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Sustainability

Summit Carbon Solutions has partnered with 32 ethanol plants across the states of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, to develop the largest carbon capture and storage project in the world

A new study shows that Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed carbon capture, transportation, and storage project will create jobs, generate new tax revenue for local communities, support local suppliers, and strengthen the Midwest regional economy. Ernst & Young, a global leader in accounting and professional services, conducted the study.

Summit Carbon Solutions has partnered with 32 ethanol plants across the states of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, to develop the largest carbon capture and storage project in the world. This multi-billion-dollar infrastructure project will have the capacity to capture and permanently store 12 million tons of carbon dioxide every year, while opening critical new markets for ethanol producers and bolstering the bottom line of corn growers.

“From the outset of this project, Summit Carbon Solutions has been committed to driving the future of agriculture by expanding economic opportunities for ethanol producers and by strengthening the marketplace for farmers in the Midwest,” said Jake Ketzner, Summit Carbon Solutions Vice President of Government and Public Affairs. “In addition to those benefits, the latest analysis shows the overwhelmingly positive impact of this multi-billion-dollar private investment, including the creation of thousands of new high-quality jobs, the utilisation of local suppliers and main street businesses, and tens of millions of dollars in new tax revenues that will help local communities fund our roads, hospitals, first responders, and more.”

Summit Carbon Solutions will strengthen the corn market and, by extension, positively impact the economy in all of the counties and communities across the Midwest. The report from Ernst & Young also includes county-level data showing the company’s total investment and the forecast for incremental annual property taxes generated.

Summit Carbon Solutions has partnered with 32

Floriculture, Organic

Raj Petro Specialities is among the few companies globally to have received this certificate for agricultural spray oils

Raj Petro Specialities Private Limited, a Brenntag Group company, has received National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) certification for agricultural spray oils. The Uttarakhand State Organic Certification Agency (USOCA), a state-run organisation that certifies organic food, awarded the company this prestigious certification.

Three products have received accreditation, i.e., Kyros Agrispray E-3 oil, Kyros Duratek Agrispray oils and Kyros Keleol Agrispray oil. Kyros Agrispray E-3 oil is used for crop care in agriculture, horticulture and floriculture farming. Duratek Agrispray oils are specially formulated for Apples to defend against red mites and Sanjose Scale. Keleol Agrispray oils are specially designed for Banana crops and can effectively manage leaf spot diseases when mixed with an appropriate fungicide. 

Raj Petro Specialities is among the few companies globally to have received this certificate for agricultural spray oils. The company’s vision is to safeguard the environment and offer farmers a value proposition for profitable farming. To further this vision, the company plans to expand its product reach in supplying Agrispray oils to Sikkim, the world’s first organic state, which has certified all of its agriculture as organic. Winning against 51 nominations worldwide, Sikkim won the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) coveted Future Policy Gold Award.

On receiving NPOP certificate Mehul Nanavati, Managing Director, Raj Petro Specialities, said, “I feel privileged to receive this certification for our products. Agri-spray products at Raj Petro are formulated judiciously conscious of the environmental impact. These products are alternatives to harsher chemicals and pesticides, which can be harmful to the environment and the end consumer. Keleol Spray oils are tested and approved by the National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Tamil Nadu. Duratek Spray oils are tested and approved by Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology, Srinagar, and Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan.”

He added, “The current scenario has prompted Raj Petro Specialities Pvt Ltd. to continue working on creating innovative environmentally friendly products that are alternatives to conventional pesticides in organic farming.”

Raj Petro Specialities is among the few

Environment

Summit Carbon Solutions will primarily capture CO2 from ethanol plants and other industrial sources in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota

Summit Carbon Solutions has recently announced a strategic investment from Continental Resources, to create the largest carbon capture and sequestration project of its kind in the world.

Continental Resources will commit $250 million over the next two years to help fund the development and construction of the project’s associated capture, transportation, and sequestration infrastructure, while also leveraging its operational and geologic expertise to help ensure the safe and secure storage of CO2.

