Tork Cuts Carbon Footprint up to 21% on Popular Hand Towels and Napkins

Essity / TORK — Tue, 26 May 2026 15:05:00 -0400

Originally published on Tork Press and News

PHILADELPHIA May 26, 2026 /3BL/ - Tork, an Essity brand and the global leader in professional hygiene, announced today that it has significantly reduced the carbon footprint of popular paper hand towel and napkin products. Tork customers benefit from the same trusted products now with a lower carbon footprint. The brand now offers carbon data for these key systems alongside information that helps customers make informed choices on use and waste, materials and packaging, and supporting hygiene for all.

The news was announced during a presentation from Tork leaders and Norman Vossschulte, Vice President of Fan Experience & Sustainability at Philadelphia Eagles, at the Green Sports Alliance Summit, the leading annual gathering for sustainability in sports. The presentation highlighted the 2026 emission reduction in napkins and hand towels for the Eagles from Tork solutions as 6,303 kg CO2eq, equivalent to driving 16,051 miles less in a gas-powered passenger vehicle,^1,2 and how the 20-year partnership between Tork and the Philadelphia Eagles has continually allowed the team to reach its sustainability goals.

By ensuring sustainability data is readily available on its Tork Focus4 Sustainability platform, Tork makes it easier for businesses to support their own sustainability goals. Through an ongoing commitment to decarbonization – including investments in renewable electricity – Tork now offers several of its most reliable, high-performing products with a lower carbon footprint:

Tork PeakServe^® hand towels: 21% less carbon footprint³
Tork Xpress multifold hand towels: 16% less carbon footprint⁴
Tork Matic^® hand towels: 15% less carbon footprint⁵
Tork Xpressnap^®6 and Xpressnap Fit⁷ napkins: 20% less carbon footprint

"Sustainable hygiene drives business performance – it’s better for people and the planet,” said Audrey Wesson, Sustainability Manager, Professional Hygiene at Essity. “For Tork, carbon data isn't just an environmental metric, it's a way we help improve our customers’ business performance. We look at the entire life cycle including efficient production and reduced energy use, lower consumption, less waste and smarter packaging. Our improvements become our customers’ improvements.”

To further support customers’ sustainability initiatives, Tork has updated the Tork Focus4 Sustainability platform – launched in late 2025 – with information that makes sustainability easier:

Easier to choose: New carbon reporting provides businesses with measurements reported on a per-use basis to reflect real-world consumption, enabling managers to generate realistic product comparisons.
Easier to report: Tork provides comprehensive product sheets and infographics with detailed sustainability benefits and carbon per use on key products.
Easier to navigate: Free online Tork Sustainability Academy training modules now include a training on the complexities of decarbonization, “Carbon data supports business value.”

“Sustainability can be a strong differentiator in purchasing decisions, according to nearly 83% of businesses,⁸” Wesson continued. “Customers expect sustainability, employees value it, and businesses are increasingly required to report it. Our products help businesses meet these expectations while improving business results."

Tork takes a holistic approach to sustainability, delivering sustainable hygiene solutions that are better for people as well as the planet. For more information about sustainable hygiene and new carbon data, please visit: www.torkglobal.com/us/en/focus4materials.

Footnotes:

¹ Based on Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field purchasing 239 cases of Z66488D3 and 1000 cases of 105065 in 2025 and assuming same quantity purchases are made in 2026 after April 2026 when renewable electricity investments have been secured.

² Carbon impact equivalency of 6303 CO2eq to driving mileage from EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalency calculator

³ On average, compared to the average of all Tork PeakServe® (H5) refill carbon footprint when commencing purchase of renewable electricity certificates (hydroelectric, solar, wind or mix), verified and matched through Renewable Energy Certificates (REC), for our paper making operations. The resulting carbon footprint reductions were quantified in a third party reviewed cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment.

⁴ On average, compared to the average of all Tork Xpress® Multifold (H2) refill carbon footprint when commencing purchase of renewable electricity certificates (hydroelectric, solar, wind or mix), verified and matched through Renewable Energy Certificates (REC), for our paper making operations. The resulting carbon footprint reductions were quantified in a third party reviewed cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment.

⁵ On average, compared to the average of all Tork Matic® (H1) refill carbon footprint when commencing purchase of renewable electricity certificates (hydroelectric, solar, wind or mix), verified and matched through Renewable Energy Certificates (REC), for our paper making operations. The resulting carbon footprint reductions were quantified in a third party reviewed cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment.

⁶ On average, compared to the average of all Tork Xpressnap® (N4) refill carbon footprint when commencing purchase of renewable electricity certificates (hydroelectric, solar, wind or mix), verified and matched through Renewable Energy Certificates (REC), for our paper making operations. The resulting carbon footprint reductions were quantified in a third party reviewed cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment.

⁷ On average, compared to the average of all Tork Xpressnap Fit® (N14) refill carbon footprint when commencing purchase of renewable electricity certificates (hydroelectric, solar, wind or mix), verified and matched through Renewable Energy Certificates (REC), for our paper making operations. The resulting carbon footprint reductions were quantified in a third party reviewed cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment.

⁸ ERM Shelton Global B2B Pulse 2025

About Tork

The Tork brand offers professional hygiene products and services to customers worldwide ranging from restaurants and healthcare facilities to offices, schools and industries. Our products include dispensers, paper towels, toilet tissues, soap, napkins and wipers, but also software solutions for data-driven cleaning. Through expertise in hygiene, functional design and sustainability, Tork has become a market leader that supports customers to think ahead so they're always ready for business. Tork is a global brand of Essity and a committed partner to customers in more than 110 countries. To keep up with the latest Tork news and innovations, please visit www.torkglobal.com/us/en/.

About Essity

Essity is a global, leading hygiene and health company. Every day, our products, solutions and services are used by a billion people around the world. Our purpose is to break barriers to well-being for the benefit of consumers, patients, caregivers, customers and society. Sales are conducted in approximately 150 countries under the leading global brands TENA and Tork, and other strong brands such as Actimove, Cutimed, JOBST, Knix, Leukoplast, Libero, Libresse, Lotus, Modibodi, Nosotras, Saba, Tempo, TOM Organic and Zewa. In 2024, Essity had net sales of approximately SEK 146bn (EUR 13bn) and employed 36,000 people. The company’s headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden and Essity is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. More information at essity.com.

The Evolution of International Collaboration: Why Local Knowledge Matters More Than Ever

Antea Group UK — Tue, 26 May 2026 13:15:00 -0400

Key Takeaways

Multinational organisations face growing challenges in maintaining consistent EHS and sustainability programmes across different countries, cultures, and regulatory systems.
Local knowledge is essential for interpreting regulations, understanding cultural expectations, and adapting global standards to regional operating environments.
International collaboration helps organisations reduce risk, improve compliance, and manage global operations more effectively.
Effective cross-border EHS management depends not only on understanding local laws, but also how they are applied and enforced in practice.
Strong global collaboration networks help organisations access local expertise, streamline operations, and respond more effectively to changing global risks.

If your organisation operates across borders, consistency is rarely as straightforward as it sounds.

A global policy may look clear on paper, but implementing it across multiple countries, cultures, regulatory systems, and workforces is another challenge entirely. The same environmental, health, safety, and sustainability (EHS&S) programme can be interpreted and experienced very differently depending on where and how it is applied.

For multinational organisations, this creates a growing tension: how do you maintain global standards while adapting to local realities?

That challenge is becoming more pronounced as businesses continue to expand internationally and supply chains become increasingly interconnected. Managing risk, compliance, and operational consistency across those environments requires far more than centralised oversight alone. Organisations must navigate differing regulatory structures, cultural expectations, enforcement approaches, workforce dynamics, and environmental conditions, often simultaneously.

Alex Ferguson, CEO, and Charlotte Buffoni, EHS Practice Director, see these challenges in their work frequently, and agree that local knowledge has become one of the most important differentiators in global business.

As Alex explains, clients today are no longer looking for basic support. “[They expect] a deeper level of services, a deeper level of understanding, but also a much wider footprint.”

Global Standards are Easy to Write but Harder to Apply

Many multinational organisations begin with the right intentions: establish global standards, create consistent expectations, and implement unified EHS and Sustainability programmes across regions.

The difficulty comes in execution.

Charlotte understands that organisations are often trying to achieve “global consistency with a local lens,” adapting programmes to different cultural expectations, languages, regulatory structures, and operational realities while still maintaining the original corporate intent.

Even seemingly universal concepts, such as workplace safety, can vary dramatically depending on local conditions.

“We want our people to be safe at work,” Alex says, paraphrasing a common client concern, “but what does that actually mean in different environments?”

A programme designed for one region may not translate effectively into another without understanding:

local enforcement approaches
infrastructure limitations
workforce expectations
communication styles
climate and environmental conditions
cultural attitudes toward risk and authority

In some countries, regulations are driven nationally. In others, enforcement happens regionally or locally. Guidance that may be treated as best practice in one jurisdiction could carry entirely different expectations somewhere else.

For Alex, context is inseparable from proximity: “Only people working locally can really get that nuance right.”

Charlotte adds that many organisations initially approach international expansion from a compliance perspective alone, only to realise that legislation is just the beginning: “Understanding legislation is only the starting point, the real challenge is interpreting how it applies in practice within a specific country or operating environment.”

That interpretation extends beyond legal requirements into broader cultural and operational realities. Workforce expectations, regulatory attitudes, and communication styles can vary significantly, not just between countries, but even within them. Without local understanding, organisations risk implementing programmes that technically meet requirements while failing to gain traction operationally.

The Cost of Getting it Wrong

When organisations lack local insight, the effects are not always immediately apparent, but they can be significant.

Global programmes can become inconsistent in practice, creating gaps between corporate expectations and day-to-day operations. Compliance efforts may focus too heavily on documentation rather than implementation. Communication barriers can lead to misunderstanding or low engagement among workers. In some cases, organisations may underestimate local risks entirely because they are viewing them through the lens of another region.

Alex points to climate as a clear example of how assumptions can quickly break down across geographies:

“We used to call it global warming, and then it became clear that made everybody think everywhere was going to get warmer. That’s not what happens. Places get wetter, places get colder, places get more extremes and variations.”

Those environmental realities influence everything from infrastructure resilience to worker safety expectations and operational planning.

Cultural complexity adds another layer. In many regions, workforces themselves are highly international, bringing together people with a broad range of lived experiences, expectations, and approaches to work.

“It makes you realise that understanding the culture of a construction project or an infrastructure project in any part of the world is not just about what the local laws and regulations show,” Alex continues. “It’s actually who’s applying ... those laws and what cultural lens are they putting on it?”

This is where local knowledge becomes less of a “supporting” factor and more of a business necessity.

Why International Collaboration has Become more Important

As these challenges have grown, international collaboration itself has evolved significantly over the past 25 years.

What began as relatively small professional networks supporting multinational clients has become a far more integrated and sophisticated system. Today, organisations increasingly rely on connected global partnerships to help navigate operational, regulatory, and cultural complexity across regions.

For Antea Group UK, part of the Inogen Alliance, that evolution has been visible firsthand.

Reflecting on the early days of the Alliance, Alex describes it as “quite a small group” compared to today’s globally connected model.

Charlotte adds that growth has accelerated “in many different directions,” not only geographically, but also in the complexity of services and client expectations.

