments delay setting policies to tackle the climate crisis, according to new analysis.

UK sued for approving Europe's biggest gas power station

The UK government is being sued for approving a large new gas-fired power plant, overruling the climate change objections of its own planning authority.

edie's guides to net-zero carbon continues with the public sector

The fifth report in the series of edie guides on net-zero carbon has launched with a focus on the public sector.

Electricity and gas networks 'failing to show true leadership on net-zero'

The RIIO2 challenge group has lamented a lack of "true leadership" among network operators on subject of decarbonisation, stating that none of the companies that submitted business plans to Ofgem in December have been "genuinely proactive".

Best Practice in 2020: edie's Sustainable Business Manifesto

This Sustainable Business Manifesto, co-created by edie’s 30 Under 30 Class of 2019 and members of our Sustainability Leaders Club, lists eight principles that will push corporations to ramp up their efforts across all aspects of sustainable development in 2020, and beyond while creating value for their shareholders.

IEA: Oil and gas firms investing less than 1% of funds in low-carbon transition

Of the investments collectively made by the world's largest public, private and state-owned oil and gas giants in 2018, less than 1% went towards low-carbon activities such as building renewable energy infrastructure or installing carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) technologies.

World Economic Forum calls on business chiefs to set net-zero targets

All business leaders and companies attending the World Economic Forum in Davos this week have been asked to make public commitments to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 or earlier.

Government urged to target one million heat pumps a year by 2035

The UK must invest in ground source heat pump infrastructure in the 2020s, just as previous generations ploughed money into the gas and water grid, in order to help kickstart the fledgling sector.

Shipping giants debut LNG and hydrogen vessels

Multinational fuel giant Tristar has added a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker to its international shipping fleet for the first time, in the same week that Kawasaki Heavy Industries debuted the world's first ship capable of transporting large volumes of liquid hydrogen.

Energy firms to pay £10.5m over August 2019's major blackout

RWE and Orsted have agreed to pay £9 million for failings leading up to last August's major power cut, while UK Power Networks (UKPN) will also pledge £1.5 million after reconnecting customers too early.

'Cleanest year on record': Zero-carbon electricity surpassed fossil fuel generation in 2019

During the course of 2019, 48.5% of electricity consumed in Britain was generated through zero-carbon methods such as wind, solar and nuclear - compared to 43% for fossil fuels.

UK's first grid-injected hydrogen trials begin in Staffordshire

A pilot project injecting zero-carbon hydrogen into an existing gas network is now fully operational, the consortium of organisations behind the initiative have announced.

How has pop culture responded to the climate emergency in 2019?

From Coldplay cancelling their tour until they can find a carbon-neutral option, to James Bond producers debuting the spy's first fully electric car, all the signs point to sustainability shaping pop culture. But how deep does this impact run, and what's in store for 2020?

7 ideas for smart systems and flexibility

From battery storage and demand response to smart technologies and distributed generation, the roundtable discussion at SPARK! 2.0 assessed the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead on the road to achieving a flexible energy future for businesses.

8 steps for overcoming the behavioural change challenge

During the SPARK 2.0 event, energy and sustainability professionals discussed the barriers to behaviour change and how businesses could harness the wider awareness of the climate strikes to engage all staff members on the need to manage energy use.

Hydrogen: a critical piece of the net-zero jigsaw?

Earlier this year the UK Government committed to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 through the amended 2008 Climate Change Act (CCA). Professor Joe Howe, chair of the North West Hydrogen Alliance (NWHA) and executive director of the Thornton Energy Institute, looks at how hydrogen is a vital part of the solution.

Net-zero by 2025 'practically impossible' due to spiralling costs, report finds

Moving the UK's net-zero emission target forward 25 years is "practically impossible", according to new thinktank research which found that setting a net-zero target for 2025 would cost £200bn each year at a minimum - more than the NHS's annual budget.

Fossil fuel production on track for double the safe climate limit

The world's nations are on track to produce more than twice as much coal, oil and gas as can be burned in 2030 while restricting the rise in the global temperature to 1.5C, analysis shows.

ENA calls for mandatory hydrogen boilers as CBI outlines new sustainability vision

Replacing existing gas boilers with hydrogen-ready devices should be mandatory when they reach the end of their life, the Energy Networks Association (ENA) has urged in its general election manifesto.

Treasury launches Net-Zero Review to measure costs of decarbonisation

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid has today (2 November) launched the Net-Zero Review, the first of its kind, which will assess how the UK can manage the transition to a low-carbon economy.

