Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Comcast Donations Continue to Support the Inspiring Work of Community Champion Finalists

May 7, 2018 9:30 AM ET

We created the Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award at the start of our NASCAR sponsorship to recognize the incredible individuals in the NASCAR family giving back to their communities in remarkable ways. I am proud to say this program has far exceeded all expectations, and the ongoing commitment to giving back within the sport continues to inspire us.

This year, we have introduced an exciting element of the program, allowing fans to weigh in with their nomination for the next Comcast Community Champion of the Year. Fans and members of the industry alike can visit ComcastCommunityChampion.com to nominate.

Media & Communications

IFF to Combine With Frutarom to Create a Global Leader in Taste, Scent and Nutrition

May 7, 2018 9:30 AM ET

Establishes an industry leader in naturals; broadens complementary customer base and expands differentiated product portfolio

•$7.1 billion transaction unlocks significant value creation opportunity; substantial cross-selling opportunities to accelerate long-term profitable growth
•Expected to realize approximately $145 million in run-rate cost synergies by the third full year
•Double-digit cash EPS accretive in second full year
•IFF expects to maintain its quarterly dividend consistent with prior guidance
•Frutarom shareholder representing 36% of shares outstanding has entered into an agreement to vote in favor of the transaction
•IFF and Frutarom to host conference call today at 8:00 am EST (3:00 pm IDT) to discuss transaction and IFF’s first quarter 2018 financial results

Education

Celebrating 15 Years of the Community Lab

May 7, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Opened in 2003, Biogen’s Community Lab is a dedicated laboratory classroom that teaches local middle and high school students about the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education.

Sustainable Development Goals

The Role of Social Capital in Resilience for Displaced People in Urban Areas

May 7, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Simon Griffiths, the evaluation and research practice lead for the international development practice of Coffey, A Tetra Tech Company (Tetra Tech), reflects on Tetra Tech’s emerging approach to measuring urban resilience in humanitarian and urban settings. Focusing on Somalia, he looks at the importance of understanding and measuring social capital in building resilience among people who have migrated to urban areas due to drought and within the communities that host them in the short and long term. All opinions expressed in this post are the author’s own.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Supporting Puerto Rico in the Aftermath of Hurricane Maria

May 7, 2018 9:00 AM ET

In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Biogen employees rallied to aid the people of Puerto Rico by collecting supplies for those affected.

Health & Healthcare

First Online GLOBALG.A.P. Spanish-Language Training Debuts

May 7, 2018 9:00 AM ET

SCS Global Services (SCS), a leading food safety training center and certifier, is now offering the first online training course in Spanish for the GLOBALG.A.P. food safety standard, “IFA for Fruits and Vegetables.” GLOBALG.A.P. is an internationally recognized set of farm standards dedicated to good agricultural practices and recognized by the Global Food Safe Initiative (GFSI).

Research, Reports & Publications

Fibria 2017 Report: A Forest of Opportunities

May 7, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Fibria is a Brazilian company that believes in planted forests as a source for sustainable development. A world leader in the production of eucalyptus pulp, the corporation operates in 261 Brazilian municipalities and exports to 35 countries.

Research, Reports & Publications

Work Better - Aim high - Build the Future

May 7, 2018 5:00 AM ET

The company generates, transmits and distributes electricity to more than 4 million customers in the province of Québec. It also exports its clean, renewable power and commercializes its unique expertise and innovations on world markets. Hydro-Québec carries out its activities in a spirit of sustainable development, and its sustainability vision goes well beyond the environment. The company contributes to the province’s economic vitality and encourages stakeholders to participate in its decisions. Hydro-Québec is leading the energy revolution.

Health & Healthcare

Today, May 5th, is World Hand Hygiene Day!

May 5, 2018 9:00 AM ET

World Hand Hygiene Day is May 5th. This day reminds us that hand hygiene is important today, and every day. And it is especially important in healthcare settings where hand hygiene reduces the risk of patients contracting infections and developing sepsis.

Sustainable Development Goals

fetch Is the Match Maker for Companies and Startups Committing to the SDGs

May 4, 2018 7:35 PM ET

In 2017, the Business Commission released research showing that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) could create economic opportunities of up to $12 trillion a year and up to 380 million new jobs by 2030. And, as more businesses begin to unlock those trillions of dollars through new markets, investments and innovation by aligning their operations with the SDGs, they can now turn to a new digital platform for pioneering startup solutions.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Keep Prince William Beautiful Plants Pollinator Garden

May 4, 2018 5:30 PM ET

Keep Prince William Beautiful (KPWB) partnered with nearly 200 volunteers to create a pollinator garden at a local landfill with the help of a Keep America Beautiful/Lowe's Community Partners Grant.

Social Impact & Volunteering

The 22nd Annual Viacommunity Day Was All Good, All Around (the Globe)

May 4, 2018 5:05 PM ET

Friday, April 20 was truly a global day of giving. Nearly 4,000 employees from 25 different regions around the world contributed ideas, talent and compassion to more than 125 projects in local communities for the 22nd annual Viacommunity Day, a celebration of the company’s values and commitment to giving back.

The day’s theme was “ALL GOOD, ALL AROUND.” The scope of Viacom’s traditional day of service reflected this motif well, as all around the world, employees did good: helping at their regular offices, like Viacom’s Times Square Headquarters; trekking to community organizations, like Chrysalis in downtown Los Angeles; or cleaning up the shores of Australia’s Sydney Harbor National Park.

