AXA Climate, a leader in climate risk management, and Treemetrics, a pioneering forest management company, have announced a strategic global partnership aimed at delivering an innovative forestry insurance product.
This new insurance solution is designed to provide comprehensive cover for forestry fires and storms, addressing the escalating concerns of forestry owners and investors about the impacts of climate change.
As the frequency and severity of natural disasters continue to rise, driven by climate change, the need for robust and reliable insurance products has never been greater.
This partnership leverages the expertise of both companies to offer a product that not only provides financial protection but also employs cutting-edge technology and scientific insights to better understand and mitigate these risks.
Enda Keane, CEO of Treemetrics, highlighted the critical timing of this product launch, stating, “Over our past 19 years in business across the globe, we have observed firsthand the ever-increasing rise in catastrophic storms and fires. Our collaboration with AXA Climate aims to address these challenges head-on, providing forest owners with the security and peace of mind they need to manage their investments effectively.”
Quentin Voituron, speaking on behalf of AXA Climate, emphasized the innovative approach of the partnership, saying, “We look forward to partnering with Treemetrics to come up with a fine-grained product that makes sense to forest owners and forest managers, at the right price!”
This partnership marks a significant step forward in providing comprehensive and technologically advanced solutions to the forestry sector, ensuring that forest owners can protect their assets and invest with confidence in a changing climate.
Primary and second-level students are this week placing 300 specially adapted RFID-enabled pebbles at Killiney Beach (Dublin) and Raghly Beach (Sligo) in a project to track coastal erosion. The innovative project aims to strengthen coastal communities’ ability to deal with the impacts of climate change using digital technologies.
Led by Dr Chiara Cocco and Dr Francesco Pilla, researchers with Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, at University College Dublin and Dr Iulia Anton, a researcher at Atlantic Technological University Sligo, the ‘smart’ pebbles initiative is part of the €10 million European-wide project SCORE (score-eu-project.eu) funded by the European Commission.
“This project is really exciting because we are collaborating with people of all ages – primary school students, transition year students and a local Tidy Towns group – and using innovative technologies to examine the impacts of climate change on their coastal communities. The students will play a key role in releasing and monitoring 300 specially adapted Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) enabled pebbles over the coming months. Each ‘smart’ pebble, painted yellow and typically about 10cm in size, has a RFID transponder cemented into drilled holes, enabling us to trace the impacts of erosion and their movements over the coming months,” explained Dr Cocco, Assistant Professor at UCD.
Dr Anton, the project manager of the SCORE project, said: “Each pebble will be 3D scanned by the ‘search and rescue’ students, enabling the tracking of abrasions and markings. Then, we will be able to track the pebble’s movements using RFID readers and GPS locators. These citizen science results will be analysed in the lab utilising algorithms to determine climate change impacts on coastal erosion on the beach.”
“We are thrilled to start this exciting initiative at Killiney and Raghly Beaches. Our collaboration with local schools, led by dedicated students, is pivotal in this activity. Their role in releasing and monitoring these pebbles, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, will provide invaluable insights into erosion patterns and movements. This citizen science initiative not only fosters environmental stewardship but also empowers the younger generation to engage in climate resilience efforts actively,” Dr Anton added.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and Sligo County Council are also part of this initiative, one of the winning projects of the Accelerator Programme promoted by the EU-funded IMPETUS project (impetus4cs.eu). Dalkey Tidy Towns is involved in the Killiney project in Dublin with Monkstown CBS, Rathdown School and Holy Child. In Sligo, Grange Post Primary School is actively participating in the Raghly Beach project.
Dr Cocco said it is important to raise citizen awareness about climate risks in coastal urban areas.
“The project aims to actively involve younger people and empower them to become active participants in scientific activities related to climate risks,” she concluded.
Today, HP announced new global research revealing the serious actions many parents are taking due to climate change, from everyday decisions to long-term family planning.
