Regardless of personal opinions, investment in green technology is at full speed ahead around the globe. Now, a new company launched by motor makers Renault and Geely which will be committed to the development of low-carbon technology is set to have its headquarters in the UK, the BBC reports.

The company will invest in low-emission petrol, diesel and hybrid engines. Not only will this meet the ever-increasing global demand for electric vehicles, but could it also help to prop up a government promise of a net zero emissions future?

The Renault-Geely Deal

A joint venture agreement between French motor giant Renault and Chinese carmaker Geely will result in a new global company set to be headquartered in the UK, with each entity holding a 50% stake in the new company. 

The firm will be launched later this year and plans to invest up to £6bn to develop low-emission petrol, diesel and hybrid engines. These will be supplied to multiple car makers worldwide, including Nissan, Volvo and Mitsubishi. 

It will employ around 19,000 workers at its 17 engine factories, in addition to 5 research and development hubs. The venture aims to have an annual production capacity of up to 5m internal combustion, hybrid and plug-in hybrid engines and transmissions per year.

Renault and Geely have released a statement that the new company will use its UK headquarters to “consolidate operations, build on synergies, and define future plans.” 

The partnership comes after Hangzhou-headquartered Geely has spent the last few years investing in making electric vehicles (EVs). A decade ago, it bought Coventry-based London black cab manufacturer London Taxi Company in a deal worth £11.4m. 

In 2017, the cab maker was renamed the London Electric Vehicle Company to highlight its focus to switch to EV tech. It developed the city’s first electric black cab, with around 5,000 of the vehicles now on the capital’s streets. 

Geely’s new joint venture with Renault will be its latest step in becoming the leader in next-generation hybrid solutions to meet worldwide demand for the years to come.

A Shift In The Global Motor Industry 

The deal between Renault and Geely comes as the global motor industry is shifting its focus to developing electric vehicles. 

Although the firm is not exclusively committed to developing electric engines, chief executive of Renault Luca de Meo says he hopes that joining forces with Geely will “disrupt the game and open the way for ultra low-emissions ICE (internal combustion engine) technologies”. 

In turn, Geely Holding Group chairman Eric Li added that this step will accelerate its plans to “become a global leader in hybrid technologies, providing low-emission solutions for automakers around the world.”

The deal between Geely and Renault demonstrates a shift in the motor industry to becoming more carbon-friendly. Other global companies have already taken an interest in the example this partnership is setting. 

The firms say that energy giant Aramco – the world’s biggest oil and gas company – may join the venture and that it is “evaluating a strategic investment”. 

Aramco is a significant emitter of greenhouse gases – a key contributor to global climate change. The company’s interest in joining the Renault-Geely venture comes after its president and chief executive Amin Nasser said earlier this year that it would increase its investments in lower-carbon technologies. 

Aramco’s sentiments in becoming focused on a carbon-friendly future are echoed in the statement of Mr Meo, who stated that “When it comes about the global race for decarbonizing road transports, there is no time to lose, and it will not be business as usual.”

“Facing today’s automotive challenges, no one can claim to have all the solutions, alone. Coming up with breakthrough innovations requires combining expertise and assets.” “I want to thank Eric Li Shufu for his trust: we are now ready to move forward!”, he finished. 

Despite the typical new EV being more expensive than its equivalent petrol or diesel car, the demand for them is continuing to grow in countries around the world, including the UK. Not only may the Renault-Geely deal help to quell this demand, but it echoes the strategy set forward by the UK government which promises an investment of up to £1bn to support the electrification of UK vehicles.

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About Electron Green

In 2010, the Electron Green team created the ‘Free Solar’ sector with the FIT (Feed in Tariff) scheme to disrupt the residential energy market and put solar at the forefront. For the first time ever, UK homeowners could have a solar PV system on their roofs and use the electricity free of charge.

The same team is now working to do the same with commercial and industrial rooftops around the country. Electron Green have dedicated themselves to the renewable energy sector and believe that rooftop solar can be a green power station if only it is utilised.

