Miss South Africa pageant opens its doors to transgender women
For the first time in South Africa’s beauty pageant history, transgender women are allowed to compete.
Business
Major firms sign ambitious deal to cut plastic waste in the Pacific
Called the ANZPAC Plastics Pact, the agreement aims to drastically reduce plastic waste from Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific by 2025. Among the signatories are big brands like Coca-Cola, Nestle, and Woolworths.
Instagram adds a new field for your gender identity pronoun preferences
If your preference isn’t an option yet, Instagram has a pronouns request page where you can suggest the pronouns you’d like them to add.
Hyundai commits $7.4 billion to build electric cars
On May 13, the company announced it plans “to invest $7.4 billion in the U.S. by 2025 to produce future EVs, enhance production facilities, and further its investments in smart mobility solutions.”
Schools across the U.S. will soon serve Impossible Foods plant-based meat
To introduce these new cafeteria menu items, Impossible Foods will launch a pilot program at schools across the nation this month.
IBM develops the world’s smallest and most powerful microchip
Running on 2-nanometer chips, cell phone batteries are expected to last four times longer, laptops could get significantly faster, and the carbon footprint of data centers could be slashed thanks to higher energy efficiency.
World’s first laundry detergent made from industrial carbon emissions launched by Unilever
Unilever has partnered with LanzaTech and India Glycols to produce a laundry soap made from industrial carbon emissions—instead of from fossil-fuels.
World’s biggest jeweler will only sell lab-grown diamonds
This week, the world’s biggest jeweler Pandora announced it will cease to sell all mined diamonds, and switch exclusively to selling lab-made diamonds, as the BBC reports.
Ugandan startup turns banana waste into eco-friendly products
The company turns banana tree pseudostems into long, leathery fibers that are hung to dry before being processed and turned into environmentally friendly products like carpets, textiles, and biodegradable hair extensions.
Honda aims for 100% EV sales by 2040, zero road fatalities by 2050
Honda’s new commitment to electrification was announced by CEO Toshihiro Mibe on Friday, and forms part of the company’s wider goal of achieving carbon neutrality across its entire operation by 2050.