BUSINESS NEWS: AWU fights Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest over green hydrogen
The Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) has rejected Andrew Forrest’s campaign for green hydrogen, stating that any form (including fossil-fuel based) of hydrogen should be scaled up this decade “irrespective of type”, and claiming that renewables-only hydrogen will cost investment and jobs.
Mr Forrest, chairman of Fortescue Metals Group, vocally opposes oil and gas producers such as Santos and Woodside Energy and their reliance on carbon capture and storage to reduce emissions.
“We can’t let green activists and self-interested billionaires control the national conversation on this,” AWU national secretary Daniel Walton told the AFR, labelling green hydrogen advocates “purists”.
EnergyLab 2022 Scaleup Program hits the ground running
EnergyLab’s third Scaleup Program has been selected, with 11 of the world’s top late-stage energy startups chosen to be propelled on the road to commercialisation.
Participating startups have an opportunity to collaborate with energy companies, investors, industry leaders, other founders, and mentors from the EnergyLab network. The global program is in partnership with Transgrid, Endeavour Energy, Lumea and Amber – an alumni of the 2018 program.
This year’s pick includes a range of tech companies working on asset management and network digitisation technologies, consumer engagement models and network communications innovations, as well as several startups working on electric vehicle infrastructure and adoption.
From Australia, selected companies were energy storage solution Amber Kinetics, affordable electric vehicle marketplace The Good Car Company, and household energy asset system Village Energy.
EnergyLab CEO Megan Fisher said: “It’s a real privilege to be able to provide the world’s leading energy startups the platform they need to grow and scale their businesses in Australia and New Zealand… We are thrilled to have startups joining us from all over the globe.”
Hertz wheels out rental EV fleet
Rental car company Hertz has rolled out Polestar 2 EV’s across the country – the beginning of a 12 month rollout across locations including Adelaide, Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart, and Launceston.
This comes as part of the company’s commitment to trialling 65,000 EV’s across the globe over the next five years, in a partnership with Swedish automotive brand Polestar (owned by Volvo, itself owned by Geely).
Eoin Macneill, vice president Hertz APAC, said the company wants to set the standard for electrification. “As a country, we are becoming more environmentally conscious… [we’re] providing Aussies with the ability to become acquainted with an EV without having to make the financial commitment to buy one.
“We believe by providing consumers with the ability to try before they buy for a selected amount of time, we will be able to support the confidence of consumers in their decision to switch to EVs. Consumers are wanting to create zero-emission experiences for themselves and we’re ready to meet that demand.”
Global sustainability consultancy Salterbaxter opens doors in Australia
UK-headquartered sustainability consultancy Salterbaxter has launched in Australia, bringing their offering to the east coast.
The team will be led by Skye Lambley, chief executive officer of Herd MSL. The team also includes Stuart Wragg, Karen Dunnicliff, Rebecca Zemunik, and global managing director Kathleen Enright.
The company is owned by Publicis Groupe which also owns marketing and advertising agencies and businesses including Saatchi & Saatchi, Publicis Sapient, Leo Burnett, Starcom, Zenith and Herd MSL.
Australian clients include Westpac Group, Toyota, Procter & Gamble, Visa, Arnott’s, Kellogg’s, Suncorp, Aldi, Ampol, and several government departments and agencies.
- Read the full story here: Global sustainability consultancy Salterbaxter opens in Australia, says we are playing catch-up down under
Geotagged conservation startup inks deals with Lendlease, others
Wilderlands, a startup selling land protection packages with geotagged satellite imagery to encourage owner monitoring, has already inked deals with Lendlease, The Cameron Foundation and environmental advisory groups.
In just its first week, the social enterprise secured commitments to protect 12,000 square metres of biodiverse vulnerable land, and generated more than $30,000 in revenue. From the outset, 20 per cent of shares are owned by a charitable foundation.
Co-founded by Paul Dettmann and Ash Knop of Cassinia Environmental, alongside Heath Evans, the startup launched in late July. Land protection packages are selling at $30 per month for 120 square metres of land each year.