ESG News from Leading Brands

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Forbes and JUST Capital Rank IBM No. 5 in America's Top Corporate Citizens

Dec 14, 2017 9:00 AM ET

"No one sector – whether government, business, academia or civil society – can tackle today’s challenges all by itself. All sectors must work together, and all must raise their game." On THINK Blog, IBM Foundation President Jen Crozier writes about IBM's longstanding commitments to collaboration, diversity, inclusion and service - commitments shaped by IBM's enduring values, and recognized today by IBM's Number 5 ranking among America's Top Corporate Citizens by Forbes and JUST Capital.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

A Message From the Chair of the Board of Trustees

Dec 14, 2017 8:00 AM ET

As I look back on this past year, I am struck by the energy and power generated by the concern for trees. Our members, corporate partners, and planting partners are joining together with the Arbor Day Foundation every day and making great positive changes through our stewardship programs. Our vision of being a worldwide leader in the recognition and use of trees as a solution to global issues is being realized through these united efforts.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

KeyBank Provides $4.4 Million in Financing for Multifamily Affordable Housing in New York

Dec 14, 2017 8:00 AM ET

KeyBank Community Development Lending & Investment (CDLI) has provided a $4.4 million Fannie Mae loan to Mt. Vernon Associates, LP, to renovate Greencourt Apartments, a 76-unit, multifamily affordable apartment complex in Mount Vernon, NY, with 59 units reserved for tenants earning no more than 60% AMI.

Energy

Schneider Electric VIDEO: Accelerating the Energy Transition: 4 Dimensions for Progress

Dec 14, 2017 7:55 AM ET

While the 2015 Paris Agreement was the theoretical call for action to limit worldwide temperature to well below 2 degrees, there is a need for implementing this call with concrete action.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Time to Align Corporate Retirement Funds with Company Values

Dec 14, 2017 7:50 AM ET

Now that millennial-aged employees represent the majority of the workforce, it’s increasingly important that corporate management teams finds ways to engage these employees in the company. Creating defined contribution plans which connect to millennial core values – like solving human, social and environmental problems through their work and investments – can spur employee engagement, spark innovation and provide companies with a competitive edge in their pursuit of the “best and brightest” employees.

Health & Healthcare

Novartis Foundation Aims to Improve Cardiovascular Health as the Better Hearts Better Cities Initiative Gains Momentum Announcing New Partners and Confirming São Paulo as the Third City

Dec 14, 2017 7:00 AM ET

Less than a year since its launch, the Novartis Foundation urban initiative, Better Hearts Better Cities, has made significant progress in mobilizing a broad network of partners and developing a framework for action to improve cardiovascular health across the selected cities.

Environment

21CF Named Industry Leader in Environmental Sustainability by Latest CDP Report

Dec 13, 2017 7:15 PM ET

In its latest analysis of US companies’ action on climate change, the nonprofit CDP recognized 21st Century Fox as a national leader in environmental sustainability. The annual report evaluates the strength and effectiveness of corporate sustainability efforts, and this year, it awarded 21CF an overall performance score of A-, a higher score than any of its media peers. The honor arrives as 21CF celebrates the 10-year anniversary of launching its corporate sustainability program, committing to addressing its environmental impacts and inspiring its global audience to take action.

Research, Reports & Publications

Just Released: Voluntary Renewable Energy in the Northeast United States

Dec 13, 2017 5:00 PM ET

Focusing on voluntary renewable energy in the Northeast United States, this brief explains the current and potential value of voluntary renewable energy to meet state goals in the region, and identifies key barriers to renewable energy development to meet voluntary and corporate demand and potential opportunities and solutions for overcoming them.

Innovation & Technology

Sustainability Shines in Belgium

Dec 13, 2017 4:10 PM ET

On November 24th, Avery Dennison celebrated another milestone in our sustainability program with the official inauguration and start of the wind turbine recently installed at our Turnhout, Belgium site. The launch comes after nearly nine years of planning, passion, perseverance and persistence that involved Avery Dennison management, employees and contractors. I

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

KeyBank Provides $8.2 Million in Financing for Construction of New York Affordable Housing Property

Dec 13, 2017 4:00 PM ET

KeyBank Community Development Lending & Investment (CDLI) has provided an $8.2 million credit enhancement for the construction of Roosevelt Residences, located in Utica, NY. The project is being developed by Norstar Development USA, L.P., and the Municipal Housing Authority of the City of Utica, NY.

Innovation & Technology

Podcast | UPS Longitudes Radio: Moving Urban Logistics Forward (Part 3)

Dec 13, 2017 12:35 PM ET

In the final episode of a three-part series, Peter Harris and Thomas Madrecki of UPS discuss a surprising avenue to pursue in addressing urban logistics: the balance between efficiency and self-disruption. Listen to the podcast, then subscribe to Longitudes Radio so you’ll be among the first to know about new episodes.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Community Support

Dec 13, 2017 12:30 PM ET

On a brisk Saturday morning in November, volunteers and area organizations in Austin, Minnesota, were busy getting everything ready for an event to help others in the community. Tables were being set up, groceries were being placed into bags and barber chairs were being brought in for haircuts.

Richard Lemons, co-chair of the Austin Poverty Taskforce, the organization that coordinated the event, said he was humbled and overwhelmed as he entered the high school gym where Austin’s first Community Connect event would be taking place. “I was moved by how many people cared and were giving their time to help out,” he said.

