ESG News from Leading Brands

Events, Media & Communications

Tetra Tech Sponsors Upcoming Engineering News-Record Webinar on Building Utility Resilience for Water Extremes

Mar 5, 2018 8:00 AM ET

As communities around the world are impacted by ongoing weather extremes, local utilities face significant challenges to plan secure infrastructure to minimize service disruptions for their customers.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Circular Economy 101: Waste Not, Get More

Mar 5, 2018 7:45 AM ET

Across the globe, about 50 percent of CO2 emissions are tied to materials — goods that often produce a significant amount of physical and financial waste. The United Nations estimates that the 41.8 million tonnes (Mt) of electronic waste generated in 2014, for example, included 16 Mt of copper and 300 tonnes of gold, plus other precious metals such as palladium. This material had a combined value of $52 billion.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Companies Standing Up for Gun Control

Mar 2, 2018 5:30 PM ET

The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have been thrust into a national debate and have made it clear that thoughts and prayers are not enough – they are demanding action from politicians, schools, the NRA and even businesses. We have seen this highly-politicized and divisive issue in the news before, but this time is different. Those students can’t be ignored. Companies are increasingly more comfortable standing up for and speaking out on hot button issues that have dominated the news over the last year.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

LA Galaxy Host Annual Read Across America Day Celebration at StubHub Center

Mar 2, 2018 4:45 PM ET

Yesterday, AEG’s LA Galaxy, StubHub Center and the LA Chargers hosted more than 250 second and third grade students from Towne Avenue Elementary School and Leapwood Avenue Elementary School at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. for Read Across America Day in celebration of Dr. Seuss’ 114th birthday.

Research, Reports & Publications

Companies Must Take the Higher Road Toward a Sustainable Future

Mar 2, 2018 3:30 PM ET

In our new report, TURNING POINT: Corporate Progress on The Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability, we take a closer look at how more than 600 of the largest U.S. companies are responding to these calls and positioning themselves for success in a world increasingly shaped by unprecedented environmental and social challenges. The analysis specifically takes a closer look at the progress of more than 600 companies to meet 20 key expectations of sustainability leadership within the areas of governance, disclosure, stakeholder engagement, environmental and social performance, as outlined in the Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability.

Green Infrastructure

This 18-mile Stretch of Georgia Highway Is a Living Laboratory for Clean Energy

Mar 2, 2018 1:15 PM ET

It’s not often that captains of industry have epiphanies about climate change. So it was remarkable when, after reading The Ecology of Commerce in 1994, carpet manufacturer Ray Anderson set out to clean up his petroleum-intensive operation and succeeded in cutting net carbon emissions by more than 80 percent.

Green Infrastructure

Cleaning the Built Environment After the Big Celebration

Mar 2, 2018 12:30 PM ET

The city of Philadelphia’s football team won the big game for the first time ever and its long-suffering fan base celebrated the victory in kind. In February, the city held a massive parade for its football team, a turnout that some estimated teetered over 700,000 people. With this great turnout came its inevitable byproduct: trash. Lots of trash. Roughly 90 tons of trash, the most the city has ever generated for a single event and nearly double its previous record of 58 tons for a victory parade for its baseball team in 2008.

Philadelphia came prepared. The city’s Department of Streets mobilized a team of 300 workers, using 100 kinds of equipment, to follow the procession of the parade to clean up the immediate aftermath.

Social Impact & Volunteering

A Decade in the Making | Taproot Foundation's Advisory Services Newsletter

Mar 2, 2018 12:05 PM ET

Ten years ago, when Lindsay Firestone Gruber started Taproot's Advisory Services practice, the purpose was simple: to help nonprofits tackle their toughest challenges by connecting them to hard-to-reach corporate talent. A decade later, the landscape of corporate pro bono is thriving. Kim Gillman, National Director of Advisory Services, sat down with Lindsay Firestone Gruber, founder of Advisory Services and the current Chief Programs Officer, to reflect on the past decade and to explore what’s next for the field.

Environment

Unlikely Allies Are Crowdsourcing Funding and Habitat to Save the Monarch Butterfly

Mar 2, 2018 11:00 AM ET

The Monarch Butterfly Habitat Exchange is an innovative market-based program dedicated to restoring and conserving high-quality monarch habitat on America's private working lands. It’s been dubbed an ‘Airbnb for butterflies’ because it’s the only program of its kind that can open the vast untapped potential of large-scale farms and ranches to make habitat available for monarchs at an unprecedented scale and pace.

Smithfield Foods, a global food company that is also the world’s largest hog producer and pork processor, is the first food company to participate in the program, contributing $300,000 to restore key prairie habitat for monarchs in Missouri.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Bloomberg Headquarters in New York Receives Highest 3 Star Fitwel Certification From Center for Active Design

Mar 2, 2018 10:55 AM ET

Bloomberg L.P.’s headquarters at 731 Lexington Avenue has been certified by the Center for Active Design (CfAD) with a Fitwel 3 Star Rating, the system’s highest achievement level. Fitwel is the leading global health certification, evaluating evidence-based strategies in buildings that support human health. The Center for Active Design is the operator of the Fitwel Certification System and is an international not-for-profit organization that was launched in 2012 by then Mayor and founder of Bloomberg L.P. Michael Bloomberg.

Media & Communications

ERM Announces Acquisition of BrownFlynn, Ltd.

