ESG News from Leading Brands

Environment

Practitioner Spotlight--Owen McKenna

Feb 21, 2018 10:20 AM ET

Read about Antea Group’s Owen McKenna, a sustainability practitioner based in the Marlborough, MA office.

Environment

Relay Education is Leading the Way in Energy Literacy Across Canada

Feb 21, 2018 10:10 AM ET

The transition to 100 per cent renewable energy is underway across Canada. In 2018, 15,000 youth will participate in Relay Education's renewable energy workshops as part of this national energy shift.

Research, Reports & Publications

Erb Institute Student, Jim Gawron, Part of Research Team on Maximizing the Benefits of Autonomous Vehicles

Feb 21, 2018 10:05 AM ET

ANN ARBOR—The added weight, electricity demand and aerodynamic drag of the sensors and computers used in autonomous vehicles are significant contributors to their lifetime energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new study.

Environment

Sustainable Business: A Conversation With TD's Chief Environment Officer

Feb 21, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Each year, the Bloomberg Sustainable Business Summit brings together industry leaders to talk about sustainable business and finance. This year, TD's Chief Environment Officer, Karen Clarke-Whistler, participated as a panelist and her perspective was included in the TD-Bloomberg Sustainability Dialogues – a report that captures the insights and learnings from the conference.

Sustainable Development Goals

Empowering Women Coffee Farmers in Colombia Through Inclusive Business

Feb 21, 2018 9:50 AM ET

Spanish coffee company Supracafé integrates women farmers into its value chain, training them in effective cultivation techniques to build their skills and increase economic independence.

Environment

Ecocentricity Blog: We Should Start a Book Club!

Feb 21, 2018 9:30 AM ET

Whether it’s from a sense of being nostalgic or old-fashioned, I’m not ready to see the end of page-turners. I still choose physical books over digital ones, and I bet I’m not alone.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Team Members at Sands Bethlehem Adopt a Family for the Holidays

Feb 21, 2018 9:10 AM ET

Local families received some extra joy in December thanks to a holiday initiative at Sands Bethlehem. Through a continued partnership with Donegan Elementary, students who were identified as part of a ‘family in need’ were ‘adopted’ by a Sands Bethlehem department. Departments shopped, wrapped and gifted presents to the identified families.

Media & Communications

Companies, Students, Farmers, Activists Unite to Grow the Fair Trade Movement

Feb 21, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Global Fair Trade advocacy organization Fair Trade Campaigns will host a multi-stakeholder gathering of Fair Trade supporters in Washington D.C. this March 23-25. The conference, which will focus on tangible pathways for growing the Fair Trade movement, will bring together a diverse and active audience - from Fair Trade farmers, workers, and artisans to NGOs, students, activists, and companies. Over 250 campuses and communities from Fair Trade Campaigns' U.S. network will be represented, as well as Fair Trade stakeholders from across the globe.

Innovation & Technology

Solar Panels, Electric Vehicle Charging Coming to Jackson Via Consumers Energy

Feb 21, 2018 8:50 AM ET

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

VIDEO | Better Business for a Healthier Planet: Cisco and the Circular Economy

Feb 21, 2018 8:35 AM ET

By repairing our products, we reuse components, reduce waste, and save raw material. We embrace a circular economy strategy.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Bechtel Recognized for Innovation Leadership

Feb 21, 2018 8:25 AM ET

Bechtel, a global leader in engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC), announced today it has been named a winner in the 2018 BIG Innovation Awards presented by the Business Intelligence Group. The company was recognized for its enterprise-wide approach to innovation.

Environment

VIDEO | Landscape Restoration in Ethiopia Brings Watershed to Life

Feb 21, 2018 8:05 AM ET

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Whole Planet Foundation Launches Annual Prosperity Campaign in Whole Foods Market

Feb 21, 2018 8:00 AM ET

On March 1, Whole Planet Foundation launches its Annual Prosperity Campaign to alleviate poverty around the globe for the world’s poorest people – mostly women – living in communities where Whole Foods Market® sources products. This year’s campaign goal is to raise $3 million to increase the foundation’s current reach of 72 countries and 16 U.S. cities.

Sustainable Development Goals

Participatory Planning Produces Strategic Blueprints for Cities

Feb 21, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Graeme Thompson, communications specialist for the Tetra Tech-implemented U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Urban Municipal Governance project (UMG) in Guatemala, discusses how the project executed a three-month technical assistance initiative to help four municipalities deliver high-quality operating plans to the Ministry of Finance. All opinions expressed in this post are the author’s own.

