ESG News from Leading Brands

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Who Are the Winners of the European Bio-Based Innovation Awards 2017?

Jun 7, 2017 12:00 PM ET

Last week at the end of the second day of Bio-Based Live Europe, hosted at the University of Amsterdam, the winners of the Bio-Based Innovation Awards (Europe) were announced. The winner of our European Bio-Based Chemical Innovation of the Year 2017 which is Cyrene developed by Mercki, the Chemistry Centre of Excellence at the University of York and Circa Group in response to increasing demand for safer, greener alternatives to PMF and NMP.

Research, Reports & Publications

WEBINAR: 2017 Cone Communications CSR Study: The Need-to-Know Data & Insights

Jun 7, 2017 11:15 AM ET

2017 will be remembered as the year that corporate social responsibility (CSR) was redefined. Although CSR will always be grounded in business operations, the stakes have gotten a lot higher. Companies must now share not only what they stand for, but what they stand up for.

Environment

General Motors Sustainability Newsletter - June 2017

Jun 7, 2017 11:15 AM ET

General Motors’ sustainability approach enables the company to serve its customers and shareholders, increase operational efficiency, mitigate risk and improve the communities where it does business.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Cornell’s Climate-Conscious Urban Campus Arises

Jun 7, 2017 11:00 AM ET

When Cornell University competed in 2011 to develop an applied science and engineering campus in New York City, part of its pitch was that it would construct an academic building that would at least approach making as much energy as it used in a year, a concept known as net zero. It won. Then came the hard work of making that vision happen at the campus, known as Cornell Tech.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

CITGO Renews Its Commitment as Official Fuel Sponsor of First Response Team of America

Jun 7, 2017 10:30 AM ET

CITGO renewed its Official Fuel Sponsorship of First Response Team of America, helping the organization support communities across the country in the crucial moments immediately following natural disasters. As Official Fuel Sponsor, CITGO will help First Response Team purchase the fuel they need to help communities struggling in the aftermath of a catastrophe.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

2017 Environmental Leader Conference Honors Ingersoll Rand with Awards for Product Innovation and Energy Management Leadership

Jun 7, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Ingersoll Rand®, a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable and efficient environments, won an Environmental Leader Product Award for its Ingersoll Rand Next Generation R-Series line of compressors at the Environmental Leader Conference in Denver, Colorado on June 6, 2017. Deborah Kalish, program manager for Ingersoll Rand, also received an Energy Manager Today 50 award at the conference.

Education

Arrow Electronics Sponsors Student-led Formula-E Electric Race Car Projects in Norway, Germany

Jun 7, 2017 10:00 AM ET

In Europe, Arrow is working with universities that are participating in Formula Student, a global automotive engineering competition. Some 3,500 students across Europe participate in the program each year, producing more than 100 custom vehicles. Arrow sponsors the Formula-E Race Car Projects in Norway and Germany.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

HP Canada Listed as One of Canada’s Greenest Employers for the Tenth Year in a Row

Jun 7, 2017 9:35 AM ET

HP Canada is listed as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for the tenth year in a row. Canada's Greenest Employers is an editorial competition organized by the Canada's Top 100 Employers project.

Sustainable Development Goals

National Geographic and Partner GSK Launch ‘Chasing Genius’, a Global Platform and Call for Transformational Ideas to Improve the Wellbeing of Our Planet and People

Jun 7, 2017 9:35 AM ET

21st Century Fox’s National Geographic is now accepting submissions for Chasing Genius, a new digital community developed in partnership with GSK Consumer Healthcare based on the idea that global change can come from anyone and anywhere. The platform is inspired by Genius, Nat Geo’s first scripted series produced by Academy Award winners Brain Grazer and Ron Howard, which premiered in April and chronicles Albert Einstein’s life through stories about his friends, lovers, enemies, and fellow scientific luminaries.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Unreasonable Impact | Creating the Jobs of Tomorrow

Jun 7, 2017 9:20 AM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Strengthening the World’s Largest School Meals Program

Jun 7, 2017 9:15 AM ET

The General Mills Foundation announced a two-year, $500,000 grant to the World Food Program last month to advance a pilot program to fortify rice and other staples served daily at the mid-day meal in India to nearly 140,000 school children.

Environment

New White Paper on EU Pump Efficiency Regulations

Jun 7, 2017 9:05 AM ET

As the EU seeks to become the most climate friendly region in the world, it is continuously introducing new regulations that place ever-stricter demands on CO2 emissions and the environmental design of energy-using products. As a leading supplier of pumps for the construction sector, Xylem has created a new white paper to help customers understand the complex regulatory landscape.

Social Impact & Volunteering

MyViacommunity Stories: Fostering Hope, By Design

Jun 7, 2017 9:05 AM ET

Katie Dominguez, senior art director at TV Land, talks about her volunteer work through Viacom’s pro-social branch, Viacommunity.

