ESG News from Leading Brands

Innovation & Technology

Techstars Atlanta: Get to Know Drizzle

Sep 20, 2016 10:00 AM ET

Techstars Atlanta, in partnership with Cox Enterprises, selected 10 companies to participate in the program's 2016 class. Applications for the 10 coveted spots came from around the globe, including 69 countries and six continents.

Drizzle is one of the 10 participants. Drizzle gives website owners an incredibly easy way to let their visitors pay for premium content. You can choose to charge a-la-carte for your content, or offer your visitors a subscription to access all of your content.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Aramark Employees Mobilize to Improve the Health of Families in Communities Around the World

Sep 20, 2016 10:00 AM ET

PHILADELPHIA, PA (September 20, 2016) – As part of Aramark’s ongoing commitment to health and wellness, company associates are uniting today to inspire families worldwide to make healthy food, nutrition and lifestyle choices. Aramark Building Community Day (ABC Day), the company’s global day of service, which takes place each September, is one demonstration of the year-round dedication of Aramark employees to strengthening local communities. In the U.S., this year’s effort supports the company’s Healthy for Life® 20 by 20 commitment to improve the health of Americans by 20 percent by 2020 in partnership with the American Heart Association.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

World’s Largest Combined Sewer Reservoir Captures APWA Top Environment Project Award

Sep 20, 2016 10:00 AM ET

The Thornton Composite Reservoir, part of a massive Chicago-area combined sewer tunnel collection system that helps protect against flooding and pollution resulting from storm-related sewer overflows, has been named an American Public Works Association (APWA) Public Works Project of the Year. Thornton’s reservoir capacity is up to 7.9 billion gallons of water, making it the largest combined sewer reservoir in the world.

Energy

VMware Commits to Achieve Carbon Neutral Emissions by 2020

Sep 20, 2016 10:00 AM ET

Thought leaders in the environmental sustainability world have long advanced the concept of resilience as a prerequisite to corporate or organizational sustainability. The concept of decoupling resource use from reliance on physical capacity is a concept very close to VMware’s DNA. VMware’s solutions have already enabled a level of “virtual decoupling” of physical IT infrastructure in the data center for its customers. The process of creating a software-based (or “virtual”) representation of something physical, which can apply to computers, data storage, and networks, is the single most effective way to reduce IT energy consumption while boosting efficiency and flexibility—core concepts in increasing resilience and hence sustainability.

Education

HP Opens New Learning Studios for Refugees as Part of White House Call to Action

Sep 20, 2016 9:50 AM ET

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Hershey Named to Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for Fourth Consecutive Year

Sep 20, 2016 9:35 AM ET

Hershey is one of only 11 companies from the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Industry in the World Index and ranked in the 91 percentile overall on the 2016 Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Mercedes-Benz Models with Environmental Certificates

Sep 20, 2016 9:10 AM ET

"We strive to develop products that are highly responsible to the environment in their respective market segments – this is the second Environmental Guideline of the Daimler Group.“

Responsible Production & Consumption

Why We Trust Cork To Bottle Up Angel’s Envy® Bourbon

Sep 20, 2016 8:55 AM ET

While the heart of ANGEL’S ENVY® is rooted in Kentucky bourbon, its taste is a bit more international. Specifically, Portugal. Portugal is the source of the port casks that give its whiskey its subtle and distinctive flavors. But ANGEL’S ENVY, a Bacardi-owned brand, as well as many other wines and spirits in the Bacardi portfolio including its line of single malts and blended Scotch whiskies, D’USEE® and BARON OTARD® cognacs, and MARTINI® sparkling wines, owe Portugal a debt of gratitude for another surprisingly important contribution: cork.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Executive Appointments Advance MGM Resorts International’s Leadership Role in Environmental Sustainability

Sep 20, 2016 7:00 AM ET

Further advancing its commitment to corporate social responsibility, MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM) announced the appointments of two proven leaders in the field of environmental sustainability.

Events, Media & Communications

NetSuite Employees Log 37,000+ Miles in Charity Wellness Competition

Sep 20, 2016 7:00 AM ET

Close to 1,000 NetSuite employees recently participated in “Get Moving for Charity”, a charity wellness competition that encouraged employees to walk and run on behalf of one of four charities.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

CEOs and World Leaders Meet at United Nations to Activate Private Sector on Refugee and Migrant Crisis

Sep 19, 2016 8:45 PM ET

Today, more than 350 chief executives, Heads of State and Government, UN and civil society leaders gathered at the United Nations for the annual UN Private Sector Forum to discuss the role of business in advancing sustainable development and the important link between achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and preventing global instability.

