ESG News from Leading Brands

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Surveying the Investment World through an ESG Lens: A Snapshot of Key Topics From the US

Jan 31, 2019 8:50 AM ET

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) topics have never been more prominent in investors’ minds than they are today. But there’s considerable variation among investment managers about how ESG is considered or integrated.

Education

Gap Inc. Joins Business Call to Action Through Commitment to Provide Life Skills and Technical Training to One Million Women and Adolescent Girls

Jan 31, 2019 8:30 AM ET

Global retailer Gap Inc. joins Business Call to Action (BCtA) with a commitment to improve the lives of one million women and adolescent girls through its life skills and technical training programme. Launched in 2007, Gap Inc.’s P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement) programme was initially created to support women working in the global apparel industry and has expanded training to new locations such as schools, universities, and other manufacturing communities.

Sustainable Development Goals

UN Global Compact Bulletin (January 2019)

Jan 31, 2019 8:25 AM ET

The UN Global Compact Bulletin is designed to keep participants up to date on news, actions you can take, resources and events. Participants are encouraged to look to this monthly communication for important information. Please note that actions and events are intended for Global Compact stakeholders, unless otherwise indicated. The Bulletin is published in English, French, Spanish and Chinese.

Health & Healthcare

Sandoz Certified Global Top Employer 2019

Jan 31, 2019 8:10 AM ET

Sandoz, a Novartis division, is honored to announce that it has been officially certified “Global Top Employer 2019” for its exceptional employee offerings globally. The certification is based on annual, international research undertaken by the Top Employers Institute that recognizes leading employers around the world and their excellence in employee environment.

Green Infrastructure

All-Electric Housing for Homeless Breaks Ground in San Bernardino

Jan 31, 2019 8:00 AM ET

Southern California Edison partners with nonprofit Mary’s Village as it tackles men’s homelessness in the community.

Sustainable Development Goals

Cerro Verde, a Freeport-McMoRan Company, Provides Free Healthcare to Peruvian Communities

Jan 31, 2019 7:35 AM ET

Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde developed a health campaign in partnership with the Regional Government of Yarabamba to provide healthcare for citizens in remote areas.

Energy

The Oilfield Digitalization Opportunity Executives Can’t Afford to Miss

Jan 30, 2019 4:50 PM ET

Science shows that 80 percent of methane emissions are caused by 20 percent of the leaks. Digitally-enabled leak management has the potential to immediately identify that 20 percent.

Social Impact & Volunteering

FCA Community: Plant Manager Hopes to Bring Vocational Training to Rural Kenya

Jan 30, 2019 2:15 PM ET

Kevin and Nancy Sell call themselves “empty nesters on a mission.” Through their non-profit Hearts of Hope International, their mission now is to equip residents of Kiambu County, Kenya, many of whom are HIV positive widows and orphans, with skills training by building a vocational school in partnership with the Dorcas Orphans and Widows Ministry.

Responsible Production & Consumption

How Mohawk Group Takes Design Cues from Nature

Jan 30, 2019 2:10 PM ET

The Lichen Collection became the first floor covering to achieve Living Product Challenge Petal Certification. Lichen can be found in every color of the rainbow and grows in nearly every ecosystem on earth, thriving on bark, leaves, soil and rock. You might even call it nature’s carpet. That idea inspired Jason McLennan, founder of the Living Product Challenge, who partnered with Mohawk Group to introduce the Lichen modular plank carpet system. The Living Product Challenge is a distinctive certification program by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) that promotes a philosophy which defines the most advanced measure of sustainability in product manufacturing today. The program requires that products go beyond minimizing footprints to creating positive “handprints” on resources.

Media & Communications

WEC Annual Report 2018 is now live!

Jan 30, 2019 2:00 PM ET

WEC is pleased to share the results of our efforts to raise expectations and standards for business excellence in environmental sustainability, catalyze thought leadership and implementation strategy for sustainability, prepare current and early career leaders to achieve a sustainable future and implement scalable public and private capacity building programs around the world.

Innovation & Technology

Machine Learning Tips From Booz Allen: Minimizing Pitfalls, Maximizing Performance

Jan 30, 2019 2:00 PM ET

Optimizing energy usage in power plants and data centers. Detecting fraud and other criminal activity in near-real time. Adding speed and accuracy to image scanning for health care diagnoses.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

In New Study, Companies Outline the “Why and How” to Develop and Deliver a Long-Term Plan to Investors

Jan 30, 2019 1:30 PM ET

The journey for a company to deliver a long-term plan to institutional investors just became clearer with the release of a new white paper by CECP’s Strategic Investor Initiative (SII). The paper, Method of Production of Long-Term Plans, offers a behind-the-scenes look at why the CEOs of some of the world’s largest companies delivered long-term plan presentations to investors, what inputs they considered in creating the presentations, and who was involved and how the internal teams aligned and prioritized data.

