ESG News from Leading Brands

Responsible Production & Consumption

Discussed Changes to Dodd-Frank Will Not Affect 2017 Conflict Minerals Filing Requirement

Feb 2, 2017 5:10 PM ET

The acting chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced this week that the agency would reconsider how to enforce the conflict minerals rule contained within the Dodd-Frank Act, Dodd-Frank Section 1502.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

TD Securities Acts as a Joint Lead Manager for Largest Green Bond Issuance in Canada

Feb 2, 2017 4:30 PM ET

On January 26, 2017, TD Securities acted as a joint lead for the Province of Ontario’s third – and largest – green bond. At $800 million this is the largest issuance of a Canadian dollar green bond to date.

Environment

Birds, Frogs and Turtles Call General Motors’ Wetlands Home

Feb 2, 2017 4:15 PM ET

Wetlands rank right up there with rain forests and coral reefs when it comes to the world’s most productive ecosystems. In recognition of World Wetlands Day, several General Motors sites featuring or supporting wetlands share how they are working to increase biodiversity.

Energy

National Grid Helps Drive Massachusetts Toward a Clean Energy Future

Feb 2, 2017 4:00 PM ET

National Grid today announced plans to help move the Commonwealth of Massachusetts closer to a clean energy future. To assist the state in its growing demand for “green” transportation, the company plans to develop more than 1,200 electric vehicle charging ports at 140 sites over a three-year period.

Education

Shaping the Future

Feb 2, 2017 2:35 PM ET

As part of AT&T’s Aspire initiative – which accelerates the learning revolution and connects it with the young people who need it most – we’ve invested more than $350 million to help ensure all students have access to the skills they need to succeed in school and beyond. We know that in order to truly accomplish this mission, we must look to those “on the ground: ”the teachers and inventors who are creating solutions for our students using the power of technology.

Events, Media & Communications

The Best Intentions of C-Suite on Corporate Sustainability -- Results in are in With Sharing of Bain & Co Survey

Feb 2, 2017 2:25 PM ET

This is not encouraging: the respected management consulting company Bain & Company surveyed the leaders of 300 companies engaged in "sustainability transformation" and conducted interviews with heads of sustainability recognized for outstanding results.

The question: What are the results of instituting sustainability as a top priority? The answer: Alas, not really encouraging for stakeholders, says Bain & Company. There's an important "but" here with tips for CEOs and C-suite on how to overcome the odds of losing forward momentum in corporate sustainability efforts.

Education

Meet Amgen Scholars Alumni Rana Tahir Rasool

Feb 2, 2017 2:15 PM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Guest Post: Timberland Shares Lessons Learned in Sustainability in 2016

Feb 2, 2017 2:00 PM ET

At the start of each year, we take time to reflect upon the prior year to ensure we don’t lose sight of the lessons we learned. From launching innovative product partnerships that benefit society and celebrating milestone environmental achievements, to helping those in need by rallying our employees and sharing our commitment to do more for green spaces, we celebrated progress and overcame challenges in 2016. As we look to 2017, here are three lessons we learned in the past year that we’ll carry with us in our mission to be Earthkeepers in all that we do.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

The Emergence of Natural Capital Consciousness

Feb 2, 2017 1:30 PM ET

Margie Flynn and Mark Miller from Brown Flynn talk about the importance of natural capital in a piece for GreenBiz. The authors use TD Bank Group's natural capital work as an example of how companies can use it to assess the impact of their environmental work—hoping to encourage businesses to embed natural capital valuation into their business decisions.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Keybank Provides $54.5 Million for New Affordable Housing Units Near Seattle

Feb 2, 2017 1:00 PM ET

KeyBank’s Community Development Lending & Investing (CDLI) group announced today it has provided $54.5 million to construct 256 4% LIHTC units at Puget Park, a fully affordable multifamily housing development in Everett, WA, 30 miles north of Seattle. The property will serve residents who earn 60% or less of the area median income.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Connecting Personal Values of CEOs to their Commitment to CSR: An Interview with Otgontsetseg Erhemjamts

Feb 2, 2017 12:30 PM ET

Understanding personal values of CEOs informs employees and investors about a company’s commitment to ethics and corporate social responsibility. In a paper titled “Relation between personal values of CEOs and their commitment to corporate social responsibility”, Professor Erhemjamts and her student Sarah Maher examined corporate social responsibility (CSR) ratings of S&P500 companies along with social capital of the states their CEOs grew up in.

