Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Keep up with the latest news from 3BL’s clients.







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Research, Reports & Publications

General Mills Global Responsibility Report Highlights Employee Engagement, Progress Against Planet Commitments, and Food Security

General Mills released its 2019 Global Responsibility Report, outlining the company’s approach to creating environmental, social and economic value in the countries where it operates. The progress made by General Mills in 2018 demonstrates the company’s long-term commitment to protect and restore the resources upon which its business and communities depend, with an increased focus on advancing regenerative practices across its supply chain.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Morgan Stanley Launches Broad-Based Commitment to Develop Systemic Solutions to Reduce Global Plastic Waste

Morgan Stanley will prevent, reduce, and remove 50 million metric tons of plastic waste from rivers, oceans, landscapes and landfills by 2030.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Board Diversity: Time’s Up on Good Intentions

When I began working to make boards more gender diverse in 2001, the percentage of women on the boards of large companies in the United States was around 12 percent. By 2011, women had gained a few more seats at the table, and by 2016 women held 21 percent of board seats at Fortune 500 companies.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

The Arbor Day Foundation Announces 2019 Arbor Day Award Winners

The Arbor Day Foundation has announced the recipients of the 2019 Arbor Day awards. Individuals and organizations are being recognized for their outstanding contribution to tree planting, conservation and stewardship. The winners will be presented their award at a reception in their honor in their local community throughout the month of May.

Research, Reports & Publications

Common Impact Study: Making Long-Term Impact Through a Day of Skilled Service

We recently analyzed three years of data from the Charles Schwab Pro Bono Challenge and are excited to share the results of this program for the nonprofits, employees and the communities it supports. Our new paper - Making Long-Term Impact through a Day of Service – shares data, case studies and lessons learned from our work with the Charles Schwab Pro Bono Challenge and is available to help organizations find new ways to engage volunteers in shorter-term skilled engagements that provide measurable longer-term results

Responsible Production & Consumption

AmpleHarvest.org Announces New Board President

Today, AmpleHarvest.org, the nation’s only virtual solution to food waste and hunger, has announced the appointment of John Powers, Chief Corporate Development Officer at Deloitte, as their new Board President.

"We are thrilled that John’s taking the reins to help us towards further reducing hunger and food waste in America," said AmpleHarvest.org Executive Director, Gary Oppenheimer. “As a gardener himself, he sees the opportunity, presented by the nation’s 42 million gardeners, to donate their excess harvest to nearly 8,500 AmpleHarvest.org registered food pantries. The solution impacts hunger, food waste and climate change on a vast scale.”

Education

Cisco GPS Challenge Highlights | Social Entrepreneur Jara Makes Education Accessible, Anytime and Anywhere

Jara has developed the Jara Unit, a low-cost, personal crank and solar powered tablet that teaches geographically custom education to refugees and those in disaster/conflict-affected regions, without requiring access to a classroom.

Diversity & Inclusion

Women in Leadership: Frances Edmonds on the End of the ‘Take, Make and Dispose’ Economy

In her two decades with the company, she’s helped shift the printer-and computer-making IT giant away from the old ‘take, make and dispose’ model towards a more circular one before many other companies put an emphasis on closing the loop on waste. In a world where sustainability departments have often been staffed with marketers and communications experts, Edmonds has always brought a deeper vantage point to the table, thanks, in part, to her roots in environmental science.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

#CSRshareDay Starts a Global Pledge for the Event Industry to Be the Driving Force Behind the Solution, Not the Problem

On March 15th2019, 1.5 million school students went on strike in a fight against climate change. This #CSRshareDay, a day that recognises and celebrates Corporate Social Responsibility, the event industry has the opportunity to share their ideas on what the solution could be. ‘This is a wake-up call for the event industry.’ explains Fiona Pelham, Positive Impact CEO. ‘I regularly hear industry professionals at high levels of influence say they do not have the time or budget to think about sustainability and many that are in action are too fearful of criticism to be taking bold, game changing actions and be the driving force behind the solution.’

