Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Aflac Makes 2018 List of Best Employers for Latinos

Aug 27, 2018 10:20 AM ET

Latino Leaders researched the top employers for Latinos, using such criteria as number of Latino employees; programs to recruit, promote and retain Latinos; outreach programs (both internal and external); and Latino representation in the boardroom, management and supply chain.

Environment

Engaging Employees on the Environment

Aug 27, 2018 10:15 AM ET

In 2017, MetLife mobilized more than 10,000 employees through Our Green Impact, our company-wide program to empower employees to reduce environmental impact at the office, at home and in our communities. Employees learn from sustainability experts through our quarterly speaker series, share tips through newsletters and discussion boards, and volunteer in their communities throughout the year. In 2017, MetLife employees and their families contributed more than 1,000 hours to park and beach clean-ups, tree plantings and other environmental service projects.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Why Finding out Your Credit Score Won’t Hurt You

Aug 27, 2018 9:55 AM ET

One day you look up and you realize, it’s happened, you’re an adult. You file taxes, you vote, you’re an independent member of society. The moment has come. You should find out what your credit score is.

Events, Media & Communications

The State of Corporate Responsibility in South Florida: First Impressions

Aug 27, 2018 9:25 AM ET

Health & Healthcare

Mental Health Education in London

Aug 27, 2018 9:05 AM ET

In conjunction with Northern Trust’s Global Fund Services (GFS) group, our disability business resource council (DBRC) has launched a program of support, awareness and education around mental health at work. Although one-in-four people in the UK will experience mental ill-health, and sickness absence due to mental health issues is rising, mental health is still a highly stigmatized subject. This discrepency poses a significant problem to workplaces.

Responsible Production & Consumption

How Green Is Your Paper? The Answer Isn’t Black or White

Aug 27, 2018 9:00 AM ET

For years, people have debated the question of whether paper derived from wood pulp can truly be environmentally friendly. To answer this question, you must consider the sustainability of the source of the wood or other materials used for fiber production, the amount of fiber, water, energy, and other resources used in production, the amount and fate of pollutants generated during the production process, and the potential recyclability or biodegradability of the end product. In short, the entire product life-cycle. Such an assessment clearly lies beyond the ability of the average consumer. But fortunately, the latest version of the Environmental Paper Network’s Paper Calculator makes the job much easier for governmental, NGO, institutional and corporate purchasers.

Green Infrastructure

Green Building Certifications at All Time High in Nation’s Largest Metros

Aug 24, 2018 4:50 PM ET

The nation’s largest cities are getting even greener, according to the fifth annual U.S. Green Building Adoption Index by CBRE and Maastricht University. Researchers have found green certified office space across America’s 30 largest metros has reached 41 percent of market totals – the highest in the index’s history.

Education

A Poetic Journey Into Science Education: The Italian PDI Experience

Aug 24, 2018 4:10 PM ET

Ask Anna Pascucci about her experience becoming involved with the Amgen Biotech Experience (ABE) program and her responses are poetic, romantic even:

Sustainable Development Goals

Cleaning Our Oceans Begins on Land

Aug 24, 2018 2:00 PM ET

Whether beach strolling on the east coast of the United States or along Manila Bay, you can expect to see a sharp contrast between natural beauty and a spectacle of plastic waste. Sullied beaches are just one manifestation of an ecological crisis that continues to expand unabated as the hand-wringing and debate struggles to yield substantive commitments to address the waste challenge. Worldwide, 73 percent of beach litter is plastic, the ubiquitous material that benefits and harms our wellbeing in equal measures.

Energy

Duke Energy Linemen Win Regional Contest; Advance to International Lineman's Rodeo

Aug 24, 2018 1:00 PM ET

Fifteen Duke Energy apprentice and journeyman lineworkers from Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky earned the right to advance to the International Lineman's Rodeo in Bonner Springs, Kans., Oct. 12-13, after competing in the Duke Energy Midwest Lineman's Rodeo in Plainfield on Aug. 11.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Boosting Local Economies by Supporting Diverse Suppliers

Aug 24, 2018 12:50 PM ET

When World Wide Technology (WWT) first started reselling Dell computers in 1990, the minority-owned company had just seven employees in St. Louis. Today WWT is a global technology solution provider with $10.4 billion in annual revenue and more than 4,600 employees. And the company received the 2017 Dell EMC North America Partner of the Year Award.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Building More Resilient Communities | Taproot Foundation's Advisory Services Newsletter

Aug 24, 2018 12:30 PM ET

In this edition of the Advisory Services newsletter, we share examples of how pro bono can help communities around the globe prepare for natural disasters. We discuss how to engage even your busiest employees in pro bono service. And we look at a pro bono program model that began in the U.S. and has been replicated successfully abroad.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

