Category: Press Releases

Forging the future with better sugar reduction solutions for food and beverages in the region.

Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., July 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sweegen’s footprint in Europe became stronger after the European Union Commission published its approval of Sweegen’s non-GMO Signature Bestevia Rebaudioside M (Reb M) for use in food and beverages.

The approval of Sweegen’s Signature Bestevia Reb M leads the future of wellness in food and drink in Europe. Brands in Europe now have access to the best-tasting highly sought-after stevia sweetener. The availability broadens the toolkit for sugar alternatives to reimagine food and drink, opening new doors for creating healthy products for consumers.

“Sweegen’s Signature Bestevia Reb M approval is a celebration of good health and wellness for product developers and consumers alike,” said Luca Giannone, SVP of Sales. “This is just one of our many milestones in Europe to transform products for having a positive and lasting impact on our ever-evolving health.”

Consumers are increasingly aware of the need to reduce sugar in their diets for better health. Yet, when they are making decisions for purchasing food and beverages, consumers will ultimately select the brand with the best taste. Therefore, tackling the toughest sugar reduction challenges is a priority for brands as taste is the reason for repeat purchases.

The soft drinks industry in Europe is making a pledge to cut added sugars in Europe. The Union of European Soft Drinks Associations (UNESDA) announced on June 29 this year to reduce average added sugars in its beverages by another 10% across Europe by 2025.

In its further commitment to Europe, Sweegen has aligned the availability of its Reb M with commercializing the high-purity sweetener at its manufacturing facility in Europe. The facility is open in Europe for helping food and beverage manufacturers with rapid production and low cost-in-use sugar reduction solutions.

To compliment the approval of Reb M, Sweegen invested in designing and building its Innovation Studio in Reading, England, near London. The studio opened its doors in January 2021 with a full applications team to collaborate with food and beverage manufacturers on exploring the entire consumer landscape to understand what trends are driving consumer behavior, and then provide inspirational ingredients to represent those trend drivers.

“Our rapid innovation in application development enables our customer-focused solutions to help manufacturers create great-tasting, clean, natural, plant-based, sustainable products that meet today’s end-consumer needs and desires,” said Giannone.

Around the world, Sweegen’s Innovation Studios are open globally: Southern California, Mexico City, Reading (London) and very soon in Singapore. These studios will leverage local tastes and knowledge while serving as creative centers to explore and discover product innovations motivated by consumer trends and regional tastes.

“Sweegen’s global regulatory mission is the hallmark of opening new sugar reduction opportunities to manufacturers and brands for replacing sugar in foods and beverages, nutritional products, and many other market products world-wide,” said Hadi Omrani, director of regulatory affairs. “Europe is an important region in our global regulatory vision as we continually forge the future of wellness in food and drink around the world.”

Sweegen offers brands cost-effective and rapid innovation for sugar reduction solutions for beverage, dairy, savory and bakery with its Bestevia Taste Solutions for Europe.

Sweegen is the first company to receive the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) panel’s safety status for any steviol glycoside produced by alternative and sustainable technologies. To achieve high purity clean-tasting stevia leaf sweeteners, Sweegen uses a bioconversion process starting with the stevia leaf. This process enabled Sweegen to obtain the Non-GMO Project verification for its Signature Bestevia stevia sweeteners in the U.S. market.

Bestevia Reb M was commercialized in 2017 and has already been approved in many regions around the world.

About Sweegen

Sweegen provides sweet taste solutions for food and beverage manufacturers around the world.

We are on a mission to reduce the sugar and artificial sweeteners in our global diet.  Partnering with customers, we create delicious zero-sugar products that consumers love.  With the best Signature Stevia sweeteners in our portfolio such as Bestevia® Rebs B, D, E, I, M, and N, along with our deep knowledge of flavor modulators and texturants, Sweegen delivers market-leading solutions that customers want and consumers prefer.

