ESG News from Leading Brands

Media & Communications

Top Three Communications Skills of Sustainability Influencers

Jul 11, 2017 1:30 PM ET

Communication comes up again and again in analyses of key competencies for sustainability leadership. Being able to build bridges between science and business, between the finance department and the sales department, between NGO concerns and board-level strategy, and then, get everyone moving forward across the bridge in sync. These are the tasks of a Sustainability Influencer, and they don’t come easily!

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

ConantLeadership Announces One Million Dollars in Philanthropic Giving

Jul 11, 2017 1:25 PM ET

In service to its mission of championing leadership that works in the 21st century, ConantLeadership announces a milestone achievement of surpassing $1,000,000 in philanthropic giving since the inception of its giving program in 2012.

Research, Reports & Publications

Examining Interdisciplinary Sustainability Institutes at Major Research Universities

Jul 11, 2017 1:15 PM ET

Universities are experimenting with new types of organizational centers and institutes that are intended to make the sum of the diverse activities greater than the individual parts. This report examines this new form of cross-disciplinary sustainability institute, one that spans the traditional disciplines of the university, seeking to harness the power of their communities to address the grand challenges of sustainability.

Environment

High School Recycling Design Challenge Yields Innovative Results For Subaru and Grand Teton National Park’s Zero Landfill Project

Jul 11, 2017 12:15 PM ET

Student designers are helping to inspire recycling in Grand Teton National Park thanks to a visionary program titled, Building STEAM. This program is led by Jackson Hole Public Art in partnership with Grand Teton National Park and Teton County School District, and funded by Subaru of America, Inc. as part of its Zero Landfill Initiative. Through this initiative, Subaru shares its knowledge of zero landfill practices with the national parks and works towards a goal of significantly reducing waste going into landfills.

Energy

Duke Energy’s Bold, $25 Billion Plan to Modernize the Power Grid

Jul 11, 2017 12:00 PM ET

A plan to modernize the energy grid means more than replacing substations and transmission lines. It will help you control your electricity use and save you money.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Timberland Employees Pull on Their Boots During 25 Days of Service Challenge

Jul 11, 2017 12:00 PM ET

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the program, Timberland recently kicked off its 25 Days of Service Challenge, an internal campaign to drive incremental employee service engagement over 25 days. While the company plans and executes monthly service events to engage employees, the Challenge encourages employees to find and run their own events for themselves, a small group of colleagues, or their full team.

Health & Healthcare

Sanofi Egypt Partnership to Improve Children Health Through the "United For Healthier Kids” (U4HK) Update

Jul 11, 2017 11:20 AM ET

United For Healthier Kids is a wide movement whose objectives is to help parents raise healthier & happier kids by encouraging healthy eating, drinking and lifestyle habits for children aged 0-12 years. Five behaviors are targeted to ensure a healthier lifestyle: MORE Water, MORE Fruits & Vegetables, MORE Managed Portions, MORE Movement and to Feed your baby like a baby.

Innovation & Technology

Sustainable E-Commerce

Jul 11, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Known as the Motor City, you might not associate Detroit with sustainability. But in recent weeks, Ed Rogers, Senior Director of Global Sustainability at UPS, and Larisa Summers, Senior Vice President of e-Commerce and Marketing at Optoro, presented at the Sustainable Brands conference, right in the heart of the city synonymous with the automobile.

Education

CITGO Lemont Refinery Awards STEM Scholarships

Jul 11, 2017 10:30 AM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Ecocentricity Blog: Front Seven - Redesigning Commerce

Jul 11, 2017 10:30 AM ET

Maybe I’m naïve. Heck, I know that I’m an idealist. Still, deep down I believe in the goodness of people. I celebrate human integrity. I believe that, with enough time and intentionality, we can collectively redesign commerce to promote universal wellbeing.

Environment

Download Antea Group's New E-book: "A Guide for New Plant Safety Managers"

Jul 11, 2017 10:20 AM ET

Due to downsizing, "right-sizing," and budget cuts, it's becoming increasingly common for people with little or no training in safety to find themselves in charge of safety for their facility. In response, Antea Group created a blog series designed to help guide you on your path to becoming the ultimate plant safety manager, and now we have compiled everything into one downloadable e-book. It's perfect for reading on the go, printing out and keeping onsite, or sending to colleagues and coworkers who may need a refresher.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Most Powerful Women 2017

Jul 11, 2017 10:20 AM ET

Patricia Harris has been giving away Michael Bloomberg’s fortune since 1994, when she started at Bloomberg LP. But the pace of philanthropy has picked up in recent years, with particular benefit to New York’s tech and culture sectors.

