ESG News from Leading Brands

Research, Reports & Publications

Local Experts Demonstrate Authority in Mainland China CSR Consulting

Sep 26, 2017 2:10 PM ET

SynTao Co., Ltd. is a leading China-based consultancy promoting sustainability and responsibility in the Asia region. The organization focuses on consulting, education, and investment in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Founded in 2005, SynTao has established offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Chongqing, and Washington D.C.

Media & Communications

Sustainable Business Practices Can Impact the Bottom Line, Say This Quartet of Researchers -- Lessons Here for Busy Execs

Sep 26, 2017 2:00 PM ET

A quartet of experts writing in the Harvard Business Review has responded to the short-term, bottom-line pressures that we hear so much about throughout much of Corporate America.

To develop their case, the authors (three academics and a consultant) looked at Brazil's giant beef industry, a challenge for studying considering the size and complexity of the industry and its long-term impact on the planet.

Research, Reports & Publications

Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability Director, Joe Arvai - Big Data Will Not Save Us

Sep 26, 2017 1:30 PM ET

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Nashville Area Homeownership to Get a Boost With the Wells Fargo NeighborhoodLIFT Program

Sep 26, 2017 1:30 PM ET

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC), NeighborWorks® America and its network member Affordable Housing Resources today announced the NeighborhoodLIFT® program is coming to the Nashville area with a $4.2 million commitment by Wells Fargo to boost homeownership. This will be Wells Fargo’s 54th LIFT program event in the U.S.

Events, Media & Communications

VIDEO | Mohawk Makes the Finish Line at IRONMAN® 70.3® World Championship

Sep 26, 2017 1:25 PM ET

At this year’s IRONMAN® 70.3® World Championship in Chattanooga, Tenn., Mohawk Industries engaged in a special partnership with the world-class name in sports, health and fitness. Less than an hour away from Mohawk’s corporate headquarters, the race presented a unique opportunity to give back in the company’s own backyard.

Environment

Dumpster-Diving Your Way Into Zero Waste to Landfill

Sep 26, 2017 1:05 PM ET

Roughly 12 billion metric tons of plastic waste will be in landfills by 2050, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Landfill waste is linked to the release of methane and other potent greenhouse gas emissions, pollution of groundwater, contamination of waterways and negative effects on local wildlife.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Qualcomm Foundation Pledges $250,000 to Long Term Recovery for those Impacted by Recent Earthquakes in Mexico

Sep 26, 2017 1:05 PM ET

Qualcomm Foundation today announced it is donating $250,000 to support long-term recovery efforts in Mexico after the two devastating earthquakes that recently struck the country’s central and south regions. Qualcomm Incorporated is also expanding the list of eligible organizations for its previously announced employee matching grant of $250,000 to include earthquake relief.

Education

Free Money: How Scholarships Can Offset the Climbing Cost of College Tuition

Sep 26, 2017 1:00 PM ET

With another school year underway, Robert C. Ballard, president and CEO of Scholarship America, shares tips to help high school seniors and their families find the college scholarships that are right for them.

Environment

A Smart Cities Summer: A Conversation with EDF Climate Corps Fellow Maham Masood Sadiq

Sep 26, 2017 12:45 PM ET

As our cities integrate technology into their infrastructure and become more intelligent, a clear pattern is starting to emerge. The benefits of connectivity are helping to improve people’s lives and protect the environment. From conserving water to solutions that alert us to rush-hour traffic delays, Smart Cities technology represents a vision of a healthier, safer future that is more attainable than ever.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Bloomberg Signs Amicus Brief Opposing Trump's Travel Ban

Sep 26, 2017 12:20 PM ET

While often rivals in business, Google, Facebook, and Amazon are among 161 tech companies collectively asking the Supreme Court to strike down the Trump administration’s second travel ban. The companies range from sharing economy businesses Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb, to the entertainment giant Netflix, to the internet provider Verizon, to music streamers Pandora and Spotify.

Education

Aramark Associates Revitalize Playground for Wynnewood Family Hope Center

Sep 26, 2017 12:05 PM ET

More than 10,000 Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) team members, including more than 100 from the Dallas area, volunteered to support community centers and nonprofit organizations in the communities where they live and work, on Aramark Building Community Day (ABC Day).

Volunteers in 15 countries, including the U.S., Canada, Chile, China and the United Kingdom, gave their time, energy and expertise to over 500 service projects, which will bring health and wellness education and workforce readiness programs to families in underserved communities.

Health & Healthcare

Pfizer Expands Health Care Infrastructure in Underserved Communities

Sep 26, 2017 12:00 PM ET

An individual’s ability to access quality health care is often limited where infrastructure is weak or non-existent. By supporting collaborative and entrepreneurial approaches that aim to build and improve health infrastructure, we are giving organizations and individuals the skills and resources they need to drive better global health outcomes.

Environment

Change or Be Changed: The Future of Food & Beverage Is Now

Sep 26, 2017 11:45 AM ET

The food and beverage industry is facing major change and brands have to adapt or risk losing out. Listen to four experts in the fields of agricultural sustainability, finance, technology and business speak on topics around this issue.

