ESG News from Leading Brands

Responsible Production & Consumption

Albertsons Companies’ Open Nature® Brand Expands Its ‘Free-From’ Approach Into Non-Food Categories

Apr 3, 2018 2:00 PM ET

As customers continue to pursue real food and natural products that are free from artificial ingredients, Albertsons Companies, one of the nation’s largest grocery retailers, today announced that it is expanding its exclusive Open Nature® brand into non-food categories and expects to release more than 240 new Open Nature products in 2018.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

How to Kill a Workplace Giving Campaign: Lessons From the Florida State Employees’ Charitable Campaign

Apr 3, 2018 2:00 PM ET

The Tallahassee Democrat recently reported that lawmakers have decided to shut down the Florida State Employees’ Charitable Campaign (FSECC) for good.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Astellas Named "Outstanding Employer" for Supporting Employees with Military Service

Apr 3, 2018 1:30 PM ET

Research, Reports & Publications

Scotiabank Showcases Progress on CSR Strategy: Better Future, Better Off

Apr 3, 2018 1:15 PM ET

Scotiabank has released its 2017 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, "Building the Economy of Everyone", which details the progress made over the past 12 months on the Bank's CSR strategy: Better Future, Better Off.

Energy

AMLI Residential, Green Mountain Energy Commit to 100 Percent Renewable Energy in Houston and Dallas

Apr 3, 2018 1:00 PM ET

AMLI Residential and Green Mountain Energy Company have announced a sustainability partnership to install 330 kW of solar panels across four AMLI communities in the Dallas area. AMLI is also purchasing 100% renewable energy for all of the common areas at its apartment communities in Houston and Dallas. By moving its more than 20 communities in the Texas competitive electricity market to 100 percent renewable energy, AMLI is expected to offset more than 20.1 million pounds of carbon dioxide per year, which is the equivalent of planting 2,300 trees or taking 2,100 cars off the road for a year.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

CBRE Earns 2018 Energy Star® Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award

Apr 3, 2018 12:35 PM ET

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized CBRE with a 2018 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award for continued leadership and superior contributions to ENERGY STAR. This marks the eleventh consecutive year CBRE has earned ENERGY STAR’s Partner of the Year award.

Research, Reports & Publications

Accenture Publishes 2017 Corporate Citizenship Report

Apr 3, 2018 12:05 PM ET

Accenture today released its 2017 Corporate Citizenship Report, which details the company’s goals and progress toward helping improve the way the world works and lives.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Ocado Reduces Food Waste Through Redistribution Initiatives

Apr 3, 2018 12:00 PM ET

Food waste is a huge global issue. Every year, UK households throw away £13 billion worth of food. A staggering 7.3 million tonnes of household food waste was thrown away in 2015, according to the waste advisory body WRAP.

Events, Media & Communications

CSRHub’s Cynthia Figge Speaking at Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship Conference

Apr 3, 2018 11:10 AM ET

CSRHub’s CEO Cynthia Figge will be speaking at the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship 2018 International Corporate Citizenship Conference held on April 8-10 in Los Angeles, CA. Cynthia will be providing scheduled demonstrations of CSRHub to attendees during the breakout sessions.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Cerro Negro Local Entrepreneurs Contest

Apr 3, 2018 11:00 AM ET

In late 2017, Goldcorp’s Cerro Negro mine in Perito Moreno, Argentina, helped develop a “Local Entrepreneurs Contest” together with Fundación Iniciativa and the city hall.

A workshop on business ventures launched the contest and provided the participants with the opportunity to acquire tools to further develop their new ventures. They were offered training and financing.

The month-long contest received a total of twenty-three applications, from which eight winners were selected. The assessment criteria included innovation of the products or services offered, management experience, sustainability considerations in areas such as social and environmental impact, safety, and return on investment potential.

Research, Reports & Publications

Measuring Corporate Actions Against the SDGs

Apr 3, 2018 11:00 AM ET

With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the world’s leaders set out on an ambitious path to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and protect the planet. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals provide a coherent, holistic, integrated framework for addressing the world’s most urgent sustainability challenges, where businesses have an important role to play. In September, GRI and the UN Global Compact released a publication to aid progress towards the SDGs by helping businesses improve their reporting and performance on the SDGs.

Environment

$16 Million Storage System Helps Consumers Energy's Campbell Plant Protect Environment

Apr 3, 2018 10:55 AM ET

Consumers Energy recently completed construction of a $16 million concrete tank system to process and collect bottom ash at the Campbell generating plant on the shore of Lake Michigan near Holland. The five-tank system helps protect groundwater and promote beneficial reuse of about 50,000 tons of coal ash generated by Campbell’s three coal-fired units each year.

Diversity & Inclusion

Supporting Women Across the Organization: What We Can Do As Leaders

Apr 3, 2018 10:35 AM ET

Changing the dynamic for women in the workplace means upsetting the status quo. This includes knocking down the different "rules" for men and women regarding advancement in their careers. Changing the perception of driven women in the workplace-acknowledging their contributions, strengths, and performance equitably-promotes a well-rounded workforce and therefore a more successful operation.