BP chief: Alternative to 'polluter pays' carbon tax can help meet net-zero

BP's chief executive Bob Dudley and group chief economist Spencer Dale believe that regional carbon prices that don't just tax the producers will enable the oil and gas giant to join the global transition to net-zero emissions, but neither were convinced of when that would happen.

Government urged to boost support for anaerobic digestion

Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid has been urged to provide stop gap funding to support the rollout of biomethane plants when the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme expires in 2021.

Drax launches sustainable biomass strategy

Drax has outlined how it will use the latest science and best practice to ensure that biomass use is sustainably sourced and not linked to deforestation, with the UK Governments former chief scientific adviser Sir John Beddington confirmed as chair of a new Independent Advisory Board (IAB).

Landsec hits science-based targets 11 years early

Commercial real estate firm Landsec has met its verified science-based target 11 years ahead of schedule, with the company's latest quarterly energy data revealing that carbon intensity has fallen by 40%.

Shell commits £10m to offset emissions from customer fuel purchases in UK

Shell will spend £10m over the next year to offset the emissions from customers' fuel purchases at more than 1,000 service stations in the UK, following a successful trial in the Netherlands.

'Risking a carbon budget blowout': UK Government gives go-ahead to Drax gas plant

The UK Government is "risking a carbon budget blowout" by overruling a recommendation from its planning authority in order to give the green light to Drax's large-scale gas power plant, which had been refused on climate grounds.

Total signs cleantech deal to produce hydrogen at refineries

French energy giant Total has signed a cooperation agreement with the Sunfire cleantech company to integrate capture waste heat and CO2 at a German refinery to create synthetic methanol and hydrogen to be used to reduce energy and transport emissions.

RWE to become carbon-neutral by 2040

German utilities giant RWE has unveiled a new strategy to transform itself into a carbon-neutral company by 2040 by funnelling billions into renewables projects, decommissioning existing coal-fired plants and backing carbon capture and storage technology.

New initiative to help business minimise climate impacts of cooling

The Climate Group has launched a new initiative aimed at helping businesses to improve the energy efficiency of their cooling processes and to decarbonise their cooling systems.

Meet the Sustainability Leader: Circular Economy Innovation - Yellow Octopus Fashion

With entries now open for edie's Sustainability Leaders Awards 2020, this new feature series showcases the achievements of the 2019 winners and reveals their secrets to success. Up next: The winner of our Circular Economy Innovation Award, Yellow Octopus Fashion.

Meet edie's 30 Under 30 class of 2019: Luke Landers, University Hospitals Birmingham

This new series profiles the members of edie's 30 Under 30 - a nomination-based community of 30 hugely talented young sustainability and energy professionals who have already achieved great things or are showing fantastic promise. Next up: Luke Landers, energy and sustainability manager at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust.

Business Energy Barometer: August - September 2019

edie's second Business Energy Barometer report maps out the key energy drivers, challenges and opportunities facing UK businesses, based on an in-depth survey of energy managers across the country in the past quarterly period.

Oil and gas companies risking £1.8trn in stranded assets during low-carbon transition, report warns

Oil and gas companies have spent £40.5bn ($50bn) on investment projects that undermine the Paris Agreement, with a new report from think tank Carbon Tracker warning that major companies risk wasting £1.8trn ($2.2trn) on stranded assets by 2030.

Oil and gas industry's net-zero blueprint branded 'overt lobbying'

Green groups have criticised the UK's offshore oil and gas industry's blueprint to contribute to net-zero emissions by 2035, claiming that the accompanying evidence fails to "leave fossil fuels in the ground".

Government sets aside funds to explore low-carbon hydrogen

The government has awarded 20 projects a share of £7 million to explore innovative ways of making and using low-carbon hydrogen.

edie Leaders Clubs Membership Information

The edie Leaders Clubs are dedicated communities for more than 600 sustainability and energy leaders. They are exclusive, member-only programmes of free networking events, industry briefings and workshops which allow members to connect with one another, share ideas, gain valuable recognition and develop their careers.

UK supermarkets accused of over-producing low-quality meat

Anti-hunger charity Feedback is calling for big-name UK supermarkets such as Iceland, Lidl and Asda to offer "less and better" meat, in order to minimise their climate impacts.

UK Resources & Waste Strategy: A blueprint for business leadership

This edie insight guide provides sustainability and environmental professionals with a detailed breakdown of all of the key elements of the UK Government's Resources and Waste Strategy, and what they mean for business.