This shift mirrors a broader business reality: EHS and Sustainability are no longer peripheral considerations. They are increasingly tied to operational continuity, reputation, workforce wellbeing, regulatory performance, and long-term business resilience.

Collaboration as a Practical Advantage

When international collaboration works well, its benefits become highly practical.

Organisations entering new markets, whether through acquisition, expansion, or supply chain growth, often face a steep learning curve. Building relationships, understanding regulations, and developing local operational awareness from scratch can take significant time and resources.

According to Alex, one of the biggest advantages of working with vendors and advisors who have established global collaboration networks is that clients “can drop straight into something that’s already working.”

Rather than starting over in each geography, organisations can access existing networks, relationships, and expertise that are rooted in the local environment.

Charlotte notes that clients also value having a single point of contact supported by a broader global network, helping reduce the operational burden of managing multiple consultants and service providers across regions.

In practice, this enables organisations to move faster, reduce risk, and create greater consistency across global operations without losing the local insight needed to make programmes effective.

Relationships Still Matter

Despite advances in technology and global connectivity, both leaders emphasised that international collaboration remains deeply human.

Long-standing relationships create trust, which allows for more open conversations about complex challenges.

As Alex explains, collaborations built over time develop depth and history, creating environments where people understand each other well enough to navigate uncertainty together.

That becomes increasingly important in a world shaped by geopolitical shifts, changing regulations, supply chain disruption, and rapidly evolving expectations around sustainability and worker wellbeing.

For Charlotte, collaboration also creates opportunities for continuous learning and knowledge-sharing across regions and disciplines. As she explains, “participating in global working groups has helped expand both my technical expertise and broader understanding of how organisations approach EHS challenges in different parts of the world.”

These networks, formal and informal alike, allow organisations to respond more quickly to emerging risks, share lessons learned, and adapt to changing conditions in real time.

A More Connected, More Complex Future

As organisations continue to expand internationally, the need for effective cross-border collaboration will only grow.

But success will depend on more than scale alone. It will require organisations to balance global consistency with local adaptability, supported by a deep understanding of regional differences.

Ultimately, effective international collaboration is not simply about having a presence in multiple countries. It is about understanding how people, regulations, environments, and cultures interact, and building the relationships necessary to navigate that complexity successfully.

Or, as Alex reflects: “Knowing that somewhere in the world there’s somebody that’s already done it is incredibly powerful.”

Do you have international operations and want support? Antea Group UK, as part of the Inogen Alliance, is uniquely positioned to help. Get in touch with our team of experts today to continue the conversation and discover how global alignment can strengthen your operations.

Protecting Our Planet: All In for Carbon Out

Baker Hughes Energy Services LLC — Tue, 26 May 2026 13:05:00 -0400

Actions - not Offsets - driving absolute emissions down

Launched in 2022, Carbon Out is our global employee engagement initiative designed to empower our people to operate sustainably and deliver innovative solutions. Our passionate team, equipped with deep domain knowledge and technical proficiency across various energy sectors, finds innovative ways of reducing both operational and value chain emissions. Through Carbon Out, our people gain access to tools, funding, and resources, enabling them to drive emission reductions throughout our business.

In our 2025 Corporate Sustainability Report, we highlight a range of global projects driven by our employees that reduce our operational emissions, resulting in a change in behaviors and actions that drive long-term change. In this article, we take a closer look at one project in particular, led by our Flexible Pipe Systems team in Brazil, that resulted in savings of US $1million, through operational efficiency.

Spotlight on progress: Cost Out, Carbon Out

A recent Carbon Out initiative that drove significant scope 1 and 2 emissions reduction and saving was driven by our Flexible Pipe Systems team in Niteroi, Brazil. Rather than using traditional diesel generators at the site, the team chose six advanced no-break battery systems designed to store energy from renewable sources. The upgrade enables more reliable, consistent, and continuous power for operations. Additionally, the initiative generated significant cost savings and positive environmental impacts.

By cutting diesel usage, scope 1 site-level emissions were reduced by nearly 95% and an entirely renewable power supply, there was no rise in scope 2 emissions. The project strengthened energy stability and reliability without the risks typically associated with battery‑storage systems.

Our Carbon Out initiative demonstrates how focused action - rather than offsets alone - can deliver meaningful emissions reductions while strengthening operational performance. By equipping our people with the tools, resources, and autonomy to rethink how work gets done, initiatives like this help embed sustainability into day‑to‑day decision‑making across our organization.

For more great examples of our Carbon Out initiative in action, read our 2025 Corporate Sustainability Report to learn more.

KeyBank Celebrates New Branch in North Greenbush With $30,000 in Donations to Local Nonprofits

KeyBank — Tue, 26 May 2026 11:25:00 -0400

KeyBank held a grand opening and ribbon cutting for its new, full-service, state-of-the-art branch in North Greenbush, N.Y. The branch is located at 73 Vandenburgh Avenue, near Hudson Valley Community College. Leaders from KeyBank and Rensselaer County attended the celebration.

As part of the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony, KeyBank donated $20,000 to Unity House and $10,000 to Live Limitless Refuge Center.

“KeyBank is excited by the opportunity this new branch provides. From HVCC and La Salle Institute to businesses and residential and commercial development, North Greenbush is diverse, evolving and thriving. We look forward to becoming an integral part of this community,” said Erica Choi, KeyBank’s Capital region president and commercial banking leader. “This new location highlights KeyBank’s continued investment in the Capital Region and commitment to working closely with our neighbors, clients and community partners.”

In addition to high-touch banking services, this new state-of-the-art branch offers full-service banking capabilities including touch screen monitors to enhance the client experience. This branch also features a drive-up ATM, two drive-thru lanes and free parking. Longtime banker Jessica Morgans is serving as branch manager at the new location.

“KeyBank’s new branch in North Greenbush is uniquely designed to give our clients a more personal banking experience, with even better access to a full suite of products and services,” said Morgans. “We are excited to bring this more consultative approach to the neighborhood and demonstrate our commitment to helping our clients move forward on their financial journey.”

“The location of this new branch is phenomenal. Right across the street from Hudson Valley Community College in the busy Market 32 plaza,” said Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin. “I always say it’s a corridor of growth. KeyBank is a great bank with deep roots in the community, and for them to locate here on this piece of land and see it come to life is fantastic.”

In addition to helping individuals and families achieve their financial goals, the new North Greenbush branch is also serving clients seeking to develop and grow businesses in the area.

“We are proud to celebrate KeyBank’s new full-service branch in North Greenbush, a strong investment in our local economy and community,” said Norris Pearson, President & CEO, Rensselaer County Regional Chamber. “Located near Hudson Valley Community College, this new branch reflects the continued growth and vitality of the area while providing residents, students, and businesses with greater access to personalized financial services. KeyBank’s commitment goes beyond banking, as demonstrated by its generous $30,000 in donations to Unity House and Live Limitless Refuge Center. Their support of local nonprofits, businesses, and families shows what true community partnership looks like, and we are excited to welcome them as an even stronger presence in Rensselaer County.”

Final Agenda Now Available for PR Daily Conference

Ragan — Tue, 26 May 2026 11:00:00 -0400

May 26, 2026 /3BL/ - The agenda is set. Speakers are confirmed. Seats are filling quickly.

If you have been considering attending the PR Daily Conference, now is the time to act.

Join us June 3-5 in Brooklyn for a program focused on the strategies and skills communicators need now.

Across two and a half days, you will gain practical insights on:

Navigating a complex and fragmented media landscape
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You will hear from industry leaders, connect with peers and leave with ideas you can put into action immediately.

This is what is working right now in PR.

Use code 3BL to save $500 on your registration.

Media Contact:
Kimberly Egan
Director of Marketing
Ragan Communications / PR Daily

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Follow the Money: Sustainability Moves Into Finance Function

Governance & Accountability Institute — Tue, 26 May 2026 10:00:00 -0400

For many companies, sustainability has been relegated to its own department — adjacent to the business but rarely embedded in the financial decisions that drive it. That's changing. Across industries and geographies, sustainability strategy is increasingly being owned, measured, and funded by finance teams. This issue of G&A’s Sustainability Highlights is full of news that demonstrates that shift. The latest developments gathered here also reveal a gap that remains between finance and sustainability: operational readiness for climate change.

We found a vivid example in the apparel sector, with clues for the future of other industries with complex supply chains. As reported by Global Fashion Agenda and Fashion Network, fashion brands are moving sustainability out of marketing departments and into the CFO's office. Sustainability is becoming a core responsibility for finance directors, as more companies make them responsible for embedding sustainability into financial planning, capital allocation, and supplier contracts.

According to the new reporting, this is because economics demand it. Rising material costs, tightening EU regulations, and shifting consumer expectations are making sustainability a profit and loss (P&L) issue. The fashion industry may be out front on this, but the pattern applies well beyond apparel — any industry with a complex supply chain and regulatory exposure is heading in the same direction.

The scale of sustainability’s shift into finance is quantifiable. PR Newswire reports that EcoVadis currently covers US$2.5 trillion in global procurement spend through its sustainability risk insights platform. In other words, as companies shift from compliance-driven supplier assessments to resilience-led procurement strategies, trillions in purchasing decisions are being filtered through sustainability risk data.

In another development explored below, the financial architecture around carbon is expanding rapidly. ESG Today reports on an international carbon pricing coalition recently launched by China, the EU, and Brazil — three of the world's largest economies – formalizing cooperation on carbon markets following negotiations at the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference in Brazil. This development builds on one highlighted in our last issue: ICAP data shows 41 active emissions trading systems covering 63% of global GDP. For companies operating across these jurisdictions, carbon is becoming a material financial input.

G&A's team has published new resources on this evolving landscape, including explainers on the EU's CBAM and carbon pricing mechanics and a blog on proposed updates to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, located in the G&A Blog/Research section below.

Amid this momentum, where do gaps remain? Sustainability Magazine covers new CDP analysis showing that many companies are still failing to adequately prepare for extreme weather risk — even those that report through CDP. The disconnect between financial commitment to sustainability and operational readiness for climate impacts remains one of the biggest vulnerabilities in corporate risk management. For companies working through their 2026 CDP response, this is a timely reminder that disclosure without action leaves value on the table. Learn more about G&A's CDP response support here.

For professionals navigating the broader landscape, this issue also covers NATO backing renewables for energy security, ESG investments on track to hit US $186 trillion by 2035, California's EPR law facing a potential legal challenge, new EU CBAM rules allowing capped carbon credit deductions, and the UK's sustainability reporting standards — which G&A also explores in a new blog this week.

This is just the introduction of G&A's Sustainability Highlights newsletter this week. Click here to view the full issue.

Global Solutions for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Improvements

Inogen Alliance — Tue, 26 May 2026 10:00:00 -0400

Access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), remains one of the most pressing global sustainability and public health challenges.. While many regions take these services for granted, a significant share of the global population still lives without reliable WASH infrastructure, with serious consequences for public health, environmental quality, and economic wellbeing.

Poor WASH conditions are closely linked to inadequate waste management, environmental degradation, and water quality deterioration. Without access to clean water and sanitation, communities face compounding risks, from waterborne disease to ecosystem collapse.

