ESG News from Leading Brands

Environment

Ecocentricity Guest Blog: Go Big or Go Home

Oct 10, 2017 10:30 AM ET

This guest blog is from Will Courrèges-Clercq, who is studying Business Adminstration at the Scheller College of Business. Will has taken classes from the sustainability curriculum at the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainability, and he and his teammates recently won the Georgia Tech Carbon Reduction Challenge.

Innovation & Technology

HP School Cloud Brings Digital Learning Resources to Schools Without Internet

Oct 10, 2017 10:20 AM ET

Sustainable Development Goals

Barclays and Robin Hood Foundation Platform "Up & Go" Helps Low-Income Workers Compete for Jobs

Oct 10, 2017 10:15 AM ET

Up & Go, a new online platform supported by Barclays and the anti-poverty foundation Robin Hood, allows New Yorkers to book cleaning services from worker-owned cooperatives. We hear from the women earning a decent wage and growing their businesses through the app, which puts earning power directly in their hands.

Environment

Domtar Sustainability: Creating Value for Our Communities

Oct 10, 2017 10:15 AM ET

Domtar has been a centerpiece in some of our communities for more than a century. We depend on them, and they depend on us. For every 100 jobs in our facilities, an additional 325 jobs are created.* We have focused on repurposing our assets and executing our growth strategy to keep our facilities viable for the long term.

Sustainable Development Goals

Bechtel Build 100 Blog | Edmonton Light Rail Transit: Building More Than Rail

Oct 10, 2017 10:05 AM ET

Bechtel is building Edmonton’s Valley Line light-rail transit extension, the largest infrastructure project undertaken by Alberta’s capital city in Canada. It will expand the commuter-rail system by eight miles (13 kilometers), linking the urban center to distant suburbs across the Saskatchewan River. Edmonton has committed to reducing its carbon footprint by 111,000 tons per year by purchasing renewable energy, which will provide electricity from cleaner sources to power the trains.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Boeing Donates $5 Million to USO Pathfinder

Oct 10, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced a $5 million, multi-year donation to help expand United Service Organizations (USO) Pathfinder transition services—a comprehensive global program for transitioning service members.

Social Impact & Volunteering

MyViacommunity Stories: Opening Doors for Others

Oct 10, 2017 9:45 AM ET

We sat down with Jason Williams, vice president of Global Consumer Products at Nickelodeon, to discuss Viacom’s UP Mentoring, the program he started through Viacommunity.

Innovation & Technology

It’s a Wrap! The End of the 42BELOW® Lemon Soap Science Series

Oct 10, 2017 9:45 AM ET

42BELOW Recycled Cocktail Lemons Eco Soap – what a mouthful… that’s a wrap! Thanks for watching. Check out best bits here.

Sustainable Development Goals

Sappi North America Continues to Lower Emissions

Oct 10, 2017 9:30 AM ET

Our pulp and paper products are derived from renewable resources, made with high levels of renewable energy, and are designed to be reused or recycled. While it is difficult to identify a more sustainable industry than forest products, not all companies perform equally when it comes to operating safely and sustainably. We track our progress annually and offer an updated view of our performance in important areas of environmental and social responsibility.

Environment

Cargill Updates Sustainable Cocoa Plan with Zero Deforestation Aim

Oct 10, 2017 9:25 AM ET

Cargill has published an update to its sustainable cocoa sourcing strategy to align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and include efforts to eliminate deforestation by 2030.

Social Impact & Volunteering

100x35JetBlue: Join Us in Caring for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean

Oct 10, 2017 9:00 AM ET

The stories of devastation and desperate need coming out of Puerto Rico are heartbreaking. With a massive emergency response urgently needed and recovery efforts expected to take months (if not years), JetBlue has established a new program to help our crewmembers, customers and neighbors in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean: 100x35JetBlue.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Impact of Volunteering: Beyond the Traditional Charity-Corporate Partnership

Oct 10, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Since PULSE was created in 2009, GSK has sent over 100 employees to work with Save the Children in more than 35 offices across the world. GSK embarked on an ambitious global partnership with Save the Children to help save one million children’s lives. Since then, the collaboration has been voted the most admired partnership for two consecutive years by the C&E Corporate-NGO Partnerships Barometer.

