ESG News from Leading Brands

Health & Healthcare

Investing in Sustainable Buildings

Mar 29, 2017 10:00 AM ET

As we learn more about how sustainable building techniques can be used for industrial purposes, we are putting this knowledge into practice with similar projects in the UK, where GSK funding led to the construction of the country’s first ever carbon neutral laboratory in Nottingham.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

G&A Institute's Co-Founders Recognized As "Top Thought Leaders In Trustworthy Business"

Mar 29, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Trust Across America / Trust Around the World (TAA-TWA), globally recognized leaders in organizational trust, has selected both of G&A Institute's Co-Founders, Hank Boerner and Louis Coppola as 2017's Top Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business.

Health & Healthcare

GSK announces new scholarships to recognise retiring CEO Sir Andrew Witty’s contribution to global health

Mar 29, 2017 10:00 AM ET

GSK has today announced a new partnership with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine to establish the Sir Andrew Witty GSK Scholarships. The partnership recognises the contribution Sir Andrew has made to the company and more broadly, his deep commitment to addressing health challenges in the developing world, particularly in Africa.

Education

Eat a Taco, Feed a Dream

Mar 29, 2017 9:50 AM ET

In celebration of the Doritos Locos Tacos’ 5-year anniversary, Taco Bell has launched its first Feed a Dream promotion, which will help students follow their dreams.

Innovation & Technology

A Day in the Life of Barclays Eagle Labs

Mar 29, 2017 9:35 AM ET

Bournemouth is one of nine Barclays Eagle Labs across the country, from Jersey to Salford. Just over a year after its launch, we spent a day there finding out what goes on in the buzzing environment of a Lab … and how to make an animatronic dragon.

Energy

HP Innovates to Make Our Customers, Products, Supply Chain, and Ourselves More Efficient

Mar 29, 2017 9:05 AM ET

In January 2017 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that independent analyses conducted by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) show that 2016 was the warmest year on record globally and represented the third record year in a row. The release noted that the rise in temperature is being driven primarily by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the largest sources for GHG emissions in the U.S. are electricity production and energy use within industries.

Environment

AkzoNobel to Be Carbon Neutral and Use 100% Renewable Energy by 2050

Mar 29, 2017 9:00 AM ET

AkzoNobel has committed to accelerating its sustainability agenda by announcing a new ambition to use 100% renewable energy and become carbon neutral by 2050.

Energy

UK Government Provide Guidance on the Implementation of MEES

Mar 29, 2017 7:45 AM ET

With the long awaited Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) regulations due to come into effect in just over a year, the UK Government have finally released additional guidance as to how these will be applied and enforced in England & Wales.

Environment

Kaz Makabe on Japan's Nuclear Shutdown

Mar 28, 2017 9:10 PM ET

Health & Healthcare

Three Quality of Lifehacks for Managing Your Caffeine Intake

Mar 28, 2017 5:45 PM ET

Do you feel you can’t get through the morning without caffeine? In the United States, 80 percent of adults consume caffeine every day. While most Americans enjoy their coffee in moderation, overconsumption can lead to unpleasant consequences. If you find yourself refilling your coffee cup throughout the day you may be familiar with the side effects of caffeine, such as insomnia, stomach issues and increased heart rate.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Albertsons Companies Adds Liquid Eggs to Cage-Free Commitment

Mar 28, 2017 5:40 PM ET

Albertsons Companies announced today that it is adding retail liquid eggs to its commitment to exclusively source cage-free eggs by 2025, based on available supply, making it the only major supermarket to explicitly include liquid eggs in its cage-free commitment.

Environment

Trump Administration Rolls Back Progress on Crucial Climate Change Policy

Mar 28, 2017 5:15 PM ET

In response to the Trump administration's decision today regarding the United States' commitments to address climate change, World Wildlife Fund’s President and CEO, Carter Roberts, released the following statement:

“The leading nations of the world have come together in recent years to face the threat of climate change and to create the millions of new jobs needed for a renewable energy economy. Leadership from the United States proved critical in this success.

Environment

BSR’s Statement on the U.S. Administration Executive Order on Climate Change

Mar 28, 2017 4:30 PM ET

The executive order withdrawing from the U.S. Clean Power Plan puts significant progress toward a clean economy at risk, but two factors will ensure that this low-carbon transition is inevitable.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Historic Hahne’s Department Store Building Reopens in Downtown Newark, N.J.