Innovation & Technology

Barclays Accelerator Gamechangers: BenBen

Feb 2, 2017 12:15 PM ET

Events, Media & Communications

Whole Planet Foundation® and Partners Host Pre-GRAMMY® Benefit and Showcase at OHM Nightclub in Hollywood

Feb 2, 2017 12:05 PM ET

Green Infrastructure

Citi Joins NYC Mayor’s Carbon Challenge to Reduce Greenhouse Gases at Global Headquarters

Feb 2, 2017 12:00 PM ET

Work is well underway in transforming Citi’s Global Headquarters located at 388 Greenwich Street in New York City into a modern, world-class facility that supports Citi’s businesses and functions, enabling employees to connect and work more closely together, and to better serve our clients and customers.

Social Impact & Volunteering

CITGO Named the Official Fuel Sponsor of the Boston Marathon

Feb 2, 2017 12:00 PM ET

CITGO Petroleum Corporation and the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) today proudly announced the beginning of a multiple-year sponsorship agreement, making the Houston-based oil refining and marketing company the Official Fuel Sponsor of the Boston Marathon.

Health & Healthcare

Doing Winter Better – Why Where You Live Matters

Feb 2, 2017 10:35 AM ET

Snow, ice, cold, slippery roads – and isolation. And that’s on good days, when an ice storm or high winds haven’t knocked down the power lines. No senior in this situation is singing, “Hello, darkness, my old friend.”

Diversity & Inclusion

A New Symbol of IBM’s Diversity Leadership

Feb 2, 2017 10:10 AM ET

IBM is proud of our long-standing commitment to fostering diversity, acceptance and inclusion. We strongly oppose discrimination of any kind toward anyone. IBM firmly stands by all of our employees and strives to attract, retain and grow the very best and brightest diverse talent to fulfill our company’s purpose — to be essential.

Diversity & Inclusion

Say Hello to the Antea Group Portland Office!

Feb 2, 2017 9:35 AM ET

The Portland office provides services primarily to the oil and gas, wood products, and high tech market segments. For the oil and gas segment, we are involved in the remediation of retail LUST sites as well as large bulk storage terminals and associated pipelines. We also provide litigation support services for oil and gas clients with facilties located with the Portland Harbor Superfund located along the lower Willamette River. In the wood products industry, we provide compliance support with stormwater, waste water, and groundwater issues. For high tech, we provide HSE support and on-site out-sourced staffing.

Innovation & Technology

Millennials, Money and Investing

Feb 2, 2017 9:05 AM ET

In this special issue of GreenMoney Journal, you will hear from five Millennials who are in various stages of their careers: two who have ventured out on their own to make an impact in their own special way, and three who choose the corporate path. Each writer brings a unique lens on what it means to make a sustainable impact.

Environment

Tetra Pak Announces Science Based Targets for Climate Impact Reduction

Feb 2, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Tetra Pak today pledged that by 2030, the greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations will be at least 40% lower than in 2015.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

What Drives Urban Resilience? Two Cities That Bounced Back

Feb 2, 2017 8:35 AM ET

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.

Responsible Production & Consumption

42BELOW® Vodka Launches ‘Recycled Cocktail Lemons Eco Soap’ Sustainability Initiative

Feb 2, 2017 8:05 AM ET

The good people at 42BELOW® vodka have decided to launch their own kiwi planet-saving initiative and are introducing ‘42BELOW Recycled Cocktail Lemons Eco Soap.’ The world’s first soap made from recycled cocktail lemons, and probably the odd martini olive. It’s recycling, on a sociable scale.

Social Impact & Volunteering

VolunteerMatch’s Site Traffic Hits All-Time High Post-Inauguration

Feb 2, 2017 8:00 AM ET

VolunteerMatch, the Web’s largest volunteer engagement network, announced today that its website’s traffic increased by as much as 76% in the days following President Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2017, marking the busiest time in the website’s history.

Environment

FCA US Prioritizes Wetlands Preservation at North American Headquarters

Feb 2, 2017 7:00 AM ET

Today is World Wetlands Day – a day honoring a global treaty to conserve and sustain wetlands. So, what does that have to do with an automotive company?

The FCA US headquarters in Michigan boasts more than 100-acres of natural wetlands, and has since breaking ground 25 years ago.

Research, Reports & Publications

DONG Energy to Stop All Use of Coal by 2023

Feb 2, 2017 4:00 AM ET

DONG Energy has decided that by 2023, coal will no longer be used as fuel at the company's power stations. The decision goes hand in hand with the aim to reduce CO2 emissions in power and heat generation with 96% as compared to 2006.