Summit Carbon Solutions will primarily capture CO2 from ethanol plants and other industrial sources in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. The CO2 will be aggregated and transported to North Dakota via pipeline, where it will be safely and permanently sequestered in extensively researched subsurface geologic formations.

The project has commitments from 31 partner ethanol facilities to deliver more than 8.0 million metric tons per annum (MMtpa) of CO2, with initial pipeline capacity of 12.0 MMtpa, and expansion capabilities to handle up to 20.0 MMtpa.

Recognising the significant growth in demand for low carbon fuels, Summit began developing plans for the project and its partnerships with ethanol producers in 2019. By leveraging decades of experience and relationships across the biofuels and agriculture industries, Summit Carbon Solutions was launched in early 2021, and is on track to achieve its target of being operational in the first half of 2024.

“Summit and Continental have a shared vision to produce clean and cost-effective energy for all Americans. This project will be transformational for the ethanol and agriculture industries and will have a substantial economic impact across the Midwest,” said Bruce Rastetter, CEO of Summit Agricultural Group.

Summit Carbon Solutions will primarily capture CO2

Environment

FMC ranks 72nd on Barron’s top 100 list

FMC Corporation, a leading global agricultural sciences company, has made Barron’s annual list of America’s Most Sustainable Companies for the first time, and is the only agricultural company included on the list. 

“Sustainability has become a key indicator of company performance, not just for FMC but for any company looking to compete in the global marketplace,” said Mark Douglas, president and CEO. “FMC continues to invest significantly in sustainability across our company, from research and new product development to more efficient production, packaging and logistics around the world. We’re honoured to be included in this year’s list—it shows that our efforts are gaining traction and making a difference.”

The rankings, compiled by Calvert Research and Management, an investment management company specialising in responsible investing, evaluated the top 1,000 publicly held American companies by market value on their performance for five constituent groups: shareholders, employees, customers, communities and the planet. FMC ranks 72nd on Barron’s top 100 list.

“FMC has set ambitious goals over the past year that will challenge the way our company and business operate,” said Karen Totland, vice president and chief sustainability officer for FMC.

Barron’s is the second major publication this year to include FMC in its rankings of most sustainable companies.

FMC ranks 72nd on Barron's top 100 listFMC

Company News, Environment

This expansion increases the Initiative’s footprint to a total of 28 states and 19 crop types

Corteva Agriscience announced recently an expansion of the Corteva Carbon Initiative to 17 new states and 2 new qualifying crop types. This expansion increases the Initiative’s footprint to a total of 28 states and 19 crop types, bringing opportunity to even more US farmers to participate in the fast-developing carbon market.

Newly approved states include: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia.

The Initiative has also expanded its list of eligible crops to include peanuts and sugar beets, two key crops for farmer eligibility in multiple states.

“Farmers need proven solutions to support decision making and improve their bottom line,” shared Casey Onstot, US Commercial Leader for Digital at Corteva. “We continue to expand and improve our carbon offerings with science-backed programs that provide the greatest positive impact for farmers and their advisors.”

The Corteva Carbon Initiative first launched as a pilot program in April 2021 to corn and soybean farmers in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa, then announced its first major expansion in August 2021 through a joint effort with Indigo Ag, whose ongoing investments in science and technology have continued to expand eligibility and improve the process of generating rigorous, registry-issued carbon credits at scale for farmers.

The Initiative’s core focus remains to help farmers produce high quality carbon credits simply and for a fair price, with programmatic and agronomic support from a Corteva Agriscience advisor.

This expansion increases the Initiative's footprint to

Environment

UPL Limited has been recognised for its strong performance in environmental, social and governance risk management

UPL Limited has been included in the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook 2022 for the second year running in recognition of its strong performance in environmental, social and governance risk management.

The Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) is issued annually by S&P Global and UPL’s inclusion recognises its achievements in Reimagining Sustainability within the global food industry. The CSA offers insights alongside highlighting opportunities and risks deriving from economic, environmental, and social trends and developments that have an impact on the competitive position of companies in 61 industrial sectors analysed.

