{"id":7904,"date":"2023-03-22T17:51:39","date_gmt":"2023-03-22T22:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/?p=7904"},"modified":"2023-03-22T17:58:07","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T22:58:07","slug":"3-key-sustainability-findings-at-sxsw-2023-what-your-company-can-learn-put-into-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/3-key-sustainability-findings-at-sxsw-2023-what-your-company-can-learn-put-into-action\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Key Sustainability Findings at SXSW 2023: What Your Company Can Learn &#038; Put Into Action"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>\u2013 Mar. 23, 2023 \u2013 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">The Austin-Texas-based festival <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sxsw.com\">South by Southwest<\/a> wrapped over the weekend. As much as the ten-day event celebrates music and film, it\u2019s also a conference that connects the public with experts welcoming change through innovative technology and techniques \u2013 as exemplified by SXSW 2023\u2019s sustainability-focused panels.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">If you\u2019re an executive who\u2019s curious about what your company could be doing to be more sustainable or why now is a perfect time to rethink your approach, read the three takeaways below from this year\u2019s SXSW environmental talks and films.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-7906 \" src=\"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/e_waste_sxsw_panel.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/e_waste_sxsw_panel.png 1798w, https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/e_waste_sxsw_panel-300x180.png 300w, https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/e_waste_sxsw_panel-1024x614.png 1024w, https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/e_waste_sxsw_panel-768x460.png 768w, https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/e_waste_sxsw_panel-1536x921.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px\" \/>Have a Comprehensive View: \u201cE-waste in the Transition to a Clean Economy\u201d Panel<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">One of SXSW\u2019s earliest panels was \u201cE-waste in the Transition to a Clean Economy,\u201d an hour-long discussion about how our world is undergoing a clean energy transition and how it will dramatically shift how our economy operates.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">We can prepare for more companies to announce or make plans to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 200;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Reduce emissions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\"> by way of gathering resources to make products or ship products to retailers\/customers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 200;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Increase efficiencies<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\"> to better focus on their core business<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 200;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Create new jobs or partner up <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">to assess and manage the ins and outs of their operations<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">Panelists Taylor Curtis (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrel.gov\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">National Renewable Energy Laboratory<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">), Mark Petruzzi (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sustainableelectronics.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">SERI<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">), Tom Romanoff (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bipartisanpolicy.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">Bipartisan Policy Center<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">) and Jesse Simons (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarcycle.us\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">SOLARCYCLE<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">, via satellite) weren\u2019t shy to bring up the negative and often overlooked dimension of this change: the creation of more waste from clean energy use.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">Through examples of solar photovoltaics, wind turbines and batteries, it\u2019s clear how vital it is for companies to have a comprehensive view of their operations, especially when planning to go public with adopting a new technique and\/or technology. What may be helping one area could be damaging another, allowing the \u201cshiny\u201d element to cloud the sustainable journey.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">Is this new tech or technique masquerading good when its process is more complicated and harmful than you may know? Knowledge is key, and an operational analysis can unlock the knowledge a company needs to make the proper steps toward their sustainability goals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">For more compelling insights from the \u201cE-waste in the Transition to a Clean Economy\u201d panel, see <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/feed\/update\/urn:li:activity:7040055301835788288\"><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">our LinkedIn post<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\"> recap about having confidence in the secondary market and the importance of changing our language (\u201cwaste isn\u2019t waste when it has value\u201d).<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7907\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7907\" class=\" wp-image-7907\" src=\"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ev_battery_paradox_sxsw_panel_Quest_RMG.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"227\" srcset=\"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ev_battery_paradox_sxsw_panel_Quest_RMG.jpeg 1080w, https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ev_battery_paradox_sxsw_panel_Quest_RMG-300x171.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ev_battery_paradox_sxsw_panel_Quest_RMG-1024x582.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ev_battery_paradox_sxsw_panel_Quest_RMG-768x437.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7907\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>&#8220;The EV Battery Supply Chain Paradox&#8221; SXSW Panel, featuring experts (L-R) Tanya Das, Kelly Fleming, Chris Doornbos and Juliet Akamboe. Photo by Quest RMG.