ESG News from Leading Brands

Environment

Heating up the Fight Against Climate Change

Dec 4, 2015 8:00 AM ET

Over the past year, the debate about what actions should be taken to halt climate change has continued in earnest. Involvement from experts, religious leaders, companies, activists, and consumers has reached a fever pitch, and governments have responded.

Research, Reports & Publications

From Water to Waste to Wildlife: Toyota’s Environmental “To Do” List

Dec 4, 2015 8:00 AM ET

Five priority issues - carbon, water, materials, biodiversity, and outreach - guide Toyota’s efforts in North America.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Take 5 Challenge Accepted: December 2015

Dec 4, 2015 8:00 AM ET

From fundraising for cancer, to facility improvement and cybersecurity training, Symantec employees around the world have accepted the Take 5 challenge and are making a difference in their communities.

Events, Media & Communications

COP21: Bloomberg's Paris Climate Conference Jargon Buster

Dec 4, 2015 7:10 AM ET

UN-sponsored climate talks in Paris – commonly referred to as COP21 – have opened in the French capital, with leaders including French President Francois Hollande, U.S. President Barack Obama and China's President Xi Jinping leading calls for a global deal.

Environment

21st Century Fox Signs on to White House Climate Pledge, Commits to Action on Climate Change

Dec 3, 2015 7:00 PM ET

On December 1, 21st Century Fox announced that it has joined the American Business Act on Climate Pledge, a new initiative from the Obama Administration in which a total of 154 companies from across the American economy have committed to demonstrate their support for action on climate change and to voice support for a strong outcome to the COP21 Paris climate negotiations. The company has committed to reduce its carbon emissions, invest in renewable energy, and disclose its annual energy use.

Environment

CEOs are Calling for a Climate Change Agreement in Paris

Dec 3, 2015 6:00 PM ET

According to a global study by the United Nations Global Compact and Accenture of 750 business leaders surveyed:

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Securing a Sustainable Supply Chain: Lessons from CSR Research

Dec 3, 2015 5:40 PM ET

To address environmental, social, and governance issues effectively, CSR professionals today must look beyond their own operations and deep into their supply chain. How and where are materials sourced? How are the components of products developed? What are the environmental and human rights ramifications of those processes? Issues as serious as child labor, conflict minerals, and climate change can only be effectively tackled when a company’s commitments to corporate citizenship and reporting are adopted by their suppliers and partners.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Here’s How Your Kids Can Spread Joy This Holiday Season

Dec 3, 2015 3:50 PM ET

Your kids can help brighten the holidays for others through the generationOn Joy Maker Challenge, which engages youth in volunteer service. During the challenge – through Dec. 23 – Hasbro will donate a toy or game to Toys for Tots for every child or teen who signs up and volunteers, up to $1 million worth.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

‘Gender-Lens Investing’ to Promote Female Entrepreneurship

Dec 3, 2015 3:45 PM ET

The idea of providing financial backing to specifically improve the lives of women and girls, while at the same time generating financial returns, is gaining traction in both emerging economies and the developed countries. According to think-tank Criterion Institute, the term ‘gender-lens investing’ represents this idea, and there is evidence to show that investing in women and girls carries both financial and social benefits.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

DuPont Joins Together for Sustainability Initiative

Dec 3, 2015 3:05 PM ET

DuPont announced that it has joined the Together for Sustainability (TfS) initiative. DuPont is among the first U.S.-based members and is targeting completion of the TfS on-boarding process by the end of 2016.

Environment

Sustainability Made Stronger, Pt. 2 by UPS Longitudes

Dec 3, 2015 3:05 PM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

How We Can Take #GivingTuesday to the Next Level

Dec 3, 2015 3:00 PM ET

Giving Tuesday’s success consistently shows that people are hungry for opportunities to give back. Wouldn’t it be great if we could harness the enthusiasm for giving that we see during Giving Tuesday, and make it a natural part of everyone’s everyday life? Put another way: How can we turn #GivingTuesday into #GivingEveryDay?

Events, Media & Communications

UN Global Compact Bulletin (December 2015)

Dec 3, 2015 2:30 PM ET

As the official platform for business at the climate negotiations, the Global Compact is providing daily insights on business-climate action, showing the unstoppable momentum towards a green future. Read a message from our Executive Director Lise Kingo and visit the Caring for Climate Business Forum page regularly for the latest updates and to watch the livestream of the Forum.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Republic Services: Williams County Landfill Tour in Ohio

Dec 3, 2015 2:20 PM ET

The Williams County Landfill, operated by Republic Services, hosted a tour this fall for the St. Patrick’s Catholic School First Lego League of Bryan, Ohio. The First Lego League is an international program created to introduce children to science and technology. This year’s FLL challenge is the Trash Trek Challenge. The children are challenged to explore one piece of trash from start to finish. They are then asked to identify a problem in the way the trash is handled, and then come up with a solution.

