ESG News from Leading Brands

Environment

Merck Receives 2018 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award From U. S. Environmental Protection Agency

Apr 2, 2018 11:05 AM ET

Merck announced today that it has received an ENERGY STAR 2018 Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its continued leadership in energy management in both the pharmaceutical and industrial sectors, and superior co

Sustainable Development Goals

The Business Benefits of Taking Climate Action - Mars' Barry Parkin

Apr 2, 2018 11:00 AM ET

The We Mean Business Coalition talked to Mars’ Barry Parkin about how acting on climate change is the right thing for future generations of the world as well as a benefit to the overall business.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

SC Johnson Greece Recognized as the Top 2018 Best Workplace

Apr 2, 2018 10:30 AM ET

For the second consecutive year, SC Johnson Greece has been ranked as the No. 1 Best Workplace by the Great Place to Work® Institute. This is also the fifth time the Greece operation has been recognized on the Institute’s annual Best Workplace list.

Education

HP’s Focus on Education: The Value of Shared Purpose

Apr 2, 2018 10:05 AM ET

HP has long believed that what’s good for society and the earth is good for business. But Porter and Kramer’s work gave corporate purpose a label, Shared Value. It became a rallying cry for sustainability professionals to garner support from their C-suite and internal business teams to help shift perspectives on what corporate social responsibility (CSR) means.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

The Viacommunity Spirit Emerges from the Eye of the Storm

Apr 2, 2018 10:00 AM ET

As Hurricane Maria intensified to a Category 5 storm and set a bullseye on Puerto Rico last September, Victor Caro knew there was only one place he could go: directly into the eye of the storm.

Though he lived in Connecticut, both Caro and his wife had grown up in Puerto Rico. Most of his family still lived there, including his 90-year-old grandmother. The island’s storm supplies had been wiped out when Hurricane Irma had skirted the island earlier that month. So Caro would fly down with bags stuffed full of water purification supplies, batteries, emergency radios, and portable stoves. The day before the storm hit, he boarded a nearly empty San Juan-bound plane out of JFK airport.

Research, Reports & Publications

BNY Mellon Supports a Global Push for Financial Gender Equality

Apr 2, 2018 9:30 AM ET

Each year, the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women brings world leaders together to review progress toward gender equality and the empowerment of women. As part of this year’s event, BNY Mellon partnered with the United Nations Foundation and the Group of Champions for Women’s Empowerment to discuss the findings of a new study: Powering Potential: Increasing women’s access to financial products and services. A webcast of the event is publicly available via UN Web TV.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Nationwide Celebrations and Tree Planting Opportunities Announced for Arbor Day, America’s Oldest Environmental Holiday

Apr 2, 2018 9:30 AM ET

April 27, 2018 marks the 146th celebration of Arbor Day. A holiday established in 1872 in Nebraska City to inspire people to plant trees, it became a national holiday in 1972. To help people across the country get more easily involved in celebrating the country's first environmental holiday, the Arbor Day Foundation has launched celebratearborday.com.

Environment

Subaru Launches Partnership with TerraCycle® for “Subaru Loves the Earth”

Apr 2, 2018 9:30 AM ET

Subaru of America, Inc., today announced a new partnership with TerraCycle® to help divert hard-to-recycle waste from landfills and incinerators through the automaker’s environmentally-focused philanthropic platform, Subaru Loves the Earth. With less than a quarter of the 230 million tons of trash generated annually in U.S. getting recycled, Subaru and TerraCycle® are teaming up to intercept and repurpose hard to recycle items.

Sustainable Development Goals

Expert Interview with Juhani Grossmann, Anti-Corruption Expert

Apr 2, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Juhani Grossmann has been implementing anti-corruption and election programs in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia for more than 15 years. He currently leads the team from MSI, A Tetra Tech Company, that is implementing the U.S. Agency for International Development-funded Strengthening Integrity and Accountability program (USAID CEGAH) in Indonesia.

Diversity & Inclusion

Spotify Celebrates Black History Month Every Month

Mar 30, 2018 8:15 PM ET

February is Black History Month, and many companies celebrated the month by hosting events and highlighting African American employees and icons that have inspired us and shaped history. Yet, nearly two months after the close of Black History Month, Spotify has announced that "Black History Is Happening Now.” The streaming service is debuting a multi-approach effort aimed at challenging the limited timeframe celebrating the achievements of black creators and instead encouraging their creativity year-round.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

StubHub Center Foundation and LA Galaxy Foundation Host Sold-Out 12th Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Mar 30, 2018 7:45 PM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Easter Basket Blitz Brings Smiles Throughout the U.S.

Mar 30, 2018 7:00 PM ET

Wells Fargo volunteers renewed a springtime tradition: delivering thousands of Easter baskets to children in hospitals, shelters, and other locations.

Events, Media & Communications

MGM Resorts International Hits Unprecedented Responsible Gambling Milestone

Mar 30, 2018 6:00 PM ET

MGM Resorts International is hitting a major, unprecedented milestone during this year’s Problem Gambling Awareness Month.