During a recent webinar hosted by Inogen Alliance, experts from member organizations across Africa and Asia shared real-world solutions to these challenges. Speakers included Emanuele Agostoni (HPC Italy) and Sathya Baskar (Chola MS Risk Services Limited (CMSRS); Moderated by Beatrice Bizzaro (HPC Italy), Global Water Working Group Leader. The session examined both the scale of the problem and what effective, scalable interventions look like in practice. Below are the key takeaways.

Why WASH Remains a Critical Global Priority

Despite significant global progress over the past two decades, WASH gaps persist across both rural and urban contexts, and the consequences are far-reaching:

Inadequate sanitation and hygiene infrastructure drives the spread of waterborne diseases and increases mortality, particularly among children.
Plastic and solid waste accumulation in drainage systems causes urban flooding, further contaminating water sources and compounding health risks.
Climate change is intensifying existing pressures. Droughts reduce drinking water availability, while floods damage sanitation infrastructure and contaminate groundwater.
Communities without waste collection services are often left with no alternative but to dispose of waste in local waterways, creating a cycle of environmental and health harm.
Plastic blocks drainage systems, contributing to urban flooding and the spread of pathogens.
Microplastics contaminate food, water, and air, affecting both human health and local ecosystems.
In Abidjan, the lagoon is so saturated with waste that local fisheries have been almost entirely abandoned, devastating the livelihoods of communities that once depended on them.
Low-tech and locally maintainable: solutions that do not require specialist imported equipment, ensuring communities can operate and repair them independently.
Flood-resistant: equipped with automatic release mechanisms to prevent overload during heavy rainfall events.
Economically viable: combining physical infrastructure with on-site sorting facilities that allow recovered material to enter recycling streams.
High-value plastics (PET, PE, HDPE) enter mechanical recycling streams and are sold as flakes or granules.
Lower-quality plastics can be repurposed into construction materials such as tiles, bricks, and structural elements. This model is already in use in Ivory Coast, where recycled plastic has been used to build over 500 classrooms.
Ocean-bound plastic credits, verified through third-party auditing and blockchain technology, allow companies to offset plastic production and help finance ongoing recovery operations.
Behavioral change campaigns promoting consistent use of facilities
Community awareness programs on the health risks of poor sanitation
Strong local government leadership and accountability mechanisms
Seawater desalination plants providing hundreds of millions of liters per day, independent of rainfall.
Mandatory rainwater harvesting for all buildings, significantly improving groundwater recharge and reducing dependence on external supply.
Treated wastewater reuse supplied to industries, reducing freshwater demand and supporting a circular water economy.
Emergency water distribution systems including tanker-based supply mechanisms to ensure access for vulnerable communities during drought conditions.
Governance and leadership are prerequisites: without policy support and institutional commitment, it is very difficult to attract investment in infrastructure or innovation.
Solutions must involve communities from the outset: projects that exclude local stakeholders, including communities, authorities, waste operators, and civil society, are unlikely to succeed in the long term.
Behavioral change requires sustained effort: education and awareness must be embedded in programs from the beginning, including at the school level, to create lasting shifts in practice.
Economic viability enables sustainability: long-term WASH solutions need viable revenue models, whether through plastic credit markets, material recovery, community-managed water fees, or ESG-linked funding mechanisms.

Addressing WASH is therefore not only a humanitarian priority. It is an environmental, economic, and climate resilience imperative.

Intercepting Plastic Waste to Protect Water Quality

One of the most visible WASH challenges in rapidly urbanizing regions is the accumulation of plastic waste in waterways. Globally, an estimated 14 million tons of plastic enter the oceans every year, with the vast majority transported via rivers and urban drainage canals rather than deposited directly at sea.

In cities like Abidjan, Ivory Coast, this problem reaches a critical scale with a project example shared from HPC Italy. Waste collection rates vary dramatically between municipalities, and overall more than half of all waste goes uncollected through official channels. Much of this ends up in the city's lagoon system, either through drainage canals or direct dumping, before flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. About 82% of waste reaching the lagoon is conveyed by urban canals during rainfall events.

The consequences extend well beyond pollution:

The Case for Upstream Interception

The most effective strategy for addressing this problem is to intercept waste before it reaches the lagoon, capturing it in canals while it is still concentrated, less contaminated, and more recyclable. Once waste enters the lagoon, it sinks within 48 hours and becomes significantly harder to recover.

Effective intervention systems of this kind are designed around three core principles:

On-site sorting stations serve a dual purpose: maintaining the quality of recyclable material and functioning as community waste drop-off points year-round, including during the dry season.

Turning Waste Into a Resource

A well-designed interception system at a single canal pilot site can capture approximately 3,800 tons of waste per year, of which around 55% is plastic, amounting to more than 2,000 tons annually. Rather than simply removing this material from the environment, the goal is to redirect it into productive use:

Initial investment costs are in the range of 400,000 to 430,000 euros for collection infrastructure and sorting equipment. Operational costs, covering a small full-time team, run in the tens of thousands of euros per year. With material recovery revenue and ESG-linked funding, operations can become self-sustaining over time.

A Replicable Approach

While pilot projects focus on individual canals, the methodology is designed to scale. Cities across Africa, Asia, and Latin America face comparable challenges, and the system can be adapted to different flow conditions and local contexts. The broader ambition is not to solve a single site but to develop a replicable model for reducing plastic leakage into waterways globally.

Scaling WASH Access: Lessons from India

“India’s experience demonstrates how large-scale national programs can rapidly expand access to sanitation and drinking water services.” India's experience delivering WASH services to a population of 1.4 billion people offers some of the most instructive lessons available anywhere in the world. Over the past decade, the country has achieved extraordinary progress while also confronting the limits of infrastructure-only approaches. Chola MS Risk shared some specific stats and examples.

Progress at Scale

Metric	Progress
Rural sanitation coverage	39% (2014) to 95%+ (today)
Toilets constructed	Over 100 million
Villages declared open defecation free	Over 600,000
Rural households with tap water connections	Over 140 million

Despite these gains, significant challenges remain. Around 160 million people still lack basic sanitation. Rapid urbanization is straining wastewater treatment capacity. And contamination from heavy metals and microbial sources continues to affect water quality across multiple regions.

Infrastructure Alone Is Not Enough

The most important lesson from India's sanitation programs is that infrastructure investment must be accompanied by behavioral and social change to have lasting impact.

The Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India Mission), launched in 2014, constructed over 100 million household toilets, making it one of the largest sanitation programs in history. “Infrastructure development alone did not guarantee sustained usage, however. The program's effectiveness depended equally on:

The program has since evolved into ODF Plus (Open Defecation Free Plus), which focuses on sustaining outcomes through solid and liquid waste management, grey water treatment, and long-term facility maintenance.

Community Ownership as the Foundation of Sustainability

The Jal Jeevan Mission, launched in 2019, has rapidly expanded rural tap water access, connecting over 140 million households and growing coverage from around 17% to over 75% of rural homes. A defining feature of this program is its emphasis on decentralized, community-led governance.

The program also emphasizes source sustainability through groundwater recharge and local water resource management.Village water committees, with strong participation from women, are responsible for maintaining infrastructure and ensuring water quality. This model of local ownership has been central to the long-term functionality of the program and is a key reason why systems continue to operate effectively after initial implementation.

Building Urban Resilience: The Chennai Example

Chennai illustrates how cities can respond to water scarcity through a combination of infrastructure innovation and strong policy. Facing recurring drought, variable monsoon rainfall, rapid population growth, and a 2019 "day zero" crisis in which major reservoirs nearly ran dry, the city implemented a range of measures:

Chennai's experience shows that urban water resilience is not achieved through any single solution. It requires a portfolio of infrastructure investments, policy reforms, and adaptive management working together.

Five Lessons for Global WASH Programs

India's experience points to principles that apply across geographies and contexts:

1. Strong policy leadership enables rapid scaling of sanitation and water programs.

2. Behavioral change is essential: facilities must be used consistently, not just built.

3. Community participation improves long-term sustainability, accountability, and system performance.

4. Infrastructure innovation, from desalination to wastewater reuse to rainwater harvesting, is critical for managing growing demand under climate pressure.

5. Climate-resilient strategies, including watershed restoration and groundwater recharge, are increasingly essential as variability intensifies.

Common Themes

Although the two case studies addressed different regions and different aspects of the WASH challenge, the same core themes emerged from both:

Practical Steps for Organizations

For companies and organizations active in regions facing WASH challenges, the following priorities stand out:

1. Assess WASH-related risks in your operations and supply chains, particularly regarding water quality, flooding vulnerability, and sanitation infrastructure gaps.

2. Explore funding mechanisms such as ocean-bound plastic credits as both a sustainability commitment and a tool for financing environmental recovery.

3. Support community-led WASH initiatives, as co-design and local ownership are the strongest predictors of long-term project success.

4. Invest in education and behavioral change alongside physical infrastructure, as they are equally important for lasting impact.

5. Engage with global knowledge-sharing networks to access local expertise and replicate proven approaches across geographies.

The Bottom Line

The WASH challenge is vast, but the solutions exist. What is needed is the investment, governance, and community engagement to scale them.

From intercepting plastic in urban waterways to delivering tap water to millions of rural households, meaningful progress is achievable when technical innovation is paired with strong leadership and local ownership.

If you would like to learn more about WASH-related initiatives or explore how Inogen Alliance can support your organization's sustainability goals, our global network of experts is ready to help.

Inogen Alliance is a global network made up of over 70 of independent local businesses and over 6,000 consultants around the world who can help make your project a success. Our Associates collaborate closely to serve multinational corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, and we share knowledge and industry experience to provide the highest quality service to our clients. If you want to learn more about how you can work with Inogen Alliance, you can explore our Associates or Contact Us. Watch for more News & Blog updates, listen to our podcast and follow us on LinkedIn.

National Park Foundation Receives $1.6 Million Donation From the 2025 Subaru Share the Love® Event

Subaru of America — Tue, 26 May 2026 09:05:00 -0400

Originally published by National Park Foundation

The National Park Foundation (NPF) announced today that Subaru of America, Inc. and its retailers donated more than $1.6 million in support of national parks through the 2025 Subaru Share the Love® Event. This donation will help preserve and protect more than 430 national parks across the country.

This is the 13th consecutive year that NPF has partnered with Subaru as a Share the Love® Event national charity partner. Subaru is NPF’s largest corporate partner and has donated over $85 million to NPF since 2013.

During the 2025 Subaru Share the Love® Event, the automaker and its retailers donated a minimum of $300 to charity for every new Subaru vehicle purchased or leased at participating Subaru retailers nationwide. The amount donated to NPF reflects how people everywhere connect through the shared joy of experiencing the outdoors together, creating lasting memories while giving back to national parks across the country.

To learn more about the Subaru Share the Love® Event, please visit https://www.subaru.com/share.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

The National Park Foundation works to protect wildlife and park lands, preserve history and culture, educate and engage youth, and connect people everywhere to the wonder of parks. We do it in collaboration with the National Park Service, the park partner community, and with the generous support of donors, without whom our work would not be possible. Learn more at nationalparks.org.

ABOUT SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.

Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts, and accessories through a network of about 640 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill plants, including Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc., the only U.S. automobile manufacturing plant designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company’s vision to show love and respect to everyone and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA and the SOA Foundation have donated more than $320 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged over 100,000 volunteer hours. Subaru is dedicated to being More Than a Car Company® and to making the world a better place. For additional information, visit media.subaru.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.

