#18 - Weekly News Digest 20240506-0512

This weekly news digest is created by community members in the Hyperledger Supply Chain and Trade Finance Special Interest Group as a way to keep people up to date on the latest developments in this space.  If you have news to share that you would like to let the group know about, please feel free to edit this wiki page or join one of the upcoming group meetings and share your news with other group members.

News:

a. Supply Chain Management:

• Wall Street Journal: Geopolitics Takes a Central Role in Supply Chains
• Supply Chain Management Review: Few executives believe their supply chains can respond quickly to disruptions
• Supply Chain Brain: Houthis Threaten to Attack Ships in Mediterranean Sea
• Supply Chain Management Review: inflation, economic worries among top supply chain concerns for SMBs
• Building a Culture of Cyber Resilience in Manufacturing
• THE VITAL ROLE OF NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS IN A NATURE POSITIVE ECONOMY
• Broadening RAIN RFID Deployment with Lifelong Company Identification Numbers
• Empowering Africa: A Strategic Partnership for Critical Minerals
• Transforming the Food Industry: A Commitment to Nature and Science
• How can Blockchain and NFTs support product authenticity, reduced fraud and better customer intimacy? This is cool...

b. Trade Finance:

• The agricultural sector is on the cusp of a digital rev
• olution, with blockchain technology leading the charge in transforming supply chain finance. This breakthrough offers more than just efficiency; it's a gateway to inclusivity and sustainability in farming finance.
• State of Blended Finance 2024.
• Empowering trade with trade credit insurance
• The latest ICC United Kingdom/Centre for Digital Trade & Innovation report “Scaling the use of digital identities in trade” in collaboration with the World Trade Board (WTB)
• Simplifying International Trade with Single Windows Original article: https://www.tradeready.ca/2024/featured-stories/simplifying-international-trade-with-single-windows/
• Trade hashtag#sanctions and "economic coercion" are two ways to hashtag#weaponise trade. The former have a pretty miserable hashtag#success rate, not that that deters hashtag#diplomats who tell me they see the "bigger picture." Economic coercion, on the other hand, is harder to detect in the first place. Still, EC is part of the fear-ridden hashtag#narrative heard on both sides of the Atlantic.
• DEMICA, the fintech specialising in supply chain finance solutions, has announced the expansion of supply chain finance to Nigerian businesses, including SMEs, transforming working capital optimisation and liquidity through a new banking partnership
• ndian Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) platforms advance rapid invoice deduplication with new global standards
• Breaking Borders by Kapronasia

