ESG News from Leading Brands

Environment

COP22: Three Reasons for Optimism

Dec 12, 2016 12:30 PM ET

What I found heartening in this year’s COP experience is the continued resilience of climate negotiators, especially those from developing and small island states as well as the ongoing tenacity of NGOs that work valiantly on mitigation and adaptation efforts around the world. Even more so, I was proud of the business engagement.

Environment

lt All Starts with Healthy Soil

Dec 12, 2016 12:30 PM ET

Tim Smith is among a growing number of innovative farmers who are managing their croplands with practices that promote conservation of land and waters while increasing crop yields. On November 1, 2016, Tim joined experts from The Nature Conservancy, General Mills and the Soil Health Institute at the annual BSR Conference in New York City to launch the reThink Soil initiative.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

T. Rowe Price Foundation Hosts Capacity Building Workshop Series to Help Nonprofits Become More Effective

Dec 12, 2016 12:00 PM ET

The T. Rowe Price Foundation, in partnership with the Maryland Association of Nonprofits, held a series of five capacity-building workshops during the past several months. The sessions focused on key capacities: leadership, adaptability, management, and technical skills (marketing and communication, fundraising, and development).

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Corporate Foundations: Changing the Game and Driving Social Impact

Dec 12, 2016 11:45 AM ET

Energy

Powering Sustainable Development

Dec 12, 2016 11:45 AM ET

Solar energy provider Nizam Bijli has joined the Business Call to Action (BCtA) with a commitment to reach 1 million off-grid rural beneficiaries in Pakistan with affordable solar energy solutions, access to financial services and health insurance by 2020. In addition, the company commits to support 25,000 micro-entrepreneur distributors (including 2,500 women), and train 500 technical support staff.

Environment

Whirlpool Starts Construction on 3 Wind Turbines

Dec 12, 2016 11:15 AM ET

Whirlpool Corp. started construction today on three wind turbines to help power its Marion, Ohio manufacturing facility.

The three turbines will deliver wind generated power directly to the plant and when fully completed, are expected to provide approximately 19 percent of the total power consumption of the facility, the company said.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Kimberly-Clark Earns Perfect Score on Human Rights Campaign’s 2017 Corporate Equality Index

Dec 12, 2016 11:00 AM ET

Kimberly-Clark today announced it earned a perfect score on Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation's 2017 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Pro Bono Lessons from GSK

Dec 12, 2016 10:15 AM ET

GSK is a renowned leader in the pharmaceutical industry, recently recognized for leading the corporate world toward embracing the ethos of creating shared value. The company sits atop Fortune’s Change the World list of businesses directly confronting society’s biggest challenges. This is a title that does not come solely from good intentions, but rather from proactively using its position in the global community as a force for good.

Events, Media & Communications

8 Ways Wal-Mart and Other Companies Are Giving Back this Holiday Season

Dec 12, 2016 10:05 AM ET

Hanes National Sock Drive Featured in NBCUniversal's "Share the Kindness" Series

Events, Media & Communications

Diageo Gets Shockingly Real with VR

Dec 12, 2016 10:05 AM ET

Humans make more than 30,000 decisions every single day but can brands influence individuals to make the right ones? Now, beer, wine and spirits company, Diageo, is attempting to do just that through a new virtual reality experience called, "Decisions."

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Samsung Awards 255 Schools in National STEAM Contest

Dec 12, 2016 10:00 AM ET

Representing all 50 states and the nation’s capital, 255 public schools have advanced as state finalists in the $2 Million* Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest – a nationwide competition that challenges students to creatively use STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) skills to address real-world issues and make a difference in their local communities.

Energy

Will Green Growth Spell the End of Capitalism?

Dec 12, 2016 9:45 AM ET

Scientists tell us that earth is overshooting its planetary boundaries at a rate far quicker than the average person would believe. This situation becomes rapidly compounded by the significant challenges of population growth, urbanization, unemployment and rising socioeconomic inequality. To complicate things further, the most rapid change is occurring in those parts of the world with the least resources and capacity to manage these effects.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

The Just 100: America's Best Corporate Citizens

Dec 12, 2016 9:30 AM ET

Responsible Production & Consumption

WATCH: Unlikely Alliances Build a Better Food System, Says Cargill CEO David MacLennan

Dec 12, 2016 8:50 AM ET

Environment

Xylem Solution Helps Prevent Flooding at Three Gorges Dam

Dec 12, 2016 8:35 AM ET

Situated on the Yangtze River in China, the Three Gorges Dam is the largest hydroelectric dam in the world. A Xylem solution at the dam provides data that helps prevent flooding and droughts.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Sustainable Investing and the Restoration of Community

Dec 12, 2016 8:35 AM ET

Given the new political landscape, what lies ahead for sustainable investing? How does our industry continue to move forward?