Discovery Education Names Amy Nakamoto Chief Commercial Officer

Discovery Education — Tue, 26 May 2026 09:00:00 -0400

CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 26, 2026 /3BL/ - Discovery Education today appointed Amy Nakamoto as Chief Commercial Officer, unifying the company’s go-to-market organization to deliver a cohesive and responsive partnership model. The role brings K-12 Sales, Partner Success, Professional Learning, Corporate Education Partnerships, Marketing, and Revenue Operations together under a single leader.

For more than 20 years, Discovery Education has helped schools navigate transitions in classroom technology grounded in the science of teaching and learning. Educators today are navigating several shifts, including the changing relationship of technology in teaching and learning, changes in enrollment patterns, and an elevated focus on career-connected learning. These shifts come against the backdrop of a consistent focus on student achievement. Discovery Education’s unified commercial organization positions the company to meet this moment with increased agility and deep alignment to partners’ strategic goals.

“Amy has consistently delivered value and innovation for our partners and our organization since joining Discovery Education nearly a decade ago,” said Brian Shaw, Chief Executive Officer at Discovery Education. “Unifying our commercial team under her leadership aligns strategy and execution across business lines and functions in a time of rapid change. As a long-standing member of our executive team, Amy brings a track record of collaboration and performance, combined with a deep belief in the Discovery Education mission.”

“I’m honored to be named Chief Commercial Officer at Discovery Education. We have passionate team members, an unwavering commitment to our district and corporate partners, and a clear purpose to power student progress through great teaching and learning,” said Amy Nakamoto, Chief Commercial Officer at Discovery Education. “A more cohesive commercial organization means we’ll move faster and stay even closer to partners as the K-12 classroom keeps changing.”

Nakamoto brings more than 20 years of experience successfully scaling mission-driven education organizations. At Discovery Education, she has held progressive leadership roles including Vice President, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Corporate Education Partnerships business. Most recently, she served as Executive Vice President of Marketing, Brand, and Corporate Partnerships, leading the team to achieve performance benchmarks while accelerating change initiatives and business model adaptations, including the adoption of AI workflows, responsibly. Prior to Discovery Education, Nakamoto held leadership roles in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector focused on youth development, education, and community revitalization. Nakamoto holds a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University, a master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania, and a master’s degree in sport science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

###

About Discovery Education

Discovery Education is a global education technology leader whose innovative solutions empower educators and progress student learning. Discovery Education’s solutions have served more than 100 million students globally, supporting effective teaching and learning in 45% of U.S. K-12 schools and in 100+ countries and territories. The company’s portfolio includes award-winning core and supplemental curriculum, high-quality standards-aligned content, and AI-enabled teaching and learning tools. Solutions span math, science, literacy, social studies, and career-connected learning, including instructionally-aligned content developed through one-of-a-kind partnerships with industry leaders to bring real-world relevance into every lesson. Learn more at www.DiscoveryEducation.com.

Contact

Ali Koper
Discovery Education
akoper@discoveryed.com

Early Bird Registration Now Open for the 2026 Tire Emissions Research Conference

Tire Industry Project — Tue, 26 May 2026 09:00:00 -0400

GENEVA, May 26, 2026 /3BL/ - The Tire Industry Project (TIP) announces the opening of registrations for the 2026 Tire Emissions Research Conference, set to take place from 8 to 10 December 2026 at the University of Cambridge, England.

Building on the strong foundations of the previous conferences in Munich, Germany in 2024 and in Boston, USA in 2025, this year’s edition will continue to focus exclusively on discussing scientific research in tire emissions and promoting actionable measures. This sustained focus reflects the growing global attention around tire wear emissions and the belief that progress is best achieved through open knowledge-sharing, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and harmonized scientific methods.

The agenda reflects the full complexity of the challenge:

Tire and road emissions generation and characterization (particulates and constituents)
Environmental distribution and fate of tire emissions
Behavior and impact of tire emissions on the environment
Design alternatives
Civil engineering measures and environmental practices for mitigation of TRWP and chemicals

The conference brings together the breadth of expertise needed to address these critical topics, convening scientists and practitioners from industry and academia alongside policymakers and experts in environmental and materials science. It creates a forum for the kind of collaborative ideation that generates new insights towards addressing tire and road wear emissions.

The conference will be held at Jesus College in the prestigious University of Cambridge, a global center of learning with centuries of scientific excellence. This continues the conference’s tradition of joining forces with world-class institutions such as the Technical University of Munich and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

For more information and to register for the 2026 conference, visit the event website.

Researchers and experts in the field are invited to submit their abstracts by 29 May 2026 for an opportunity to be included in the conference program. 

See the photo gallery of the 2025 edition of the conference here: 2025 Tire Emissions Research Conference – Tire Industry Project.

MinuteClinic® and Hartford HealthCare Expand Primary Care Access Across Connecticut

CVS Health — Tue, 26 May 2026 08:30:00 -0400

Originally published on CVS Health Company News

HARTFORD, Conn., May 7, 2026 /3BL/ — MinuteClinic^®, the medical clinic inside select CVS Pharmacy^® locations, and Hartford HealthCare (HHC), one of New England’s most comprehensive health systems, are collaborating to offer in-network adult primary care at all Connecticut MinuteClinic locations for many insurance plans accepted by Hartford HealthCare.

This enhanced collaboration broadens convenient access to high‑quality primary care for residents across Connecticut. The care model also prioritizes affordability through a cost‑effective, patient‑centered approach focused on improving long‑term health outcomes. Research shows that individuals who maintain an ongoing relationship with a primary care provider experience significantly lower healthcare costs and better health management over time.^*

With 20 MinuteClinic locations across Connecticut, patients can take advantage of same-day or next-day access and evening and weekend hours. Care coordination is supported through an interoperable electronic health record, enabling seamless communication between MinuteClinic providers and Hartford HealthCare clinicians.

“I could not be more excited about what this integration truly means for consumers across Connecticut,” said Jeffrey A. Flaks, President and CEO, Hartford HealthCare. “This will greatly expand access statewide by allowing for more convenient entry points, more flexible hours, and a simpler way to connect to ongoing and coordinated care. These enhancements will transform how we deliver care. We are fully committed to creating a more consumer‑centric healthcare system. This partnership is an important step forward in helping us improve access, deliver better outcomes, and make care more affordable for communities.”

MinuteClinic primary care patients will have streamlined access to Hartford HealthCare’s network, including hospitals, specialists, diagnostic services, advanced imaging, and specialty labs, ensuring continuity across care settings.

“Connecticut, like much of the nation, is facing a shortage of primary care physicians,” said Padmanabhan Premkumar, MD, President of the Hartford HealthCare Medical Group. “By expanding primary care access through MinuteClinic, we’re creating additional, convenient options for preventive and ongoing health needs within the communities we serve. This model aligns perfectly with Hartford HealthCare’s commitment to accessible, patient centered care.”

Expanding MinuteClinic’s Primary Care Model

“Today, more than 65 percent of MinuteClinic locations across the country offer adult primary care through affiliations with trusted health systems and payers,” said Jon Thiboutot, President of Retail Health at CVS Health. “Since we introduced this care model nearly two years ago, patients have responded positively—with strong enrollment, high satisfaction and real progress in closing gaps in care. We began offering primary care to eligible patients in Connecticut last summer. By working with Hartford HealthCare, we can now bring this proven model to more patients across the state and help more people focus on their long-term health.”

MinuteClinic is one of the nation’s largest employers of board-certified advanced practice providers. Highly trained nurse practitioners and physician assistants deliver whole person care, with a strong focus on prevention and ongoing health support.

From routine checkups, chronic condition management, and recommended screenings and vaccines, to walk-in care for minor illnesses and access to coordinated specialist referrals, MinuteClinic continues to bring affordable, convenient and high- quality care to neighborhoods across the country.

About Hartford HealthCare

With 48,000 dedicated colleagues and a bold vision for the future, Hartford HealthCare is transforming healthcare across Connecticut and beyond — enhancing access, affordability, health equity, and excellence. Spanning more than 500 locations across 185 towns and cities, our comprehensive care-delivery system is built to serve every community, every day.

From world-class hospitals — including two tertiary-level teaching hospitals, an acute-care community teaching hospital, an acute-care hospital and trauma center, and four community hospitals — to an expansive network of behavioral health services, multispecialty physician groups, urgent and virtual care, surgery centers, home care, senior care, rehabilitation, and mobile neighborhood health programs, Hartford HealthCare is there when and where it matters most.

Hartford HealthCare touches the lives of more than 28,000 people every single day, delivering unparalleled care through its unique Institute Model — bringing together leading experts in neuroscience, cancer, digestive health, heart and vascular care, orthopedics, and urology and kidney health to provide a unified, high standard of care at the most affordable cost.

Recognized nationally for patient safety and clinical excellence, Hartford HealthCare was the only health system in country awarded the prestigious Quest for Quality Prize from the American Hospital Association and boasts Leapfrog A-ratings across all its hospitals — making Hartford HealthCare one of the safest healthcare systems in the country.

Join us on our journey to redefine healthcare. Visit www.HartfordHealthCare.org and stay connected through our newsletters and social media.

About CVS Health

CVS Health® is a leading health solutions company building a world of health around every consumer, wherever they are. As of December 31, 2025, the Company had approximately 9,000 retail pharmacy locations, more than 1,000 walk-in and primary care medical clinics and a leading pharmacy benefits manager with approximately 87 million plan members. The Company also serves an estimated more than 37 million people through traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including highly rated Medicare Advantage offerings and a leading standalone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. The Company’s integrated model uses personalized, technology driven services to connect people to simply better health, increasing access to quality care, delivering better outcomes, and lowering overall costs.

To schedule a primary care appointment at MinuteClinic or learn more about available services, visit cvs.com/minuteclinic.

Media contacts

Shannon Dillon, CVS Health
Shannon.Dillon@CVSHealth.com
346.291.713

Tina Varona, Hartford HealthCare
Tina.Varona@hhchealth.org
860.310.7640

AI and Sustainability: Is There a Problem?

Everpure — Tue, 26 May 2026 08:05:00 -0400

Introduction

By Patrick Smith, VP, EMEA Field CTO, Everpure

AI can do more and more. Think of any topic and an AI or genAI tool can effortlessly generate an image, video or text. Yet the environmental impact of, say, generating a video by AI is often forgotten. For example, generating one image by AI consumes about the same amount of power as charging your mobile phone. A relevant fact when you consider that more and more organizations are betting on AI.

After all, training AI models requires huge amounts of data, and massive data centers are needed to store all this data. In fact, there are estimates that AI servers (in an average scenario) could consume in the range of 85 to 134Twh of power annually by 2027. This is equivalent to the total amount of energy consumed in the Netherlands in a year.

The message is clear: AI consumes a lot of energy and will, therefore, have a clear impact on the environment.

Does AI Have a Sustainability Problem?

To create a useful AI model, a number of things are needed. These include training data, sufficient storage space and GPUs. Each component consumes energy, but GPUs consume by far the largest amount of power. According to researchers at OpenAI, the amount of computing power used has been doubling every 3.4 months since 2012. This is a huge increase that is likely to continue into the future, given the popularity of various AI applications. This increase in computing power is having an increasing impact on the environment.

