ESG News from Leading Brands

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Keybank Provides $38.4 Million in Total Financing for the Construction of Affordable Housing in Texas

Aug 16, 2018 6:30 PM ET

KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) has provided $38.4 million in total financing for the construction of Del Valle Apartments in Austin, TX. The CDLI team provided a $9 million equity bridge loan, with a $29.4 million Freddie Mac Tax Exempt Loan (TEL) Forward Commitment component arranged by Key’s Commercial Mortgage Group.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Tork Survey Reveals Lunch Break Impact on Workplace Engagement

Aug 16, 2018 3:25 PM ET

Today, Tork, an Essity brand, announces its “Take Back the Lunch Break” survey results, revealing a major disconnect between bosses and their employees when it comes to taking a lunch break.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Pedaling for a Cure

Aug 16, 2018 2:50 PM ET

Over 100 associates from ScottsMiracle-Gro recently participated in Pelotonia. Pelotonia is an annual bike tour and nonprofit organization based in Columbus, Ohio, that raises money for cancer research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James).

Health & Healthcare

VIDEO | Josh and Chloe - My Special Aflac Duck™ and CMN Hospitals

Aug 16, 2018 2:20 PM ET

Health & Healthcare

Always Donates Feminine Hygiene Products to Help North America Girls Stay in School & Stay Confident

Aug 16, 2018 2:10 PM ET

The most recent Always Confidence & Puberty Survey reveals that nearly one in five American girls1 and one in seven Canadian Girls2 have either left school early or missed school entirely because they did not have access to period products.

Environment

Raising Agrifood Yields Is Not Enough to Achieve Global Food Security

Aug 16, 2018 1:40 PM ET

People are still hungry. Despite decades of increasing agricultural yields in less-industrialized regions of the world, in large part thanks to the support from international agencies such as USAID, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, hunger persists. According to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, food production over the past five years has generally increased worldwide. We grow enough food to feed the world’s population. Why does food security remain so elusive? The answer to global hunger lies in the food supply chain—specifically in reducing the amount of food that rots or becomes contaminated before reaching consumers, or as it is otherwise known, “post-harvest loss.”

Responsible Production & Consumption

Timberland Supports Haitian Farmers as They Plant Haiti’s First Commercial Cotton Crop in 30 Years

Aug 16, 2018 1:30 PM ET

Smallholder farmers near Gonaives, Haiti recently planted the first commercial cotton crop in the country since 1987, with support from Timberland and other brands. The farmers planted a demonstration farm which will train other smallholder farmers to cultivate cotton. As a key supporter of the effort, Timberland provided participating farmers with shirts as a symbol of the future market for the cotton they planted. The global outdoor lifestyle brand, in partnership with the Smallholder Farmers Alliance, aims to bring cotton farming back to Haiti not only to create a new supply chain for organic cotton to use in its products, but also to help reforest Haiti and improve the lives of smallholder farmers.

Green Infrastructure

VIDEO | What’s Cool @ Target Field: Pentair Water Recycling

Aug 16, 2018 1:05 PM ET

In 2009, Pentair began working with the Minnesota Twins to help them attain their silver LEED certification. Pentair's Rain Water Recycle System (RWRS) helps Target Field's need for municipal water by over 50 percent; an annual average saving of 2 million gallons of water.

Environment

On September 5th, Listen to a Sustainability Webinar with Mars & Environmental Defense Fund

Aug 16, 2018 1:05 PM ET

Join Mars, Incorporated and Environmental Defense Fund for a webinar on Wednesday, September 5, 2018 at 2:30pm ET to learn about Mars’ sustainability journey, and how businesses of any size can cut emissions and reduce risks related to climate change.

Innovation & Technology

FCA US Toledo Machining Plant to Build Key Component for First Plug-in Hybrid Jeep®

Aug 16, 2018 1:00 PM ET

FCA US announced today that it has awarded the production of the Power Electronics module for the Jeep® Wrangler PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) to its Toledo Machining Plant, positioning the 54-year-old Ohio facility to play a key role in helping the Company meet future regulatory requirements.

Innovation & Technology

VIDEO | Boyle Column: Paul Endry Retains Optimism Despite Accident, Paralysis

Aug 16, 2018 12:50 PM ET

Sometimes a major burnout — especially one fueled by a 900-horsepower Corvette race car — is just good for the soul. Judging by the smile on Paul Endry's face Tuesday afternoon after he launched into a couple of high-octane doughnuts in the former Sears parking lot at Asheville Mall, it was a home run in the soul-stimulation department.

