Sustainability

Stockholm – September 19, 2026 -- Google has signed an agreement with Swedish producer Stegra to purchase environmental attribute certificates (EACs) tied to up to 91,000 tonnes of near-zero emission steel output in the first year, with plans to scale volumes over the life of the deal.

Google secures EACs to offset steel emissions from datacenter construction

The certificates allow Google to address steel-related emissions across its operations, including datacenter construction, without requiring direct physical delivery of the steel itself. The deal uses a "book and claim" model, decoupling environmental attributes from the physical product so that certificates can be sold separately from the steel, which is produced at Stegra's Boden, Sweden facility using green hydrogen and renewable electricity.

Boston – September 19, 2026 -- Maverick Corporation will lead engineering and construction on the largest municipal curbside EV charging buildout in the United States, a New York City contract calling for 600 new chargers across all five boroughs over three years.

NYC and NYPA select it's electric to replace pilot charging infrastructure citywide

The City of New York and the New York Power Authority officially selected it's electric in August to build the permanent PlugNYC network, procured through a contract with the Department of Citywide Administrative Services. Maverick, a 30-year-old Make Ready design and construction firm, will handle installation and utility coordination for the rollout.

Pittsburgh – September 18, 2026 -- InventHelp has submitted a new patent-pending cigarette butt disposal invention, the 4-BUTTS, to its National Sales Office and made the design available for licensing or sale to manufacturers and marketers.

Device attaches to trash cans, poles, fences and trees to curb litter

The 4-BUTTS is designed to mount on multiple existing structures -- including trash cans, light poles, flag poles, fence posts and trees -- giving smokers a dedicated disposal point wherever they are. The design can also help secure a trash bag to a can, according to the filing.

Seoul – September 18, 2026 -- Hanwha Power has secured Approval in Principle (AiP) from the American Bureau of Shipping for a 22,000-cubic-meter LNG bunkering vessel concept design, the company announced on September 15 at GASTECH 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Approval completes Hanwha Power's bunkering vessel lineup from 7,500 to 22,000 CBM

The certification rounds out a full range of medium- and large-scale LNG bunkering vessels for Hanwha Power, positioning the company across multiple vessel size classes for shipowners transitioning to alternative marine fuels.

Valcourt, QC – September 18, 2026 -- BRP Inc. (TSX: DOO) (NASDAQ: DOO) has awarded grants of up to $5,000 each to more than 50 snowmobile clubs across North America through its 2026 Ski-Doo Snow PASS program, pushing cumulative program funding past CAD $1.5 million since its launch.

Grants target trail infrastructure and access preservation

The 2026 funding round supports projects including bridge repairs, signage upgrades, volunteer recruitment and initiatives to introduce new riders to the sport. The awards, distributed with support from Ski-Doo's dealer network, go to grassroots organizations that maintain the trail systems underpinning the snowmobiling industry.

Pittsburgh – September 18, 2026 -- InventHelp has submitted a patent-pending invention called BOB, designed to restore worn landscape barrels with holes in the bottom to usable condition, eliminating the need to discard the containers.

Device conceals barrel holes to extend container life

The BOB design conceals holes in worn landscape barrels, allowing continued use of the container rather than replacement. The inventor, from Wantagh, N.Y., developed the product after identifying a need for a simple way to restore old barrels to like-new condition.

Target buyers span grounds maintenance and municipal markets

InventHelp markets the device to landscaping companies, golf courses, parks, cemeteries, lawncare businesses, grounds maintenance firms, sanitation companies, municipalities, and homeowners with large properties.

Brooklyn, N.Y. – September 18, 2026 -- First Student and Con Edison have completed the first phase of an electric school bus infrastructure project in New York City, cutting charging infrastructure construction costs by 13% through a trenchless deployment method.

Trenchless charging technology avoids underground trenching costs in dense boroughs

The project's core innovation, First Student's First ChargeTM system, is a trenchless, modular charging infrastructure solution that bypasses traditional underground trenching. The approach reduced construction costs by 13% while minimizing disruption in Brooklyn and Queens, two of the most logistically complex urban environments in the United States for utility work.

Delray Beach, Fla. – September 18, 2026 -- The global transformer oil market is projected to grow from $2.18 billion in 2026 to $2.87 billion by 2031, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 5.6%, according to MarketsandMarkets. The market stood at $2.07 billion in 2025.

Grid modernization and renewable integration drive new demand

Utilities and grid operators are accelerating investment in transmission and distribution infrastructure, replacing aging transformers and expanding high-voltage networks to evacuate renewable power. This buildout is fueling demand for insulating fluids used for electrical insulation and heat dissipation in both new and refurbished transformers.

Brooklyn, N.Y. – September 18, 2026 -- it's electric has been selected by the City of New York and the New York Power Authority to build a permanent curbside electric vehicle charging network spanning all five boroughs, replacing the city's pilot infrastructure with 700 chargers over the next three years.

City expands charging points eightfold from current pilot network

The NYC Department of Transportation's PlugNYC program will grow from 88 Level 2 charging points to 700 under the contract, procured through the Department of Citywide Administrative Services in partnership with the New York Power Authority.

Espoo – September 17, 2026 -- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and seven food industry partners have concluded a three-year, €3 million project concluding that profitable plant-based ingredient production depends on converting every raw-material fraction into value, not just isolating protein.

The RETHINK project, funded by Business Finland and running from June 2023 to August 2026, examined how Finland's oat and faba bean supply chains could be restructured into investable ingredient businesses. Industrial partners included Anora, Apetit, Fazer, Helsingin Mylly, Raisio, Valio and Viking Malt.