Jai Shroff, Global CEO of UPL Ltd, said, “Over the past few years, UPL has made a concerted effort to take a leadership role in reshaping the contribution of world agriculture to a climate positive future. With a focus on Reimagining Sustainability, we are striving to drive innovation to make global food production more sustainable, and more secure. We are proud to be recognised by S&P, but UPL’s leadership position across many of the major sustainability rankings is not only testament to the progress that has been made, but to how

UPL’s continued inclusion in the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook, follows recent recognition of the company’s strong sustainability performance across other major global indices in 2021: Sustainalytics, one of the world’s most respected ESG indices, ranked UPL as the highest performing top-tier global crop protection company for overall sustainability performance.

To further support its mission to Reimagine Sustainability, UPL announced in December 2021 that it had completed the conversion of a $700 million acquisition loan to a sustainability loan.

UPL Limited has been recognised for its

Agro chems – Fertilizers

The project is expected to be completed by August 2024.

Pune-based Smartchem Technologies Limited (STL), a 100 per cent subsidiary of Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corporation Limited (DFPCL), a trusted chemicals and fertiliser manufacturer in India, has laid a foundation stone of its Technical Ammonium Nitrate (TAN) complex at Gopalpur Industrial Park on December 9, 2021. CM of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation of the project in presence of Chairman & MD of STL, Sailesh Mehta, and Dibya Shankar Mishra, Minister of Energy; Industries; Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises.

The project is being built with an investment of Rs 2,200 crore and will have a capacity of 377 KTPA. The plant has the best-in-class technology from Casale, that ensures safest plant with lowest possible emission. The project is expected to be completed by August 2024.

On project completion and commencement, Odisha will become a key source of TAN to the entire Eastern Belt where majority of Mining and Infrastructure growth is foreseen in future.  It will generate employment for 1,500 people during the project phase and 325 people during the operation phase.

Sailesh Mehta, said, “STL is partnering with Odisha to support growth in the Mining & Infrastructure Sector and this complex is the first step to accomplish our ten-year-old dream to expand operations in the Eastern Region and come closer to our end users. Technical Ammonium Nitrate is a very important raw material that will fuel the infrastructure, economy, and development of the nation. We are looking forward to reducing our dependence on imports and the Gopalpur Industrial Park’s strategic location may help us do that very quickly in the near future. Tata SEZL can attract ancillary units and become a hub for development.”

The project is expected to be completed

Biofuel industry, Environment, Supply Chain

Summit Carbon Solutions is developing the largest carbon capture and storage project in the world

Summit Carbon Solutions has announced a new partnership with Northern Plains Nitrogen (NPN) in its carbon capture and storage project, which is focused on decarbonising the agriculture and biofuels industries.

NPN is developing a world-scale blue ammonia plant near Grand Forks, North Dakota, which will supply a range of low carbon nitrogen-based fertilizer products to farmers in under-served markets in the northern United States and Canada.  The project site has been acquired and necessary permits have been received to begin site work.

Summit Carbon Solutions is developing the largest carbon capture and storage project in the world, which will have the capacity to capture and permanently store 12 million tons of carbon dioxide every year.

“NPN and Summit Carbon Solutions share the same goal of lowering the carbon footprint of agriculture while supporting farmers,” said Jim Pirolli, Chief Commercial Officer of Summit Carbon Solutions. 

NPN will capture 500,000 tons per year of carbon dioxide emissions, which Summit Carbon Solutions will transport and store permanently in central North Dakota. 

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum said, “As the first state in the nation to achieve primacy over carbon capture permitting, North Dakota is well-positioned to lead the nation in carbon capture, utilisation and storage. We’re grateful for this investment by Northern Plains Nitrogen and Summit Carbon Solutions as we seek to grow our agriculture, energy and bio-fuels industries with environmental stewardship and positive economic impact for generations to come.”