The global study found 91% of parents are concerned about the climate crisis, leading to changes that reshape their lives and purchasing habits. More than half (53%) say it has impacted their perspective on having more children. The research also found many parents favour companies that are taking action to address climate change and expect businesses to lead on the issue. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of parents prefer products that are sustainably sourced and 60% say sustainable company practices play a large part in their purchasing habits.
This willingness to seek out sustainable products and decisions comes despite the fact that the vast majority of respondents (84%) acknowledge the cost of living is rising and more than half (57%) believe engaging in environmentally friendly practices takes up a lot of time.
Reflecting on the research findings, Val Gabriel, Managing Director of HP Ireland, said: “Our data reflects the growing trend of parents becoming more and more concerned about the climate crisis. It’s great to see that the majority of people (60%) say sustainable company practices play a large part in their purchasing habits. At HP, we are moving forward with our own sustainability targets, keeping climate change top of mind.”
While parents are taking personal action, most also believe key players in the corporate world must act, too. Most parents surveyed globally (51%) believe that companies have “a lot” of responsibility in holding themselves accountable on climate action, as opposed to customers (36%).
The findings come as HP releases its 22nd annual Sustainable Impact report, detailing the company’s progress toward comprehensive and bold environmental, and social goals.
HP has reduced its absolute carbon footprint by 18% since 2019.
Reduced single-use plastic packaging by 55% compared to 2018.
Counteracted deforestation for 41% of all paper used in HP products and services toward goal of 100%.
Accelerated digital equity for more than 21 million people in path to 150 million by 2030.
Building a pipeline of diverse talent, with 46% of U.S. new hires last year from racial or ethnic minorities.
“Keeping with the current trajectory we are on in our sustainability journey at HP, we aspire to be the most sustainable and just technology company. In holding ourselves accountable, it ensures we keep climate change at the forefront of many business decisions. We are proud that through our goals, we are edging closer to our bigger picture goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040.”
In 2021, HP set aggressive Sustainable Impact goals in three areas where the company believes it can make the most difference – Climate Action, Human Rights and Digital Equity. The 2022 report details progress toward all three focus areas including a net zero carbon value chain, giving back more to forests than we take, creating a more circular economy, building a culture of equality, and empowerment and accelerating digital equity around the world to enable traditionally excluded communities to thrive in a digital economy.
Datapac, Ireland’s leading technology solutions and services provider, today announces the results of a survey which found that more than half (54%) of SMEs in Ireland say the climate change agenda is more important than or equal to price when it comes to IT purchasing decisions.
Furthermore, only 15% of Irish SMEs said that impact on the environment is not a key deciding factor when making technology purchasing decisions.
The survey of 150 SME business owners in Ireland was carried out by Censuswide in association with Datapac and cybersecurity and backup specialist, Datto.
In relation to IT budgets for this year, over half (51%) of those surveyed said their IT budgets are increasing, with 35% of budgets remaining the same and 14% set to decrease.
With most workplaces open again, the survey found that 40% of SMB owners intend to continue to offer remote or hybrid working despite the immediate necessity of the pandemic having passed. Securing critical data can be a challenge for many within the context of these new ways of working, with a further 38% believing that remote and hybrid working has made it more difficult to secure critical data.
Karen O’Connor, General Manager, Datapac said: “The climate change agenda is something which ultimately affects all aspects of an organisation’s operations. To meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions, organisations must holistically examine all fundamental processes, including IT, to best chart a course for a greener tomorrow.
“The past two years have seen widescale digital transformations as organisations adapted to better face new challenges. As organisations have witnessed first-hand the value added through enhanced flexibility and productivity, trends indicate that IT investment will remain high. When strategically examining one’s IT position, it is important to fully consider how IT investment can enhance organisational processes, rather than just focusing on point-solutions to solve individual challenges.
“As we emerge from the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, organisations need to seize the opportunity to fully re-assess and strengthen their IT and security infrastructures and strategically plan how their IT can best support a greener, more sustainable hybrid future.”