Education

Scotiabank Gives Primary School Scholarships

Jul 11, 2017 10:20 AM ET

Scotiabank is giving away scholarships to 60 primary school students country wide, beginning today with the downtown Belize City branch.

Environment

Dow Launches Grant Program to Increase Plastics Recycling

Jul 11, 2017 10:15 AM ET

The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) announced today it has teamed up with national nonprofit, Keep America Beautiful, to award two $50,000 grants for organizations to establish Hefty® EnergyBag™ programs in their communities. The program is an innovative approach to diverting traditionally non-recycled plastics – like chip bags and juice pouches – from landfills and converting the materials into valuable energy sources.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Free Webinar: Supplier Engagement and Support – Join Us

Jul 11, 2017 10:10 AM ET

To help you prove your business case when engaging with your suppliers we have three senior leaders ready to share their experiences live. Join us this Thursday (July 13th) at 12 pm BST for our free online webinar

Education

The Power of Education: Breaking the Cycle of Poverty

Jul 11, 2017 10:05 AM ET

Today’s hyper-connected, tech-driven world opens doors to abundant opportunity for those who are equipped to seize it. Yet 330 million children across the globe are not learning basic literacy and numeracy skills. As the educated capitalize on economic success, children without education and skills are left behind to perpetuate the cycle of poverty.

Innovation & Technology

Transforming Borders with Smart Technologies

Jul 11, 2017 10:00 AM ET

At 10:00 am PDT on July 26th, Meeting of the Minds will host a live webinar featuring Steph Stoppenhagen from Black & Veatch, Jim O’Gara from Deloitte Advisory, and Marisa Walker from Arizona Commerce Authority.

Media & Communications

GRI -The World's Standard for Sustainability Reporting -CEO Tim Mohin Is Six Months Into the Job

Jul 11, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Six months ago an experienced sustainability professional assumed the CEO post -- Tim Mohin, who during his career was at US EPA, where he led the effort that led to the Clean Air Act; Apple (overseeing the company's global supply chain, "Supplier Responsibility"); Chair of the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition; and Senior Director of Sustainability at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).

Diversity & Inclusion

Disabled Students Learn about the Diamond Dream with De Beers Group

Jul 11, 2017 9:30 AM ET

The visit by the 14 students from the Elizabeth Conradie School in Kimberley, organised in collaboration with the Department of Education, was the idea of an employee of De Beers Sightholder Sales South Africa (DBSSA), Jabulani Cindi, himself disabled.

Energy

Carlsberg Group Joins RE100 Coalition of Leading Global Companies Committed to 100% Renewable Electricity

Jul 11, 2017 9:15 AM ET

The Carlsberg Group has today joined RE100 - the collaborative, global initiative of influential businesses committed to 100% renewable electricity, run by The Climate Group.

Innovation & Technology

Using Technology and Innovation for Impact

Jul 11, 2017 9:15 AM ET

As featured in the MetLife Annual Report 2016: Nothing inspires innovation like competition. So MetLife Foundation teamed up with Verb, a company that specializes in social innovation, to develop a competition that brings together entrepreneurs and MetLife associates across four regions. The program launched in Ireland, China, and India, with more than 250 social ventures competing and 240 MetLife associates volunteering nearly 1,000 collective hours as mentors and judges.

Research, Reports & Publications

Meg Whitman's CEO Letter Highlights HPE Sustainability Achievements and Progress

Jul 11, 2017 9:15 AM ET

At HPE, we believe that sustainable innovation is a powerful catalyst for change. Reporting our efforts regularly and clearly to customers, investors, and key stakeholders amplifies our commitment to sustainability. In addition, to promote higher standards across the areas of human rights, labor, environment, and anticorruption, we endorse the United Nations Global Compact as a practical framework for the development, implementation, and disclosure of sustainability policies and practices.

Sustainable Development Goals

Enhancing the Walmart Sustainability Value Chain

Jul 11, 2017 9:05 AM ET

Social Impact & Volunteering

6 Hours + 200 Amway Volunteers = 1 Custom Playground for 1,000 Children

Jul 11, 2017 9:05 AM ET

On June 16, 8:30am, over 200 Amway and community volunteers descended upon the Steepletown neighborhood on Grand Rapids’ northwest side. Their goal? To bring something that had been missing from the area for quite some time – a playground.

Research, Reports & Publications

NRG Energy’s Sustainable Workplace Goals and Performance

Jul 11, 2017 9:05 AM ET

The energy future we envision requires involvement from all our approximately 8,500 full-time employees (as of Dec. 31, 2016). Providing a sustainable work environment helps us align our actions with our core values, vision and mission. This means providing a workplace that allows our employees to execute at the highest levels and return home safely to their loved ones.