Meta geothermal deal highlights growing interest in renewable alternatives

Meta is contracting with a little-known next-generation geothermal startup, XGS Energy, to counteract emissions from a data center campus in New Mexico that’s being expanded to accommodate artificial intelligence.

Under the deal announced June 12, Meta will support XGS’s development of a two-phased, 150-megawatt installation that will begin feeding electricity to the local grid by 2030. 

This is not a power purchase agreement, at least not yet. It’s part of a broad portfolio of 13 renewable electricity and energy storage projects that Meta is supporting through a special service contract with PNM, the largest electricity provider in New Mexico. The project developers seek to use a state geothermal tax credit approved in 2024. 

XGS, founded in 2008, has raised close to $60 million to develop a geothermal production method differentiated by use of almost no water and its applicability in a variety of geological conditions. Meta is its first publicly declared customer.

Enhanced geothermal technologies work by fracturing hot rock and circulating water to generate electricity. Advanced geothermal systems use a closed-loop design that doesn’t inject the fluid into the rock and are often sited at end-of-life oil and gas wells. XGS is considered a hybrid between these two approaches.

There’s only one geothermal installation in New Mexico, but state-sponsored research suggests there could be 160 gigawatts of geothermal capacity available for development. “New Mexico is not only the second largest oil and gas producer in the U.S., but also one of the nation’s leading sources of clean energy,” said New Mexico Governor Lujan Grisham. Colorado, North Dakota and California also support state-level initiatives.

This is Meta’s second geothermal partnership. It announced a relationship with Sage Geosystems in August 2024 with the goal of bringing 150 megawatts of electricity online in an unspecified location east of the Rocky Mountains by 2027. 

Google and Microsoft support geothermal, too

Geothermal power accounts for less than 1 percent of the current U.S. electricity mix, but anticipated energy demand for data centers and bipartisan policy support for development is spurring corporate interest. 

Startups working on enhanced or advanced geothermal systems have raised more than $1.3 billion from a range of investors including oil majors such as Chevron and Baker Hughes, according to research firm Wood Mackenzie. 

Wood Mackenzie estimates the Great Basin region including Nevada, Utah and parts of California, Oregon and Wyoming could support at least 135 gigawatts of capacity, or roughly 10 percent of the U.S. power supply.

Fervo Energy, an enhanced geothermal company that has inked a high-profile deal with Google for a 118 megawatt project in Nevada, disclosed an additional $206 million in project financing on June 11 that will help advance its Cape Station project in Utah, the first phase of which is slated to become operational in 2026. 

Microsoft’s biggest bet on geothermal for data centers, so far, is outside the U.S. in Kenya, where it’s investing $1 billion in an AI facility with G42, a development company from Dubai.  

Positive project pipeline

Data centers are a rapidly growing business in the U.S., and corporate power purchase agreements will be critical for securing more projects, according to Wood Mackenzie analysis. Geothermal is one of the rare renewables receiving bipartisan support: As of this writing, it appeared federal tax credits would be spared in the budget winding its way through the U.S. Senate. 

Even without those credits, the levelized cost of energy from next-generation geothermal projects such as Cape State is about $79 per megawatt-hour. 

“Tax credits should serve as a catalyst, not a crutch,” said Annick Adjei, senior research analyst with Wood Mackenzie. “They help build a competitive U.S. geothermal industry with global leadership potentially. Fortunately, [enhanced geothermal] projects are increasingly viable without them, and continued innovation is expected to drive costs down further.”

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4 leadership tips to start a sustainability career in 2025

If sustainability has gone the way of rom-com movies, my undergraduate students at New York University’s Stern School of Business haven’t gotten the memo. This spring, my sustainability strategy elective was significantly oversubscribed, and the class excelled — delivering thoughtful materiality assessments and strategic advice for 10 companies across diverse sectors, while continually questioning and improving the status quo. 

Yet, the job and internship markets remain challenging, and media headlines warn of entry-level roles for all fields vanishing into the jaws of artificial intelligence. Advising students to pursue sustainability reporting feels fraught amid political volatility, regulatory uncertainty and backsliding. Sustainability communication roles aren’t much easier, as companies anxiously comb disclosures for risky acronyms and loaded terms, worried about both greenwashing and greenhushing. 

It’s also not lost on me that most of my students in my class are women, surrounded on campus by peers aiming for the well-trodden paths of investment banking and consulting. I want to offer them a different vision of work and success — but one that doesn’t consign talented young people to being underpaid or sidelined. 

So, what exactly is my advice to the next generation?

Make sustainability an essential minor

The days of sustainability as a “standalone” capability are numbered, partly because there’s no consensus on its scope or reporting lines. Many firms created sustainability teams solely around ESG reporting, but that responsibility is shifting to chief financial officers or compliance heads. This shift inadvertently exposes companies that were only interested in box-checking and highlights those truly committed to business integration. The next phase of sustainability is all about embedding sustainability into core business decisions and processes, and that requires different thinking about everything, including careers.