Diversity & Inclusion

Difference Is Beautiful: Where We Came From Leads Us to Where We’re Going

Feb 20, 2018 4:25 PM ET

I didn’t know Bloomberg wrote about that.” I often hear this response when I tell people what I cover as a reporter on Bloomberg News’ diversity and management team. This beat looks at the intersection of race, class and gender in the workplace – one that has become increasingly relevant in our political and social climate.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Aflac Lands Placement on Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For List for 20th Consecutive Year

Feb 20, 2018 4:20 PM ET

For the 20th consecutive year, Aflac has been named one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, according to global research and consulting firm Great Place to Work® and Fortune. The leading provider of voluntary insurance at the worksite in the United States, Aflac has received a place on the prestigious list every year since 1999.

Diversity & Inclusion

PayPal’s Monica Chatmon on Her Community Involvement in Omaha

Feb 20, 2018 4:00 PM ET

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Sustainability Reporting for SMEs Made Simple

Feb 20, 2018 1:00 PM ET

Small and medium sized enterprises have a huge impact on our global society and world. In this video, GRI Chief Executive Tim Mohin talks about why SMEs should join the GRI Competitive Business Program, designed to help SMEs get started with sustainability reporting.

Health & Healthcare

Merck for Mothers Blog | Leading a Global Coalition of Mothers Dedicated to Social Good

Feb 20, 2018 12:50 PM ET

Merck for Mothers talks to Jennifer James of Social Good Moms about maternal health and maternal care.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Walking Forward Receives $1.6 Million Grant for Lung Cancer Screening Research

Feb 20, 2018 12:30 PM ET

Avera Health is pleased to announce that the Walking Forward Program, based in Rapid City, has been awarded a grant for over $1.6 million from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation to increase lung cancer screening rates for high-risk smokers living in western South Dakota.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Whirlpool Corporation Named One of the 2018 World's Most Ethical Companies® by the Ethisphere Institute

Feb 20, 2018 12:30 PM ET

Whirlpool Corporation, the world's leading major home appliance company, is recognized by the Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, as one of the 2018 World's Most Ethical Companies.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Booz Allen Data Science Bowl a Finalist for SXSW Innovation Award

Feb 20, 2018 12:20 PM ET

The 2017 Data Science Bowl (DSB), Turning Machine Intelligence Against Lung Cancer—presented by Booz Allen Hamilton and Kaggle, challenged the data science and medical communities to develop algorithms that can accurately determine when lesions in the lungs are cancerous. It has been chosen as a finalist for a prestigious SXSW Innovation Award in the category of Health, Med, & BioTech.

Health & Healthcare

Plant Based Proteins: The Meat Alternative That Is Good For Your Health And The Planet

Feb 20, 2018 12:05 PM ET

It's rare that an idea or solution comes along that solves a variety of problems facing the world. Plant-based proteins is one of those. Whether it is human health, animal welfare, deforestation or climate change (or all of those) that concerns you, consuming more plant-based proteins can offer a simple (and tasty) way to make a positive contribution to solving them.

The food system is changing. It always has, but now it needs to change to reduce waste and optimise the use of plant proteins. Challenges like these have led the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, of which Nestlé is a member, to work on a new programme called FReSH - Food Reform for Sustainability and Health. FReSH will focus on the solutions that businesses can bring, and proteins will be at the centre.

Diversity & Inclusion

Investing in Our Nation’s Future: No One Left Behind

Feb 20, 2018 11:45 AM ET

Walter Cronkite was the legendary CBS anchorman known as “The most trusted man in America.” In 2003, 84-year-old Walter took me, then 23-years-old, on the first of many spins on his sailing vessel, the Wyntje. We talked constantly while tacking our way through the mountain-bordered waters of the British Virgin Islands. Walter and I were both of Dutch decent, and proud of it. Having the opportunity to talk hours on end with such an iconic figure was life changing for me. And it all started with that first sailing trip. We met because Walter was also a close friend of my boss, consumer advocate Remar Sutton. He visited Remar often during the winters.

Health & Healthcare

Smithfield Bioscience and University of Virginia Announce Regenerative Medicine Research Partnership

Feb 20, 2018 11:05 AM ET

Smithfield Foods, Inc. and the University of Virginia School of Engineering & Applied Science announced today a research partnership to explore and advance regenerative medicine technologies leveraging porcine bioproducts. The research is part of a collaborative project between UVA and Smithfield Bioscience, a strategic business platform within Smithfield Foods that is focused on supporting a range of biotechnology solutions in areas of human therapeutics, tissue fabrication and regenerative medicine.