Sustainable Development Goals

Incorporating Resilience in National Infrastructure Plans

Aug 16, 2018 12:20 PM ET

As part of Bechtel’s commitment to contribute 100 ideas to support the United Nation’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we ask experts from the Institute for Sustainable Development to offer a better way to tie disaster response and recovery plans to the national infrastructure agenda.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Duke Energy Foundation Grants Will Help Strengthen Nonprofits, Provide Access to the Arts in South Carolina

Aug 16, 2018 12:00 PM ET

The Duke Energy Foundation recently awarded nearly $300,000 in grants to 11 South Carolina organizations that impact communities served by Duke Energy through nonprofit capacity-building efforts, expanding access to arts and culture, and other strategic community initiatives.

Environment

BIER Provides Leadership in Defining Beer PEFCR

Aug 16, 2018 12:00 PM ET

Learn Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) expert members helped the EU develop their latest beer PEFCR.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

3 Unexpected Ways to Retain Tech Talent

Aug 16, 2018 11:10 AM ET

Some businesses have traditional HR strategies in place to retain their talent pool, but there are also unique, more meaningful ways companies can keep valuable workers from leaving, create a stronger workforce and build a more sustainable business.

Environment

HPRC Member Spotlight: Robert Render

Aug 16, 2018 11:05 AM ET

HPRC spotlights Robert Render, Commercial Manager at Ravago Recycling Group.

Diversity & Inclusion

2018 Powered by Women

Aug 16, 2018 11:05 AM ET

As president and CEO of Jackson- based CMS Energy and Consumers Energy, the largest energy company in Michigan, Patti Poppe readily explains she’s never been happier in her career — a state of contentment best described by one of her favorite Japanese terms, ikigai.

Environment

Booz Allen Celebrates Student Solutions to Global Water Challenges

Aug 16, 2018 10:35 AM ET

Booz Allen Hamilton’s employees are dedicated to giving back to their local communities and affecting positive change on a global scale, and the firm supports a number of nonprofit organizations that reflect its employees’ passions and skills. For 14 years the firm has partnered with FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a not-for-profit organization that inspires young people’s participation and interest in science and technology.

Environment

VIDEO | This Indiana Subaru Plant Hasn’t Taken Out the Trash in 14 Years, Saves More Than $13m

Aug 16, 2018 10:15 AM ET

"I always like to say that if someone stops for a cup of coffee on their way into the plant," Easterday said, "then they have put more trash into the landfill than we have for the entire year."

Innovation & Technology

Taking Command: Veteran Entrepreneurs Lead a Wave of Innovation

Aug 16, 2018 10:05 AM ET

Bunker Labs is a startup accelerator supporting veteran entrepreneurs. Founded in 2014 in Chicago, Bunker Labs has grown to 17 locations nationwide. At Comcast NBCUniversal, we recognized the potential impact of Bunker Labs early on and became its first corporate sponsor in 2015. In 2017, we signed a three-year extension of our partnership.

“Comcast NBCUniversal’s support of Bunker Labs was kind of a lightning rod for the community in the sense that it attracted more attention and brought out more opportunities, and more resources, and allowed us to be able to support the entrepreneurs in a more comprehensive way,” said Bunker Labs Minneapolis Executive Director Tim O’Neil.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Sodexo Recognized by Hispanic Network Magazine

Aug 16, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Sodexo, a food services and facilities management company committed to improving Quality of Life, announced today that it has been recognized by the Hispanic Network Magazine in the 2018 Best of the Best issue as a Top Employer, Top Diversity Employer, Top Disability Friendly Company, and Top LGBT-Friendly Company.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

How Susan Stachowski Leads the Corporate Social Responsibility Program at Sands Bethlehem

Aug 16, 2018 9:50 AM ET

After moving back to Allentown where Sands Bethlehem is located from New Jersey, Susan Stachowski reached out to former colleagues connected to Las Vegas Sands and received an opportunity to work with the President and development team opening Sands Bethlehem. A Team Member since 2007, Stachowski moved positions, landing in her current position leading the properties social responsibility program, Sands Cares.

Green Infrastructure

How Biophilic Design Influenced Durkan's Newest Hospitality Collection, Biophilique

Aug 16, 2018 9:45 AM ET

As sustainability and a desire to reflect a connection with nature shift onto the scene of interior design, hospitality interiors are leaning into biophilic design to help shape the space.

Environment

Lessons From Kenya on How to Restore Degraded Land

Aug 16, 2018 9:35 AM ET

The state of the earth’s biodiversity – the world’s variety of living organisms – is in crisis. About one third of the world’s land has been severely degraded from its natural state. Some of the worst forms of degradation include deforestation, soil erosion, loss of soil fertility, declining water quality and pollution.

Health & Healthcare

What’s Your Healthy Lifestyle?

Aug 16, 2018 9:20 AM ET

At Humana, one way we focus on the health of employees is the 100 Day Dash. We walk together as a company on our journey toward lifelong well-being. And, we share our healthy lifestyle, inspiring others to work on their own health and well-being.