The most effective CSOs are those with deep internal credibility and the ability to assemble teams with expertise tailored to their company’s material issues. In practice, this means all young people need a strong grasp of sustainability fundamentals, but can still pursue careers in finance, operations, marketing, strategy or procurement. As sustainability becomes more integrated across enterprises, it’s vital that everyone understands how it intersects with their discipline. The idea of a single “sustainability expert” was always flawed — no one can master every material topic in depth and breadth. 

Experiment for a decade

My students often worry about landing the perfect first job. But, as my yoga teacher reminds me, you’re not glued to where you land. I advise new graduates to treat their first 10 years as a period of experimentation: try different roles, discover what energizes you. Do you prefer structure or variety? Is travel or people management important? Do you thrive on conversation or prefer analytical, solitary work? It’s perfectly normal not to have these answers yet. But if you don’t explore, you risk waking up at 40 in a career you never chose, trapped by bill payments and commitments. Before you pigeonhole yourself, discover what excites you — and stay open to unexpected opportunities. In this sense, your first job doesn’t matter as much as how often you are prepared to pivot until you find a fit.

Here are avenues to explore, in the Trellis 30 Under 30 rising stars in climate in 2025.

Master power dynamics and organizational change

Many sustainability professionals feel ambivalent about their roles or organizations, often entering the field hoping to be society’s voice inside the company. That’s admirable, but real change comes from having influence. Sometimes, it’s smarter to start in mainstream investing before tackling ESG products, or to innovate on sustainability by beginning in R&D. You can’t address Scope 3 emissions or workforce issues without understanding procurement incentives. And you can’t communicate sustainability effectively without strategic oversight. 

Study how power operates and how decisions get made — then position yourself to be part of those decisions, using your insights to steer the organization toward the issues you care about. We need more responsible, ethical leaders, and we won’t achieve this if the most responsible, ethical people in society see power as a dirty word.

With this in mind, also be thoughtful about your own influence. Take social media seriously and understand you’re shaping a profile. Relentless curiosity and willingness to take on new challenges will get you a long way.

Find your fit in a wide ecosystem

Change requires a range of voices and perspectives. Some of us thrive as politically savvy insiders, shaping narratives and influencing leaders. Others excel as advocates, pushing for greater ambition through campaigns and critiques. Some work well bridging different disciplines: policy and business or NGOs and for-profits. Still others prefer the variety of consulting or the hands-on, operational nature of frontline roles. The point is that all these paths are valid. Try several. Which one feels most like home to you?

We are likely already past the high-water mark for the CSO as a defined position. Future roles will be more hybrid, more integrated, more senior and more dependent on internal credibility. Meanwhile, the core thinking and concepts on topics such as environmental responsibility, worker dignity and inclusion are seeping into organizations that need to attract and motivate a new generation of workers. All this means that you can take your time shaping a leadership journey that plays to your strengths and puts human judgment and skills at the center. That’s good news for us, and for the future of responsible, sustainable business. 

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What a pioneering project means for ocean carbon removal

British Airways, Stripe and Shopify have purchased what backers say are the first independently verified credits from ocean carbon removal, a mechanism with huge sequestration potential.

“It’s a crucial proof point that this is possible,” said Stacy Kauk, chief science officer at Isometric, the registry that issued the credits.

The credits were generated by a project that added powdered alkaline minerals to cooling water discharged from a power plant into the Halifax, Canada, harbor. The minerals trigger chemical reactions that pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and lock it away in bicarbonate ions, which remain stable for tens of thousands of years.

The total removed in this case was small — the three buyers will share 625 credits — but the mechanism has enormous opportunity to grow. The feedstock minerals are inexpensive and widely available in mine wastes and other sources. If scaled globally, a 2023 study concluded, ocean alkalinity enhancement conducted close to coastlines could remove gigatons of CO2. Around 10 Gt of removal will be required annually by 2050 to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to the IPCC.

First movers

Stripe and Shopify are known for making catalytic investments designed to help scale early-stage removal technologies; both were founding members of Frontier, a buyers’ coalition set up for that purpose. British Airways is newer to this kind of investment. The airline made its purchase through CUR8, a London company that creates carbon removal portfolios for clients. In this case, the $12 million portfolio included future delivery of 7,000 credits from Planetary, the developer of the Halifax project. 

Credits in the portfolio, which includes biochar, direct air capture and other project types, cost an average of $335 per metric ton of carbon removed, said Marta Krupinska, CUR8’s CEO and co-founder. She noted that much of the current cost of an ocean alkalinity credit comes from the procedures needed to measure, report and verify the quantity of captured carbon. Krupinska expects the total cost to fall by more than 50 percent as project developers gain experience with these processes.

