ESG News from Leading Brands

Social Impact & Volunteering

How Can Companies Transform #GivingTuesday into #GivingEveryDay?

Dec 14, 2015 7:30 PM ET

Although the focus of Giving Tuesday is fundraising for worthy causes, the key to success – both for companies and the broader landscape – is about developing a passion for service and giving back.

Innovation & Technology

The Revitalization of the Constructeur, and the Revival Randonneur Bicycle

Dec 14, 2015 6:10 PM ET

The creative spirit needs fuel and inspiration to propel itself forward.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

MLBPA, MLB Pledge $200,000 Grant to Caritas Cubana

Dec 14, 2015 6:00 PM ET

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), through the Major League Baseball Players Trust (www.PlayersTrust.org), and Major League Baseball (MLB) jointly announced that they will provide a $200,000 grant to Caritas Cubana, the U.S.-based, non-governmental provider of humanitarian, social and emergency services to Cuba, in recognition of this week’s goodwill tour arranged by MLBPA and the MLB.

Innovation & Technology

Three Champions Create Social Enterprise from Tragedy

Dec 14, 2015 4:00 PM ET

Frederick Hutson, Co-Founder of Pigeonly; Britnie Turner, Founder and CEO of Aerial Development Group; and April De Simone, Co-Founder of Designing the WE, sit side by side—unlikely people to be sharing a panel together. At the Social Venture Network Fall 2015 Conference, Laura Flanders, successful media guru and host of The Laura Flanders Show, interviewed these three “champions,” showcasing the power of overcoming tragedy through the power of social enterprise.

Environment

The COP21 Paris Agreement: GRI Witnesses This Historic Landmark

Dec 14, 2015 3:00 PM ET

GRI was present in Paris to witness the intense negotiations leading up to what is now being hailed as the most historic agreement for the future of our planet.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

The Season of Giving and Giving Back

Dec 14, 2015 3:00 PM ET

The holidays are a time we enjoy with family and friends, celebrating the traditions we hold dear. Many of us look for opportunities at home and work to give back this season. At CECP, our organization is dedicated to enabling and encouraging business as a force for good in our society.

Environment

Automotive CEOs Rally for Clean Vehicles

Dec 14, 2015 2:50 PM ET

Decarbonizing automotive transport. Is it possible? Thirteen automotive CEOs from around the world stand by the vision and have committed to sustainable mobility.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

From the Corner Office: Perspectives on Corporate Citizenship

Dec 14, 2015 2:35 PM ET

Business leaders are aware of the increasingly significant role that corporate citizenship can play in overall business strategy, and how—if effectively aligned—investments can improve performance.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Check Out This Dress a Children International Sponsored Teen Made From Recycled Materials

Dec 14, 2015 2:05 PM ET

As 18-year-old Juleimy poses in a dress she made for a class project, it glitters gold in the afternoon Barranquilla, Colombia, sun. "This was the final work of the last semester," she says. "I ​made it with two other classmates." The aspiring fashion designer is especially proud of this design. It's made completely from recycled coffee packages and soda caps.

Health & Healthcare

Booz Allen and Kaggle Call on Global Data Science Community to Change the Future of Heart Health

Dec 14, 2015 12:35 PM ET

Each year, cardiovascular disease causes more than 30 percent of deaths around the globe. In the United States, someone is diagnosed with the condition once every 43 seconds. Finding a way to enhance and expedite the diagnosis of heart disease requires the attention and support of public and private sector organizations worldwide. Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH) and Kaggle today announced that the second annual Data Science Bowl will call on the global data science community to create a set of steps, or algorithms, to help transform diagnosis of heart disease.

Environment

Interview with Jeanne Ng, Director of Group Sustainability at CLP

Dec 14, 2015 12:30 PM ET

GRI’s Sustainability and Reporting 2025 project is designed to promote an international discussion about the purpose of sustainability reporting and disclosures looking ahead to 2025. Watch this interview with Jeanne Ng, Director of Group Sustainability, CLP.

Health & Healthcare

Raising Awareness for Men's Health through Movember

Dec 14, 2015 12:30 PM ET

This past month, Legg Mason employees in our Baltimore, London, New York and Stamford offices once again took part in a global campaign known as Movember, a men's health charity that allows participants to bring awareness to topics such as prostate and testicular cancer, and mental health issues, by growing a moustache.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

That Grantmaker Plays a Mean Bass Guitar

Dec 14, 2015 12:00 PM ET

We grantmakers should strive to be enablers, finding effective partners and using our charitable gifts to allow those partners to be the best versions of themselves.