What Does Electron Green Do?

Electron Green can install its own solar system onto any commercial or industrial roof, free of charge. As the client, you will simply have to pay for the solar electricity that is produced at a discounted and fixed rate. There are a number of benefits to the Electron Green scheme, but in particular, there is no capital investment required from clients, they work with both landlords and tenants, and Electron Green will take care of everything from solar development to construction management and financing. With the Electron Green business model, it’s a win-win.

The Big Green Billion

According to the Electron Green team, there are millions of square meters of empty industrial and commercial rooftops all over the country which could be used to generate low-cost electricity for British businesses. In order to help tackle this huge effort, Electron Green is investing £1 billion into solar PV and installing free systems onto the rooftops. This is aimed to help businesses save money while also benefitting the energy sector by encouraging more people to switch to solar.

Who Can Benefit From Electron Green’s Solar Projects?

No matter whether you are a landlord, occupier or tenant, everyone can benefit from the Big Green Billion project and take advantage of solar energy. As a portfolio landlord, installing solar panels onto your commercial rooftop could generate value for your building and cut carbon emissions. Electron Green is able to deploy solutions at scale so no matter the size of your building, the team can help.

Plus, as an owner occupier or leasehold tenant, the unique solar electricity service will cut costs without requiring you to change utility suppliers. Electron Green can simply mix the energy produced from solar panels with your existing supply to reduce your monthly outgoings, making it a great option for all involved.

Find out more about Electron Green and their renewable energy investments on .

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The has reported that new solar and wind sites are having to wait for prolonged periods of time, up to 10 to 15 years, to be connected because of a lack of capacity in the UK National Grid. 

Reviewing UK Climate Goals

 
The UK has a target of 100% of its electricity being produced without carbon emissions by 2035. 

Considering this goal is less than 15 years away and the government has already spent £198 billion on renewable power infrastructure since 2010, there are increasing concerns over how far away we are from our green goal.

The National Grid is the system operator of Great Britain’s electricity and gas supply and, as such, it is at the heart of working to accelerate the development of our clean energy future. 

However, if the grid is to be successful in supplying the UK with renewable energy, fundamental reform is needed. 

In order to meet its target goal, the UK is in desperate need to increase the number of renewable projects taking place across the country. Alas, this would mean around five times more solar and four times more wind power than is currently being produced.

Besides the UK, the US is having similar problems in achieving its net zero goals. Earlier this year, reported that plans to install 3,000 acres of solar panels in Kentucky and Virginia have been delayed for years. Minnesota, North Dakota, Massachusetts and Maine also have solar panel plans that are either faltering or downright failing to take off the ground. 

Whilst the US does not have one single grid, the States operate on dozens of electric networks which are having similar problems to the UK. So many projects are trying to squeeze through the approval process that delays can drag on for years, leaving some developers throwing up their hands and simply walking away.

It now takes an average of roughly four years for developers to get approval in the States. Whilst this is less time than developers are having to wait to connect to the UK grid, it is double the time it took for developers to be approved in the US a decade ago.

The Opportunities Of Wind And Solar Power 

 
It is becoming increasingly essential for the UK to supply wind and solar people to people’s homes due to the success this could have on our journey to having a fuel-free grid. 

Esme Stallard, Climate and Science Reported at the BBC, reported this Thursday that, for the first time in the UK, wind turbines have generated more electricity than gas. 

In the first three months of this year, a third of the country’s electricity came from wind farms, research from Imperial College London has shown. The grid has also confirmed that April saw a record period of solar energy generation.

But a new solar site or wind farm can only start supplying energy to people once it has been successfully plugged into the grid. This highlights the necessity of getting the UK grid up to speed with its connection queues so that we can have any hope of meeting our net zero goal in 2035.

Green Projects Left Sitting In The Connections Queue

 
Currently, the BBC has calculated that there is more than a whopping £200 billion worth of projects sitting in the National Grid connection queue.

