ESG News from Leading Brands

Education

CITGO and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Distribute Kindles to Houston-Area Students

May 9, 2017 10:30 AM ET

In recognition of the large role classroom attendance plays in boosting students’ academic outcomes, CITGO Petroleum Corporation is again partnering with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) this May for the Kindling Young Minds program. Through Kindling Young Minds, select Houston-area students are awarded Kindle Fire tablets for achieving perfect or much-improved attendance records. Representatives from CITGO and HCSO will help to distribute the Kindles at Alief, Houston and Spring Branch Independent School District (ISD) schools; more than 50 schools are participating in the program this year.

Environment

Ecocentricity Blog: Location, Location, Location

May 9, 2017 10:30 AM ET

All of this to say, carbon is not some enemy. It is a misplaced resource. And the opportunity for the business community to value drawdown as an investment, rather than view carbon reduction as a cost, is upon us.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Unreasonable Impact: Reinventing Luxury With Reclaimed Materials: Q&A With Elvis & Kresse

May 9, 2017 10:30 AM ET

Today, the amount of solid waste generated in urban areas and developing economies has overtaken other pollutants, including greenhouse gases. Single-use plastics outnumber fish in our oceans, and landfills tower over neighborhoods in the world’s megacities.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Mutually Secured Destruction and the Circular Economy

May 9, 2017 10:25 AM ET

Environment

Opinion | Trump’s Promise to Bring Back Coal Jobs is Worse Than a Con

May 9, 2017 10:25 AM ET

Through the 1970s, the United States was one of the world’s top producers of asbestos, which is a set of naturally occurring silicate minerals. As evidence mounted that exposure to asbestos fibers can be deadly, the federal government began limiting its use in consumer and commercial products. Demand for asbestos declined, legal liabilities soared, and the last U.S. asbestos mine closed in 2002. Those jobs have gone overseas, to places such as Russia, China and Kazakhstan, where asbestos mining and production face few restrictions. Yet there has been no political clamor to put American asbestos miners back to work.

Now consider the coal industry.

Environment

Touring Domtar's Sustainably-Managed Forests

May 9, 2017 10:15 AM ET

Domtar and the World Wildlife Fund are working to expand America's sustainably-managed wood basket. Take a virtual tour of the forests that supply Domtar with the wood fiber that also assures customers that their products come from forests that will thrive for generations to come.

Research, Reports & Publications

2016 Alliance Data Corporate Responsibility Highlights Report

May 9, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Alliance Data has released its 2016 Corporate Responsibility Highlights Report. This highlights report provides a brief snapshot of our company’s performance against select three-year goals in each of our four corporate responsibility pillars: data, people, community and environment. For additional details, please visit our website to read past reports.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

PYXERA Global to Lead Collaborative Workshops on Partnership and Post-Harvest Loss at Shared Value Leadership Summit

May 9, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Now is the time for action on complex global challenges. PYXERA Global will lead two workshops at the 2017 Shared Value Leadership Summit to advance partnership to solve complex global challenges this May 10. These workshops will hone in on two areas: how to effectively engage in partnership and post-harvest loss reduction.

Diversity & Inclusion

National Grid is Giving People with Disabilities Job Opportunities

May 9, 2017 10:00 AM ET

For the past year, Enabling Disability Confidence – one of National Grid’s 11 employee resource groups – has been holding mentoring sessions across its US service area with one inspiring goal: to help young, talented college graduates with disabilities get the job skills they need. And maybe even get a job at National Grid.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

HP Inc. to Receive World Environment Center’s 2017 Gold Medal Award for Corporate Sustainability on May 11

May 9, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Events, Media & Communications

Sustainable Brands Announces Bill Ford as Opening Night Speaker for SB’17 Detroit

May 9, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Sustainable Brands® announces Bill Ford, Executive Chairman, Ford Motor Company, as an Opening Night keynote speaker at SB’17 Detroit, May 22-25th at the Cobo Center in downtown Detroit. Bill Ford will share Ford Motor Company’s transformative journey toward delivering innovative good mobility products and services to 21st century customers.

Sustainable Development Goals

Our Global Impact: An Integral Part of How We Do Business

May 9, 2017 9:30 AM ET

When people connect on eBay, good things happen, and that is what drives our Global Impact. It is an integral part of how we do business, and I am incredibly proud of this.

Education

Meet the Speakers Series: Join Our Outstanding Faculty for the Spring CSR Certificate Course on May 16th & 17th

May 9, 2017 9:30 AM ET

On May 16th and 17th, the Rutgers Institute for Ethical Leadership and Governance & Accountability Institute present the Spring 2017 CSR Certificate Program for corporate managers, not-for-profit and foundation managers, and others interested in career opportunities and advancement in the fields of Corporate Social Responsibility (“CSR”), Corporate Citizenship, Corporate Sustainability, Philanthropy, Risk Management, Ethics, and related positions.

