ESG News from Leading Brands

Innovation & Technology

Bechtel-Sponsored Teams Compete and “Dream Big” at FIRST® Robotics World Championships

May 12, 2017 3:55 PM ET

Reflecting its ongoing commitment to advancing STEM-related opportunities for students, Bechtel, a global leader in engineering, procurement, and construction, sponsored and mentored 17 high school teams to compete in the 2017 FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC) World Championships late last month.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Keep Massachusetts Beautiful and TripAdvisor Team Up to Spruce Up Ridge Hill Reservation

May 12, 2017 3:25 PM ET

An army of volunteers from TripAdvisor’s Needham headquarters turned out on May 5 to remove plants from the grassland meadows just inside the entrance to Needham's Ridge Hill Reservation with the help of Keep Massachusetts Beautiful.

Events, Media & Communications

Pre-Summit Sessions Available for 2017 Sustainability and Circular Economy Summit!

May 12, 2017 1:30 PM ET

This year’s Sustainability and Circular Economy Summit will include brand new features, including interactive pre-summit sessions on June 26. Registration for these sessions is open, so sign up today when you register for the Summit!

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Leveraging the Buying Power of Cities: New City Accelerator Uses Innovation to Increase Procurement and Economic Opportunity

May 12, 2017 11:30 AM ET

Accelerating economic development remains one of the top priorities for mayors around the country, with an increasing focus on intentionally targeting socioeconomic issues, such as income inequality. Seventy-five percent of mayors highlighted economic development in their 2016 State of the City address, according to the National League of Cities, with 22 percent looking specifically at providing greater support to small businesses and 17 percent mentioning businesses owned by women and people of color.

Environment

Putting Rights of Way to Work for Wildlife

May 12, 2017 11:15 AM ET

Duke Energy manages the land over which more than 30,000 miles of transmission lines traverse – that’s more than enough to circle the globe. With that much property to manage, the company has focused on how to put it to work for imperiled wildlife. Utility rights of way can serve as valuable corridors for threatened wildlife.

Health & Healthcare

Novartis Access and Government of Pakistan Sign Memorandum of Understanding

May 12, 2017 11:10 AM ET

Novartis reaches agreement with Pakistan to supply medicines that address the rapid rise of chronic illness among poor people in the world's sixth most populous nation. Novartis Access medicines will be made available to the poorest population in Pakistan through hospitals under the Prime Minister’s National Health Insurance Program.

Education

Challenged with STEAM, Students Mix Creativity with Innovation

May 12, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Education

Time is Running Out to Join Our Outstanding Faculty for the Spring CSR Certificate Course on May 16th & 17th

May 12, 2017 10:55 AM ET

On May 16th and 17th, the Rutgers Institute for Ethical Leadership and Governance & Accountability Institute present the Spring 2017 CSR Certificate Program for corporate managers, not-for-profit and foundation managers, and others interested in career opportunities and advancement in the fields of Corporate Social Responsibility (“CSR”), Corporate Citizenship, Corporate Sustainability, Philanthropy, Risk Management, Ethics, and related positions.

Energy

CITGO Marketer Folk Oil Raises Thousands for Local Michigan Food Bank Programs through Eighth Annual “Fight Hunger Give Hope” Campaign

May 12, 2017 10:05 AM ET

Folk Oil Company, a local CITGO Petroleum Corporation Marketer, and its PS Food Mart Stores, surpassed last year’s fundraising efforts yet again during its eighth annual “Fight Hunger Give Hope” campaign.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

How Ethiopia’s Nascent Apparel Industry Can Build a Strong, Empowered Workforce

May 12, 2017 10:00 AM ET

BSR’s HERproject conducted this scoping study to provide a snapshot of the buyers, factories, and other stakeholders active in the apparel industry and identify key trends and approaches for their operations in Ethiopia. This research aims to build a strong, empowered workforce, focused on female workers, in Ethiopia's emerging apparel industry.

Energy

Looking Up: PepsiCo Opens Vertical Plant in Singapore

May 12, 2017 10:00 AM ET

On April 27, PepsiCo held a grand opening event for its new concentrate plant in Singapore, a 215,000+ square-foot facility that will manufacture and ship hundreds of beverage product recipes to bottlers throughout the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. The plant will serve as a local beverage hub that will accommodate faster, more streamlined deliveries to its markets––driving cost efficiencies for PepsiCo’s business in the region.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Sustainability Highlights: HP Takes Home Gold for Its Work to Make the Planet Green

May 12, 2017 9:35 AM ET

As we continue to reinvent our products, business models and supply chain at HP, we are building a legacy of sustainable design. We are reducing our environmental impact, and leading by example to create a more efficient, circular and low carbon economy.

