Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Diversity & Inclusion

Comcast NBCUniversal Honored as a Top Workplace for Diversity

Dec 10, 2018 10:05 AM ET

We’re delighted to announce that Comcast NBCUniversal has once again been named one of the top companies in America for workforce diversity by Fortune and the Great Place to Work Institute, a global people analytics and consulting firm. Yesterday, the magazine published its prestigious “Best Workplaces for Diversity” list placing Comcast NBCUniversal #2 in the nation.

Diversity & Inclusion

Saying Goodbye to Marla

Dec 10, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Albertsons hosted the party for Marla, a Lake Oswego resident with Down syndrome who has worked at the store for 23 years and become a beloved member of the community.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Medtronic Named One of America’s Best Corporate Citizens in 2018 by Forbes

Dec 10, 2018 9:45 AM ET

Medtronic has been named to the JUST 100: America’s Best Corporate Citizens list for 2018. Compiled by Forbes and JUST Capital, the list is composed of the nation’s top 100 publicly traded companies that scored highest on a set of criteria measuring areas such as diversity and inclusion, product quality, environmental impact, and philanthropy.

Social Impact & Volunteering

VIDEO | In the ‘Nick’ of Time, Walmart Driver Helps Hurricane Baby

Dec 10, 2018 9:35 AM ET

The week that Hurricane Michael hit Panama City, Florida, Nick Davis, like many other Walmart drivers, chose to forgo his regular trucking route.

With a shower trailer hitched to the back of his truck, he left his home in LaGrange, Georgia, to meet associates and their families at a local motel where they took shelter from damaged homes in the wake of the storm. That’s where he met Lorrainda, her husband, Wilmer, and their newborn son, Luke – a family in search of shelter after being discharged from the hospital and without a home only three days after Luke was born.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

“Matter to a Million” Global Giving Partnership Celebrates Five Years, $21M in Loans

Dec 10, 2018 9:35 AM ET

Imagine turning a $25 loan into more than $21 million, impacting more than 1 million people globally, in just five years. No, this isn’t the latest Shark Tank pitch. It is the outcome of Hewlett Packard Company’s Matter to a Million employee-engagement program.

Research, Reports & Publications

7 Facts That Frame the Future of EHS and Sustainability Management

Dec 10, 2018 9:25 AM ET

If you peek inside our recently published Planning for a Sustainable Future report on the trends that are shaping EHS&S management, you'll see just how quickly the field is changing. For this year's report, NAEM interviewed a panel of more than a dozen Environment, Health Safety and Sustainability experts about which emerging practices are on the agenda for the coming year.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Nestlé Waters North America Will Achieve 25 Percent Recycled Plastic in Its Packaging by 2021

Dec 10, 2018 9:10 AM ET

Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA), one of the leading beverage companies in North America, announced today that it will achieve 25 percent recycled plastic across its U.S. domestic portfolio by 2021. The company plans to continue expanding its use of recycled materials in the coming years, further setting an ambition to reach 50 percent recycled plastic by 2025.

Energy

New LNG Facility Is Helping to Bring Clean Energy to the World

Dec 10, 2018 9:05 AM ET

In a ceremony held on Thursday, November 15, Cheniere Energy celebrated the production of the first LNG from its Corpus Christi Liquefaction plant in Texas. The project will continue through commissioning to deliver the first cargo of LNG at the first greenfield LNG export facility in the United States in nearly 50 years.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

25 Employee Engagement Ideas for the Holidays

Dec 10, 2018 9:05 AM ET

With 31% of all charitable giving happening in December alone, it’s the perfect time to harness your people’s generosity and amplify their impact through your Goodness program. Check out our Big Book of Goodness for 25 festive (and easy!) ways to engage more people and amplify their impact this holiday season.

Innovation & Technology

Solar Chicken Farm Shows Sunny Side of Egg Farming

Dec 10, 2018 9:00 AM ET

The hens at Happy Chicken Eggs in Victoria, Australia, are some of the luckiest in the country. They live 100% cage free in lush landscapes and open spaces where they can happily peck and forage all day long. Now, they are contributing to the battle against climate change too.

Green Infrastructure

Expert Interview With Brian Stern, Building Energy Analyst

Dec 10, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Brian Stern is an energy analyst with Glumac, A Tetra Tech Company, who supports firm-wide sustainable and high-performance building design. His work improves building performance from initial concept all the way through operation.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Subaru of America Partners With Food Bank of South Jersey

Dec 10, 2018 8:05 AM ET

Subaru of America is taking part in a nationwide effort to combat hunger in our country's young people. The Christmas spirit was in the air at the Subaru of America in Camden on the morning of Thursday, November 15th, to kick off the return of Subaru’s annual Share the Love philanthropic event.