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n<h3><strong>Charging Forward with Science: \u201cThe EV Battery Supply Chain Paradox\u201d Panel<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">The SXSW panel \u201cThe EV Battery Supply Chain Paradox\u201d drilled deep down the path to electrifying our transportation system and expanding the role of electric vehicle batteries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">The discussion featured perspectives from Juliet Akamboe (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mines.edu\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">Colorado School of Mines<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">), Tanya Das (Bipartisan Policy Center), Chris Doornbos (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?client=safari&amp;rls=en&amp;q=E3+Lithium&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;oe=UTF-8\"><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">E3 Lithium<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">) and Kelly Fleming (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.decarbonizetransportation.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">Institute for Transportation Decarbonization<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">), detailing that more EVs mean more mining and critical minerals being deployed at a large scale.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">Tanya Das shared an alarming statistic: \u201can EV requires around 450 lbs. of minerals compared to the 100 lbs. in traditional gas cars.\u201d This dichotomy highlights how EVs and mineral supply chains are linked. The global supply chains we rely on with these minerals face environmental practices, human rights practices and global security concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">As detailed in one of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/2023\/01\/19\/business-sustainability-in-2023-3-key-developments-and-reasons-for-optimism\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">our recent blogs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">, there have been breakthroughs in the production process of EVs. For example, manufacturers, equipment suppliers and OEMs are looking into the tech used to extract and refine critical minerals \u2013 such as the work panelist Chris Doornbos does with E3 Lithium, using an innovative process that doesn&#8217;t require mining but science with its extraction. Instead of using machines to remove the elements needed to make an EV battery, this process chemically filters lithium and reinjects the unneeded materials back into the earth. It\u2019s a closed-loop system we could all learn from, making it an environmentally and economically sufficient method.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">For more about what your industry can learn from the EV process, read <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/2022\/10\/19\/thinking-comprehensively-how-your-business-can-basket-waste-knowledge-from-ev-batteries\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">our blog<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\"> from last year about the EV forecast.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7905\" style=\"width: 411px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7905\" class=\"wp-image-7905 \" src=\"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/b709d65c853a08646c3f76221d3abec9_4096x2732_b0fd8467.jpeg-scaled.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/b709d65c853a08646c3f76221d3abec9_4096x2732_b0fd8467.jpeg-scaled.webp 2560w, https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/b709d65c853a08646c3f76221d3abec9_4096x2732_b0fd8467.jpeg-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/b709d65c853a08646c3f76221d3abec9_4096x2732_b0fd8467.jpeg-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/b709d65c853a08646c3f76221d3abec9_4096x2732_b0fd8467.jpeg-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/b709d65c853a08646c3f76221d3abec9_4096x2732_b0fd8467.jpeg-600x400.webp 600w, https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/b709d65c853a08646c3f76221d3abec9_4096x2732_b0fd8467.jpeg-1536x1025.webp 1536w, https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/b709d65c853a08646c3f76221d3abec9_4096x2732_b0fd8467.jpeg-2048x1366.webp 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7905\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>&#8220;Wild Life&#8221; will have its broadcast debut on National Geographic Channel on May 25 and will stream May 26 on Disney+. Pictured: Kris Tompkins on her hike up the mountain range in Patagonia, Chile. Photo courtesy of Jimmy Chin.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n<h3><strong>Importance of Maintaining Ecosystems: \u201cWild Life\u201d Documentary About Husband-and-Wife Conservationists\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">In the film section, SXSW held the world premiere of the upcoming National Geographic documentary \u201cWild Life,\u201d directed by Academy Award-winning filmmakers Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (\u201cFree Solo\u201d). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">The film presents a sweeping portrait of conservationists Kristine and Doug Tompkins, who fought to preserve one of the last truly wild places on earth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">While conservation work may seem like a far cry from your business, there\u2019s a thread that holds it all together: the importance of maintaining ecosystems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">In \u201cWild Life,\u201d we watch the chronicling of the Tompkins family purchasing thousands of acres in Chile and Argentina, only to rewild it (put the animals pushed out due to lack of control) and give it back to the country as a national park. These efforts helped save endangered species and protect resources. Everything plays a role in an ecosystem, and this line of thinking is inspiring.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">By working with others who help to conserve resources, reuse\/recycle and manage waste properly, business leaders such as yourself can help sustain the environment for future generations and increase operational efficiency.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">May the above learnings charge you down the path toward sustainability. Should you need guidance along your journey, seek help from a service provider whose business goals align with yours.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2013 Mar. 23, 2023 \u2013 The Austin-Texas-based festival South by Southwest wrapped over the weekend. As much as the ten-day event celebrates music and film, it\u2019s also a conference that connects the public with experts welcoming change through innovative technology and techniques \u2013 as exemplified by SXSW 2023\u2019s sustainability-focused panels. If you\u2019re an executive who\u2019s&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":7911,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,3825,76,75,20],"tags":[5435,5476,5475,5474,5473,5472,5471,5470,5439,99,39,37],"class_list":["post-7904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-automotive-solutions-blog","category-circular-economy","category-retail-solutions-blog","category-manufacturing-solutions-blog","category-fleet-efficiency","tag-supply-chain","tag-eco-friendly","tag-e-waste","tag-circular-economy","tag-equipment-suppliers","tag-ecosystems","tag-south-by-southwest","tag-sxsw","tag-ev-batteries","tag-green-fleet-management","tag-green-company","tag-green-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7904"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7904\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}