Sustainable Development Goals

Walmart | A Message From Our Chief Sustainability Officer

Jun 7, 2017 9:05 AM ET

As featured in the Walmart Global Responsibility Report 2017 : Over the past 30 years, global prosperity has increased by many measures. Life expectancy, school enrollment and access to drinking water are up and technology has opened new doors for billions of people. Yet at the same time this progress occurs, growing population, globalization and technological disruption have created new social and environmental challenges.

Diversity & Inclusion

MetLife Foundation | Sharing What We Learn

Jun 7, 2017 9:05 AM ET

Multipliers of Prosperity is an award-winning thought leadership platform that features stories from MetLife Foundation’s grantees. It includes videos, infographics, and other content on the work of financial inclusion. This unique resource, developed in partnership with WSJ. Custom Studios, helps share best practices, insights, and information about financial inclusion issues. It is the Foundation’s contribution to sharing knowledge and raising awareness of financial inclusion around the world.

Innovation & Technology

Pentair, Urban Organics Open Aquaponics Farm in Old Schmidt Brewery

Jun 7, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Urban Organics worker Lee Scoggins flicked a cup of powder into a large blue pool and watched as 50,000 tiny salmon, each the size of a paper clip, darted toward dinner inside the newly converted old Schmidt Brewery plant in St. Paul.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Fair Trade USA Calls on Shoppers to Choose Fair Trade Seafood This World Oceans Day

Jun 7, 2017 6:00 AM ET

Education

Major League Baseball Players Association Shines Light on Michael Weiner Scholarship Recipients and Future Labor Leaders

Jun 6, 2017 7:30 PM ET

Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark told Michael Weiner Scholarship for Labor Studies recipients all about the man for whom the award is named during a luncheon in their honor at the union's Manhattan headquarters on Monday, June 5.

Environment

Michael Bloomberg: From Billionaire Businessman To Climate Change Activist

Jun 6, 2017 6:25 PM ET

I spoke to Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and author of the new book Climate of Hope: How Cities, Businesses, and Citizens Can Save the Planet, about why he cares so much about climate change, the role companies have in protecting our planet, how he overcame a career challenge and his best piece of career advice.

Environment

On World Environment Day, Las Vegas Sands Announces Results of Sustainability Challenge

Jun 6, 2017 5:40 PM ET

During the month of May, Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) Team Members around the globe participated in the company's annual Sands ECO360 Clean Plate Challenge, a campaign aligned with the company's sustainability program to reduce food waste. The event was an engagement and educational initiative designed to encourage Team Members at all Las Vegas Sands' properties in both the United States and Asia to only take as much food as they'll consume when eating in the Team Member Dining Rooms.

Environment

CSRHub’s Bahar Gidwani Speaking at Intro to ESG Training at Baruch College/CUNY

Jun 6, 2017 4:45 PM ET

CSRHub CEO and Co-Founder, Bahar Gidwani, will be speaking at a One-Day Training Program presented by Governance & Accountability Institute and Global Change Associates, titled Into to ESG, Sustainable & Impact Investment Training. This training is hosted by Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College/CUNY on June 15, 2017.

Health & Healthcare

Infection Prevention: The New Standard of Clean

Jun 6, 2017 3:55 PM ET

Professional cleaning isn’t just about cleaning restrooms and mopping floors anymore; today’s Environmental Services teams must focus on preventing the spread of illness and infection.

Events, Media & Communications

Booz Allen’s Angie Messer Joins 100 Executive Women at First-Ever “Cybersecurity Women on Capitol Hill"

Jun 6, 2017 3:35 PM ET

From talking toys to internet-connected cameras, there is no shortage of ways the Internet of Things (IoT) can be applied to enrich consumers’ lives—and expose users to new cyberattacks. To educate congressional members and staff on some of the most pressing cybersecurity issues, the Executive Women’s Forum brought top cybersecurity thought leaders to the Hill for the first-ever “Cybersecurity Women on Capitol Hill” event.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Empowering Sustainable Decisions: Join GRI's Governance

Jun 6, 2017 3:30 PM ET

By joining one of GRI's governance bodies, you’ll have a solid platform in which to share your expertise and play a direct role in shaping the future of sustainability reporting.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Diageo Beer Company USA Names Peter Wiens Brewmaster for New Maryland-Based Brewery

Jun 6, 2017 3:15 PM ET

Marking a major milestone in the establishment of the Guinness brewery in Relay, Maryland, the Diageo Beer Company USA, is proud to announce the appointment of Peter Wiens as inaugural brewmaster. Boosting an impressive resume of brewing credentials, Wiens will lead the brewing team and brewing operations at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House – which represents an estimated $50MM investment to bring Guinness brewing back to U.S. soil after a six-decade absence. The new brewery coincides with the 200th anniversary of Guinness reaching American shores.