At Nourish + Bloom, Jilea and Jamie Hemmings — with the help of Intel and its partners — shape the future of shopping.
Download the Nourish + Bloom app, scan your way into the store, load your groceries and walk out.
No checkout lines, no cashiers, no waiting. The moment you walk out the door, your credit card is charged for your purchases.
It’s convenient shopping with a taste of tech.
Jilea and Jamie Hemmings opened their Nourish + Bloom grocery in Fayetteville, Georgia, in February, delivering a “frictionless” shopping experience with a contactless checkout system powered by computer vision.
Thirty ceiling cameras and shelves with scales track what customers pick up. Intel® Core™ processors, visual processing units and RealSense™ cameras offer computer vision, on-site analytics, advanced freezer/chiller temperature tracking and a self-checkout option for those who prefer it.
Other technology partners include Microsoft and UST.
“We came up with this project during the pandemic,” says Jamie, who like his wife, Jilea, has a background in the tech and food industries. “During that time, no one was coming outside, no one wanted to touch anything. So we wanted to come up with something that was innovative and something that would hold up for the pandemic.”
In this post-pandemic world, Jamie says, 87% of consumers prefer to shop in stores with touchless or self-checkout options.
It’s a glimpse of the future, says Chris O’Malley, director of marketing in Intel’s Internet of Things Group. Customer journeys are faster and more convenient, and store owners like Jilea and Jamie get out of scanning, bagging and taking money, and concentrate more on talking to customers and replenishing shelves according to data collected on each customer visit. It’s much like what the ATM did for banking, O’Malley adds. You no longer go into the bank to get $20, but when you need to speak to someone, they can spend more quality time helping you with finance and loans.
Alec Gefrides, vice president in Intel’s Network and Edge Group, says technology allows businesses – even your neighborhood grocery — to do innovative things.
Nick McKeown, senior vice president and general manager of the Network and Edge Group, says more Intel customers are looking to introduce edge computing — computing on the premises — to improve their businesses, whether by using artificial intelligence to track customer habits, inventory and supply chains or by using touchless and fully automated purchasing like Nourish + Bloom.
Such deployments, McKeown says, number 45,000 in more than 160 countries.
“I’m a mom,” says Jilea. “I’m the one who’s at 5 a.m. like, ‘Oh my gosh, I forgot to get things for my kids for lunch.’ It’s great that we have markets like this where I can come in and within five minutes be back at home to my family. I definitely see this model as being the future for sure.”
Launch of Paris-Charles de Gaulle – Kittilä (Finland) and Paris-Charles de Gaulle – Tromsø (Norway) as from 10 December 2022,
Increased frequencies to Rovaniemi (Finland) with up to one daily flight during the Christmas and New Year period,
Renewal of the Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe) – Montreal (Canada) route, launched in winter 2021
Air France has revealed the first destinations of its winter schedule (October 2022 – March 2023). After launching a Paris-Charles de Gaulle – Rovaniemi (Finland) route in 2021, the airline is continuing to expand its medium-haul services to Lapland (Finland and Norway).
On 10 December 2022, Air France will launch a new route to Kittilä, also in Finland. The route will be operated every Thursday by Airbus A320.
Flight schedule (in local time):
AF1322: leaves Paris Charles-de-Gaulle at 10:05, arrives in Kittilä at 14:50 AF1323: leaves Kittilä at 15:35, arrives at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle at 18:30
On the same day, Air France will launch a new service from Paris-Charles de Gaulle to Tromsø International Airport in Norway, with one weekly flight every Thursday by Airbus A319. Tromsø will be the northernmost destination on the entire Air France-KLM network.
Flight schedule (in local time):
AF1220: leaves Paris Charles-de-Gaulle at 08:20, arrives in Tromsø at 11:50 AF1221: leaves Tromsø at 12:35, arrives at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle at 16:25
Finally, following its success in 2021, the Paris-Charles de Gaulle-Rovaniemi (Finland) route will be strengthened with up to one daily flight during the Christmas and New Year period. Flights to this destination will resume on 27 November 2022.
