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IBM Commits Up To $45M to Climate Adaptation, Starting With New RFP for Resilient Cities

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IBM will increase investment in the IBM Sustainability Accelerator by 50%, committing up to $45 million in cash and in-kind donations over the next five years.New RFP will align with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11: making cities safe, resilient and sustainable.IBM will collaborate with the EY organization to strengthen the opportunities and knowledge support available to program participants.

ARMONK, N.Y., March 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Aligned with United Nations SDG 11, IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced today a new request for proposals from government and non-profit organizations for the IBM Sustainability Accelerator, focused on technology-driven projects to advance city resiliency. IBM also announced that it would increase investment in the pro-bono social impact program by 50%, committing to make up to $45 million in cash and in-kind donations of technology and services available over the next five years. The IBM Sustainability Accelerator applies IBM technology, including IBM watsonx, an AI and data platform and AI assistants, to support populations vulnerable to environmental threats around the world, with a new RFP and sustainability topic announced each year.

UN Habitat1 forecasts that the world will continue to urbanize over the next three decades, with the share of people living in urban areas increasing from 56 percent in 2021 to 68 percent by 2050. The disproportionate impacts of climate change can challenge capacity for sustainable urban development and planning, as cities around the world work to address priorities like emissions levels, intensifying climate risks, environmental justice and more.

“After three years working to improve lives and uplift vulnerable communities around the world, we’re proud to recognize the success of the IBM Sustainability Accelerator by strengthening both our impact and our investment in the program,” said Justina Nixon-Saintil, IBM Vice President and Chief Impact Officer. “We look forward to working with a new cohort of partners to transform the cities we live in, and to deploy solutions that harness the potential of artificial intelligence to build a more resilient future.”

This year, the program will introduce a new strategic collaboration with EY to strengthen the participant experience and amplify the impact of the IBM Sustainability Accelerator. EY will contribute to the resilient cities cohort by providing support during the RFP selection process, organizational development coaching from EY teams, and capacity-building workshops that will build upon the leadership development and professional mentoring opportunities available to program participants.

The evaluation and selection criteria for the global RFP will consider applicants’ level of support to communities especially vulnerable to urban environmental threats; the feasibility and sustainability of proposed technology solutions for climate change mitigation; and applicants’ transparency on measurement and reporting, among other considerations.

Nonprofit and government initiatives focused on city resiliency and urban climate adaptation can apply to the RFP beginning March 6, 2024, until the end of the submission window on April 30, 2024. Selected participants will be announced later in the year.

Questions about the IBM Sustainability Accelerator program and the new RFP can be directed to sustainability.accelerator@ibm.com.

About the IBM Sustainability Accelerator
Launched in 2022, the IBM Sustainability Accelerator is a social impact program that addresses environmental threats impacting vulnerable communities around the world. Each year, the program selects about five projects to scale technology and AI solutions within a new sustainability topic area. To date, the IBM Sustainability Accelerator has supported 15 global projects across three active cohorts, focused on sustainable agriculture, clean energy and water management. For more information: https://www.ibm.com/impact/initiatives/ibm-sustainability-accelerator/cities

CONTACT
Carmen San Segundo
Global Communications Director, ESG and CSR
carmenssg@ibm.com

1 https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2022/06/wcr_2022.pdf

Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd04qA8oWec 

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/95470/ibm_logo.jpg

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2026 Canton Fair Design Award Winners Showcase China’s Innovation Strength

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GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As the 140th Canton Fair opens, the winners of the 2026 Canton Fair Design Award (CF Award) have also been announced. Winning products are now on display in Area D of the Canton Fair Complex, offering visitors a closer look at some of the latest advances in Chinese manufacturing and industrial design.

Among this year’s top honorees, a domestically developed high-performance sport motorcycle and an intelligent navigation capsule robot gastric endoscopy system received the Best of the Best Award, the competition’s highest recognition.

The Canton Fair also enhanced the visitor experience with a themed showcase area within the award exhibition. Built around four application-oriented concepts, namely Outdoor Pleasure, Smart Living, Cozy Home and Kitchen Elegance, the immersive displays demonstrate how innovative designs can be integrated into everyday life, helping visitors better understand the practical value behind these award-winning products.

This year, 4,218 products from 2,112 companies competed for the award. Following multiple rounds of evaluation, 222 products from 174 companies were selected.

The award-winning products reflect several key trends shaping the next stage of Chinese manufacturing. Innovation remains a defining theme, with breakthrough technologies ranging from upper limb motor function assistance and enhancement system to exoskeleton robots, underscoring the growing momentum of high-end manufacturing.

Meanwhile, intelligent technologies continue to gain traction across industries. Smart products account for more than 30% of this year’s winners, with AI-powered glasses, intelligent conference terminals and smart healthcare devices extending AI applications across home, office, medical and outdoor environments.