Innovation & Technology

Empowering the Federal Government to Innovate Through Open Source Technology: Bryce Pippert Explains How

Dec 13, 2017 12:10 PM ET

In response to citizens’ demands for fast, reliable, secure services, the U.S. government has increasingly adopted the use of open source software. Open source promises increased security, cost savings and flexibility.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Tackling Modern Slavery With Transparency: GRI to Support the Reporting Community

Dec 13, 2017 12:05 PM ET

GRI is inviting leading reporting companies to join a Corporate Leadership Group (CLG) on Modern Slavery to engage in cutting edge dialogue about the challenges and opportunities of transparency on this urgent sustainability issue in consultation with diverse stakeholders such as investors, media, human rights and legal experts and governments.

Health & Healthcare

Serving Those Who Served

Dec 13, 2017 12:00 PM ET

With the help of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is hoping to wage a war on lung cancer by increasing veterans’ access to lung cancer screenings across the country.
Sponsored by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, the project brings together a leading team of lung cancer experts and the VA to develop the VA-Partnership to increase Access to Lung Screening or VA-PALS. The goal is to develop early-detection programs for lung cancer, a malignancy with an 80 percent cure rate when caught early.

The initiative aims to create lung cancer screening programs at 10 VA medical centers throughout the U.S. to increase veterans’ access to lung cancer screenings with innovative technology designed for early detection.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

How Much Is Enough to Make a Difference When Donating?

Dec 13, 2017 11:30 AM ET

While it often feels like one individual’s actions doesn't have an impact on the big picture, the truth is that we all have the power to make a difference and influence change. In fact, the majority of giving (at least 71% of total annual donations) is from individuals. Through our work at America’s Charities, we empower individuals and organizations to support causes they care about, and we do this to bring more resources to the nonprofits that are changing our world.

Social Impact & Volunteering

TeamCITGO Aruba Participates in Beach Cleanup

Dec 13, 2017 10:30 AM ET

This past November, TeamCITGO Aruba participated in the annual Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association (AHTA) Beach Cleanup from Baby Beach to the dog cemetery in San Nicolas. The event was the first volunteer outreach for the new volunteer organization and 95 TeamCITGO volunteers filled approximately 175 trash bags with trash from the beach area. Trash was then transported to the event’s central drop off point at Seroe Colorado to be properly disposed of.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

CBRE Group, Inc. Named to Forbes JUST 100

Dec 13, 2017 10:15 AM ET

CBRE Group, Inc. announced that it has been named one of America’s Most JUST Companies by Forbes and JUST Capital.

Forbes and JUST Capital evaluate U.S.-based public companies based on measures of corporate citizenship, including employee relations, quality of goods and services, client service, environmental impact, community support, diversity and ethical conduct. Nearly 1,000 companies are considered for inclusion in the JUST 100.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Bloomberg and Carney Announce Growing Support for Climate-Focused Financial Taskforce

Dec 13, 2017 10:05 AM ET

On the two-year anniversary of the Paris Agreement, 237 companies with a combined market capitalisation of over $6.3 trillion have publicly committed to support the Bloomberg-led Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). This includes over 150 financial firms responsible for assets of over $81.7 trillion.

Environment

Unlocking Sustainability Through Analytics at SunTrust

Dec 13, 2017 10:00 AM ET

One student at Georgia Tech changed his whole view about #climatechange after taking Beril Toktay's class in the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Changing Lives ‘From the Inside Out’

Dec 13, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Brandon Madrid wasn’t sure how he could get the training he needed to find and advance in a career. He had previously enrolled in college, but financial struggles, a full-time job providing maintenance for an apartment complex, and ongoing kidney dialysis made it impossible for him to continue.Then, he saw an online ad for BankWork$®, and he enrolled in the fall of 2016. Today, he is a teller for Wells Fargo in Denver and pursuing a degree in finance. “BankWork$ has given me more assurance for my future,” Madrid said.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Merck’s Ken Frazier Named to The Bloomberg 50 and as BioPharma Dive’s Executive of the Year

Dec 13, 2017 9:35 AM ET

BioPharma Dive recently issued its annual “Dive Awards.” Heading their list? Merck’s own Ken Frazier, as Executive of the Year. From Merck’s growing immuno-oncology presence to the company’s research productivity and strong share price, Ken has played a leading role in “returning [Merck] to the science-focused juggernaut that is dominating the lung cancer space today,” the website notes in a lengthy profile of Merck’s Chairman and CEO.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Essity Discloses Its Footprint in WWF’s Environmental Paper Company Index

Dec 13, 2017 9:35 AM ET

Essity has shown its commitment to transparency by participating in the Environmental Paper Company Index 2017 (EPCI). The Group receives an overall score of 78.7% and 94% out of a maximum of 100% for its responsible fiber sourcing. The EPCI is a WWF tool that promotes transparency and continual improvement in the global pulp, paper and packing sector towards sustainability.

Health & Healthcare

Good Health for All People in Colombia

Dec 13, 2017 9:20 AM ET

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Should We Be Talking About Financial Health Instead of Inclusion?

Dec 13, 2017 9:05 AM ET

In this Gateway interview, Carrie shares with us some of the latest thinking on financial health and why MetLife Foundation has shifted its focus from financial inclusion to financial health.