Flight schedule (in local time):
AF1524: leaves Paris Charles-de-Gaulle at 10:00, arrives in Rovaniemi at 14:30 AF1525: leaves Rovaniemi at 15:25, arrives at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle at 18:00
Kittilä, Tromsø and Rovaniemi, the wonder of unspoilt natural surroundings
Kittilä, Tromsø and Rovaniemi are located above the Arctic Circle in Lapland, the home of Santa. In this region of lakes, forests and mountains, you can enjoy ice fishing, sleigh rides, saunas and also admire the Northern Lights. Kittilä is also known as the birthplace of the famous Finnish writer Arto Paasilinna.
As well as Kittilä, Tromsø and Rovaniemi in the Nordics, Air France also flies to Helskinki (Finland, which was launched in summer 2021), Copenhagen and Billund (Denmark), Olso and Bergen (Norway), Stockholm and Gothenburg (Sweden).
Resumption of flights between Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe) and Montreal (Canada)
Starting 22 October 2022, Air France will operate a route between Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe) and Montreal (Canada) for the second consecutive winter season, with two weekly flights operated by Airbus A320.
Flight schedule (in local time):
AF624: leaves Pointe-à-Pitre (PTP) on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 16:20, arrives at Montréal Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau (YUL) at 20:50 AF625: leaves Montréal Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau (YUL) on Wednesdays and Sundays at 10:00, arrives at Pointe-à-Pitre (PTP) at 15:50
Details of the flight schedule and fares are available at airfrance.com. This flight schedule is subject to change and remains subject to obtaining the necessary government authorisations. It will be implemented taking into account the current health measures in the various countries or destinations served. Before travelling, Air France invites its customers to check the travel restrictions and the documents required on arrival at their destination. More detailed information is available at airfrance.traveldoc.aero.
Strategic Partnership Agreement signed in the presence of President H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and President Emmanuel Macron
ADNOC and TotalEnergies to explore opportunities to collaborate in areas of mutual interest including in gas growth, CCUS and trading and product supply
Agreement builds on their long-standing partnership and offers the potential to create greater and more sustainable value for both companies as well as the UAE and France
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and TotalEnergies signed a strategic partnership agreement to deepen their long-standing partnership and explore new opportunities for growth across the energy value chain.
The agreement was signed in the presence of the UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the French President Emmanuel Macron, during the UAE President’s state visit to France. It was signed by His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, and Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies.
Under the terms of the agreement, ADNOC and TotalEnergies will explore opportunities to collaborate in areas of mutual interest including in gas growth, carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) and trading and product supply.
H.E. Dr. Al Jaber said: “TotalEnergies is a longstanding strategic partner and we are very pleased to build on our successful partnerships through this agreement as the UAE and France strengthen energy cooperation. The agreement offers the potential to accelerate growth and create greater and more sustainable value for our mutual benefit. We look forward to working with TotalEnergies to unlock the opportunities presented by the agreement across the energy value chain to enable more secure, affordable and sustainable energy for our countries and the world.”
TotalEnergies is a significant international partner for ADNOC and has been active in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas sector since 1939.
Pouyanné said: “I am pleased that TotalEnergies is reaffirming and expanding its strategic collaboration with the United Arab Emirates through a multi-energy cooperation with ADNOC, our long-standing partner in the UAE. Our partnership across the entire energy value chain allows our two companies to join forces to contribute to the energy supply of global markets, while reducing carbon emissions from our operations.”
This strategic partnership agreement follows the signing of the UAE-France Comprehensive Strategic Energy Partnership (CSEP) which is focused on enhancing energy security, energy affordability and decarbonization, as well as progressive climate action ahead of COP28 (28th Session of the Conference of the Parties) take place in the UAE in 2023.
TotalEnergies currently collaborates with ADNOC across the full value chain, from offshore and onshore exploration, development and production of oil and gas, to gas processing and liquefaction, product marketing, research and development (R&D), and National Talent development.
Cheetos and global recording artist Bad Bunny are at it again: teaming up for the third consecutive year to support Hispanic communities across the U.S. and Puerto Rico through the Deja tu Huella (Leave Your Mark) campaign. Since 2020, the Deja tu Huella campaign has recognized Hispanic communities and called on fans to leave their mark on all they do. This year, the Deja tu Huella notion will be brought to life with the launch of the $500,000 Deja tu Huella Fund.