Events, Media & Communications

Make-A-Wish® Challenges You to Support World Wish Day® This April

Mar 30, 2018 5:00 PM ET

World Wish Day, April 29, celebrates the day that Chris Greicius’ wish was granted in 1980 – sparking the creation of Make-A-Wish and a global wish-granting movement that has seen nearly 450,000 life-changing wishes come true for children worldwide, since Chris’ wish in 1980.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Jameson® Irish Whiskey Is Giving Back to Communities by Kicking Off the Love Thy Neighborhood Block Party Tour

Mar 30, 2018 12:50 PM ET

To ensure local neighborhoods remain beautiful, safe and fun, Jameson® Irish Whiskey is teaming up with Keep America Beautiful for the Jameson Love Thy Neighborhood Block Party. One hundred percent of the proceeds from ticket sales will be used to improve and beautify community environments.

Health & Healthcare

The American Heart Association Receives A $1.7 million Multi-Year Grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation To Improve Access and Outcomes for Vulnerable Populations in Baltimore

Mar 30, 2018 12:00 PM ET

The American Heart Association today announced the receipt of a $1.7 million grant from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation that will address patient care across the care continuum. With this grant, the AHA will convene a task force representing the myriad of stakeholders in the patient care journey: cardiology specialty care providers, primary care providers, government, payer groups, and representatives of the patients we seek to serve. This work will complement the existing strategies being implemented through the Accountable Health Community work, spearheaded by the Baltimore City Healthy Department.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

CBRE Announces Winners of 2018 Global Urban Photography Competition

Mar 30, 2018 11:00 AM ET

With more than 80,000 entries from 180+ countries, CBRE’s Urban Photographer of the Year competition’s 11th year was its largest and broadest reaching. Richard Morgan, from the United Kingdom, has been named the overall winner of the competition. Mr. Morgan’s image, “What are you looking at?” captures a fascinating street side scene in Poznan, Poland, of a group of onlookers, entranced by a tourist attraction, disrupted by one, direct stare.

In acknowledgement of all photographs submitted, CBRE will donate £10,000 to global children’s charity Plan International, CBRE’s EMEA charity partner. CBRE has been supporting Plan International since 2014, raising over £1 million to fund a program in Sierra Leone to help girls to complete their education.

Innovation & Technology

Cisco VIDEO | Ushahidi's Crowdsourcing Software Gives People a Voice in Times of Crisis

Mar 30, 2018 10:40 AM ET

When a crisis occurs, the people who are affected can use Ushahidi's open-source platform to report what is happening around them via social media, email, and text. Their reports are compiled into real-time maps, which enable others to reach and help them more quickly.

Education

Las Vegas Sands Hosts Teach for America Teachers & Alumni

Mar 30, 2018 10:40 AM ET

The national non-profit Teach for America (TFA) consists of a corps of leaders who commit to teaching in low-income schools and work to increase their students’ opportunities in life to make a meaningful impact. As a community partner with Las Vegas’ local sector, Las Vegas Sands supports this organization to provide high-need schools with diverse leaders. During a welcome dinner at Lagasse’s Stadium at The Palazzo, Las Vegas Sands executives and TFA alumni were able to network, provide opportunities for mentorship, and discuss their experiences in the classroom and around the city with new teachers.

Environment

Consumers Energy CEO Patti Poppe: Michigan Deserves Clean Energy

Mar 30, 2018 10:25 AM ET

Consumers Energy has a track record of doing more than is required to ensure Michigan’s air, water and land are cleaner for future generations to enjoy.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Building Your Scorecard or Raising Your Ranking?

Mar 30, 2018 10:20 AM ET

The landscape of reporting standards, guidelines, ratings, rankings, indexes can become dizzying very quickly. The ecosystem of companies measuring and reporting on how they are a force for good in society is alive and well. The nuts and bolts of how companies accomplish reporting can be a major operational challenge, not to mention the resource investment. How will companies’ tough choices on where to focus their efforts change over the years? A counter-balance to ratings and rankings is improvements to how a company reports and measures itself, such as through a Strategic Scorecard.

Diversity & Inclusion

Want to Boost Sustainability Reporting? Hire More Women

Mar 30, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Gender equality may be the best means to meet the challenges of our time. The field of sustainability reporting is no different: the more women work in management positions, the more sustainability reporting tends to be done. Find out more about areas in which women are already making a difference, and tools for companies to advance gender equality in the workplace.

Events, Media & Communications

WBCSD Sustain Newsletter | Concrete Sustainability and Our New CEO Guide to Water

Mar 30, 2018 9:45 AM ET

Catch up on the latest news from WBCSD in this month's Sustain Newsletter!

Diversity & Inclusion

Organic India is Powering Her Potential through Whole Planet Foundation

Mar 30, 2018 9:35 AM ET

Whole Planet Foundation is proud to salute Organic India for renewing its commitment to global poverty alleviation and joining our annual $50,000 giving level. Organic India’s generosity of $160,708 to date is funding approximately 1,800 microloans to create 9,220 opportunities for microentrepreneurs and their family members to live a better life through microcredit.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

VIDEO | To Celebrate Their 50th Anniversary, Subaru Donated 50 Outback Vehicles to Meals on Wheels

Mar 30, 2018 9:30 AM ET

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, and in keeping with its philosophy of supporting local communities, Subaru of America is donating 50 new 2018 Subaru Outback vehicles to Meals on Wheels America, to be distributed to select Meals on Wheels programs for the delivery of nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks to seniors across 39 states.