Responsible Production & Consumption

From California to Central India: Implementing Water Stewardship at the Local Level

Jeff Hanratty, applied sustainability manager for General Mills, spoke with TriplePundit about the company’s efforts to identify and address key water risks related to agricultural production. He began by explaining how the organization created its focus on priority watersheds. Water is an extremely localized issue, and each geographic area has its own unique challenges that affect the quantity and quality of available freshwater. As a result, in 2016 General Mills analyzed 41 watersheds affecting its supply chain globally.

Research, Reports & Publications

Bechtel Releases 2019 Annual Report Showing Strong Financial and Sustainability Performance

Today, Bechtel Corporation released its Annual Report showing it ended 2018 in a healthy financial position. Through helping customers deliver their most important projects and in making important progress on its own sustainability goals, Bechtel reinforced its standing as a trusted engineering, procurement and construction partner to industries and governments worldwide.

Education

Five Core Computational Thinking Skills that Strengthen Students’ Humanities Skills

Anyone who says you can’t apply computational thinking and digital learning strategies to strengthen students’ skills in the writing is wrong. To the contrary, this innovative learning style helps students hone critical thinking skills across every discipline. In my classroom, I teach students computational thinking through free materials from Ignite My Future in School, a partnership between Tata Consultancy Services and Discovery Education. I especially enjoy using their Curriculum Connectors, online resources for teachers across disciplines to help their students apply computational thinking techniques.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

IVECO Valladolid Plant Achieves Gold Level Designation in World Class Manufacturing

The IVECO commercial vehicles manufacturing facility in Valladolid, Spain has achieved Gold status in the World Class Manufacturing (WCM) program becoming the second CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI/MI: CNHI) site, after the Madrid plant, to do so.

Energy

Companies and Institutions Make the Business Case for Smart Energy Policy in the Buckeye State

Companies and institutions in Ohio gathered to discuss with state lawmakers how energy policy has the potential to drive investment and economic development in the Buckeye State.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Merck Named on 2019 Best Places to Work List for LGBTQ Equality by Human Rights Campaign Foundation

Merck has been named a 2019 best place to work for LGBTQ equality by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation. This marks the seventh year in a row that the company received 100% on HRC's Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking tool which evaluates LGBTQ-related policies and practices including domestic partner benefits, surrogacy, parental leave and adoption benefits.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

How Financial Services Companies Can Advance Racial Equity and Create Business Growth

Finance companies to improve competitive advantage by advancing racial equity.

Research, Reports & Publications

What Does Society Look Like in the Future of the Anthropocene? A Q&A With Andy Hoffman

We have entered a new geologic epoch, called the Anthropocene, that recognizes people’s effect on the Earth’s ecosystems—harming them in ways that are likely irreversible. So what will Anthropocene society look like in the future?

Environment

Subaru of America Brings the Beauty of the National Parks to the New York International Auto Show

Subaru of America, Inc. today unveiled a one-of-a-kind display at the 2019 New York International Auto Show, honoring the automaker’s long-standing support of the national parks and partnership with the National Park Foundation. The Subaru display allows attendees to experience Yosemite, Denali, Arches and Yellowstone national parks from inside New York’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

Education

The ABCs of Financial Literacy Month

These days managing your personal finances or even following the business news can be overwhelming if you don’t have mastery of basic financial jargon. A basic financial vocabulary helps fill in the blanks in understanding a confusing and volatile market.

