ESG News from Leading Brands

Events, Media & Communications

Exploring Best Practices for Human Rights Issues – An Erb Institute/WEC roundtable

Dec 15, 2017 1:00 PM ET

The field of sustainability has evolved in recent years to include human rights issues. Consumers and investors have made these issues a priority, so businesses are responding. As they do, collaboration is critical.

The field of sustainability began with environmental issues, which brought about standards and regulations that companies must follow. But human rights issues don’t yet have the same kind of established standards. “It’s still a relatively new dialogue and language for the business community,” said Theresa Loar, an independent consultant who focuses on human rights in business. “While there are excellent UN guiding principles, it’s not the same thing as your government setting certain requirements and standards.”

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Save the Date - Is your Workplace Adoption Friendly?

Dec 15, 2017 12:00 PM ET

Just as every child deserves a home, we believe all parents deserve support and time to bond with their children. The 2018 Top 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces survey opens next month! If your employer offers adoption benefits, we want to hear about it. Encourage them to take part in our survey, which will be available beginning January 8: https://davethomasfoundation.org/partner/become-an-adoption-friendly-workplace/

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Newsweek Ranks Consumers Energy as #1 Company in Michigan in Annual "Green Rankings"

Dec 15, 2017 11:35 AM ET

Consumers Energy has been ranked as Michigan’s top company – and ninth in the nation – in Newsweek’s annual “Green Rankings,” a reflection of its commitment to environmental principles that are good for its home state of Michigan and customers. Consumers Energy was flanked by Apple and Johnson & Johnson on the list of top performing companies in the country. California-based Cisco Systems finished first overall.

Innovation & Technology

Arrow Electronics Applauds Collegiate Inventors Competition Winners

Dec 15, 2017 11:35 AM ET

rrow Electronics congratulated Matthew Rooda and Abraham Espinoza with the University of Iowa spin-out company SwineTech for winning the top undergraduate award last month at the 2017 Collegiate Inventors Competition. The SwineTech team also walked away with the first-ever Arrow Innovation Prize at the annual competition, which advanced the pair of young innovators to the final round of judging with all expenses paid.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

CBRE Hong Kong Completes 5th MoonTrekker in 2017

Dec 15, 2017 10:30 AM ET

80 athletes from CBRE Hong Kong participated in MoonTrekker 2017, a challenging overnight trail run to raise funds for charity. CBRE was the lead sponsor for the 5th consecutive year. The team's determination and team spirit are a true reflection of our Employee Advantage.

Research, Reports & Publications

The Wendy's Company Reports on 2017 Corporate Social Responsibility Progress

Dec 15, 2017 10:05 AM ET

Today, The Wendy's Company released its annual update on the strides made to further Wendy's® Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives related to its Food, Family and Community strategy.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

How Reporting Helps Businesses Uphold Human Rights

Dec 15, 2017 10:00 AM ET

When companies use the GRI Standards for their sustainability reporting, they assess their positive and negative impacts on economic, environmental and social issues, including human rights, and are transparent about the results. Transparency makes human rights information available, empowering NGOs and other stakeholders to hold companies accountable and provide access to remedy.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Thai Union and Nestlé Launch Demonstration Boat to Promote Human Rights in Fishing Industry

Dec 15, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Thai Union Group PCL and Nestlé have launched a demonstration boat to promote the human rights of workers in the Thai fishing industry. The boat is the first of its kind in Thailand.

The two companies, in collaboration with global non-profit Verité, renovated a standard Thai fishing boat, transforming it into a modern vessel demonstrating improved working conditions and labor standards.

The renovated boat demonstrates the standards set for boats greater than 24 meters by the International Labor Organisation’s (ILO) C188 convention for human rights at sea, as well as Thailand’s updated fisheries regulations.

Sustainable Development Goals

Insurance Works! ACRE Africa Providing Safety Nets to Small-Scale Farmers in Kenya

Dec 15, 2017 9:25 AM ET

“When the money came through my phone via M-Pesa[1], I was sure it was a mistake! I was sure someone had erroneously sent me money. So I waited for the sender to call me and demand that I return the money,” Jacinta Mutuse, a farmer from Wote, Makueni County, Kenya, narrates. She had just received about KES 900 (USD 9) on her mobile phone as a payout through the Replanting Guarantee Maize Insurance Product (RPG). The RPG is an index product which covers the risk of poor rainfall during the crops’ germination phase that necessitates replanting.

Sustainable Development Goals

Using Text Analytics to Start Building an SDG Business Case

Dec 15, 2017 9:05 AM ET

As part of Bechtel’s commitment to contribute 100 ideas to support the United Nation’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this case study examines how text analytics can help advance a business case for the SDGs in terms of investment, project opportunity or risk management. Countries benefit from more strategic business investments, projects or programs that can advance a country’s SDG implementation process.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

GM Makes the Most JUST Companies List

Dec 15, 2017 9:00 AM ET

General Motors was named one of America’s Most JUST Companies by Forbes and JUST Capital, a nonprofit that analyzes and ranks companies based on the priorities of the American people. GM is the only automaker on the list.

Green Infrastructure

Chicago Area Reservoir to Save Estimated $114 Million in Flood and Pollution Reduction

Dec 15, 2017 9:00 AM ET

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last week celebrated the completion of the first phase of the McCook Reservoir project, a key component of MWRD’s plan to reduce flood damage and sewer overflow pollution in the Chicago area.

