Best Waste Management Stocks To Follow Now – July 26th – MarketBeat

Analysis of Corporate Contributions to Sustainable Development Goals in the Waste Management Sector

An examination of companies operating within or adjacent to the waste management industry reveals significant contributions toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Firms engaged in waste collection, treatment, recycling, and industrial automation are integral to advancing global sustainability targets. This report analyzes the operations of Waste Management, Inc., Rockwell Automation, Inc., and Halliburton Company in the context of their alignment with the SDGs.

Waste Management, Inc. (WM)

Corporate Profile

Waste Management, Inc. is a comprehensive provider of environmental solutions across the United States and Canada. The company’s core services are offered to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal clients. Operations include:

• Collection, transport, and disposal of waste and recyclable materials.
• Operation of transfer stations and material recovery facilities (MRFs).
• Development and management of landfill facilities, including the conversion of landfill gas into a renewable energy source.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Waste Management’s business model is fundamentally aligned with several key SDGs:

• SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): The company directly addresses target 11.6 by providing essential municipal waste management services, thereby reducing the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities.
• SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): Through its extensive recycling operations at MRFs and focus on resource recovery, the company actively supports target 12.5, which aims to substantially reduce waste generation.
• SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy): By capturing landfill gas and converting it into renewable natural gas for electricity generation, Waste Management contributes to increasing the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
• SDG 13 (Climate Action): The capture of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from its landfill sites represents a direct climate change mitigation action.

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (ROK)

Corporate Profile

Rockwell Automation, Inc. is a global provider of industrial automation and digital transformation solutions. The company operates through three primary segments: Intelligent Devices, Software & Control, and Lifecycle Services, delivering integrated hardware and software solutions to a wide range of industries.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Rockwell Automation’s technologies enable other industries to operate more sustainably, contributing to the following SDGs:

• SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): The company’s solutions are central to building resilient infrastructure and promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization. Automation and digital transformation enhance the efficiency, safety, and environmental performance of industrial processes.
• SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): By optimizing manufacturing and industrial operations, Rockwell’s technologies help companies reduce waste, minimize energy consumption, and use raw materials more efficiently, directly supporting the goal of achieving sustainable production patterns.
• SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy): Its automation and control systems allow industrial clients to better manage and reduce their energy consumption, contributing to overall energy efficiency.

Halliburton Company (HAL)

Corporate Profile

Halliburton Company delivers a range of products and services to the global energy industry. It operates through two main divisions:

1. Completion and Production: This segment provides services such as cementing for well integrity, production enhancement, and completion tools designed to optimize downhole operations.
2. Drilling and Evaluation: This segment focuses on services related to the drilling and evaluation phases of oil and gas wells.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

While operating in the conventional energy sector, Halliburton’s technological focus contributes to specific SDG targets related to industrial efficiency and innovation:

• SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): As a key technology and service provider, Halliburton supports the infrastructure of the global energy industry. Its innovations in drilling and completion aim to improve the efficiency and safety of energy production operations.
• SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): The company’s services, such as well bonding and casing, are designed to ensure well integrity, which is critical for preventing environmental contamination. Its production enhancement services aim to maximize resource recovery from existing assets, promoting more efficient use of natural resources.
• SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): Halliburton is a significant employer in the global energy sector, contributing to economic growth and job creation in numerous countries.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy – The article mentions the generation of energy from waste.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure – The article discusses companies providing advanced industrial solutions and services that contribute to infrastructure and industry efficiency.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – The core topic is waste management, a critical service for cities and communities.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production – The article focuses on companies involved in waste management, recycling, and resource recovery, which are central to sustainable production and consumption patterns.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

  • Target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
    
    Explanation: The article states that Waste Management, Inc. “owns, develops, and operates landfill facilities that produce landfill gas used as renewable natural gas for generating electricity.” This directly contributes to increasing the share of renewable energy.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

  • Target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with enhanced resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes.
    
    Explanation: Rockwell Automation provides “industrial automation and digital transformation solutions,” which are key to retrofitting industries for greater efficiency and sustainability. Halliburton’s provision of “products and services to the energy industry” can also contribute to upgrading this sector’s infrastructure.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  • Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
    
    Explanation: The article describes Waste Management, Inc. as providing “environmental solutions to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers.” This includes “picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials,” which is a direct action towards managing municipal waste.

• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

  • Target 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle… and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
    
    Explanation: The article defines waste management stocks as representing companies engaged in the “treatment and disposal of solid and hazardous waste,” which is a core component of this target.
  • Target 12.5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.
    
    Explanation: The article highlights that waste management companies are involved in “recycling” and “resource recovery.” Waste Management, Inc. operates “material recovery facility (MRF),” which is essential for recycling and reducing the final volume of waste.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• For Target 7.2:

  • Indicator (Implied): The generation of renewable energy from landfill gas.
    
    Explanation: The article explicitly mentions that Waste Management, Inc. uses landfill gas “as renewable natural gas for generating electricity.” The amount of electricity generated would be a direct indicator of progress.

• For Target 9.4:

  • Indicator (Implied): The scale of deployment of industrial automation and digital transformation solutions.
    
    Explanation: The description of Rockwell Automation’s business in providing “industrial automation and digital transformation solutions” implies that the company’s growth and market share (indicated by its market cap of $40.45 billion) could serve as a proxy indicator for the adoption of these sustainable technologies in industries.

• For Target 11.6:

  • Indicator (Implied): The extent of municipal waste collection and management services.
    
    Explanation: The article states that Waste Management, Inc. offers “collection services” to “municipal customers.” The scale of these operations, while not quantified in the article, is an implied indicator of the management of municipal waste.

• For Target 12.5:

  • Indicator (Implied): The capacity and operation of recycling facilities.
    
    Explanation: The mention of Waste Management, Inc. operating a “material recovery facility (MRF)” is a direct reference to infrastructure for recycling. The volume of materials processed at such facilities would be a key indicator for measuring waste reduction through recycling.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: marketbeat.com