ESG News from Leading Brands

Events, Media & Communications

Global Goals in a Global Spotlight at Net Impact Conference with Laura Asiala

Nov 5, 2015 1:00 PM ET

Laura Asiala, Vice President of Public Affairs at PYXERA Global, will speak about the Global Goals and sustainable development at this year’s Net Impact Conference on November 6 and 7. Students and professional leaders will come together at this landmark event to discuss the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges. Ms. Asiala, who serves on Net Impact’s Board of Directors, will join in two sessions with other leaders in global engagement.

Environment

Delivering Value: Republic Services Opens New Wastewater Treatment Plant

Nov 5, 2015 12:35 PM ET

Republic Services’ Conestoga Landfill in Morgantown, PA recently hosted a ribbon cutting grand opening event for the site’s newly completed $15-million waste water treatment plant. The plant is one of only three nationwide for Republic and took nearly four years to design and build. Fully in operation since April 2015, the plant utilizes cutting edge technology to provide the latest in environmental protection in the processing of waste water.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

NASCAR Finalists Announced for Inaugural Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award

Nov 5, 2015 12:30 PM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Upping the Ante: How Brands Can Stay on Top of Evolving Consumer Expectations and Preferences

Nov 5, 2015 12:30 PM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Chevrolet Donates 2016 Volt to FIRST®

Nov 5, 2015 11:35 AM ET

Chevrolet will donate an all-new 2016 Volt to FIRST®, the K-12 robotics program, to help raise money for student robotics opportunities across the U.S. but particularly for those in communities underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education fields.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Cummins Inc. CEO Addresses BSR Conference 2015

Nov 5, 2015 11:30 AM ET

In a plenary address at the BSR Conference 2015, Tom Linebarger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cummins Inc., explored how resilience can help build a better world.

Health & Healthcare

The National Cost of Alzheimer’s is Projected to Reach $1.2 Trillion by 2050, But We Can Change This.

Nov 5, 2015 11:25 AM ET

Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, yet it is the only cause of death among the top 10 in America without a way to prevent, cure, or even slow its progression. It is an irreversible degeneration of the brain that causes disruptions in memory, cognition, personality, and other functions and inevitably leads to death. More than 5 million Americans aged 65 and older are thought to have Alzheimer’s disease. This number is set to grow dramatically, as baby boomers are turning 65 at a rate of 10,000 people per day. By 2025 that number will likely be 7 million, and it will rise to nearly 14 million people living with Alzheimer’s by 2050.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

GSSB to Issue GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards in 2016

Nov 5, 2015 11:20 AM ET

The Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB), an independent standard-setting body created by GRI, approved plans to transition the GRI G4 Guidelines to GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards (GRI Standards).

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Giving Kids Who Have Lost Limbs the Chance to Run, Play and Act Like Kids

Nov 5, 2015 11:05 AM ET

The Daily Point of Light Award, created by President George H. W. Bush in 1989, celebrates the power of individuals to spark change and improve the world. In 2014, British Prime Minister David Cameron started the daily award in the U.K. to recognize outstanding individuals who are voluntarily making change in their communities and inspiring others. Recently, at the Conference on Volunteering and Service in Houston, Points of Light honored awardees from the U.S. and the U.K. who are dedicated to serving young amputees around the world.

Diversity & Inclusion

Kimberly-Clark Multi-Cultural Leadership Symposium

Nov 5, 2015 11:00 AM ET

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Keep America Beautiful Honors Caterpillar Inc. with 2015 Vision for America Award for Corporate Commitment to Sustainability

Nov 5, 2015 10:30 AM ET

Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading nonprofit that envisions a country that is a clean, green and beautiful place to live, honored Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) and its Chairman and CEO, Doug Oberhelman, with the 2015 Vision for America Award on Wednesday, Nov. 4, in New York City.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Starting Strong in Corporate Societal Engagement Leadership: Your First 90 Days

Nov 5, 2015 10:30 AM ET

Congratulations! You’ve earned a senior role in your company’s societal engagement function. You’ve been tapped for your leadership and your ability to collaborate, influence, inspire, and creatively and resiliently navigate the unique complexities of your organization to drive business and social impact. Well done.