Cheetos and Bad Bunny kicked off year three of their partnership in May with Cheetos’ new television commercial, Magic Touch. The commercial, which debuted during the 2022 Billboard Music Awards and featured new music off Bad Bunny’s latest album, Un Verano Sin Ti, spotlights the “magic touch” the Hispanic community possesses to transform the world around them. Now, with the launch of the Deja tu Huella Fund, Cheetos® and Bad Bunny will award $25,000 each to 20 individuals using their “magic touch” to impact Hispanic communities.
“I am proud to partner with Cheetos for a third year. Cheetos is known to celebrate all forms of self expression, and, each year, we’ve been able to support people out there leaving their mark,” said Bad Bunny. “From expanding the Latin Music category at the American Music Awards in 2020 to collaborating with adidas for an exclusive fashion line in 2021, and now the Deja tu Huella Fund this year, Cheetos has shown its commitment to a community that has impacted and continues to impact my life tremendously.”
Between July 18 and August 19, fans are invited to share through TikTok how they would use $25,000 to make a positive impact on Hispanic communities in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Whether through art, music, fashion, food, education, community service or something else, everyone has the power to transform the world around them – and Chester Cheetah wants to hear about it. To enter for a chance to win $25,000, fans can use the #DejatuHuellaFund and #Entry hashtags when sharing their TikTok video that showcases how they’d use the fund to effect positive change.
“As a brand known for leaving its mark in culture, Cheetos is here to encourage others to do the same,” said Stacy Taffet, senior vice president of marketing at Frito-Lay. “In the third iteration of the Deja tu Huella campaign, we’re eager to support fans on the ground in Hispanic communities across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. We’re excited to hear from so many amazing individuals and learn more about the impressive ways they are taking action.”
The Deja tu Huella Fund is the next iteration of the Cheetos Estudiante Fund that launched during the 2021 campaign. That year, Cheetos joined forces with Bad Bunny and The Good Bunny Foundation to roll out a one-of-a-kind fashion collaboration with adidas to benefit the Estudiante Fund. The profits from the sale of the collection, along with Cheetos’ contribution, provided $500,000 to help fund scholarships for fans who were leaving their mark on their communities. Cheetos’ activity complements the PepsiCo and PepsiCo Foundation commitment to the Hispanic community, with $172 million in support over five years to further build on its long-standing efforts to address racial inequality.
For more information about the campaign, details on how to enter and for official rules, visit Cheetos.com/DejatuHuella.
About Cheetos Cheetos is one of the many brands that make up Frito-Lay North America, the $19 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (Nasdaq: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, http://www.fritolay.com/, the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/fritolay.
About Frito-Lay North America Frito-Lay North America is the $19 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Frito-Lay snacks include Lay’s and Ruffles potato chips, Doritos tortilla chips, Cheetos snacks, Tostitos tortilla chips and branded dips, SunChips multigrain snacks and Fritos corn chips. The company operates 30+ manufacturing facilities across the U.S. and Canada, more than 200 distribution centers and services 315,000 retail customers per week through its direct-store-delivery model. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, www.fritolay.com, on Twitter (@fritolay), on Instagram (@fritolay) and on Facebook (Frito-Lay).
About PepsiCo PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $70 billion in net revenue in 2020, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker, Tropicana and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 23 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. “Winning with Purpose” reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of our business strategy and brands. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.
About Bad Bunny Bad Bunny is a multi-platinum recording artist, multiple Latin GRAMMY and GRAMMY winner, who consistently manages to break international barriers and dismantle cultural norms, becoming a global icon of culture and entertainment. In 2021, he was named one of Billboard’s 10 most popular superstars in the world and earned the title of the #1 Latin artist of the year for a third consecutive year. In addition, after amassing an impressive more than 9.1 billion streams, he became the only Latin artist who, for two consecutive years, has been proclaimed the most listened to artist globally on Spotify – all of this without releasing a new album.
In mid-2021, the artist quickly sold-out tickets to his upcoming tour, “El Último Tour del Mundo 2022,” and made history by achieving the best-performing sales day on Ticketmaster for any tour since 2018, selling a total of 500,000 tickets. Furthering his legacy, Bad Bunny also managed to break his own record as the artist with the most Top 10 entries on Billboard’s “Hot Latin Songs” chart since its inception, reigning with a total of 45 entries. Currently, Bad Bunny is the highest-ranking Latin artist on Billboard’s annual “Top Artists” chart, holding the #16 spot. Additionally, his albums “El Último Tour del Mundo” and “YHLQMDLG” are the only Spanish-language albums that have entered the top 40 of the annual “Top Albums” chart.
