Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Responsible Production & Consumption

Conflict Minerals Audits. Another Chapter of Fifty Shades of Grey?

Aug 31, 2015 1:35 PM ET

Both Michael Littenberg of Schulte Roth & Zabel and Lawrence Heim of Elm Sustainability Partners agree that the IPSA will likely be required at some point, but differ in their opinion on when to engage an auditor.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

The Action Team As My Family

Aug 31, 2015 1:30 PM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

GRI and Australia Partner to Improve Lives Across Pacific

Aug 31, 2015 1:05 PM ET

Today, GRI, pioneer of the sustainability reporting process, and the Australian government announced a new partnership to increase corporate transparency across Southeast Asia. With funding of $1,000,000 over 15 months, the partnership will promote sustainable trade and investment in Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Nine Reasons to Go Back to School: Introducing BSR University

Aug 31, 2015 1:00 PM ET

We've expanded our trainings at the BSR Conference 2015 to enhance traditional sustainable business skills and offer other professional development opportunities.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Pediatric Patients Create Disney Miracle Mural

Aug 31, 2015 1:00 PM ET

Nearly 200 pediatric patients from the Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) were joined by guardians, siblings, friends and donors to hand-paint 192 ceramic tiles as a part of the Paint Your Way to Miracles and Magic fundraiser.

Education

Key Banks on Financial Wellness Outreach to Expand Customer Base

Aug 31, 2015 12:45 PM ET

Environment

Shock Top Invests in Start-ups to Fight Drought

Aug 31, 2015 12:25 PM ET

As the California drought moves well into its fourth year, individuals, municipalities and companies alike are seeking innovative solutions to water protection. While Los Angeles fights drought conditions by dropping 96 million "shade balls" in reservoirs and Starbucks moves production of Ethos Water out of the state, one company is thinking differently about its approach – investing in innovative, yet fledgling technologies and motivating consumers to action.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

AECOM Wins Industry Contribution Award in British Columbia

Aug 31, 2015 12:00 PM ET

Social Impact & Volunteering

AIDA Cruises Supports Hanse-Tour-Sonnenschein e.V. to Benefit Children with Cancer or Other Chronic Illnesses

Aug 31, 2015 11:45 AM ET

AIDA Cruises has supported the Hanse-Tour-Sonnenschein charity bike ride 2015 as a long-standing partner. From August 6-9th, 275 cyclists took to the road to raise money for children's cancer research on the 650-kilometer stretch from Havelberg to Rostock. The donations are to go toward developing new treatment concepts and improving the nursing and psychosocial care of children with cancer. Participants in the Hanse-Tour-Sonnenschein 2015 raised EUR 130,000. This year's funds will be donated to the «Mike Möwenherz» palliative team and the Björn-Schulz Foundation in Berlin.

Environment

Innovative, Thought-Leading Organizations Advance the Monetization Working Group

Aug 31, 2015 11:30 AM ET

Over the past 18 months, Antea Group in partnership with Fundación FEMSA has coalesced a number of thought-leading organizations to form the Monetization Working Group (MWG). This group aims to accelerate progress via removing obstacles to better, more sustainable business decisions by making key elements of sustainability more tangible and helping to build a better case for investment. Presently, the MWG is concentrating on creating a curriculum/tools that improve the monetization and business case development skills of those proposing and deciding on investments in sustainability.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Recognition by Any Other Name

Aug 31, 2015 11:30 AM ET

Is recognition the holy grail of employee engagement and corporate success? It’s become an article of faith in the last decade or so and the subject of a lot of research.

Environment

Nespresso Plants 200,000 trees in Ethiopia and Guatemala

Aug 31, 2015 11:00 AM ET

A total of 200 000 trees have been planted by Nespresso and partner Pur Projet in Ethiopia and Guatemala since the beginning of the year to benefit over 600 local coffee farmers.

Research, Reports & Publications

AEP Releases 2014 Social Performance Summary

Aug 31, 2015 11:00 AM ET

American Electric Power released its 2014 Social Performance Summary, highlighting the company’s investment in the communities we serve.

Environment

General Mills Announces New Commitment on Climate Change

Aug 31, 2015 10:30 AM ET

General Mills announced today a commitment to reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 28 percent across its full value chain – from farm to fork to landfill – over the next 10 years. The commitment was calculated using science-based methodology to achieve a level of emission reductions that science suggests is necessary to sustain the health of the planet.

Environment

Brown-Forman Sets Zero Waste Target

Aug 31, 2015 10:00 AM ET

Learn more about Brown-Forman's journey towards zero waste and our progress against our goal in this informational video.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Top Companies and Nonprofit Partners Named Finalists in 2015 VolunteerMatch Corporate Volunteer Awards

Aug 31, 2015 10:00 AM ET

VolunteerMatch, the Web's largest volunteer engagement network, announced today the finalists for the 2015 VolunteerMatch Corporate Volunteer Awards. The winners will be recognized at a ceremony during the 2015 VolunteerMatch Summit, to be held December 1-2, 2015 in Oakland, CA.

Energy

Energy Services Coalition Participants Learn About Disruptive Forces in Energy Management

Aug 31, 2015 10:00 AM ET

Jason Bingham, vice president of energy services and controls at Trane, a brand of Ingersoll Rand, will share insights with participants at the Fourth Annual Market Transformation Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, 8/31-9/2, in Charlotte, NC.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

A Brighter Future with Access to Safe Water: The Guzmán’s Story

Aug 31, 2015 9:00 AM ET

This is the story of Luz Elena Guzmán’s family, who lived without treated water in Colombia until the Inter-American Development Bank’s AquaFund and the PepsiCo Foundation aided in improving their access to safe water.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Sept. 22 Webcast to Review Authoritative Analysis of Conflict Minerals Filings

Aug 31, 2015 9:00 AM ET

Environment

A Green Lease of Life

Aug 31, 2015 8:05 AM ET

Responsible Production & Consumption

Water-Smart Food

Aug 31, 2015 8:00 AM ET

It’s been around for centuries, but only recently has this technology garnered renewed attention in both commercial and research sectors. Aquaponics, a type of integrated food production system, is a method of growing fish and plants in the same water. What makes aquaponics special? These fully contained, 100% re-circulating water systems set the standard for maximizing local water resources.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Brightpoint Health: From Days to Minutes with SuiteVolunteers

Aug 31, 2015 5:40 AM ET

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

UN Global Compact’s Outgoing Director to Join Board of Values-Based Asset Management Firm

Aug 31, 2015 4:30 AM ET

Today, after 15 years at the helm of the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, Georg Kell will step down as Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, the organization he helped found in 2000 and which he has built into a global movement over the past decade.

Environment

NetSuite Customer Case Study - Water for People

Aug 28, 2015 5:50 PM ET

Water for People, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that all people have safe, continuous water, shares their mission story and how a software donation from NetSuite.org enables them to monitor effectiveness and improve transparency.

Environment

Engineering the Path to Water Conservation

Aug 28, 2015 5:00 PM ET

“We’re doing a big chemistry experiment on our planet, and the predicted outcome is frightening.” -- Rob Zimmerman