Sustainable Development Goals

New Project Reveals Science Behind Trump Voters' America

May 9, 2017 9:30 AM ET

Through its Field Guide to a Regenerative Economy collaborative storytelling project, Capital Institute, the think-tank founded by former JPMorgan banker and Regenerative Capitalism architect John Fullerton, is launching Regenerating Tottenville, a project that reveals the science behind the revitalization of communities of Americans who self-identify as voiceless and forgotten.

Environment

Infographic | Lockheed Martin Analyzes Portfolio GHG Emissions by Life-Cycle Stage

May 9, 2017 9:20 AM ET

In 2016 we conducted a cradle-to-grave streamlined life-cycle assessment that analyzed our annual supply chain, operations and product delivery data for our major military products. Read more about the environmental, social and financial impact of our products in our 2016 Sustainability Report.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

PNC is Committed Responsible Lending and Mortgage Practices

May 9, 2017 9:15 AM ET

We are committed to supporting homeownership for low- and moderateincome borrowers and offering mortgage products that are affordable, flexible and sustainable.

Diversity & Inclusion

Northern Trust Manila LGBT Business Resource Council Partners with the Loveyourself Foundation

May 9, 2017 9:05 AM ET

Our Manila LGBT Business Resource Council recently partnered with the Loveyourself Foundation and hosted a session about Sexual Orientation Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) for our employees.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Sears, Rebuilding Together Launch 10th Annual Heroes at Home Campaign

May 9, 2017 9:05 AM ET

Sears’ commitment to supporting veterans and military families dates back to WWI and has never wavered. That legacy endures as Sears launches its 10th annual Heroes at Home campaign with Rebuilding Together to raise funds and assist military families in need by making critical home repairs and modifications.

Research, Reports & Publications

Work Better – Aim High – Build the Future

May 9, 2017 9:00 AM ET

The company generates, transports and distributes electricity to more than 4 million customers in the province of Québec. It also exports it’s clean, renewable power and commercializes its unique expertise and innovations on world markets. Hydro-Québec carries out its activities in a spirit of sustainable development and its sustainability vision goes well beyond the environment. The company endeavors to contribute to the province’s economic vitality and to encourage stakeholders to participate in its decisions. Hydro-Québec is leading the energy revolution.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Sands Bethlehem Celebrates Earth Day

May 9, 2017 9:00 AM ET

To celebrate Earth Day this year, the sustainability department, along with other Team Members from Sands Bethlehem, volunteered their time at a local elementary school to host the second annual Earth Day Fair. The effort was in conjunction with Sands ECO360, Las Vegas Sands’ Global Sustainability strategy designed to help create a more sustainable future.

Research, Reports & Publications

Report Highlights Local Spending in Milestone Year in Namibia

May 9, 2017 7:00 AM ET

De Beers Group gave the Namibian economy a major financial injection in 2016 and invested heavily in local communities, according to the company’s latest Report to Society.

Research, Reports & Publications

LafargeHolcim Publishes Its Sustainability Report 2016

May 9, 2017 5:00 AM ET

LafargeHolcim has released its Sustainability Report 2016, which highlights its performance in the first full year of operation and the progress made against its main sustainability targets. Sustainability is one of LafargeHolcim’s core values and a key element of its strategy.

Events, Media & Communications

Trane Educates EE Global Attendees on How Connected Building Technology is Evolving Conventional Energy Management Techniques

May 8, 2017 5:00 PM ET

Trane, a leading global provider of indoor comfort systems and services and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, will participate in a panel discussion at the 2017 EE Global Forum in Washington D.C., on May 8 at 1:15pm ET.

Titled “No More Status Quo: Are Technologies Disrupting Conventional Models,” Brad Trevillian, director of energy services at Trane, will discuss how connected building technology drives efficiency of commercial buildings and how the transition to an integrated systems and services model is transforming the industry.

Events, Media & Communications

Sustainable Brands and Detroit Public Television (DPTV) Announce Media Partnership

May 8, 2017 5:00 PM ET

Sustainable Brands® recently announced a media partnership with Detroit Public Television (DPTV), a viewer-supported PBS member station that serves the nation’s 11th largest television market. DPTV will work with Sustainable Brands to produce the livestream at the upcoming Sustainable Brands ‘17 Detroit conference, May 22-25 at the Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

The War Against London's Killer Pollution Can Be Won

May 8, 2017 3:40 PM ET

Today, few city dwellers around the world consider air pollution a laughing matter, and they are rightly demanding that their governments take action to reduce it. The UK, where nitrogen oxide and soot-like particulate matter have reached emergency levels, has a chance to become a global leader on the issue.