Research, Reports & Publications

Consumers Energy Sustainability Report 2017

May 12, 2017 9:30 AM ET

Sustainability means everything to us at Consumers Energy. It is our approach to business. The philosophy extends beyond our energy mix, power generation and distribution. It’s our way of life, and it’s evident in everything we do — from hiring and training our people, to caring for families and communities.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Daimler Environmental Statements of the Plants

May 12, 2017 9:25 AM ET

These environmental statements are prepared and published every three years. In between, the plants release "updated environmental statements" to present the annual environmental statistics and reports on the implementation of the environmental program, as well as any changes that may have been made to the environmental management system

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

New Bedford Creates Historical Teaching Garden With Support from GRO1000 Garden and Greenspace Program

May 12, 2017 9:20 AM ET

Sustainable Development Goals

Reducing Risk by Encouraging Resilience

May 12, 2017 9:15 AM ET

Microfinance provides opportunities for borrowers to start and reinvest in businesses; generate income; and carve their own pathways out of poverty. But the path isn’t always so smooth. Poor households are especially vulnerable to economic shocks, ranging from common situations like illness and death in the family, to exceptional crises like health epidemics, natural disasters, and political instability.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Dave Thomas Featured in QSR Magazine's 20th Anniversary Issue

May 12, 2017 9:05 AM ET

Dave’s success in business is outshined only by his work to raise awareness for foster care adoption and creating the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA). The DTFA is a national public charity, with a mission to find permanent, loving homes for children in the foster care system.

Since 2004, more than 6,200 children have been adopted through the Foundation’s signature Wendy’s Wonderful Kids® program — a program that funds full-time adoption recruiters in every U.S. state, the District of Columbia and six Canadian provinces.

Education

Meet David Mangus, an Amgen Biotech Experience Teacher

May 12, 2017 9:00 AM ET

For almost half of his life, Dr. David Mangus worked as a research scientist. He loved working in the laboratory, trying to figure out how things work, designing experiments, and learning new things. As his own children started to grow, Dave began volunteering in their classes and schools, performing chemistry, math, and physics workshops.

Sustainable Development Goals

Major Brands and Entrepeneurs Now View 3rd-Party Certification as Integral to Operations

May 12, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Company efforts to establish sustainability and quality track records are increasingly being supported by third-party certification to market-recognized standards. SCS Global Services (SCS), a leading third-party certifier and standards developer, has once again documented this growth in its latest Annual Report, released Friday.

Innovation & Technology

Arrow SAM Car Technology Featured in Upcoming Schmidt vs. Andretti Showdown

May 12, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Since 2013, Arrow Electronics has teamed with former racecar driver Sam Schmidt to evolve the Arrow SAM Car, a semi-autonomous car loaded with technological innovations that Arrow hopes will one day have broader applications for independent living.

Environment

County, Park Set Up Zero Food Waste Plan

May 12, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Last year 3.2 million people visited Grand Teton National Park. They left behind over 1,800 tons of trash. “Most of the people who come and visit the park aren’t necessarily thinking about what happens to their waste after they throw it in the trash bin,” park spokesman Andrew White said.

Education

PT Freeport Indonesia, a Freeport-McMoRan Company, Builds a New School for Early Childhood Education in Papua

May 12, 2017 8:35 AM ET

PT Freeport Indonesia, in partnership with the local government, has recently inaugurated a new school building for young children in the Banti village of Papua, Indonesia. The school building houses a new library in addition to classrooms for early childhood development.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Booz Allen Demonstrates Commitment to Local Community, Advances Digital Solutions Growth Strategy with New Digital Hub in Charleston

May 11, 2017 6:45 PM ET

Booz Allen Hamilton has been a leader in the Charleston, South Carolina community since the 1990s, and today employs more than 550 across Charleston and North Charleston and serves clients ranging from the U.S. Navy to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The firm’s professionals in the region are experts in areas as diverse as Agile and DevOps to data analytics, cloud technology and systems engineering to logistics and cyber.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Major League Baseball Players to Make Playground Dreams Come True in Opa-Locka, FL

May 11, 2017 5:30 PM ET

The Major League Baseball Players Trust and KaBOOM! are teaming up to build a new playground for Room2Bloom and the surrounding Opa-Locka, FL neighborhood to replace the dilapidated one that sits unused in the middle of the grounds.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Bloomberg Philanthropies Supports the 57th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia

May 11, 2017 5:05 PM ET

Bloomberg Philanthropies supports the 57th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia and its programs for broader audience engagement. Bloomberg Philanthropies’ support will enable the Biennale Arte 2017 to widen the reach of its public performance and artist discussion program.