Corporate Social Responsibility

Today the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing released a new report analyzing the communications disconnect between the environmental, social and governance (ESG) information investors seek and what companies provide. The paper, Sustainable Value: Communicating ESG to the 21st Century Investor, identifies the communications opportunities and best practices for companies to better communicate their ESG stories to enhance their business and investor value.

JetBlue, New York’s Hometown Airline®, recently announced the winners selected to participate in its third annual BlueBud (buddies + budding new companies) business mentoring program. In celebration of the third round of the BlueBud program, JetBlue has selected three food and beverage brands from New York.

This year’s winners merge food and beverage with social impact. Toast Ale is a Bronx-based brewery that is reducing food waste by using surplus bread to make craft beer. Barber Farm Distillery is family owned, making craft vodka from potatoes grown on their farm. Luv Michael is a non-profit that produces nut-free gluten free granola made by workers on the autism spectrum.

Human resource professionals see firsthand the benefits of promoting health and wellness in the workplace. As people, we spend about 90 percent of our time indoors, and a lot of that time is spent at work. HR departments are always experimenting with new approaches to enhance employee health and wellness, and now, leading research is demonstrating how better buildings can help make people more productive, reduce absenteeism and create more enjoyable, healthful work environments.

Young people are our future leaders and it is crucial to provide them with the skills and resources they need to succeed. In honour of the International Day of the Girl today on October 11th and in partnership with Plan International’s “Girls Belong Here” campaign, Scotiabank’s Colombian subsidiary, Banco Colpartria welcomed Sindy Mosquera as “CEO” for the day on October 2nd.

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), today announced the nonprofit organizations that received grants in the third quarter of 2017 through Voya Foundation, the company’s charitable giving arm. Voya Foundation invests in programming to help foster healthy, sustainable communities and supports local and national nonprofits with missions that advance children’s education and financial resilience.

Mike Weatherspoon didn’t create his Duke Room for watching Duke University Blue Devils basketball. It’s for taking calls as a senior customer service virtual care specialist at Duke Energy.

Trust is down. Expectations are up. And like never before, the world’s consumers are turning to brands to address the social and environmental challenges that affect their aspirations for a better life in divided times.

According to a new global study by BBMG and GlobeScan, Brand Purpose in Divided Times, net trust in global companies to act in the best interest of society is negative (-2). And for the first time since 2009, more consumers say they have punished companies for their behavior (28%) rather than rewarded them (26%), and the number of those who are punishing brands is up by 9 percentage points since 2013.

The CORESafety certification demonstrates Freeport-McMoRan’s commitement to their philosophy of Safe Production, which is demonstrated by the integration of health and safety practices in all aspects of their operational activities. CORESafety is a voluntary safety and health initiative developed and facilitated by the National Mining Association (NMA), the U.S. mining industry’s national trade association.

If you work at a nonprofit, you probably find yourself putting off projects and plans due to shortages in budget or in-house expertise. With the support of volunteers with professional-level skills­­­—you can make those plans happen. Join Taproot’s upcoming webinar and learn everything you need to get started on Taproot+, the cost-free online platform that connects nonprofits with skilled volunteers for short-term pro bono projects.

The Advisory Council on Sustainability of Ingersoll-Rand plc, a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable and efficient environments, appointed Andrew Winston as a member of the Council, effective immediately.