Environment

Water Efficiency and Cost Reduction Are Signs of Good Water Management

Jan 30, 2019 1:10 PM ET

In recent years, we have taken a closer look at the costs of using water in making pulp and paper. Thanks to a variety of process improvements, we are seeing greater water efficiency and lower costs. We are intentional about our water efficiency, and we return nearly 90 percent of it to its source. In many cases, the water we return is cleaner and clearer than it was originally.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

PayPal Named to Forbes Best Employers for Diversity 2019

Jan 30, 2019 12:10 PM ET

We are pleased to announce that PayPal was once again named on the Forbes list of the Best Employers for Diversity in 2019. We consistently strive to create a more diverse and inclusive workplace year by year, and are excited to see continued results.

Innovation & Technology

Embracing Innovation to Tackle Humanity’s Greatest Challenges

Jan 30, 2019 12:00 PM ET

As the global population increases in a climate-stressed world, we face mounting challenges. On the one hand, cities consume close to 65% of the world’s energy and generate more than 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions. But on the other, they drive economic growth and account for 80% of global GDP. They are home to over half of the world’s population. Over the next 25 years, the number of people living in cities will rise to 6 billion, adding 2 billion more residents to already crowded spaces.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Deloitte Podcast: Episode 4: Being Digital

Jan 30, 2019 11:20 AM ET

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Moody's Insights: Credit Cards and Lifetime Estimation - A Reasonable Approach

Jan 30, 2019 10:40 AM ET

Many institutions are struggling to apply the CECL standard as it pertains to credit cards, and in particular determining the lifetime value for credit card portfolios. In this paper, we explore the different approaches to evaluating lifetime estimates for the credit card portfolio.

Events, Media & Communications

Sights & Sounds of the World Economic Forum 2019

Jan 30, 2019 10:30 AM ET

CECP has browsed hours of video and content found on the World Economic Forum (WEF) homepage to give you the short-and-sweet best of the WEF 2019. Click to see our top picks.

Energy

Green Mountain Energy and The Hill Announce Sustainability Partnership

Jan 30, 2019 10:00 AM ET

Green Mountain Energy today announced it has entered into a sustainability partnership with The Hill, a unique, eco-friendly shopping and dining destination in the heart of Dallas. The organizations have teamed up to explore and implement sustainability upgrades for the property and power common areas of the development with 100 percent renewable energy. This agreement represents the first Sustainability Partnership between Green Mountain and a mixed-use project in Dallas.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Safeway and Albertsons Offer Discounts for Federal Workers

Jan 30, 2019 10:00 AM ET

"We are happy to be able to help the many families impacted financially during the shutdown," said Greg McNiff, President of Oregon and Southwest Washington Safeway and Albertsons.

Events, Media & Communications

100,000 More in the Next 3 Years: HP's Commitment to Supporting Entrepreneurs Across Africa

Jan 30, 2019 10:00 AM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

How Data Sharing Can Improve Frontline Talent Development

Jan 30, 2019 9:45 AM ET

Frontline workers, or the workers who interact directly with customers and provide services in industries like retail, healthcare, food service and hospitality help make up the backbone of today’s workforce. However, frontline workforce talent development presents numerous challenges. Today, Digital Promise, a nonprofit authorized by Congress to support comprehensive research and development of programs to advance innovation in education, launched “Tapping Data for Frontline Worker Development,” a new, interactive report that shares how the seamless and secure sharing of data is key to creating more effective learning and career pathways for frontline service workers.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Rainy Day Savings Strategies

Jan 30, 2019 9:25 AM ET

While it is important to financially plan for the future, preparing for the unexpected is also necessary. It is often something unforeseen that catches us off guard and strains our financial resources.

Events, Media & Communications

Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals to Host its 2019 Conference March 3-6 in Atlanta

Jan 30, 2019 9:00 AM ET

From March 3-6, Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP) will host The Corporate Citizenship Conference at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead. ACCP’s conference is the only conference exclusively for CSR professionals, and as such, boasts more than 250 attendees who are CSR leaders in their respective organizations.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Partnering for Purpose: A Q&A With General Mills Foundation

Jan 30, 2019 9:00 AM ET

Everyone has a role to play in ending global hunger, and increasingly, the private sector is stepping up to do its part. General Mills, in particular, has been a trailblazer in partnering with nonprofits such as World Food Programme (WFP) for social good, and is a critical supporter of WFP school meals initiatives around the world.