ESG News from Leading Brands

Environment

Bloomberg: Xi Has a New Signup for China’s Pollution Fight: Walmart

Apr 10, 2018 11:35 AM ET

On Thursday, Walmart Inc. committed to cutting 50 million metric tons of carbon emissions from its Chinese operations.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Carnival Corporation's AIDA Supports Everyday Heroines with 30,000 Euros

Apr 10, 2018 11:30 AM ET

AIDA presented three everyday heroines with a check of 10,000 euros each during three AIDAprima cruises between March 10 to 31, 2018. Bettina Landgrafe, Anja Gehlken and Sylke Hoß were recognized for their voluntary work and courage by Europe’s biggest women’s magazine at a gala held on AIDAprima last year.

Energy

Inside UPS’s Electric Vehicle Strategy

Apr 10, 2018 11:20 AM ET

Passenger electric cars get all the press, especially when someone launches one into space. But something important is going on in the world of commercial vehicles as well - electric vehicles are much better for the break-even proposition and create significant additional value for the business.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Bold Investments Changing the Future of Social Good

Apr 10, 2018 11:15 AM ET

Sustainable Development Goals

Using the Power of Partnerships to Support Global Goal 5: Gender Equality

Apr 10, 2018 11:00 AM ET

At Pfizer, we are proud to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal 5: Gender Equality. Equality across genders is fundamental to advancing all 17 of the SDGs, which in turn is connected to advancing global health.

Responsible Production & Consumption

How to Grow a Bamboo Industry

Apr 10, 2018 10:35 AM ET

Despite a significant contribution to the economy, the bamboo industry in Indonesia remains underdeveloped. In terms of policy, bamboo is also often overlooked, with most attention focused on timber.

Social Impact & Volunteering

How Employee Data Can Be Grantmaking's Most Valuable Resource

Apr 10, 2018 10:30 AM ET

When Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) was faced with a time of change and uncertainty, they discovered that an employee-nominated grants program wasapowerful catalyst for boosting morale and forging meaningful connections between the company, its employees and the community. Hear from Kathy Gu, Program Manager, Living Progress, HPE, as she shares how they revolutionized their grantmaking program by leveraging data from their strongest group of potential advocates: their own people.

Innovation & Technology

Taking STEM Outside of the Classroom

Apr 10, 2018 10:15 AM ET

A 7th Grade science teacher at Marshall Simonds Middle School in Boston, MA, Tammy Scelsi took her students out of the classroom and into a giant box. Actually, it's a 22x10-foot shipping container, dubbed the Curiosity Cube. Life science company, MilliporeSigma developed it and makes it available for free to educators. It's a mobile lab packed with hands-on learning opportunities and staffed by experts.

Sustainable Development Goals

Societal Megatrends and Business – Operating, Innovating and Growing in a Turbulent World

Apr 10, 2018 10:05 AM ET

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has a long history of examining risks, opportunities and trends that affect companies’ ability to operate profitably and sustainably.

Responsible Production & Consumption

RMI and GRI Partner to Enhance Reporting on Responsible Minerals Sourcing from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas

Apr 10, 2018 10:00 AM ET

The Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) today announced a project to help improve companies’ minerals sourcing due diligence and impact reporting by providing reporting resources and tools based on internationally recognized frameworks.

Events, Media & Communications

Sustainable Brands and Pixelis Announce Pan-European Conference Partnership

Apr 10, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Sustainable Brands® recently announced a strategic partnership with Pixelis, a branding agency based in Paris, France committed to design, innovation and sustainability. Sustainable Brands has partnered with Pixelis to produce the pan-European conference, SB’18 Paris, in April of 2019.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Keeping Siblings Together in Foster Care. It Matters…A LOT

Apr 10, 2018 10:00 AM ET

This guest blog was written by Rachel Adler, a Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter in Northwest, Ohio. She works diligently to get to know each child, giving them an opportunity to let their voice be heard throughout the adoption process. It was originally shared in April 2017. We are republishing it in honor of National Siblings Day. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption works on behalf of the children who have waited the longest in foster care for a loving home. We focus on older children, sibling groups and children with special needs. Rachel shares how she fought to keep a pair of brothers together in a system that tried to pull them apart.

Events, Media & Communications

VIDEO | A Sustainable Marathon in Paris

Apr 10, 2018 9:55 AM ET

The streets of Paris turned green on Sunday, 8th April. 55,000 runners took part in the 42nd edition of the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris. For the 6th year in a row, Schneider Electric is the proud sponsor of this race, making the event greener each time.

Diversity & Inclusion

Impacting Diversity - What Does it Take?

Apr 10, 2018 9:40 AM ET

Events, Media & Communications

An Iconic Brand Turns 50

Apr 10, 2018 9:30 AM ET

As part its year-long celebration, Subaru hosted a number of celebratory events, culminating in a series of special edition model vehicles that will debuted not long ago at the Chicago Auto Show. And this past August they announced a donation of 50 vehicles to Meals on Wheels America.