Environment

Ecolab Foundation Commits $5 Million to Support Sustainability Research and Education at the University of Minnesota

Dec 7, 2018 4:15 PM ET

Ecolab Chairman and CEO Douglas M. Baker, Jr., and University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler announced a $5 million gift from the Ecolab Foundation to the University-wide Driven campaign, in support of environmental sustainability research and education. A cornerstone of the Ecolab Foundation gift is $2 million to establish an endowed chair for the Institute on the Environment.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Climate Change Moves From Risk to Reward

Dec 7, 2018 3:25 PM ET

Financial players and their investors have much to gain from the shift toward greater sustainability. These investments offer a dual benefit: they lower emissions, speeding the transition to a low-carbon economy, and they can make (or save) money. People are increasingly aware of the first two pillars of sustainable investing -- risk identification and transparency. Now we need to inform them about the third: the need to drive capital toward sustainable opportunities, both at home and internationally.

Sustainable Development Goals

Statement From Lise Kingo, CEO & Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, on International Anti-Corruption Day

Dec 7, 2018 2:30 PM ET

Corruption continues to be one of the greatest barriers to principled and sustainable business.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Sysco Is Delivering A Better Tomorrow: Being Better Is… Being Generous!

Dec 7, 2018 12:30 PM ET

Too many of our neighbors, many with children, struggle to get food on the table each day. Sysco has the scale and capacity to make a meaningful difference. That’s why we have pledged to donate 200 million meals and $50 million to local communities.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Northern Trust Canada Branch Volunteered at Covenant House Toronto

Dec 7, 2018 11:25 AM ET

Energy

The On-ramp to Fleet Electrification

Dec 7, 2018 10:45 AM ET

Fleet electrification is an exciting component in UPS’s use of emerging technologies and an important element in helping the company achieve its ambitious sustainability goals.

Innovation & Technology

Arrow Electronics SAM Car Featured on NBC’s Today Show

Dec 7, 2018 10:30 AM ET

As Sam Schmidt arrived on site, the air became charged with expectation. For two long years, he and Arrow's SAM Project team had waited with bated breath for an opportunity to drive New York City. That day had finally arrived and, with lofty expectations in store, the camera crew began recording.

Research, Reports & Publications

CMS Energy Releases Climate Assessment Report, Highlighting Commitment to People, Planet and Prosperity

Dec 7, 2018 10:05 AM ET

CMS Energy today released its Climate Assessment Report – a picture of the energy provider’s work to reshape Michigan’s energy future with a plan that embodies its Triple Bottom Line commitment to people, the planet and prosperity.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Consumers Buy From Companies That Take a Stand

Dec 7, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Nearly two-thirds of consumers globally (63%) prefer to buy goods and services from companies that stand for a shared purpose that reflects their personal values and beliefs, and are ditching those that don’t, according to new research from Accenture.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

From “Disclose” to “Disclose What Matters”: The Growing Role of Investors in Sustainability Reporting

Dec 7, 2018 9:35 AM ET

Investors have a growing role in sustainability reporting. Their actions are key to encouraging reporters to move towards disclosing what matters. They have an interest in better performance along with other stakeholders, as it brings higher returns. One way to promote that is by ensuring that the companies they invest in are transparent about the effects they have on the economy, society and the environment. The virtuous circle in which transparency reinforces good performance will result in benefits to the investors, better off societies and less damage to the environment.

Education

Tata Consultancy Services and Discovery Education Introduce St. Louis Educators to Computational Thinking Strategies Through Professional Development Training

Dec 7, 2018 9:30 AM ET

Tata Consultancy Services, (TCS), (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) a leading IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital education content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, launched the Ignite My Future in School Day of Discovery Techcademy for local teachers at Education Plus in St. Louis, Mo.

Innovation & Technology

Q&A With Mark DeAndrea: Domtar’s BioMaterials Innovation Team

Dec 7, 2018 9:15 AM ET

Petroleum is derived from plant and animal matter that has been underground, under extreme heat and pressure, for millennia, slowly becoming fossil fuel. At Domtar, we can now achieve the same result in less than a day at a pulp mill, where we break down wood into cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and extractives — materials that are renewable and managed sustainably, without releasing sequestered CO2 into the atmosphere.

Our BioMaterials Innovation team is looking for ways to leverage our asset base, including but not limited to our mills and our biomass supply chain.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Pro Bono as a People Strategy in Action: Deloitte

Dec 7, 2018 9:15 AM ET

Read how Deloitte is driving talent development and retention through their social impact programs in Taproot Foundation's new report; Pro Bono as a People Strategy.