Nicholas O’ Donovan, Sales Manager, Datto Ireland, said: “We have seen rapid digital adoption in organisations across the board over the last two years. At the start of the pandemic, many organisations were forced to enact changes under very tight time constraints and may not have had the opportunity to fully consider the security ramifications of such a shift or to seek expert assistance to guide their transformation.
“Threat detection and response capabilities remain key, yet the fact remains that the best recourse in the likely event of data theft is having the capacity to quickly restore operational data from a recent and uncompromised backup.”
Kingspan Group, the global leader in advanced insulation and building solutions, has released its second annual report for its 10-year sustainability programme, Planet Passionate.
Highlights include a 4.3% reduction in scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions and a 29% reduction in carbon intensity year-on-year, against a background of 42% total revenue growth for the period.
For the second year running, the Group has made absolute reductions towards its 2030 net zero carbon manufacturing goal. This is underpinned by a verified SBTi target to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 90% by 2030, from a 2020 base year.
Achieving this will require the decarbonisation of Kingspan’s energy sources and processes across its existing 198 manufacturing sites (up from 166 in 2020), while supporting newly acquired businesses to decarbonise as quickly as possible.
To accelerate the Group’s decarbonisation strategy, the report has announced the introduction of an internal carbon charge of €70 per tonne of CO2e, which will be implemented throughout the business in 2023.
The 2021 Planet Passionate report illustrates the positive progress made to date against the majority of the programme’s 12 measurable targets in carbon, energy, water and circularity. Notable achievements include:
Energy: An increase in the direct use of renewable energy from 19.5% to 26.1%, and an increase in the percentage of wholly-owned facilities with solar PV from 21.7% to 28.4%. The Group also achieved a 15% reduction in energy intensity[4] year-on-year.
Carbon: An increase in the percentage of zero emissions company funded cars from 11% to 29%.
Circularity: A reduction in company waste to landfill of 13%, as well as 843 million PET bottles recycled into our processes.
Water: The Group announced its second ocean cleanup project: a partnership with cleantech startup SeabinTM, to deploy their unique technology first in Sydney Harbour followed by LA later in 2022. This follows a three-year partnership with the ECOALF Foundation which works with a network of 2,000 artisan fishermen to remove around 150 tonnes of marine debris each year from the Mediterranean.
In addition, Kingspan’s science-based targets were updated in 2021 and are now in line with a 1.5°C future. Limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C means that the world must achieve a 45% reduction in global CO2 emissions versus 2010 levels by 2030.
While Kingspan did not make progress in 2021 against its target to halve the product CO2e intensity from its primary supply partners by 2030, the report highlights ongoing collaboration with suppliers to this end.
Moreover, during the year Kingspan invested in H2 Green Steel, a company pioneering new production methods for lower-impact steel manufacturing using green hydrogen. Use of lower-emissions steel could help Kingspan reduce the embodied carbon of its insulated panel products by up to 45%.
The report also presents the impact of Kingspan products sold during 2021. The built environment is responsible for roughly 39% of global carbon emissions[6], and high-performance insulation is one of the most important ways to increase energy-efficiency in buildings. The insulation systems Kingspan sold during 2021 are projected to save 193 million tCO2e during their lifetime. That’s equivalent to the emissions from 42 million passenger vehicles in a year.
In addition, Kingspan announced a new initiative called Planet Passionate Communities, a programme that will support people and communities around the world. The report unveils the programme’s flagship project: a five-year partnership with GOAL, the international humanitarian response agency, to support them in their transformative work in areas of most need.
Gene Murtagh, CEO of Kingspan Group, said: “The climate crisis, the pandemic, and now recent global events all serve to concentrate the mind on the need to build a more resilient and equitable world while ensuring energy security. Planet Passionate is our contribution to a future that uses resources efficiently, protects the natural world and delivers high-performance, energy-efficient products and solutions to our customers and global communities.”
Bianca Wong, Head of Sustainability of Kingspan Group, said: “Delivering a programme of this scale against a background of rapid business growth takes huge effort and determination and I would like to thank and commend the incredible efforts of our people across the world to achieve positive progress against the majority of our targets for the second year in a row.”
