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The briefing outlines the challenges and solutions for electrifying the US federal fleet, which includes 225,000 postal, 173,000 military, and 245,000 civilian vehicles. It recommends creating a national EV roadmap, resolving grid constraints through microgrids and storage, leveraging bidirectional charging for grid co-benefits, and permanently retiring old vehicles to prevent emissions leakage via exports. The author emphasizes that the federal government's procurement power can reduce supply chain costs and provide a model for other fleets globally.

Reclaim Finance argues that nuclear energy should be excluded from the European taxonomy because it fails to meet sustainability goals regarding waste management, pollution, and biodiversity. The document claims that nuclear power can hinder the deployment of renewable energy and that the taxonomy is a transparency tool rather than a mechanism that prevents state-funded nuclear investment.

The report highlights the critical link between the fast-fashion business model and the extraction of fossil fuels, noting that polyester is found in over half of all textiles. It warns that synthetic fibre production is projected to grow to 73% of total global fibre production by 2030, significantly increasing greenhouse gas emissions. The document dismisses current recycling efforts as a 'red herring' because less than 1% of clothes are recycled into new clothes, and most recycled polyester comes from plastic bottles rather than garments. It concludes that voluntary industry commitments are insufficient and calls for urgent legislative action, such as the EU strategy for textiles, to decouple fashion from fossil fuels and mandate producer responsibility.

The report 'Fossil Fashion' details how the fast-fashion industry is fundamentally dependent on cheap synthetic fibres, primarily polyester, which are derived from oil and gas. This reliance drives overconsumption and a waste crisis, as synthetic textiles are difficult to recycle and release toxic microfibres. The document highlights the role of the petrochemical industry in betting on plastic production for future growth and criticizes industry-led sustainability metrics and 'recycled polyester' from PET bottles as greenwashing. It concludes with recommendations for the EU to implement mandatory due diligence, eco-design measures, and taxes on virgin plastics to decouple fashion from fossil fuels.

The report identifies the transport sector as Mexico's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and argues that green bonds can bridge the investment gap for sustainable mobility. It highlights specific projects, such as electric buses in Mexico City and the Mexico-Toluca train, while outlining the Climate Bonds Standard for certifying eligible low-carbon transport assets.

The document outlines the critical need for low-carbon transport in Mexico, where the sector is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. It highlights the potential for green bonds to fund electric mobility, rail infrastructure, and fleet renewals, while noting that only 1.27% of green bond proceeds from Mexican issuers have been allocated to transport as of January 2021.

The briefing argues that achieving a 1.5°C future requires substantial reductions in absolute energy use, which can be achieved through incremental gains, technological breakthroughs, and systems-level design. It contends that traditional energy models, which rely on extrapolating past supply, systematically underestimate the potential of efficiency. Using Tesla as a case study, the document demonstrates how integrated design across the supply chain can drastically reduce costs and resource use. It recommends that businesses and policymakers move toward service-oriented models and innovate across supply chains to avoid stranded assets and capture new economic opportunities.

The document examines the critical materials required for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), highlighting the risks associated with concentrated mineral reserves and the environmental and human rights impacts of mining. It argues that while BEVs significantly reduce life cycle global warming emissions compared to gasoline vehicles, scaling their production requires a transition toward a circular economy. The author emphasizes that widespread recycling could meet 30% to 40% of the US material demand for passenger BEVs by 2035. The text identifies significant barriers to this transition, including a lack of recycling infrastructure—with fewer than a dozen global facilities—and a lack of comprehensive regulatory frameworks. It recommends policy actions such as setting recycled content targets, standardizing battery labeling, and enforcing international labor and environmental standards for mining.

The report analyzes climate finance in South Africa for 2017-2018, tracking an annual average of R62.2 billion. It identifies a significant gap between current funding and the R8.9 trillion estimated by the IFC as necessary to achieve South Africa's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2030. Public finance averaged R22 billion annually, with a strong domestic preference, while private finance averaged R35.3 billion, focused exclusively on mitigation. The document recommends developing standardized climate finance definitions, improving public-private coordination, and scaling blended finance to leverage private capital.

ClientEarth argues that current EU Food Contact Materials (FCM) regulations fail because they treat symptoms rather than root causes, specifically citing a mismatch between regulatory tools and goals, a lack of clear accountability in the supply chain, and an over-reliance on self-regulation. The organization advocates for 'Option 2' from the Commission's Roadmap—a full regulatory overhaul—which would shift responsibility to the manufacturer or importer of the final product, align FCM rules with food contaminant and chemical laws (REACH/CLP), and introduce a more holistic approach incorporating life-cycle sustainability and stricter enforcement mechanisms, including NGO access to documentation and GDPR-inspired sanctions.