Sustainability is also becoming increasingly embedded throughout the product lifecycle. Green products represent over 40% of the winning entries, while innovations such as integrated energy-saving panels and sugarcane paper demonstrate how environmentally conscious practices are being incorporated into product design, materials selection and manufacturing processes.

Established in 2013, the Canton Fair Design Award is widely regarded as a benchmark for design innovation in China’s foreign trade sector. The award recognizes products that combine design excellence with commercial value, promoting the transformation and upgrading of Chinese manufacturing and supporting high-quality trade development. Entries are evaluated across five dimensions: innovation, quality, functionality, aesthetics and sustainability.

For more convenient attendance, please click here for pre-registration:
https://buyer.cantonfair.org.cn/register/buyer/email?source_type=16

 

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SOURCE Canton Fair

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InstaMall Launches Same-Day Fashion Delivery Experience, Bringing 80+ Brands to Shoppers’ Doors in Miami

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First-of-its-kind shopping app pairs artificial intelligence with same-day delivery, bringing luxury
and contemporary brands directly to customers’ doorsteps 

Featured luxury and contemporary brands include AllSaints, John Varvatos and Aritzia

MIAMI, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — InstaMall, a first-of-its-kind shopping app offering same-day delivery and access to real-time inventory across luxury and contemporary fashion, launches today in Miami, Florida. Now available via iOS and Android, InstaMall provides access to more than 80 contemporary and luxury fashion brands across Miami’s five premier retail clusters, including Balmain, Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, Ganni, Coach, Diesel, Reformation, Aritzia, Cult Gaia, Prada and more. InstaMall will add more brands within the app in the coming weeks and seasons. 

Sitting at the intersection of fashion, technology and commerce, InstaMall brings inspiration and purchase together through a more dynamic way to discover and shop for fashion. The experience combines access to luxury and contemporary brands with the convenience of same-day delivery, bringing the speed customers have come to expect across categories like food and groceries to fashion while maintaining the brand experience retailers and shoppers expect.

Within the app, customers will have access to InstaMall’s AI-powered stylist and virtual try-on features, making it easier to browse, discover and shop styles online. InstaMall’s AI Stylist serves as an intelligent shopping assistant that responds to customers’ preferences in real time. Customers can use the AI Stylist to receive product recommendations, build outfits, ask questions and discover new styles, while its virtual try-on feature allows them to visualize select items on themselves before making a purchase.

“InstaMall was founded on the belief that the convenience customers have come to expect from same-day delivery should extend to the way they shop for fashion,” said Elliot Aboud, Founder and CEO of InstaMall. “As fashion and technology continue to evolve together, we saw an opportunity to create a more seamless shopping experience that brings customers closer to the brands they love, combining a curated assortment, AI-powered styling and virtual try-on with the ease and convenience of same-day delivery.”

Prior to founding InstaMall, Elliot Aboud helped build the Aroma360 and Hotel Collection brands, overseeing the launch of the first retail store and expanding the retail footprint to more than 30 stores across the United States and two in Dubai. InstaMall is bringing fashion and luxury to the next generation with its seamless shopping experience and wide selection of brands.

Customers can download InstaMall through the Apple App Store or Google Play, or by going to instamall.co.

About InstaMall 

InstaMall is a same-day fashion shopping and discovery app reimagining how consumers shop for luxury and contemporary brands. Sitting at the intersection of fashion, technology and commerce, InstaMall brings inspiration and purchase together in an experience that gives consumers a more dynamic way to discover and shop. Where on-demand delivery has long existed for categories like food and groceries, InstaMall brings that same convenience to luxury fashion for the first time, delivering the same day without compromising the brand experience fashion retailers and their customers expect. The company launched publicly in Miami on October 16, 2026, and plans to expand nationally. For more information, please visit instamall.co.

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SOURCE InstaMall

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PTC to Announce Fourth Fiscal Quarter and Full Year 2026 Results on Wednesday, November 4, 2026

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BOSTON, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) will release its fiscal 2026 fourth quarter and full year results on Wednesday, November 4th after the stock market closes. As previously announced on October 5th, 2026, PTC entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Schneider Electric. In light of the pending transaction, PTC is suspending quarterly earnings conference calls and is no longer providing quarterly or annual guidance.

The earnings press release and accompanying financial data tables will be accessible on the Investor Relations section of the company’s website at PTC Investor Relations.

About

PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) is a global software company that enables manufacturers and product companies to digitally transform how they design, manufacture, and service the physical products the world relies on. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, PTC employs over 7,000 people and supports more than 30,000 customers globally. For more information, please visit www.ptc.com.

Investors

Michael Maguire
mmaguire@ptc.com
investor@ptc.com

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SOURCE PTC Inc.

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