Whilst around 40% of these projects need to wait for at least a year before connection, Energy companies like Octopus Energy – one of Europe’s largest investors in renewable energy – have been told by National Grid that they need to wait up to 15 years for some connections to take place. 

Zoisa North-Bond, Chief Executive of Octopus Energy Generation, has complained about the current issues with the UK grid system, stating that: “We currently have one of the longest grid queues in Europe”. 

In short, it is becoming increasingly clear that the UK National Grid simply cannot keep up. A grid that was made to support just a few fossil fuel power plants simply cannot deal with so many new projects applying to be connected. 

Searching For An Answer

 
In response to its struggles, the grid is tightening up criteria so that only really promising green projects will join the queue.

To help the grid, besides easing up pressure on its waiting list, in order to reach net zero goals it will also need huge amounts of investment so that it can be fundamentally restructured and reformed. 

Roisin Quinn, director of customer connections, says that “Fundamental reform is needed” for the grid to be able to support a net zero UK in the future. “More infrastructure is needed. We are working very hard to design and build at a faster pace than we ever have done before.”

In order to get the investment it needs, Ofgem – the energy regulator which oversees the operators – has agreed for the National Grid to raise an additional £20 billion over the next 40 years from customer bills to pay for the huge upgrades it needs.

Whilst this may help the National Grid, this is bad news for UK customers who have already seen household prices soar over the last year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which put pressure on energy supply lines. 

All in all, the figures aren’t currently adding up to a happy ending. The UK wants to get to net zero emissions in less than 15 years, but the National Grid has 10 to 15-year queues for renewable projects to be connected. 

Even with the National Grid tightening up criteria so that only really promising projects will join the queue, this plan will ease the problem as opposed to mending it, and UK citizens are already under a lot of financial strain without the need to pay even more to update the grid.

The UK government is due to announce a new action plan for speeding up connections later this year. So, only time will tell if the government can really come up with a new approach that is able to breathe new hope into completing the country’s net zero emission goals by 2035. 

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Founded in 2016 and based in London, 91̽�� is where decision-makers, investors and startups of all sizes come to find out the latest developments and trends within the industry. 

91̽�� are delighted to announce our first ever Sustainability60 roundup, celebrating the U.K. and Europe’s most innovative Sustainability companies.

Thank you to our judges: Jason Ash (Young Planet), James Lynn (Currensea) and Dana Leigh (91̽��) for your time and effort to confirm our list of outstanding finalists.

Feedback From The Judges

“There have been some fantastic entries demonstrating real impact – some of the entries offer accessible and easy to use solutions for consumers that have secured remarkable results, whilst others offer a glimpse into a tech future leveraging AI or other emerging technologies to bring about positive change.“

–James Lynn, Co-Founder at Currensea

“Wonderful to absorb the strength and diversity of mission of the entry list – a mind boggling collection of people and businesses attempting to improve our lives on a micro and macro level, in different ways, and at different stages but all very much united in pursuing sustainability in it’s truest sense” 

– Jason Ash, Founder at Young Planet

“The beauty of the Sustainability60 competition is that it is, by nature, incredibly broad. We were determined to ensure only companies making real change in the space were included and were blown away by the number of entries and calibre of companies. Congratulations to all the winners, highly deserved!”

– Dana Leigh, Editor, 91̽��

See The List

Top 10 – See Here >>

Top 25 – See Here >>

Top 60 – See Here >>

For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.

Thank You To Our Judges!

For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.

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Founder: Christoph Jenny

Website:
 

 

About Planted

 
At Planted, we create delicious meat from plant-based proteins, focusing on the perfect bite and taste while only using clean ingredients. We want to revolutionise the way meat and protein-rich foods are consumed around the world. We aim to reduce the negative impact of the traditional meat industry on our planet whilst still delivering versatile, healthy and tasty proteins.