Meet the sustainability leader: Energy Efficiency - Ibstock Brick

With entries now open for edie's Sustainability Leaders Awards 2020, this new feature series showcases the achievements of the 2019 winners and reveals their secrets to success. Up next: The winner of our Energy Efficiency Award, Ibstock Brick.

Swedish lessons: Can data management enable the UK to deliver a net-zero economy?

The UK's net-zero climate target has been widely welcomed, but is currently lacking some actual points of delivery. Fortunately, Sweden's own net-zero target can teach politicians some interesting lessons, including how big data and digitisation can mobilise action plans.

edie's Plastics Thinkathon: Six moonshot business ideas that could eliminate single-use plastics

With businesses continuing to make plastic-reduction commitments in the face of ever-growing stakeholder pressure, edie recently hosted a 'Plastics Thinkathon' to spur collaborative action on achieving a single-use plastic-free future, today. Here, we round up the potentially transformational results.

UK's liquid gas sector targets 100% biofuel by 2040

The trade body representing the UK's liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) industry has unveiled a new vision of helping the sector transition to 100% biofuel by 2040.

Advertise with edie

edie is an industry-leading, purpose-driven business media brand that empowers sustainability, energy and environmental professionals of all levels to make business more sustainable through award-winning content and inspirational and empowering events.

Kingfisher products improved customer energy efficiency by one-third last year

Home improvement retailer Kingfisher helped customers save an estimated 43TWh of energy - more than the annual consumption of Hong Kong - through energy efficient products such as LEDs and insulation.

Government funnels £26m into CCUS projects

The UK Government had confirmed that 10 companies have secured £26m in funding to facilitate the advancement and rollout of carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS).

In action: The Langham London hotel's aerobic digestion of food waste

In March 2018, the 5-star Langham London hotel embarked on a site-wide behavioural and infrastructural overhaul to divert food waste from landfill through an innovative recycling system introduced by Orca Enviro Systems.

Former National Grid boss Steve Holliday: We can't isolate oil & gas majors on path to net-zero

Former National Grid boss Steve Holliday urged greater business and policy action to involve oil and gas firms in the power sector's low-carbon transition, arguing that such businesses must be "central" to transformation.

NOW AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND: edie's Scope 3 emissions webinar with Multiplex, CDP and Carbon Credentials

Sustainability and energy professionals looking to gain key insights on tackling Scope 3 emissions as part of the science-based targets process can tune into a free one-hour webinar featuring Multiplex Construction Europe, CDP and Carbon Credentials, on-demand.

BP shareholders demand climate action, but reject calls for hard targets

An overwhelming vote in favour of climate action at BP's annual meeting yesterday (21 May) shows how activist investors have started to move the oil and gas industry. But it also showed the limits to their appetite for change.

Insight, inspiration and innovation continue into final day of edie Live 2019

Members of the UK's sustainability and energy management communities have descended upon the NEC in their thousands, with sessions at full capacity throughout the first day of edie Live 2019 and the action now set continue into the second and final day (22 May).

Edinburgh commits to become 'net-zero' carbon city by 2030

Edinburgh City Council (ECC) has pledged to ensure that the city operates on a "net-zero" carbon basis by 2030 - 15 years before Scotland's national net-zero target for 2045.

Mission Possible: The 2019 report

This exclusive edie report showcases world-leading and potentially game-changing examples of sustainability in action across the Mission Possible campaign's five pillars: Energy, Resources, Mobility, The Built Environment and Business Leadership.

In action: Anesco's subsidy-free solar farm supported by a storage floor price

Renewable energy firm Anesco is working with EDF Energy and it's tech partner, Upside Energy, to introduce an industry-first guaranteed floor price for revenue from the battery storage units operating at the first subsidy-free solar development in the UK.

Report: Oil and gas firms failing to disclose climate-related financial risks

The world's largest oil and gas firms must disclose more information on the financial risks that climate challenges will pose to their business, or face losing investment and stakeholder trust.

Britain notches up another coal-free record over Easter

Great Britain's power grid notched up another coal-free record over the Easter weekend, operating for nearly 92 consecutive hours without any domestic coal generation.

Shell taken to court over climate impacts and alleged human rights 'violations'

Oil and gas giant Shell is facing legal actions over "slow" progress in reducing its emissions, improving its human rights protections and eliminating oil spills, with green campaign group Friends of the Earth's (FoTE) Netherlands arm claiming its current business model is "wrecking the climate".

