ESG News from Leading Brands

Responsible Production & Consumption

It’s Time for the World to Start Caring About Coconuts

Jul 10, 2017 2:00 PM ET

Unfortunately, as the world goes crazy for coconuts many coconut farmers are finding themselves in trouble. Our growing love of coconut isn’t necessarily benefiting the communities they come from.

Research, Reports & Publications

Knowledge as a Driver of Public Perceptions about Climate Change Reassessed

Jul 10, 2017 1:15 PM ET

Árvai’s research clearly shows that education and decision support, aimed at the public and policy makers, is not the lost cause that many followers of the culture wars think it is.

Innovation & Technology

What Would Edison Think of Today’s Energy Grid?

Jul 10, 2017 1:10 PM ET

As a native of Ohio – home of the Wright Brothers – and now a resident of North Carolina –where their dream literally took off – I have a special fondness for the inventors of modern flight. I sometimes wonder what Orville and Wilbur would think if they saw a Boeing 747 roar overhead? Would they even recognize what they had started?

Environment

Using Connected Solutions to Tackle the Biggest Urban Challenges

Jul 10, 2017 1:05 PM ET

AT&T is teaming up with companies to deploy innovative connected solutions to tackle some of the biggest urban challenges to create "smart" cities across the country.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Finalists Named for Arizona’s 2017 Cox Conserves Heroes Program, Public Asked to Vote

Jul 10, 2017 1:00 PM ET

Environment

Five Nature-Inspired Climate Change Solutions Advance to Entrepreneurship Accelerator

Jul 10, 2017 12:40 PM ET

Five teams of entrepreneurs from around the world have been chosen to participate in the newest cohort of the world’s only business accelerator program dedicated to bringing nature-inspired solutions to market.

Energy

Eight Ways to Conserve Energy, Unwind This Summer

Jul 10, 2017 12:05 PM ET

Summer for many is a time to sit back and unwind during the longer days of this season. It‘s a time to rest, try to stay cool and potentially lower your electricity usage and costs.

Health & Healthcare

Nelipak Healthcare Packaging Joins Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council

Jul 10, 2017 11:40 AM ET

The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) welcomes Nelipak Healthcare Packaging, a global leader in custom thermoformed packaging that provides superior protection for medical devices and pharmaceuticals, as its newest member.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Booz Allen Interns Take Assistive Technology One Step Further in This Year’s Summer Games

Jul 10, 2017 11:05 AM ET

For decades, the blind and visually impaired have navigated streets and sidewalks with the assistance of a guide cane. Last summer, a team of Booz Allen Hamilton interns decided it was time to innovate beyond this low-tech device. Teaming with the National Federation of the Blind, the Summer Games interns developed potentially groundbreaking technology that allows people who are visually impaired to “see” the world through non-visual interfaces called Iris.

Research, Reports & Publications

Caterpillar Promotes Women In Leadership

Jul 10, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Caterpillar has set ambitious targets in several key areas to increase the mix of qualified, capable females across our enterprise to industry benchmark levels by 2022.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Two Families Adopt Group of Siblings, Vow to Keep Children Connected

Jul 10, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Keeping sibling groups together is at the core of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s mission. The Foundation works to dramatically increase the number of adoptions from foster care and our adoption recruiters focus on older children, sibling groups and children with special needs. Keeping brothers and sisters together is paramount to a sense of family.

Education

Minority Middle School Male Students Get a Jump Start through Verizon Innovative Learning

Jul 10, 2017 10:10 AM ET

This summer, thousands of minority middle school boys in 16 cities nationwide will head to college campuses to learn skills like mobile app development, 3D design, creating and flying drones, and developing virtual reality and augmented reality experiences as a part of Verizon Innovative Learning.