Organizations wishing to incorporate an AI approach should therefore carefully weigh the added value of AI against its environmental impact; while it's unlikely a decision maker would put off a project or initiative, this is about having your cake and eating it. Looking at the bigger picture and picking technology which meets both AI and sustainability goals. In addition to this, the underlying infrastructure and the GPUs themselves need to become more energy-efficient. At its recent GTC user conference, NVIDIA highlighted exactly this, paving the way for more to be achieved with each GPU with greater efficiency.

Reducing the Impact of AI on the Environment

A number of industries are important during the process for training and deploying an AI model: The storage industry, data center industry, and semiconductor industry. To reduce AI's impact on the environment, steps need to be taken in each of these sectors to improve sustainability.

The Storage Industry and the Role of Flash Storage

In the storage industry, concrete steps can be taken to reduce the environmental impact of AI. An example is all-flash storage solutions which are significantly more energy-efficient than traditional disk-based storage (HDD). In some cases, all-flash solutions can deliver a 69% reduction in energy consumption compared to HDD. Some vendors are even going beyond off-the-shelf SSDs and developing their own flash modules, allowing the array's software to communicate directly with flash storage. This makes it possible to maximize the capabilities of the flash and achieve even better performance, energy usage and efficiency, that is, data centers require less power, space and cooling.

Data Centers Power Efficiency

Data centers can take a sustainability leap with better, more efficient cooling techniques, and making use of renewable energy. Many organizations, including the EU, are looking at Power Usage Efficiency (PUE) as a metric -- how much power is going into a data center vs how much is used inside. While reducing the PUE is a good thing, it's a blunt and basic tool which doesn't account for, or reward, the efficiency of the tech installed within the data center.

Semiconductor Industry

The demand for energy is insatiable, not least because semiconductor manufacturers -- ,especially of the GPUs that form the basis of many AI systems -- are making their chips increasingly powerful. For instance, 25 years ago, a GPU contained one million transistors, was around 100mm² in size and did not use that much power. Today, GPUs just announced contain 208 billion transistors, and consume 1200W of power per GPU. The semiconductor industry needs to be more energy efficient. This is already happening, as highlighted at the recent NVIDIA GTC conference, with CEO Jensen Huang saying that due to the advancements in the chip manufacturing process, GPUs are actually doing more work and so are more efficient despite the increased power consumption.

Conclusion

It's been clear for years that AI consumes huge amounts of energy and therefore can have a negative environmental impact. The demand for more and more AI generated programmes, projects, videos and more will keep growing in the coming years. Organizations embarking on an AI initiative need to carefully measure the impact of their activities. Especially with increased scrutiny on emissions and ESG reporting, it's vital to understand the repercussions of energy consumption by AI in detail and mitigate wherever possible.

Initiatives such as moving to more energy efficient technology, including flash storage, or improving data center capabilities can reduce the impact. Every sector involved in AI can and should take concrete steps towards a more sustainable course. It is important to keep investing in the right areas to combat climate change!

Learn More About Sustainability at Everpure

Inside Mary Kay’s Grassroots Advocacy Approach: Building Trust Through Entrepreneur Voices

Mary Kay — Tue, 26 May 2026 08:00:00 -0400

Originally published on newsroom.marykay.com

Grassroots advocacy is often associated with large-scale campaigns – mass emails, petitions, and sweeping calls to action. But in practice, the most effective efforts are far more focused, grounded in real conversations, preparation, and trust.

That perspective was shared by Mary Kay’s Anne Crews, Vice President of Public Affairs, at the Public Affairs Council’s 2026 Advocacy Conference on March 17-19, 2026, in Scottsdale, Arizona. It reflects the company’s broader grassroots approach, shaped by Mary Kay’s Public Affairs team, including Michelle Erbeyi, Public Affairs Manager.

At Mary Kay, grassroots are informed by a network of independent beauty consultants whose firsthand experiences bring a human dimension to policy discussions. The approach prioritizes authenticity, preparation, and long-term relationships with policymakers—reflecting both the company’s culture and its community of entrepreneurs, leaders, and storytellers.

Rather than measuring success by how many people participate, Mary Kay focuses on ensuring the right voices are in the room and prepared to share meaningful experiences with lawmakers. The goal isn’t simply activity – it is trust.

Below are insights from Anne and Michelle on Mary Kay’s approach – a series of real-life learnings and true inspiration for public affairs professionals.

Q: Mary Kay has a unique business model. How does that shape your approach to advocacy?

Anne:

To understand our advocacy, it helps to understand our company. Mary Kay was founded in Texas in 1963 by Mary Kay Ash with a mission to enrich women’s lives. That mission remains unchanged today. Our products are sold exclusively by our independent beauty consultants – entrepreneurs who build their own businesses and connect with customers in their communities.
These consultants are not employees. They are independent small business owners who define success on their own terms while being supported by Mary Kay corporate and the broader Mary Kay community.
Public policy often intersects with how independent entrepreneurs operate, making engagement important for ensuring their perspectives are understood. When our consultants speak with policymakers, they share firsthand experiences in entrepreneurship, small business ownership, and economic opportunity.
Authentic stories often add a powerful human dimension to policy discussions.

Q: Culture plays a key role in your advocacy strategy. How does it influence your grassroots work?

Michelle:

Mary Kay’s culture has been consistent since our founding, and it truly shapes how we engage in public policy discussions.
Three values are especially important:
1. Authenticity: Our consultants build genuine relationships in their communities. When they share their stories with lawmakers, those experiences are real and personal. That level of authenticity is powerful.
2. Respectful Engagement: Mary Kay has always emphasized the Golden Rule – treating others the way you’d want to be treated. That philosophy carries into our policy conversations. Our advocates approach discussions with civility and a focus on solutions.
3. Service mindset, which we call the “Go-Give spirit.” Our consultants show up wanting to contribute, not confront. They are deeply invested in issues affecting women, families, and small businesses.
These cultural values create the foundation for advocacy that is thoughtful, respectful, and credible.

Q: Is more participation always better in grassroots advocacy?

Anne:

We focus on ensuring participants feel prepared and confident to engage in an advocacy setting. When you have a smaller group of advocates, you can invest more time in preparation and alignment. That preparation shows immediately when they sit down with policymakers.
And in advocacy, credibility matters. When policymakers consistently encounter thoughtful, well-prepared advocates, trust builds over time.

Q: How do you measure the effectiveness of grassroots engagement?

Michelle:

Quantitative metrics are important, but they rarely tell the full story.
What really matters is the quality of the interaction. Were advocates prepared? Did the conversation have substance? Did it lead to follow-up dialogue?
We also pay close attention to tone. Are our advocates reflecting our values? Are discussions respectful and solutions-oriented?
Those qualitative insights often tell us far more than raw numbers. In our experience, professionalism and authenticity consistently outperform volume.
In many cases, the quality of a single conversation can have more lasting impact than a high volume of interactions.

Q: How do you communicate the value of grassroots advocacy to executives and corporate leadership?

Anne:

Leadership teams don’t need more data – they need better signals.
When we report on advocacy efforts, we focus on outcomes rather than activity. We ask: Did this engagement move an issue forward? Did it deepen a relationship? Did it help policymakers better understand our business model?
We also connect advocacy directly to business priorities. That might mean protecting flexibility for independent entrepreneurs, strengthening Mary Kay’s reputation, or reducing long-term regulatory risk.
And whenever possible, we involve leaders from other parts of the company. When colleagues from sales, marketing, or operations participate in advocacy engagements, the value becomes very tangible.
It becomes more than a report – it’s an experience.

Q: Can you share examples of how this strategy works in real life?

Michelle:

One example was our Mary Kay Day on the Hill, which marked our company’s 60th anniversary. Rather than inviting a large group, we prioritized participants who were prepared to share their experiences clearly and effectively. The result was a series of meaningful conversations with policymakers because the advocates were prepared and authentic.
We also host smaller events that help policymakers understand our business model. For example, we’ve organized skincare and entrepreneurship sessions where legislators meet local consultants and hear firsthand how they run their businesses. Those gatherings are intentionally small, but they often lead to deeper conversations and long-term relationships.
Another important aspect of our work is connecting policymakers with their constituents. We help policymakers understand the presence of entrepreneurs in their communities and the broader economic impact they represent. And sometimes the most effective advocacy happens through site visits, where policymakers visit Mary Kay facilities and meet the employees and entrepreneurs connected to our business. Each of these efforts reflects the same principle: meaningful engagement matters more than volume.

Q: What advice would you offer to other public affairs professionals building grassroots programs?

Anne:

Start with purpose. If you’re clear about your objectives and grounded in your organization’s values, your advocacy efforts will naturally become more focused and effective.
Invest in preparation. Advocates who feel confident and informed create stronger interactions with policymakers.
And remember that advocacy is about relationships, not transactions. Trust develops over time through consistent, respectful engagement.
When organizations focus on authenticity and preparation, the impact is far greater than any mass campaign.

The Bigger Lesson

While advocacy approaches vary across organizations, our experience has shown that thoughtful, well-prepared engagement consistently leads to more meaningful outcomes. For Mary Kay, grassroots advocacy isn’t simply a public affairs strategy; it’s an extension of Mary Kay’s mission and culture. By empowering women entrepreneurs to share their stories, focusing on thoughtful engagement, and prioritizing long-term relationships with policymakers, Mary Kay has built an advocacy model rooted in authenticity.

And in today’s policy environment, that authenticity may be the most powerful tool advocates have.

The Bigger Picture: Direct Selling’s Economic Impact

Direct selling contributes an estimated annual $79.2 billion to the U.S. economy, supporting household spending, supply chains, and government revenue.^[1]
More than 12.2 million independent contractors participate in direct selling in the U.S., earning supplemental income and/or building their own businesses (representing every U.S. state).^[2]
34.7 billion: retail sales generated directly through direct selling activities.^[3]
Nationally, $1.00 in direct selling retail sales drives $2.34 of economic activity.^[4]

Learn more about Mary Kay’s advocacy efforts around the world in the 2025 Sustainability Report.

***

About Mary Kay

One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her dream beauty brand in Texas in 1963 with one goal: to enrich women’s lives. Learn more at marykayglobal.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, or follow us on X.

^{[1] Direct Selling Education Foundation and Robert A. Peterson, Ph.D., (February 2026).}^{The Economic Impact of Direct Selling Activity in the United States.}^{DSEF 2026 US Economic Impact Report}^.

^{[2] Direct Selling Education Foundation and Robert A. Peterson, Ph.D., (February 2026).}^{The Economic Impact of Direct Selling Activity in the United States.}^{DSEF 2026 US Economic Impact Report}^.

^{[3] Direct Selling Education Foundation and Robert A. Peterson, Ph.D., (February 2026).}^{The Economic Impact of Direct Selling Activity in the United States.}^{DSEF 2026 US Economic Impact Report}^.

^{[4] Direct Selling Education Foundation and Robert A. Peterson, Ph.D., (February 2026).}^{The Economic Impact of Direct Selling Activity in the United States.}^{DSEF 2026 US Economic Impact Report}^.

How a Dangerous Collapse Led One Woman to a Blood Pressure Procedure

Medtronic — Tue, 26 May 2026 08:00:00 -0400

Heart conditions can impact anyone, anywhere, and often without warning. Fifty-nine-year-old Ana Florencio experienced this first-hand when what began as an otherwise typical day quickly turned into one of the scariest moments of her life.