c. Sustainability & ESG

• Supply Chain Brain: To Achieve Supply Chain Sustainability, Complex Manufacturers Have a Long Road Ahead
• Streamlining the Green Hydrogen Ecosystem for Accelerated Implementation of National Green Hydrogen Mission. Standards for Green Hydrogen.
• Developments in Transition Finance Metrics!
• Climate adaptation is crucial for mitigating the impacts of climate change and ensuring the resilience of communities, ecosystems, and economies. It involves implementing strategies and measures to adjust to the changing climate conditions and minimize vulnerability.
• Microsoft Buys More Carbon Credits in Brazil Reforestation Push
• Here’s why the forest carbon market is bouncing back
• AFRICA'S TOP ELECTRIFIED COUNTRIES
• Pilot Climate Scenario Analysis Exercise
• Phase II: The Challenge of Low-Carbon Development Climate Change and the World Bank Group
• The Power of Cities: Harnessing Low-carbon Urbanization for Climate Action by The World Bank
• Canadians are doing their part to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions; it’s time for the oil and gas sector to do the same
• Excited to share the journey of collaborative action for sustainable commodity production and trade in Peru's coffee and cocoa sectors!
• Terms of Reference of the major revision to the Corporate Net-Zero Standard"
• Transforming Our Approach to Deforestation: The Power of Systems Thinking
• How do you make sure frontline communities have a say in directing billions needed for climate hashtag#adaptation? A new podcast explores a United Nations pilot in hashtag#Namibia that puts decision-making and funding directly into their hands and lets them build hashtag#resilience to hashtag#climatechange. SEI — Stockholm Environment Institute University of Namibia
• The State of Social Enterprise: A Review of Global Data 2013-2023
• Innovation for Sustainable Business
• Climate Bonds Initiative released the report SUSTAINABLE DEBT GLOBAL STATE OF THE MARKET 2023.
• Where is the money going? Driving transparency in carbon finance flows.
• EcoSafi announces the first issuance of carbon credits in Africa under high-integrity Gold Standard MECD methodology
• Publication: Recipe for a Livable Planet: Achieving Net Zero Emissions in the Agrifood System
• [Climate change and bond pricing 5/6] Are green and social bonds any different from regular ones?
• Exploring Gender Roles & Women’s Empowerment in Coffee Cooperatives in Mexico
• RIBA AI Report 2024
• EY and MNRE India released a report, INDIA’S GREEN HYDROGEN REVOLUTION - An Ambitious Approach.
• Research on E-Fuel Production: Main Takeaways and Challenges
• ISS ESG’s new report draws on comprehensive ESG data, with research and insights from ISS ESG’s financial research and sector leads, climate specialists, and regulatory experts to help investors identify key global ESG risks and opportunities likely to impact their portfolios in 2024.
• Understanding the effect of biodiversity on portfolios is critical as its relevance grows and data becomes more widely available. Download our research piece, Perspectives, to explore how investors may better comprehend the implications of biodiversity on firms using innovative methodologies developed by ISS ESG
• lobal biodiversity loss can lead to operational, legislative, and reputational risks for investors, but many lack the information needed to conduct a holistic risk assessment.
• National Hydrogen Strategy
• Enhancing Nanofiltration Membranes with Biochar and MOF Nanoparticles for Improved Water Purification
• Unraveling US EPA’s Bold Emission Rule for Fossil Fuel Power Plants
• ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. It's a framework used by investors to evaluate a company's sustainability and ethical impact. Environmental assesses a company's eco-footprint,
• Discover how LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) is leading the way in creating a hashtag#circular economy with innovative materials and recycling technologies. From packaging to health and transportation, LYB is committed to ending plastic waste and taking climate action, shaping their business strategy towards hashtag#sustainability
• Raceway Pond Construction with Myco-Based Green Building Materials: Retrofitting and Shaping the New Market in Microalgae-Based Wastewater Treatment
• Cocoa bean prices have been rising since the last quarter of 2023, hitting a record high of $10.97 per kilogram on April 19.
• Vietnam seeks collaboration with Australia on sustainable agriculture
• Transforming Our Approach to Deforestation: The Power of Systems Thinking
• Gold Standard has officially approved a groundbreaking methodology for waste management and carbon credit issuance, developed by Lomi in consultation with hashtag#Carbonomics.
• Guidelines on Integrating Nature-based Passive Cooling Options into Urban Planning and Design
• The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office published the Multi-Year Program Plan (MYPP
• hashtag#Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the hashtag#universe. The gaseous form of hydrogen is rarely found in high concentration and has to be produced from more complex molecules, like hashtag#methane or hashtag#water.
• Addressing Critical Food Losses in International Trade
• Leap Toward Carbon Neutrality, CO2 To Methanol
• Arqit and Intel Test Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) Solution
• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/simonevenett_can-economic-coercion-be-evidenced-ugcPost-7193654954060906496-DeLR?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
• Guidance for using the IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions
• Poorer nations must be transparent over climate spending, says Cop29 leader
• 2024 Ocean Decade Conferenc
• Innovations in Carbon Pricing: Latin America's Carbon Markets
• Oceans of Opportunity
• Global Trends in ASGM Tailings Management and Reprocessing Governance
• Laos to improve nitrogen use in sustainable agriculture and improve food security
• A Scan of Natural Infrastructure Approaches
• Carbon Credits and the carbon market can deliver funding to projects that reduce and remove emissions and bring sustainable development benefits. At Gold Standard we’ve spent 20 years trying to raise the bar of what carbon finance can achieve, and we’ve seen directly the transformative effect that it can achieve in the areas most affected by, and least responsible for, the climate crisis.
• IUFRO released a new report, "International Forests Governance: A critical review of trends, drawbacks, and new approaches".
• The Smart Data Roadmap”
• "Scaling Clean Technology Offtakes: A Corporate Playbook for Net Zero"
• PLACEMAKING: MAKING THRIVING CITIES THROUGH PLACE-LED DEVELOPMENT
• Securing Minerals for the Energy Transition
• The World Bank Groupreleased the report, "The Great Reversal: Prospects, Risks, and Policies in International Development Association Countries". It offers the first comprehensive look at the opportunities and risks confronting the 75 countries eligible for grants and zero to low-interest loans from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA).
• As global disruptions from climate change, geopolitics and emerging technologies continue to intensify, the safeguarding of global hashtag#ValueChains is more important than ever before.
• Beyond the EU Deforestation Regulation: The Strategic Role of the Milkywire Forest and Landscape Fund
• What are viable ways forward for hashtag#sustainableconsumption ?
• Sustainable signals
• Navigating the New Frontier: Electronic Trade Documents and Digital Assets in International Law
• hashtag#Biochar is used for hashtag#soilremediation but changes over time, known as aging. Most studies use artificial aging methods, with chemical hashtag#aging impacting biochar’s properties most significantly. Aging can release pollutants and pose environmental risks, highlighting the need for improved aging models.
• hashtag#Phytoremediation offers a sustainable solution to hashtag#heavymetal hashtag#contamination in soils, utilizing plants to detoxify environments economically and effectively. Advances include microbial assistance, genetic modifications, and organic additives to enhance efficacy, promising a greener future in hashtag#environmentalremediation.
• This study reviews the impact of hashtag#biomass type and hashtag#pyrolysis conditions on biochar properties, emphasizing their significance for tailored applications. Key findings highlight the necessity for further research to optimize hashtag#biochar’s utility across various fields, enhancing both technological and commercial outcomes.
• How might the EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) Regulation impact the climate landscape?
• Empowering Women in Climate Action
• Streamlining the Green Hydrogen Ecosystem for Accelerated Implementation of National Green Hydrogen Mission. Standards for Green Hydrogen.
• Developments in Transition Finance Metrics!
• hashtag#DYK 90% of global climate finance goes to mitigation actions, despite the strong economic rationale to invest in adaptation and resilience building
• Migratory birds are vital contributors to global hashtag#biodiversity and hashtag#agriculture
• The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office’s (HFTO’s) new Multi-Year Program Plan (MYPP)
• Forget "profit only." Sustainable finance is redefining success
• Mapping European Research Council - frontier research artificial intelligence | European Commission
• WBCSD – World Business Council for Sustainable Development released a new report, "Business guidance for deeper regeneration – Climate chapter"
• The Hidden Cost of AI: Environmental Impact of AI Infrastructure
• Building ESG: Carbon Management - Offset should never be your priority no. 1
• The Smallholder and Agri-SME Finance and Investment Network

Events:

• May 16 Hyperledger Supply Chain & Trade Finance SIG - Alexander Style of Vinturas
• June 4-6: GS1 Connect * Thrive, Orlando, FL
• June 4-5: Freightwaves Future of Supply Chain, Atlanta, GA
• Sept 29-Oct. 2: CSCMP’s EDGE Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition, Nashville, TN