Environment

To reduce your carbon footprint, try thinking smaller – whether it’s your home, your fuel consumption or amount of stuff you buy.

The Ray C. Anderson Foundation has awarded a $500,000 challenge grant to Project Drawdown, a global initiative based on meticulous research and subsequent traditional and online publications that analyzes how and when we can reverse global warming. As Project Drawdown is proving, the key is to amplify existing, widely practiced, commonly available, and scientifically proven solutions.

There is also a strong sense of determination at COP22 in Marrakech by business and investors alike to move forward with fulfilling the commitments made. The question is not “will we enact change,” but how do we move forward with efficiency and speed.

In celebration of America Recycles Day, Cox Enterprises is proud to announce seven of its locations have achieved zero waste to landfill status. Cox Conserves, the company’s national sustainability program, focuses on waste management and carbon and water conservation. The program engages each of the company’s major divisions: Cox Communications, Cox Automotive and Cox Media Group.

BSR President and CEO Aron Cramer responds to the U.S. election and its implications for sustainable business.

Ceres and the PRI announced today a new partnership to tackle widespread, global deforestation driven by escalating production of beef, soy and timber, focusing initially on South America. Through a new, joint investor group, the two organizations will support global institutional investors pressing food and timber companies to eliminate deforestation and other related concerns, including forced labor and land rights disputes from their supply chains.

The interest in sustainable investing continues to rise in the mainstream investment community. Numerous data & analytics providers, ratings & rankings organizations, and other influentials are busily shaping new approaches in and for the mainstream investment community. Corporate “ESG” factors are an important addition to the ubiquitous Bloomberg terminals, as example (i.e. the ESG Dashboard). Mainstream asset managers -- notably BlackRock, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, State Street, and others -- are putting sustainable investment approaches in place and launching new products for clients that are demanding “investable” vehicles for “doing well and doing good” with their assets.

Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life Services, helps communities succeed by focusing on the sustainability of its supply chain from farm to fork. The global facilities management and food services provider, which operates locally within each community to purchase food and produce from thousands of local suppliers, farms, bakeries and dairy farms announced today that it spent more than $600 million on local sourcing during FY 2015 in North America, to include $36 million procuring goods from over 1,400 local farmers and co-ops.

Alliance Data Systems Corporation (NYSE: ADS), a leading global provider of data-driven marketing and loyalty solutions has been selected as the first-place recipient of Ragan’s PR Daily 2016 Social Corporate Responsibility Awards in the report category. The award recognized Alliance Data’s annual corporate responsibility report, which encompasses activities across the corporation, including its headquarters and three lines of business – Alliance Data’s card services business, Epsilon and LoyaltyOne. Download a copy of the full report.