ESG News from Leading Brands

Innovation & Technology

Cultivating Livelihoods in Indonesia

Jul 29, 2016 1:25 PM ET

East West Seed Indonesia (EWINDO), the country’s first integrated seed breeding and distribution company, has joined the Business Call to Action (BCtA) with a commitment to integrate 17,775 seeds growers into its value chain and transfer technical knowledge to 125,000 smallholder vegetable farmers by 2020.

Education

IBM and Sesame Street Transforming Education

Jul 29, 2016 12:00 PM ET

IBM and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization that produces Sesame Street, formed a collaboration to use IBM Watson's cognitive computing technology and Sesame’s early childhood expertise to help advance preschool education around the world. As part of a three-year agreement, Sesame Workshop and IBM will collaborate to develop educational platforms and products that will be designed to adapt to the learning preferences and aptitude levels of individual preschoolers.

Events, Media & Communications

Domtar EarthChoice July Monthly Minute

Jul 29, 2016 11:05 AM ET

How do you reduce the need for 50,000 truck trips a year, avoiding the air emissions equal burning 100,000+ gallons of fuel? Domtar's Hawesville, KY mill found a creative strategy to do just that.

Responsible Production & Consumption

What Do Weddings and Recycled Healthcare Plastics Have in Common?

Jul 29, 2016 10:50 AM ET

HPRC got a nice shout-out in a recent Packaging Digest piece about Bella the Bride, a traveling display jointly put on by DuPont and Beacon Converters that features a wedding gown made of discarded Tyvek meant to encourage conversations about reuse of healthcare plastics. The gown was created by artist and environmental educator Nancy Judd.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

An Essential Nestlé Value: Investing in Our Communities

Jul 29, 2016 10:15 AM ET

We’re celebrating our 150th anniversary by going big — and going home
Planning a birthday party can be a joyful challenge, whether the guest of honor is a toddler unaware of the significance or an adult celebrating a landmark year. So imagine the endless possibilities before us as we plan the 150th birthday party for Nestlé, a company that spans the globe. How would you mark the occasion?

Research, Reports & Publications

Building Employee Loyalty to Xylem

Jul 29, 2016 9:05 AM ET

We are committed to meeting our customers’ needs and expanding the markets we currently serve. One way we can accomplish this is by enhancing our current offerings with complementary solutions and intelligent full-systems capability.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Mentoring "Moves" Young Students in the Right Direction

Jul 29, 2016 9:00 AM ET

Many people who have led successful and fulfilling lives cite the fact that a mentor had a major positive impact on them when they were growing up. In fact, a recent Brigham Young University study shows that mentors can be pivotal in a student’s decision to go to college, which is the core foundation for a bright future.

Education

Booz Allen’s Summer Games Interns Challenged to Solve the World’s Toughest Challenges

Jul 29, 2016 9:00 AM ET

Energy

Balancing Renewables in the New Energy Landscape

Jul 29, 2016 8:55 AM ET

Renewable resources are plentiful, but also unpredictable. Siemens Flex-Plant™ technology is a reliable backup that produces the energy you need, when you need it.

Environment

WWF: Tiger Farming in Asia Must End; US has Role to Play

Jul 29, 2016 1:05 AM ET

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is using Global Tiger Day today to call on governments across Asia to investigate all tiger breeding centers and close any operations involved in the illegal tiger trade. WWF is also calling on the US to do more to address its own large captive tiger population.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

2016 Pocono Mountains Community Fundraiser

Jul 28, 2016 8:00 PM ET

At tonight’s sold out annual Pocono Mountains Community Fundraiser, one of the largest fundraising events in Northeast Pennsylvania, a record-breaking $225,975 was awarded to six Monroe County nonprofits, bringing the total raised since the event’s inception to more than $2 million.

Education

Sodexo Launches Innovative K-5 Dining Program

Jul 28, 2016 6:45 PM ET

The Clubhouse, the new K-5 meal program created by Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life Services, was developed using a custom-designed focus group process with students across the country. The Clubhouse program will launch in 400 schools for the beginning of the next school year.