Education

Tata Consultancy Services and Discovery Education Launch “Ignite My Future in School” to Prepare K-12 Students with Digital Skills for 21st Century Careers

Sep 26, 2017 11:30 AM ET

Tata Consultancy Services, (TCS), (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital education content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, today announced the

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Diageo North America Named in 2017 Working Mother Magazine’s “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers”

Sep 26, 2017 11:15 AM ET

Working Mother magazine today recognized Diageo North America as one of the 2017 Working Mother 100 Best Companies for its strong leadership in creating progressive programs for its workforce in the areas of advancement of women, flexibility, childcare and paid parental leave. This is the ninth consecutive year Diageo has received this honor. The 100 Best Companies are featured in the October/November issue of Working Mother and on workingmother.com.

Diversity & Inclusion

Innovators @ Qualcomm: Vicki Mealer-Burke on How Qualcomm is Breaking Down Barriers

Sep 26, 2017 11:05 AM ET

In a new series we’re calling Innovators @ Qualcomm, or IQ, we’ll get to know some of these talented people. Our first profile is of Vicki Mealer-Burke whose job it is to make sure each and every one of Qualcomm’s employees has a voice. A 20-year veteran of the company, Mealer-Burke has held a variety of positions in several different divisions, from product management to business development to operational leadership and general manager of an emerging business unit. She’s relying on that business acumen — and her empathetic nature — to navigate what is perhaps her most important role to date: chief diversity officer.

Research, Reports & Publications

Bacardi Corporate Responsibility Efforts Highlighted in 2017 Report

Sep 26, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Bacardi focuses its award-winning CR efforts in five priority areas: 1) Marketplace (Alcohol Responsibility & Responsible Marketing); 2) Environment; 3) Responsible Sourcing; 4) People; and 5) Philanthropy & Community Investment. The 2017 CR Report details examples within these categories that employees carried out across the globe and highlights the company’s progress against the Beer, Wine, and Spirits Producers’ Commitments to Reduce Harmful Drinking, the Good Spirited environmental sustainability initiative goals, and the Bacardi commitment to support communities where we live and work.

Events, Media & Communications

Centering on Business and Government Collaboration, Michael R. Bloomberg Convenes Heads of State and International CEOs at Inaugural Forum Providing a New Platform to Connect Public and Private Sectors From Across the World in New York City

Sep 26, 2017 10:55 AM ET

Today, world and business leaders from every region, including more than 50 heads of state and 250 international CEOs, joined Michael R. Bloomberg for the inaugural Global Business Forum, to discuss innovative and collaborative ways to solve challenges and explore new opportunities to global economic growth.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Common Impact and John Hancock Launch Inaugural Skills-Based Flash Consulting Event

Sep 26, 2017 10:45 AM ET

Common Impact, a nonprofit that pioneered corporate skills-based volunteering, teamed up with longtime partner John Hancock to design its inaugural skills-based flash consulting event in Boston. Structured as a team-based, flash consulting event, John Hancock matched teams of volunteers with five local nonprofit organizations dedicated to developing youth in low-income communities to support projects focused on technology and data, two critical areas of need for nonprofits.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Announces 2017 Russell E. Train Fellowship Winners

Sep 26, 2017 10:40 AM ET

Today, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced the recipients of the 2017 Russell E. Train Fellowship. Funded by WWF’s Russell E. Train Education for Nature Program (EFN), Train Fellows pursue their graduate degrees in conservation-related fields anywhere in the world and then return to their home countries to conduct their research.

Diversity & Inclusion

SC Johnson Only Wisconsin-Based Company Named to Working Mother Magazine’s 100 Best Companies List

Sep 26, 2017 10:30 AM ET

For the 29th year, SC Johnson has been named to Working Mother magazine’s list of 100 Best Companies. Today, the only Wisconsin-based company on the 2017 list announced that it is again being recognized for its programs and benefits that support working parents including paid family leave, schedule flexibility and advancement of women.

Health & Healthcare

Novartis Foundation Announces IntraHealth and PATH As Latest Better Hearts Better Cities Partners in Dakar, Senegal

Sep 26, 2017 10:20 AM ET

The Novartis Foundation is pleased to announce IntraHealth International and PATH as local implementation partners for the Better Hearts Better Cities initiative in Dakar, Senegal.

Health & Healthcare

Domtar Sustainability: Personal Caring at Domtar Personal Care

Sep 26, 2017 10:15 AM ET

Gwendolyn McNuckles volunteered to serve as a “Wellness Champion” out of concern for her health and that of her colleagues at Domtar’s personal care manufacturing facility in Waco, Texas.

"My co-workers were suffering bouts of diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma and other ailments,’’ said Gwendolyn. ‘‘Many were severely overweight, including myself. Something had to be done.’’

Research, Reports & Publications

Making the Case for Health: Insights from the First WELL Projects

Sep 26, 2017 10:05 AM ET

With a handful of WELL-certified projects now in operation and hundreds in the certification pipeline, real estate owners and developers are starting to take a hard look at the business case for healthy building certification. From these first few projects, it is clear that this business case is still developing, but it will look a lot different than the one that has driven the green building certification movement to date.

Events, Media & Communications

Opioid Crisis Becomes Corporate Responsibility Issue

Sep 26, 2017 10:00 AM ET

The heroin overdose death of an employee’s son and pleas for help from Maryland’s governor prompted the CEO of a multibillion-dollar defense contractor to join the fight against opioid abuse. Now the corporate leader wants help from other big businesses.