Summit Carbon Solutions is developing the largest

AgroPolicy, Nature

The Centre helps to propagate the critically endangered plant and tree species in the country.

Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has inaugurated “Heartfulness Tree Conservation Centre”, a modern tissue culture laboratory at Kanha Shanti Vanam in Nandigama mandal of Rangareddy district. Launched on December 28, 2021, the laboratory helps to propagate the critically endangered plant and tree species in the country.

While Heartfulness Institute aims at growing the plantlets at the Ashram, a good share will also be given off across the country to the forestry department, NGOs, and other plantation bodies that are involved with afforestation in India.

The Heartfulness Tree Conservation Centre has a 5,000 sq ft facility with 10,000 cleanroom technology, 15,00,000 annual sapling production capacity with the finest equipment and infrastructure with the tissue culture processes being overseen by a team of experts from India and Israel with more experts joining the team in the next three months.

At least five endangered varieties are propagated at the rate of 1.5-2 lakh saplings per year per variety by the Heartfulness Tree Conservation Centre. The raw material sources are obtained from native locations of the endangered species with the help of the Forest Department.

The Centre helps to propagate the critically

Animal Health, Environment

The resource now holds over 1.1 million geographic records of living organisms which are important to agriculture and the environment.

The Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) Distribution Database has reached a historic milestone with over 300,000 distribution records added in 2021 – meaning the resource now holds over 1.1 million geographic records of living organisms which are important to agriculture and the environment.

The database covers over 55,000 species, across key areas such as crop pests and hosts, crop and animal diseases, invasive species and natural enemies. The data has been sourced from peer reviewed published literature, CABI project work and other authoritative third-party sources such as EPPO and OIE.

Throughout 2021, CABI has been working hard to use new Distribution Database tools to import more geographic records. This includes over 12,000 new species to the database and information that has filled thousands of gaps in existing species distributions.

The CABI Distribution Database serves data to five different Compendia (Animal Health & Production, Aquaculture, Crop Protection, Forestry and Invasive Species), distribution maps for plant pests and plant diseases, the Horizon Scanning Tool, Pest Risk Analysis Tool, Plantwise Knowledge Bank Species Pages (Datasheets) and the Plantwise Knowledge Bank Diagnostic Tool.

Tim Beale, Senior Data Analyst at CABI, said, “CABI is regularly updating its distribution data so that when users go to our knowledge products, they can be more confident that they are getting the latest information about where their species of interest is present or absent. Furthermore, when they use our tools they can have greater trust in the results of their horizon scan, or pest risk assessment.”

The resource now holds over 1.1 million

Environment, Nature

The country needs to take multitude approaches to address COP 26

While addressing a webinar on ‘Climate Change: Challenges and Response (for Scientists & Technologists)’, Dr Akhilesh Gupta, Sr Adviser Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India highlighted that, “India needs to take multitude of approaches to address COP 26 (Cooperation of Partnerships 26) announcements made recently by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

The 5-day online training programme at the Centre for Disaster Management (CDM), Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie, is being supported by DST.

“Bringing economy’s carbon intensity down to 45 per cent by 2030 is achievable with some major initiatives on Electric vehicle and green Hydrogen energy. Fulfilling 50 per cent of India’s energy requirement through renewable energy by 2030 is also achievable as India already achieved 40 per cent share of renewable energy. Reducing 1 billion tonnes of carbon emissions by 2030 is challenging as India will have to cut down its carbon emissions by nearly 22 per cent. The biggest challenge for the country is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2070, which would entail scaling up of renewable energy production by several-fold.” Added Dr Akhilesh Gupta.

Dr Gupta informed that according to the Climate Change vulnerability ranking of states carried out by DST, the 8 most vulnerable states are Jharkhand, Mizoram, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, and West Bengal – all in the eastern region, and there is a direct relationship between poverty and low HDI with the vulnerability of a place.

