To encourage companies to reduce their carbon footprint, Laurence D. Fink, founder and CEO of BlackRock, announced in his annual letter that the firm would avoid investing in companies which “present a high sustainability-related risk”.

Investors are taking note of the more than 5 trillion pieces of plastic waste floating in our oceans today and contributing more than $30 trillion in sustainable investments globally.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is drafting a positive list for substances that can be safely used in materials which will come into contact with drinking water in the EU.

DNA-based data storage is being developed as a solution to the emerging data storage problem facing our digital society.

PFAS compounds are ubiquitous in the environment including in humans, and while known to be very persistent, mobile and toxic, while also have long been used in firefighting foam, cosmetics, food packaging and non-stick coatings.