For more information, please contact info@sweegen.com and visit Sweegen’s website, www.sweegen.com.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, among other statements, statements regarding the future prospects for Reb M stevia leaf sweetener. These statements are based on current expectations, but are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are beyond the control of Sweegen, Inc.

Relevant risks and uncertainties include those referenced in the historic filings of Sweegen, Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements, and therefore should be carefully considered. Sweegen, Inc. assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events or developments.

Attachment

• Europe Reb M approval

Ana Arakelian
Sweegen
+1.949.709.0583
ana.arakelian@sweegen.com

 

Combined companies will establish the most trusted, independent technology platform for omnichannel advertising with emphasis on cross-channel video and dynamic creative

NEW YORK, July 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mediaocean, the mission-critical platform for omnichannel advertising, and Flashtalking, the leading independent ad management platform, announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement in which Mediaocean will acquire Flashtalking. The combined entity will infuse Flashtalking’s best-in-class solutions for primary ad serving, creative personalization, identity management, and verification with Mediaocean’s modern system of record used by the world’s leading brands and agencies.

The announcement comes at a critical inflection point for the advertising industry as marketers seek trusted, independent solutions to manage the rise of big tech. Mediaocean and Flashtalking customers will benefit from comprehensive and future-forward solutions for global strategic planning, omnichannel media management, closed ecosystems optimization, and financial reconciliation across traditional media, open web, closed ecosystems, and connected TV.

“Bringing together Mediaocean and Flashtalking is an incredible opportunity for our customers, employees, and the industry at large,” said Bill Wise, CEO of Mediaocean. “Flashtalking is the source of truth for digital and CTV ads and Mediaocean is the system of record for all media. Combined, we will deliver comprehensive and future-forward solutions for omnichannel advertising. Most importantly, our platform is not compromised by media ownership so we can focus solely on driving outcomes for marketers and their agency partners.”

“Our mission of enabling marketers to move consumers to action is a perfect fit for Mediaocean’s vision of a world where marketers market the way consumers consume,” said John Nardone, CEO at Flashtalking. “Over the years, we’ve built the most trusted, independent platform for driving advertising relevance and improving campaign performance. Together, our teams and complementary tech will help brands succeed in a future dominated by converged media and anchored on cookieless identity resolution.”

“As we continue to innovate, it’s crucial to have technology that enables us to meet the moment for consumers,” said Deborah Wahl, CMO of General Motors. “It’s encouraging to see companies like Mediaocean and Flashtalking come together to deliver on the omnichannel advertising imperative. The industry needs a neutral and independent player in the ecosystem to enable media convergence.”

“The combination of Mediaocean and Flashtalking signals a critical milestone as the industry moves towards open and interoperable solutions,” said Paul Gelb, Head of Digital Activation and Investment at Bayer. “One of the biggest opportunities in modern media is connecting technology across planning, buying, ad serving, and creative optimization. With Flashtalking, Mediaocean has improved its potential value proposition for omnichannel advertising.”

The acquisition of Flashtalking by Mediaocean builds on a partnership the companies launched in 2018 to incorporate ad serving data into media buyer workflow. The combined entity will represent an advertising technology platform with over $200 billion in annualized media spend and over 1 trillion monthly ad impressions. Earlier this year, Mediaocean announced its new product paradigm that unifies solutions across media intelligence, management, and finance. The company’s product transformation and emphasis on culture have been recognized with Customer’s Choice designation from Gartner Peer Insights¹ and Best Places to Work by Ad Age.

The global advertising industry is a $700 billion market² undergoing major transformation due to changing consumer habits and privacy expectations. This has led to the rise of CTV and closed ecosystems in which Mediaocean made a large investment via the acquisition of 4C in July 2020 and, now with Flashtalking, will enhance its best-in-class solutions. The combined companies will enable a number of innovative value propositions for advertisers and agencies:

• Unified planning and measurement of traditional and digital media including cross-channel video
• In-flight campaign optimization through AI-driven recommendations and automation
• Data-driven creative personalization across open web and closed ecosystems
• Flexible identity resolution to enable omnichannel reach in a cookie-less world as well as privacy compliance with CCPA and GDPR
• Advanced brand insights and analytics for media impact on sales conversions

The terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC served as exclusive financial advisor to Flashtalking and Travers Smith LLP and Goodwin Procter LLP as its legal counsel.

