ESG News from Leading Brands

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

KeyBank Provides $12.7 Million to Preserve Affordable Housing in Albany, NY

Aug 22, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Women’s Leadership Conference Digs into Politics, Business and the Human Condition

Aug 22, 2017 10:00 AM ET

pening the 2017 Women’s Leadership Conference, the young voices of the Musicology Academy blew the roof off the MGM Grand. They sang of struggle and triumph, prevailing themes of the testimony given by speakers and attendees of the two-day event. For the 11th year, it featured diverse thought leaders sharing professional and sometimes deeply personal revelations.

Research, Reports & Publications

Aflac 2016 CSR Report Unveiling

Aug 22, 2017 10:00 AM ET

At Aflac, we try to live by this very simple rule: Everyone has the power to do good. We have unveiled Aflac’s 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, where we share with you how Aflac strives to be a good neighbor with good people leading the way.

Sustainable Development Goals

Major Companies and Investors Urge California Legislators to Support State 100 Percent Renewable Energy Goal

Aug 22, 2017 10:00 AM ET

As California’s legislature considers boosting the state’s renewable energy goal to 100 percent of electricity generation by 2045, more than two dozen institutional investors and influential companies expressed their support of such a goal in two letters sent this week to the State Assembly.

Events, Media & Communications

Schneider Electric Livestream: The Disruptive Power of Innovation

Aug 22, 2017 9:50 AM ET

Digitization has created unprecedented global connectivity — from corporate sites down to individual pieces of technology. Steve Wilhite, Senior Vice President at Schneider Electric, will discuss how this innovation disrupts the way organizations currently strategize their energy and sustainability programs. The event will be livestreamed from the company’s Energy & Sustainability Perspectives Summit, a gathering of more than 200 industry leaders.

Environment

NRG Biodiversity Spotlight | Cedar Bayou EcoCenter

Aug 22, 2017 9:35 AM ET

NRG Energy operates the Cedar Bayou EcoCenter on Galveston Bay in Texas to increase public awareness of the needs of the ecosystem, offer wetland education and develop solutions for coastal issues and restoration.

Environment

INFOGRAPHIC | Hallmark's Year in Sustainability 2016

Aug 22, 2017 9:25 AM ET

Green Infrastructure

WELL Story: Mind at CBRE Madrid

Aug 22, 2017 9:25 AM ET

Almost every urban dweller can relate to the feeling of staring longingly out an office building window on a beautiful summer day wishing they could escape the indoors.

Sustainable Development Goals

WBCSD Resources Assist with Circular Economy and Natural Capital Assessments

Aug 22, 2017 9:20 AM ET

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has developed tools to help companies and businesses transition towards a circular economy and undertake natural capital measurements and valuation, thereby contributing to a number of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure).

Education

Sodexo’s Five Back-to-School Healthy Eating Tips

Aug 22, 2017 9:00 AM ET

In preparation for the 2017-2018 school year, Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life services, released five easy tips to help children eat healthier during the school day. As the largest employer of registered dietitians in North America and a leading provider of school meals, Sodexo’s nutrition experts offer creative ways to make meals and snacks more nutritious whether they are brought from home or purchased at school.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Whole Planet Foundation | Dispatch From the Field - Impact Dashboard Update

Aug 22, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Thanks to our microfinance partners around the globe who are working diligently daily to serve the world's poorest people, the average first loan size we fund has decreased to $184.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

HPE Launches World's First Supply Chain Management Program

Aug 22, 2017 8:50 AM ET

Media & Communications

Supplier Development: Quantifiable Bottom Line Benefits - Webinar Recordings

Aug 22, 2017 5:00 AM ET

Moving beyond audit and shift mindsets across your supply chain and internally might be the hardest task but truly engaging suppliers in sustainability is key to reduce costs, drive efficiencies and minimise risk to ensure business impact, reputation and competitiveness.

Research, Reports & Publications

Sands ECO360 Environmental Report 2016 | A Welcome from our Chairman

Aug 22, 2017 12:40 AM ET

Operating a sustainable business means focusing on the areas where we have the greatest impact and where we can make meaningful improvement through investments, partnerships and scalable solutions.

