The Latest News From Leading Brands

Corporate and nonprofit news distributed by 3BL, including press releases, op/eds, multimedia, and the full range of stories that shape reputation.

Recent Alerts

Responsible Production & the Circular Economy

Waste Not, Want Not

It is not conservative to say that food waste is a huge issue. It affects each and every one of us, or will at some point in the near future. The rumblings of experts say that our current worldwide population will increase more than 35 percent by the year 2050.

Both the opportunity and need to reduce our world’s food waste have never been greater than they are now. Starting right in the United States, reducing food waste can deliver significant environmental, social and economic benefits.

Environment

Party Like It’s 2017

I’ve had the privilege of sharing Andrew Winston’s company twice, and he’s simply brilliant. I hope you read and enjoy his writing.

Education & Workforce Development

Arrow Electronics Supports Accenture’s “Hour of Code”

Arrow Electronics’ employees supported an Hour of Code event at Accenture’s Denver office last month that was attended by local students and their families. Arrow provided 20 laptops for the event, and employees volunteered to coach students through the event’s interactive coding modules.

Environment

It's Not Your Imagination, Dallas Is Getting Hotter — And Here's Why

Traditionally, economic growth and environmental sustainability have been at odds. In Texas, we tend to adopt a "growth first" attitude, and then worry about environmental and lifestyle impacts later. But the 2017 Dallas Urban Heat Island Management Study from the Texas Trees Foundation provides reasons why we need to rethink how we handle the region's growth, building a better balance between the gray and green infrastructures.

Corporate Responsibility

Time for an Employee Giving Program Pulse Check

When it comes to annual check-ups we make it a priority to visit the doctor, dentist or even a vehicle inspection. Although many of us put it off as long as we can, or even avoid it all together. Why? Fear of bad news, fear of being judged, fear of costs, fear of change…the list goes on. But check-ups are necessary and good for us. The same holds true with your employee giving program. No better time than now to get started.

Education & Workforce Development

Hands-on Learning Leads to an IT Career

To prepare for CCNA certification Nurayy Guerler, 32, studied networking hardware with her hands at SFZ Förderzentrum Academy in Chemnitz, Germany, a vocational training center for people with visual impairments. Though Nuray is legally blind, she is now a successful IT trainer at an engineering office.

Corporate Responsibility

Essity Inspires Sustainability in Local Communities

Each year, Essity employees at facilities throughout the United States take time to give back locally – all sites contribute in a way that is special to their own communities. Here are some of the ways different groups took to the streets to connect with communities and celebrate Essity’s commitment to sustainability during the last quarter of 2017:

Philanthropy

Bringing Light to People Across the World

Teachers like Joseph Alter, and their students, are supplying energy to countries without access to electricity, thanks to We Share Solar® Suitcases and support from Wells Fargo.

AI & Technology

Robot Duck’s Aim: Helps Kids With Cancer Via Power of Play

A plush, robotic duck may soon become a fixture in the world of children who have cancer — a social robot that can be silly, happy, angry, scared or sick just like them, and help them cope creatively with their illness through the power of play. The duck, developed by robotics expert Aaron Horowitz and his company, is undergoing testing and is expected to be widely distributed by the end of this year.

Responsible Production & the Circular Economy

China Can Reduce Air Pollution By Repurposing Leftover Straw

HP uses shipping materials made from straw to help reduce environmental and health concerns.

Events

Speaker Proposals Now Being Accepted for COMMIT!Forum 2018: Brands Taking Stands – The Long View, Oct. 23-25 in Washington

The Corporate Responsibility Association and CR Magazine are now accepting presenter proposals for the 2018 COMMIT!Forum conference to be held at MGM National Harbor Oct. 23-25. Submission deadline is March 15.

Research & Reports

Financing the SDGs

Responsible Production & the Circular Economy

RSPO Announces Formation of the North American Sustainable Palm Oil Network (NASPON)

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) announces the formation of the North American Sustainable Palm Oil Network (NASPON), today following the 15th Annual Roundtable Meeting in Bali, Indonesia. In an effort to accelerate collaboration within the market, NASPON’s mission is to educate, build momentum and assist North American companies in making and delivering on commitments to source sustainable palm oil.

Environment

Internationally Recognized Sustainability Certifications Extended Into Turkey

SCS Global Services (SCS) is pleased to announce that it has partnered with DOĞA HSE Group to extend SCS’ internationally recognized sustainability services into Turkey. DOĞA will serve as SCS’ local representative in Turkey, offering a range of sustainability services and certifications for products and manufacturers.

Events

Share Your Story at the 2018 Shared Value Leadership Summit

The Shared Value Initiative is seeking proposals for the 2018 Shared Value Leadership Summit's popular Storytellers speaking opportunities and we want the Summit stage to come alive with your story of shared value innovation and inspiration.

Education & Workforce Development

Next Generation of Major Leaguers Prepare for the Future

Baseball's worldwide appeal was on full display from January 4-7 when the Major League Baseball Players Association and Major League Baseball hosted their annual Rookie Career Development Program (RCDP) at the Landsdowne Conference Center in Leesburg, Va.

