Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Research, Reports & Publications

A Commitment That Begins With Patients: Amgen 2017 Responsibility Highlights Report

May 30, 2018 9:00 AM ET

As one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies, Amgen’s greatest contribution to society comes from discovering and developing innovative medicines to treat patients suffering from serious illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. In undertaking this important work, Amgen makes a positive contribution in numerous other areas—which we share in our 2017 Responsibility Highlights Report.

Sustainable Development Goals

Cerro Verde, a Freeport-McMoRan Company, Supports Early Childhood Education in Arequipa

May 30, 2018 8:45 AM ET

Cerro Verde, a Freeport-McMoRan company, is constructing a new school building for early childhood education. Children who live in the neighborhood of Congata, in the Uchumayo district of Arequipa, Peru, will attend the new school buildings in the fall of 2018. The new building complex for the school will include classrooms for three-year-olds, as well as a multipurpose lounge, administrative offices and a cafeteria.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Ready for Summer: SC Johnson Community Aquatic Center Opens

May 30, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Just in time for summer, a celebration will be held today to commemorate the grand opening of the SC Johnson Community Aquatic Center, the first aquatic center to be developed in Racine County, located in Racine’s Pritchard Park. The Aquatic Center is funded by a $6.5 million donation from SC Johnson, and will open to the public June 2.

Research, Reports & Publications

Coca-Cola European Partners Releases 2017 Stakeholder Progress Report

May 30, 2018 5:00 AM ET

Coca‑Cola European Partners (ticker symbol: CCE) today launched its latest Stakeholder Progress Report, outlining key achievements in the company’s sustainability journey in 2017. The report comes six months following the launch of This is Forward, Coca‑Cola European Partners’ (CCEP) joint sustainability action plan with The Coca‑Cola Company in Western Europe that sets out commitments across six areas including drinks, packaging, and society – to be met by 2025.

Education

In Partnership With National Geographic, the Breakthrough Junior Challenge 2018 Is Now Open for Submissions!

May 29, 2018 7:45 PM ET

National Geographic has joined forces with the Breakthrough Junior Challenge, an annual global competition for students, designed to inspire creative thinking about science.

Events, Media & Communications

Rewiring Employment in a New Age

May 29, 2018 5:00 PM ET

Savvy business leaders everywhere are focused on talent, changing demographics, and the future of work—and what it all means for their company. On June 13th, FSG and the Shared Value Initiative are hosting REWIRE: Unlocking Talent Solutions for Today & Tomorrow at Gap Inc.’s headquarters in San Francisco to explore how companies can build their capacity to better recruit, retain, support, and advance historically overlooked talent pools with an aim of improving the bottom line. Join companies like Walmart, Tyson Foods, T-Mobile, McDonald's and others as they discuss the strategies they're using to REWIRE their HR practices.

Social Impact & Volunteering

GRO1000 Milestone Reached: Thousandth Garden to Connect Children With Benefits of Nature

May 29, 2018 4:05 PM ET

Eight years ago, we set a goal to help create 1,000 community gardens and greenspaces and connect more people to the life-enhancing benefits of gardens and greenspaces. This May, we’ll realize that goal with the dedication of the thousandth GRO1000 garden in Columbus, Ohio.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Fair Trade Seafood at Work: Cleaning up Mexico’s Altata Bay

May 29, 2018 4:00 PM ET

Within five years of hitting grocery stores, Fair Trade Certified™ seafood has generated almost $1 million in additional funds to fishermen and seafood workers in coastal communities. A look at those funds in action in Sinaloa, Mexico.

Diversity & Inclusion

Important Dialogue: Community Investment Has a Role to Play in a Diversity & Inclusion Strategy

May 29, 2018 3:10 PM ET

Join LBG Canada companies on June 5, 2018 in Calgary, as we discuss community investment's role in a diversity and inclusion strategy.

Panelists include leaders influencing corporate thinking on abilities, LGBTQ inclusion, Action 92 and Indigenous inclusion, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Thermo King “Moves Food” to Increase Food Security

May 29, 2018 3:00 PM ET

More than 40 million Americans struggle with hunger yet nearly $220 billion dollars of food is thrown away in the U.S. each year.

Thermo King, the leader in transport temperature control solutions for a variety of mobile applications and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, together with the Ingersoll Rand Foundation and Feeding America, recognize the imperative need to close this gap and are pleased to announce a breakthrough social initiative.

Research, Reports & Publications

GRI's 6 Steps to Produce a Sustainability Report Materiality Assessment

May 29, 2018 3:00 PM ET

As a standard setter in sustainability reporting, GRI has a responsibility to engage in sustainability reporting and exemplify best practice in doing so. GRI is sharing the process when writing their sustainability report, the problems that faced along the way, and the solutions found. And it all begins with the materiality assessment. ​

Energy

Optimizing Piping Configurations for Energy Efficiency

May 29, 2018 2:55 PM ET

What’s one of the smartest ways a manufacturing facility can save on energy costs over the long term? If you’re thinking along the lines of compressed air efficiency then you’re correct. The single biggest cost associated with producing compressed air is the energy required to power the compressor. To save money in the long run, it’s good practice to maximize compressed air energy efficiency.