Environment

Ecocentricity Blog: Math Without the Numbers

Ray Anderson's sustainability vision for Interface was for it to rewrite the IPAT equation. He believed that the harmful technologies of the first industrial revolution, extractive and polluting by nature, could be replaced by the technologies of a new, sustainability-focused industrial revolution.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Smithfield Foods Achieves Donations in All 50 States With a 41,000 Pound Delivery of Protein to New Mexico’s Roadrunner Food Bank

Today, Smithfield Foods, Inc. and Lowe’s Supermarket joined forces to donate more than more than 41,000 pounds of protein to Roadrunner Food Bank. Smithfield’s contribution was part of the company’s 2019 Helping Hungry Homes® donation tour. Helping Hungry Homes® is Smithfield’s signature hunger-relief initiative focused on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure. The donation, equivalent to more than 167,000 servings, will help families fight hunger in New Mexico.

Green Infrastructure

Whirlpool Corporation Highlights Significantly Reduced Emissions, Improved Product Efficiency in 2018 Corporate Sustainability Report

Today, Whirlpool Corporation released its 2018 Corporate Sustainability Report, highlighting the company’s progress and accomplishments in the 2018 operational year, with particularly strong results in its efforts to reduce the amount of natural resources required in manufacturing its appliances.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Smaller Brands Can Help End Global Poverty, Too

Whole Flanet Foundation focuses on microloans, which the organization has designed to ensure ease of access; the way in which this program works is critical because acquiring seed money is a formidable task for anyone in poverty. Such an obstacle is especially overwhelming for women, who are routinely denied opportunities in education and commerce.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Tetra Tech Wins Two Awards in the Sustainable Pittsburgh Challenge

Tetra Tech was among the top winners honored at the Sustainable Pittsburgh Challenge (SPC) Finale and Awards Ceremony on March 21, 2019. The purpose of SPC is to increase sustainability practices by Pittsburgh businesses across seven major categories: social equity, energy, water, materials management, transportation, air quality, and engagement.

Green Infrastructure

20 Cities Awarded TD Green Space Grants for Innovative Urban Forestry Initiatives in Underserved Neighborhoods

Today, TD Bank Group (TD) and the Arbor Day Foundation announced the recipients of the inaugural TD Green Space Grants program, providing a total of $400,000 USD.

Latest Campaigns

  1. 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...
  2. Collective Action
    Cascale shares updates on its efforts and initiatives geared toward activating its ecosystem to develop and scale solutions that drive collective...
  3. AEG's Commitment to Social Impact and Volunteerism
    AEG embraces its responsibility to enrich the lives of people in the communities around the world where we do business, and to use business to create...
  4. Digital Safety
    We provide tools and guidance so people can manage digital content in a way that’s right for them and their families. Learn more >>
  5. Healthy Spaces Podcast: Season 5
    Welcome to Season 5 of Healthy Spaces by Trane Technologies, the podcast where experts and disruptors explore how climate technology and innovation...
  6. Nutrition and Health
    Focus on preventing and treating malnutrition across life stages. Highlights include early detection, community-based treatment (e.g., MUAC screening...
  7. Health and Safety by Antea Group
    Antea Group's health and safety consultants understand what it takes to help make a positive impact on safety culture. Read blogs, insights, and more...
  8. Aflac Stories
    Get a closer look at the people, products and stories that make Aflac the company we know today.
  9. Sustainable Operations
    ops-related sustainability content (e.g., new electric equipment, decarb efforts, etc.)
  10. Retail Logistics
    DP World provides end-to-end retail logistics solutions including comprehensive Purchase Order management from origin consolidation to retailer PO...
  11. AEG Celebrates Inclusion
    At AEG, we embrace inclusion and strive to create a workplace where our employees feel welcomed, valued and respected for the viewpoints, ideas...
  12. KeyBank Foundation: Helping Communities Thrive through Education, Workforce Development, and Service
    KeyBank Foundation helps build thriving communities by supporting organizations and programs that foster thriving students and a thriving workforce...
  13. Accelerating access to healthcare technology
    We believe technology can help close the world’s health gaps. By putting people first, we find new ways to advance health while reducing costs. And...
  14. IWBI | WELL Building Standard
    Our built environment can shape our habits and choices, regulate our sleep-wake cycle, drive us toward healthy and unhealthy choices, and passively...
  15. 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...