Nord Security's 2024 Impact Report shines a light on the company's carbon footprint
The company released 23,014 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) of greenhouse gas emissions in 2024. This is equivalent to around 0.3% of Coca-Cola's emissions for the year (7.4 MtCO2e) or 0.006% of the UK's total emissions (371 MtCO2e).
The report, now in its third year, also covered the company's charitable work and its social initiatives, both in its home country of Lithuania and beyond.
Nord Security has a range of successful security and privacy products, including the highly rated NordVPN, the NordPass password manager, the NordLocker encrypted storage service, and the NordLayer business VPN.
This is the second year that Nord has calculated greenhouse gas emissions. The report now also covers indirect emissions from across the company's value chain, with 97% of its emissions coming from beyond the company's direct control.
Nord Security claims around 50% of its colocated servers use renewable energy, and the company is reportedly exploring options to increase the use of renewables in its server infrastructure.
Looking ahead, the company aims to identify opportunities to reduce emissions and improve decision-making on energy procurement and efficiency measures. Nord Security is also working with its suppliers on collaborative efforts to reduce its impact across its supply chains.
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In addition to this, 73% of Nord's employees work in BREEAM-certified offices, which incorporate energy-saving measures, such as temperature control, time and motion-based lighting, time-adjusted ventilation modes, and recycling programmes.
Nord Security co-founder Eimantas Sabaliauskas said, 'In this year's Impact Report, we aim to show how we've helped individuals and businesses take back control of their digital lives... Combined with our community engagement and educational efforts, we are reaching nearly every aspect of our users' digital lives. Because for us, cybersecurity isn't about protecting a single area, it's about safeguarding users at every step of their digital journey.'
Nord also documented its charitable work in the report. In 2024, the company donated more than 2,600 accounts and 260 emergency VPNs to help vulnerable groups and individuals secure themselves, supporting human rights, freedom of speech, and inclusivity, as well as assisting organisations in Ukraine.
Alongside this, the company donated over €48,000 to NGOs helping volunteers in Ukraine, as well as raising money for nonprofits and NGOs supporting vulnerable children and the elderly in Lithuania. Previously, in 2023, the company donated €1.08m to help defend Ukraine's airspace.
In the same year, Nord Security launched the NordStellar threat exposure management platform, added cybersecurity features to its Saily eSIM, and introduced the NordProtect identity-theft prevention feature for NordVPN. Looking to the future, Nord Security states that it is committed to continuous improvement, transparency, and the highest standards of sustainability.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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The Hill
25 minutes ago
- The Hill
High costs after tariffs pose threat to Trump and GOP
The cost of living in America is projected to rise because of President Trump's latest round of tariffs and that's a political problem for the president and Republican lawmakers in Washington, who campaigned in 2024 on bringing down the cost of groceries and other staples, a message that resonated with strongly with voters. More than six months into Trump's second term, however, the costs of groceries, and other essential goods, such as cars, have continued to rise, corresponding with a drop in Trump's job approval rating and a souring public view of Trump's handling of the economy. The cost of even 'cheap' eats is become fodder for debate on social media, as people grumble about everything from the price of McDonald's hash browns to Coca-Cola. The price of eggs has come down in recent months, but a dozen are still, on average, 64 cents more expensive than a year ago, while the price of chicken, ground beef and orange juice were more expensive last month compared to a year ago. While inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index has stabilized at 2.7 percent, policymakers fear the prices of goods and services could spike up again, which is a big reason the Federal Reserve is hesitant to cut interest rates, a major point of tension between Fed Chair Jerome Powell and Trump. Trump's tariffs are expected to put upward pressure on costs. Experts project that higher fees on goods from Canada, the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and other major trading partners could cost the average family of four an additional $2,400 or more in annual expenses. A Republican strategist who requested anonymity said Republicans need to be careful that inflation and costs don't become an anchor on their candidates in next year's election. 'That's why Trump's beating that Fed rate cut like a dead horse,' the strategist quipped, referring to the immense pressure the president has put on the Fed to cut rates. The strategist explained that while spurring the economy by making money cheaper to borrow might increase inflation over the long term, it will give voters a sense that the economy and their income-earning ability is on the rise. Vin Weber, a Republican strategist and former member of the House GOP leadership, said while some voters might hope to see prices come down, he warned that is extremely difficult for any president to accomplish. 'I think that we've made a mistake as Republicans a little bit, in talking about bringing down costs. Bringing an end to inflation but actually reducing prices is a lot more difficult,' he said. 