Barclays Abandons Net Zero Banking Alliance: Sustainability Week

This week in sustainability news: Barclays has formally withdrawn from the United Nations-backed Net-Zero Banking Alliance, becoming the latest financial giant to scale back its climate commitments. Meanwhile, the State of Mexico launched an initiative to promote breastfeeding, following findings that baby formula negatively impacts both infant nutrition and the environment. In other news, NX Filtration has received an order to double the capacity of the world’s largest hollow fiber nanofiltration facility, located in Leon, Guanajuato.

This is the Week in Sustainability — more updates below:

Barclays Leaves Net Zero Alliance, Citing Weakened Impact

Barclays has formally withdrawn from the United Nations-backed Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), citing a wave of member departures that it says has weakened the alliance’s ability to support its green transition goals. Barclays’ exit follows that of fellow British lender HSBC, which left the alliance in July. Several major North American institutions have also departed, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo in the United States, as well as Bank of Montreal in Canada. 

State of Mexico Urges Breastfeeding to Boost Health, Cut Emissions

The State of Mexico launched an initiative to encourage breastfeeding, amid findings that baby formula has twice the carbon footprint of breast milk and poses risks to both public health and the environment. The initiative comes during World Breastfeeding Week, and is of particular importance in Mexico, where only 36% of infants up to six months are breastfed. 

NX Filtration Expands World’s Largest HFNF Plant in Mexico

NX Filtration received a repeat order to supply its hollow fiber nanofiltration (HFNF) modules, effectively doubling the capacity of the world’s largest HFNF facility in Mexico. The facility treats municipal wastewater using a combination of HFNF and advanced oxidation technologies, and will reach a total capacity of 34 million cubic liters a day.

Taruk, Mexico’s First Electric Bus, Begins Trials in Morelia

Taruk, the first fully electric bus entirely designed and manufactured in Mexico, entered trial service in Morelia, Michoacan. The bus, manufactured by Megaflux Irina, first debuted in Tepic, Nayarit, after receiving “Hecho en México” certification from the Ministry of Economy. 

CDMX Declares Water Footprint a National Security Issue

The Mexico City Congress formally integrated the concept of the water footprint into its regulatory and budgetary planning. Defined across three categories—blue water (surface and groundwater), green water (soil moisture from rainfall), and grey water (polluted water resulting from production processes)—the water footprint methodology is designed to identify critical areas of scarcity and guide targeted interventions.

Impact Hub CDMX Launches Climathon 2025 Across Mexico

Impact Hub CDMX opened applications for its third annual Climathon competition, which will connect more than 400 young entrepreneurs across 7 Mexican cities with sustainability experts and investors to help turn their projects into viable climate solutions. According to Mario Romero, Managing Director, Impact Hub CDMX, each edition of Climathon helps accelerate the transition to a net-zero society by fostering the co-creation of ideas, technologies, and entrepreneurial solutions.