ESG News from Leading Brands

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

James M. Cox Foundation and Jim Kennedy Donate $2.5 Million to Build Fitness Center for Emory St. Joseph’s Staff

Jan 31, 2017 9:00 AM ET

The James M. Cox Foundation and Jim Kennedy made a combined $2.5 million gift for the construction of the James C. Kennedy Fitness Center at Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital. The hospital’s physicians, nurses and staff will have complimentary, 24-7 access to the state-of-the-art fitness facility.

The 5,400 square foot Kennedy Fitness Center is being constructed on the St. Joseph’s campus to provide convenient access for all hospital staff members. The Center will include cardio and strength machines, a yoga/mindfulness area and other programs that promote healthy living for the 3,000 employees of St. Joseph’s and its neighboring medical facilities. The fitness center is expected to be operational by summer 2017.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Forging the Missing Link: What the 2017 CDP Supply Chain Report Says About Supplier Engagement

Jan 31, 2017 9:00 AM ET

While this year's CDP Supply Chain Report, written by BSR in partnership with CDP and the Carbon Trust, showed that the world's largest purchasing organizations are driving down emissions in their supply chains, it also highlighted the need for urgency.

Diversity & Inclusion

Fox Filmmakers Lab Hosts 25 AFI Alumnae as Part of Broad Initiative to Increase Opportunities for Female Film Directors

Jan 31, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Fox and the American Film Institute have selected 25 of the most dynamic new voices in Hollywood to participate in the Fox Filmmakers Lab, a mentoring program designed to increase the number of female directors working in the industry. The group consists of alumnae of the AFI Conservatory and the AFI Directing Workshop for Women, and the Lab will allow each of them to develop a short film concept based on Fox’s franchise titles, such as Alien, Planet of the Apes, Predator and more, providing the necessary experience to work on more major studio films as they progress in their careers.

Environment

PT Freeport-Indonesia, a Freeport-McMoRan Company, Planted 13,000 Coconut Trees in 2016

Jan 31, 2017 8:30 AM ET

PT Freeport Indonesia, in coordination with the local government and the Catholic Church have been creating coconut plantations in the coastal villages of Mimika in Papua, Indonesia.

Environment

Breaking: Legislation Filed to Reduce Lake Okeechobee Discharges

Jan 31, 2017 8:30 AM ET

Orvis applauds State Senator Rob Bradley (R-Fleming Island), who filed Florida Senate Bill 10, which is designed to reduce harmful Lake Okeechobee discharges and provide needed water to the Everglades and Florida Bay. The bill calls for the purchase of 60,000 acres of land south of the lake to build a reservoir to hold excess water, which will reduces discharges to the coasts.

Diversity & Inclusion

Barclays: Creating Access to Employment

Jan 31, 2017 8:15 AM ET

‘I feel like I have a role here’, says Alex an apprentice with Growing Underground. Alex comes from a tough part of London with limited job opportunities and without the relevant qualifications to pursue a more business-centric path, he was unsure of his career prospects.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Scotiabank Supports Families at London Health Sciences Centre

Jan 31, 2017 8:15 AM ET

Scotiabank has donated $1 million to Children’s Health Foundation and London Health Sciences Foundation, fundraising partners of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), to fund The Scotiabank Family Assistance Program, which supports women, children and their families experiencing financial hardship during treatment.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Gerber® Names Winner of Gerber Baby Photo Search

Jan 31, 2017 8:05 AM ET

Today, early childhood nutrition leader Gerber announced a charming new face and the winning entry of the seventh annual Gerber Baby Photo Search 2016 – baby Riley from Lewis Center, Ohio.

Innovation & Technology

This Chemistry Project Could Recolor Fabric Dyeing

Jan 31, 2017 8:00 AM ET

Getting dressed each morning is a simple, routine act, but the process of making many of the clothes that fill our closets is anything but. Even to create a typical colored T-shirt, the fabric manufacturing and dyeing industry relies heavily on the use of salt, alkali and other chemicals, a process that creates substantial waste and can involve high energy and water consumption.

Research, Reports & Publications

Integrating SDGs Into Business Strategy – Complimentary Briefing

Jan 31, 2017 4:00 AM ET

If the Sustainable Development Goals are to be met, business will have to play a major role. The UNDP programme says ‘Achieving the SDGs requires the partnership of governments, private sector, civil society and citizens alike to make sure we leave a better planet for future generations’.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

FSG Hosts Panel Discussion on Inadequate Property Rights for Informal Housing Residents

Jan 30, 2017 11:00 PM ET

This February 15th, FSG is commemorating the launch of their new report, Informal Housing, Inadequate Property Rights, with a panel discussion highlighting key findings from the research. This report takes a comprehensive, in-depth review of property rights throughout India’s informal housing settlements, which include slums and unauthorized housing.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