Diversity & Inclusion

20th Century Fox Film Partners with American Film Institute to Increase Opportunities for Female Film Directors in Hollywood

Sep 19, 2016 8:00 PM ET

Twentieth Century Fox Film is partnering with the American Film Institute to open more opportunities on major studio films for female directors. The initiative will provide alumnae of the AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) -- the AFI's female filmmaker training program -- the opportunity to direct short films based on the Fox studio's film franchises.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Suppliers Enhancing Their Government Credentials

Sep 19, 2016 6:10 PM ET

Suppliers engaged in government contracts or seeking to be a vendor of choice for a company seeking government contracts know the value of being certified under the complex procurement regulations issued by the U.S. government.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Sodexo Announces Progress in Commitment to Source $1 Billion in Products and Services from Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

Sep 19, 2016 5:20 PM ET

Two years ago, Sodexo, world leader of Quality of Life services, made a Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitment to Action to purchase globally $1 billion in products and services over three years from micro, small, and medium-size enterprises, especially those owned and operated by women.

Health & Healthcare

CVS Health Expands Youth Drug Abuse Prevention Efforts for the 2016-2017 School Year

Sep 19, 2016 5:00 PM ET

CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) today announced it will expand its commitment to preventing drug abuse among young people through investments in two prevention education programs.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Curtis Granderson, Lance McCullers, Rob Refsnyder, Anthony Rizzo, David Robertson & Justin Turner Selected by Fans as Division Winners for 2016 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award

Sep 19, 2016 4:45 PM ET

Thousands of baseball fans participated in an Internet poll on www.MLBPlayers.com between September 13 and 18 to determine which players inspire others to higher levels of achievement by their on-field performances and contributions to their communities.

Events, Media & Communications

The California Diversity Council Hosts 2016 Orange County Multicultural Leadership Roundtable

Sep 19, 2016 3:30 PM ET

California Diversity Council will host the 2016 Orange County Multicultural Leadership Roundtable on October 11, 2016 at Orange Coast College.

Education

Pizza Hut Launches the Literacy Project

Sep 19, 2016 3:05 PM ET

September 8, 2016, marked a historical day in the history of the largest pizza company in the world, Pizza Hut. On that day, Pizza Hut announced a commitment to expand on its 30+ year commitment to BOOK IT! and unlock the potential of 100 million people around the world over the next 10 years through literacy and reading.

Environment

JetBlue Announces One of the Largest Renewable Jet Fuel Purchase Agreements in Aviation History

Sep 19, 2016 3:00 PM ET

JetBlue (Nasdaq: JBLU) today announced a ten-year renewable jet fuel purchase agreement with SG Preston, a bioenergy company. The airline is partnering with SG Preston to purchase renewable jet fuel made from rapidly renewable, bio-based feedstocks that do not compete with food production. This marks one of the largest renewable jet fuel purchase agreements in aviation history, and the largest, long-term, binding commitment by any airline globally for HEFA (hydro-processed esters and fatty acids) based renewable jet fuel.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Republic Services Named to the “Gold Standard” of Corporate Sustainability Rankings; Listed Among the Top Companies in Two 2016 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices

Sep 19, 2016 1:20 PM ET

Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE: RSG), an industry leader in U.S. recycling and non-hazardous solid waste, scored in the 90th percentile of the Commercial Services and Supplies sector of the 2016 Dow Jones Sustainability – North America Index™ (DJSI), and was named to both the 2016 DJSI World and North America indices.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

First in Food: Nestlé Leads Industry in Dow Jones Sustainability Index

Sep 19, 2016 12:25 PM ET

A biogas facility that fuels a factory with green energy and helps farmers. Just one example of kind of the work that has helped Nestlé become food industry No.1 in the 2016 Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI).

Energy

Republic Services’ Use of CNG: A Cleaner, Quieter & Safer Fleet

Sep 19, 2016 12:10 PM ET

Republic Services exercises the utmost responsibility in their operations, including their expansive fleet. Republic is working hard to understand and measure their impact on air, land and water to minimize or eliminate any negative consequences, where possible.

Environment

How MGM Prepared Itself to Leave Nevada’s Biggest Utility

Sep 19, 2016 12:00 PM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Tetra Pak sees Growth Opportunities for 100% Juice​

Sep 19, 2016 12:00 PM ET

The market for 100% juice should return to growth despite global economic slowdown and the recent debate around sugar, according to Tetra Pak’s 100% Juice Index report.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Engaging Employees Real Talk: Why Wait?

Sep 19, 2016 12:00 PM ET

Summer vacations are ended. Kids are back in school. The Fall giving season is ramping up. CSR and employee engagement leaders are prepped to inspire their employees to give back to their communities. Bins are going out as we speak to collect school supplies, food, and pretty soon holiday gifts, before the year ends.