While walking down the streets of New York City a couple of years ago, Ana fainted twice without warning. She later learned she suffered a hypertensive crisis¹ — meaning she had an extreme and sudden spike in blood pressure. The experience marked a turning point in her heart health — one she shares with over 1 in 3 Hispanic women in the U.S. who live with high blood pressure.²

A threat among Hispanic communities

High blood pressure is a chronic condition often referred to as the “silent killer” because it can go undetected until a serious event occurs, as it did with Ana. When symptoms do appear, they may include headaches, dizziness, or shortness of breath. If not controlled, high blood pressure can lead to significantly increased health risks including heart attack and stroke.^3,4

The condition affects 39% of Hispanic adults in the U.S.,⁵and around 83% of Hispanic adults with high blood pressure don't have it under control,⁵ making the condition even more dangerous.

Prior to her fainting episode, Ana was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a condition closely linked to high blood pressure.³ Realizing she was now managing multiple chronic conditions, she knew now was the time to take action.

When medication falls short

In the time that followed, Ana worked with her care team, Dr. Prakash Krishnan at The Mount Sinai Hospital,^* to manage her blood pressure with medication. While medication is effective for most, many do not maintain a routine to keep taking their medication; in fact, 50% of people with high blood pressure stop taking their medication within one year.⁶Despite her best efforts, her blood pressure continued to rise. U.S. guidelines from AHA define high blood pressure as any value greater than 130/80 mmHg,³ but Ana’s remained higher than recommended guidelines and she still experienced spikes in her blood pressure. In addition, Ana experienced severe side effects from her medications ranging from chronic nausea to headaches. These symptoms made it difficult for Ana to do the things she once loved, like taking long walks, cooking, cleaning and turning family gatherings into memorable celebrations.

Finding hope through renal denervation

Determined to take control of her health, Ana began researching alternative treatment options with her doctors. After extensive consultations, she learned about a one-time procedure called the Symplicity™ blood pressure procedure, a minimally invasive procedure for people with uncontrolled blood pressure despite lifestyle modifications and medications.⁷

The Symplicity Spyral™ renal denervation system works by calming excessively active nerves near the kidneys that may be contributing to high blood pressure.⁸ The procedure doesn’t require any implant and once done, the effects keep working 24 hours a day.^9,10

Seeing this as a chance to reclaim her physical and mental health, Ana decided to undergo the procedure. “The results were incredible,” she shared. “Now, I have readings in the normal range, and it has given me the energy to enjoy the little things in life, like going on long walks without the fear of fainting again.” In two clinical studies, over 50% of patients who received the blood pressure procedure saw a 10 millimeters of mercury drop in blood pressure regardless of if they were taking medications or not.^9-11 Medication is still part of Ana’s routine to control her blood pressure.

“So many patients like Ana who continue to struggle with uncontrolled hypertension, despite lifestyle changes and medication - renal denervation offers a meaningful adjunctive therapy,” said Dr. Prakash Krishnan. “Seeing her blood pressure stabilized is exactly why we perform this procedure. My team and I at Mount Sinai Fuster Hospital along with the entire Mount Sinai Health System are very excited to be offering this procedure to help patients.”

Forging your path

Ana’s story is a powerful reminder that treatment for high blood pressure, like most things, isn’t one-size-fits-all. While medications and lifestyle changes (like eating less salt and managing weight) are important tools, they aren’t always enough for every patient. In Ana’s case, a procedure like the Symplicity blood pressure procedure proved to be the missing piece she needed to regain control over her blood pressure numbers.

While public health experts continue to raise awareness about chronic conditions like high blood pressure,¹² Ana’s journey emphasizes the importance of understanding personal risks and demonstrates that, with the right care team and determination, it's possible to reclaim your health.

This patient testimonial is an individual’s experience and opinion. Not every person will experience the same results.

The Symplicity Spyral renal denervation system is indicated to reduce blood pressure as an adjunctive treatment in patients with hypertension for whom lifestyle modifications and antihypertensive medications do not adequately control blood pressure. People with higher blood pressure before the procedure may see greater reductions in blood pressure and a decrease in the need for blood pressure medication following the procedure.

The Symplicity procedure has known risks that should be considered in relation to the potential benefits of the procedure. Potential procedure-related adverse events including pain, vascular access site complications, and vasospasm are most common.

To learn more about renal denervation and view additional important safety and risk information, visit beyondHBP.com.

*In the past, this physician has been paid for participation in speaking events by Medtronic.

¹Hypertensive crisis: What are the symptoms? Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/expert-answers/hypertensive-crisis/faq-20058491. Accessed October 29, 2025.

²Martin SS, Aday AW, Allen NB, et al. 2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics: A Report of US and Global Data From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2025 Feb 25;151(8):e41-e660.

³Jones DW, et al. 2025 AHA/ACC/AANP/AAPA/ABC/ACCP/ACPM/AGS/AMA/ASPC/NMA/PCNA/SGIM Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2025 Nov 4;86(18):1567-1678.

⁴ High blood pressure dangers: Hypertension’s effects on your body. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/highblood-pressure/in-depth/high-blood-pressure/art-20045868. Accessed Oct 16, 2024.

⁵Health and Economic Benefits of High Blood Pressure Interventions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/priorities/high-blood-pressure.html. Accessed October 29, 2025.

⁶Berra E, Azizi M, Capron A, et al. A. Evaluation of Adherence Should Become an Integral Part of Assessment of Patients With Apparently Treatment-Resistant Hypertension. Hypertension. 2016 Aug;68(2):297-306.

⁷Medtronic Symplicity Spyral multi-electrode renal denervation catheter Instructions for Use.

⁸Coates P, Tunev S, Trudel J, Hettrick DA. Time, Temperature, Power, and Impedance Considerations for Radiofrequency Catheter Renal Denervation. Cardiovasc Revasc Med. September 2022;42:171–177.

⁹Kandzari DE, Townsend RR, Kario K, et al. Safety and Efficacy of Renal Denervation in Patients Taking Antihypertensive Medications. J Am Coll Cardiol. November 7, 2023;82(19):1809–1823.

¹⁰Böhm M, Kario K, Kandzari DE, et al. Efficacy of catheter-based renal denervation in the absence of antihypertensive medications (SPYRAL HTN-OFF MED Pivotal): a multicentre, randomized, sham-controlled trial. Lancet. May 2, 2020;395(10234):1444-1451.

¹¹Symplicity Spyral^TM Renal Denervation System. FDA Presentation. US FDA Circulatory Systems Devices Panel. Meeting date August 23, 2023.

¹²Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Control Hypertension. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/call-to-action-to-control-hypertension.pdf. Accessed October 29, 2025.

US-SE-2500594 v 5.0

パナソニックエレクトリックワークス株式会社は、WELL認証を取得したオフィスが、ワーク・エンゲージメントおよびウェルビーイングに寄与することを示すエビデンスを公開

International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) — Sun, 24 May 2026 20:00:00 -0400

国際WELLビルディング協会（IWBI）とパナソニックエレクトリックワークス株式会社（以下、パナソニックEW）は、本日(2026年5月19日)、WELL認証の効果に関する調査結果を発表しました。WELL認証を受けたオフィス（以下、WELL認証オフィス）では、認証を受けていないオフィス（以下、非認証オフィス）に比べて、従業員のウェルビーイング、エンゲージメント、オフィス環境に対する満足感などすべての項目で、高い結果が得られており、ウェルビーイングを重視した空間戦略と従業員のパフォーマンス、そして組織レジリエンスとの間に関係性があったことが示唆されています。これらは、日本国内の41のオフィスプロジェクト、4,200名以上の従業員を対象に実施されたアンケート調査の結果に基づくものであり、WELL認証の効果に関してのエビデンスと貴重な知見を提示しています。

“IWBIの協力の下、日本におけるWELL認証オフィスの効果を調査しました。WELL認証オフィスでは、空気・音・照明といった環境面に加え、組織面においても一貫して高い満足度が確認され、それらが従業員ウェルビーイングやエンゲージメントに貢献していることが今回の調査結果から明らかになりました。これらの結果は、ウェルビーイングを重視したオフィス設計の重要性を裏付けるものと考えています。”と、パナソニックEWのWellコンサル・サービス推進部村上部長は述べています。

WELL認証オフィスは、非認証オフィスに比べて、ウェルビーイングが19％高く、ワーク・エンゲージメントが20％高い結果を示しています。従業員の健康やパフォーマンスに有効とされる室内環境の項目において、WELL認証オフィスでは、自然へのアクセス（+36%）、水質（+26%）、室内空気質（+23%）、音環境（+21%）、スピーチプライバシー（+21%）、熱的快適性（+20%）、自然光（+18%）、照明環境（+13%）などと、満足度が有意に高いことが示されました。重要な点として、この優位性は、最近改修されたオフィスと比較しても同様の傾向を示しており、WELL認証オフィスは、最近改修された非認証オフィスと比較しても、ウェルビーイングで10%、エンゲージメントで8%高いパフォーマンスを示しました。これは、従来型のオフィス改修だけではエンゲージメントやウェルビーイングにおいて十分な効果をもたらすことができないことを裏付けています。

“本調査は、人々の健康、ウェルビーイング、そしてパフォーマンスに対して、WELL認証オフィスで一貫して優れた成果を示していることを裏付けており、急速に拡大し十分に実証されたエビデンス群に新たな知見を加えるものです”と、IWBI President & CEO のRachel Hodgdon氏は述べています。“さらに本調査結果は、健康への投資はコストではなく、より高いパフォーマンス、より深いエンゲージメント、そしてより強靭な組織レジリエンスを生み出す原動力である点について、あらゆる組織に対して強いメッセージを発しています。”

また、本調査では室内環境にとどまらず、WELL認証が働く環境に及ぼす広範な影響も浮き彫りにしています。WELL認証オフィスで働く従業員は、プライバシー、心理的安全性、社会的つながり、そして勤務時間中の休息やリチャージの機会など、職場の文化やデザインにおける主要な要素に対しても満足度が高いことが確認されました。レイアウトや家具から清潔さ、運営方針に至るまでのデザインの要素も高い評価結果が得られており、包括的で支援性の高い職場環境が構築されていたことを示唆しています。

“ウェルビーイングの重要性は多くの組織で認識されている一方で、その効果や価値を定量的に示すことには課題がありました。本調査結果は、WELL認証オフィスがもたらす効果を明確に示すものであり、人的資本経営を重要視する企業にとって、ウェルビーイングへの投資判断を支援する重要なエビデンスになると考えています”と、パナソニックEW Well-Being事業開発室室長の原氏は述べています。

“パナソニックEWは、今回得られた知見を活用し、まずは日本市場を中心に、お客様のウェルビーイングなオフィスづくりを支援してまいります。また、将来的には、アジアおよびグローバル市場においても、ウェルビーイングの推進に貢献してまいります。”