Environment

Five New Companies Join Ceres’ Connect the Drops Water Campaign in California

Dec 14, 2015 12:00 PM ET

Ceres announces today at a Skytop Symposium on Water and Long-Term Value, at Levi Strauss & Co. headquarters, that Clif Bar, Genentech, Fetzer Vineyards, Qualcomm Incorporated and VMware have joined its Connect the Drops Campaign to support resilient water solutions at a time of unprecedented drought in California.

Social Impact & Volunteering

‘Justice’ for All

Dec 14, 2015 11:45 AM ET

Generous donations from a trio of local corporate sponsors will serve as the foundation for the newly created Public Safety Cadet Program at Bertie High School. In an event held Dec. 2 at the school campus, Republic Services, JBA Properties, and Perdue Farms donated funds to the program.

Education

And the Winner is… Prizes Announced for Data Insights That Help Increase High School Graduation Rates

Dec 14, 2015 11:35 AM ET

Congratulations to Linda Roesch, a research fellow in Atlanta, for winning the $20,000 first-place prize in our “Data for Diplomas” challenge!

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

CITGO Partners with Muscular Dystrophy Association in Arkansas to Raise Nearly $30,000

Dec 14, 2015 10:50 AM ET

Continuing to fuel good in local communities and build on its long-term commitment to the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), CITGO Petroleum Corporation, along with its local Marketers and Retailers, recently supported the MDA Arkansas chapter’s Hollywood-themed Passport to a Cure event, raising nearly $30,000 benefiting research and local families dealing with neuromuscular disease.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Holiday Cause Marketing Goes Digital in 2015

Dec 14, 2015 10:20 AM ET

Cause marketing during the holiday season is nothing new. Companies have long realized the power of appealing to consumers' hearts and wallets to break through the holiday clutter. Although this year is no different with dozens of campaigns in the marketplace, there is a new twist on conventional efforts. Companies and nonprofits are moving beyond the shopping transaction and engaging consumers to spread even more good cheer with digital activations.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Carnival Cruise Line is Making a Difference This Holiday Season

Dec 14, 2015 10:10 AM ET

Carnival Cruise Line and its employees, both on board and ashore, are doing their part to make the holidays brighter for needy children this year.

Events, Media & Communications

Profile: American Cleaning Institute – and the ACI Charter for Sustainable Cleaning

Dec 14, 2015 10:10 AM ET

As we monitor U.S. companies’ disclosure and periodic reporting on their respective sustainability journeys, we are seeing that companies have both expanding and narrowing choices.

Education

Amgen Scholars Become Mentors

Dec 14, 2015 9:30 AM ET

Research, Reports & Publications

Stakeholder Engagement at Northern Trust

Dec 14, 2015 9:15 AM ET

Throughout the year we actively engage in dialogue with our stakeholders – clients, partners, shareholders, communities, regulators, suppliers and peers. These stakeholder groups are determined based on our business strategy of serving corporations, institutions and affluent individuals worldwide. Each stakeholder group affects our reputation, policies and best practices.

Environment

Ceres President Applauds Historic International Climate Agreement in Paris

Dec 14, 2015 9:05 AM ET

Ceres president Mindy Lubber today heralded the final international agreement which was announced tonight at the Le Bourget. The historic agreement includes unprecedented carbon-reducing pledges from 186 countries representing more than 90 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions; a binding commitment to limit global temperature rise to well under 2 degrees Celsius, along with a stretch goal of 1.5 degrees; and a long-term goal of achieving peak global emissions as soon as possible and rapid reductions thereafter to achieve net zero emissions by the second half of the century.

Innovation & Technology

Cox Enterprises Spurs Entrepreneurship Through Partnership with Techstars

Dec 14, 2015 9:00 AM ET

As part of its commitment to drive innovation and entrepreneurship, Cox Enterprises today announced it will launch Techstars Atlanta, an accelerator program for technology startups. Located at Ponce City Market, Techstars Atlanta will annually select a group of 10 startups to participate in a three-month program that provides expertise, funding and office space to help them accelerate their businesses.

Innovation & Technology

A New Perspective on Pipeline Safety

Dec 14, 2015 9:00 AM ET

TransCanada’s 20 helicopter and airplane pilots patrol 700,000 km of pipelines each year, helping to ensure our pipelines and communities are safe.