ESG News from Leading Brands

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Verizon Closes on U.S. Telecom Industry’s First Green Bond to Fund Environmental Initiatives

Feb 28, 2019 9:00 AM ET

The eligible categories for the use of the net proceeds – renewable energy, energy efficiency, green buildings, sustainable water management, and biodiversity and conservation – are designed to positively impact the environment and advance U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Wells Fargo Invests $18.5 Million in Grants to Ease Small BusinessStress and Expand Access to Capital

Feb 28, 2019 9:00 AM ET

Wells Fargo announced $18.5 million in grants today to nine Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) so they can unlock capital or increase training to diverse small businesses across the U.S. Two CDFIs are receiving awards to continue their work supporting entrepreneurs in Puerto Rico, which is still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

Environment

Hydrofinity Has The Only Washing Machine In The World With Environmentally Preferred Status

Feb 28, 2019 9:00 AM ET

Hydrofinity washing system is the first commercial washing machine in the world to be awarded Environmentally Preferable Product Certification. Global body @SCSGlobalServices rigorously assessed their machine alongside a conventional commercial washing machine and found it has a better environmental performance.

Health & Healthcare

Robot Duck Brings Comfort to Kids Battling Cancer

Feb 28, 2019 9:00 AM ET

The company has invested 3 million dollars into the program, distributing more than 2,500 ducks free of charge nationwide to children diagnosed with cancer.

Events, Media & Communications

Missouri's Lyn Woolford Named America's Favorite Crossing Guard

Feb 28, 2019 9:00 AM ET

After a nationwide contest to recognize and honor local crossing guard heroes, and with nearly 90,000 votes by appreciative supporters, Safe Kids Worldwide and FedEx revealed the winner of the America’s Favorite Crossing Guard contest: Chief Lyn Woolford of Ashland, MO.

Innovation & Technology

CNH Industrial - Natural Gas. For a cleaner world. And for a brighter future.

Feb 28, 2019 8:45 AM ET

At CNH Industrial sustainability is one of our core principles, and our longstanding commitment to natural gas powertrain technology is testament to this. We develop IVECO vehicles and FPT powertrains that use environmentally friendly fuels to radically reduce emissions and maintain the same performance as conventional engines.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

How Exxon Taught Me That Shareholders Can Change the World

Feb 28, 2019 8:15 AM ET

I rose to the podium, looked at Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson, and asked “Why does Exxon fund climate-denying organizations [like ALEC], when you publicly support a carbon tax?” Tillerson deflected the question saying “we would never impinge on ALEC’s free speech.” Two years later, Exxon ceased funding them.

Responsible Production & Consumption

ANN SACKS® Collaborates With Kohler Wastelab on the Crackle Collection

Feb 28, 2019 8:05 AM ET

ANN SACKS has partnered with parent company, Kohler Co., to create The Crackle Collection by Kohler WasteLAB, an innovative tile series that employs Kohler’s unfired pottery cull as its medium, transforming the waste into a responsive tile body.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Fueling Full Lives in North Minneapolis

Feb 28, 2019 8:00 AM ET

Fresh fruits and vegetables aren’t abundant at everyone’s table: In many parts of the country, there are wide disparities when it comes to accessing nutritious food.

In the greater Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul), this is a challenge in North Minneapolis, a diverse, urban community.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Our Pledge to Educate 100,000 More Entrepreneurs across Africa

Feb 28, 2019 8:00 AM ET

HP LIFE is an important component of HP’s global $20 million investment in achieving better learning outcomes for more than 100 million people by 2025.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Ebay, Akron-Area Merchants Tout Success of Pilot Retail Revival Program

Feb 28, 2019 8:00 AM ET

We Care Tees was among 100 small businesses in Akron and Warren selected to take part in eBay Inc.’s first Retail Revival one-year program.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Benevity Announces 2019 Goodies Award Winners

Feb 28, 2019 7:45 AM ET

Meet the winners of The 2019 Corporate Goodness Awards! “The Goodies” were presented last night at Benevity's Annual Goodness Matters client conference to recognize progressive companies who are leading the social impact space with innovative, inclusive approaches to community investment and employee engagement in giving, volunteering, activism and positive actions.

Energy

Partnerships in Powerful Alignment at Musselwhite

Feb 28, 2019 6:45 AM ET

Between 2012 and 2015, Goldcorp’s Musselwhite mine partnered with surrounding First Nations communities and provided early funding to create a joint-venture called Wataynikaneyap (Watay) Power, to bring electrical grid connection into the northwest region of Ontario, Canada, and potentially provide power to Musselwhite.

