This is according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in their statement announcing the theme of this year's World Environment Day, “climate action". Observed each year on 5 June, Marks & Clerk is marking the occasion by sharing a series of insights aligned with this year’s theme, drawing on the collective expertise of colleagues across our patent and trade mark teams. These recent insights explore key developments shaping innovation with the environment at the forefront, across sectors including automotive, electric and sustainable aviation, regulatory change in Canada and China, green energy and battery technologies, food security and the systems underpinning modern climate science.
Aviation
Automotive
Canada's guidance on environmental claims
China's IP response to climate action
Food security
Green growth, renewable energy and solar panels
Weather forecasting
Cher(r)y on top for Liverpool automotive HQ
Chery Commercial Vehicles recently announced that its European headquarters will be in Liverpool. Liverpool City Region Mayor, Steve Rotheram, is reported as saying “Chery Commerical Vehicle's landmark decision to base its European HQ in our city region is a fantastic vote of confidence in our advanced manufacturing and green innovation sectors”.
Can all electric flight demonstrations deliver more than just mail?
For the first time in the UK, electric aircraft have taken to the skies to deliver post. The aim is to assess how electric aviation can support Royal Mail's operations whilst cutting emissions, supporting Royal Mail's Net Zero by 2040 strategy. In emerging fields like electric aviation - where aircraft performance may be highly interdependent across propulsion, battery integration, structural design, and charging systems - patent barriers may become especially effective. The interlocking nature of these technologies may mean that even small improvements or alternative designs could risk overlapping with existing protected concepts.
Electric aviation for remote regions: The practical future is already here
Amazon’s newly disclosed stake in BETA Technologies signals their confidence in conventional electric aircraft. By enabling quieter, zero‑emission operations into remote regions, BETA's ALIA will not only reduce environmental impact but also offer Amazon a practical, sustainable solution for reaching isolated communities more efficiently.
Out of the frying pan and into the fly-er
While approximately 70% of biodiesel in the UK is made from cooking oil, a recent report from the UK Government has claimed that 74% of Sustainable Aviation Fuels used in the UK are in the Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) category, which has an estimated greenhouse gas saving of around 83% compared to the carbon intensity of the fossil equivalent.
Canadian guidance on environmental claims
Ad Standards’ new guidance on environmental claims – what brand owners need to know
Ad Standards, Canada’s advertising self-regulatory organization, recently released its Guidance on Environmental Claims in Advertising on April 16, 2026, which provides guidance on how environmental or “green” claims may be assessed under the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards (the “Code”).
China's IP response to climate action
China’s IP Response in Environmental and Climate Action
The country is coordinating efforts to reduce carbon emissions, cut pollution, promote green growth and enhance development momentum, thereby strengthening the drivers of green development. In parallel, China’s intellectual property system is being adjusted accordingly.
Space technologies for food security
Used in space to grow food, hydroponics and aeroponics enable plants to receive water and nutrients while offering space-saving and improved water efficiency compared to traditional soil-based methods. These technologies are also used on earth in vertical farming, indoor smart gardens, desert farming and more.
Green growth, renewable energy and solar panels
Is there a GreeNa energy alternative on the horizon?
Sodium-ion batteries, NIBs for short, are fast emerging as a pivotal technology in the energy space, for electric vehicles, renewable energies, portable electronics etc. Compared to their well-established and widespread lithium-ion battery, LIBs for short, ‘friends’, they have clear advantages in terms of both sustainability and cost – helped by sodium being the sixth most abundant element on Earth and not confined to specific geographical areas. The challenge has been to create NIBs that have energy densities and charging speeds comparable to that of LIBs.
Levelling-up solar power
In recent years, solar power has become a key part of the transition to a green economy, and to decarbonising the energy that we each rely on every day. The rate of installation of solar power increases year-on-year, outstripping almost all predictions along the way, and the price per GW of solar power production has dropped precipitously.
Steady progress or a (Nyo)Bolt from the blue?
Spun out of the University of Cambridge in 2019, Nyobolt is focused on developing high-capacity, ultra-fast charging battery systems, and it has achieved unicorn status following its Series C funding round. Their work spans materials innovation - including niobium-tungsten oxide and graphite-dominant anodes - and battery management systems designed to optimise performance and extend battery lifespan. This combination enables applications that were previously been constrained by charging times and durability to be embraced, paving the way for the power systems of the future.
Satellites and the triumphs of modern weather forecasting and climate models
While checking the weather may be as easy as checking your phone, behind the scenes, forecasting is a triumph of numerical modelling, curated by experts and powered by supercomputers.
