1️⃣ NYC Calls for Withdrawal of BlackRock’s $42B Mandate | Reason: Decarbonization Plan Not Aligned

NYC Comptroller Brad Lander recommended withdrawing investment mandates from BlackRock, Fidelity, and PanAgora, citing their failure to submit decarbonization plans aligned with NYC’s 2040 net zero goals. BlackRock’s $42B index mandate is the most affected.

• Only 3 out of 49 managers failed to meet requirements; the $42B mandate may be rebid

• New SEC rules led BlackRock and Fidelity to weaken ESG engagement and proxy voting

• NYC pension funds (AUM $294B) require climate plans submitted by 2025

• BlackRock counters: the move “politicizes public pension funds”

2️⃣ Microsoft Invests in Pantheon | Nature-Based Carbon Removal and Peatland Restoration Gain Traction

Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund invested in Pantheon Regeneration, accelerating peatland restoration and ecological recovery. Due to extreme carbon density, peatlands are considered one of the most efficient natural climate solutions.

• Restored peatlands function as carbon sinks and generate high-quality carbon credits

• Microsoft has purchased nearly 31 million tonnes of carbon removal—largest corporate buyer globally

• Funding expands Pantheon’s project pipeline and ecological co-benefits

• Rapid rise in corporate demand for “nature-based removals”

3️⃣ LEGO Reaches 56% Paper-Based Packaging Conversion | Global Phase-Out of Single-Use Plastic Accelerates

LEGO announced that 56% of its global packaging lines have transitioned from plastic to paper, marking major progress toward its 2032 sustainable materials and 2050 net-zero goals.

• Conversion completed: Europe 70%, Asia 91%, Americas 35%

• Full implementation across all factories expected in 2026–2027

• 180 paper types tested to ensure durability and manufacturability

• Company aims to increase paper-line efficiency to surpass plastic machinery output

4️⃣ Creative Tech Textile Launches Seawool® | Upcycling Oyster Shell Waste into Sustainable Fiber

Taiwan’s Creative Tech Textile blends oyster shells + recycled polyester to create Seawool®, a sustainable fiber with thermal insulation, antibacterial properties, and a wool-like touch—supported by a circular supply chain across Taiwan’s west coast.

• Upcycles 120,000–190,000 tonnes of oyster shell waste annually

• Features low thermal conductivity, 99.99% antibacterial performance, wool-like texture

• Derived Hulk Bio-Ceramic applied to coatings, 3C casings, and other industries

• Company scaling production and filing global patents

5️⃣ EU Invests €5.2 Billion to Advance Net-Zero Tech, Hydrogen, and Industrial Decarbonization

The EU will allocate €5.2 billion in ETS revenues to net-zero technologies, hydrogen production, and industrial heat decarbonization through the Innovation Fund.

• €2.9B: 2025 Net-Zero Technology Call (with SME bonus)

• €1.3B: Hydrogen Bank third auction (incl. €300M for aviation/shipping)

• €1B: Industrial heat decarbonization (heat pumps, boilers, solar thermal, etc.)

• Innovation Fund has awarded €15.8B to 275 projects

∞ TYC Technical Perspectives ∞

Materials Science & Carbon Management Implications from the Five ESG Trends

1️⃣ Global asset owners increasingly require verifiable and traceabledecarbonization data

Tightening regulations and investor expectations mean companies must provide audit-ready carbon information, including:

• Product Carbon Footprint (ISO 14067)

• Organizational GHG Inventory (ISO 14064-1)

• Reduction & Neutralization Frameworks (ISO 14064-2, ISO 14068-1)

• Recycled content verification & supply-chain traceability (GRS, PCR traceability)

TYC’s technical contribution:
Supporting clients with measurement, calculation, emission factors for materials, and verification-ready data, enabling the establishment of auditable material decarbonization pathways.

2️⃣ Natural carbon removals are rising as a supplementary tool; material decarbonization remains the foundation

Corporate net-zero strategies now consist of two technical layers:

• Decarbonizing materials and processes (Scope 1 & 2 + upstream Scope 3)

• Carbon removals (natural or engineered) to address unavoidable residual emissions

TYC’s role:
Providing quantifiable material decarbonization coefficients (PCR ratios, recycling efficiency, emission factors), enabling clients to reduce upstream Scope 3 emissions.

3️⃣ Plastics demand is shifting from virgin materials to high PCR content, mono-material, traceable specifications

Driven by global plastic reduction policies, demand is not decreasing—it is changing in technical requirements:

• High PCR-content formulations

• Mono-material design enabling higher recyclability

• Improved mechanical stability and processing consistency of recycled polymers

• Transparent supply-chain data (batch, source, recycled-content ratio)

TYC’s role:
Enhancing PCR materials through modification, stabilization, and performance tuning, ensuring industrial-grade mechanical properties and processing reliability.

4️⃣ EU regulations (CBAM, Ecodesign, Packaging Regulation) increase the importance of material-level emission factors

Future exporters to the EU must provide comprehensive, verifiable material data:

• Material Emission Factors (EF)

• High-quality LCA datasets

• Recycled content verification

TYC’s role:
Providing material EF, recycled-content certification, and PCR audit documentation, enabling downstream manufacturers to produce compliant LCAs and PCFs and reducing regulatory risk in EU markets.

5️⃣ Taiwan’s circular materials ecosystem is maturing, enabling cross-industry “material carbon-management chains”

Developments in Seawool®, recycled plastics, bio-based materials, and composites show Taiwan increasingly possesses:

• Recycled-feedstock extraction capabilities

• Polymer modification and compounding technologies

• Low-carbon processing capabilities

• Academic–industry LCA and testing infrastructure

TYC’s role:
Serving as a technical node for recycled-material modification and a provider of material carbon data, supporting industry-wide carbon management across sectors such as construction, electronics, appliances, and automotive.