Health & Healthcare

Minnesota Pitcher Glen Perkins and Wife, Alisha, Support Mental Health in Twins Cities

Aug 21, 2017 7:00 PM ET

Around the time of Major League pitcher Glen Perkins’ sixth annual Fifteen’s 5K charity race, the MinnesotaTwins’ veteran closer was nearing the finish line of a nearly 16-month rehabilitation process from major shoulder surgery.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Natalia Adler: Building – and Using – Data Collaboratives to Help Children

Aug 21, 2017 5:45 PM ET

Natalia Adler describes herself as a problem-solver, not a data scientist. When she came to work at UNICEF’s New York headquarters after seven years in Nicaragua and Mozambique, she joined the data research and policy division. “I immediately saw that, even though we do all sorts of data work, we were behind on the data science component,” says Adler, now a data, research, and policy manager at UNICEF (The United Nations Children’s Fund). “And if you want to make progress on that front, you need to access to big data – however, most relevant datasets sit with corporations.”

Energy

Self-Healing Technology Helps Improve Energy Grid Reliability

Aug 21, 2017 5:35 PM ET

The self-healing system can automatically detect, isolate and reroute power when a problem occurs. This helps reduce the number of outages, decrease the duration of outages and can even help restore power in a matter of minutes. And the best part, this can be done before anyone reports a power outage.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

KeyBank Arranges $6.9 Million in FHA Financing for Ohio Affordable Seniors Housing Property

Aug 21, 2017 5:00 PM ET

KeyBank Real Estate Capital has arranged a $6.9 million FHA loan to Millennia Housing Development Ltd., for the substantial renovation of Sherman Thompson Towers Apartments, a 151-unit affordable seniors housing community, located in Ironton, OH. Each of the units are designated for residents earning 30-60% area median income (AMI). The project was awarded tax credits by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA).

Innovation & Technology

Airplane Technology & Emissions

Aug 21, 2017 2:35 PM ET

Boeing's products connect people, protect nations, explore space and sea and inspire the world. We are committed to making the world’s best airplanes with the smallest environmental footprint and working with industry stakeholders on climate protection.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Voya Financial Chief Communications Officer Paul Gennaro Joins Board of US Business Leadership Network (USBLN)

Aug 21, 2017 1:45 PM ET

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), announced today that Paul Gennaro, senior vice president of Brand and Corporate Communications, and chief communications officer (CCO), has been appointed to the board of directors of the US Business Leadership Network (USBLN). USBLN is a national nonprofit that helps the business community drive performance by leveraging disability inclusion in the workplace, supply chain and marketplace.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

The Great Question: Where Do Human Rights Begin for Business?

Aug 21, 2017 1:35 PM ET

The recent display of racism, bigotry and violence in the city of Charlottesville, Virginia has raised alarms and drawn condemnation from large swaths of society, from human rights groups and academics to business leaders and concerned citizens. Business leaders know that diversity and inclusion are the way forward. From driving growth and innovation to promoting better decision-making and enhancing employee engagement, diversity and inclusion improve overall corporate performance. Further, leaders know their employees, customers and shareholders expect it of them.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Bacardi and Tulsi Chanrai Foundation Team-Up in Nigeria to Provide Safe Drinking Water in Kebbi

Aug 21, 2017 12:25 PM ET

Environment

3 Data-Driven Insights to Propel Water Stewardship in the Food & Beverage Sector

Aug 21, 2017 11:55 AM ET

26,000 facility water risk screenings and 400 watershed assessments later, Antea Group brings 3 data-driven insights to propel water stewardship in the food & beverage sector.

Environment

Recycler Roundtable: Unlocking the Potential of Healthcare Plastics

Aug 21, 2017 11:35 AM ET

The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC), in conjunction with the Plastics Industry Association(PLASTICS), is excited to host a Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference workshop aimed at helping recyclers plug into and learn more about the significant opportunity presented by health care plastics. The pre-conference event will be Wednesday, Oct. 11, from 8 a.m. to noon, and registration is FREE.

Events, Media & Communications

JetBlue’s Head of CSR Icema Gibbs to Emcee COMMIT!Forum

Aug 21, 2017 10:45 AM ET

The head of corporate social responsibility (CSR) for JetBlue, Icema Gibbs, will act as master of ceremonies for day two of COMMIT!Forum, the annual gathering of CSR and sustainability professionals, Oct. 11-12 at MGM National Harbor.