'We can do that with some things, like certain commodities like gasoline. But broadly speaking, to say we're going to bring down prices, it's very, very difficult and not necessarily desirable. In traditional economic terms, prices coming down is deflation and is usually identified with a recession,' he said. Republican strategists say the 'jury is still out' on what the economy will look like a year from now when the battle for control of Congress heats up, but they warn that Republicans' political fortunes will ride on how voters view their own ability to keep up in a world that gets more expensive every month. 'The two most important reasons why Donald Trump won the presidency in 2024 were to bring down inflation and juice the economy. The progress on those two efforts will go a long way toward determining the president's job approval and the fortunes of Republicans going forward,' said Whit Ayres, a leading Republican pollster. 'There's been a tremendous amount of attention paid to the [Jeffrey] Epstein case, but progress on inflation and economic growth will be far more important than the Epstein case to the vast majority of Americans,' he added. Ayres said that polls show voters increasingly view the economy as Trump's economy, a perception that took hold after Trump announced sweeping reciprocal tariffs on most countries on April 2, 'Liberation Day.' 'Polls show increasingly that the status of the economy is due to policies adopted during the Trump administration rather than those adopted in the Biden administration. That has been the case ever since Liberation Day on April 2 with the tariff announcement,' he said. A Gallup poll of 1,002 adults nationwide last month found that Trump's job approval rating has dipped to 37 percent and that his approval rating on the economy has dropped from 41 percent in March to 37 percent last month. A University of Massachusetts Amherst poll of 1,000 respondents conducted from July 25-30 also found Trump with a 38 percent job approval rating and a 58 percent disapproval rating. Respondents in that poll gave Trump a 37 percent approval rating on 'jobs' and a 31 percent approval rating on 'tariffs.' That has Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill feeling nervous about the latest round of tariffs Trump imposed on foreign trading partners last week. A new analysis by the Yale Budget Lab projects Trump's tariffs could increase prices by 1.8 percent in the short term and cost the average American household $2,400 a year. The nonpartisan research group calculates that consumers face an average effective tariff rate of 18.6 percent, the highest since 1933. This has some Republicans in Congress worried about a political backlash. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) late last month unveiled a proposal to send a $600 rebate check to every American — man, woman and child — to help offset higher costs from tariffs. His bill would allow for higher rebates if tariff revenues exceed projections. A family of four would receive $2,400 in economic assistance under his plan. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) warned colleagues in April that the enactment of the 1930 Smoot-Hawley act, which raised tariffs substantially, led to the defeat of the Republican authors of the legislation in the 1932 election, and lost Republicans control of Congress for decades. 'The economics of tariffs are bad, the politics, if anything, are worse,' he warned at the time. Congressional Democrats, who are struggling with their own dismal job approval ratings, see the high costs of daily living as an issue that can help them win back control of the Senate and House. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) traveled across upstate New York on Tuesday to highlight how the administration is raising costs and hurting the economy. Appearing at an event in Niagara Falls, he called Trump's 35 percent tariff rate on Canada 'destructive' and tariffs more generally as 'a dagger aimed at the heart of Upstate New York.' Democrats are hoping to flip several Republican-held seats in New York, and state lawmakers are discussing legislation to allow New York to redraw its congressional lines mid-decade. A group of Democratic senators from New England sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin on Thursday slamming him over rising energy prices after Trump signed into law the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, which drastically cut tax incentives for renewable energy. 'While energy demand surges, your policies are strangling America's cheapest and quickest-to-deploy sources of energy — solar and wind — by hiking costs, creating insurmountable permitting hurdles and injecting uncertainty into the market,' they wrote. The signatories included Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Angus King (Maine), an independent who caucuses with Democrats. Ron Bonjean, a GOP strategist and former Senate and House leadership aide, said 'voters vote with their wallets and that's why they voted Trump in.' But he questioned whether Democrats will have credibility on the issue of the economy and inflation after voters came away from Biden's four years in office with a strongly negative view of his handling of those issues. 'The Democrats are having a really difficult time seizing on a number of opportunities because they lack the organization and the message,' he said. 'They just seem so disorganized. 'We're 15 months out' from the election and 'while historically the Republicans would likely lose the House, it doesn't feel that way. It feels it could go in any direction,' he added. 'We'll see what the economy is looking like a few months before the election,' Bonjean said.
Miami Herald
19 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Iconic 108-year-old grocery store chain embroiled in high-stakes drama (again!)