Social Impact & Volunteering

CityLink & Fidelity Investments Partner to Propel Cincinnati Workers into Living Wage Jobs

Feb 28, 2019 6:00 AM ET

Common Impact launched an exciting project between Fidelity Investments and CityLink Center – one that would support the nonprofit in providing additional hard-skills training programs that would propel its clients into living wage jobs.

Environment

SC Johnson, Plastic Bank Take Action to Solve Ocean Plastic Pollution at GreenBiz 2019

Feb 27, 2019 7:30 PM ET

To continue building the momentum to address the crisis of plastic in our world’s oceans, business leaders, governments and civil society must work together to help solve this problem. That was the message delivered by SC Johnson Chairman and CEO Fisk Johnson during a panel discussion Wednesday at GreenBiz 2019 in Phoenix.

Education

Climbing a Ladder of Success to a Biotech Research Career

Feb 27, 2019 2:35 PM ET

For Saira Sakalaš, learning she was selected as an Amgen Scholar last year was the beginning of a new chapter in her life. She says she will never forget the moment she got an email from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden offering her the fellowship.

Events, Media & Communications

Bacardi Limited Partners with S.H.E. Globl to Bring First S.H.E. SUMMIT to Europe

Feb 27, 2019 2:20 PM ET

On 4th March in the lead up to International Women’s Day, Bacardi Limited and S.H.E. SUMMIT, the flagship event of S.H.E. Globl, will host its first-ever European event in London, bringing together men and women, from across society, culture and business, to encourage them to take actions that plant seeds of change for a more diverse and inclusive community and workforce.

The one-day event entitled Spirit Forward, is anchored in the theme: You Don’t Need to be in Charge to Lead, centering on the belief that the first step in being a change-maker is to acknowledge that you already are.

Environment

Home Is Where The Heart Is: Tiny Houses and Homelessness

Feb 27, 2019 1:10 PM ET

Shelter is on the first rung of renowned psychologist Abraham Maslow‘s hierarchy of needs. And yet, as a society, we have not cracked the code for how to house people in a way that is equitable and sustainable. While millions consume cubic acres of carbon heating and cooling their McMansions, others combat housing insecurity on a daily basis.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Agile Social Impact: The New Imperative for Corporate Philanthropy

Feb 27, 2019 1:00 PM ET

Social Impact & Volunteering

Between Starving Children and Thriving Children, There’s Rajeev.

Feb 27, 2019 12:50 PM ET

Rajeev has been involved in volunteering for more than 30 years, founding two nonprofit organizations — his first one when he was only 16 years old — that help relieve hunger for children in slums and people living on the streets in India. When historic floods ravaged his native Kerala last year, he rescued stranded victims, then organized hundreds of people to provide relief. Rajeev is a shining example of someone who truly knows what it means to Be the Bridge. We asked him about his time at Cisco and what volunteering means to him.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Keep America Beautiful’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program Opens 2019 Grant Application Period

Feb 27, 2019 12:45 PM ET

Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s largest community improvement nonprofit organization, today announced the opening of the grant application period for the 2019 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP), designed to help communities combat the most commonly littered item in America.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Get Inspired With These 15 Employee Volunteer Programs

Feb 27, 2019 12:00 PM ET

With CSR practices growing in popularity, businesses are finding innovative methods to make their programs stand out from the crowd and maximize impact. If you're looking to revamp your employee volunteer program in 2019, get inspired with these 15 exceptional examples.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

How to Eliminate Credit Card Debt

Feb 27, 2019 10:45 AM ET

It is easy to reach for your credit card for daily necessities when cash is scarce. However, good credit card management tells us to think twice before making that decision. According to WalletHub, the average U.S. household has $8,284 in credit card debt. One of the best ways to improve your credit score is to start reducing your credit card debt.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

CBRE Group, Inc. Named One Of The 2019 World's Most Ethical Companies For Sixth Consecutive Year

Feb 27, 2019 10:40 AM ET

CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBRE) has been recognized as one of the 2019 World’s Most Ethical Companies® by the Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices. This is the sixth year in a row CBRE has achieved this recognition.

Education

Consumers Energy Welcomes Students to STEM and Robotics Expo

Feb 27, 2019 10:30 AM ET

On Friday, about 180 Jackson County middle and high school students from 11 schools will showcase their work during Consumers Energy’s annual STEM and robotics expo. Students are part of teams that spend the year developing robotics projects for competitions that build their STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills that can lead to high-tech careers.