The country needs to take multitude approaches

China, Environment, Nature

Alibaba Group targets 50 pr cent carbon intensity reduction for Scope 3 by 2030

Alibaba Group Holding Limited has announced a pledge to achieve carbon neutrality in its own operations by 2030 and introduced a Scope 3+ target, a pioneering initiative aiming to facilitate 1.5 gigatons of decarbonisation across its business ecosystem by 2035. Details about its goals, including thinking and definition of the newly introduced concept of Scope 3+, are shared in the inaugural Alibaba Carbon Neutrality Action Report. Alibaba aims to provide updates annually with progress verified by accredited auditors.

“We aspire to be a force for positive, innovative change in society. Our ESG strategy is predicated on our mission to be a good company that will live for 102 years and it is the vital foundation for Alibaba’s future development,” said Daniel Zhang, Chairman and CEO of Alibaba Group. “We will leverage our unique influence as a platform operator to mobilize actions and behavioural changes among consumers, merchants and partners in China and around the world with our newly proposed Scope 3+ target of reducing 1.5 gigatons of carbon emissions by 2035.” 

Alibaba Group is committed to carbon neutrality for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030, and has set a 50 per cent carbon intensity reduction target for Scope 3 by 2030 using 2020 levels as baseline. Alibaba Cloud will bear responsibility for a higher Scope 3 target and aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 in all three scopes. 

Alibaba will adopt a systematic and science-based approach to plan and manage decarbonisation initiatives. It includes leveraging energy-saving and efficiency-improving technologies to reduce emissions; actively transforming the energy structure with progressive use of renewable’s; and exploration of carbon removal initiatives. As a general principle, the company prioritises carbon reduction over removal, and removal over offset. 

Alibaba Group Holding Limited has announced a

Nature, Sustainable Energy

The estimated project cost is to the tune of Rs 1,000 crores and it is expected to generate annual revenue of approximately Rs 1500 crores

Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited (GACL) and GAIL (India) Limited (GAIL) have joined hands to set up a bioethanol plant of 500 KLD capacity. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up a bioethanol plant in Gujarat and cooperation in other business areas of mutual interest was signed by MV Iyer, Director (Business Development) of GAIL and Milind Torawane, MD, GACL in the presence of Bhupendrabhai Patel, Chief Minister, Gujarat, K Kailashnathan, Chief Principal Secretary, Chief Minister of Gujarat, Pankaj Joshi, Addl Chief Secretary to Chief Minister of Gujarat and Manoj Jain, CMD, GAIL at Gandhinagar.

This plant will be using corn/broken rice as feedstock with eco-friendly technology and it will produce 500 KLD Bioethanol, which will be used for blending in petrol. As by-products from this plant, 135 KTPA Protein-rich animal feed and 16.50 KTPA of corn oil while using corn as feedstock are also expected to be produced.

Dahod, Panchmahal, Aravalli and Mahisagar are major corn-producing districts in Gujarat and hence the project is likely to come up in one of these districts. A detailed feasibility study through a third party is in progress for the project.

The estimated project cost is to the tune of Rs 1,000 crores and it is expected to generate annual revenue of approximately Rs 1500 crores.
An estimated savings of $70 million per year in Foreign Exchange outgo is expected through this project. Beyond the savings, this project will also generate direct and indirect employment for around 700 individuals. Long term supply contracts for corn would encourage corn farming with sustainable, multi-fold income for farmers through increased productivity and an assured market. Steps will also be taken to improve the productivity of corn in the state with the help of the Maize Research Centre in Godhra.

The estimated project cost is to the

Environment

The initiative involves creativity and resource in talent scouting, training, technology sourcing, market linkage to give a boost to the sector

North East Cane and Bamboo Development Council (NECBDC), has set up nursery and bamboo plantation site at LeirikKhul, Imphal West District and the Bamboo plantation site at Konshak Khul, Kangpopkpi District, Manipur.

Set up under North Eastern Council, Shillong under the Ministry of DoNER, Government of India, the initiative involves creativity and resource in talent scouting, training, technology sourcing, market linkage for giving a new age thrust to the age-old bamboo sector.

The initiative involves creativity and resource in