This is the year of attaining pure equality in our economy. It’s about delving into solutions and policies that promote sustainability. It’s all about ideas that align us towards a truly nature positive future. We’re­ convinced that high-emitting sectors are exactly where substantial progress is occurring.

Take Fabric Nano, a biotech startup. They’ve figured out how to create bioplastics and fossil-fuel-free chemicals sustainably on a large­scale, outpacing traditional petroleum products in speed. Their breakthroughs signal a shift in cell-free manufacturing becoming wide­spread.

Looking at New York’s iconic Empire State Building. Its massive retrofit success has spurred the Empire Building Challenge, offering millions to landlords of tall buildings to try inventive retrofit methods. Though it’s simpler to design new energy efficient constructions, existing buildings account for a significant portion of energy use exactly where we need to elevate sustainability. Tried and tested methods will be broadly shared among building owners across New York, fostering a web of sustainable practices. The idea of generating electricity from human footsteps isn’t new, but market adoption has been slow.

However, innovatively, two Swiss labs have designed a technology that harnesses energy from wooden floors. Even though wood remains a green and highly used building material, its potential for energy generation had been overlooked until now. By infusing wood with silicon and nanocrystals, the scientists have developed a green way of making it triboelectric. Imagine growing wood in a lab! Researchers at MIT have cracked the code, successfully replicated wood and even controlled its growth shape, promising less waste.

Even if wood can be sustainable, this groundbreaking method may revolutionize biomaterial use and fight deforestation. Sustainable, affordable fashion is the mantra for a leading global e­commerce brand. With all items handmade to order in Spain and Portugal, the brand eradicates unsold production, encourages customers to re­sell unwanted items, offsets carbon footprints, and donates surplus materials to small-scale labels. Thanks to their unique business model, the innovative fashion brand has seen rising success. Purchasing carbon credits won’t fully realize our net-zero aim.

We ne­ed alternatives like setting a value on ecological damages. Two firms – nCaves and invest – are ste­pping up. nCaves, a project backed by the UN, is pioneering an environmental accounting system.

Meanwhile, Invest offers software to assess the effect of nature-based city investments, emphasizing how investors can aid nature to reverse deforestation by financing conservation measures via fossil fuel taxes.

Their success is a reminder of the potential lying within political will and a drive for environmental preservation.