About the Good Bunny Foundation The Good Bunny Foundation works to improve the quality of life of Puerto Rican youth through the support of youth arts and sports initiatives, in collaboration with other non-profit organizations. The Foundation led two relief initiatives providing aid after Hurricane María, which included the handing out of meals and the complete reconstruction of 10 homes. In 2018, the Foundation organized the first annual “La Nueva Tradición” event, in which 30,000 Puerto Rican children received gifts of toys and musical instruments. Currently, the Foundation’s efforts are focused on the Play Ball Again initiative to restore Little League baseball fields in different municipalities of Puerto Rico.
LG Electronics (LG) has been named to the Board of Directors of the Connectivity Standards Alliance (the Alliance), the leading global organization focused on developing, evolving and promoting universal open standards for the Internet of Things (IoT).
As the global home appliance market leader and a Promoter Member of the Alliance Board of Directors, LG brings a wealth of expertise and experience in smart home and communications technologies to the global organization. The newly appointed Board of Directors members are Don Williams of LG’s Chief Strategy Office and Dr. Sang Kim of LG’s Chief Technology Office.
With its elevated role within the Alliance, LG plans to actively participate in the development and standardization of Matter – the Alliance’s open-source IoT protocol for connecting smart home devices – and lead the expansion of the smart home ecosystem.
“Through our role on the Alliance board, we are demonstrating our full commitment to creating a more connected and convenient future,” said Dr. Kim Byoung-hoon, CTO and executive vice president of LG Electronics. “With the adoption and support of Matter, our growing lineup of smart products, including TVs, home appliances and IoT devices and sensors, will be able to connect to each other – and all compatible solutions – more securely and easily. We will continue to deliver innovative customer experiences and help drive the evolution of the smart home forward.”
Matter, an Internet Protocol (IP)-based communications standard for smart home technologies, is helping to create an open smart home environment where products from diverse manufacturers can communicate and share data, making compatibility issues a thing of the past.
LG aims to provide support for Matter across its convenience-enhancing smart platforms, including the LG ThinQ smart home platform and app and the award-winning webOS smart TV platform. The adoption of Matter will not only benefit LG customers but also strengthen the overall competitiveness of the company’s innovative home appliances and TV lineups.
“Like the Alliance, at LG, we are committed to evolving and improving the world in which we live,” said LG Senior Vice President of Innovation Dr. Sokwoo Rhee, and head of LG’s North American Innovation Center, LG NOVA. “For us, this means innovative product development focused on delivering a better user experience and improving how we provide service and value in the home and beyond. We look forward to this collaboration and all the opportunities to come.”
“LG brings great energy and market reach to the Alliance, with its wide-range of products to their engineering expertise and connectivity solutions, but what makes the Alliance stronger with LG is its dedication to innovation,” said Tobin Richardson, President, and CEO of the Connectivity Standards Alliance. “We are excited to have LG join our Board to help spur even greater innovation in what’s next with Matter, expanding the value of the Internet of Things to consumer everywhere.”
Composed of more than 500 companies, the Alliance’s global membership collaborates to create open standards for the IoT, transforming the way we live, work and play. With its members’ deep and diverse expertise, robust certification programs and a full suite of open IoT solutions, the Alliance is leading the movement toward a more intuitive, imaginative and useful world.
OPPO has today announced it will partner with UEFA across different UEFA competitions including the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Futsal Champions League Finals and UEFA Youth League Finals for the next two seasons.
OPPO will work closely with UEFA to spotlight inspirational moments on and off the pitch, and to help fans witness, hear and share them during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.
The UEFA Champions League’s positioning of “the best of the best” aligns with OPPO’s own brand proposition of “Inspiration Ahead” which embodies the brand’s determination in striving for greatness. OPPO will work with UEFA to showcase inspirational moments from the UEFA Champions League to football fans around the world.
William Liu, President of Global Marketing of OPPO, said “We are excited to partner with UEFA and work with them to drive inspiration for football fans during UEFA competitions. At OPPO, we believe in the power of innovation to help us overcome life’s challenges, and this synergy with UEFA’s desire to fight in the face of adversity, makes this a perfect partnership.”