Environment

Bank of America Expands National Community Advisory Council

Nov 5, 2015 10:30 AM ET

Today, the National Community Advisory Council (NCAC), a diverse group of nonprofit and private-sector leaders convened by Bank of America, recognizes its 10th anniversary with the addition of five new members representing environment and sustainability expertise. Meeting this week in Washington, D.C., the group of senior consumer, community and academic leaders gathers twice a year to advise the bank on critical issues impacting society.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Siemens Receives Top Marks In World’s Largest Climate-Protection Ranking

Nov 5, 2015 10:25 AM ET

For the first time, Siemens has achieved the highest possible score in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the world’s largest climate-protection survey. For the transparency of its reporting on the opportunities and risks associated with climate change, the company received 100 (2014: 99) out of 100 possible points. In addition, Siemens’ efforts to achieve energy efficiency and cut CO2 emissions enabled the company to reach Band A, the highest performance range. As a result, the company is also included in the Carbon Performance Leadership Index.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Global Pro Bono Converts Insight to Innovation

Nov 5, 2015 10:15 AM ET

Over the last ten years, leading companies have begun investing their greatest asset—their human capital—in “giving back” by improving lives around the world through global pro bono programs. Such programs place employees in short-term volunteer assignments within local social-sector organizations for a period of three weeks to three months in emerging or growth markets, from India to Brazil. While the pursuit of philanthropic community impact will likely continue to underpin such initiatives, some corporations are realizing that deploying employees as pro bono consultants can have two other significant and desirable effects as well.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Moving Business Forward Requires Not Looking Back on the Past

Nov 5, 2015 10:10 AM ET

What’s past is NOT prologue, according to Jean Paul Gladu, President and CEO of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. In his presentation during Sodexo’s inaugural Quality of Life Conference, he said that to make progress, “…government and industry should stop worrying about the past and look more deeply at their future. I think we spend too much time looking behind us and we’re not focusing, or at least looking ahead at what opportunities lay in front of us.”

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Do You Know if Slavery Lives in Your Supply Chain? If You Don't Know, You're Not Alone.

Nov 5, 2015 9:00 AM ET

Slavery is typically a problem that is thought to be in areas that are not close to us, when in reality these issues are closer then people realize. As companies begin to grow their operations into other markets and work with suppliers and distributors from across the world, knowing what type of labor is going into your expanding supply chain has been top of mind. The idea that modern day slavery does not exist in supply chains is quickly fading as more accounts of this unethical practice are being uncovered. Not all countries are immune to this problem, as slavery has been found in operations here within the United States. There are several levels of slavery that can plague a company and many times those areas where it penetrates is directly into the supply chain.

Environment

Why Timberland Made a Documentary to Share Its Haitian Tree-Planting Initiative

Nov 5, 2015 9:00 AM ET

A lot of brands talk the talk on social responsibility and sustainability. Many of those also walk the walk—but few put both together as forcefully as Timberland has with a new documentary, produced by Found Object, called KOMBIT: The Cooperative, telling the story of the company's mission to plant five million trees in Haiti over five years.

Events, Media & Communications

Tetra Pak Launches 2015 Sustainability Update

Nov 5, 2015 9:00 AM ET

Tetra Pak has launched its 2015 sustainability report, which highlights the company’s achievements in environmental performance, social responsibility and good governance over the past year.

Health & Healthcare

Abbott Teams Up With Soccer Star Cristiano Ronaldo to Inspire Young People to Donate Blood

Nov 5, 2015 8:05 AM ET

Blood is an essential component for life. That's why Abbott and Real Madrid soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo are partnering to bring attention to the importance of donating blood. To join the #BeThe1Donor movement and watch a video on the campaign featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, visit www.bethe1donor.com.

Innovation & Technology

First Open Data Initiative for a Sustainable AEC Industry

Nov 5, 2015 8:00 AM ET

The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry brings together separate players that collaborate on large national and international building projects.

Education

Meet Amgen Scholar Alumni Maxwell B. Wang

Nov 5, 2015 8:00 AM ET

"These interactions will help me to explore the various fields of bioengineering and settle on a direction for graduate school and the rest of my career."

Energy

Installing Home Solar Panels in Seven Steps

Nov 5, 2015 8:00 AM ET

Check out this infographic explaining the steps to getting solar panels installed on your home.

Events, Media & Communications

Breakthrough Prize Ceremony Celebrating Scientists to Air on National Geographic Channel this Sunday and on FOX Nov. 29

Nov 5, 2015 7:00 AM ET

On Sunday, Nov. 8, at 10/9c, 21st Century Fox's National Geographic Channel will host a live broadcast of the 2016 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony, an annual awards show honoring the work of today's leading scientists and mathematicians. Seth MacFarlane, executive producer of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey and creator of Family Guy, will return as host for the second consecutive year, and the ceremony will include appearances by presenters Russell Crowe, Hilary Swank, Lily Collins, Thomas Middleditch, and Martin Starr, as well as a performance by ten-time Grammy Award winner Pharrell Williams. An abridged one-hour version of the ceremony will air on the FOX network on Sunday, Nov. 29.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Source Intelligence’s Jess Kraus Named “CEO of the Year” by CIO Review

Nov 5, 2015 5:00 AM ET

“Behind his vision to leverage technology to enable the harmonious coexistence of people, profit and planet, Kraus truly symbolizes the 21st century CEO, making the world we live in a better place,” magazine, The CIO Review, wrote.