About Mediaocean
Mediaocean is the mission-critical platform for omnichannel advertising. With more than $200 billion in annualized media spend managed through its software, Mediaocean connects brands, agencies, media, technology, and data. Using AI and machine learning technology to control marketing investments and optimize business outcomes, Mediaocean powers campaigns from planning, buying, and selling to analysis, invoices, and payments. Mediaocean employs 1,200 people across 20 global offices and is part of the Vista Equity Partners portfolio. Visit www.mediaocean.com for more information.

About Flashtalking
Flashtalking is the leading global independent primary ad server and analytics technology company. The company uses data to personalize advertising in real-time, independently analyze its effectiveness and enable optimization that drives better engagement and return on spend for sophisticated global brands. Flashtalking’s platform leads the market with innovative products and services to ensure creative relevance and actionable insights across channels and formats, powered by unique cookieless tracking, data orchestration and advanced analytics. Flashtalking supports clients at the crossroads where data, personalized creative and unbiased measurement intersect with expertise, service and a deep partner ecosystem to drive successful digital marketing. The company is part of the TA Associates portfolio.

Media Contact
Aaron Goldman
CMO, Mediaocean
Press@mediaocean.com

¹ Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice constitute the subjective opinions of individual end-user reviews, ratings, and data applied against a documented methodology; they neither represent the views of, nor constitute an endorsement by, Gartner or its affiliates. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
² Source: eMarketer Worldwide Total Media Advertising Spending, 2021

Platform delivers new AI-powered data preparation and management capabilities, deeper augmented analytics, improved data visualization and analysis to create actionable, industry-leading business insights

Austin, Texas, July 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Zoho Corporation, a leading global technology company, today announced its new Business Intelligence (BI) Platform — an AI-driven data analytics solution empowering businesses to surface precise and actionable insights through self-service data preparation and augmented analytics. Combining newly launched Zoho DataPrep with an enhanced version of Zoho Analytics, Zoho’s end-to-end self-service BI Platform enables organizations to cleanse, unify, and analyze cross-departmental data, obtain an encyclopedic view of the company, and ultimately move toward a more competitive business strategy based on real-time insights.

Zoho’s BI Platform brings together pre-built, visual dashboards, comprehensive data integrations, data preparation, augmented and embedded BI, security and privacy capabilities, flexible deployment models (cloud or on-premise), and scalability. Below are four standout pillars of this platform, which allow businesses to perform better and remain competitive in their industries:

1) Augmented Data Prep and Management – Zoho DataPrep, a new application, is an AI and machine learning-driven self-service data preparation tool. The addition of Zoho DataPrep to the BI Platform allows business users to easily create and manage data pipelines that enable them to integrate, model, cleanse, transform, enrich, and catalogue data before making it ready for analysis.

2) Data Stories – Zoho’s BI Platform now offers an integrated enterprise portal builder (Zoho Sites) and presentation software (Zoho Show). Embedding live reports and dashboards into a website or presentation allows administrators to wrap additional context around data and foster more immersive discussion on business matters. Data Stories reduces friction within an organization, so that businesses can be data-driven without needing to learn new tools.

3) Augmented Analytics – Ask Zia, Zoho’s conversational AI, enables business users — with or without technical know-how — to surface data through natural language querying. Additionally, the all-new Zia Insights provides textual narration of key insights from reports and dashboards, which significantly reduces the time and effort required to explore data and glean insights. Zia Insights also includes what-if capability, enabling scenario analysis for effective decision-making.