Mar 28, 2017 4:15 PM ET

Prudential Financial, Inc., L+M Development Partners, and The Goldman Sachs Group, in partnership with Citi Community Capital, joined Newark Mayor Ras Baraka to celebrate the grand opening of the historic Hahne & Company building in downtown Newark. The restored building features an arts and cultural center operated by Rutgers University-Newark and around 75,000 square feet of new retail space on Broad Street, including Newark’s first Whole Foods. The project was accomplished with support from local co-developers Hanini Group and Crawford Street Partners.

Energy

Trump Administration Climate Action Rollback Decision Is Misguided and Economically Damaging

Mar 28, 2017 3:50 PM ET

The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the U.S. Climate Action Plan, including withdrawing support for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, “is completely misguided and ignores the irreversible clean energy economy that is already underway, creating good-paying jobs and economic vitality in communities across the country,” Ceres President Mindy Lubber said in a statement today. Lubber served as the EPA Administrator for the New England Region in 2000.

Education

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math: Oh My! Booz Allen and Girl Scouts Inspire Girls to Stay Involved in STEM

Mar 28, 2017 3:45 PM ET

Madison Merritt’s laughter was infectious as she flung around a stick covered with extracted strawberry DNA. “I want to continue doing science experiments because you never know what the answer is going to be,” said the fifth grader who recently attended Booz Allen Hamilton’s Make the Connection (MTC) mentor program in partnership with Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital (GSCNC).

Environment

Living ‘BioWall’ of Plants Could Clean Household Air, Lower Energy Bills

Mar 28, 2017 3:30 PM ET

Homes of the future could have cleaner air and lower energy bills due to a Purdue team’s BioWall innovation involving the use of a living wall of air-cleaning plants.

Environment

Sealed Air Innovates to Reduce Waste and Benefit Local Communities

Mar 28, 2017 3:30 PM ET

At Sealed Air we are innovating ways to reduce waste and benefit society. Through partnerships with our customers, we have developed shared value programs that create a circular solution for discarded products, giving them new life.

Energy

National Grid Proposes New Transmission Project: Would Provide Host Community Benefits, Help Secure New England's Clean Energy Future

Mar 28, 2017 3:20 PM ET

National Grid today announced a proposal to develop an innovative, new transmission project that would bring up to 1,200 megawatts of clean energy from Canada to the New England power grid.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Maersk Line Partners with AkzoNobel to Drive Sustainability

Mar 28, 2017 3:00 PM ET

Innovation & Technology

Arrow Electronics’ SAM Car Ranked Top Car Innovation of 2016

Mar 28, 2017 2:30 PM ET

The Semi-autonomous Motorcar, or SAM Car, that Arrow Electronics, Inc. (NYSE: ARW) built for a former racecar driver paralyzed from the neck down, was named the best car innovation of 2016 by Business Insider.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Timberland Creates Social Value through an Innovative Partnership with Thread

Mar 28, 2017 1:30 PM ET

Sustainable Development Goals

New CEO Guide to the Sustainable Development Goals Highlights Competitive Advantage for Sustainable Businesses

Mar 28, 2017 1:20 PM ET

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) today launched the CEO Guide to the SDGs - a new resource aimed at galvanizing engagement from global business leaders in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Diversity & Inclusion

The Economist’s Pride and Prejudice Event Drills Down on Diversity

Mar 28, 2017 1:10 PM ET

On March 23, 2017, The Economist’s Pride and Prejudice event brought together more than 600 global leaders from business, politics, and civil society to discuss lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) diversity and inclusion. The global 24-hour conversation spanned events in Hong Kong, London, and New York—livestreamed to approximately 17 million people—and focused on the business costs and opportunities related to diversity.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Global Impact Investing Network Appoints Prudential's Mark B. Grier as New Board Chair

Mar 28, 2017 12:30 PM ET

The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) announced the appointment of Mark Grier as its new Board Chair. Grier serves as Vice Chairman at Prudential Financial Inc. Grier’s appointment marks a milestone in the advancement of the GIIN, which will benefit from Prudential’s more than 40 years of institutional impact investing experience.