RBS Recognised in the 2017 Bloomberg Financial Services Gender-Equality Index

Jan 30, 2017 3:35 PM ET

RBS is one of 52 firms recognised in the 2017 Bloomberg Financial Services Gender-Equality Index (BFGEI).
The index provides investors and organisations with standardised aggregate data across company gender statistics; employee policies; gender-conscious product offerings; and external community support and engagement.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Expanded Community Recess Partnership Aims to Increase Physical Activity and Support Learning Through the Power of Play

Jan 30, 2017 3:05 PM ET

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI), Playworks New England and the Rhode Island Healthy Schools Coalition (RIHSC) announced today an expanded second-year recess partnership to increase physical activity and bolster social-emotional skills in local students. The Playworks Recess Implementation program has grown from its initial work with 18 schools during 2016 to doubling the size of the program to 36 schools from across the state this school year.

Environment

Domtar EarthChoice Monthly Minute | January 2017

Jan 30, 2017 1:25 PM ET

Read Domtar's EarthChoice Monthly Minute for January 2017.

Innovation & Technology

GM and Honda to Establish Industry-First Joint Fuel Cell System Manufacturing Operation in Michigan

Jan 30, 2017 12:35 PM ET

General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) and Honda (NYSE: HMC) today announced establishment of the auto industry’s first manufacturing joint venture to mass produce an advanced hydrogen fuel cell system that will be used in future products from each company.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Albertsons Companies Celebrates Adding 26,000 Jobs & 174 Stores, and Increasing Support to Local Communities Since 2015 Merger with Safeway

Jan 30, 2017 12:00 PM ET

On the two-year anniversary of the merger that created the second-largest supermarket company in the U.S., Albertsons Companies announced that since the merger with Safeway, it has grown its workforce by 10 percent, creating 26,000 jobs; built or acquired 174 locations; increased healthy food and financial donations; and elevated its commitment to sustainability.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Republic Services Named to Elite List for Corporate Leadership on Climate Change

Jan 30, 2017 11:30 AM ET

Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE: RSG) is pleased to announce that the Company has been named to the elite Supplier Climate A List by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a leading international not-for-profit organization that drives sustainable economies. Only 3 percent of companies worldwide participating in the 2016 CDP supply chain program earned the prestigious recognition.

Environment

The Importance of EHS Compliance: Where to Focus, Common Challenges & Consequences of Non-Compliance

Jan 30, 2017 10:45 AM ET

These days, environmental, health and safety (EHS) compliance isn’t the sole concern of most businesses—it’s just one part of running a healthy and productive company. But compliance is still an absolute must in order to run a safe and effective business, and EHS managers are faced with the daunting task of managing regulatory compliance across multiple facilities and functions, often without a lot of resources.

On the Antea Group blog, we address some common challenges EHS managers face, as well as answer common questions they have about where to focus their efforts and possible consequences of non-compliance.

Environment

Ford Cleans London Air Through Public-Private Partnership

Jan 30, 2017 10:35 AM ET

Companies have long facilitated public-private partnerships to create innovative solutions to the critical issues facing the world today. From Cisco's Smart + Connected Communities effort to Coca-Cola's Project Last Mile delivering medical supplies to remote areas, companies understand the benefits of improving the communities they operate in. Now, one automotive company is taking its work to the streets of London to reduce air pollution as part of a multimillion-pound project.

Health & Healthcare

The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County Honors Nestlé Waters North America CEO Tim Brown

Jan 30, 2017 10:35 AM ET

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Newmont Recognized for Top Sustainability Performance – and Largest Improvements – in Global Mining Sector

Jan 30, 2017 10:15 AM ET

Health & Healthcare

Baxter International Foundation Helps Grow the Independent Health Foundation’s Good for the Neighborhood® Program

Jan 30, 2017 10:00 AM ET

A grant from the Baxter International Foundation will help support and grow the Independent Health Foundation’s Good for the Neighborhood® (GFTN) program, a free community-based wellness initiative that brings healthy living and training tools to assist individuals in at-risk and underserved neighborhoods where access to healthcare is limited due to social and economic barriers.

Events, Media & Communications

Join Businesses to Boost Healthy Workforce, Healthy Communities

Jan 30, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Cox Automotive Presents Barbara Cox Automotive Woman of the Year Award

Jan 30, 2017 9:30 AM ET

Cox Automotive™ presented the 12th annual Barbara Cox Automotive Woman of the Year Award to Linda Silverstein, general manager, remarketing and rental operations, Ford Motor Company.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Northern Trust Asset Management Launches Unique Sustainable Real Estate Index and Fund in Conjunction with GRESB

Jan 30, 2017 9:05 AM ET

Northern Trust Asset Management, collaborating with GRESB, the global sustainability benchmark for real assets, has launched a unique sustainable real estate index. A Dutch-domiciled pooled fund passively managed to this new index has also been launched.