4) Marketplace – Through Zoho Marketplace, an apps marketplace, Zoho is enabling partners to develop and publish analytical apps and integrations to complement Zoho Analytics users, thereby strengthening the BI and Analytics platform. Another dimension is the launch of deep native analytical apps, with domain-specific advanced analytics, in third-party marketplaces such as Shopify, ServiceNow and Atlassian.

The new Zoho BI Platform is built for scale and is extensible to more than 250 data sources—including Zendesk, HubSpot, Microsoft, Mailchimp, Stripe and Google—allowing businesses to integrate and analyze data sourced from diverse third-party systems. Blending with outside data sources has always been one of the key strengths of Zoho Analytics, and a value demonstrated by the fact that 60% of existing users have chosen it as their BI tool while solely running on non-Zoho applications and data sources.

The BI platform gives users on-demand insight into operational data to inform critical business decisions with the support of Zia, Zoho’s AI tool. Zia augments data preparation and visualization by using natural language querying and generation, text narration of key insights from reports and dashboards, and cognitive and advanced analytics. These self-service and real-time capabilities make it possible to capture actionable data insights to boost operational efficiency and productivity.

With more than 50,000 organizations already using it, Zoho Analytics has consistently been one of the company’s fastest growing products. Within the last two years, Zoho Analytics has grown by 30% YoY with a 40% YoY increase in the enterprise segment. The application has seen a 10% jump in customers switching from competitive platforms. Also, 50% of the customers have chosen Zoho Analytics after evaluating multiple competitive BI products. With this new BI Platform, Zoho expects above 45% YoY revenue growth.

Statements for Media:

“We originally chose the Zoho BI platform because Zoho Analytics was able to give us a complete 360-degree view of our customer journey and made it easy to blend data from multiple systems to do so. It’s only continued to innovate. While we used to spend a lot of time writing and maintaining custom scripts to import data, fix errors, and transform the data, the new platform has helped us eliminate custom scripts and manual data preparation. With Zoho DataPrep, we easily found the errors in the data and fixed them all from within the tool, and are now able to completely automate data preparation. This brings immense value to our organization as we are able to get the most relevant and accurate insight into our company-wide analytics while spending our time on more valuable tasks.” –  Claudio Cabeza, Director of Grupo Premo

“Self-service data preparation, computer-augmented analysis and in-context story telling are three important, emerging capabilities that set industry-leading BI and analytics platforms apart. The ability to build and share analytic apps is yet another differentiator, so I’m particularly excited to see Zoho enabling customers to publish breakthrough, data-driven applications.” – Doug Henschen, principal analyst at Constellation Research

“For data to be a true catalyst of business growth, there can’t be any gaps in the collection, management, or analysis process. Too few BI platforms in the market excel in both data preparation and analytics, which leaves businesses with weak — or worse, flawed — insights. Zoho’s BI Platform is industry-leading because it ensures organizations are acting on legitimate data, which can be effectively leveraged to determine new revenue streams, refocus funds, drive productivity, and overall gain a competitive edge among peers in their market.” – Raju Vegesna, Chief Evangelist for Zoho

“Data is now the lifeblood of any organization of every size. The ability to harness analytics and transform it into actionable insights is a strategic imperative — and something that is now far too important to be held hostage by an enterprise analytics or business intelligence team. For this reason, a new generation of self-service-first tools, such as Zoho’s new BI platform, are changing the way organizations look at the entire data-to-insight pipeline. This democratized approach enables organizations to put the power of data — from collection, through cleaning and analysis, to insight — into the hands of those who are best positioned to act upon it, and create competitive advantage as a result.” – Charles Araujo, Principal Analyst, Intellyx

Pricing and Availability

Zoho BI Platform, which includes Zoho Analytics and Zoho DataPrep, is available immediately in two versions, cloud and on-premise. For monthly option, the cloud version is $8 per user, per month. The on-premise version is $30 per user, per month. For annual option, the cloud version is $96 per user, per year. The on-premise version is $360 per user, per year.

Zoho DataPrep is also available as a standalone. The standard plan starts at $40 per month for 2 million rows including 3 users while the enterprise plan is highly customizable and the pricing is based on the customization.