Environment

AkzoNobel Helping to Save the Brazilian Rainforest

Jul 10, 2017 10:05 AM ET

A large area of Brazilian rainforest located within one of AkzoNobel's sites is being planted with around 12,000 seedlings of species native to the region as part of an ongoing project to safeguard the fragile ecosystem.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Channel 2 WSB-TV and The Trust For Public Land Launch Atlanta’s 2017 Cox Conserves Heroes Awards Program

Jul 10, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Diversity & Inclusion

PNC's William S. Demchak on Embracing and Promoting Diversity

Jul 10, 2017 9:45 AM ET

PNC’s commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace goes beyond race, age, sexual orientation and other demographic identifiers to include diversity of thought and experience. By intentionally working to build the best and most diverse teams, we foster more creative problem-solving and more innovation, which help us better serve our customers and the communities where we do business.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Unreasonable Impact | Improving Job and Food Security for 30 Million Farmers in India

Jul 10, 2017 9:35 AM ET

In eastern India, around 30 million farmers tend to an acre or less of land, where they can’t access most of the available renewable groundwater or reliable agriculture-grade electricity. In a country that will be the world’s most populous in a matter of years, the need is dire for increased agricultural productivity. Khethworks has developed a solar-powered irrigation system that allows these small-plot farmers to affordably cultivate year-round.

Environment

T5’s Food Trash Turns to Healthy Soils

Jul 10, 2017 9:35 AM ET

In 2016, our JFK T5 composting program put 100,000 pounds of food waste back to work. This saved roughly 38 tonnes of CO2e emissions.

Sustainable Development Goals

Mars Launches Farmer Income Lab to Tackle Issue of Smallholder Farmer Income

Jul 10, 2017 9:30 AM ET

Mars has today launched The Farmer Income Lab, a collaborative ‘think-do tank’ aimed at helping to increase farmers’ incomes. The Farmer Income Lab will invest in research and shape dialogue to produce practical insights which will be turned into action. The Livelihoods Fund for Family Farming, as well as Mars’ programs in cocoa, mint and rice, will provide a way of testing the insights and implementing the new models for dramatically improving farmer incomes.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Golfers Tee Off in De Beers Group Tournament

Jul 10, 2017 9:30 AM ET

Twenty-four professional and 14 amateur golfers from Namibia, South Africa and Zambia battled for the top honours at the Namdeb Sperrgebiet Open. It was played over 54 holes on three days (9-11 June) in Oranjemund.

Innovation & Technology

A Better Normal: How X1 Leveled the Field for Two Blind Teens

Jul 10, 2017 9:15 AM ET

Comcast launched the X1 talking guide in 2014 as part of our commitment to making our technology and media accessible to the widest possible audience. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 19 million U.S. households have at least one member with a disability and 8.1 million people have a visual disability. Providing richer, more inclusive entertainment experiences is just the right thing to do for our customers.

Diversity & Inclusion

'Rosie the Riveter' is Still an Inspiration

Jul 10, 2017 9:15 AM ET

Health & Healthcare

Novartis Foundation and Partners Call for a Global Effort to Make Leprosy History

Jul 10, 2017 9:15 AM ET

The Novartis Foundation and its partners published two articles that call for a global effort to make leprosy history. The reviews have been published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, a leading journal in infectious diseases.The two articles set out an action-oriented strategy for achieving the global goal of zero leprosy transmission.

Research, Reports & Publications

Letter from Weatherford's Sustainability Committee

Jul 10, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Weatherford is a global company that helps to provide energy to the world for today and tomorrow while ensuring benefits for all of our stakeholders through responsible operations, sustainable performance, world-class people, and global citizenship. We are guided by our operational principles and Code of Conduct and will operate our business of providing services to the upstream oil and gas industry in an ethical, safe, and profitable manner.

Education

Point Foundation Creates Scholarship to Help LGBTQ Community College Students Transfer to Four-Year Degree Programs

Jul 10, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Events, Media & Communications

Corporate Responsibility Association and CR Magazine Announce Commit!Forum 2017 Theme; ‘Brands Taking Stands’ to Drive Discussion, Oct. 11-12 in Washington’s National Harbor

Jul 10, 2017 9:00 AM ET

The Corporate Responsibility Association (CRA) and CR Magazine announced today the 2017 edition of COMMIT!Forum will focus on “Brands Taking Stands, the role of the corporate responsibility practitioner as companies make their voices heard.