Grocery store chains often boast fiercely loyal customers. In many communities, it's akin to Coca-Cola versus Pepsi, McDonald's versus Burger King, or the Red Sox versus the Yankees. Winning over loyal customers like that is often hard-won. The supermarket business operates on razor-thin margins, and many rivals compete head-to-head, frequently operating locations within minutes of one another. For example, customers downright rave in Florida about Publix (and its famous rotisserie chicken) to just about everyone who will listen. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter In New England, customers are so loyal to Market Basket that they boycotted stores in 2014 when the Board of Directors attempted to fire its long-time CEO, Arthur T. DeMoulas. Such support for a CEO is pretty rare today. Unfortunately, those efforts to reinstall Arthur T. in his role 11 years ago apparently haven't ended the drama, given Market Basket is facing yet another boardroom brawl. MediaNews Group/Boston Herald viaIn 2014, worker protests and customer boycotts forced the hands of Market Basket's board. This resulted in Arthur T. buying out his cousins, who were behind attempts to remove him because of his resistance to reducing staffing and modernizing the chain. The chain, founded in 1917 by Greek immigrants Athanasios and Efrosini Demoulas, is unique in that it remains family-owned over 100 years later. The company has come a long way from its humble beginnings in Lowell, Massachusetts, given revenue this year will reportedly exceed $7 billion. Related: 4 big changes Kroger has made in its grocery stores The company's growth has spawned a slate of public dust-ups between descendants of the original founding brothers, the most notable being the 2014 challenge to Arthur T's leadership. This time around, however, it's not a battle between cousins. In 2014, Arthur T. Demoulas's sisters supported him. This time, they're behind the attempted coup, which included placing Arthur T on paid suspension in May 2025 and firing key executives Joe Schmidt and Tom Gordon, seen as loyal to Demoulas, for insubordination in July. The board says these moves were necessary because Arthur T was resisting board oversight, and allegedly, attempting a work stoppage, while pushing for a succession plan with his children that appears to bypass board approval. Perhaps unsurprisingly, grocery stores employ many people, partly because they quickly turn over inventory on their shelves. Also unsurprisingly, workers often become a big reason behind customer loyalty, particularly in key departments such as customer-facing parts of the store, such as the bakery, deli, produce, or the front end. Many store workers are fiercely loyal to their employers because many have worked their entire careers for them, starting as baggers and climbing through the ranks to department heads, buyers, and store managers. Related: Popular supermarket chain liquidates favorite locations That's certainly true at Market Basket, where many workers within the 95-store chain helped organize the strike that saved Arthur T. DeMoulas' job as chief executive 11 years ago because they credited him for their success and, more broadly, the supermarket's family-oriented culture. The situation in 2014 was so unique in corporate America that it spawned multiple documentaries, including Food Fight: The Battle For Market Basket. This time around, some appear equally supportive. "What was once a culture grounded in mutual respect, integrity, and accountability has, in recent months, devolved into one defined by fear, hostility, and lack of direction," said Director of Advertising and Store Operations Supervisor Valerie Polito in a July 18 to the Board of Directors, according to CBS News. "This punitive atmosphere has created a chilling effect where many now fear speaking openly." Will Market Basket suffer strikes and a boycott again? There are whispers of employee unrest and boycotts reminiscent of 2014, but there's a chance that cooler heads may prevail this time around. Related: Major supermarket chain workers start strike across 4 cities The widespread strikes and boycotts in 2014 were very costly to Market Basket, with lost revenue and profit and potentially lost customers to rivals like Hannaford and Stop & Shop, major grocery chains that compete toe-to-toe with Market Basket in many places. According to BBC reporting, Market Basket lost $70 million per day at the peak of protests in 2014 before Arthur T bought out the stake in the company his supporters didn't control for $1.5 billion. The board, likely wanting to avoid a similar losses, has agreed to mediation with Arthur T Demoulas in September. Market Basket is one of the few large family-owned grocery stores out there. It's not as big as the family-owned powerhouses Wegmans or Meijer, but it's still a major player, so it's not surprising that the Demoulas' family is concerned about succession. More Retail Stocks: Troubled retailer files Chapter 11 bankruptcy, liquidates storesWayfair struggles to reverse concerning customer behaviorWalmart introduces mobile new store format for younger customers The risk, however, is that concessions in mediation or Arthur T's eventual ouster could jeopardize the very culture that has won it so many loyal shoppers. Unlike rivals Hannaford and Stop & Shop, Market Basket has resisted technology like self-checkout. It's common to find workers in white shifts and ties stocking and facing grocery shelves, ready to point customers in the right direction. It's also not rare to find every cash register open, with baggers at each station asking, "Paper or plastic?" -- something less and less common at competitors. Name tags proudly display the number of years of an employee's service, and it's not rare to find employees who have worked there for many years. Market Basket has also shunned costly renovations, preferring to maintain a nostalgic decor that harkens back many decades to simpler times, even for its new locations. Perhaps, because of this approach, the grocery store chain is widely considered to have some of the lowest prices in the region. Whether any of that changes remains to be seen, but for customers, the reasons behind their loyalty could be at stake, making the mediation in September key to whether or not workers go on strike or customers decide to boycott again to protect Arthur T's job. The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Forbes