Our current portfolio of products in the UK provides plenty of choice for those looking at consuming more plant-based foods. From our delicious chicken to our pulled range which mimics the texture of pork incredibly well and our tasty skewers, there’s something for everyone. Just like animal meat, our plain products have a neutral taste and can absorb whichever spices, seasonings and sauces you cook with. Or, for those looking for something more immediate, we do have products that come already marinated (also only using clean ingredients) – such as our Lemon & Herb planted.chicken or our BBQ planted.pulled pork. These marinades use the highest quality ingredients and were created by our in-house culinary team, showing we’re serious about committing to foodies!

We produce all our products ourselves under our glass-house production facility in Kemptthal, Switzerland – the first transparent meat production open to the public. Over 65 employees work in the areas of science, engineering, and product development. ​​For our products, we use only clean ingredients and protein sources (peas, oats, sunflowers).​

Combining our unique structuring technology with traditional fermentation enables Planted to create bigger, more complex, juicy, and tender cuts, and add essential micronutrients such as Vitamin B12. Fermentation has a long tradition in food production such as for wine, beer, salami, tempeh or sauerkraut. Fermenting the raw material with microbes, such as fungi or bacteria, leads to greater taste and texture, higher safety or better nutritional value. Using only high-quality ingredients, we go the extra mile to make great-tasting products through a perfect process, rather than using additives.

Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at Planted. By using our products not only are consumers saving animal lives, but they are also saving 74% less co2 emissions versus chicken and 46% less water, all of which are more sustainable choices. Find out more in our first sustainability report: 624ede7df64f4d68bd6ce6de_Planted_Sustainability_Report_2021.pdf (website-files.com)

We more than doubled our production in 2022 and are planning to do so this year as well. Looking at recent new product listings (we fully launched in the UK across David Lloyd clubs, Planet Organic, Holland and Barrett as well as Morrisons) but also new retailers in our other European markets (e.g. REWE in Germany) looks like we will be quite busy.
 

 

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Founder: Nicholas Winstone

Website:
 

 

About Biovate Hygienics

 
Biovate Hygienics has made a dynamic entry into the commercial cleaning sector with a vision of sustainable innovation and positive disruption. The start-up, launched in April 2022, has pioneered the migration to sustainable cleaning products, using the power of nature’s biological cleaning activities.

Co-founders Nick Winstone, an experienced biological cleaning entrepreneur, and Tom Burkill, owner of a leading UK private label manufacturer, believed that the pace of sustainable change needed to be escalated, particularly for liquid cleaning products.

Having listened to the market’s requirements, a team of scientists and procurement professionals created a new range for the start-up’s launch, and the second, which required longer-term new product development, last month. Biovate use only bacteria, enzymes, plant-based surfactants and naturally occurring acids as active ingredients.

Biovate focused on the hospitality sector at launch, predicting it would gain traction quickly, which was the case. It engaged with one national and one distribution partner per UK region on an exclusive partnership basis so they would appoint Biovate as their primary suppliers. This partnership approach was embraced by distributors and resulted in sales of over £150,000 in the first month.

At the recent Cleaning Show in London Biovate launched its ground-breaking ‘Zero Compromise’ range, representing a ‘world first’ for the commercial cleaning sector by being a nature-powered product packaged in plastic-free paper bottles. Backed by a £100,000 investment, this range has realised the founders’ vision of positive disruption of the cleaning industry and eliminating plastic in liquid cleaning products. Biovate ensured that the range is incredibly cost-effective, amounting to just a few pence per spray bottle. Their multi-purpose 500 ml cleaner concentrate makes up to 250 spray bottles.

The UK-made plastic-free bottle uses sustainably sourced vegetable waste fibre paper pulp. Its interior features a bio liner protecting the inside, preventing contact with Biovate’s products. This coating is made from natural pure plant sap latex while the outer case is infused with natural seaweed extract for added water resistance and helps to break down the paper fibres quicker if composted.

