Germany To Have World’s 1st Carbon Neutral Cement-Plant

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HeidelbergCement, a German multinational building materials company headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, intends to upgrade its facility in Slite on the Swedish island of Gotland to become the world’s first carbon-neutral cement plant.

The company’s Slite factory presently produces around 75% of the cement used in Swedish concrete, and emits around 1.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year. If all goes according to plan, all of this CO2 will be captured and concealed underground.

The installation at the Slite plant of HeidelbergCement’s subsidiary Cementa will be scaled to capture up to 1.8 million tonnes of CO2 annually, which corresponds to the plant’s total emissions.

Additionally, the use of bio-based fuels in the cement production at the facility will be increased in line with the Group’s commitment to significantly raise the share of biomass in the fuel mix. The full-scale capturing of the plant’s CO2 emissions is targeted by 2030.

However, the company estimates that the authorization processes and the construction period will take around 10 years. It has already launched feasibility study to examine technology, environmental impact, legal issues, financing, logistics, and energy supply.

HeidelbergCement, which is one of the largest building materials companies in the world, entered the Indian cement market in 2006, with the acquisition of Mysore Cement.

Major Automakers Advocate for Blockchain-based Standard for Measuring EV Batteries' Carbon Output

Top-tier automobile manufacturers want the creation of blockchain-based standards that would be used to measure carbon outputs from electric vehicle batteries. Batteries account for about half the CO2 generated in the production of electric vehicle. The car manufacturer desires to encourage more effective management of batteries that would positively impact the environment.

According to a report by Nikkei Asia, the Mobility Open Blockchain Initiative (MOBI), which counts Ford Motor, Honda Motor and Japanese trading house Itochu among its members, will lead the development of the standard. Japanese auto parts maker Denso, Amazon Web Services and IBM will also participate.

MOBI would likely make use of a two-dimensional barcode and sensors that would monitor data in the blockchain process. The data that is gathered at each stage will be looked into by MOBI including transportation, procurement, and production.

About 20 million vehicles are produced under the umbrella of MOBI group of four vehicle manufacturers. This number accounts for about 20 % of the total car market production. Another automobile manufacturer Ford is looking to adopt the development to standardize the car industry.

The new development follows the announcement from the executive arm of the European Commission that will set regulations for the use of batteries in 2024. Battery productions that require carbon dioxide will be monitored at production, distribution, use, and disposal processes.

Launched in 2018, MOBI was created by consortium of reputable companies ranging from automakers like BMW to tech giants like IBM. The group is poised to explore blockchain for use in a new digital mobility ecosystem that could make transportation safer, more affordable, and more widely accessible.

Last year in October, MOBI's member-led Electric Vehicle Grid Integration (EVGI) Working Group created and launched the automotive industry's first global standard incorporating blockchain technology into a decentralized vehicle charging system.

MetLife to Reduce Emissions by 30 Percent and Originate $20 Billion of New Green Investments By 2030

Over the next 10 years, MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET) has committed to reduce its location-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30 percent from 2019 levels, originate U.S. $20 billion in new MetLife Investment Management (MIM)–managed green investments1, and allocate U.S. $5 million to develop products and partnerships that drive climate solutions.

Those are just three of the company’s 11 2030 Environmental Goals, which it just announced.2MetLife also committed to plant 5 million trees (prioritizing areas vulnerable to natural disasters) and to maintain carbon neutrality annually across its global offices, fleet, and business travel3, and MetLife Foundation committed to grant U.S. $10 million for environmental causes.


In addition, MetLife pledged to mobilize 100 of its suppliers to set their own GHG emissions reduction target by 2025.

“Our commitment to the environment reflects our purpose as a company,” said Mike Zarcone, head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at MetLife. “Building a more confident future requires us to use natural resources sustainably and help address issues such as climate change.”

The 11 new goals aim to reduce the environmental impact of MetLife’s global operations and supply chain, while leveraging its investments, products, and services to help protect communities and drive innovative solutions.

MetLife surpassed its previous environmental goals a year early. Between 2012 and 2019, the company reduced its annual energy consumption by 33 percent and its location-based GHG emissions by 27 percent, exceeding its targeted reductions of 10 percent by 2020.

As of year-end 2019, MIM, MetLife’s institutional investment management business, had more than U.S. $18.3 billion in green investments under management, including ownership stakes in wind and solar farms.

MetLife has long been an industry leader on sustainability and climate change. For example, in 2016, it was the first U.S.-based insurance company to achieve carbon neutrality, a status it has maintained for four straight years.

In 2020, Metropolitan Life Global Funding I issued a U.S. $750 million green bond, the industry’s first note secured by a green funding agreement.

Through its membership in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Supply Chain Program, MetLife encourages its business partners to take action on climate change. In 2019, more than 100 of its suppliers disclosed their GHG emissions and mitigation activities.

More than 10,000 MetLife employees participated in the company’s 2019 “Our Green Impact” initiative, which offers a wide range of opportunities to support and learn about sustainability.

These efforts have led to significant recognition. For example:
MetLife has earned a spot on the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index four years in a row.
MetLife has also received a Leadership grade (A-) on climate change in the CDP Investor Report four years in a row.
In 2019 and 2020, MetLife received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year Award, in recognition of how it has advanced energy efficiency best practices.
This year, the U.S. Department of Energy recognized MIM for the energy efficiency improvements it has made as part of the Better Buildings Initiative.

For more information, please read MetLife’s new Global Environmental Policy and visit the company’s Sustainability website.

For a definition of “green investments,” please go to https://www.metlife.com/sustainability/MetLife-sustainability/climate/. For additional details about MetLife’s green investments, please go to https://www.metlife.com/sustainability/MetLife-sustainability/investments/.

All goals have a base year of 2020 and a goal year of 2030, unless otherwise stated. For additional details about MetLife’s 2030 Environmental Goals, please visit https://www.metlife.com/sustainability/MetLife-sustainability/climate/.

MetLife’s goals for GHG emissions and carbon neutrality apply to all of its owned and leased offices across the world, its fleet of automobiles in its Auto & Home business line (Scope 1 and 2 emissions), and its employee business travel (Scope 3 emissions).

About MetLife

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates (“MetLife”), is one of the world’s leading financial services companies, providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to help its individual and institutional customers navigate their changing world. Founded in 1868, MetLife has operations in more than 40 markets globally and holds leading positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.