ESG News from Leading Brands

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.

Innovation & Technology

Responsible Minerals Initiative Releases Blockchain Guidelines to Drive Alignment in Mineral Supply Chain Due Diligence

Dec 12, 2018 8:30 AM ET

The Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), a coalition of leading companies dedicated to improving the security and human rights conditions in their mineral supply chains, today announced voluntary guidelines to drive the common adoption of definitions and concepts in the application of blockchain-enabled solutions. The RMI Guidelines represent a first industry effort to define a common set of principles, attributes and definitions for the application of blockchain technology to support mineral supply chain due diligence.

Sustainable Development Goals

Giving Smallholder Farms the Help They Need, with Fertilizer as Capital

Dec 12, 2018 8:15 AM ET

R. Jay Sehgal, EVP of the Sehgal Foundation, discusses how the foundation and The Mosaic Company are helping smallholder farmers fight food insecurity by offering education on sustainable practices.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

P&G's Commitment to Respect Human Rights

Dec 12, 2018 8:05 AM ET

In 2014, P&G published its Human Rights Policy Statement that communicates our support for the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which are drawn from and reinforce the principles of internationally recognized human rights consisting of: those rights expressed in the International Bill of Human Rights (i.e., Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and Civil and Political Rights) and the principles concerning fundamental rights as set out in the International Labor Organization (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

The Children of Tetra Tech Share Their Holiday Wishes for a Happier, Healthier Planet

Dec 12, 2018 8:00 AM ET

We are excited to announce the winners of Tetra Tech’s first company-wide children’s holiday art competition!

Research, Reports & Publications

What’s the Risk? It’s Time to Find Out.

Dec 12, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Resilience is an organization’s ability to adapt to risks and threats that challenge its viability. It’s also an imperative in the face of an increasingly broad and unpredictable risk landscape. This is especially true when it comes to energy and sustainability.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Peta2 Recognizes Sodexo at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa for Vegan Cuisine

Dec 12, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Sodexo, a food services and facilities management company committed to Quality of Life, was recognized by Peta2, the largest youth animal rights group in the world, with an A+ on Peta2’s 2018 Vegan Report Card. Sodexo at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa was also listed on Peta2’s “Dean’s List,” an elite group of institutions that have accrued enough Vegan Report Card points to rank among the highest tier of A-rated schools.

Research, Reports & Publications

British American Tobacco Launches 2018 Harm Reduction Focus Report

Dec 12, 2018 4:00 AM ET

British American Tobacco’s strategy of transforming tobacco by seeking to provide consumers with satisfying, reduced-risk alternatives to smoking is the focus of its latest report, available now.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Lifelong Lessons in Reliability and Safety

Dec 11, 2018 8:00 PM ET

Derek Parkin, CLP Holdings Chief Operating Officer (COO), vividly remembers an early lesson in the importance of reliability and safety. Born into a coal mining family in the north of England, he landed his first job as a 16-year-old schoolboy cleaning the floors of the offices at a coal mine.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Sappi Launches Employee Ideas That Matter

Dec 11, 2018 4:40 PM ET

Inspired by the success of Sappi’s Ideas that Matter program, the company launched a similar program in 2016 called Employee Ideas that Matter. The semi-annual program commits Sappi North America to donate a total of $25,000 to causes that are important to employees.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Shifting Toward Business Practices to Address Human Rights: A Q&A with Caroline Rees

Dec 11, 2018 4:00 PM ET

Shift President and Co-Founder Caroline Rees talked with the Erb Institute about how companies can measure social performance, the mission of Shift and its most recent flagship project, Valuing Respect.

Research, Reports & Publications

Caterpillar Foundation

Dec 11, 2018 3:00 PM ET

Through the Caterpillar Foundation’s work with its partners, it has become increasingly clear that when we invest in girls, we create real and lasting change — not only for girls themselves but also the communities around them.

Innovation & Technology

PIVOT POINT: Changing Directions in Resilient Flooring with Alternative Chemistry + Biophilic Influence

Dec 11, 2018 2:40 PM ET

Pivot Point Red List-free enhanced resilient tile represents a true change in direction for sustainable resilient flooring. This award-winning hard surface holds Living Product Challenge Petal Certification and is manufactured using alternative chemistry. Design and color draw inspiration from fresh, natural materials and biophilic influence. In 2018, Pivot Point was recognized with a Metropolis Likes Award at NeoCon and a Nightingale Award (Silver) at the Healthcare Design Expo.

