ESG News from Leading Brands

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Join the GRI Global Sustainability Standards Board: Help Shape the Future of Sustainability Reporting

Oct 12, 2018 10:05 AM ET

The world's leading standard-setter for sustainability reporting has an exceptional opening for a high-level governance position. Read more about applying for the GRI Global Sustainability Standards Board to help empower decisions that create social, environmental and economic benefits for everyone.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

South Oakland Shelter Recognizes Epsilon with 2018 Annual Impact Award for Outstanding Corporate Partner

Oct 12, 2018 9:50 AM ET

South Oakland Shelter (SOS) has been helping end homelessness in Michigan’s Oakland Country for individuals and families in crisis for over 30 years.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Educating a Generation of Syrian Children

Oct 12, 2018 9:45 AM ET

Every day begins the same for Marah, a 12-year-old girl living in Beirut. “At 8 o'clock, I have my breakfast. I spend some time with my family, while they are having their coffee. Then I prepare myself for school and I prepare my bag,” she says.

It’s a daily schedule typical by school children the world over, and yet to Marah it feels more like a privilege.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

VIDEO | Subaru Loves Pets

Oct 12, 2018 9:35 AM ET

As part of our Subaru Loves Pets initiative, this October, Subaru and our retailers are partnering with local animal organizations to help our furry friends and improve their chances at finding a safe and loving home.

Sustainable Development Goals

General Mills Works to Decouple Emissions from Business Growth

Oct 12, 2018 9:25 AM ET

Global food company General Mills cut greenhouse gas emissions by 11 percent across its entire value chain from 2010 to 2017 while net sales rose 6 percent.

Environment

EDF+Business Webinar: Quantifying Scope 3 Emissions & Engaging Suppliers in Energy Reduction, October 18th at 1pm EDT

Oct 12, 2018 8:05 AM ET

Establishing an accurate baseline and quantifying scope 3 emissions is a critical step in meeting both supply chain energy reduction goals and partner goals. But it can be challenging to translate that internal goal into supplier action.

Theresa Eberhardt of EDF+Business will discuss how to transition from the goal-setting phase to the implementation phase, guiding you through various tools and resources available. An EDF Climate Corps host will also be on hand to talk about their recent project this past summer on how they've approached quantifying their scope 3 emissions and where they are now.

Attend this webinar if you’re interested in: scope 3 emissions, engaging suppliers, energy reduction strategies

Health & Healthcare

Peñasquito Inaugurates the Most Modern Rural Medical Unit in Mexico

Oct 12, 2018 7:15 AM ET

With the donation of one hectare of communal land by the community, Goldcorp’s Peñasquito mine recently constructed and opened the Rural Medical Centre, which will benefit more than 2,300 members of the community of Cedros and Mazapil, in the state of Zacatecas, one of the largest municipalities in Mexico.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Best. Year. Ever: Albertsons Companies Customers Set New Record in 5th Annual Hunger Is Campaign

Oct 11, 2018 6:45 PM ET

Albertsons Companies and Albertsons Companies Foundation announced today that, through the generous donations of customers, the Hunger Is fundraiser to fight childhood hunger in America raised a record $7.2 million in just 30 days.

Environment

Meat Industry Grilled by Investors to Address Water and Climate Risks

Oct 11, 2018 5:00 PM ET

As the water pollution-climate change connections accelerate, some in the investment community have begun asking “Big Meat” to identify how these impacts translate into bottom line regulatory, reputational and market risks.

Diversity & Inclusion

12 Tales of Empowerment to Celebrate International Day of the Girl

Oct 11, 2018 4:30 PM ET

Responsible Production & Consumption

Video: Fair Trade USA Celebrates 20 Years of Impact

Oct 11, 2018 4:20 PM ET

Twenty years ago, Fair Trade USA’s Founder and CEO Paul Rice brought an idea from his field work in Nicaragua to a one-room office in Oakland, California. What started with coffee and conviction – and not much else – is now the leading market-based model of sustainable production, trade and consumption.

Energy

UPS/Greenbiz Study Identifies Motivators and Barriers to Electric Fleets

Oct 11, 2018 4:15 PM ET

Attaining environmental benefits and lower cost of ownership are driving more commercial fleets to electrify, according to a UPS (NYSE: UPS) and GreenBiz study released today. In the “Curve Ahead: The Future of Fleet Electrification” report, industry leaders identify the main motivations and barriers to electrification, as well as strategies to move the commercial electric vehicle market from niche to mainstream.