Buyer confidence

If ocean alkalinity credits are to reach a market beyond first-mover companies, project developers will have to win the trust of buyers. One issue will be reliably measuring the amount of carbon removed — a challenging task in an open system such as the ocean. 

For the Halifax project, Planetary took samples from the area around the discharge site and used models to estimate the captured carbon. The models included simulations of the harbor environment — calibrated using real-world measurements — and of interactions between the ocean and atmosphere.

“The ocean models used are well validated by years of measurements, and multiple simulations are run to identify what uncertainties exist across different simulations,” said Will Burt, Planetary’s chief ocean scientist. “Then, at the end, we tally all of the uncertainties across both measurements and models, and whatever that total accumulated uncertainty is, we subtract that number of credits from our total net removals. This means we are much more likely to be underestimating our removals rather than overestimating them.”

Buyers will also need to be convinced that the alkaline minerals do not damage the local environment. Isometric’s Kauk stressed that the geochemical processes involved are well understood and occur naturally. “What we’re doing is taking a natural process, then enhancing it and speeding it up,” she said. Planetary also conducted camera surveys of seabed organisms and monitored multiple metrics, including pH, to ensure that the minerals did not alter the composition of the ocean water beyond limits that had been agreed upon with scientific advisors.

Kauk said that Isometric was taking a conservative approach to help build trust and issue credits that buyers can rely on. “Then we repeat this again and again and again,” she said. “Our models are going to get better, and the market is going to start to trust marine based carbon removal as a source of very cost-effective climate benefits.

“And when those things start to be accepted by the market,” she added, “I think we’re going to hit massive scale.”

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SBTi got more than 850 comments on its new net-zero standard. Now what?

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is poring over feedback from more than 850 corporations, nonprofits, trade associations, academics and other stakeholders who submitted recommendations for the next version of the corporate net-zero framework.

SBTi published the 132-page outline for an expansive overhaul to its Corporate Net Zero Standard 2.0 on March 18 and gave interested parties until June 1 to suggest revisions. 

The organization, which plans to publish a summary of the comments sometime later this year, declined to release information about the suggestions prior to that. 

Meanwhile, SBTi’s technical teams are reviewing the comments, and whatever recommendations are accepted by SBTi staff and advisors will be incorporated into a draft that will be circulated for additional consultation. 

Emerging feedback themes

Predictably, many recommendations for SBTi shared with Trellis or published as open letters centered on how carbon removals and other environmental attribute certificates can or should be used in the process of becoming net zero. 

That’s partly by design: SBTi specifically requested input for suggested approaches related to carbon dioxide removals between 2030 and the company’s net-zero year to reduce “projected residual emissions” — including one that would require these investments. This issue was the subject of intense scrutiny and controversy last summer.   

The Institute for Policy Integrity at New York University, for example, came down on the side of letting corporations count high-quality carbon removal toward their emissions reduction goals, saying this would help grow the available market. 

“SBTi could incentivize companies to invest in high-quality, durable carbon dioxide removal to address their residual emissions, as they simultaneously work to reduce their emissions as much as possible by their net-zero target dates,” the institute said. The Institute cautions that claims related to those investments must be made judiciously, given current scrutiny of corporation climate commitments, and that clarity from SBTi would help.

RMI, which coordinated a response from more than a dozen organizations that advocate carbon removal, calls for corporate investments in high-durability carbon removal methods to be required starting in 2030. Like the Policy Institute, the think tank suggests purchases meet a minimum threshold for durability and traceability, and that they be chosen to “counterbalance” the lifetime of the corporation’s actual emissions.  

Other stakeholders are pushing SBTi to clarify how the new standard will recognize the use of emerging methods of indirect Scope 3 mitigation in their supply chains — such as the book and claim systems that companies use to report emissions reductions related to investments in emerging technologies like low-carbon fuels for aviation or maritime shipping. These systems enable companies to support an alternative to purchasing carbon credits or unbundled renewable energy certificates.

“Patagonia views indirect mitigation — reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our supply chain — as a necessary component of strategy to achieve net zero by 2040,” said Kim Drenner, director of supply chain environmental impact at the apparel company, in a statement coordinated by the Zero Emissions Maritime Buyers Alliance.

The Alliance represents companies that are claiming reductions related to their investments in zero-emissions maritime fuel, even if their goods aren’t actually on the ships using it. According to the statement: “Indirect mitigation supports collective action, encourages policy development and enables us to channel investments directly into our supply chain by supporting technologies such as e-fuels in transportation and transitioning textile mills to renewable energy.”

More than 1,500 companies have validated corporate net-zero targets, with another 3,000 committed to doing so. Even companies that aren’t among that number, however, have offered feedback. Microsoft, for example, which has near-term reduction targets validated by SBTi but doesn’t yet have a net-zero plan that fits SBTi’s methodology, remains actively engaged.