Environment

Water Brand Lokales Wasser Works With Avery Dennison to Improve Sustainability

May 4, 2018 5:00 PM ET

Zurich-based water brand Lokales Wasser was looking for a packaging solution that would fully reflect its brand values, including improving sustainability.

Health & Healthcare

Sepsis Can Be Prevented on World Hand Hygiene Day, May 5th and Every Day!

May 4, 2018 4:45 PM ET

World Hand Hygiene Day is May 5th. This day reminds us that hand hygiene is important today, and every day. And it is especially important in healthcare settings where hand hygiene reduces the risk of patients contracting infections and developing sepsis.

This year, the global theme for World Hand Hygiene Day is ‘It’s in your hands – prevent sepsis in health care’, set by the Private Organization for Patient Safety and the World Health Organization (WHO).

As part of World Hand Hygiene Day, we have developed an easy to remember call to action in the form of 3 steps, with the aim to help healthcare professionals (HCPs) reduce infections and sepsis among patients.

Think hygiene. Act to prevent. Care for patients. Or put more simply: Think. Act. Care.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Smithfield Wean-to-Finish Farm 360° Virtual Tour

May 4, 2018 4:25 PM ET

Step inside one of our wean-to-finish farms, where piglets live and grow until they reach market weight.

Environment

Georgia Tech’s New Global Change Program Named First Tenant of Kendeda Building

May 4, 2018 3:15 PM ET

Georgia Tech's new Global Change Center will be housed in the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design

Research, Reports & Publications

Verizon (NYSE:VZ) 2017 Corporate Responsibility Report Reveals Ambitious New Goals to Cut Carbon Intensity in Half From 2016 Levels and Invest up to $400 Million in Education

May 4, 2018 3:00 PM ET

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) CEO, Lowell McAdam, yesterday announced new sustainability and education and goals during the annual shareholder’s meeting as outlined in the company’s 2017 Corporate Responsibility Report. After undergoing a rigorous evaluation of its corporate social responsibility efforts, Verizon is continuing efforts to support a target under United Nations Sustainability Goal #8 of improving sustainable consumption and production and Goal #4 of ensuring quality education for all.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Book Excerpt: Powering Up

May 4, 2018 2:45 PM ET

Not since Arlie Russell Hochschild laid out the lives of women who worked inside and outside the home in her 1989, jaw-droppingly astute book, The Second Shift, has someone so clearly articulated the machinations that have held back women from leadership, and what we can do about it. Anne Doyle’s Powering Up: How America’s Women Achievers Become Leaders, is a perfect follow up for those who have marshalled troops to help with the second shift and are already leaning in.

Environment

Transition Network Founder Rob Hopkins

May 4, 2018 2:15 PM ET

What would it take to get your neighborhood, community, or town to unify behind the shift to sustainability? This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak to the founder of the Transition Network, Rob Hopkins, about the movement to generate universal appeal for sustainable practices by working locally.

Education

EA SPORTS, NFL Players Association and Discovery Education Bring STEM Careers to Life in 'Role of Data in EA SPORTS' Madden NFL Virtual Trip Featuring Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receiver Antonio Brown

May 4, 2018 1:50 PM ET

EA SPORTS, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, are teaming up to host A Numbers Game Virtual Field Trip: The Role of Data in EA SPORTS Madden NFL on Wednesday, May 9, 2018 from 1:00 – 1:30 p.m. ET.

Energy

Improving Energy Efficiency and Reducing our Emissions – The Adaptive Power Challenge

May 4, 2018 1:30 PM ET

At Comcast we are committed to sustainable innovation, particularly innovation that empowers us to manage the energy we use and the emissions we create so we can to reduce our carbon footprint. That’s why we are excited to support the Adaptive Power Challenge, created to underscore our industry’s individual and collective commitment to reduced energy usage and overall sustainability by encouraging innovations in energy management and, specifically, finding ways to adapt the amount of power we’re using by not using it when it isn’t needed.

Demand for our services ebbs and flows during the course of a day, and there are tremendous opportunities to leverage those natural patterns to support more energy-efficient operations.

Research, Reports & Publications

ICYMI! - In Case You Missed It! The latest news from the Erb Institute

May 4, 2018 12:30 PM ET

ICYMI! is a business-focused publication sharing the work of the Erb Institute. In this and future publications, we will share how our research, teaching and engagement are providing ideas and frameworks that will help businesses move forward in meeting their sustainability challenges. We invite you to have a look inside and see how our work is helping to move the needle on business sustainability.

Diversity & Inclusion

FCA US Earns Spot on DiversityInc’s 2018 Lists of “Noteworthy Companies for Diversity” and “Top Companies for Veterans”

May 4, 2018 12:20 PM ET

The editors of DiversityInc magazine have named FCA US LLC to the magazine's 2018 list of "Noteworthy Companies for Diversity" and to the list of “Top Companies for Veterans.”

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Duke Energy Named One of America's Best Employers by Forbes

May 4, 2018 12:10 PM ET

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

How Annie’s Is Working Differently in Montana

May 4, 2018 12:00 PM ET

A new sort of farmers market just arrived in the northern plains of Montana, and Annie’s is proud to be part of it. For the last eighteen months, we’ve been working with organic grain farmers, Casey Bailey and Nate Powell-Palm, to create limited edition Annie’s items – Honey Bunny Grahams and Elbow Pasta & Cheddar – made from organic crops grown on their farms.