Nouryon has introduced LumaTreat™, a global patent-pending smart-tagged polymer line of products that is revolutionary in the water management industry. LumaTreat products are fluorescent monomers that attach on a deposit control agent. The combination of the fluorescent monomer and deposit control polymer provide a Smart Tag that accurately measures the ‘free’ or unused polymer in the water treatment system.

The products are a breakthrough because LumaTreat can tag most polymers used in water treatment to prevent calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate and other deposits that, over time, produce scale deposits. To date, the industry has widely used pyrenetetrasulfonic acid tetrasodium salt (PTSA) in water treatment formulations. However, PTSA is an inert fluorescent tracer that only provides an estimate of how much formulation is in the water. LumaTreat enables customers to accurately measure ‘free polymer’ in the system, reducing the amount of polymer and water usage during the treatment process. This is a sustainable solution that both minimizes polymer consumption and conserves water.

“LumaTreat polymers contain high-purity (or active level) tagged monomers that provide accurate measurement of the free polymer and the amount of stress on the water treatment system,” said John Anderson, Sales & Marketing Leader, Industrial Specialties at Nouryon. “LumaTreat optimizes polymer and water usage under everyday conditions while preventing scaling during system disruptions, such as hot spots, pH pump failure or changing water conditions,” he said.

This version of LumaTreat is the first of three patent-pending compositions introduced by Nouryon, and targets water treaters who use PTSA. Nouryon is working in partnership with customers on additional versions to be introduced later. Nouryon’s patent applications are published as International Publication Number WO2020/243176 and WO2020/243180.

Another advantage for customers is that the LumaTreat polymers use the same fluorimeters found in PTSA technology so that water treaters can use their existing equipment. “This eliminates capital expenditure and ensures formulation costs won’t change significantly,” said Anderson.

“We’re really proud of the Nouryon team that has worked on this scientific breakthrough leading to a pending patent,” said Larry Ryan, Nouryon’s Executive Vice President and President, Performance Formulations and the Americas. “This innovation not only benefits the environment but also helps reduce costs for our customers. That’s a great win for everyone.”

Read more about how Nouryon is supporting sustainability.

About Nouryon 

We are a global specialty chemicals leader. Markets worldwide rely on our essential chemistry in the manufacture of everyday products, such as paper, plastics, building materials, food, pharmaceuticals, and personal care items. Building on our nearly 400-year history, the dedication of our 10,000 employees, and our shared commitment to business growth, strong financial performance, safety, sustainability, and innovation, we have established a world-class business and built strong partnerships with our customers. We operate in over 80 countries around the world and our portfolio of industry-leading brands includes Eka, Dissolvine, Trigonox and Berol. Visit our website 

The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit today affirmed multiple findings of civil contempt against disbarred attorney Steven Donziger, effectively bringing to a close his campaign to profit from the fraudulent Ecuadorian judgment he procured in violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (“RICO”) Act.

As the Second Circuit today observed, it has been finally adjudicated that Donziger “fraudulently procured the Ecuadorian Judgment against Chevron through a pattern of racketeering activity.” The court also noted “Donziger, among other things, bribed the presiding judge to enter a judgment in his clients’ favor in exchange for $500,000 of the judgment’s proceeds; coerced the court to appoint a hand-picked expert whom Donziger paid for favorable testimony; and ghost-wrote the Ecuadorian Judgment.” In 2020, the New York Appellate Division, First Department, disbarred Donziger for “egregious professional misconduct, namely, corruption of a court expert and ghostwriting his report, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and judicial coercion.”

In today’s ruling, the Second Circuit agreed with “the district court’s conclusions that Donziger acted in contempt of the Injunction that resulted from the RICO Judgment in numerous ways,” including Donziger’s failure to transfer his interest in the fraudulent Ecuadorian judgment to Chevron, transferring a portion of his interest in the judgment in exchange for personal services, transferring and dissipating his assets in violation of his obligations as a judgment debtor, and disregarding discovery orders. The court noted that for the most part Donziger did “not even attempt to challenge the district court’s findings of his contumacious conduct.” The court reversed other aspects of the district court’s rulings and remanded the case to the district court for determination of the amount of fees Donziger owes Chevron.