For more information, please visit https://www.zoho.com/analytics/

Disclaimer: All trademarks, product names, and company names cited herein are the property of their respective owners.

About Zoho

With 50+ apps in nearly every major business category, including sales, marketing, customer support, accounting and back office operations, and an array of productivity and collaboration tools, Zoho Corporation is one of the world’s most prolific software companies.

Zoho is privately held and profitable with more than 9,000 employees. Zoho is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with international headquarters in Chennai, India. Additional offices are in the United States, India, Japan, China, Singapore, Mexico, Australia, the Netherlands, and the United Arab Emirates.

Zoho respects user privacy and does not have an ad-revenue model in any part of its business, including its free products. More than 60 million users around the world, across hundreds of thousands of companies, rely on Zoho every day to run their businesses, including Zoho itself. For more information, please visit www.zoho.com

Attachments

• Statement Image from Raju Vegesna, Chief Evangelist, Zoho
• 6_DataStories_Ask_Zia_Embed

Sandra Lo
Zoho Corporation 
1-925-924--9500
slo@zohocorp.com

 

B. Riley Executive Brings Strong Financial Acumen to the Board

BRIDGEWATER, N.J., July 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Synchronoss Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNCR), a global leader and innovator of cloud, messaging and digital solutions, is pleased to announce that Martin Bernstein has joined its Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Bernstein was appointed to the Board in connection with the recent recapitalization of Synchronoss, and serves as a representative of B. Riley Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: RILY) (B. Riley), the company’s largest shareholder.

“On behalf of our entire Board, I am pleased to welcome Marty to our team,” said Stephen Waldis, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Synchronoss Board of Directors. “Marty’s extensive experience in capital allocation strategies, corporate governance and financing will serve our organization well. I have no doubt that his impressive knowledge and extraordinary track record will not only benefit our already strong board, but I fully expect his impact will be key to helping Synchronoss achieve its strategic growth objectives.”

Bernstein represents B. Riley Principal Investments, an affiliate of B. Riley that makes direct investments in companies with proven platform technologies with significant near-term growth potential. He currently serves as Head of Private Investments at B. Riley and is responsible for sourcing, underwriting and managing company investments in addition to leading distribution to the firm’s syndication partners. Bernstein has extensive experience leading investments across technology, transportation, automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, power, infrastructure, and other sectors.

Bernstein commented, “It is an honor to join the Synchronoss board after working closely with Steve, Jeff, and the entire Synchronoss team on the recent recapitalization. I share management’s excitement and vision for the company, rooted in continued innovation and a best-in-class suite of white label products for leading telecom customers. We believe the Synchronoss business is at an inflection point and is well-positioned to execute on its growth strategy following the refinancing. I look forward to continuing to work with the team as a member of the board as we endeavor to create value for stakeholders and customers.”

Prior to joining B. Riley in March 2021, Bernstein was with Anchorage Capital responsible for leading investments across capital structures, including public equities, private equity, performing credit, bank debt and distressed debt, and restructuring situations. He previously worked as an analyst at Bocage Capital, and was on the investment team for the endowment at Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Bernstein earned an AB in history from Dartmouth College. He is based in Connecticut.

About Synchronoss

Synchronoss Technologies (NASDAQ: SNCR) builds software that empowers companies around the world to connect with their subscribers in trusted and meaningful ways. The company’s collection of products helps streamline networks, simplify onboarding and engage subscribers to unleash new revenue streams, reduce costs and increase speed to market. Hundreds of millions of subscribers trust Synchronoss products to stay in sync with the people, services and content they love. That’s why more than 1,500 talented Synchronoss employees worldwide strive each day to reimagine a world in sync. Learn more at www.synchronoss.com

Contacts

Media
Anais Merlin, CCgroup (International)
Diane Rose, CCgroup (North America)
synchronoss@ccgrouppr.com

Investors
Todd Kehrli/Joo-Hun Kim, MKR Investor Relations, Inc.
investor@synchronoss.com