Innovation & Technology

Package Station on Four Wheels

Dec 12, 2016 8:30 AM ET

A click suffices, and the object of our desire lands in the virtual shopping basket: a pair of new shoes, the new printer, the new wide-angle lens for the camera. Online shopping is very fast nowadays, and in many cases the entire ordering and payment process is completed in a few seconds. But directly after the immediately appearing, onscreen order confirmation, the waiting starts for the customer – waiting for the parcel delivery.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

#GRIStandards Twitter Chat Recap: GRI and Northern Trust Discussed the Recently Launched Reporting Standards

Dec 12, 2016 8:25 AM ET

On November 16th, leaders from GRI and Northern Trust joined us to talk about the new GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards. As the chat got started, our panelists and audience dove right into the conversation – sharing data, facts and figures.

Diversity & Inclusion

Ryan Murphy Talks Diversity in Hollywood, Hiring 50% Female Directors during Equity in Entertainment Award Speech

Dec 12, 2016 7:00 AM ET

At The Hollywood Reporter's 25th annual Women in Entertainment breakfast on December 7, veteran writer and showrunner Ryan Murphy received the magazine's inaugural Equity in Entertainment award for his work with Half, a foundation he launched in February with an aim to hire 50% female directors to work on all his television shows. Murphy, who has created series across 21CF businesses such as Glee, American Horror Story, Scream Queens, and American Crime Story, addressed the ways the entertainment industry has excluded minority voices for so long and what steps he has actively taken to make change.

Innovation & Technology

Novartis Launches SMS for Life 2.0 in Nigeria to Help Improve Access to Essential Medicines

Dec 12, 2016 1:15 AM ET

Novartis announced today the launch of an innovative technology-based healthcare program called SMS for Life 2.0 in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The program aims to increase the availability of essential medicines and improve care for patients across the region by using simple, available, and affordable technology. SMS for Life 2.0 is a joint public-private partnership led by Novartis and supported by its partners, the Kaduna State Ministry of Health and Vodacom.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

HRC: Making a More Inclusive and Accepting World for Everyone

Dec 9, 2016 5:10 PM ET

Each day, while elected officials debate political and legislative solutions, HRC Foundation’s incredible staff educates the public and provides training and model policies that alter the fundamental nature of the institutions that govern our everyday lives. From policy that guides a hospital’s treatment of LGBT patients, to the moral truths that shape how a pastor interacts with a congregation or a community — HRC approaches LGBT life holistically, looking for ways that their work can make a more inclusive and accepting world for everyone, in every part of their life.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Comcast NBCUniversal Recognized as Top 10 Military Friendly Employer

Dec 9, 2016 4:35 PM ET

Today, Comcast NBCUniversal was ranked number four on GI Jobs® Magazine’s 2017 Military Friendly Employer list. This represents a major jump from 74th last year and is a testament to the progress the entire company has made in 2016 on our military-focused programs.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Keep Riverside Clean & Beautiful Conducts Major Fall Cleanup Events

Dec 9, 2016 3:15 PM ET

Over 300 Keep Riverside Clean & Beautiful (KRCB) volunteers participated in the City of Riverside, California’s Festival of Lights on Nov. 25. The volunteers passed out programs, picked up litter, monitored the event barricades, and worked as a team to make the festival a clean and green event.

Innovation & Technology

Breakthrough Prize Awards $25 Million to Leading Scientists in Live Special on National Geographic, Re-airing Dec. 18 on FOX

Dec 9, 2016 3:00 PM ET

For the second year in a row, National Geographic aired a global live broadcast of the Breakthrough Prize ceremony, an annual awards show that aims to give scientists and mathematicians the same celebrity treatment as actors and musicians. Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman hosted the December 4 ceremony, which also included appearances by Jeremy Irons, astronaut Scott Kelly, Sienna Miller, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vin Diesel, Kevin Durant, Dev Patel, Alex Rodriguez, and Will.i.am, as well as a musical performance by Alicia Keys. The event, which distributed $25 million in awards supporting the work of top scientists and students, will re-air as a one-hour special on the FOX network on Sunday, December 18 at 7PM.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Service Dogs in Training Visit Harrisburg International Airport

Dec 9, 2016 2:55 PM ET

Fifty of our service dogs in training now know how to fly on a plane!

On December 3, we took our puppies in training to Harrisburg International Airport for a training outing. After parking in long-term parking, the dogs and their raisers took the shuttle to the terminal. Once in the terminal, the dogs practiced loose leash walking around the other travelers, as well as taking elevators and stairs.