“As the CNZS continues to mature, we are thoughtfully evaluating how its evolving requirements align with our broader decarbonization strategy,” the company said in a statement emailed to Trellis. “Some elements of the current standard, including the 90% absolute emissions reduction threshold, the absence of recognition for environmental attribute credits (EACs), and constraints on carbon removals, are areas we continue to assess. These considerations reflect broader operational and market dynamics that many corporates are navigating today.”

Pilot testers sought

SBTi’s next revision is widely expected to be published in the fourth quarter of 2025. Meanwhile, SBTi is seeking companies willing to participate in a pilot test of the methodology.  

“After seeing an impressive level of engagement across the ecosystem in the public consultation on the first draft Corporate Net-Zero Standard version 2, pilot testing is the next stage, where we will gather more practical, first-hand insights,” said Alberto Carrillo Pineda, chief technical officer at SBTi.

That test consists of two phases:

  • An additional survey focused on corporate practitioners, which must be completed before Aug. 15. (SBTi says it will take an average of two hours to finish.)
  • A hands-on trial in the third quarter in which companies use real-world data to test “near-final” versions of the draft. SBTi is looking to identify implementation challenges and validate methodological assumptions that underpin the standard.   

Participants must complete the survey in order to be considered for the hands-on test. SBTi doesn’t say how many companies will be included, but it’s seeking to represent a diversity of sizes, industry sectors, regions, emissions profiles and business models. 

Transition timeline

While all this is going on, companies can still set science-based emissions reduction targets this year and during 2026 using the existing Corporate Net Zero and Near-Term Criteria methodologies. Goals set in those years will be valid for either five years or until the end of 2030, whichever is earlier. 

Companies must start using Corporate Net Zero Standard 2.0 to set emissions reduction strategies starting in 2027. The finalized methodology is due by the end of 2026.

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How the latest proposed revisions to the CSRD further weakens it

The European Council’s chief negotiator has recommended edits for the Omnibus package, this winter’s revision to the European Union’s Green Deal, which mandates businesses to file corporate disclosure reports to member states. And Jörgen Warborn’s proposed iteration relaxes even more of the original mandates regarding the Corporate Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

The justification behind that original proposal, released in February, was efficiency — specifically, that streamlining some of the more onerous and cash-intensive CSRD and CSDDD requirements would help businesses that would otherwise struggle to comply. Warborn’s draft takes that idea even further, watering down some of the main regulations in the name of cutting red tape.

“I’m entering this process with a clear ambition — to cut costs for businesses and go further than the Commission on simplification,” Warborn said in a post accompanying the release, “Less red tape and fewer burdens for businesses. That’s how we strengthen Europe’s economy.”

His recommendations include:

  • Voluntary disclosures in place of mandatory climate transition plans
  • Scope threshold of 3,000 employees and a $517 million net turnover
  • Preventing member states from making national rules stricter than the EU’s
  • Limiting value chain due diligence oversight

These measures are a substantial step back from the Omnibus’ proposals, which themselves weakened the original Green Deal’s requirements. For example, increasing the threshold to 3,000 employees frees hundreds of corporations from having to report; the Omnibus proposed a 1,000-employee threshold.

Members have until June 27 to comment on all proposed amendments.

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10 career tips for early-stage sustainability pros from Trellis 30 Under 30 alumni

As companies pull back on climate commitments (at least publicly) and trim their workforces, it’s a challenging time for sustainability professionals at every career level — but particularly those just starting out. 

The employment rate for recent college graduates aged 22-27 was almost 6 percent as of March, compared with 4.2 percent for the general population. ESG and sustainability teams are not immune to layoffs, and many professionals are reassessing their skill sets to land and keep a job.

To mark the 10th anniversary of Trellis 30 Under 30 list — featuring rising stars in the climate sector — we reached out to the 270 people featured on earlier editions of the list and asked them this question: What one tip do you have for an early-stage sustainability professional? Here are responses from 10 past honorees.

‘Be agile’

Devin Carsdale (2017)

Then: Sustainability compliance auditor for consumer goods purveyor Inter IKEA Group

Now: Associate director of sustainability at pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb, specializing in sustainable procurement and Scope 3 emissions

Advice: “Be amenable to taking on any number of tasks. As you grow in this space it is critical to be agile and a jack of all trades. This means project management, data analytics, change management, reporting and more!” 

‘Take care of yourself’

Christina Copeland (2016)

Then: Manager of disclosure services at sustainability reporting service CDP  

Now: Assistant vice president for sustainable finance reporting and strategy at insurer Great-West Lifeco 

Advice: “Take care of yourself. Working in sustainability can bring a lot of psychological baggage — the anxiety from knowing how bad it can be, feeling like you need to do more and are complicit just because you’re a human living in society. Find your community, your creative release, get professional support if you think it will be helpful. “

‘Ask what makes you come alive’

Lisa Curtis (2016)

Then: Founder and CEO of Kuli Kuli Foods, which makes organic, superfood snacks from drought-tolerant moringa trees planted to combat deforestation

Now: Curtis still leads the company, which counts Walmart among its retail partners

Advice: “I strongly believe in the Howard Thurman quote of ‘Don’t ask what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive because what the world needs is more people who have come alive.’ Start by understanding the type of work that gives you energy — the work that you could do even if no one paid you to do it — and then figure out how to get paid for it.”