Research, Reports & Publications

Three Quarters of Mid-sized UK Businesses Investing in Green Initiatives Benefit Commercially

Apr 10, 2018 8:40 AM ET

As green issues continue to make big headlines, four fifths (82%) of mid-sized UK businesses have taken action on environmental sustainability. However, less than half (40%) indicated that they expect the amount they will invest in this area to increase over the next five years and only a similar amount (39%) view environmentally responsible programmes as ‘extremely important’.

Research, Reports & Publications

UBS Focused on Achieving Sustainable Performance

Apr 10, 2018 5:00 AM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

FOX Sports and Good Sports Team Up to Bring Sports Equipment to Chicago Youth, with 21st Century Fox Matching Every Donation Dollar-for-Dollar

Apr 9, 2018 8:45 PM ET

To mark the launch of the new documentary "Shot in the Dark" from FOX Sports Films, FOX Sports has partnered with nonprofit Good Sports to provide much-needed athletic opportunities to Chicago youth. The initiative allows supporters to personally select sports equipment to be donated through Good Sports to various youth programs in the city, and all donations made directly through the “Shot in the Dark” page will be matched by FOX Sports parent company, 21st Century Fox, dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Solano Hispanic Chamber Honors Students, Leaders

Apr 9, 2018 6:00 PM ET

The Solano Hispanic Chamber of Commerce celebrated over 11 years as a local chamber of diversity during its annual Awards and Recognition Gala on March 10, 2018 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Fairfield. Solano County students and business leaders were recognized for their achievements, contributions and leadership.

Energy

Long Beach Port Gets Clean Energy Upgrade

Apr 9, 2018 5:45 PM ET

Forty years ago when rubber tire gantry cranes were first used at the Port of Long Beach, they were the latest thing in technology to move cargo containers around the port. But the 80-foot-tall green cranes with their 1,000-horsepower diesel engines guzzled 10 gallons of fuel an hour and spewed dirty emissions into the air. The port, working with Southern California Edison, is hoping to help solve that problem with a demonstration project to electrify nine of the gantries at one of its terminals.

Environment

JetBlue Launches ‘GreenUp™’ Campaign in Celebration of Earth Month

Apr 9, 2018 5:15 PM ET

JetBlue today announced its annual environment-focused campaign - “GreenUp” (formerly “One Thing That’s Green”). JetBlue is providing opportunities for its customers, crewmembers and community to donate, volunteer and engage with nonprofits working to preserve the environment. In celebration of Earth Month, JetBlue For Good, the airline’s platform for social impact and corporate responsibility, is coordinating a variety of environmentally-focused initiatives in its focus cities – New York, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Los Angeles (Long Beach). “GreenUp” also includes several events in San Juan and throughout Puerto Rico as part of JetBlue’s ongoing 100x35JetBlue hurricane recovery initiative.

Events, Media & Communications

Enel to Sell Power From Its First Wind Farm in U.S. State of Illinois to Bloomberg and General Motors

Apr 9, 2018 4:35 PM ET

Enel, through its US renewable company Enel Green Power North America, Inc. (“EGPNA”), started construction of the 185 MW HillTopper, its first wind farm in the US state of Illinois. The new wind project is supported by two long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) to sell portion of its power to Bloomberg LP and General Motors.

Innovation & Technology

Working and Living on Mars: Students Win National Generation Beyond Competition to Design Orbiting Science Lab, Living Space for Astronauts on Mars Mission

Apr 9, 2018 4:15 PM ET

Lockheed Martin is working on technologies that will make deep-space travel possible, like building the spacecraft that will go to Mars. As part of its Generation Beyond K-12 science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiative – developed in partnership with Discovery Education – the company on Friday announced the winners of a nationwide contest asking students to design a Mars-orbiting science lab and living spaces, or Mars Base Camp Habitation Module, that will dock with NASA’s Orion deep space spacecraft.

Health & Healthcare

Merck Commemorates 60th Anniversary of Medical Outreach Program with $300,000 Grant

Apr 9, 2018 3:20 PM ET

Merck, known as MSD outside of the U.S. and Canada, announced today that it is offering $300,000 in grants to the non-governmental organization (NGO) partners in the Merck Medical Outreach Program (MMOP) in commemoration of the program’s 60th anniversary.

Green Infrastructure

Evolving WELL™

Apr 9, 2018 3:00 PM ET

Eight global roundtables attended by more than 350 organizations. Hundreds of alternative adherence paths (AAPs) that open up new strategies and pathways for projects, along with 195 equivalency submissions that support WELL’s global adoption. 632 amendments in seven addenda updates that provided continuous improvements. Thousands of conversations with real estate leaders, architects, interior designers, sustainability consultants, academic researchers, health care practitioners, and human resource professionals from all over the world. This is how you evolve a global rating system for buildings when the focus is on no less than improving the health and wellness for the people inside them.