Diversity & Inclusion

An Advocate for Accessibility

Oct 11, 2018 4:00 PM ET

It’s easy to take for granted how significantly computers, tablets, and mobile devices have changed our jobs and lives — offering nearly instant access to an endless array of tools and information whenever and wherever we need it. For the 253 million people around the world with visual impairments — of whom 36 million are blind — all that information is sitting there at their fingertips, but without the proper accessibility tools, it might as well be a million miles away. Fortunately, there are people like Jeremiah Rogers who advocate for improving and enhancing online accessibility for the blind and visually impaired community.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Costa Cruises Supports the "Pink Is Good" Project on Board Its Ships

Oct 11, 2018 4:00 PM ET

Marking breast cancer prevention month, for the third year running, Costa Cruises will be supporting the Umberto Veronesi Foundation and its Pink is Good project, which aims to definitively defeat breast, uterus and ovarian cancer, promoting prevention and providing annual funding to doctors and researchers who have decided to dedicate their lives to studying and treating these diseases.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Bloomberg European Headquarters Named UK’s Best New Building

Oct 11, 2018 3:35 PM ET

Bloomberg’s new European headquarters has been named the UK’s best new building the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) after an expert jury reached a “unanimous” decision. The prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize was awarded at a televised ceremony in London where the judges called the building a “once-in-a-generation project” that has “not just raised the bar for office design and city planning but smashed the ceiling.”

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

General Motors Recognized for Exceptional Freight Performance

Oct 11, 2018 3:20 PM ET

General Motors North America was recently awarded the 2018 SmartWay Excellence Award, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) highest honor for leadership in freight performance. The award recognizes the top two percent of SmartWay Partners with superior environmental performance. This year, GM is the only original equipment manufacturer (OEM) represented on the list.

Sustainable Development Goals

Essity and the United Nations Foundation Lead Dialogue on UN’s Sustainable Development Goals

Oct 11, 2018 2:50 PM ET

Today, the hygiene and health company Essity will open the annual meeting of the United Nations Foundation’s dialogue on the UN’s sustainable development goals. The meeting will be held at the UN headquarters in New York and bring together the business community, governments, authorities, civil society and NGOs to exchange experiences and perspectives on how to achieve the global sustainable development goals.

Events, Media & Communications

Common Impact Connections: A Quarterly Newsletter

Oct 11, 2018 2:00 PM ET

Happy Fall! Common Impact is excited to head into the last few months of 2018 (can you believe it?) with new initiatives under our belt and a wealth of inspiration. Over the past eight months, we have had the opportunity to define and launch new models for scaled impact, interview everyday leaders from all backgrounds to understand how they create a meaningful impact in their communities, build our internal capacity by hiring new rock star team members and create new partnerships that enable inclusive and sustainable social progress.

Education

HP, the Clooney Foundation for Justice, UNICEF and Google.org Shine Spotlight on Education

Oct 11, 2018 1:35 PM ET

On the International Day of the Girl, HP Inc. launched a powerful new film titled A Generation Found. The film, narrated by George Clooney, tells the story of two young Syrian girls living in refugee settlements in Lebanon who regain access to quality education following years of uncertainty. It is the result of a unique partnership between HP, the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ), UNICEF and Google.org focused on improving educational opportunities and learning outcomes for underserved communities.

Social Impact & Volunteering

VIDEO | Barclays Citizenship Awards: Sabrina Boanu-Williams Works with the Thameside Prison Initiative

Oct 11, 2018 1:05 PM ET

Through her work with the Thameside Prison Initiative, Sabrina is successfully helping prisoners gain the skills they need to find meaningful employment after release.

Health & Healthcare

New Nonprofit Tool: Pro Bono + The Food Value Chain

Oct 11, 2018 12:30 PM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Marina Bay Sands Introduces Learning Leave

Oct 11, 2018 12:10 PM ET

Marina Bay Sands has implemented an innovative two-day Learning Leave incentive for its over 9,700 Team Members to enroll in SkillsFuture courses. Believed to be the first such initiative in the hospitality industry, the two-day program allows all full-time staff to take paid leave to attend courses related to language and communication, service excellence and information technology.

Energy

Pollinate Energy Bringing Affordable Light, Energy and Clean Water to Low Income Areas in India and Nepal

Oct 11, 2018 11:50 AM ET

Pollinate Energy is improving the lives of India’s urban and Nepal’s rural poor by giving them access to sustainable everyday household products and empowering local entrepreneurs.

Education

Sustainability Academy Readying Practitioners for Climate Change

Oct 11, 2018 11:45 AM ET

The Sustainability Academy is CSE’s global initiative to offer affordable, specialized, online education in the field of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility.

Of particular relevance today is the Certificate on Carbon Reduction Strategy. The IPCC’s latest report finds that if greenhouse gas emissions increase by 1.5C by 2040 (down from the previous fear of 2C), the world can expect inundating coastlines and intensifying droughts and poverty.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Celebrating 10 Years of Comcast NBCUniversal’s Beyond School Walls

Oct 11, 2018 11:30 AM ET

In 2008, eight-year-old Alize Delgado had spent almost no time outside of his North Philadelphia neighborhood. That changed as he stepped off his yellow school bus and into the Comcast Center as a member of the first “class” of students matched to Comcast employee mentors through the John Alchin Big Brothers Big Sisters Beyond School Walls program.