Mar 2, 2018 10:50 AM ET

ERM, the world’s leading sustainability consultancy, has completed the acquisition of BrownFlynn Ltd (BrownFlynn). BrownFlynn is the leading U.S. corporate sustainability and governance consulting business based in Cleveland, Ohio.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Pizza Hut: The Literacy Project – Help Start a New Chapter

Mar 2, 2018 10:05 AM ET

Pizza Hut: The Literacy Project represents a global commitment to literacy and reading. Help start a new chapter for millions of children by enabling access to books and educational resources, empowering teachers and inspiring readers.

Research, Reports & Publications

Closing the Gender Gap in Women’s Access to Financial Products and Services Could Unlock $330 Billion in Annual Global Revenue

Mar 2, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Closing the gender gap in women’s access to financial products and services could unlock $330 billion in global annual revenue, according to a new report released today from BNY Mellon and the United Nations Foundation. Increased market opportunities for financial services firms, along with greater financial inclusion and empowerment for women, are additional key outputs from narrowing this gap.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Sands Cares Fresh Start Mobile Showers: Biannual Review

Mar 2, 2018 9:45 AM ET

In July 2017, Las Vegas Sands and Clean the World responded to one of the challenges within Las Vegas’ homeless community with the Sands Cares Fresh Start Mobile Showers Powered by Clean the World, a mobile hygiene unit that visits various locations serving the homeless population to provide showers, hygiene supplies, and other resources.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Innovation Platforms for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa

Mar 2, 2018 9:40 AM ET

A project in Uganda, funded by ACIAR and run by the World Agroforestry Centre, is empowering smallholder dairy and honey farmers to control their own community development by gaining access to high-value markets.

Environment

Artist Zio Ziegler and WWF Debut Tiger T-shirt on World Wildlife Day

Mar 2, 2018 9:30 AM ET

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is proud to collaborate with artist Zio Ziegler on an exclusive new tiger-inspired t-shirt design aimed at raising awareness and support of WWF’s global conservation efforts to protect tigers and other wildlife and wild places.

Environment

General Mills and Its Natural & Organic Brands Join Annie’s in Forging Ahead on Climate Action

Mar 2, 2018 9:30 AM ET

We are very excited to see the Climate Collaborative community growing today with General Mills and its nine Natural and Organic (N&O) brands making new climate commitments. With these new commitments, the entire General Mills N&O product line is now represented in the Collaborative.

Alongside this announcement, General Mills is also coming on board as a Climate Collaborative donor at the highest Catalyst level, which means they’ll be helping fund vital programming and events as we look to the project’s second year.

It is incredibly exciting to have such a large company see the value in the collaborative platform we’ve created—and to see them expand the strong record of climate performance from Annie’s and EPIC out to all of their other natural products brands.

Research, Reports & Publications

Barclays Releases 2017 ESG Report: Positioned for Growth, Sharing and Success

Mar 2, 2018 9:15 AM ET

We continue to enhance non-financial reporting across our disclosures, with increased information on material topics, non-financial performance measures and both regulatory and voluntary disclosures on gender pay, modern slavery and climate change.

Research, Reports & Publications

Next Steps to Improving Measurement

Mar 2, 2018 9:15 AM ET

CECP has been known for measurement since its founding, with our dataset starting back in 2001 and Giving in Numbers almost to its 15th anniversary. While our companies’ questions drive CECP’s work more than anything, across our team we also keep a pulse on new product offerings or studies to find opportunities to play match-maker between a company challenge and another organization’s solution (if not ours).

Green Infrastructure

Consumers Energy Presents Energy Efficiency Incentive Check to Gerald R. Ford International Airport

Mar 2, 2018 8:35 AM ET

The Gerald R. Ford International Airport is being recognized for having one of the best and most energy-efficient airports in the region. Consumers Energy presented a rebate check for $151,631 to the Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GFIA) today, as part of the company’s energy efficiency program which is saving the airport energy and money.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Retired NBA Player, Anthony Avent, Joins iCause Advisory Board

Mar 2, 2018 8:30 AM ET

“Professional athletes have a major impact on our youth today and Anthony’s passion to empower the younger generation to make wiser choices is infectious. We are excited to work with Anthony on sports-related initiatives in the iCause community, bridging the gap between individuals, nonprofits, and causes. ” CEO Kevin McAhren stated.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

How My Passions Come to Life at Cisco

Mar 2, 2018 8:25 AM ET

My Cisco family – and it truly is a family – encourages me to give back, to do my best, and treats me like a valued member of our community. Never was this more true than in my recent trip across the world to help children in need.

Diversity & Inclusion

Why Gender Equity Builds Better Leadership and a Better World

Mar 2, 2018 8:15 AM ET

Social Impact & Volunteering

Xylem Employees Honored for Volunteer Efforts

Mar 2, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Two Xylem employees were honored by the Forest Reserve District of Will County with the Appreciation of Partners Award for the volunteer contributions of employees from Xylem's Mokena office on behalf of Xylem Watermark in 2017. Volunteer activities included clean-up efforts at the Forest Preserve’s Monee Reservoir and Rock Run Rookery Preserve in Will County, Illinois.

Research, Reports & Publications

Observations for a Better World – Valuable Impacts for Customers and Societies

Mar 2, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Vaisala, a global leader in environmental and industrial measurement, published today its renewed annual report. The report is its first to integrate strategy, value creation, financial statements, governance, and sustainability information all into one coherent report.