ESG News from Leading Brands

Research, Reports & Publications

BlackRock, Heineken and State Street Share Business Strategies

Oct 24, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Business and investors need to take the lead with future innovations on climate mitigation action. Central to this is collaboration, creating partnerships to drive large scale change within business and value chains based on long-term goals.

Green Infrastructure

A LEED Perspective on Best Window and Shade Selection for Your Home

Oct 24, 2018 8:10 AM ET

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that 25%-30% of energy wasted in the home is due to inefficient windows. So clearly, when buying a new home or upgrading your current home, selecting the ideal set of windows is an important part of the decision.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Hosting an Engaging Webinar in 4 Steps

Oct 23, 2018 7:30 PM ET

In a society of constant digital connection, isn’t it ironic that webinars are simply the worst? First of all, they’re called webinars. Web seminar? Really? Second, they’re rarely engaging, usually dry, and most often a good excuse to play a solid game of Solitaire. Maybe there’s nothing like a face-to-face meeting, but in lieu?

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

How AHC's Holistic Approach to Affordable Housing Provides Life-changing Programs for Residents

Oct 23, 2018 7:30 PM ET

Every time AHC Inc. builds an affordable housing community, we become a support system for so many parents trying to make ends meet. With stable housing and educational opportunities for at-risk children, we have been helping families thrive since 1975.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Video: CEO Spotlight - The Case for Fair Trade

Oct 23, 2018 7:00 PM ET

Since Fair Trade USA's launch in 1998, more than 1,250 companies have committed to a world-changing way of doing business through Fair Trade.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Bring Joy and Laughter to Seriously-Ill Children and Their Families by Providing Them "A Different Kind of Healing" At the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp

Oct 23, 2018 6:20 PM ET

Thirty years ago, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp welcomed 288 seriously ill children to Camp for its very first summer. For these children, who were coping with a diminished quality of life and isolation as a result of their diagnosis, Hole in the Wall provided a chance to escape their illness and simply be kids, enjoying activities you might find at any summer camp, but modified to meet them where they are at medically and physically. What no one expected at the time was the incredible healing these children would experience being surrounded by other kids just like them, who understood their challenges and made them feel like they belonged.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

BLOG | Hawthorne and ScottsMiracle-Gro Make In-Kind Donation for Hurricane Florence Recovery

Oct 23, 2018 6:10 PM ET

Two weeks after Hurricane Florence made landfall, residents of coastal communities in the Carolinas were just beginning their recovery efforts. Severe flooding still had many residents under water and left with little hope.

Meanwhile, 3,000 miles away, Hawthorne Gardening associates in Vancouver, Wash., (Sunlight Supply) were putting together one of the largest donations in ScottsMiracle-Gro’s history.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Duke Energy Signs on to Congressional HBCU Partnership Challenge

Oct 23, 2018 5:50 PM ET

Duke Energy today became the first energy company to sign up for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Partnership Challenge created by the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

WETA Television and Classical WETA 90.9 FM Are Engaging People of All Ages in the Joy of Lifelong Learning

Oct 23, 2018 5:30 PM ET

For more than 50 years, WETA Television and Classical WETA 90.9 FM have been the Greater Washington community’s source for high-quality, educational public media. Combined Federal Campaign and workplace giving contributions from individual community members have provided vital support to help make WETA’s public service possible.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Sappi's Allentown Facility Carries "Zero Waste" Mission

Oct 23, 2018 5:00 PM ET

Sappi’s Allentown sheeting facility generates just one pound of waste for every ton of paper processed, well below industry standards for zero waste designations. With great planning, execution, and a strong vision of how recycling can lower costs and bring in new revenue, Allentown’s range of materials re-used or recycled is impressive.

Allentown’s sheeting operations stand out as an excellent example of an industrial process that’s efficient, flexible and generates nearly zero waste.

Energy

Join LG and Celebrate ENERGY STAR Day!

Oct 23, 2018 4:35 PM ET

Health & Healthcare

Building Partnerships to Combat the Opioid Crisis

Oct 23, 2018 4:30 PM ET

Public-private partnerships that align around the single goal of reversing opioid misuse and heroin use are needed now more than ever to produce comprehensive approaches that change the trajectory of the future of health. It’s with this shared goal in mind that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Discovery Education have joined forces to launch Operation Prevention—a nationwide initiative to educate and empower students with facts to help them better understand the science behind opioids’ impact on the brain and body.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Smithfield Foods Marks Significant Step Toward Zero-Waste-to-Landfill in North Carolina

Oct 23, 2018 4:25 PM ET

Smithfield Foods, Inc. is pleased to announce a key step toward achieving zero-waste-to-landfill status across its North Carolina processing facilities. Smithfield will achieve this goal with support from its newest partner, Waste Connections, in a first-of-its-kind collaboration between a food company and waste services provider. The project will create a recycling facility that processes materials specifically from food production facilities. This project is part of Smithfield’s companywide sustainability initiative to reduce solid waste to landfills 10 percent by 2020 across all locations and its goal to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 25 percent by 2025 throughout its supply chain.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Wells Fargo Pledges $1.6 Billion in Lending and Philanthropy to Help Revitalize Washington, D.C., Neighborhoods

Oct 23, 2018 4:00 PM ET

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) today announced that it will commit more than $1.6 billion in lending and philanthropy over five years focused entirely on Washington, D.C.