Mission Possible: Achieving a sustainable future for hospitality and leisure

This brand-new sector insight report provides a comprehensive overview of the steps that organisations within Britain's hospitality and leisure sector can take to achieve a sustainable future, today.

How are big oil and gas firms approaching the low-carbon transition?

Faced with increased stakeholder pressure, the world’s largest oil and gas firms are beginning to realise the need to radically decarbonise their businesses. Here, edie explores the differing levels of ambitions of these companies and whether they are spurring or hindering the low-carbon transition.

Report: UK oil and gas industry 'responsible for £44bn of damage each year'

The UK's oil and gas sector is causing £44bn worth of costs through environmental damage, negative social impacts and healthcare spending, a new Friends of the Earth (FotE) report has concluded.

Michael Bloomberg to launch decarbonisation tracker for utility firms

Businessman and philanthropist Michael Bloomberg has unveiled fresh plans to utilise his firm Bloomberg LP and its charitable arm, Bloomberg Philanthropies, to help the utility sector to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.

First Utility rebrands as Shell Energy and switches 700,000 customers to renewable energy

A year after Shell acquired First Utility it has rebranded the supplier as Shell Energy Retail and has today (25 March) confirmed it has switched more than 700,000 homes in Britain to 100% renewable electricity.

Oil giant Eni targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2030

Italian oil and gas group Eni has pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions for its operations by 2030, despite announcing plans to increase oil and gas production by 3.5% annually up to 2022.

Shell starts paying top execs in line with low-carbon progress

Royal Dutch Shell is to link the pay of its 150 most senior executives with its progress towards its carbon reduction aims with "immediate effect", following months of pressure from investors.

The SDGs In Action: How Diageo is achieving SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation

Welcome back to edie's new editorial series which breaks down exactly how businesses are turning the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into action. Up next: global drinks firm Diageo outlines how it is improving its water efficiency to the benefit of the communities it operates within.

Etsy to offset global shipping emissions

Online retailer Etsy has announced plans to offset 100% of its carbon emissions generated from shipping items, free of charge for its customers.

UK gas must be 'completely' decarbonised by 2050, says think-tank

Britain must get rid of fossil-based natural gas in the coming three decades if the country is to meet its long-term climate change objectives, according to a report published on Friday (15 February) by a think-tank close to the ruling Conservative party.

Living Lagom in London: Inside Ikea's new 'leading' sustainable store

edie reporter Sarah George takes a trip to Greenwich to learn how Ikea's new store - touted as its "most sustainable" UK location to date - evidences the company's shift towards circularity and 'climate-positivity'.

The circular economy: cracking the challenge

BP links employee bonuses with climate progress in Paris Agreement alignment drive

Following pressure from green investors, oil and gas giant BP has pledged to align its business with the aims of the Paris Agreement and has begun linking staff bonuses to its low-carbon progress.

Investors press fast food giants to 'urgently' improve supply chain sustainability

A coalition of investment firms with more than $6.5trn in assets under management have called on six of the world's largest fast food companies to take more ambitious action to tackle the climate and water risks within their supply chains, as a "matter of urgency".

Nuclear strategy in 'meltdown' after Wylfa suspension

The government's nuclear strategy is in "meltdown" following Hitachi's announcement that it is halting work on its plans for a new UK atomic power plant in north Wales, Alan Whitehead has said.

Shell set to double investment in green energy

Oil and gas giant Shell is exploring the feasibility of doubling its annual green energy investments to $4bn (£3.2bn), as it begins to transition away from fossil fuels and move into the low-carbon and renewables sectors.

Energy regulations: Coming to a home near you

The launch of the new version 10 of the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP10) means that energy regulations are changing. But what does this mean for our buildings?

Webinar: 30-minute masterclass: How to engage with stakeholders on sustainability

This 30-minute masterclass, hosted in partnership with Cranfield University, will explore some of the skills needed to understand and engage with a range of stakeholders to optimise approaches to sustainability and unlock new business opportunities.

In action: EDF Energy's smart data focus to drive energy efficiency

In September 2017, EDF Energy installed its PowerNow live energy monitoring system at one of its own offices as a way of trialling its own solutions whilst improving the energy efficiency of the building. As revealed in this case study, the project has achieved excellent results all round.

10 ideas to make energy innovation work for your business

This report showcases the output of edie's SPARK! event, where roundtable participants discussed the role of innovation in achieving a sustainable future for business energy and debated which new technologies could hold the key to clean growth.