Research, Reports & Publications

ACHIEVE GREATER | Northern Trust Releases 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

Oct 10, 2017 8:30 AM ET

“At Northern Trust, we believe organizations with a demonstrated commitment to corporate social responsibility create greater value for shareholders and key stakeholders.” -

Green Infrastructure

Landsec Leads the Way with Science-Based Targets

Oct 10, 2017 6:00 AM ET

The low-carbon fuel cell installed at 20 Fenchurch Street – London’s ‘Walkie Talkie’ building – cost £4 million, but contributes 7% of the entire building’s electricity needs. Landsec are also committed to improving the amount of onsite renewable technology with a new target to achieve 3 MW capacity by 2030. Current capacity has doubled to 1.4 MW this summer with their largest installation to date, a 785 kWp solar PV system at White Rose Shopping Centre in Leeds. The system provides 20% of all landlord power, reducing costs for customers and increasing the asset’s resilience, and has become the largest of its kind in the UK.

Research, Reports & Publications

The Reporting Exchange | What Are the Experts Saying About This New Global Resource for Corporate Sustainability Reporting?

Oct 10, 2017 6:00 AM ET

World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) recently launched the Reporting Exchange - the single most up-to-date and comprehensive source of information on sustainability reporting requirements and resources currently available. RNFOead on to see what the experts are saying about this new resource.

Events, Media & Communications

Qualcomm Spotlights Exciting Tech Advances at Grace Hopper Event

Oct 9, 2017 5:40 PM ET

Our largest contingent to date descended on the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, the world’s largest gathering of women technologists. This year, over 180 Qualcomm employees, across all levels, joined more than 20,000 attendees at the conference in Orlando, Florida. We raised awareness about our technologies, showcased our inventors working on those technologies, and the great opportunities available at Qualcomm.

Environment

Top 5 Evergreens Sold Through the Arbor Day Tree Nursery

Oct 9, 2017 4:00 PM ET

Evergreen trees offer numerous benefits when strategically planted around your home. They provide year-round color in the winter when other trees are bare. Additionally, evergreens can be used as a living snow fence, keeping cold winds out which results in lower energy costs.

Research, Reports & Publications

Caterpillar's Real-Time Energy Data Helps Drive Results

Oct 9, 2017 3:00 PM ET

Seeing is believing. That maxim has proven to be true at Caterpillar China Machinery Components Co. Operator Station Facility in Wuxi, China.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

New Models of Corporate Citizenship

Oct 9, 2017 2:50 PM ET

Many corporate citizenship programs involve initiatives that reflect immediate problems (such as apprenticeship programs to fill near-term openings), the nature of their company (such as financial literacy), or local community needs (arts, athletics, etc.). In addition, though, some business leaders and corporations are addressing a social goal that is outside their business expertise and far beyond next year’s workforce projections. They are also taking a set of actions that tap into the whole array of corporate assets to solve a pressing problem.

Media & Communications

The National Geographic Can Have a Major Influence on Its Global Audience With Coverage Like This: Climate Change's Hidden Costs

Oct 9, 2017 2:00 PM ET

The National Geographic Society made its debut as a publishing force in 1888, introducing the natural world and faraway places to generation-after-generation, at first through the familiar yellow cover magazine (the "journal"), then on through broadcast and cable television programming, a web site, and movies.

Diversity & Inclusion

Wells Fargo Invites Students to Apply for Disability Scholarships

Oct 9, 2017 1:35 PM ET

In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) and Scholarship America announced the second annual People with Disabilities Scholarship Program. The program’s goal is to help people with disabilities obtain the education or training they need to succeed in the careers they choose.

Research, Reports & Publications

Case Study: Tackling Poverty in Developing Countries

Oct 9, 2017 1:10 PM ET

Poverty and sustainable development are the prime focus of GRI’s program with the Swedish government, including raising awareness of companies' impacts and making use of the reported corporate data to stimulate action for positive change. Read more about the highlights and impact of this collaboration.

Events, Media & Communications

Calling All Corporate Citizenship Thought Leaders

Oct 9, 2017 1:00 PM ET

Are you looking to reach corporate citizenship professionals and share your knowledge? Submit an RFP to be considered as a speaker for ACCP’s 2018 digital events.

Environment

A Flyover of Recent Drone Developments in EHS

Oct 9, 2017 11:50 AM ET

Antea Group’s new blog provides a snapshot of drone developments in EHS as well as drone history, safety, and regulations that govern their commercial use.

Education

World Wildlife Fund Launches Free Educational Resource for Teachers and Parents

Oct 9, 2017 11:45 AM ET

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) connects educators and parents with the materials they need to help kids explore and understand the natural world around them with a new educational resource, Wild Classroom. Now available for free download, Wild Classroom is a growing library of species-focused toolkits that can be used to enhance children’s learning inside or outside of a traditional learning environment.