‘Don’t wait for permission’

Phil De Luna (2019)

Then: Program director for the Energy Materials Challenge Program with National Research Council Canada

Now: Chief science and commercial officer for Deep Sky Alpha, a Canadian direct air capture innovation and testing center that has raised more than $90 million

Advice: “As someone who has navigated the intersection of science, entrepreneurship and policy, my advice is: Don’t wait for permission — start building now.​ Sustainability challenges are multifaceted, and addressing them requires proactive engagement. Build your network, seek mentorship and don’t hesitate to pursue innovative ideas.​ Remember: Impactful change doesn’t come from waiting for the perfect moment; it comes from taking the first step and learning along the way.”

‘Stay curious and adaptable’

Franck Gbaguidi (2023)

Then: Director of sustainability at Eurasia Group, a political risk research and advisory group. 

Now: Practice head for global sustainability, biodiversity and water at Eurasia

Advice: “Stay curious and adaptable. Sustainability is constantly evolving — from the early CSR days to the ESG boom to today’s anti-ESG wave. Those who thrive are lifelong learners who anticipate shifts and shape the agenda, not just follow it. That mindset will position you to lead through whatever phase comes next.”

‘Don’t chase trends’

Pedro Alexandre Martins (2024)

Then: Senior sustainability source manager at meal kit company HelloFresh 

Now: Senior engagement manager at Capitals Coalition, which helps companies consider natural capital, social capital and human capital alongside financial metrics as part of decision-making

Advice: “Figure out where you thrive on the transformation spectrum. Change happens in startups, corporations, civil society and advocacy spaces — but the paths and pace differ. Don’t chase trends. Test what energizes you most! Systems change needs diverse builders; find where your purpose and skillset align best.”

‘Ask questions’

Hardik Miyani (2022)

Then: Senior energy and commissioning engineer at building sustainability and efficiency firm Baumann Consulting

Now: Miyani, named Young Energy Professional of the Year in 2024 by the Association of Energy Engineers, is the energy and decarbonization manager at Baumann

Advice: “Build a strong foundation by mastering the basics of energy systems and data analysis, but always stay curious — ask questions, seek mentors, and connect your work to real-world impact. Sustainability is a marathon, not a sprint. Focus on measurable progress, not perfection.”

‘Learn from the past’

Kaity Robbins (2024)

Then: Senior program manager of waste diversion at Whole Foods Market

Now: Same 

Advice: “Approach every situation with curiosity first. It’s essential to acknowledge and learn from our past. Understanding why things are done certain ways provides the knowledge needed to chart better paths forward.”

‘Engage with seasoned professionals’

José Miguel Salazar Hernández (2020)

Then: Senior specialist for corporate sustainability at CSRone, an ESG consulting firm in Taiwan

Now: Manager for ESG, sustainability and climate change services with PwC Spain 

Advice: “Sustainability careers cycle along regulations and investor views, which are currently facing a scale back. This phase is temporary, as fundamentals shall endure. Climate, nature and human rights will remain key financial risks and opportunities. Newcomers should engage with seasoned professionals to get sufficient context and perspective of where to focus priorities.”

‘Be brave and be loud’

Emily Sambuco (2023)

Then: Lead catastrophe analyst and atmospheric scientist with the corporate enterprise risk management team at  Liberty Mutual Insurance

Now: Same

Advice: “Be brave and be loud. Leverage your expertise — whether in climate, sustainability, environmental science, whatever — and advocate for scientific and data-driven decision-making within your organization. Communicate, educate and build relationships. Your experience is unique and valuable; you can integrate sustainability into your teams and organizations.”

[Join more than 5,000 professionals at Trellis Impact 25 — the center of gravity for doers and leaders focused on action and results, Oct. 28-30, San Jose.]

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Colgate CSO: ‘It has to be a better consumer experience’

The Two Steps Forward podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and other platforms — and, of course, via Trellis. Episodes publish every other Tuesday.

How much circularity can one company squeeze out of a toothpaste tube?

That’s the mouthwatering challenge taken on by Colgate Palmolive, the iconic 220-year-old company whose chief sustainability officer, Ann Tracy, has been leading the charge to make Colgate toothpaste tubes not just recyclable, but potentially turned back into new tubes.

It’s not just toothpaste, as Tracy told my co-host, sustainability consultant Solitaire Townsend, and me in the latest episode of our Two Steps Forward podcast. If the process works with toothpaste it can work with other Colgate products, from household cleaners to skincare products and more.