Media & Communications

2017’s Top 10 Sustainable Business Stories – HBR Author Andrew Winston Weighs In – What Are Your Top 2017 Stories?

As we all quickly learned after the January 20 inauguration, the U.S. signaled it would be pulling out of the historic Paris Climate Accord – to become at some point in 2018 probably the ONLY country standing by itself. At least at the [Federal] governmental level.

And so, Trend #1, writes Andrew Winston, is the “Newtonian equal-and-opposite reaction from business, states, and cities – nothing short of amazing – their pushback on policy decisions is my #1 story of 2017.”

Media & Communications

Kroger Expands Fair Trade Certified™ Offerings

Kroger, in partnership with Fair Trade USA, announced today that its Simple Truth® brand will expand in 2018 to offer more Fair Trade Certified™ products. The Simple Truth® brand’s current portfolio of Fair Trade products spans multiple commodities, including coffee, cocoa, coconut, tea, sugar and agave, and leads the private label grocery industry in Fair Trade offerings.

Corporate Responsibility

Glassdoor Celebrates Viacom as “Company We Wished We Worked For”

Viacom has recently snagged mentions as a company with jaw-dropping workspaces, as one of the top job destinations for working moms, and as one of the top large companies to work for. With such a multidimensional environment that continually cultivates young talent and encourages next-generation development programs such as Girls Who Code, it is fitting that Glassdoor recently named Viacom as one of “11 Companies We Wish We Worked For.”

Corporate Responsibility

7 Trends to Put on Your Radar

Large scale disasters, design thinking, and more will affect corporate social responsibility professionals in 2018. Warren Buffet has stated that natural disasters have a greater economic impact than terrorism. As an example, Puerto Rico’s economy is expected to shrink by 8% because of Hurricane Maria, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Responsible Production & the Circular Economy

Bombay Sapphire's Laverstoke Mill is a Sustainable Marvel

Since 2011, Laverstoke Mill has been home to one of the most recognisable of gins, Bombay Sapphire.

Since the gin distillery took up residence, the most striking addition to this quiet Victorian site has been the two intertwining glasshouses, designed by Thomas Heatherwick’s studio. Behind these picturesque scenes though lies the heart of Laverstoke; the ecological and sustainability emphasis that is key to the site. A biomass boiler uses by-products from the distillation to provide heat and hot water; through this, coupled with a photovoltaic array and a hydro-electric turbine on the river, up to 85 per cent of the site’s power is self-generated to reduce its carbon footprint.

Corporate Responsibility

Smithfield Foods Achieves Industry-Leading Animal Care Commitment, Unveils New Virtual Reality Video of Its Group Housing Systems

Smithfield Foods, Inc. is proud to announce that it has fulfilled its industry-leading commitment of providing group housing systems for pregnant sows on all company-owned farms in the United States. Smithfield also released a 360-degree, virtual reality video that transports viewers to a company sow farm.

Corporate Responsibility

Philip Morris Is Giving up Cigarettes – And Asking Consumers to Do the Same

Although it may seem counterintuitive for a company to discourage consumers from buying its products, we have seen this strategy work in brands’ favors in the past – Patagonia’s “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign resulted in an overwhelming positive response from consumers who took extra time to learn about the brand’s mission before making a purchase. Now, one company with a notoriously controversial product is attempting to pivot its business model to be more socially responsible – and marketing directly to consumers during this transition.

Volunteering & Community

Marina Bay Sands Team Members Share: What Volunteerism Means to Me

Brandon Cheong, Shift Manager, Loyalty Club at Marina Bay Sands, first started volunteering while still in school at a local animal shelter after being inspired by United Nations Messenger of Peace, Dame Jane Goodall. This sparked a lifelong commitment to volunteerism as he believes in giving a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. He has devoted time volunteering and fundraising for Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD) and Voice for Animals (VFA).

Latest Campaigns

Sustainable Operations

As a global organization with more than 300,000 products and employing 20,000 people across more than 60 countries, we recognize the importance of...

GoDaddy | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

Diverse teams build better products — period. At GoDaddy, we make apps and services that our worldwide community of entrepreneurs can relate to. Our...

Kingfisher Around the World

The SCS Kingfisher certification mark is showing up on an increasing number of products around the world. It differentiates companies that are making...

Enriching Women's Lives

60 years ago, Mary Kay Ash created an unparalleled opportunity for women to define their own successes and control their own futures. Her vision of...

Nutrition and Health

Focus on preventing and treating malnutrition across life stages. Highlights include early detection, community-based treatment (e.g., MUAC screening...

Social Progress

Social engagement has always been an integral part of our sense of responsibility as a company. We care and we act to do our part to improve the...

Subaru Share the Love® Event

Since the launch of the Subaru Share the Love Event in 2008, Subaru of America and our retailers have donated more than $256 million to charity, with...

Growth Through Sustainability

Trane Technologies is a global climate innovator with a clear purpose to boldly challenge what’s possible for a sustainable world. See how embedding...

Sustainability by Antea Group

At Antea Group, we believe the best sustainability programs integrate sustainability into core business practices, we identify and act on relevant...

Growth Through Sustainability

Trane Technologies is a global climate innovator with a clear purpose to boldly challenge what’s possible for a sustainable world. See how embedding...