ESG News from Leading Brands

Research, Reports & Publications

Cisco’s FY18 CSR Report | The Path You Are Meant to Take

Dec 13, 2018 9:15 AM ET

I’m particularly cognizant of this today as we launch our 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Report. This is a big change from the first CSR Report that I stewarded and co-authored in 2005. Like any first-generation product, there was a great room for improvement. However, every year as we meet a goal and work towards the next, as we expand existing partnerships and establish new ones, as we uncover new ways our technology can be leveraged to benefit our world, we have a stronger story to tell. Here are highlights of where we’ve come, and where we are going.

Diversity & Inclusion

Working and Living Without Limits

Dec 13, 2018 9:05 AM ET

Kris was raised on a farm, learning at a young age the definition of hard work and perseverance. After graduating with an undergrad degree in Electronic Engineering Technology, she began her career as an engineer and technical writer. Currently she is a Senior Advisor for IT Business Consulting at Dell Technologies. Yes, she is a rising female talent in the STEM industry, but there’s so much more to Kris.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Catalyst For Giving

Dec 13, 2018 9:05 AM ET

As a child, Tim Rios remembers going food shopping with his parents. He and his siblings weren't allowed to enter certain aisles in the supermarket because the adults didn't want their children to get tempted by unhealthy snacks and especially food the family couldn't afford. "My parents worried all the time about getting enough healthy food on the table," Rios, whose family came to the U.S. from Mexico in the early ‘80s, says. "When I got married, for the first year, I would ask my wife for her permission to open a bag of chips."

Education

Learning From Masters at the Power Industry’s Shaolin Temple

Dec 13, 2018 9:00 AM ET

For centuries, apprentices have learned from masters of their craft by shadowing and taking instructions from their masters to gain new skills so that precious knowledge is passed to the next generation.

It is a tradition CLP has enthusiastically embraced. But in an era of rapid technological advances and a highly sophisticated customer marketplace, apprenticeships have evolved to combine mentorship with the best possible classroom training.

Diversity & Inclusion

How My Disability Is Helping Make Walmart.com More Accessible

Dec 13, 2018 8:15 AM ET

I began as a product copywriter, responsible for writing thousands of item descriptions. I progressed to become a senior manager on our site merchandising and customer experience team. At the same time I was expanding my focus on customer experience, I was also losing my eyesight.

By 2015, I was in the thick of vision loss, but refused to let anyone see the battle I was fighting inside. I came to work every day without using a white cane or guide dog, because I was afraid of what people would think if they knew I had a disability. Would their perceptions of my abilities change? Would this impact my career growth?

Environment

The Power of Sustainability

Dec 13, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Find out how we aim to pioneer new solutions for sustainable development. This ambition encompasses all of our company’s activities – along the entire value chain.

Green Infrastructure

Driving an Electric Vehicle Is More Affordable Than Ever

Dec 13, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Drivers have more electric vehicle choices than ever. And, the number of choices is growing. Today at the Los Angeles Auto Show, more than 30 EV models were shown, including a pickup truck and SUVs. On top of more vehicle choices with longer driving ranges, driving an EV is about to become even more affordable.

Environment

Put A Cork In It

Dec 13, 2018 8:00 AM ET

What do cork, coffee cups, lettuce, and excessive travel have in common? They are all areas of personal choice that have an environmental impact, and they are all things we will be discussing with our guest today on Sea Change Radio.

Social Impact & Volunteering

21CF Meets Goal of Positively Impacting 1 Million People in 2018

Dec 13, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Earlier this year, 21CF set the goal of making a difference in the lives of 1 million people around the world in 365 days. The 1M/365 campaign was a powerful way to harness the collective impact of colleagues across 21CF in a unique year. From volunteering time to providing funding and other resources to worthy non-profits, the company aimed to make a positive impact wherever and however it could.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

What Can Tween Literature Teach Us About Peace and Racial Equity?

Dec 13, 2018 7:30 AM ET

In the opening of Dear Martin by Nic Stone, the book selected for One Book Baltimore, 17-year-old honor student Justyce McAllister is racially profiled by a police officer, who mistakenly thinks he was trying to steal a car, when he actually was trying to prevent his girlfriend—who had been drinking—from getting behind the wheel.

Events, Media & Communications

Twin Cities Leaders Unite for the 2019 Points of Light Conference

Dec 12, 2018 6:00 PM ET

Points of Light announced today that a dynamic group of 38 influential Twin Cities leaders will serve as Host Committee members for the annual Points of Light Conference, to be held June 18-20, 2019, in St. Paul.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

What's the Case for WMD's and Responsible Investing?

