ESG News from Leading Brands

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Wells Fargo Launches Recovery and Rebuilding Effort in Paradise, California, and Surrounding Towns

Jan 25, 2019 1:30 PM ET

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) today announced that the company will provide an additional $3.25 million in financial resources to residents, small businesses and nonprofit organizations in Butte County, California, to address critical housing and economic challenges that remain after devastating wildfires spread across the county last year.

Innovation & Technology

Federal Agencies and DevSecOps: Booz Allen’s Guidance for Moving Forward

Jan 25, 2019 1:30 PM ET

By bringing together traditionally separated teams and automating tasks like code deployment, DevOps makes it quicker and easier for organizations to update applications and software. DevSecOps brings security tools and processes into the mix, increasing the speed and efficiency by which organizations discover and correct system flaws.

DevSecOps is essential for federal agencies that handle classified data and comply with stringent security and data privacy requirements. Yet many agencies hold certain misperceptions about it: it’s purely about technology or speed, it’s a replacement for Agile, and it requires a massive investment in “super developers” or relinquishment of control—all of which stand in the way of DevSecOps adoption and realization of its full value.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Consumers Energy Offers Assistance for Federal Employees in Michigan Impacted by Government Shutdown

Jan 25, 2019 1:00 PM ET

Consumers Energy is committed to helping Michigan residents stay safe and warm this winter which includes assisting federal government employees in Michigan who are affected by the ongoing shutdown. The company is encouraging customers who face hardship due to this ongoing shutdown to contact Consumers Energy immediately for assistance – which may include flexible payment arrangements or extensions that provide more time to pay a bill.

Education

The American Heart Association and the National Football League Work With Discovery Education to Take Students on a Virtual Field Trip Inspired by Super Bowl LIII

Jan 25, 2019 12:30 PM ET

Getting 60 minutes of physical activity a day through moderate-to-vigorous and bone strengthening exercise is what is recommended for school-aged kids according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

The Best 2018 Sustainability Articles From UPS Longitudes

Jan 25, 2019 12:20 PM ET

Diversification was the sustainability story of 2018 according to the UPS thought leadership blog Longitudes. Catch up with the top five sustainability articles from last year to see why we’re so excited by progress in the sustainability movement – and the innovations yet to come.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Whirlpool Corporation Named a Best Employer for Diversity in 2019

Jan 25, 2019 12:15 PM ET

Whirlpool Corporation has been named a Best Employer for Diversity 2019 by Forbes. The list recognizes companies that embrace diversity and inclusion and the valuable role it plays in attracting talented employees and building strong business.

Environment

High Value Found in Small Changes

Jan 25, 2019 12:00 PM ET

Small changes can add up to big savings and Bristol-Myers Squibb knows that very well. Since 2015, the company has identified hundreds of opportunities to reduce emissions and energy and water consumption, equating to more than $11 million in cost savings.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Nine Signs You Need to Refresh Your Social Impact Approach

Jan 25, 2019 11:30 AM ET

Few companies of any size would let marketing or operations coast for a year or two without strategic review. A lack of regular planning is an equally big risk when it comes to social impact initiatives. And, considering brands with a high sense of purpose have experienced a brand valuation of 175% over the past 12 years, failure to keep up could put you at a significant disadvantage.

Whether you’re a leader in fast-growing company, a corporation, or nonprofit, here are telltale signs you should refresh your social impact initiative.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Xylem Supported Safe Water Project Earns Top Ranking in Manchester City’s Annual Cityzens Giving Campaign with More Than 450,000 Votes

Jan 25, 2019 11:00 AM ET

Xylem announced that the Safe Water project it is supporting in Bangalore garnered more than 450,000 votes from players, partners and football fans around the world – earning top ranking in Cityzens Giving’s fifth annual campaign. Cityzens Giving is the global community initiative of Premier League champion football team and Xylem partner, Manchester City. This year’s campaign distributed £400,000 donated by City Football Group, parent of Manchester City, and its partners to six urban football projects run by young people, for young people. Fans around the world voted for how the funding should be divided between the six projects. Bangalore’s Safe Water Project, Water Goals, which focuses on improving access to safe, clean water for over 5,000 children in the area, was the most popular.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Put Off Procrastination: CSR Is Good For Employees And The Business

Jan 25, 2019 10:35 AM ET

A recent Aflac study found that 69 percent of employees believe it is extremely or very important for U.S. companies to act socially responsible. So, a strong CSR effort helps companies increase employee happiness and retain top talent. Clearly, HR managers already recognize the need and want for CSR, because in that same survey, 80 percent of workers in HR roles said that CSR is extremely or very important.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

CIT Bank Renews Partnership with a New Grant for First-Time Homebuyer Assistance

Jan 25, 2019 10:35 AM ET

CIT Bank, N.A., the banking subsidiary of CIT Group Inc., today announced it has awarded a $400,000 grant to the Los Angeles Housing + Community Investment Department (HCIDLA) to help lower-income Angelinos achieve the American Dream.

Environment

P&G Joins TerraCycle’s Loop – an Environmentally Friendly and Convenient E-Shopping Platform – With 11 Household Brands

Jan 25, 2019 10:05 AM ET

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) today announced the introduction of reusable, refillable packaging on some of its most popular products as part of a new effort that aims to change the world’s reliance on single use packaging and disposable waste. Additionally, new “collect and recycle” circular solutions that help eliminate waste were also introduced as part of a partnership with LoopTM, a circular e-commerce platform developed by international recycling leader TerraCycle. Many of P&G’s largest global brands, including PanteneTM, TideTM, CascadeTM and Oral-BTM will participate in this innovative platform later this year.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Celebrating Family and Helping Others to Create Theirs

Jan 25, 2019 10:00 AM ET

Congratulations to the Martin Family who is celebrating nine years of being a forever family! Did you know that you can adopt a child of any age from foster care? The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption focuses on finding forever families for the children who have been in foster care the longest. This includes teenagers, sibling groups and children with special needs.