The document examines five major industrial clusters in Belgium and the Netherlands, highlighting their economic significance and high greenhouse gas emissions. It argues that because each cluster's governance and industrial makeup differ, 'tailor-made policy' is required rather than generic instruments. The brief identifies the Antwerp-Rotterdam-Rhine-Ruhr Area (ARRRA) as a critical meta-cluster connected by extensive pipeline infrastructure. It recommends a multi-level governance approach where cluster authorities handle local planning and implementation, while national and EU bodies provide high-level coordination, regulatory frameworks, and the bulk of the financing for the transition to net-zero by 2050.

Thailand is promoting a bioeconomy centered on cassava and sugarcane to drive economic growth and social equity, though the industrial sector is more advanced than community-based efforts. While integrated into policies like Thailand 4.0 and the 20-year National Strategic Plan, the transition faces regulatory hurdles, such as the Cane and Sugar Act (1968), and environmental pressures including land and water scarcity. Social challenges include wage inequality for plantation workers and food security risks for farmers shifting from rice to sugarcane.

The Clothing Bank, established in 2010 in Cape Town, addresses the dual problems of retail waste and poverty by collecting unsold or damaged clothing from corporate retailers and providing it to unemployed single mothers. Through a 24-month training programme, these women are equipped to run sustainable clothing sales businesses. As of May 2021, the initiative has diverted 13.7 million textile items from landfill and supported 229 women in Cape Town alone, who have generated R72.8 million in revenue. The model is largely self-funding, with a self-funding ratio of 89% in the 2019 financial year, and has scaled to five branches across South Africa.

The document outlines a resilience framework—survive, adapt, and thrive—applied to support green businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights the role of international collaborations, such as the International Cleantech Network and the EU Delegation, in providing financial and strategic support to green SMMEs. Key outcomes include the retention of 760 jobs and the creation of 41 new jobs through the Green Outcomes Fund, as well as the integration of South African cleantech solutions into the Solar Impulse Foundation's global portfolio.

The City of Cape Town (CCT) is transitioning from landfilling wastewater sludge to anaerobic digestion at bio-solids beneficiation facilities (BBFs) due to national and provincial landfill bans on liquid and organic wastes. The CCT generates approximately 199 dry tonnes of dewatered sludge per day, which it currently spends ~R60 million annually to dispose of or apply to land. The city plans to establish two regional BBFs over the next 15 years to produce A1a class treated digestate cake and recover energy and nutrients. Potential circular economy options include agricultural use, energy recovery (biogas, combustion, pyrolysis), and commercial applications like brick manufacturing. Additionally, the CCT is exploring broader organic waste diversion for garden greens, animal carcasses, and household food waste to meet a 100% organic waste landfill diversion target by 2027.

The document provides a guide for businesses in South Africa to evaluate waste-to-energy (WtE) options, categorising technologies into anaerobic digestion, thermal processes, and biofuels. It outlines the regulatory landscape, including the National Environmental Management: Waste Act and NERSA regulations, and highlights upcoming policy shifts such as organic waste landfill bans in the Western Cape. The brief emphasizes a structured project development process—from scoping and pre-feasibility to execution—to ensure financial and technical viability.

The report identifies significant economic potential in South Africa's waste sector, particularly through the transition toward a circular economy. It highlights the City of Cape Town as a primary hub for waste beneficiation due to its high landfill gate fees and substantial investments in material recovery facilities. Key growth drivers include the 2020 National Waste Management Strategy, new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations, and provincial landfill restrictions on organic waste. While the plastics and e-waste sectors show strong potential for virgin material replacement and national processing, challenges such as inadequate source separation, data gaps, and the volatility of virgin plastic prices persist.

The South African EV ecosystem is currently nascent and dominated by private sector activity, with limited local commercial production of battery cells and a reliance on imported components. While the country possesses significant reserves of battery minerals like manganese, it lacks extensive beneficiation capacity. The automotive sector, a major GDP contributor, is pivoting toward EVs to maintain competitiveness in export markets that are phasing out internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Key barriers to adoption include high upfront costs, inadequate charging infrastructure, and a chronic shortage of technical skills. The report recommends that the City of Cape Town intervene through targeted incentives, procurement of EV fleets, and the development of charging infrastructure and skills training to stimulate a viable local value chain.

Warwick Wine Estate installed a 23 kl/d MBR wastewater treatment plant to replace an ineffective system and reduce the costs of sewage removal. The project provides a sustainable irrigation source of 10 kl/d, reducing reliance on rain and groundwater. With a capital cost of R 1,100,000 and a payback period of 2.9 years, the estate expects monthly savings of R 31,350 after the payback period.

The report analyzes the South African urban water market, highlighting a critical funding gap of approximately R33 billion per annum for water and sanitation infrastructure. It identifies three primary investment opportunities: reducing non-revenue water (NRW), implementing non-sewered sanitation systems (NSSS), and wastewater sludge beneficiation. While the Western Cape has planned sufficient supply projects to ensure a surplus, the national context remains water-stressed, with a projected 10% gap between supply and demand by 2030. Key barriers to investment include municipal financial insolvency, lack of technical capacity, and a lack of locally demonstrated technologies.