19 hours ago
- Forbes
The Social Security COLA Could Shortchange You In 2026
When the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases inflation numbers for July on Tuesday morning, August 12, the news is expected to be bad and will affect the Social Security COLA. Economists say new tariffs will nudge inflation higher, and that jump will ripple straight into next year's Social Security cost-of-living adjustment. Rising inflation could mean Social Security checks in 2026 will have lower buying power for over 52 million of Americans. How the Social Security COLA is Computed The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) calculates official price indexes for urban consumers (CPI-U), which represents the spending habits of about 88 percent of the U.S. population, and an older one—wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W)—which represents about 29 percent of the U.S. population. The numbers are very closely related and hardly ever diverge. The government currently adjusts Social Security benefits with the CPI-W because it was the only one available when the Social Security COLA was first introduced in 1972. The government uses the CPI-W from the third quarter of the last year a COLA was determined to the third quarter of the current year – July–September. If there is no increase, there can be no COLA. If there is deflation, thankfully, Social Security does not reduce benefits. Controversy About What Index Is Right For Social Security COLA There has been a huge controversy about how the CPI is used and whether it is an appropriate index for seniors. The index used for the Social Security COLA, based on the CPI-W, may not be the typical basket of goods and services that Social Security recipients buy. It may not fully account for rising healthcare costs and shelter costs, which disproportionately affect older adults. Because of these complaints, the BLS considered the reasonable argument from advocates that the expenditure weights—the basket of goods—for urban (CPI-U) or CPI-W were not appropriate for the 62-years-and-over population. Another index with no official use—the CPI-E (Experimental Price Index for the Elderly)—weights medical and housing spending more heavily was calculated to see if it were really different from the official index used for the Social Security COLA. If the experimental index had more money budgeted for its construction, it would drill down on the different spending patterns of the elderly and adjust for the cost of retail goods the elderly would typically buy. For instance, an enhanced (and more expensive) experimental index would reflect the cost of buying one tube of toothpaste at the neighborhood CVS for $2.95 rather than ten tubes at Costco for $1 each. However, the index would have to consider that seniors can get discounts that cushion price increases. Clearly, the argument for a new official index just for Social Security was not compelling enough to justify the cost. I can see why. The expectation was that the CPI-E would be much higher than the official indices so that the Social Security index should be based on it. And, in fact, from Dec. 1982 to Dec. 2011, the CPI-E did run higher (3.1% vs. 2.9%) because medical care --which the elderly spend more on -- and shelter costs rose faster than overall inflation, and these categories carry more weight in the CPI-E. However, from 2012 to Dec. 2024, the annual difference between CPI-E and CPI-U fluctuated between positive and negative values. Some years, like 2016, 2019, and especially 2021, saw CPI-E rise faster; other years, such as 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2023, saw the opposite. This inconsistent pattern shows seniors' cost of living is not persistently higher than that faced by the broader urban population or urban wage and clerical workers. Social Security COLA Lag—A Defect Particularly Bad For 2026 But there are other problems with the COLA and arguably more serious than the market basket used. With an annual adjustment, Social Security check increases will always lag price changes recipients actually experience. Here is how that works. The COLA increase is based on last year's inflation, not ongoing inflation. So, if the inflation rate – basically, a person's cost of living -- increases faster than the previous year, the increase Social Security recipients get won't be enough to cover the inflation they are facing at any one point in time. And this lag -problem is worse when the last year's inflation was lower than the current year. And since inflation in 2026 will likely be higher than 2025, Social Security recipients will lose buying power all year long and won't get relief until January 1, 2027. Bottom line: Lagging adjustments do not keep pace with actual inflation experienced by recipients, leading to a decrease in purchasing power over time. Fixes For Properly Adjusting Social Security COLA The real fix to Social Security benefits is to raise the Social Security benefit across the board—say a flat $200. It would be a progressive increase because it would mean more to low-income people than high-income people. It would also be easy to pass politically and fair since everyone gets it. The U.S. has the highest senior poverty rate in the G-12—22.8%, compared to France's 5%. That's not a statistic; it's a moral failure . (Japan has the second highest senior poverty rate at 20%, Most nations' rates are below that of Spain's 13.3.) I can't forget about a woman I read about (found by reporter Nicole Neuman of Utah's ABC News) who noted her income was low when she was working and really low now that she is retired. 'My amount is about $1,500 a month,' said Maria Garcia, 64 years old. 'When I was working, I was making $2,800 a month. I'm sure there are thousands, if not millions, of seniors in this nation like me who can't afford their medication and either get their medication and eat cat food, or skip their medication.' When asked particularly about the cat food she said, 'Some say, 'Well, it's starting to taste more like tuna.' Or, they add something to it to make it have a little more flavor,' she said. 'They already have a cat at home, so they can buy a case. They have a can for each meal. Whether or not they have something to go with it isn't important to them because they figure they're getting the nutrition they need from the cat food.' Policy Fixes for Social Security COLA