Diversity & Inclusion

Minnesota Faces of Margraten: “The Biggest Gift”

May 29, 2018 2:45 PM ET

The call came from Minnesota Faces of Margraten, a joint project by Medtronic employees and retirees in the Netherlands and the United States, to locate photographs of all 234 Minnesota soldiers memorialized at the Netherlands American Cemetery near the village of Margraten. Thanks to Minnesota Faces of Margraten, Linda’s favorite picture of her father now stands beside his gravesite in the Netherlands.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Smithfield Foods and Victory Junction Unveil New Indoor Archery Facility

May 29, 2018 2:05 PM ET

Today, Victory Junction, a children’s camp committed to enriching the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses by providing life-changing camp experiences, unveiled the Smithfield Foods Archery Center. The camp’s new indoor facility is funded by a $500,000 gift from the Smithfield Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Smithfield Foods, Inc.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

The Hidden Story of Climate Proposals in the 2018 Proxy Season

May 29, 2018 2:00 PM ET

The 2017 proxy season offered some indelible headlines on climate-related shareholder action: majority votes at ExxonMobil, Occidental Petroleum and PPL Corporation; the first-ever votes in favor of climate shareholder proposals by major investors BlackRock and Vanguard; and the much-anticipated release of initial 2-degree scenario analyses from North American oil and gas and electric power companies. This year’s narrative is more subtle, but potentially more powerful.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Love, Security and a Second Chance

May 29, 2018 1:00 PM ET

This guest blog post is written by Chris Mace, an adoptive father of three. His two sons, Steven and Kota, were adopted through the Foundation’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program.

Environment

VIDEO | Ottawa County Plant Home to 3 New Peregrine Chicks

May 29, 2018 12:55 PM ET

Representatives from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Consumers Energy climbed the JH Campbell Generating Complex in West Olive to band three peregrine falcon chicks.

Media & Communications

Executive Compensation and the Investor, Worker & Stakeholder: The New Corporate Disclosures on CEO Pay Ratios Are Now Part of the Public Dialogue

May 29, 2018 12:30 PM ET

There are some interesting new angles to the perennial public dialogues that go on about issues related to executive compensation. The new news is regarding the compensation packages for the Top Man (in the Fortune 500 universe, there are only 24 companies that have female CEOs) and the relationship of that sum to (1) the employees of the firm and (2) the shareholders, including key fiduciaries managing OPM (other peoples’ money). The CEO Pay Ratio disclosures of 2018 are now becoming more of a public dialogue.

Environment

Ecocentricity Blog: Talk Walking

May 29, 2018 11:45 AM ET

We recently set out to calculate our organizational carbon footprint for 2017 so that we could purchase carbon offsets and claim to be carbon-neutral in our operations. That probably sounds complicated…and yes, it is.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Viacom Supports 1in6 and NO MORE’s Powerful Public Service Announcement

May 29, 2018 11:30 AM ET

Yes, it’s hard to believe, and yes research shows that at least 1 in 6 men have been sexually abused or assaulted in either childhood or adulthood. 1 in 6 is an organization devoted to helping men who have experienced unwanted or abusive sexual experiences live happier and healthier lives. No MORE similarly operates with a goal to create a community with zero gender-based bias and is dedicated to ending domestic violence and sexual assault by creating awareness, inspiring action through movements as such, and fueling culture change.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Ambitious Targets in Essity’s New Fiber Sourcing Policy

May 29, 2018 11:20 AM ET

Essity has finalized a new Fiber Sourcing Policy, describing the company’s principles, intentions and requirements for its deliveries of fresh wood based fiber materials. The policy sets a target that all fiber raw material in Essity’s products will be certified.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Multipliers of Prosperity: Lending With a Mission

May 29, 2018 11:05 AM ET

Mohammed Ali and his siblings had been driving past the vacant gas station on the east side of Saint Paul, Minnesota for years before they finally decided to make an offer to buy it—with the idea of opening a restaurant and grocery store catering to the neighborhood’s vibrant community of immigrants.

Health & Healthcare

How Nutrition Data Can Be Used to Give Kids a Healthy Start

May 29, 2018 10:15 AM ET

Stacey Ragin aims to make busy parents’ lives easier — and healthier — by teaching nutrition classes to parents in Newark, New Jersey. During her courses, offered as part of Nestlé’s Start Healthy, Stay Healthy program, she lays out the benefits of breastfeeding, provides tips for managing picky eaters, and makes suggestions for healthy snacks.

Research, Reports & Publications

VIDEO | A Chapter Closed for Schneider Electric’s 2015-2017 Planet & Society Barometer

May 29, 2018 9:45 AM ET

Every three years, Schneider Electric defines a new indicator to measure its sustainability achievements which form part of the Group’s non-financial results. The sustainability indicators are presented together with the Group’s financial information: by the CEO at the annual and half-year results, and by the CFO at the first and third quarter results. This integrated communication demonstrates Schneider Electric commitment to making sustainability part of the company’s long-term strategy.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Northern Trust London Partners Take on Tough Mudder to Raise Money for The Open University Disabled Veterans

May 29, 2018 9:40 AM ET