Environment

VIDEO | Introducing NextWave, A Cross-industry Collaboration Aimed at Developing the First Commercial-scale Ocean-bound Plastics Supply Chain

Dec 15, 2017 8:45 AM ET

Dell Inc. and Lonely Whale will form of a collaborative and open-source initiative called NextWave, convening General Motors, Trek Bicycle, Interface, Van de Sant, Humanscale, Bureo and Herman Miller. NextWave convenes leading technology and consumer-focused companies to develop the first-ever commercial-scale ocean-bound plastics supply chain. Additional supporting members of the group include UN Environment, 5Gyres Institute, Zoological Society of London and New Materials Institute.

Sustainable Development Goals

Schneider Electric VIDEO: Aligning Sustainability Goals with Climate Science

Dec 15, 2017 8:05 AM ET

A new movement has begun, with more than 300 companies coming together to lead the fight against climate change. The need for a low-carbon future has become undeniable, a conclusion supported by the Paris Climate Agreement. The expansion of an unchanged energy system, with anything close to current levels of carbon-dioxide (CO2) intensity, would likely lead to global warming in excess of 4 degrees Celsius by the end of the century[1]— a crisis scientists agree would cause widespread and disastrous ecological problems.

Green Infrastructure

Hassalo on Eighth | A LEED Platinum EcoDistrict Development in Oregon

Dec 15, 2017 8:00 AM ET

In the midst of a population boom, Portland is in need of more residential space. With the city’s current infrastructure not able to keep up with that need, new private developments have to accommodate a growing population without damaging the surrounding environment. Hassalo on Eighth was conceived as an EcoDistrict—a series of buildings that share sustainable energy, water, and waste infrastructure—to ease the city’s housing squeeze, revitalize a neighborhood in need of development, and allow its tenants to reduce their carbon footprint by nearly a third.

Research, Reports & Publications

Do You Have the Right Staffing Levels to Manage Your Companies EHS & Sustainability Risks?

Dec 15, 2017 8:00 AM ET

If you answered yes to any of these questions or would just like some hard, reliable facts and data about EHS&S staffing, structure and budgets, then the National Association of Environmental Management’s (NAEM) recently published report based on data from more than 190 companies across industry sectors is perfect for you.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Freeport-McMoRan Invests in Indigenous Communities by Supporting Organic Coffee Cooperative

Dec 15, 2017 8:00 AM ET

PT Freeport Indonesia, a Freeport-McMoRan company, has sponsored a coffee farmer collective in Papua, Indonesia since 2000. For 17 years Amungme Gold coffee has been farmed and processed by indigenous Amungme farmers under the guidance of Freeport’s entrepreneur business program to meet growing demand from consumers.

Social Impact & Volunteering

The Neuroscience of Corporate Goodness and Employee Engagement

Dec 15, 2017 7:45 AM ET

What does the Founder and CEO of a fast-growing Goodness software company consider his best day at work? The answer lies in the neuroscience and might be surprising. Continue reading to get the answer that also informs how companies can forge social bonds that underlie the authentic, lasting engagement of employees and customers (and how to infuse more of that ethos into the world!).

Sustainable Development Goals

British American Tobacco | Thrive: Sustainable Agriculture and Farmer Livelihoods Programme

Dec 15, 2017 7:20 AM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Fisk Johnson Pledges 2-for-1 Match for Donations to Salvation Army Red Kettles

Dec 15, 2017 7:00 AM ET

Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO of SC Johnson, has pledged a two-for-one personal match for all donations at Racine-area Salvation Army red kettles on Saturday, Dec. 16.

Environment

Nat Geo WILD Launches Eighth Annual Big Cat Week With Pushes to Mark the Cheetah as Endangered

Dec 14, 2017 7:45 PM ET

On December 10, Nat Geo WILD kicked off its eighth annual Big Cat Week with a week-long programming lineup of stunning and touching specials documenting the lives and plights of big cats around the world. Big Cat Week is an extension of the Big Cats Initiative (BCI), a long-term commitment from National Geographic Society to protect and tell the stories of the planet’s fiercest felines—lions, tigers, jaguars, panthers, leopards and more.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

LBG Canada Data Stories: In-Kind Contributions are a Part of Community Investment

Dec 14, 2017 6:25 PM ET

Social Impact & Volunteering

AEG and City Year Team Up to Improve Nevin Avenue Elementary in South Los Angeles

Dec 14, 2017 5:40 PM ET

In celebration of AEG’s Season of Giving, more than 300 AEG employees from Southern California came together to participate in the company’s annual Service Day on Dec. 8 at Nevin Avenue Elementary School in South Los Angeles.

Diversity & Inclusion

Major League Baseball Players Association Supports Universal Declaration of Player Rights

Dec 14, 2017 4:30 PM ET

Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) Executive Director and 14-year Major League Baseball veteran, Tony Clark, joined executives from some of the world’s leading player associations in unveiling the Universal Declaration of Player Rights (the Declaration) to protect players from ongoing and systemic human rights violations in global sport.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

In Search of the Most Community-Minded Companies in the Nation, Points of Light Launches Survey for the 2018 Civic 50

Dec 14, 2017 3:30 PM ET

Washington, D.C. (Dec. 14, 2017) – This week, Points of Light opened the survey for the 2018 Civic 50, an annual initiative that recognizes the 50 most community-minded companies in the nation each year. Now in its sixth year, the Civic 50 provides a national standard for superior corporate citizenship and showcases how companies can use their time, skills and other resources to improve the quality of life in the communities where they do business.