本調査では、ウェルビーイングやパフォーマンスの効果を裏付けるエビデンスを示すほかに、これらの効果に影響を与えた要因について分析を加えています。本調査で実施した回帰分析によると、リフレッシュとリチャージに関連する主要因子が、主観的なウェルビーイングに大きく寄与しており、その割合は31%を占め、次いでチーム文化が16%、室内環境品質が15%、デザインが14%となっています。仕事へのエンゲージメントについても同様の傾向が見られ、リフレッシュが18％、チーム文化が14％、デザインが14％を占めています。ここでのデザインにはコミュニケーションの取りやすさなど働き方のデザインも含まれており、ウェルビーイングな働き方を考慮したデザインの重要性も示唆されています。これらの知見は、オフィス環境、組織文化や人との関係性、デザインが連携して健康と生産性の両方を支える、包括的なパフォーマンスモデルを浮き彫りにしています。

本調査は、WELL認証オフィスと非認証オフィスを比較した大規模な調査の一つであり、その調査結果は健康とウェルビーイングをオフィス投資戦略の基盤として位置づけるためのエビデンスとなります。これらを総合すると、従業員のパフォーマンスと組織のレジリエンスを促すため、ウェルビーイングが企業経営における中心的役割になってきていることを示唆しています。

https://www2.panasonic.biz/jp/solution/office/column/wellbeing/002.html

IWBIについて

International WELL Building Institute（IWBI）は、建築物、組織、コミュニティにおける健康とウェルビーイングの向上を推進するグローバルな権威機関であり、公益法人（Public Benefit Corporation）です。IWBIはWELL Building Standard（WELL認証）、住宅向けWELL、WELL Community Standard、各種WELLレーティング、およびWELL AP資格制度の開発・運営を通じて、コミュニティを結集しています。また、研究成果を実践へとつなげるとともに、教育リソースの開発や、「人を中心に据えた空間」を世界中で推進するための政策提言にも取り組んでいます。WELLに関する詳細はこちらをご覧ください。

International WELL Building Institute、IWBI、WELL Building Standard、WELL v2、WELL Certified、WELL AP、WELL EP、WELL Score、The WELL Conference、We Are WELL、WELL Community Standard、WELL Health-Safety Rated、WELL Performance Rated、WELL Equity Rated、WELL Equity、WELL Coworking Rated、WELL Residence、Works with WELL、WELLおよびその他関連ロゴは、米国およびその他の国におけるInternational WELL Building Institute PBCの商標または認証マークです。

パナソニックEWについて

会社名：パナソニックエレクトリックワークス株式会社

所在地：〒105-8301 東京都港区東新橋1-5-1 パナソニック東京汐留ビル

代表者：代表取締役社長執行役員 CEO 大瀧清

ウェブサイト：https://panasonic.co.jp/ew/

「いい今日といい未来を電気設備から」をパーパスに掲げ、電気設備を起点に、Well-BeingやEnergy Managementなどの新たな価値創出を通じて、持続可能で豊かな社会の実現を目指しています。

Well-Being事業においては、日本国内でWELL認証取得支援コンサルティングを展開するとともに、Well-Beingを実際に体感できるワークプレイスづくりや、人々の健康・快適性・働きやすさにつながる各種ソリューションを提供しています。これらの取り組みを通じて、パナソニックEWは日本におけるWell-Beingな空間づくりへの貢献を推進しています。

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A Defining Moment for Global, APAC Apparel Policy

Cascale — Fri, 22 May 2026 13:40:00 -0400

The global apparel industry is entering a defining policy moment.

Governments are introducing new sustainability disclosure requirements, evolving labor standards, and climate-related regulations at a pace that reflects growing ambition. This momentum matters.

And it’s why Cascale recently released its “2026 Global Due Diligence and Sustainability Reporting Legislation” that examines 21 critical pieces of legislation across Europe, the United States, the broader Americas, and Asia-Pacific. This region-by-region picture of current and upcoming obligations also shows the relevance of the Higg Index suite of tools in helping companies meet today’s data demands.

With the right governance systems, performance measurement practices, and policy guidance, companies can be proactive in evolving business landscapes.

Download the Report Today

The APAC Advantage

Based in Hong Kong, I am privileged to be close to the action. APAC sits squarely at the center of global apparel and footwear manufacturing, and the policies adopted across the region will determine whether the industry can meaningfully deliver on global climate and decent work goals.

But ambition alone is not enough. The current trajectory risks creating a fragmented compliance landscape that overwhelms manufacturers, sidelines small and medium-sized enterprises, and prioritizes paperwork over actual progress. As Europe and the United States continue to shape many of the global sustainability rules, APAC is increasingly the region responsible for implementing them at scale. If global systems cannot work together, supply chains will slow under the weight of duplication, complexity, and competing standards.

To bridge the gap, Cascale’s APAC Policy Member Expert Team (MET) successfully launched the APAC Policy Priorities Paper. We highlighted four core regional priorities of harmonization, interoperability, climate incentives, and overlooked decent work challenges, serving as the essential “policy bridge” that turns high-level global policy into operational manufacturing reality.

Top Takeaways:

From policy takers to action makers: APAC is no longer just passively absorbing sustainability rules; through initiatives like our report and the policy priorities paper, it is defining how goals are operationalized on the factory floor.
The fragmentation threat: Overlapping requirements risk shifting focus from carbon reduction and fair labor practices to passive compliance management.
The isolation cost: Without harmonized data systems, global supply chains could face costly inefficiencies and operational bottlenecks.
The SME safeguard: SMEs are disproportionately impacted as brands consolidate sourcing with suppliers that can absorb rising compliance costs.
Unified implementation: The industry needs a standardized implementation layer that enables companies to measure once and report many.

Bridging the Regional Data Divide

The industry’s biggest challenge is no longer whether sustainability data exists — it is whether digital data systems can communicate across borders. Europe’s Digital Product Passport requirements, China’s Social Compliance 9000 for Textile and Apparel Industry (CSC9000T) framework, India’s environmental and social corporate governance (ESG) disclosure rules, and other national systems are evolving independently. Without technical interoperability, manufacturers serving multiple markets will face duplicative reporting obligations and conflicting methodologies. This creates operational inefficiencies that slow implementation and increase costs across supply chains.Manufacturers already manage overlapping audits, customer questionnaires, emissions reporting requests, and due diligence assessments. Facilities producing for multiple brands are often asked to provide nearly identical information in different formats and under slightly different criteria. The result is an administrative burden that diverts resources away from emissions reduction, worker wellbeing, and operational improvements.

The SME Paradox

As enforcement deadlines for regulations such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) approach, many brands are responding with what could be described as a “flight to compliance.” Orders increasingly consolidate around large suppliers with dedicated compliance teams and sophisticated reporting capabilities. While this may reduce short-term risk for brands, it creates long-term risks for the industry. We captured some of this SME nuance in the report. SMEs form the backbone of APAC’s manufacturing economy, supporting employment, entrepreneurship, and regional development. If smaller suppliers are pushed out because they cannot absorb the growing complexity of fragmented compliance systems, the industry risks weakening the very supply chain ecosystem it depends on.

From More Laws to Coordinated Implementation

The solution is not to slow ambition or reduce accountability. The industry needs stronger coordination between policymakers, manufacturers, brands, and solution providers to create greater alignment across systems and requirements.What the sector lacks is not regulation, but a unified implementation layer. Harmonized measurement frameworks and interoperable data systems can reduce duplication while maintaining transparency and enforcement. This is where industry collaboration becomes critical. Shared approaches – and frameworks such as the Higg Index – can help manufacturers measure once and report many, reducing administrative burden while improving consistency and comparability across markets.

Turning Policy Momentum into Measurable Progress

APAC has a historic opportunity to lead the next phase of sustainable supply chain transformation. The region is no longer simply reacting to policies developed elsewhere. It is increasingly defining how sustainability goals are operationalized in practice.Success will depend on whether governments, brands, and manufacturers can align around practical implementation. Predictable policy signals, interoperable reporting systems, and coordinated standards will enable facilities to invest confidently in decarbonization, energy transition, workforce resilience, and operational improvements.If the industry can move beyond fragmented compliance toward coordinated implementation, APAC can become the model for how global supply chains translate ambition into measurable impact.

And in this policy state of play, Cascale is uniquely positioned to support brands, retailers, and manufacturers in preparing for, and adapting to, this fast-evolving regulatory landscape. And where noted in the report, the Higg Index provides support and a foundation for mobilizing key social and environmental data points.

Download Cascale's Report

Howard Kwong is senior manager of public affairs, APAC, at Cascale.

KeyBank Delavan-Grider Farmers Market to Return to East Buffalo on Thursday May 28th

KeyBank — Fri, 22 May 2026 13:00:00 -0400

KeyBank is partnering with Buffalo GoGreen and Providence Farm Collective for the fifth consecutive year to launch a weekly farmers market in the city’s Delavan-Grider neighborhood. The market helps address food insecurity by bringing fresh fruits and vegetables to neighborhoods with few options.

The market will be held at the Delavan-Grider Community Center located at 877 East Delavan Avenue. It will take place from 4:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m. each Thursday from May 28 through fall. The market is planned to run rain or shine, with the facility gymnasium designated as an alternate location in the case of inclement weather.

“At its core, this market is about meeting people where they are and making healthy food more accessible for our community,” said Chiwuike “Chi-Chi” Owunwanne, Corporate Responsibility Officer for KeyBank in Buffalo. “Five seasons in, we’ve seen what’s possible when partners show up consistently, and we’re proud to keep building on that momentum with Buffalo Go Green, Providence Farm Collective, and the Delavan Grider Community Center.”

“The return of the farmers market for its fifth year, supported by ongoing partnerships with KeyBank, Buffalo GoGreen and Providence Farms at the Delavan Grider Community Center, brings invaluable options to our community,” said Delavan-Grider Community Center Executive Director Candace Moppins. “This initiative not only allows residents to purchase fresh produce but also introduces them to a variety of new and less familiar choices. As our neighborhoods grow in diversity, our palates have the chance to expand, leading to healthier eating habits. This is truly a win for everyone involved. Together, we are fostering a vibrant, healthier community.”

"The Delavan Grider Farmers Market supports not only me as a farmer but also Providence Farm Collective and the community,” said Osman Chivala, Owner of Kwachinyika Farm and Providence Farm Collective Incubator Farm Program graduate. “The coupons provided by the market helps me earn money as a small scale farmer and also helps bring food to the neighborhood."

“We are very excited to be back partnering with KeyBank, the Delavan-Grider Community Center and Providence Farm Collective for the 2026 Farmers Market,” said Buffalo GoGreen CEO and Executive Director Allison DeHonney. “It is our honor to again serve the community by providing locally grown nutrient dense fruits and vegetables. We have been working to bring more partners to the market to educate and offer services to the loyal patrons that have been shopping with us over the past four years.”

In addition to produce vendors, other merchants from around Western New York will take part in the market. Accepted forms of payment are cash, checks, Mastercard, Visa, SNAP, Double Up Food Bucks, WIC and Senior Farmers checks. In addition, those who sign up on site for the Double Up Food Bucks program will receive a $10 food voucher to the market courtesy of KeyBank.

Learn more about how KeyBank helps clients, teammates, and communities thrive by making meaningful investments in the places it’s proud to call home.

CVS Health: Beyond Medication: A Whole Person Approach to Lasting Weight Loss

CVS Health — Fri, 22 May 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Key points

GLP 1 medications can support weight loss, but long term success often requires more than medication alone.
Pairing medical therapy with nutrition, behavioral, and lifestyle support helps people—like Mistie Mace, a licensed practical nurse and thyroid cancer survivor—build sustainable habits and maintain progress.
The CVS Weight Management program combines personalized coaching and accountability to support better health outcomes and optimize the use of GLP 1s.

