As part of our Mission Possible campaign, edie brings you this weekly round-up of five of the best sustainable business success stories of the week from across the globe.
This weekly feature highlights some of the many thousands of projects underway to help deliver a more sustainable future, today
Published every week, this series charts how businesses and sustainability professionals are working to achieve their ‘Mission Possible’ across the campaign’s five key pillars – energy, resources, infrastructure, mobility and business leadership.
With the dust now settled on COP26, businesses are keen to show that they can turn environmental ambitions into actions – potentially moving further and faster than national governments. Here, we round up five positive sustainability stories from this week
ENERGY: NextEnergy Capital raises $896 for solar-focussed fund
Solar generation has been in the news multiple times this week, with headlines here in the UK including new projects onsite at Glasgow Airport and the University of Surrey.
On a more global basis, NextEnergy Capital announced on Monday (31 January) that it reached a final close on its next fundraising round. It had been targeting $750m for the fund – its third and largest ESG fund to date – but exceeded this target, with a total $896m raised. The fund, like its two predecessors, will support the development and operation of solar farms in the US, Spain, Portugal, Poland and Chile.
Collectively, the first two funds have supported the development of 742MW of new solar generation capacity across 23 projects.
The success of the third fund, NextEnergy Capital said in a statement, has set the firm up to launch a further fund dedicated to UK solar in the coming months. Indeed, this week, law firm DLA Piper this week signed for a virtal Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with NextEnergy Group, that will support the development of a 13MW solar farm in Somerset.
RESOURCES: Exeter City FC bags recycling award
If you’re a Premier League fan and a sustainability buff, you’ll most likely have seen the new UN-backed sustainability ranking of all 20 clubs from the BBC, accounting for the environmental footprint of games and stadium operations as well as clubs’ education and communication work. Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur took joint first while Newcastle ranked last.
Meanwhile, in Football League Two, Exeter City FC has won the annual Every Can Counts campaign’s award. Organisations participating in the campaign are encouraged to switch plastic drinks bottles for aluminium cans and to improve recycling. Profits from recycling the cans can then be donated to charitable causes. In the case of Exeter City FC, the funds raised have improved St James Park and its Memorial Garden and have supported local initiatives relating to mental health and housing support.
To date, the club’s ‘Cans 4 City’ work has seen more than 20 …….