Dec 12, 2018 12:40 PM ET

WMD's. Not weapons of mass destruction but women, millennials and diversity. Jean Case, Case Foundation CEO, says it's an economic and innovation imperative to focus on such communities left on the sidelines of responsible investment.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Sysco Is Delivering A Better Tomorrow: Better Is… Resource Efficient!

Dec 12, 2018 12:30 PM ET

Our distribution facilities receive, and thousands of Sysco trucks deliver, a vast assortment of food and nonfood items – including refrigerated and frozen products. That presents a big opportunity to drive environmental efficiency at every step. We’re committed to reducing the carbon footprint of our fleet and operations and expanding the use of renewable and alternative energy sources. We’ve also pledged to divert 90 percent of waste from landfill.

Environment

Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable Releases Updated Greenhouse Gas Guidance

Dec 12, 2018 12:00 PM ET

The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) has released a document entitled Beverage Industry Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Sector Guidance (4.0). An update to a previous version released in 2013, this document is intended to provide supplementary guidance specific to beverage companies for greater consistency, accuracy, and leadership with GHG accounting and management.

Responsible Production & Consumption

VIDEO | Behind the Scenes: Pivot Point Red List-free Enhanced Resilient Tile

Dec 12, 2018 11:00 AM ET

Environment

Space Guidance for Hospitals

Dec 12, 2018 10:25 AM ET

Read HPRC’s comprehensive recycling space guidance for hospitals to help them improve their recycling program.

Research, Reports & Publications

New Research: SDG Targets & GRI Indicators Materiality in ESG/Sustainability Reporting Released by G&A Institute

Dec 12, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Governance & Accountability Institute today announces the release of its year-long, comprehensive "Sector Study on Sustainability Materiality of the SDG Targets & GRI Indicators." This research project was designed to examine sector trends in the ESG materiality decisions of 1,387 GRI reporters across 40 sectors on each of the 91 GRI G4 Specific Standard Disclosure Indicators.

Innovation & Technology

IT Efficiency: Savings Without Sacrifice

Dec 12, 2018 9:45 AM ET

Environment

Are We Locking Earth Into a Space Prison?

Dec 12, 2018 9:35 AM ET

In 1986 Scientific American drew attention to this visual of space junk tracked by NORAD, 7,000 spent rocket debris and the 40,000 objects with a diameter of 10 centimeters or more. I used this visual in many of my presentations in the 1980s and in Paradigms in Progress (1991), making the point that not only was space junk a result of our wasteful, "rearview mirror" industrial paradigm, and that even debris the size of the paint flake which damaged the space shuttle Challenger’s windshield in 1984 could, at orbital speeds endanger future satellites and space travel.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

National Park Foundation and Subaru of America Support Waste Reduction Efforts in National Parks with Subaru Share the Love® Event Fundraising Effort

Dec 12, 2018 9:35 AM ET

It’s the season of gratitude, and once again, the National Park Foundation is thankful for support from Subaru for national parks through its annual Subaru Share the Love Event kicking off today through January 2. Now in its 11th year, the event has raised over $7 million for national parks, with 2017 proceeds enabling the National Park Foundation to contribute nearly $2 million to national park waste reduction and public awareness efforts.

Environment

Ecocentricity Blog: Not-Loser Takes All

Dec 12, 2018 9:30 AM ET

It’s just a bad goal, in that it focuses on avoiding a bad thing. How inspired would you be if you had a coach who said, “Okay team, now I want you to give me everything you have to make sure we don’t lose!”? Forget that – I want to be a winner, not a not-loser.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Aramark Volunteer Says For Him, Service Is Second Nature

Dec 12, 2018 9:05 AM ET

Kyle Wilson is a general manager in Aramark’s higher education business. He’s worked for Aramark for 14 years in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, and has also been named Aramark’s Outstanding Volunteer of the Year. In this Q & A, Kyle talks about his personal commitment to volunteerism and what it means for his community.

Diversity & Inclusion

How Moody’s Women’s Initiatives Enhance my Impact and Influence

Dec 12, 2018 9:05 AM ET

Environment

The Venetian Resort Las Vegas Raises Awareness About Plastic Pollution with Statewide Recycled Art Contest

Dec 12, 2018 9:05 AM ET

In support of America Recycles Day on November 15, The Venetian Resort Las Vegas partnered with the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Nevada Recycles Program to sponsor a statewide recycled art contest to raise awareness of recycling. The theme followed Earth Day’s 2018 campaign to End Plastic Pollution and required all entries to be composed of used, or found plastic materials.

Diversity & Inclusion

A New Business Platform for Inclusive Growth

Dec 12, 2018 9:00 AM ET

BSR is pleased to join the OECD and Danone in launching the Business Platform for Inclusive Growth (B4IG) and inviting leading companies to join the initiative.