The Triple Bottom - 🌱 As good as shoe

As good as shoe - Allbirds launch resale platform
The issue: 21 billion pairs of shoes are created annually and the majority are difficult to recycle due to the use of specific types of plastic and glue.
Allbirds’ solution: The shoe brand has launched a resale platform allowing customers to return their shoes and receive a credit voucher. 
Why? Allbirds is working to double the lifespan of its shoes by 2025. There’s also a financial incentive as the global fashion resale market is set to grow to $64bn by 2024.
Positive feedback? Take back schemes rely on tech that supports efficient reverse logistics. Adoption by large retailers = greater funding for development of tech = more cost-competitive prices (in theory) = even more adoption.

Companies failing to support suppliers in improving ESG performance 
The challenge: Action to reduce emissions released by a company’s supply chains (i.e. Scope 3 Emissions) is critical, as these emissions can be 11x greater than from direct company operations. Also, regular readers will know there’s growing scrutiny over social issues in supply chains.
New research… from CDP highlights companies are failing to engage with suppliers on emissions - less than 3% of suppliers to large corporates have approved emissions targets in place. This is despite almost 1,000 companies pledging to reduce supply chain emissions by setting scope 3 Science-Based Targets.
Best in class… companies empower their procurement teams to make sustainable decisions by rating suppliers against sustainability criteria, then collaborating with them to improve performance.
 

Wales to pilot £19k-a-year guaranteed living wage for youths leaving foster care
More than 7,000 children rely on government-assisted care in Wales - the highest rate of any UK nation. When they leave care these youths are left to navigate life alone, usually ending up reliant on state support. The Welsh Government will provide a guaranteed living wage to support youths as they leave care whether they’re in work or not. The aim is to test if the policy can help reduce poverty and unemployment.

DeepMind has trained an AI to control nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion: Current nuclear power stations use nuclear fission – essentially splitting an atom’s nucleus. Nuclear fusion involves joining two atomic nuclei and is what happens in the Sun. Both release large amounts of energy, but fusion has a very high energy yield and low nuclear waste = prospect of unlimited clean energy.
The challenge: In the Sun, massive gravitational forces create the right conditions for nuclear fusion, on Earth conditions are harder to achieve for long enough for us to extract energy from the reaction (we use extreme temperature and powerful magnets).
Enter Deepmind: The artificial intelligence firm, backed by Google’s parent company Alphabet, has developed an AI for controlling nuclear fusion reactions. The solution, implemented in an experimental fusion reactor in Switzerland, controls 19 magnetic coils to see the impact that small changes have on the stability of the reaction.
Enabling… researchers to accelerate the long journey toward fusion power by informing the design of future reactors. Phew… that was a tricky one

• California expects to end the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. This is particularly important as California is the largest auto market in the US.

• Women now represent more than half of Netflix’s global employee and leadership base above director level, and people from historically excluded racial or ethnic backgrounds make up over half of its U.S. workforce.

• US department of Agriculture is going to invest $1bn to finance pilot projects that create market opportunities for US farmers and foresters that use climate-smart and sustainable practices. 

• The Italian parliament approved a law that enshrines into the constitution that Italy must safeguard ecosystems and biodiversity in the interest of future generations. 

• Startup, PosiGen, is making solar power available to all demographics in the US by leasing panels to customers.

• California-based electric vehicle hardware startup CelLink raises $250M in Series D funding for its intelligent wiring technology for solar, LED, and battery industries

• London-based Bramble Energy secures $48M for in Series B funding for its hydrogen fuel cell tech to support net zero mission

• Nth Cycle Secures $12.5 Million in Series A Financing to Scale Clean Critical Mineral Recycling & Mining Technology

• Blueland Raises $20 Million in Seed funding To Eliminate Single-Use Plastics From Home Cleaning

• Ace Green Recycling raises $7 Mn in seed funding led by Circulate Capital for its battery recycling technology