The decision rejects Donziger’s attempts to circumvent the RICO judgment. The Second Circuit ruled that, going forward, Donziger “can no longer sell any interests in the Ecuadorian Judgment for any reason, and use the proceeds for his benefit . . . or profit from such sales in any way whatsoever.” The court also upheld the district court’s award of costs against Donziger, because “costs were sought in a litigation in which Donziger has been found liable for engaging in a pattern of racketeering involving corruption of a foreign judiciary resulting in a multi-billion dollar judgment.” The decision acknowledged “the district court’s thorough and fully persuasive fact findings and legal conclusions, which [the Second Circuit] ha[s] already affirmed in full, establishing Donziger’s violations of law and ethics that added up to a pattern of racketeering in violation of the RICO statute.”

U.S. courts are not alone in condemning the Ecuadorian litigation against Chevron. In a separate proceeding, an international tribunal in The Hague previously ruled that the Ecuadorian judgment was procured by the plaintiffs’ legal team through egregious fraud and corruption and is therefore unenforceable under international law. The international tribunal further rejected the environmental allegations against Chevron, holding that the corrupt Ecuadorian judgment was based on environmental claims that had been already settled and released by the Republic of Ecuador years earlier following the successful completion of an environmental remediation carried out under the supervision and with the approval of the Republic of Ecuador.

All efforts to enforce the fraudulent Ecuadorian judgment outside of Ecuador have been rejected. Today’s decision further vindicates Chevron’s position in this long-running dispute.

Chevron Corporation is one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies. Through its subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide, the company is involved in virtually every facet of the energy industry. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and lubricants; manufactures and sells petrochemicals and additives; generates power; and develops and deploys technologies that enhance business value in every aspect of the company’s operations. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com.

TietoEVRY has launched its Diversity and Inclusion Charter, as a part of its new Sustainability game plan “Upgrading tomorrow”. The Diversity and Inclusion Charter sets ambitious goals for gender balance with an aim to reach equal representation of men and women in the company’s workforce by 2030. The company has outlined several actions to reach the goal considering a wide range of areas and plans to apply SHE Index criteria in all Nordic countries for reporting its progress. 

TietoEVRY has 2 March launched its first Sustainability game plan, called “Upgrading tomorrow”. As part of that plan, the company launches its Diversity & Inclusion Charter which sets the frame for the actions the company will take in the decade ahead aiming to ensure gender balance in its workforce. 

“At TietoEVRY, we see the diversity of people, beyond of gender identification, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, or age being equally valuable for creating a good and inspirational workplace. Embracing every individual creates a culture, where everyone can flourish and reach their full potential. We believe diverse perspectives are a prerequisite for successful innovation,” says Kimmo Alkio, President and CEO of TietoEVRY.

As a concrete target to advance equality, TietoEVRY has set an ambition to reach a 40% share of female professionals globally by 2026 – and 50% by 2030 – corresponding to 29% today. The company has outlined several actions to reach the goal considering a wide array of areas. 

“As women are under-represented in the ICT industry starting from the talent pipeline, this goal can be considered bold. But it shows our strong commitment to improving TietoEVRY’s gender balance over time. The actions we plan to take include setting measurable and transparent goals for gender balance per business area, identifying successors of both sexes for leadership positions and looking at our recruitment practices e.g. expanding the implementation of an anonymous gamified recruitment process. We also aim to increase development and mentoring initiatives for female leaders as well as awareness building across the organization including enforcing bias trainings. We begin this journey aiming high and believing we can make a difference as one of the largest tech employers in the Nordics,” says Trond Vinje, Chief Human Resources Officer at TietoEVRY. 