Also in this episode, Soli and I assess this moment in the sustainability profession, including the critical need for telling new and better stories.

Consumers come first

“It has to be a better consumer experience, because the consumer has to want to use it,” Tracy, who came to her job after more than two decades working in supply chains at Colgate, said of the recyclable tubes. “We could talk about the consumer intention–action gap and that they want to do right by the planet. They want to lower their impact but they don’t want to compromise on price or quality or convenience. Our role as a consumer goods companies is to try to find the intersection of all three of those.”

After the first recyclable tube was implemented in 2019, Colgate open-sourced its technology. Today, 95 percent of toothpaste tubes in the U.S. and a significant portion in Europe have been converted to recyclable HDPE plastic. But that doesn’t mean they’re being recycled, at least not in large numbers. Tracy emphasized the role of consumer education to ensure that spent toothpaste tubes end up in the recycling bin, noting that bathroom recycling isn’t yet very common. Colgate is only beginning to engage in that type of education.

Systems-level thinking

Tracy highlighted the need for systems-level thinking, strategic roadmaps and value creation in sustainability initiatives. “We would have monthly steering committee meetings, and in those meetings there was not just supply chain but also marketing, engineering, procurement — several different functions. They all played a role along the way in the decision making because one thing impacts another.”

The goal, she said, is to embed sustainability across all business processes, aiming for a circular economy with reduced environmental impact.

She viewed her own sustainability team as playing a key but supporting role. “First and foremost, you have to be able to help the organization envision the transformation. That means building strategic roadmaps with a clear endpoint, a clear goal. And you have to influence everyone along the way. We have a broad-reaching, enterprise-wide sustainability and social impact strategy, and I’m the master of none, keeper of all. My role is to shepherd the thing along, influencing across the enterprise.”

So, she said, returning to the toothpaste tube, “As we rolled out in the supply chain, we needed to work with marketing to make sure we were doing it in a way that benefited the operation. How does it show up on shelf and to the consumer? There had to be an alignment there on how that happened.”

The key to success, she said, is that each new sustainability initiative becomes easier, until it’s simply part of the fabric. “The goal is to build those processes in.”

The Two Steps Forward podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and other platforms — and, of course, via Trellis. Episodes publish every other Tuesday.

[Sustainability work is hard. Ready for Trellis Network to help? Learn more about our peer network.]

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What you need to know about new circularity business frameworks

The circular economy, once an aspirational concept, is becoming standardized across business, from product labels to international frameworks. And the movement will reach a new level when the Global Circularity Protocol (GCP) debuts in November at the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil.

The new protocol — spearheaded by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and backed by 50 corporations including Philips, Cisco and Apple — offers a common language and data standards to help companies turn away from extractive and polluting practices.

But the metric is far from the only one currently in play in the circular economy. In the past year a variety of organizations, including B Corps and Underwriters Laboratories, have embedded aspects of circularity into their business metrics.

“Circular economy is kind of the new kid on the block” in the rapidly evolving space of sustainability frameworks and standards, said Alasdair Hedger, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s senior expert in performance measurement and reporting.

Business leaders will need to understand and apply these standards to succeed in the emerging circular economy,

New ways to measure what’s circular

According to Hedger, circularity frameworks can be organized into four categories: product, corporate, sector and systemic. The Global Circularity Protocol grew out of a desire to harmonize what amounted to decentralized efforts.

Here’s a sampling of circular-economy considerations being embedded across business at each level:

Product

The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute in late 2024 added the C2C Certified Circularity pathway to its already rigorous suite of certifications. It encourages companies to develop circular products as varied as sewing thread and window glass. There are scores of other consumer product certifications, such as those in Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly program, but most don’t address the full range of circularity attributes. 

Corporate

The coming Global Circularity Protocol fits here. So do the latest B Corps standards, which in April added Environmental Stewardship & Circularity as a core topic to advance non-virgin materials and restrict “unnecessary” single-use products and packaging.

In addition, the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) are pushing companies to set nature-positive and science-based targets, which are often compatible with circularity.

Sector

Efforts include Underwriters Laboratories’ publication in April of new circular standards for EV chargers and other energy equipment. ASTM’s technical standards apply across sectors, too.

Also galvanizing sector-level change: corporate commitments and collaborations, including the U.S. Plastics Pact, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy and the Circular Electronics Partnership.

Systemic

In the EU, 2025 has been a milestone year for the first monetary reporting requirements for the circular economy under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Plus, extended consumer responsibility laws for packaging and textiles are spreading in U.S. states, notably California. 

The International Standards Organization (ISO) is developing guidance for adopting circular business models, following the May 2024 release of its ISO 59004:2024 definition of circular economy principles and terminology.

Meanwhile, the International Sustainability Standards Board and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) are collaborating to harmonize reporting standards, including the integration of circular-economy principles in sustainability and ESG reporting standards.

