Business

This archive collects stories about businesses — from startups and local enterprises to multinational corporations — taking meaningful action on social, environmental, and economic challenges. These reports highlight moments when commerce and accountability intersect in constructive ways.

Wind turbines, for article on SunZia wind project

Largest-ever U.S. renewable energy project comes online, supplying power to 1 million homes

SunZia is now the largest wind energy project in U.S. history, and its scale changes what Americans can imagine building. Its 916 turbines generate more power than the Hoover Dam, delivered through one of the first major long-distance HVDC transmission lines completed in the country in decades. Over 30 years, the project will send $1.3 billion directly to local governments, schools, and landowners in New Mexico and Arizona — communities that have long watched energy wealth flow elsewhere. It’s proof that transformational clean energy infrastructure can actually get built, and a model other regions will be watching closely.

EV charging stations at night, for article on public EV charging ports

U.S. now has 250,000 public EV charging ports, more than doubling since 2021

Public EV charging in America has doubled since 2021, and the milestone reveals just how fast the country’s clean transportation backbone is growing. The U.S. now has over 250,000 public charging ports — and thousands more are already in the pipeline. Fast chargers are spreading along major travel corridors, while libraries, restaurants, and retailers are quietly adding chargers that work while you live your life. Every country watching this buildout sees proof that large-scale EV infrastructure is achievable — and that momentum, once established, is hard to stop.

Finger prick insulin injection, for article on once-weekly insulin

Once-weekly insulin wins U.S. approval, cutting 365 injections a year to 52

Once-weekly insulin just became reality in the U.S., dropping the routine for many adults with type 2 diabetes from 365 shots a year to about 52. The FDA approved Awiqli after four phase 3 trials, covering 2,680 adults, found it matched or outperformed daily basal insulin in lowering blood glucose. For people already taking a weekly GLP-1 medication, pairing the two could mean far fewer injection days and one less thing to remember. Doctors are urging thoughtful, individualized use, especially around hypoglycemia risk and affordability. Still, with more than 500 million adults living with diabetes worldwide, treatments that make daily life easier are a quietly powerful step forward for global health.

Cement mixer, for article on Kenya seed sharing, for article on electric concrete mixer sales

Electric concrete mixers are booming in China, hitting 70% of new sales

Electric concrete mixers are quietly rewriting what “hard to electrify” really means — and in China, they’re on track to make up roughly 70% of new mixer sales in 2025, up from under 2% just four years earlier. The reason is refreshingly simple: these trucks return to the same batching plant every shift, so charging infrastructure can live right where the work begins and ends. In early 2026, Chinese buyers chose pure electric over hydrogen almost unanimously, signaling that batteries have won this corner of heavy transport. Trials are now spreading to the U.K., Germany, Switzerland, Norway, and Australia. The bigger lesson for climate progress: electrification advances fastest not by tackling the hardest routes first, but by recognizing where the work is already bounded enough to make the switch obvious.

Flexbase redox flow battery in Switzerland, for article on redox flow battery

Switzerland begins work on the world’s most powerful redox flow battery

A redox flow battery rising from a 27-meter pit in northern Switzerland will become the world’s most powerful, capable of running 210,000 homes for a full day once it comes online in 2029. Unlike the lithium-ion batteries in our phones, this one stores energy in two liquid electrolytes pumped through a membrane — a design that’s non-flammable, almost fully recyclable, and built to cycle indefinitely without wearing out. It can respond to grid swings in milliseconds, soaking up excess wind power and releasing it when nearby AI data centers need a steady surge. Projects like this hint at what a renewables-first grid actually looks like: not just cleaner generation, but storage patient and powerful enough to make wind and solar genuinely dependable.

A woman coach gesturing instructions on a football sideline for an article about female head coach in men's top-five European leagues

Marie-Louise Eta becomes first female head coach in men’s top-five European leagues

Female head coach Marie-Louise Eta made history on April 11, 2026, when Union Berlin appointed her as interim head coach — becoming the first woman ever to hold a head coaching position in any of men’s top-five European leagues. The Bundesliga club made the move after dismissing Steffen Baumgart, with five matches remaining and real relegation stakes on the line. Eta, 34, had served as assistant coach since 2023 and was already a familiar, trusted presence within the squad. This was no ceremonial gesture — she was handed a survival fight, which is precisely what makes the milestone significant.

Oil refinery towers silhouetted against a hazy sky for an article about the TotalEnergies greenwashing ruling

French court finds TotalEnergies guilty of greenwashing in a world first

A landmark greenwashing ruling against TotalEnergies marks the first time a fossil fuel company has been found legally liable for misleading climate claims anywhere in the world. A Paris court determined that TotalEnergies deceived the public by promoting carbon neutrality goals while continuing to expand oil and gas production. The company must now remove the false claims and display the full court judgment on its website for 180 days. Importantly, the case was won using existing consumer protection law, meaning similar challenges could be launched globally without waiting for new climate legislation.

A neuroscientist reviewing brain activity data on a monitor for an article about epilepsy drug RAP-219

New epilepsy drug cuts seizures by nearly 80% in mid-stage trial

Epilepsy drug RAP-219 has shown striking results in a mid-stage clinical trial, reducing seizures by a median of 77.8% in adults whose epilepsy had not responded to existing medications. Developed by Rapport Therapeutics, the drug works by precisely targeting overactive brain regions rather than broadly suppressing electrical activity across the whole brain. Nearly one in four participants became completely seizure-free during the eight-week study. The trial’s use of implanted neurostimulation devices provided objective, real-time brain data that strengthens confidence in the findings. Phase 3 trials are expected to begin in 2026.

A healthcare worker caring for a newborn in a clinical setting for an article about newborn malaria treatment

World’s first malaria treatment approved for newborn babies

Newborn malaria treatment reached a historic milestone as regulators approved Coartem Baby, the first antimalarial drug designed specifically for infants weighing under 5 kilograms. Developed through a partnership between Novartis and the non-profit Medicines for Malaria Venture, the dissolvable, cherry-flavored medication fills a gap that persisted for decades, leaving the most fragile newborns without a safe, approved option. Approval has been fast-tracked across eight African countries where need is greatest, with Novartis committing to largely not-for-profit pricing. For the youngest infants born into high-transmission environments, this changes everything.