After several tornadoes hit Northwest Arkansas in late May, leaders at our Glad plant in Rogers were forced to spring into action to keep our people safe and then work to restore operations after the facility was hit directly by the storm.
This past holiday season, Whole Foods Market collaborated with Blackhawk Network, a leading global stored value and payments provider, to introduce a selection of carefully curated gift cards from leading brands in stores throughout the U.S. Through an innovative program, a portion of sales from these cards generated more than $100,000 for Whole Kids Foundation over the holidays to further the nonprofit’s work improving children’s nutrition and wellness.
The Global Rivers Environmental Education Network is a partnership between General Motors, the nonprofit Earth Force, and local schools and conservation groups in GM communities designed to introduce youth to environmental science and careers in STEM.
Every so often, cities face major shocks. These can be economic shocks, such as the decline of key markets; natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina; or political shocks, such as corruption or gross mismanagement. Larger cities can often deal with these events using their own ample manpower and by leveraging their relationships with national governments. Smaller cities have a greater need for outside resource, but often have to fall back on their own resources and creativity to survive.
At this year’s World Economic Forum gathering in Davos, Switzerland, PR firm Edelman shared its comprehensive annual Trust Barometer, confirming what we all know: global trust in institutions and leaders is at an all-time low. Fully two-thirds of countries are now considered “distrusters” (under 50% trust in the mainstream institutions of business, government, media and NGOs to do what is right), compared to about half a year ago. This is a stunning collapse in trust, even from last year’s low base.
The traditional linear take-make-dispose economy—where resources are extracted from the ground, made into products, and thrown away—helped us as a society make great strides in the 20th century. But as our global population swells (9+ billion by 2050!) and our finite resources become more constrained, a new path forward is needed.
While this year's CDP Supply Chain Report, written by BSR in partnership with CDP and the Carbon Trust, showed that the world's largest purchasing organizations are driving down emissions in their supply chains, it also highlighted the need for urgency.
If the Sustainable Development Goals are to be met, business will have to play a major role. The UNDP programme says ‘Achieving the SDGs requires the partnership of governments, private sector, civil society and citizens alike to make sure we leave a better planet for future generations’.
The SCS Kingfisher certification mark is showing up on an increasing number of products around the world. It differentiates companies that are making...