Global Extended Reality Market size expected to grow from 33 billion USD in 2021 to over 125 billion USD in 2026, at CAGR of 30%

US online sports betting market size expected to grow at 50% CAGR to reach 15 billion by 2025

Online gambling market size expected to grow at 11.5% CAGR to reach 127 billion USD by 2027

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — via InvestorWire — XR Casino, Inc (“XR Casino” or “The Company”), the first-ever cross-technology, multiplayer, blockchain technology-based online gambling platform for Extended Reality (XR) technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR) and Virtual Reality (VR), today announces its MVP release date.

The Company is developing the first-ever extended reality platform that will allow users of different devices to play XR casino games with each other. The initial games include blackjack, roulette and slots and will be featured in its MVP version launching on August 21, 2021. Sports betting, baccarat, bingo, craps, poker and keno are in the development pipeline.

The list of supported devices includes Microsoft’s Hololens 1 and 2, Magic Leap’s Magic Leap 1, HTC Vive, Oculus Quest 2, Samsung’s Gear VR and AR-enabled smartphones as well as devices such as the Apple iPhone, iPad and over 39 Android smartphones and devices.

Game features include:

• Multiplayer Games
• Private Game Rooms
• Public Game Rooms
• Text and Voice Chats

“XR technologies are changing the way we interact with each other and eliminating the need for expensive equipment,” said XR Casino CEO Dan Martinez. “Tech giants such as Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested heavily into AR, VR and MR to speed up mass adoption through both hardware and software solutions. XR Casino has first mover’s advantage in providing XR SaaS solutions to online, traditional casinos and sports betting companies. Our solutions create value for the gambling industry and offer competitive differentiation to attract new Generation X, Y and Z players worldwide.”

About XR Casino, Inc.

XR Casino, Inc. is the first-ever cross-technology, multiplayer, blockchain technology-based online gambling platform for Extended Reality (XR) technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR) and Virtual Reality (VR). For more information visit www.xr.casino.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute “forward-looking statements.” Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors as may be disclosed in the Company’s filings. In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors, including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic conditions, and governmental and public policy changes. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company’s views as of the date of this press release, and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any date subsequent to the date of the press release. Such forward-looking statements are risks that are detailed in the Company’s website and filings.

Contact:
info@xr.casino
investors@xr.casino

Wire Service
InvestorWire
Los Angeles, California
www.InvestorWire.com
212.418.1217
Editor@InvestorWire.com

Photos available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ed5cfbf3-755a-4c5f-a832-9d14cafd7e7f
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cfda210a-f73a-4a23-909d-d1a5967ecda4
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a3c72329-0755-4e6e-a3ef-fa58045a6e2e

REGINA, Saskatchewan, July 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A new collaboration between the China Building Materials Academy, (CBMA) and Canadian based, International CCS Knowledge Centre (Knowledge Centre) will see simultaneous advancements in understanding and knowledge sharing of carbon capture technology designed specifically to see substantial emission reductions from the global cement industry.

The first initiative under the agreement, Carbon Capture Use Piloting with Cement Kiln Project will aid CBMA in applying the Knowledge Centre’s model and Front End Engineering Design (FEED) of a test platform – which has a carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture capacity of approximately 155 kg CO₂/per day. The project will be built and piloted on a carbon capture system that utilizes the post combustion flue gas from a producing cement kiln.

The Knowledge Centre will have an observer role to learn and gain insight on the characteristics of a cement kiln operation and its integration with a post combustion carbon capture system. The agreement grants the Knowledge Centre access to the operational data, such as further design, testing, data based on the modelling, emission-related information, and any improvements made to the CO₂ capture test platform.

This collaboration agreement is part of a bilateral science and technology cooperation between Canada and China, the China-Canada Science & Technology Cooperative Action Plan. The agreement also syncs with goals of the Chinese government to achieve carbon peaking before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060 with efforts of the cement industry in China to accelerate innovation in low carbon technologies.