You Can Change Your Workplace, Here Are Four Ways To Start

Aug 24, 2018 12:00 PM ET

A company’s decision to remove plastic straws from their kitchen doesn’t just affect their kitchen, it encourages straw production companies to come up with more environmentally friendly options and it cuts down on the company’s own footprint. Bacardi, for instance, has committed to using its platform to impact change within its own company and outside of it. With the launch of its #TheFutureDoesntSuck campaign the company aims to remove one billion single-use plastic straws by 2020 through a personal commitment to ban plastic straws at any Bacardi sponsored event, as well as a larger promise to curb unnecessary use of plastic in its supply chains. The company has promised to use its platform to spark collaborations that will promote environmental efforts across all industries.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Greening Financial Systems, from a UN Environment Perspective

Aug 24, 2018 12:00 PM ET

Erb alumnus Marcos Mancini is a country manager in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Inquiry into the Design of a Sustainable Financial System. He talked with Erb about the inquiry’s work and the sustainable finance issues involved.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

VIDEO: UNICEF and LIXIL to “Make a Splash” and Help Bring Sanitation to Children Around the World

Aug 24, 2018 11:30 AM ET

UNICEF, the world’s leading children’s organization, and LIXIL, a maker of pioneering water and housing products, are coming together in a new partnership to help vulnerable children gain access to safe and clean toilets.

The partnership, named “Make a Splash! Toilets for All”, will leverage the two organizations’ complementary strengths to support progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal of achieving access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all, and end open defecation by 2030.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Deloitte Named to Fortune’s Change the World List

Aug 24, 2018 11:25 AM ET

Fortune has named Deloitte to its prestigious 2018 "Change the World" list, a yearly ranking of top businesses that do well by doing good. The only professional services network to be listed, Deloitte is featured on this year’s list for its work to prepare clients and its people for the technological changes of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Diversity & Inclusion

Sysco Continues Building Diverse and Inclusive Culture as Part of 2025 Goals

Aug 24, 2018 11:05 AM ET

At Sysco, we strive to increase the diversity of our workforce, reflecting the communities we serve at every level of our organization.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Smithfield Foods Supports Mobile Food Pantry for Virginia Veterans

Aug 24, 2018 11:00 AM ET

The Smithfield Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Smithfield Foods, Inc., has once again donated $50,000 to the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank to support its Veterans Mobile Food Pantry at the VA Medical Center in Hampton, Virginia. This is the second consecutive year of the partnership, following last year’s donation which helped increase the number of meals served to veterans by almost 50 percent.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

INFOGRAPHIC | Whole Planet Foundation and Partners Making an Impact on Global Poverty

Aug 24, 2018 10:55 AM ET

Every quarter Whole Planet Foundation aggregates field metrics from our microfinance partners who are disbursing and collecting microcredit loans to people living in poverty.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Staying at the Forefront of Animal Well-Being

Aug 24, 2018 10:45 AM ET

This week, 15 experts in animal well-being and welfare from all over the world met to help guide the next chapter of Tyson Foods’ animal well-being journey. These esteemed veterinarians, scientists, culinary experts, and more contribute to a new roster and revitalized agenda for the TYSON FOODS ANIMAL WELL-BEING ADVISORY PANEL.

Environment

Consumers Energy: Saving Endangered Peregrine Falcons

Aug 24, 2018 10:40 AM ET

Social Impact & Volunteering

Cross-Sector Skill Sharing in Action

Aug 24, 2018 10:30 AM ET

Common Impact defines skill sharing as a two-way talent exchange where both pro bono professionals and their nonprofit partners are learning from each other. In my experience sourcing and supporting skilled service projects for our corporate and nonprofit clients, it is when our partners recognize the knowledge and expertise that they each bring to the table and seek to proactively learn from one another that real long-term change takes place. The change we see is not just for the communities we support, but also for the volunteers and nonprofit leaders participating in these skills-based volunteer projects.

Environment

Agroforestry Could Make Agriculture Emissions-Neutral by 2050

Aug 24, 2018 10:25 AM ET

Agroforestry is a major component of efforts to reduce the impact of climate change on farming. The practice of integrating trees into agriculture is a long tradition in most farming systems throughout the world. Agroforestry not only helps diversify farmers’ portfolios and spread risk but also provides environmental benefits that can only come from deep-rooted perennials, including sequestering carbon.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Cisco is #43 on Fortune's List of Businesses That Change the World

Aug 24, 2018 9:55 AM ET

Big enterprises are in the business of doing more for the world, and Cisco is leading the effort. Fortune's Change the World list features companies who are using their profit to change social problems. This year, Fortune ranked Cisco number 43 on the list, recognizing Cisco's Networking Academy as a change maker for more than a million students' lives.

Diversity & Inclusion

This Life With Gracie: Women Leaders Reignite Own Fire While Helping Girls Find Their Way

Aug 24, 2018 9:50 AM ET

Every Wednesday for eight weeks this summer, Ava Pittman rubbed elbows with some of the most successful and influential women Georgia has to offer. Cpl. Angela Florence at the Columbus Police Department. Kathy Bruer, owner of Belles & Beaus Etiquette & Manners and Aflac retiree. Teresa White, the first woman and African-American to hold the title of president at Aflac.