View the full version of Kingspan’s Planet Passionate Sustainability Report at:
An Irish Insurtech which is making waves across the globe, has just launched Blink Parametric, a broad-based parametric insurance solutions platform to allow insurers around the world bring the benefits of parametrics to their customers.
The launch comes as the latest success for Blink, who having only set up in 2016, have since experienced significant growth, partnering with some of the world’s largest insurers and reinsurers such as Blue Cross Canassurance Group, Pluto in the UK, Manulife and TuGo in Canada, Generali in Hong Kong, Munich Re in Germany and Financial Conduct Authority in London.
Speaking on the expansion of the business concept and what it will mean for Blink partners, Paul Prendergast, CEO of Blink,
“We have been working on this platform expansion for 2 years now so it’s exciting to finally be able to launch it. Parametrics is an Insurtech gamechanger globally, and Blink is leading parametric insurance product innovation, by transforming our clients’ complex offerings into simple, intuitive, online products. By using parametrics, we are simplifying that which people might ordinarily deem convoluted – by simply offering a pre-agreed amount of cover, based on the probability of a pre-defined triggering event. We are already using it widely with our travel partners in North America, Singapore, Australia, Turkey and the UK and with great success. Insurers recognise that what we offer adds real value to what they can then offer their clients and customers. Parametrics allows clients to self-serve, assessment is data-led, and claims pay-outs are immediate”.
Blink Parametric platform-based solutions span the Travel, Climate, Energy and IOT sectors.
It comprises:
– Blink Travel which offers customers a proactive real-time insurance service that meets the speed and convenience that modern customers demand of their travel insurance provider, on-line travel agent, airline, transport provider or enterprise travel specialists.
Mr. Prendergast explained,
“If a customer misses a flight or experiences a delay, we can provide them with real-time options like a lounge pass, a hotel room or an instant cash pay-out. We offer customisable software that can be adapted to innovate our partners insurance solution”.
– Blink Climate which offers an efficient, rapid, tailored, risk cover. It is a metric-based insurance solution adaptable to risk factors including climate change, extreme weather and natural disasters.
Mr. Prendergast explained,
“A farmer for example can secure cover for specific harmful climate conditions (drought or flooding etc) occurring within a fixed period of the year. The parameters of the insurance cover are clear, and the determination of a claims pay-out are automated and conclusive as they are supported by measured weather data across that specific period. Customers benefit from immediate claims decisions, without a lengthy loss adjustor process time. We can adapt to specific requirements, as our partners determine the policy criteria, enabling them to add tangible value to their insurance offering”.
– Blink Energy& IOT which is a parametric insurance technology solution adaptable to such risk factors associated with domestic appliance and industrial-led IoT.
Mr. Prendergast explained,
“Exposure to frequent and unpredictable environmental changes is now impacting on our energy consumption levels. Blink Energy Parametric Insurance Solution can be designed to monitor the increase or decrease in energy usage during a pre-defined time period. Based on data-led assessment, it can deliver insurance cover, as oil, gas, electric and renewable energy shifts in terms of demand and cost. For example, an energy provider could give automatic support to vulnerable customers where they have secured cover on the occurrence of an extended spell of freezing temperatures across a specific period. IoT devices that create connected homes with the use of smart devices, smart meters and digital assistants provide huge amounts of data that can inform a multitude of solution-based parametric insurance services.”
Mr. Prendergast spoke as to why he believes they have experienced such rapid growth and expansion to date,
“Our business development and integration teams have been stellar, and we are really fortunate that our reputation has helped open doors for us along the way with insurance companies that are ready to introduce a step-change to their business and customer relationships.
Our commercial strategy has been to enable our insurance partners to innovate and to collaborate with them to build new experiences for their customers. We are agile and expert and have the capacity to have an insurance solution implemented within a 12-week timeframe. The industry feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and we are on track to achieve 3 million users by the end of 2020”.