The paper can be pulped in most recycling centres and the natural coating comes away to be used within the organic waste stream for composting back to nature. The bottle’s screw neck and cap are made of Moso Bamboo that can also be recycled.
Biovate has a small core team with field-based staff driving electric vehicles and carrying out site surveys using a virtual survey platform. Their head office is in an A-rated energy-efficient building powered by sustainable energy. It also runs a completely paperless operation for all customer documents. Biovate – based in the countryside near Towcester, Northamptonshire – achieved over £2 million in sales in its first 9 months.
 

 

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Founders: Nick Doman and Will Pearson

Website:
 

 

About Ocean Bottle

 
We met at business school 5 years ago, and were connected by a desire to do business differently, having witnessed the scale of plastic pollution first-hand. Whilst consumer awareness was increasing, many people felt helpless and disconnected from the solutions.

Having seen a real need for waste management infrastructure in coastal communities in the global south, we wanted to connect the dots. We developed Ocean Bottle on the following principles: 1) empowering people to reduce their own footprint and raise awareness by being part of a global solution 2) collecting plastic before it enters the ocean where it matters most 3) creating employment opportunities and protecting marginalised communities. Our hope is to inspire the Patagonia of tomorrow, where business as usual becomes giving a minimum of 15% of revenue to impact.

Ocean Bottle was founded in 2018 with one product – the world’s most-needed reusable bottle. Since then, our range has expanded to four products across six core colours, alongside accessories such as lids and carry loops.

Every bottle funds the collection of 11.4 kg of ocean-bound plastic, equivalent to 1000 plastic bottles in weight. Our products are smart-chip activated via an NFC chip built into the base, enabling users to make a continuous impact by connecting to our app. In Beta phase, the app was built to inspire behavioural change, and we fund collection equivalent to 5 plastic bottles for every refill logged. We currently have around 4,000 monthly refills.

Behind everything we do sits our traceability ledger, allocating funding from our customers to our impact partners. Through these partners, we support coastal communities across India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Kenya, Ghana, Egypt and Brazil to formalise waste management, enabling access to social co-benefits including financial security, healthcare, and education.

To date, we’ve stopped over 9.1 million kg of plastic from entering the ocean, while supporting the livelihoods of thousands across the globe. We have also supported the building of three new recycling centres in India through our partner, Plastics For Change.

For 2023 and beyond, our aim is to go beyond the bottle in order to achieve our mission of stopping 7 billion plastic bottles in weight from entering the ocean by 2025 – which is equivalent in weight to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. To do this, we are leveraging technology to scale our impact and connect organisations and individuals to our solution. This quarter, we will publicly be launching Ocean Co. – a platform proposition that lets other brands tap into our impact model and increase our collective impact exponentially. Together, we can restore the ocean to a better state than it’s ever been.
 

 

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Founder: Pam Knight

Website:
 

 

About Flame UK

 
Flame UK is one of the UK’s leading waste management brokers. Dedicated to the commercial sector, Flame UK support businesses to implement sustainable and cost-effective waste management systems. These help our customers to not only reduce their waste management costs as well as increase their recycling rates. We provide our customers with everything from hazardous waste collections and pallet recycling to waste equipment rental and event waste management.

Flame UK was established in 2015 by Managing Director, Pam Knight. The business has since achieved significant growth and become a key player in the waste management industry.

The waste industry has a huge impact on the environment and Flame UK is setting out to change that. We operate on a zero-to-landfill approach, ensuring that we’re recycling and recovering as much of our customers’ waste as possible. Through our operations, we’ve been able to save over 65,000 tonnes of waste from going to landfill each year. We believe that there’s a reuse, recycling, or recovery route for every waste material.

We’re constantly investing in methods to recover as much material as we can from all the waste we collect. We want to create a circular economy where we can provide a sustainable solution for every waste stream. If we can ensure that we’re avoiding landfill at all costs, we’re doing our bit to build a more sustainable future. Through our partnerships, we’ve been able to find recovery routes for things most people believe can’t be recycled. We can turn used disposable vapes into hoarding for scaffolding. We can recycle used oil into biodiesel.