UEFA’s Marketing Director, Guy-Laurent Epstein, added “We are delighted to welcome OPPO to the UEFA sponsor family with the world’s greatest club competition – the UEFA Champions League. OPPO is a global leader in mobile technology and together, we are looking forward to advancing our efforts of connecting and inspiring football fans around the world.”
OPPO has agreed a two-year, multi-competition partnership with UEFA
As part of the partnership, OPPO will enjoy high visibility, appearing on broadcast backdrops and in stadia, including on extensive perimeter advertising, website and social media of the UEFA Champions League. In addition, OPPO will offer football fans the unique opportunity to go pitch-side throughout the UEFA Champions League season and capture key moments with OPPO smartphones. The Inspiration Moments captured during the matches will be shared in an OPPO Gallery on the UEFA Champions League website and OPPO UEFA Champions League landing page.
Also, the partnership will see leading OPPO devices featured, such as its Find and Reno mobile series, with cutting-edge imaging NPU, MariSilicon X, along with new and upcoming OPPO IoT products such as OPPO headphones and an OPPO smartwatch. These products will help inspire football fans around the world as they enjoy a whole new way of experiencing the UEFA Champions League.
This newest sponsorship expands upon OPPO’s existing sporting partnerships and ambitions to inspire and engage consumers through sports. The Chinese technology company is in its fourth year of partnering with Wimbledon and Roland-Garros and is a global partner of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Partnering with different international sports tournaments, OPPO hopes to show its respect to users in different regions and cultures, and serve the needs of global users.
Nokia to publish second-quarter and half-yearfinancialreport on 21 July 2022
Espoo, Finland – Nokia will publish its second-quarter and half-year financialreport on 21 July 2022 at approximately 8 a.m. Finnish time (EEST). The financial report will be made available on the Nokia website immediately after publication.
Nokia only publishes a summary of its financial reports in stock exchange releases. The summary focuses on Nokia Group’s financial information as well as on Nokia’s outlook.
The detailed, segment-level discussion will be available in the complete financial report hosted at www.nokia.com/financials. A video interview summarizing the key points of our Q2 results will also be published on the website. Investors should not solely rely on summaries of Nokia’s financial reports, but should also review the complete report with tables.
Analystwebcast
Nokia’s webcast will begin on 21 July 2022 at 11.30 a.m. Finnish time (EEST). The webcast will last approximately 60 minutes.
The webcast will be a presentation followed by a Q&A session. Presentation slides will be available for download at www.nokia.com/financials.
Media representatives can listen in via the link, or alternatively call +1-412-717-9224.
About Nokia At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.
As a trusted partner for critical networks, we are committed to innovation and technology leadership across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. We create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.
Adhering to the highest standards of integrity and security, we help build the capabilities needed for a more productive, sustainable and inclusive world.
Colton Herta becomes the first repeat pole winner in the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES in qualifying for the Honda Indy Toronto
Scott Dixon completes front-row sweep for Honda, will start second
David Malukas heads rookie qualifiers, will start fifth for Dale Coyne Racing with HMD
Ten races into the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Honda’s Colton Herta became the first repeat pole winner of the season today at the Honda Indy Toronto, as the Andretti Autosport driver led a front row qualifying sweep for the manufacturer.
Scott Dixon, a three-time Toronto race winner, completed the front-row sweep for Honda, qualifying second in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Alexander Rossi will start fourth in his Andretti Autosport Honda; while David Malukas made it four Hondas in the top five with his fifth-fastest run in final-round qualifying, the Dale Coyne Racing with HMD driver once again leading the rookie field.
Honda Indy 200 Qualifying Results
1st Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
2nd Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
4th Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
5th David Malukas-R Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda
9th Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
10th Christian Lundegaard-R Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Colton Herta (#26 Andretti Autosports Honda) pole qualifier, second pole of 2022; seventh career pole; first INDYCAR repeat pole qualifier of 2022: “That was an intense session, but it all really came together on that [pole winning] lap. I’m happy with my Gainbridge Honda, it’s really fast right now. The car is amazing, the team is amazing, thank you to Honda, it’s awesome to have a 1-2 [qualifying result] for them. We’re ready for tomorrow.”