Energy

Cadillac Shows Brand’s First Fully Electric EV

Jan 25, 2019 9:30 AM ET

Cadillac has revealed the brand’s first EV, the first model derived from GM’s future EV platform. Cadillac will be at the vanguard of the company’s move toward an all-electric future.

Environment

Subaru of America Continues Sponsorship of the Philadelphia Flower Show for the 18th Consecutive Year

Jan 25, 2019 9:25 AM ET

Today, Subaru of America, Inc. has announced that, for the 18th year in a row, it will serve as the premier sponsor of the Philadelphia Flower Show. This annual show is produced by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) and will run from March 2nd to the 10th. The nation's largest and longest-running horticultural event will return to Philadelphia with this year’s theme honoring "Flower Power." The theme pays tribute to the enormous impact of flowers on people’s lives, as well as celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock music festival and the era of "Flower Power."

Diversity & Inclusion

Data, Technology, and Women’s Economic Empowerment

Jan 25, 2019 9:15 AM ET

Our economic empowerment programs connect underserved people to skills, meaningful employment, financial products and services, and opportunities they need to thrive and develop careers.

With the strategic support of Cisco, partners like Living Goods and Opportunity International make it possible for people to break the cycle of poverty for themselves and for their communities through new uses of data and technology. But those solutions — more common than ever in today’s digital economy — aren’t always equitably accessible to one of our largest populations — women.

Events, Media & Communications

GRI’s Governance Bodies Welcome New Members in January 2019

Jan 25, 2019 9:15 AM ET

After a busy yet productive nomination process, the Global Reporting Initiative has announced the newest members to its different governance bodies. Together with the current members, they will help safeguard due process throughout the organization, and strengthen the multi-stakeholder approach that characterizes GRI through their expertise and experience.

Green Infrastructure

INFOGRAPHIC: 42 Years of Tree City USA

Jan 25, 2019 8:00 AM ET

With the support of our members and partners, the Tree City USA program has strengthened and sustained urban forests across the country. From the Gulf of Alaska to the Gulf Coast, more than 153 million Americans are living in Tree City USA towns and cities that pay particular attention to tree planting, management, and care.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Aligning Business Need & Community Impact | LBG Canada Company Spotlight

Jan 24, 2019 5:45 PM ET

As we begin 2019, LBG Canada spotlights the Cenovus Decision Making Criteria. A tool created to assist a geographically dispersed community investment team with decision-making consistency by clearly outlining and identifying characteristics of a community investment opportunity to ensure both community and business impact.

Health & Healthcare

The Rise of Science-Backed Subjective Well-Being

Jan 24, 2019 5:20 PM ET

Designers have long understood the inextricable relationship between buildings and the people inside of them, but the direct link to human health and well-being has only recently come to the fore. Not only does the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) provide a framework to design spaces for maximizing long, healthy lives, but it also creates an environment that emphasizes Subjective Well-being (SWB). This concept aims to improve people’s perceived quality of experience – their personal feelings – about themselves and how they relate to others. After all, it is quality and quantity of life that matters, right?

Social Impact & Volunteering

Comcast Cares Day is Just 100 Days Away

Jan 24, 2019 4:30 PM ET

Comcast NBCUniversal is committed to investing in causes for the long term, to make a lasting, tangible impact.

All year round we work with organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs, Big Brothers Big Sisters, City Year, the National Urban League, UnidosUS, Easterseals and The Arc to ensure we are addressing the real needs of individuals in our shared communities.

Comcast Cares Day is our company’s celebration of that commitment to giving back each and every day of the year. Since 2001, more than one million volunteers have rolled up their sleeves to revitalize neighborhoods and parks, assemble care packages for families in need, host coding workshops and more, all as part of Comcast Cares Day.

Education

Partners in Education of Toledo Receives $25,000 FCA Foundation Grant to Support Youth Literacy

Jan 24, 2019 3:00 PM ET

Recently, Partners in Education was awarded a $25,000 grant from the FCA Foundation, the charitable arm of North American automaker FCA US LLC. The grant will support youth literacy via the Mentors in Toledo Schools program.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Whole Planet Foundation Gives "Field Officer Award: Africa and the Middle East"

Jan 24, 2019 2:15 PM ET

To kick off 2019, The Whole Planet Foundation team would like to thank our network of microfinance institutions, the implementing partners who administer the microloans Whole Planet Foundation funds.

Health & Healthcare

New Year, New Healthy Habits: 4 Science-Backed Ways to Help Beat Stress in 2019

Jan 24, 2019 1:45 PM ET

Responsible Production & Consumption

Nestlé Joins TerraCycle as Founding Partner of Loop, Debuts Reusable Ice Cream Packaging

Jan 24, 2019 1:35 PM ET

Nestlé’s Häagen-Dazs brand today announced a new service in partnership with global recycling organization TerraCycle, that will provide a first-of-its-kind home delivery service to consumers called Loop. Loop will enable consumers to responsibly enjoy Häagen-Dazs and other household favorite foods and personal care products in customized, durable packaging that are collected, cleaned, refilled and re-used—all from the consumer’s front door step.