Research, Reports & Publications

Bristol-Myers Squibb Awards “Golden Tickets” for LabCentral to ReviveMed, Strand Therapeutics

Dec 11, 2018 2:30 PM ET

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and LabCentral, an innovative, shared laboratory space designed as a launchpad for life-sciences and biotech startups, today announced that ReviveMed and Strand Therapeutics are the winners of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s 2018 Golden Tickets for LabCentral. As a platinum sponsor of LabCentral, Bristol-Myers Squibb can select up to two innovative life-sciences and biotech startup companies per year of active sponsorship for “Golden Tickets,” which underwrite the cost of one lab bench for one year in LabCentral’s Kendall Square facility.

Responsible Production & Consumption

The Dave Thomas Foundation Announces Shop for a Cause!

Dec 11, 2018 2:00 PM ET

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption recently launched an online boutique filled with items to celebrate adoption.

Diversity & Inclusion

Driving Change for Diverse Patient Communities

Dec 11, 2018 1:30 PM ET

When Priscilla Ko, a manager in the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation and member of the PAN Asian Network People and Business Resource Group, watched her father-in-law lose his battle with an aggressive form of bile-duct cancer at the age of 61, the personal suddenly turned professional.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

eBay and TIME’S UP Partner to Celebrate the Movement’s One-Year Anniversary

Dec 11, 2018 1:25 PM ET

Today, eBay and TIME’S UP are launching an initiative to raise funds for the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund in celebration of the movement’s upcoming one-year anniversary. Now through December 20th, shoppers can visit eBay.com/TIMESUP to make an impact through a variety of inventory and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. All funds raised on eBay for Charity will benefit the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, which connects those who experience sexual misconduct, including assault, harassment, abuse and related retaliation in the workplace or in trying to advance their careers with legal and public relations assistance.

Education

Cool Labs From Amgen Scholars: All About the New Science

Dec 11, 2018 1:00 PM ET

We asked Amgen Scholars attending the U.S. symposium at the University of California, Los Angeles, and at the Europe symposium at the University of Cambridge to tell us something cool about their labs this summer. In this video, the scholars answered: the science.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

A Safe Place to Call Home

Dec 11, 2018 12:00 PM ET

Imagine having a front door that doesn’t lock, or a window that’s broken. From the risk of burglary to frigid air creeping inside, these needed repairs become problematic for many, especially our neighbors without the resources to fix them. Rebuilding Together installs windows and doors for people who cannot afford it and need them the most. You can be a part of making their homes safe this holiday season.

Events, Media & Communications

Early Bird Pricing for Living Future 19

Dec 11, 2018 12:00 PM ET

Celebrate innovation with the International Living Future Institute at Living Future 2019 in Seattle, Washington, from April 30-May 3. Register before December 14, 11:59 PM PST, and take $150 off your ticket for this year’s conference highlighting Collaboration + Abundance. Prices go up after midnight and will not be this low again.

Environment

The Complete Guide to Creating an EHS Policy

Dec 11, 2018 10:45 AM ET

Antea Group brings you the complete guide to craft a strong and effective EHS policy.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Meet Three of Our Neighbors Fighting Hunger Every Day

Dec 11, 2018 10:05 AM ET

Media & Communications

Corporate America and Climate Change: McDonald’s Sets Pace for Strategies & Action in Global Fast-Food Industry

Dec 11, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Game changer – early adopter – first mover – tipping point – striving for excellence: These are some of the familiar themes of their work offered by best-selling business authors. These phrases help to frame our understanding of established or emerging trends.

Research, Reports & Publications

The State of Inclusive Business: Four Things We Know

Dec 11, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Companies recognize they won’t succeed in failed societies. Meanwhile, employees, consumers and other stakeholders are voicing their expectations for companies to also deliver societal value, not hinder and better yet – contribute to solve the most complex challenges of our time reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

New Avenues in Biomedical Waste Management Developed

Dec 11, 2018 9:45 AM ET

One of the latest advancements is Triumvirate Environmental’s process at its Jeannette, Pennsylvania facility. According to Jacqueline Ignacio, global manager, customer sustainability solutions, MilliporeSigma, the company’s procedure is a combination of a fully permitted and approved processing – known as sterilize and shred – with plastic lumber manufacturing.

“Other companies have started to address the biomedical waste from hospitals and medical clinics with front-end processes similar to sterilize and shred,” Ignacio said. “While these systems aren’t as robust and are more portable for smaller labs and clinics, they aren’t effective for the larger volumes produced in the biopharma manufacturing industry.”