In a world informed by circularity adherence, companies must look beyond a goal of doing no harm. “It’s about creating value,” Hedger said. That is, companies that operationalize and measure circular practices can seize strategic advantages, reduce future risks and appeal to investors.

Similarly, Filipe Camaño Garcia, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s senior manager of the Global Circularity Protocol, positions the new standard’s potential for “unlocking further innovation and financing” across companies and regions.

Defining a circular future

That’s the theory, anyway. In reality, extracting resources from nature, creating products from them and wasting material remains the predominant way of business. In fact, the world is slightly less circular than it was a few years ago, according to the latest Circular Economy Gap report by Circle Economy and KPMG.

This matrix from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation offers seven types of benefits and 50 metrics for deciding how to adopt circular business models.

To change that, circular economy proponents urge companies to consider the benefits of measuring and sharing their material and product flows. Knowing the percentage of revenue generated from circular business models, for example, demonstrates how circular practices feed strategic business goals. And grasping how much revenue depends on raw materials can address future risks should resources become constrained.

“For those that are starting to put in place standards, there’s a bit of a first mover advantage,” said Adrian Vannahme, chief operating officer of Reclay StewardEdge, a Winnipeg, Canada, consultancy that helps clients navigate new packaging and waste regulations in Europe and North America.

Closing the materials gap within emissions counts

Meanwhile, there’s a push to integrate circular economy principles throughout the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, which informs the frameworks of the Science-Based Targets initiative, the CDP’s data reporting, GRI’s sustainability disclosures and emissions measurements by the investor-focused Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. 

Ellen MacArthur detailed in a January report how legacy sustainability guidance inadvertently “disincentivizes” circular economy activities. For instance, companies can’t see the impact of circular economy activities when they measure emissions. Nor can they easily account for the impacts of reselling, repairing or recirculating products and materials. In turn, it’s hard to unlock the business case for circular economy activities. But a clearer view could bring clarity to reduce Scope 3 emissions across supply chains.

“The circular economy has a key role to play in bringing down emissions,” said Miranda Schnitger, climate lead for foundation. “It’s not just a fuel source question, it’s about how we produce and consume.”

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Industry eyes carbon credit gold in mining waste

A new class of durable carbon removal credit that comes with multiple co-benefits is making its way to market.

Mining companies have been exploring the potential of using waste materials to draw down atmospheric carbon dioxide for several years. Recent months have seen a burst of activity, including the release of a standard to guide the process, new deals and the completion of a successful pilot project.

The largest demonstration of the approach to date is currently wrapping up at the Mount Keith open pit nickel mine in Australia, which is run by mining giant BHP. Over roughly 18 months, a rover operated by removal startup Arca crisscrossed heaps of mine waste on the site. The rover churned the surface, exposing magnesium-rich minerals to the air and triggering a reaction that locks away CO2 in carbonate minerals that will remain stable for thousands of years.

The pilot achieved its primary goal by showing that the process could be successfully integrated into the operations of the mine, said Sean Lowrie, Arca’s head of external affairs. It also produced data that affirms the potential of mining waste to sequester CO2. Lowrie estimates that the churning caused the 40-acre site to absorb an additional 60 tons of CO2 per acre per year. The company is working on a technique, based on using microwaves to further break up the waste, which it hopes will increase that rate around a hundred-fold.

Gigaton opportunity

There are billions of tons of waste at mine sites in the U.S. alone, and several types are suitable for carbon removal. Globally, the sequestration potential of mine wastes is estimated to run to billions of tons annually — a huge number for a single drawdown mechanism given that net-zero pathways typically require tens of billions of tons of removal a year.

“Our technology is rooted in this notion that rocks have an almost unlimited capacity for durable carbon storage, at least relative to our rates of emission,” said Laura Lammers, founder and CEO of Travertine, a startup working on a removal application for mining waste.

It’s not only scale that has advocates of mining removal excited. Because mines typically have large footprints and process huge amounts of rock, there may often be limited additional environmental impact to adding infrastructure to the sites. Some removal processes can also address toxicity problems: A startup known as BAIE Minerals, for example, is developing a project in Newfoundland, Canada, that would process waste from a local asbestos mine. 

In other cases, companies are attempting to integrate carbon removal into existing industrial processes to create multiple revenue streams. Travertine’s process uses sulfate mine waste to produce a calcium-rich residue that can capture CO2. But carbon removal is not the company’s sole goal: it’s process also produces sulfuric acid, a widely used chemical. This fall, the company will open a demonstration plant in upstate New York with the capacity to capture 60 tons of CO2 annually. A commercial-scale plant is slated for 2028, said Lammers. 

Winsome, an Australian lithium miner, announced this January that it’s working with Arca and others to explore the potential of removal credits to bolster revenues from a mine in Renard, Canada, that it has acquired an option to operate. Another of Winsome’s partners is Aquarry, a startup that adds alkaline mine waste to pit lakes in old mines, accelerating the uptake of CO2 by the water. Isometric, a carbon removal registry that this year published what it says is the first protocol for durable CDR in the mining industry, is also involved.