Scott Dixon (#9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) will start second: “Thought I might have a [pole winning] lap in there, but kinda over-drove a bit into Turn 6. I think I was up about two-and-a-half tenths [of a second] until we got to that corner. You know, this track is pretty technical and easy to over-drive. The fastest bits are right up against the wall. The closer you get, the faster you go, but it’s a hard one to judge. It’s going to be an attrition race tomorrow, with some cautions here and there. But all-in-all, a good day for Honda and Chip Ganassi Racing. I think all of our cars are really fast. Congrats to Colton [Herta], and to Honda for another 1-2. We can win from here, I think, so we’re going to be giving it everything tomorrow.”
Fast Facts
Honda-powered drivers and teams have a history of success at Toronto, winning 10 times in both CART and IndyCar Series competition, most recently with Scott Dixon’s victory in 2018. One of Dixon’s three career wins in Toronto, he is now tied with former teammate Dario Franchitti as Honda’s most successful driver on the Exhibition Place street circuit.
Honda has served as title sponsor of the Toronto event since it returned to the IndyCar Series schedule in 2009. The sponsorship is administered through Honda Canada, Inc., Honda Motor Company’s Canadian subsidiary.
With corporate headquarters in the Toronto suburb of Markham, Honda Canada was formed in 1969. The company’s first manufacturing facility was opened in Alliston, Ontario, in 1986. A second Alliston manufacturing facility began operations in 1998 and an engine assembly plant opened in 2008.
Honda Canada Inc. supports a network of 237 Honda and 51 Acura authorized automotive dealers in Canada. There are also over 600 dealers for Honda motorcycle and power equipment products. These dealers sell motorcycles, scooters, mopeds, snowblowers, lawnmowers and other equipment in Canada.
Where to Watch
Live streaming race coverage of the Honda Indy 200 from the Honda Indy Toronto begin at 3:30 p.m. EDT Sunday on NBC Peacock. Additional coverage can be found on the INDYCAR Radio Network and on Sirius/XM satellite radio.
We’re investing in sustainable, tech-driven ingredients to power our future growth.
Unilever is partnering with San Diego-based biotechnology specialists Geno(Opens in a new window) to jointly invest $120 million (€114 million) in a new venture to commercialise plant-based alternatives to feedstocks like palm oil and fossil fuels that are used to make cleansers for home care, beauty and personal care products.
The venture has huge potential to help power our growth and strengthen our supply chains by creating cost-competitive alternatives and reducing our dependence on a small number of feedstocks that can have high levels of volatility. Geno is already starting to scale up the process for its advanced technology to produce the exclusive ingredient.
Effective, sustainable, resilient
So how does it work? Using cutting-edge biotechnology, Geno has established a fermentation process that uses sugar to convert microorganisms into an ingredient needed to make key cleaning agents called surfactants. These are integral to all cleansing products – across the home, personal care and beauty industries – to help them foam, lather, and lift dirt.
We’ve committed to ensuring a deforestation-free supply chain for palm oil by 2023.
While offering incredibly effective cleansing properties, these ingredients are predominately made using fossil fuels and palm oil with few viable substitutes that can be manufactured at scale. That’s why this initiative could be a game-changer for the combined $625 billion (€594 billion) home, beauty and personal care markets. Better yet, initial estimates have shown it could reduce the carbon footprint of palm-derived ingredients by up to 50%.
As one of the world’s biggest soap and detergent manufacturers, we’re excited to be part of this innovation at an early stage, which marks our biggest collaboration in biotechnology alternatives to palm oil to date. Further strategic investors are expected to join in time.
Marrying science and nature
While palm oil will remain an important feedstock to Unilever, alternative ingredients can play a growing role in diversifying supply chains to offer greater choice alongside sustainability, cost efficiencies and transparency.
This new venture will sit right at the intersection of science and sustainability.
Richard Slater, Unilever Chief R&D Officer
“Biotechnology has the potential to revolutionise the sourcing of our cleansing ingredients and ensure Unilever is a future-fit business – for consumers, shareholders and the planet we all share,” explains Unilever Chief Research & Development Officer Richard Slater.
“This new venture will sit right at the intersection of science and sustainability, meaning we can continue to grow our business without relying on palm oil or fossil fuel derivatives, while making our supply chains more resilient from having access to alternative ingredients.
