ESG News from Leading Brands

Environment

The World Wildlife Fund Turns Instagram Wanderlust Into Environmental Awareness

Apr 16, 2018 11:00 AM ET

Influencer marketing has become a hot trend in social media. And with more than 800 million active users on Instagram, influencers can truly amplify a message and deliver real results for brands, especially amongst social media savvy Gen Z and Millennial audiences. Leveraging the popular platform, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) launched a simple, eye-opening campaign to showcase the effects of environmental destruction.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

How Mars Inc. Aligns Sustainability With Biz Strategy: Q&A With Supply Chain Exec

Apr 16, 2018 11:00 AM ET

Global food manufacturer Mars Inc. recently made public the fact that the global carbon footprint from its extended supply chain is equivalent to a country roughly the size of Panama. But last week, the company announced its new commitment to reduce its GHG emissions from its full value chain by 27% by 2025, and by 67% by 2050 (from 2015 levels).

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Fourth Annual American Express Leadership Academy Global Alumni Summit Connects Social Purpose Leaders from Around the World

Apr 16, 2018 11:00 AM ET

American Express (NYSE: AXP) will host its fourth annual Leadership Academy Global Alumni Summit in New York on April 16 and 17, celebrating eleven years of a transformative program that has developed more than 3,600 nonprofit and social purpose leaders. Seventy-two distinguished program alumni from around the world will have the opportunity to discuss best practices and participate in workshops with eleven premier leadership development organizations, including The Aspen Institute, Ashoka Changemakers, Center for Creative Leadership, Common Purpose, and Independent Sector.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

iCause Partners With the Shining Life Foundation

Apr 16, 2018 10:30 AM ET

Sustainable Development Goals

This Woman Uses All-Natural, Local Ingredients to Make Soap and Cosmetics in Tunisia

Apr 16, 2018 10:10 AM ET

In 2017, when she was 29 years old, Amina Zaoui launched an artisanal soap and natural cosmetics business in Tozeur, Tunisia.

Sustainable Development Goals

eBay Files Supreme Court Amicus Brief on Internet Sales Tax

Apr 16, 2018 10:05 AM ET

Brief urges the Court to consider the consequences of taxing independent small businesses in states where they do not have facilities, employees or a voice in the local political process.

Social Impact & Volunteering

4 Reasons Why Doing Good is Good for Your Company

Apr 16, 2018 10:00 AM ET

April 15-21 is National Volunteer Week, a time to recommit ourselves to community service and celebrate the change-makers who positively impact the world around them through volunteerism. Here in our headquarters city of Charlotte, Duke Energy is celebrating the week by teaming up with Share Charlotte to support Do Good Week. Through Do Good Week, we hope to educate and engage our neighbors in the many ways we can do good through volunteerism.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Sands ECO360 Green Ambassadors: Christine Kaelbel-Sheares, VP of Food & Beverage at Marina Bay Sands

Apr 16, 2018 9:55 AM ET

As leaders in sustainability within the hospitality industry, Las Vegas Sands is committed to taking care of the planet to promote health and wellness through Sands ECO360, its global sustainability strategy. Marina Bay Sands has taken on an educational and transformational food journey focusing on responsibly sourcing food to serve. Christine Kaelbel-Sheares, vice president of Food and Beverage at Marina Bay Sands, has been leading her team to help deliver an unforgettable dining experience to guests that is both tasty and healthy.

Energy

Charging Up for the Energy Revolution

Apr 16, 2018 9:35 AM ET

A dramatic ‘Energy Revolution’ is currently underway, both in the UK and around the world. This involves a shift away from polluting, fossil fuel-intensive power generation and towards embracing renewable technologies. This revolution will fundamentally change everything from how we power our vehicles to how we heat our homes over the coming decades. It also has far-reaching implications for infrastructure funding, which will also, ultimately, create investment opportunities.

Education

Whole Kids Foundation Funds 600 New Edible Education Gardens

Apr 16, 2018 9:10 AM ET

Today, Whole Kids Foundation announced 602 new school and school-garden-support-organization grant recipients. The recipients cover 46 U.S. states and nine Canadian provinces, providing educational opportunities around agriculture, ecology, nutrition and business for 356,798 students.

Environment

New Taskforce Tackles Food Insecurity Within West Virginia’s Senior Community

Apr 16, 2018 9:05 AM ET

Hunger affects all 55 counties and more than 275,000 residents in West Virginia, including seniors. Four organizations — Alderson Broaddus University (ABU), Sodexo, The Campus Kitchens Project, and AARP Foundation — formed a taskforce to address food insecurity within West Virginia’s senior community, and today announced plans to launch a new initiative this fall to fight hunger with opportunities for student involvement. The program is made possible through a grant awarded by AARP Foundation to Alderson Broaddus University.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Sodexo Inducted into DiversityInc Top 50 Hall of Fame

Apr 16, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Sodexo, a food services and facilities management company committed to improving Quality of Life, announced today the company’s induction into the inaugural DiversityInc Top 50 Hall of Fame -- an honor bestowed to only six U.S. companies -- for exceptional human capital management accomplishments and superior corporate values and culture.

Sustainable Development Goals

Arbor Day Foundation and Boise Paper Celebrate 10th Project UP™ Planting Day

Apr 16, 2018 9:00 AM ET

This spring, the Arbor Day Foundation and Boise Paper will celebrate the 10th planting day event of Project UP™, a partnership to revitalize neighborhoods across North America through tree planting. Project UP turns abandoned and neglected urban spaces into clean, green neighborhood gathering places where families and individuals can come together, relax and thrive.