Leading buyers

With the work still at pilot phase, removal credits from mining projects are not yet widely available. Lowrie said he anticipated announcing offtake agreements in the “near future.” But leading buyers haven already taken an interest. Frontier, a coalition of removal buyers that includes Google and H&M, has purchased credits from Travertine and Exterra, another partner on the Renard project. And Aquarry is part of the Milkywire Climate Transformation Fund, a vehicle for channeling corporate money into high-impact climate projects. Investors in the fund include Spotify and Ing. 

The Frontier purchases are designed to support development of the technology, so the prices the coalition paid per ton — $480 and $1370 to Exterra and Travertine, respectively — are not a good indication of what the cost will be when mining removal scales up. The startups did not share precise prices with Trellis, but Lammers said credit costs will “certainly be less than $200 per ton.”

Several obstacles will need to be cleared before that can happen. Cara Maesano is the author of a recent report from the non-profit RMI that surveyed opportunities for integrating carbon removal into industrial process, including mining. She said she’s upbeat about the prospects, but noted key areas of uncertainty, including limited data on sequestration rates of mine wastes outside of lab tests. Some approaches also require significant energy inputs, which may need to be reduced to keep costs manageable. 

[Join more than 5,000 professionals at Trellis Impact 25 — the center of gravity for doers and leaders focused on action and results, Oct. 28-30, San Jose.]

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New Texas law threatens viability of battery energy systems

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 3809 into law May 29, mandating that all battery energy storage systems (BESS) facilities be decommissioned at the end of their lifecycle. This law, which takes effect Sept. 1, applies to both standalone BESS facilities and those co-located with solar and wind power plants, and requires developers to sign a non-waiver clause forbidding any contractual changes.

(A somewhat similar bill, SB 1150, was sent by the Texas legislator to Abbott’s desk requiring oil and gas companies to plug abandoned wells after 15 years, although that bill provides more opportunities for flexibility and extensions for the fossil fuel companies.)

Fundamentals of HB 3809

HB 3809 is very specific regarding its intended targets. The main provisions of the law are:

  • Mandatory decommissioning of BESS facilities at their end of lifecycle: This process includes the removal of buried cables, transformers and inverters, and all foundations need to be dug at least three feet deeper than the original structure to ensure proper site restoration.
  • Landowners’ right to request additional rehabilitation measures: Landowners can request that the owners of the BESS equipment undertake additional work such as removing internal roads, reseeding land with native plants and rehabilitating the land to agriculture standards.
  • BESS developers must provide financial assurance for decommissioning measures: Projects owners will consult with a third-party engineer to provide a total cost for decommissioning, both before the start of the project and annually until the termination of the lease or the 15th year of the BESS.

Texas’ energy reality

Texas ranks first in the U.S. in total wind power production, and second nationally for solar capacity. In 2024, wind and solar produced almost 30 percent of the state’s total energy, while coal produced around 11 percent. Gas is the largest source of energy within the state, accounting for more than half of all electricity production in 2024.

Infamous for an unreliable grid that fails in extreme weather, Texas solar energy and battery storage provided grid stability during the peak of summer 2024, generating 25 percent of power needs during mid-day hours between June 1 and Aug. 31, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).

To store renewable energy, as of 2024 Texas built 6,500 megawatts of utility-scale battery capacity, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Economic impact on battery storage

What does HB 3809 ultimately mean for the the future of Texas’ battery storage industry?

“Its burden falls heaviest on lithium-based storage,” said J. Goldsbury, VP of strategy and development at Renuvi Energy, adding that HB 3809 “is more than just a regulatory shift – it’s a market signal.”

Goldsbury explained that developers using lithium-based batteries — the most widely available and market-ready type of battery — will face greater upfront costs due to HB 3809. And any money potentially recouped by selling or recycling the decommissioned lithium is far from certain.

“Lithium markets are volatile, and recovery economics are far from predictable,” explained Goldsbury. “Current recycling initiatives are costly and logistically complex with a limited number of companies currently available in the U.S.”

“It could make it harder for companies to keep there projects financially viable,” agreed James Allsopp, CEO of iNet Ventures, a PR agency that works closely with battery storage companies.

But there are some positive ramifications of the law.

“We see this law as a long-overdue recognition of what Renuvi has known from the start: not all battery systems are created equal and infrastructure-based deployments that support the power grid should be designed with typical grid lifecycles in mind,” said Goldsbury.

The law incentivizes continued battery storage innovation that will eventually cut waste from the technology. “It encourages eco-friendly practices and careful disposal,” said Allsopp.

Of course, a large portion of federal funding to pay for this innovation is up in the air as the Senate continues to edit the House’s reconciliation bill.

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