Social Impact & Volunteering

VSP Global Supports Local Make-a-Wish Surprise

Jul 28, 2016 6:30 PM ET

VSP Global's Rancho Cordova headquarters was the first stop for Ethan, a Sacramento-area boy who was granted his wish through the Make-a-Wish Foundation to be a garbage man.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Friendship Day Provides Opportunities for Kids to Volunteer Together, Spread Kindness

Jul 28, 2016 6:05 PM ET

What would you say being a friend means to you? Loyalty? Kindness? Generosity? For actress Emmy Perry, founder of Emmy’s Hope and generationOn Celebrity Youth Ambassador, it means being a great friend.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Two Strangers Save Man's Life in Antelope, Reunite Exactly One Month Later

Jul 28, 2016 5:00 PM ET

Two Good Samaritans reunited with the man they saved last month. Last month, Kylie Whitaker, a nurse, was driving to work, when she saw a man slowly drive his pick-up truck into the center median on Antelope Road.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

A Growing Company, a Solid Investment

Jul 28, 2016 4:30 PM ET

“Today our company is better positioned to grow cash flow, earnings and dividends than at any other time in our history.” – Russ Girling, TransCanada President & CEO

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

GOJO Honored as E3 Award Winner from the Ohio EPA

Jul 28, 2016 4:20 PM ET

At GOJO, we incorporate sustainability into everything we do through Sustainable Ways of Working (SWOW℠). SWOW describes our approach to changing the way we think and work. GOJO has long demonstrated this by proactive environmental management, and these efforts were recently recognized by Ohio EPA when the agency honored GOJO for achieving the Gold Level in its Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) Program.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Applications Open for Third Round of Transporting Healthy Food Grants

Jul 28, 2016 4:15 PM ET

Applications are now being accepted for the 2016 Grant Program for Transporting Healthy Food, presented in partnership by CSX and The Conservation Fund.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Guest Blog: The Value of Family…Priceless

Jul 28, 2016 4:00 PM ET

Deborah Henry-Bennett is a Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter who works every day to find loving, permanent homes for children in foster care in the Atlanta area.

Research, Reports & Publications

Leading Global Brands Set the Bar for Chemical Transparency

Jul 28, 2016 3:35 PM ET

In its 2016 Global Responsibility Report released in April, Walmart reported that they successfully reduced usage of 10 priority chemicals in home and personal care products by 95%.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Ending Summer Hunger: A Team Effort

Jul 28, 2016 3:00 PM ET

A staggering 15.3 million American children live in food insecure households. Right here in our own country, maybe even in your own neighborhood, there are children who have become used to living with the sounds of a growling stomach. These are kids who aren’t lucky enough to be picky eaters; who don’t have the luxury of asking “What’s for dinner tonight?” but instead, ask “Are we having dinner tonight?”

Health & Healthcare

IBM Intensifies Fight Against Zika

Jul 28, 2016 2:30 PM ET

IBM announced that it is committing powerful resources, technology and pro bono expertise to help scientists, the public health community, and humanitarian agencies in the fight against the Zika virus.

Events, Media & Communications

Historic United State of Women Summit

Jul 28, 2016 1:30 PM ET

On June 14, the White House organized the first-ever United State of Women Summit with 5,000 women, girls and men across the United States and around the globe. Leaders spanning government, corporate and nonprofit sectors convened to celebrate women’s achievements, while highlighting the work still necessary to achieve gender parity. Speakers included President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Warren Buffet. One common theme among the presentations was entrepreneurship’s potential to empower women in every sector. The daylong summit and adjoining events throughout the week also tackled the challenges preventing women’s success, including the lack of representation in STEM and dearth of support for women entrepreneurs.

Events, Media & Communications

‘You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know:’ Aug. 9 3BL Media Lunch & Learn Webinar Equips CSR & Communications Professionals for 2017 Content Strategy

Jul 28, 2016 1:15 PM ET

As 2017 communications strategies are being planned, 3BL Media invites executives responsible for CSR and sustainability programs to a lunch-and-learn webinar focused on distribution, measurement and best practices for enhancing the visibility of brand content.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Maytag and Boys & Girls Clubs of America Enlist Kid President to Help Honor ‘Awesome’ Adults

Jul 28, 2016 12:25 PM ET

Dependable adults make a difference in the lives of youth every day, and oftentimes the hard work can go unnoticed. That’s why Maytag and Boys & Girls Clubs of America have been honoring Boys & Girls Club members with the Maytag Dependable Leader Award for six years.