Through the carbon capture pilot platform, the CBMA is expected to adapt the application for potential scale-up to commercial demonstration with know-how that could be applied across the sizable fleet of China National Building Materials Ltd. (CNBM), the world’s largest cement producer and the parent of CBMA.

The Knowledge Centre is currently completing a feasibility study on a full-scaled post-combustion carbon capture system on Lehigh’s Cement plant in Edmonton, Canada by applying the same model based on large-scale CCS experiences from the commercial coal-fired power plant, at the famed Canadian based Boundary Dam 3 CCS Facility.

Quotes

“The International Knowledge Centre is proud to be a partner in assisting the CBMA on its CCS development and deployment journey to help China realize its ambitious goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, which is positive for the world.”

– Conway Nelson, VP Strategy & Stakeholder Relations, International CCS Knowledge Centre

“The cement industry could only achieve carbon neutrality by carbon capture approaches. Deep GHG emission reduction objectives can only be achieved by adhering to the decarbonization technology route, by applying CCS technologies to capture the carbon dioxide emissions from various aspects of the production process.”
中国建材集团 周育先董事长：水泥行业要实现碳中和必然通过碳捕捉的方式，只有坚持脱碳技术路线，利用CCS技术尽可能吸收生产过程中各环节排放的二氧化碳，才有可能实现深度减排目标。

– Chairman Zhou Yuxian, Chairman of China Building Materials Group (CNBM)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Cement Emission Overview

• Concrete, a product of cement, is the second most consumed substance on the planet, next to water, with roughly attributing three tonnes of concrete yearly by every person on earth (State of the Planet, Earth Institute, Columbia University).
• Total emissions from the cement industry contribute as much as 7-8% of global CO₂ emissions.
• Two thirds or 5% of global emissions result from the chemical reactions in the cement production process and therefore cannot be eliminated through gains in energy efficiency.
• Global demand for cement is expected to increase 12-23% by 2050 (IEA Report: Transforming Industry through CCUS)
• As the largest cement producer, China accounts for about 55% of global production, followed remotely by India at 8%.
• China’s cement industry is estimated about 1.2 Gt of CO₂ emissions to their national GHG emissions, annually.

China-Canada Science & Technology Cooperative Action Plan

• China-Canada Science & Technology Cooperative Action Plan is a framework for cooperation in scientific and technological research, which will extend and strengthen the conduct of cooperative activities in areas of common interest and encourage the application of the results of such cooperation to their economic and social benefit.

MEDIA CONTACTS

International CCS Knowledge Centre
Jodi Woollam
Head of Communications & Media Relations
jwoollam@ccsknowledge.com
T: +1-306-565-5956 / M: +1-306-520-3710
ccsknowledge.com
@CCSKnowledge

About the International CCS Knowledge Centre (Knowledge Centre): with a mandate to advance the global understanding and deployment of large-scale CCS to reduce global GHG emissions, the Knowledge Centre provides the know-how to implement large-scale CCS projects as well as CCS optimization through the base learnings from both the fully-integrated Boundary Dam 3 CCS Facility and the comprehensive second-generation CCS study, known as the Shand CCS Feasibility Study. Operating since 2016 under the direction of an independent board, the Knowledge Centre was established by BHP and SaskPower. For more info: https://ccsknowledge.com/

About the China Building Materials Academy (CBMA): is the largest state-owned comprehensive research development and design firm of the industry sector in China and operates as the technology innovation platform of the China National Building Materials Group Corporation (CNBM), which is the largest comprehensive building materials industry group in China. CBMA undertakes a large number of research and development programmes of national significance and advances the technology for energy-saving and emission reduction in building materials industry. With dozens of labs and testing centres, CBMA is the standard bearer of the building materials industry sector for technology innovation covering cement, concrete, wall material, glass, ceramics, refractory and new materials. For more info: http://cbma.com.cn/en/index.jsp

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/84fbcfdd-0f35-4299-af06-d694a269dba0