Environment

Walmart, SunPower Announce 23-Megawatt Solar Agreement

Oct 23, 2018 3:05 PM ET

Today, Walmart announced that it has reached an agreement with SunPower to have the commercial energy provider install solar systems at 19 stores and two distribution centers in Illinois.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Brown-Forman Recognized With Awards in Employee Engagement, Talent Acquisition, and Human Capital Management

Oct 23, 2018 3:00 PM ET

Brown-Forman was recently recognized with five awards from Korn Ferry, Talent Board, and Brandon Hall Group in the areas of employee engagement, talent acquisition, and human capital management.

Korn Ferry named Brown-Forman an Employee Engagement Award winner, one of only 52 companies in 47 countries to be recognized. These companies, in the second annual awards program, are chosen based on the largest percentage of positive responses to employee engagement questions in an employee opinion survey administered Korn Ferry. Award recipients are considered “best in class” in employee engagement.

Innovation & Technology

Booz Allen Convenes DoD, Simulation, Gaming Panelists to Talk VR/AR

Oct 23, 2018 2:40 PM ET

Social Impact & Volunteering

Keep America Beautiful Selects 2018–2019 National Youth Advisory Council

Oct 23, 2018 2:35 PM ET

Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s iconic community improvement nonprofit organization, has selected 11 high school students from across the country to serve on its seventh national Youth Advisory Council. Keep America Beautiful’s National Youth Advisory Council provides a unique opportunity for high school students to participate in a service-learning and leadership development program focusing on environmental stewardship and sustainability.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

5 1/2 Things Americans Are Saying About The Arts

Oct 23, 2018 2:15 PM ET

One of the nonprofit organizations I support and volunteer with is Americans for the Arts, a national advocacy and membership organization. AFTA has recently published its latest public opinion survey on the arts entitled Americans Speak Out about the Arts. The report is based on a nationally representative sample of over 3,000 adults, and it updates a similar study that was conducted two years ago.

Education

Scholarship America, Wells Fargo Invite Students to Apply for Disability Scholarships

Oct 23, 2018 1:40 PM ET

In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) and Scholarship America announce the People with Disabilities Scholarship Program call for applications. In 2016, Wells Fargo committed $1 million over four years to Scholarship America to develop and implement the program. 2018 marks the third year of the program.

Environment

Rising Insurance Costs May Convince Americans That Climate Change Risks Are Real – Andy Hoffman in the Conversation

Oct 23, 2018 12:45 PM ET

Environment

Harnessing the Power of Wind Energy

Oct 23, 2018 12:15 PM ET

Climate change is a shared, global challenge and every individual and company must pitch in to be a part of the solution. At General Mills, our goal is to reduce our energy emission levels by 28 percent by 2025. One way that we are getting closer to reaching our greenhouse gas emission reduction goals is by signing a virtual power purchase agreement last June with Southern Power, a leading U.S. wholesale energy provider and subsidiary of Southern Company, through their 148-megawatt Cactus Flats Wind Facility in Concho County, Texas.

Innovation & Technology

Sodexo Seniors, in Partnership With Connected Living, Introduces New “Smart Living” Program for Senior Living Residents Using Alexa in the US

Oct 23, 2018 11:30 AM ET

Sodexo, a food services and facilities management company committed to improving Quality of Life, is now offering a new “Smart Living” program for senior living residents to easily engage within their community and in the community at large by simply using their voices. The “Smart Living” program integrates Sodexo menus with Connected Living content management systems to allow residents to simply ask Alexa for community information and much more.

Energy

LG Celebrates “ENERGY STAR Day” with Energy Efficient Upgrades for Local Non-Profit

Oct 23, 2018 11:30 AM ET

LG is committed to supporting local communities and helping others pursue a more environmentally sustainable future. In honor of “ENERGY STAR® Day” 2018, LG has partnered with Bergen Family Center in Englewood, N.J., to bring much-needed energy efficient kitchen and TV upgrades to support their high quality service to thousands of local children, seniors and families. We look forward to working with Bergen Family Center on their sustainability journey!

Social Impact & Volunteering

Cisco Employees Donate Their Skills and Their Time

Oct 23, 2018 11:20 AM ET

Pro Bono is a fancy term for donating your unique skill set — as an engineer, program manager, salesperson, and more — to partner with nonprofit organizations and help take their impact to the next level. It’s an opportunity to sharpen leadership skills while also making a meaningful impact in your community or around the world. Over the past year, employees from Cisco Global Virtual Sales and Customer Success answered the call to “donate your skills, not just your time.”