SHE Index and other local activities underway 

TietoEVRY has been working strategically to advance gender balance, for many years. The company plans to introduce SHE Index criteria to Nordics to report its progress. SHE Index measures stakeholders’ focus on diversity and inclusion in leadership and workforce, equal compensation and work-life balance. In Norway, TietoEVRY has been part of SHE Index for several years and the company ranks at 14 this year. In Sweden, TietoEVRY has this year reached the third position in the SHE Index, scoring high in areas such as the proportion of women in managerial positions. In Finland, TietoEVRY will partner with SHE Index and will be amongst the first companies to apply SHE Index this year. 

“The SHE Index provides a good set of indicators to strengthen transparency and promote gender equality in working life and we plan to adopt it globally. We challenge other companies to join the index,” continues Vinje. 

“SHE Index is a catalyst for stakeholders to drive focus on diversity and inclusion in leadership and workforce, including equal compensation and work-life balance. By joining the Index, companies have taken important steps in their journeys towards greater inclusion. As of now, companies in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark can join the index. Our plan is that during 2021, the SHE Index will be available in all European countries,” says Heidi Aven, Founder and CEO of the SHE Community. 

Read more about the inclusion work at TietoEVRY here: https://www.tietoevry.com/en/sustainability/ethical-conduct/Diversity_and_inclusion/   

TietoEVRY creates digital advantage for businesses and society. We are a leading digital services and software company with local presence and global capabilities. Our Nordic values and heritage steer our success.  
  
Headquartered in Finland, TietoEVRY employs around 24 000 experts globally. The company serves thousands of enterprise and public sector customers in more than 90 countries. TietoEVRY’s annual turnover is approximately EUR 3 billion and its shares are listed on the NASDAQ in Helsinki and Stockholm as well as on the Oslo Børs. www.tietoevry.com

~ The airport will provide a capacity of 20 million passengers ~

Motor, drive and gearbox manufacturer, WEG has announced the contract to supply 241 transformers to the International Airport Felipe Ángeles, in the state of Mexico. The WEG equipment is significant in the construction of the General Felipe Ángeles International Airport, which aims to reduce the high saturation of the current Mexico City International Airport.

The project, which will be partially operating in the first quarter of 2021, will allow 20 million passengers per year, to travel through the airport. The project also includes the expansion of the existing runway along with the addition of a new runway.

Moreover, the project requires the supply and installation of transformers. WEG will supply 241 transformers, which include 49 dry transformers from 300 to 3150 kVA, 168 pedestal transformers from 30 to 2500 kVA, 21 dielectric varnish dry transformers from 30 to 300kVA and 3 power transformers from 60 MVA 230kV.

Manufactured at the WEG Mexico plant, the transformers are designed for an operating altitude of 2500 meters above sea level.

“Our equipment is a benchmark for reliability, quality and high performance and this supply represents the reputation of our brand in the market,” explained Carlos Diether Prinz, managing director of WTD Business Unit. “We are not only ensuring safety and technical support for the Government of Mexico, but also delivery time flexibility.”

“WEG power transformers are designed to guarantee high performance on the most diverse applications for all market segments,” added Marek Lukaszczyk, European & Middle East marketing manager at WEG. “We also offer a wide range of dry-type transformers, in the voltage classes up to 36.2 kV, having over twenty years of experience in the manufacture of such product with consolidated technology for all applications.

The combination of many manufacturing processes in-house — including the manufacture of electro-insulating varnish, electrical cables, tanks, insulating kits and paints — is a unique characteristic of WEG, allowing broad quality control of the different production phases, as well as flexibility of lead times.

For more information on WEG and its range of services and products, visit weg.net.

About WEG: Founded in 1961, WEG is a global manufacturer of electrical and mechanical equipment for industrial sectors across all continents. With manufacturing units in 12 countries and present in more than 135 countries, the company has more than 31,000 employees worldwide with net revenue of over R$13.3 billion in 2019.

Offering energy efficient solutions across all sectors including water, steel, pulp and paper, oil and gas, mining, among many others, WEG is constantly developing solutions to meet the major trends in energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainability and electric mobility.  For more information, visit www.weg.net