Research, Reports & Publications

Bloomberg 2017 Impact Report Adopts TCFD Recommendations Including Scenario Analysis; And Highlights Innovative New European Headquarters

Apr 16, 2018 9:00 AM ET

loomberg's 2017 Impact Report integrates for the first time the recommendations of the FSB Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). A dedicated section on climate -related scenario analysis explores Bloomberg's business strategy under a 2° or less Celsius scenario and under a scenario in which no concerted action is taken to mitigate climate change.

Energy

The Mackie Building

Apr 16, 2018 9:00 AM ET

For nearly the same cost as a traditional system, The Mackie Building now has a highly reliable, energy-efficient HVAC solution that delivers comfort and conveniences for its tenants.

Sustainable Development Goals

Designing Sustainable Water Supply Systems in Africa

Apr 16, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Tetra Tech is bringing clean water and effective delivery systems to Liberia to address water sector challenges.

Piped drinking water has not flowed in most of Liberia's secondary cities for a quarter century. Shortly after the Liberia civil conflict began in 1989, these systems were destroyed or fell into disrepair, leaving urban residents dependent on either unreliable or contaminated water sources like shallow wells and surface waters. As a result of the war, local capacity in water supply engineering, operations, maintenance, and management became limited or non-existent. Tetra Tech is implementing the Liberia Municipal Water Project (LMWP I & II), which is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Education

Seize the Moment, Steel Yourself Against Rejection, and Connect: A Professor-Parent’s Advice

Apr 16, 2018 8:50 AM ET

Steven McCornack is an unlikely member of the Amgen Scholars community. He is not a biology researcher, undergraduate, program alumnus, or student program director. A professor of communications at the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB), McCornack studies interpersonal relationships. He has recommended students before for the Amgen Scholars Program but his true connection to the program is a very recent and personal one: his son was a 2017 Amgen Scholar.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Albertsons Companies Foundation 2017 Community Impact Report

Apr 16, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Albertsons Companies Foundation announced the release of its 2017 Community Impact Report, which illustrates how money donated by Albertsons Companies customers helped effect meaningful change for the people who need it the most.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Team ASEAN Storm Resilience Fund Aims to Help Communities Withstand Extreme Weather Events in Southeast Asia; Wins 2018 Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge

Apr 13, 2018 8:30 PM ET

Morgan Stanley’s Institute for Sustainable Investing and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in the U.S. today announced that ASEAN Storm Resilience Fund was named the winner of the 2018 Kellogg-Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge. Comprised of students from Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University, the team was one of 12 finalist teams competing in the Challenge at Morgan Stanley’s London offices on Friday.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Smithfield Foods Donates More than 70,000 Pounds of Protein to Food Banks Across America

Apr 13, 2018 6:30 PM ET

This week, Smithfield Foods, Inc. joined forces with Smith’s Food and Drug to donate more than 35,000 pounds of protein to Utah Food Bank. Smithfield also contributed nearly 35,000 pounds of protein to the Maryland Food Bank. Smithfield’s contributions are part of the company’s 2018 Helping Hungry Homes® donation tour. Now in the program’s 10th year, Helping Hungry Homes® is Smithfield’s signature hunger-relief initiative focused on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure. The donations, equivalent to about 140,000 servings each, will help families fight hunger across Maryland and Utah.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Make-A-Wish Challenges You! Support the Make-A-Wish #ArmWrestleChallenge

Apr 13, 2018 6:00 PM ET

The Make-A-Wish #ArmWrestleChallenge kicks off in April as part of the Make-A-Wish® World Wish Day® campaign, raising awareness and funds online to help grant the wishes of children diagnosed with critical illnesses. A wish experience can give kids the mental toughness they need to fight their illness.

Environment

Learn How Twentieth Century Fox Went Green on “The Post” in This Exclusive Behind-the-scenes Look

Apr 13, 2018 4:00 PM ET

As part of Twentieth Century Fox’s commitment to environmental sustainability in its film productions, the studio recently led efforts to green the set of The Post, Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award-nominated drama starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks about The Washington Post’s role in publishing the Pentagon Papers in 1971. The filming process lasted 52 days and took the cast and crew across dozens of locations in New York and Washington, D.C., with each new site presenting its own unique sustainability challenges. However, the combined efforts of the cast and crew allowed the movie to save 32.5 metric tons of carbon emissions, divert 80% of its waste from landfill, and donate more than 2,600 meals to those in need.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

The Academy of Country Music Partners With Aflac to Present First Ever Aflac ACM Lifting Lives Honor

Apr 13, 2018 2:50 PM ET

The Academy of Country Music has officially announced a partnership with Aflac for an incredible new award.

Environment

Traceability Is a Must for Companies With Zero-Deforestation Pledges

Apr 13, 2018 2:20 PM ET

Unilever and Nestlé made waves in February when they became the first global food companies to publish their entire palm oil supply chains — both their direct suppliers and the mills that indirectly supply them. Palm oil is a key ingredient for many of the companies’ products, from margarine to candy to soap and shampoo; yet, it has been a thorn in the side of their zero-deforestation commitments.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Breaking Down Barriers to Women’s Empowerment

Apr 13, 2018 2:00 PM ET

Gender equality benefits everyone. The evidence is abundantly clear that women’s empowerment alleviates poverty, creates jobs, boosts education levels, promotes agricultural productivity, and reduces hunger, among a myriad of other positive outcomes.