We’re also one of the first waste brokers within the UK to offer a carbon-neutral waste collection service. We know that the waste industry can produce a lot of CO2. We’ll schedule waste collections and routes to reduce the travel emissions from waste collection vehicles. Where possible we’ll use low emissions vehicles to reduce the emissions even more. Once the waste has been collected, we’ll calculate the remaining carbon emissions and offset that through UN-accredited carbon credits. Not only are we offering this to our customers, but we also practice what we preach too. In 2022, we had our carbon assessment completed by Nottingham Trent University. From this, we’ve been able to identify carbon reduction methods and implement changes to allow us to become a Carbon Neutral Business.

This isn’t the only thing Flame UK have done to help its customers become more sustainable. We’re currently working on a sustainability roadmap, for us and our customers. We’ll use this to help our customers create a sustainability plan for their business, identifying waste reduction opportunities and a social development plan for their business.
 

 

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Founder: Daniel Harman

Website:
 

 

About Darksquare Capital

 
Darksquare Capital was founded to create a way for individuals to understand and access other alternative asset classes that are usually restricted to Ultra High Net Worth Individuals (UHNWI) and hedge funds. An online marketplace that allows users to browse and invest in ESG assets, such as woodlands, windfarms, carbon capture projects and real estate. Darksquare’s unique model brings the price of access down. More people can diversify their portfolios and potentially benefit from these sustainable investments as well as other alternatives including distressed credit and real estate.
 

 

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Founders: Leemon Baird and Mance Harmon

Website:
 

 

About Hedera

 
Founded in 2018, Hedera is an open-source, leaderless proof-of-stake distributed ledger technology (DLT) network. Hedera’s robust ecosystem is built by a global community, on a network governed by a diverse council of industry-leading organizations, including abrdn, Avery Dennison, Boeing, Chainlink Labs, DBS Bank, Dell Technologies, Dentons, Deutsche Telekom, DLA Piper, EDF (Électricité de France), eftpos, FIS (WorldPay), Google, IBM, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), LG Electronics, The London School of Economics (LSE), Magalu, Nomura Holdings, ServiceNow, Shinhan Bank, Standard Bank Group, Swirlds, Tata Communications, Ubisoft, University College London (UCL), Wipro, and Zain Group.

Hedera’s carbon-negative network presents a sustainable option in the world of DLTs. Utilizing a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism greatly reduces carbon emissions. In addition, the network actively addresses climate change through various initiatives including developing sustainability tools, supporting green projects, and making donations to organizations working on climate trade.

Hedera takes proactive measures to promote sustainability, including engaging in global forums like COP27 and Davos 2023 to raise awareness about the benefits of its technology for building sustainable practices. Hedera sets an example for other DLT players to prioritize sustainability in their operations and goals.

According to a new study conducted by University College London (UCL), the Hedera network can operate on less energy than that used by a regular house. The report states that the more transactions that take place, the more efficient and environmentally friendly Hedera becomes due to the network’s unique efficiencies. As one of the world’s most eco-friendly, sustainable DLT networks, research from University College London has highlighted Hedera as the network with the lowest overall energy consumption compared Hedera to networks such as Cardano, Tezos, Algorand, Polkadot and Ethereum. Hedera had the most favourable energy consumption characteristics of the ten Proof of Stake mechanisms examined, making it not only fast, but extremely energy efficient. So energy efficient in fact, that the network uses more than five million times less energy than networks like Bitcoin, in order to reach finality.

Even when compared to legacy technology, Hedera is a strong competitor. It uses 75 times less energy per transaction than the Visa network, meaning that it’s positioned to even reduce energy consumption in mainstream payments.

For more information, visit www.hedera.com, or follow it on Twitter at @Hedera Admin, Telegram at t.me/hederahashgraph, or Discord at www.hedera.com/discord. The Hedera whitepaper can be found at www.hedera.com/papers.
 

 

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