Sourcing a diverse range of feedstocks to power our formulations is key to supporting current and future growth.
Peter ter Kulve, President, Unilever Home Care
“We will be marrying science and nature to make sure there is no trade-off for our consumers between the efficacy and sustainability of their products. We are building this innovative new venture to have the scale to drive real impact and change in our industry, helping to reinvent the chemistry of home and personal care products for the 21st century,” he adds.
“The best supply chains balance resilience and cost effectiveness,” agrees Peter ter Kulve, President of Unilever’s Home Care division.
“A business like ours is highly reliant on a few commodities, such as oil, therefore sourcing a diverse range of feedstocks to power our formulations is key to supporting current and future growth. The power of biotechnology to aid this is something we are particularly excited about. Working together with Geno, we look forward to scaling the next generation of ingredients that do not increase the use of fossil fuels or add further pressure on land use.”
Acting on the climate crisis
Creating new bio-based materials will help us make the planet positive personal care products of the future.
Fabian Garcia, President, Unilever Personal Care
“We’ve developed technology in response to our planet’s urgent climate crisis and have proven that biotechnology can replace traditional methods to produce ingredients with bio-based sources that deliver both high performance and sustainability,” says Christophe Schilling, CEO of Geno.
“Creating new bio-based materials will help us make the planet positive personal care products of the future,” adds Fabian Garcia, President of Unilever Personal Care.
“Collaborating with scientific partners is essential to accelerating our progress, bringing to market cutting-edge, cost effective and sustainable solutions that our business and consumers will benefit from.”
• The airline becomes the first carrier to operate flights to Samarkand from the UAE with a twice-weekly service from 20 September• Samarkand becomes the carrier’s second destination in Uzbekistan in addition to Tashkent
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 14 July 2022: flydubai, the Dubai-based airline, announced today the launch of flights to Samarkand in Uzbekistan from 20 September with a twice-weekly service. With the addition of flights to Samarkand, flydubai grows its operations in the market to two points including the capital, Tashkent.
Flights to Samarkand International Airport (SKD) will operate from Terminal 3 at Dubai International (DXB) on Tuesdays and Fridays. With the launch of operations to Samarkand, flydubai grows its network to 102 destinations served by a fleet of 65 Boeing 737 aircraft, giving passengers from the UAE and the region more reliable and convenient options for travel.
Hamad Obaidalla, Chief Commercial Officer at flydubai, said: “we started our operations to Uzbekistan in 2019 and we were pleased to see the market grow as the demand for travel returned. With a combined frequency of eight flights a week to Samarkand and Tashkent, we look forward to further supporting the trade and cultural links with the UAE and encouraging more people to visit this beautiful country steeped in history and tradition.”
As one of the most ancient cities in the world, Samarkand is believed to be as old as Rome and Athens and an important centre of human civilisation. This culturally rich city was an important crossroad on the Silk Road and is now included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Samarkand is home to many unique monuments including the Registan Mosque and madrasas, Bibi-Khanum Mosque, the Shakhi-Zinda compound and the Gur-Emir ensemble, as well as Ulugh-Beg’s Observatory.
Commenting on the launch of flights, Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations and E-commerce at flydubai, said: “Central Asia is an important and growing market for flydubai. flydubai’s new service will provide our customers from Samarkand and the adjacent areas with an easier and more efficient way to travel to the UAE and beyond. We will start with a twice-weekly service from September and we are excited to see the market grow even further in the future.”
flydubai operates flights to six destinations in Central Asia including Almaty and Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan, Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, Dushanbe in Tajikistan as well as Samarkand and Tashkent in Uzbekistan.
Flight details
Flights from Terminal 3, Dubai International (DXB) to Samarkand International Airport (SKD) will operate twice a week from 20 September. Emirates will codeshare on this route offering passengers more options for connections through Dubai’s international aviation hub.
Return Business Class fares from DXB to SKD start from AED 8,000 and Economy Class Lite fares start from AED 1,800.
Flights are available to book on flydubai.com, the official flydubai App, the Contact Centre in Dubai on (+971) 600 54 44 45, the flydubai travel shops or through our travel partners.
Passengers are required to make sure that they are up to date with the regulations for their whole journey, and follow the guidance issued by the authorities and the airline. They can visit the COVID-19 information hub on flydubai.com for more information.
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