Environment

Guest Blog - Strengthening the "Fragility of Grand Discoveries” With Biomimicry

Apr 3, 2018 10:30 AM ET

A large amount of humankind’s greatest discoveries hinged on small decisions, chance encounters, and seemingly arbitrary choices.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Dow, Keep America Beautiful to Award $100,000 in 2018 Hefty® EnergyBag™ Grants

Apr 3, 2018 10:30 AM ET

The Dow Chemical Company is again teaming up with national nonprofit and long-standing partner Keep America Beautiful to award a total of $100,000 in grants for organizations to establish Hefty® EnergyBag™ programs in their communities. The Hefty® EnergyBag™ program offers an innovative approach to diverting plastics that cannot be recycled, such as chip bags and juice pouches, from landfills and converting the materials into valuable energy resources.

Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable Leadership in the Middle East – The Kuwaiti Danish Dairy Company Joins WBCSD

Apr 3, 2018 10:20 AM ET

The Kuwaiti Danish Dairy Company (KDD) has today joined nearly 200 forward-thinking companies as the newest member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

Responsible Production & Consumption

MilliporeSigma Tech Talk: Biopharma Recycling Program for Single-Use Technologies

Apr 3, 2018 10:15 AM ET

The rapid growth and adoption of single-use technologies in the biopharmaceutical market is significantly increasing the amount of plastic waste being generated.

Green Infrastructure

Pioneering Playbook Released for Creating Sustainable, Healthy Workplaces Portfolio-wide

Apr 3, 2018 10:05 AM ET

Sustainability Roundtable, Inc. and Delos announce the release of the Playbook for Sustainably Healthy Workplaces: Making the Business Case for Integrating Health & Wellness into Portfolio-wide Sustainability Strategies.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Nick International Highlights What #KidsCan Do With Nine Extraordinary Stories

Apr 3, 2018 10:00 AM ET

A 16-year-old girl in the United Arab Emirates organizes environmental clean-ups in more than 10 countries. A 13-year-old in the Philippines gives gifts and hygiene products to 10,000 street kids in his community. A 16-year-old who fled Syria starts a school for 200 children in his refugee camp.

These are three of the extraordinary youngsters that Nickelodeon International has partnered with KidsRights Foundation to spotlight through #KidsCan, an international campaign that will profile these inspiring stories for audiences around the world.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Tyson Foods Sets Two Million Acre Land Stewardship Target

Apr 3, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Tyson Foods, Inc. has committed to support improved environmental practices on two million acres of corn by the end of 2020. It is the largest-ever land stewardship commitment by a U.S. protein company and supports Tyson Foods’ recently announced goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 30 percent by 2030.

The two million acre commitment, which was announced today as part of the release of Tyson Foods’ newest sustainability report, will encourage grain farmers to adopt more efficient fertilizer practices, and take additional measures to reduce water runoff and soil loss.

Sustainable Development Goals

Brands Tackle Global Challenges in the Magnitude of Billions

Apr 3, 2018 9:45 AM ET

A strategic approach to solving the most critical problems around the world starts with a look at sobering numbers. The World Economic Forum’s 2018 Global Risks Report highlights that 70% of young people live on less than US$3.10 per day, and 90% of the world’s population breathes polluted air. The World Economic Forum has listed economic inequality as one of the most important global trends of our time.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

The Subaru Performance Community Is All In for Make-A-Wish®

Apr 3, 2018 9:30 AM ET

If you know the Subaru performance community, you know two things: First, Subaru enthusiasts love their cars. Second, they love to give back.

Research, Reports & Publications

BAT CEO Nicandro Durante On Transforming Tobacco and Creating a Sustainable Business for the Long Term

Apr 3, 2018 9:05 AM ET

I’ve been working at BAT for more than 30 years and have never been more excited about the future. Changing consumer demands and a greater awareness of how innovative new technology can contribute to harm reduction have combined to herald a new era for the industry. We want to lead and help shape this future – we call this Transforming Tobacco.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Kernels of Transparency: Sustainably Sourcing Corn

Apr 3, 2018 9:00 AM ET

We know consumers are increasingly interested in where their food comes from and how it is grown. We share consumers’ desire for transparency about what goes into our products. For that reason, we made a commitment in 2013 to sustainably source our top ten priority ingredients by 2020.

Today, we sustainably source 67 percent of the dry-milled corn we purchase in the U.S. and are on track to meet our goal of 100 percent by 2020.

In addition to providing greater transparency, we are also driven by our company’s pursuit to treat the world with care. Working with our suppliers and the farmers who grow corn and other priority ingredients, we are focused on reducing the environmental impact of agriculture.

Innovation & Technology

The Power of Innovation

Apr 3, 2018 5:00 AM ET

Welcome to the world of intelligent home technology. In a fast-paced world of rising customer expectations, utility companies are constantly looking for ways to do things better – and CLP is at the cutting edge of this trend to bring smarter technology into people’s homes.