Environment

King County Makes a Bold Commitment to Living Buildings

Dec 3, 2015 2:20 PM ET

As part of a bold initiative to counter the effects of climate change, the King County Council recently voted unanimously to approve its new Strategic Climate Action Plan (SCAP), laying out a blueprint for concrete, actionable work in the realm of sustainability.

Education

Restorative Justice Gains Momentum on College Campuses

Dec 3, 2015 2:10 PM ET

As the practice of restorative justice gains momentum within higher education, 35 representatives of colleges and universities from across the country gathered at Skidmore College to take a closer look at this growing movement.

Innovation & Technology

Keystone Human Services International and The Hans Foundation Collaborate to Create the Keystone Institute India to Improve the Lives of People with Disabilities

Dec 3, 2015 1:40 PM ET

Keystone Human Services International, Harrisburg, PA, has begun a collaborative partnership with The Hans Foundation to strengthen the inclusion of people with disabilities in community life in India. This partnership establishes the Keystone Institute India, An Educational Institute on Disability, Community and Innovation. This national institute will provide training and consultation related to the creation of responsive community supports for men, women and children living in India with a disability. It will also focus on supporting individualized alternatives to congregate care and institutionalization. The development of the Keystone Institute India will be a step toward creating a society where people with disabilities are included, valued, and have access to full, meaningful lives.

Environment

National Grid Makes Climate Pledge to White House, Signs American Business Act

Dec 3, 2015 1:15 PM ET

Environment

Keep it in the Ground: One Newspaper’s Campaign to Highlight Climate Change

Dec 3, 2015 1:00 PM ET

With the word’s hopes on Paris this week and the start of the 21st annual meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP21), we spoke to Nabeelah Shabbir, Journalist at the Guardian, to find out about their award-winning campaign (accolades include the British Journalism Award for Cmpaign of the Year 2015) which brings climate change into firm focus.

Events, Media & Communications

Being Thankful in the Consciousness Revolution

Dec 3, 2015 12:30 PM ET

Most revolutions involve chaos, confusion, even pain and violence. Those on the side of positive change must push back against the powerful opposition, those who benefit from the status quo and who exploit others for their gain. If we are committed to peace, prosperity, and a sustainable future for our children, this kind of turmoil can seem counterintuitive. How can chaos and conflict lead to peace, harmony, and justice?

Environment

TED@UPS: Taking Trash Talk to a Whole New Level

Dec 3, 2015 12:00 PM ET

Peter Harris from UPS talks about circular economy: taking raw materials that become waste and finding ways for the waste to become a resource.

Environment

Supporting Leadership in Climate Change Reduction

Dec 3, 2015 11:45 AM ET

As the 2015 Paris Climate Conference kicks off two weeks of talks between world leaders, climate experts and members of civil society on action to curb GHG emissions, we want to take this opportunity to affirm our support for the Canadian government’s effort to tackle climate change.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

BJ's Kicks Off Community Kids' Toy Drive

Dec 3, 2015 11:30 AM ET

BJ's Wholesale Club is once again running its Community Kids’ Toy Drive, an annual initiative to collect toys in its 211 Clubs, distribution centers and home office. Through Sunday, December 13, each BJ's location partners with a local nonprofit organization that will receive and redistribute toys to children in the surrounding community.

Energy

Bloomberg and EDP Renewables Announce Largest Corporate Renewable Energy Purchase on Record in the State of New York

Dec 3, 2015 11:15 AM ET

EDP Renewables (Euronext: EDPR), a global leader in the renewable energy sector and the world’s fourth-largest wind energy producer, today announced that it has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Bloomberg, the global business and financial information and news leader, for 20MW of clean energy that will be used to offset the energy use of their New York Offices.

Research, Reports & Publications

CSRHub Named First Partner of SASB’s New Research & Insight Partnership Program

Dec 3, 2015 11:10 AM ET

Today The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board™ (SASB)™ announced that CSRHub® is the first partner of their newly launched Research & Insight Partnership Program, in which commercial and academic partners use SASB intellectual property (IP) to surface market trends and set benchmarks. SASB is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides sustainability accounting standards for use by publicly listed corporations in the U.S. CSRHub is a B Corporation that has built the world’s largest database of sustainability information.