Originally published on CVS Health Company News

Like millions of Americans, Mistie Mace spent years trying to manage her weight with limited success. A licensed practical nurse and thyroid cancer survivor, she had lived with obesity since childhood, despite repeated efforts and ongoing medical care. At her heaviest, she weighed 416 pounds.

What made the difference wasn’t just a prescription—it was a more comprehensive approach. After enrolling in the CVS Weight Management program for employers and health plans, Mistie began combining medical therapy with behavioral coaching, nutrition guidance, and consistent accountability. Within a few months, she lost more than 50 pounds and saw meaningful improvements in her health, including increased mobility, higher energy levels, and normalized blood sugar.

“This is the easiest it’s ever been for me to lose weight,” Mistie said. “A doctor who listens, a structured program, and the right support made all the difference. For the first time, I feel hopeful.”

Through the program, she established new routines, adopted a high protein, lower carb nutrition plan with portion control, increased physical activity, and relied on accountability from both her care team and her family.

The big picture

Mistie’s experience reflects a broader shift in medical weight loss. GLP 1 medications have reshaped obesity treatment, helping many people manage weight more effectively than ever before. But experts increasingly agree that medication alone is rarely enough to drive significant, sustained change.

That’s why CVS Health offers a more comprehensive approach—pairing GLP 1 medications with structured nutrition, behavioral, and lifestyle support through the CVS Weight Management program.

Why medication alone often falls short

GLP 1 medications are FDA approved for use alongside diet and physical activity. Yet many people begin treatment without guidance on how to build habits that support ongoing progress. Before enrolling in the CVS Weight Management program, 70% of participants were using a weight management medication without any lifestyle or nutrition support.

Without a clear plan, some people struggle to achieve their goals—or see weight return after stopping medication. Real world experience, including journeys like Mistie’s, shows that successful weight loss depends on addressing daily routines, mindset, and behavior—not just biology.

A whole-person approach to weight management

The CVS Weight Management program is designed to support people beyond the prescription, helping participants translate medication use into real, lasting change.

Program features include:

One on one virtual support from a dedicated registered dietitian.
Personalized nutrition planning tailored to individual health needs, preferences, and culture.
Ongoing coaching and accountability to help participants reinforce healthy habits over time.

This integrated approach helps optimize the effectiveness of GLP 1 medications and supports people working toward better health—with or without medication.

Results reinforce the value of weight-management support

After six months in the CVS Weight Management program, 92% of participants reported satisfaction. Employers and health plans that adopted the program also reported up to 26% lower spending on GLP 1 weight loss medications compared with those without the program.

“Medication alone isn’t enough to achieve meaningful change,” said Dr. Michelle Gourdine, chief medical officer at CVS Caremark and SVP at CVS Health. “Combining medical therapy with behavioral support and sustainable routines is key to long term wellness.”

Before starting any weight management program, individuals should discuss their medical history, goals, and readiness for change with their health care provider.

How Much Money Does Your Company’s Emergency Assistance Fund Actually Need?

America's Charities — Fri, 22 May 2026 10:10:00 -0400

Setting up an Employee Assistance Fund (EAF) is one of the most practical ways to support employees during times of crisis. One of the first questions that comes up is simple: how much should we budget?

The answer is more straightforward than most expect.

Start with a simple formula

At its core, EAF budgeting comes down to two variables: how many employees will need support and the average size of each grant.

Consider a real-world example. If your company has 10,000 employees, historical data shows that fewer than 1%, say 0.75%, will apply for assistance in a given year. If you approve roughly 85% of applications and the average grant is $2,000, your annual grant spend comes out to about $127,500.

That gives you a clear, plannable starting point.

But your workforce is unique, and your budget should reflect that.

That baseline will not hold true for every organization. A few key factors can significantly shift your numbers.

First, workforce composition matters. Companies with a higher percentage of hourly employees, especially in industries like retail, hospitality, or manufacturing, often see higher application rates. In some cases, this can reach 3% or more, which materially increases total funding needs.

Second, geography plays a role. If your employees are concentrated in regions prone to hurricanes, wildfires, or flooding, demand can spike quickly. A single event can drive a surge in applications within days.

Third, your maximum grant amount directly impacts your total budget. A $5,000 cap may result in an average grant around $2,000, while a $1,000 cap will bring your average closer to that lower limit. This is one of the most effective levers you have to balance cost control with meaningful employee support.

The takeaway is to align your budget with your workforce profile, geographic risk, and the level of support you can sustain over time.

Don’t forget the full picture.

Grant funding is only part of the equation. Implementation and program administration costs should also be factored in from the start.

As you evaluate partners, pay attention to pricing models. Organizations that charge a flat percentage of funds distributed can become expensive as your program scales. Models based on activity and program complexity are often more predictable and cost-effective.

You don’t have to figure this out alone

Budgeting an EAF can feel daunting, but you don’t have to start from scratch. America’s Charities can help model funding levels based on your workforce, goals, and expected demand so you can move forward with confidence.

Ready to build a fund your employees can count on? Let’s talk.

Baker Hughes 2025 Corporate Sustainability Report: 2025 Sustainability Performance Highlights

Baker Hughes Energy Services LLC — Fri, 22 May 2026 09:05:00 -0400

We are Rewriting The Energy Equation™

Baker Hughes¹ is an energy technology company that provides innovative solutions to the challenges of energy and industrial customers worldwide. Backed by more than a century of experience and deep domain expertise, today’s Baker Hughes team of approximately 56,000 professionals work in more than 120 countries to help customers operate more efficiently, reduce emissions and build secure and resilient energy and industrial systems the world needs. This is who we are: a company built to deliver reliable energy today while accelerating the transition to a lower-carbon future.

One company, one purpose

We operate as one enterprise, with two complementary business units, to deliver on our purpose of making energy cleaner, safer and more efficient for people and the planet.

The Oilfield Services & Equipment (OFSE) business unit delivers the energy sources that industry relies on to meet the world’s needs. We believe that technology innovation, enabled by digital and AI capabilities, is the bedrock of making those sources more sustainable, affordable and secure. Working across a spectrum that includes traditional, new and emerging energy, OFSE develops and deploys efficient field development solutions, optimized production and recovery solutions and fit-for-purpose solutions for energy sources. We offer a portfolio that includes solutions not only for oil and gas, but also for new energy.

IET delivers powerful solutions for industrial emissions reduction and builds the lower-carbon infrastructure of the future. This includes gas turbines and modular power generation for efficient, lower-emission energy, hydrogen production and compression systems, electrification and grid solutions and digital asset management platforms for predictive maintenance and emissions monitoring.

In combination, OFSE and IET represent a portfolio that is unique in its ability to sustainably move the world forward.

We are not just solving the challenges of today. We are shaping the energy landscape of tomorrow.

The world is asking more of industry and energy than ever before.

And that means that The Energy Equation™ – the relentless, interdependent cycle between industrial outcomes and energy sources – must change. Baker Hughes is rewriting The Energy Equation™ by capitalizing on our unique position within and across, both of its sides. We simplify complexity, modernize systems and integrate capabilities to sustainably deliver radical new industrial outcomes, to rethink how energy is sourced and to deliver on the world’s aspirations.

Our roadmap: Three horizons for growth

Our strategy comes to life through a clear, forward-looking roadmap built around three horizons. Together, they define how we can deliver value today, scale new opportunities tomorrow and lead the future of energy for decades to come.

Horizon One (2023 - 2025): Transforming the core
We refined our core business, enhancing efficiency and dependability across our
operations and technologies. This foundation ensures we deliver consistent value
and reliability for customers while improving our own environmental performance
Horizon Two (2026 - 2028): Investing in profitable growth and
expanding solutions
We are now accelerating into Horizon Two, scaling new growth opportunities in new
energy, industrial asset management and digital optimization. These investments
expand our capabilities and position us to meet evolving customer needs across
both energy and industry
Horizon Three (2028+): Leading the future of energy in new
frontiers
Horizon Three focuses on breakthrough technologies that will define the next era of
energy: advanced emissions management, next-generation clean power and
emerging climate technologies. This is where we can help shape a cleaner, more
sustainable global energy system

Read the full Baker Hughes 2025 Corporate Sustainability Report

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Tork Cuts Carbon Footprint up to 21% on Popular Hand Towels and Napkins

About Tork

About Essity

The Evolution of International Collaboration: Why Local Knowledge Matters More Than Ever

Key Takeaways

Global Standards are Easy to Write but Harder to Apply

The Cost of Getting it Wrong

Why International Collaboration has Become more Important

Collaboration as a Practical Advantage

Relationships Still Matter

A More Connected, More Complex Future

Protecting Our Planet: All In for Carbon Out

KeyBank Celebrates New Branch in North Greenbush With $30,000 in Donations to Local Nonprofits

Final Agenda Now Available for PR Daily Conference

Follow the Money: Sustainability Moves Into Finance Function

Global Solutions for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Improvements

Why WASH Remains a Critical Global Priority

Intercepting Plastic Waste to Protect Water Quality

The Case for Upstream Interception

Turning Waste Into a Resource

A Replicable Approach

Scaling WASH Access: Lessons from India

Progress at Scale

Infrastructure Alone Is Not Enough

Community Ownership as the Foundation of Sustainability

Building Urban Resilience: The Chennai Example

Five Lessons for Global WASH Programs

Common Themes

Practical Steps for Organizations

The Bottom Line

National Park Foundation Receives $1.6 Million Donation From the 2025 Subaru Share the Love® Event

Discovery Education Names Amy Nakamoto Chief Commercial Officer

Early Bird Registration Now Open for the 2026 Tire Emissions Research Conference

MinuteClinic® and Hartford HealthCare Expand Primary Care Access Across Connecticut

AI and Sustainability: Is There a Problem?

Introduction

Does AI Have a Sustainability Problem?

Reducing the Impact of AI on the Environment

The Storage Industry and the Role of Flash Storage

Data Centers Power Efficiency

Semiconductor Industry

Conclusion

Inside Mary Kay’s Grassroots Advocacy Approach: Building Trust Through Entrepreneur Voices

How a Dangerous Collapse Led One Woman to a Blood Pressure Procedure

パナソニック エレクトリックワークス株式会社は、WELL認証を取得したオフィスが、ワーク・エンゲージメントおよびウェルビーイングに寄与することを示すエビデンスを公開

A Defining Moment for Global, APAC Apparel Policy

KeyBank Delavan-Grider Farmers Market to Return to East Buffalo on Thursday May 28th

CVS Health: Beyond Medication: A Whole Person Approach to Lasting Weight Loss

The big picture

Why medication alone often falls short

A whole-person approach to weight management

Results reinforce the value of weight-management support

How Much Money Does Your Company’s Emergency Assistance Fund Actually Need?

Baker Hughes 2025 Corporate Sustainability Report: 2025 Sustainability Performance Highlights

We are Rewriting The Energy Equation™

One company, one purpose

We are not just solving the challenges of today. We are shaping the energy landscape of tomorrow.

Our roadmap: Three horizons for growth

パナソニックエレクトリックワークス株式会社は、WELL認証を取得したオフィスが、ワーク・エンゲージメントおよびウェルビーイングに寄与することを示すエビデンスを公開