Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Environment

Cisco Announces New Goal to Reduce Its Use of Virgin Plastic by 20%

Nov 1, 2018 10:15 AM ET

At Cisco, we are focused on making sustainable thinking a business imperative. Using the lens of the circular economy, we are changing the way we do business, including being more deliberate about how and when to use plastic.

Like many companies, Cisco uses plastic across its product portfolio and in its packaging. Plastic has a lot of benefits, from its technical properties to its low cost and its light weight, which help reduce logistics emissions. However, it also comes with many, well‑documented challenges.

Health & Healthcare

Aflac CEO Meets His Match With Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® Tough Questions Program

Nov 1, 2018 9:05 AM ET

In what he describes – tongue firmly in cheek – as “one of the toughest interviews I’ve ever done,” Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos, the second longest tenured CEO in the Fortune 200 and 4-time recipient of the Harvard Business Review’s recognition as one of the 100 Best-Performing CEOs in the World, recently sat down at the company’s headquarters in Columbus, Georgia, for an interview with 11-year-old cancer survivor Chloe Davison of Grants Pass, Oregon. In this “hard-hitting” examination, they covered several crucial topics such as where Amos’ dogs sleep when his wife is traveling, how the Aflac Duck came to be and My Special Aflac Duck™ – a robotic duck designed to help children cope with cancer that Aflac is giving to every newly diagnosed child with cancer, between the ages of 3-13.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Subaru Fulfills Love Promise to Oregon Humane Society With Largest Corporate Donation Received in 2018

Nov 1, 2018 8:30 AM ET

Subaru of America, Inc. today announced the donation of nearly $57,000 to the Oregon Humane Society (OHS) as a part of the Subaru Loves Pets initiative to help improve the safety and wellbeing of animals in local Oregon communities. The gift marks the single largest corporate donation received by OHS in 2018 and is the result of the pets-focused initiative of the automaker’s Love Promise philanthropic platform.

Research, Reports & Publications

Caterpillar Provides Cleaner Air Underground

Nov 1, 2018 7:00 AM ET

Underground hard rock mining companies continue to go deeper in search of more raw materials and higher-grade ore. Working at such depths leads to air quality concerns due to equipment emissions, which today are primarily powered by diesel.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Lockheed Martin Employees Celebrate Month of Giving

Oct 31, 2018 6:25 PM ET

Lockheed Martin employees participated in dozens of volunteer events in communities around the world this October as part of the company’s annual “Month of Giving.” These “Be the Difference” days highlight employees’ commitment to service and giving back.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Boys and Girls Clubs in Santa Monica and Venice Get Halloween Make-overs by Kite Volunteers

Oct 31, 2018 5:55 PM ET

For Kite’s Week of Service, employees spent the day decorating for Halloween with local chapters of Boys & Girls Clubs of America in Santa Monica and Venice, which offer programs to inspire young people to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

UPS Recognized By EPA With SmartWay Excellence Award

Oct 31, 2018 5:15 PM ET

UPS has been recognized with the EPA SmartWay Excellence Award for exceptional achievement in supply chain sustainability and freight transportation efficiency

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

IT@Cork Recognizes VMware for Corporate Responsibility Excellence

Oct 31, 2018 4:00 PM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Employee Activism: Where CSR and Civic Engagement Meet

Oct 31, 2018 3:10 PM ET

The only voice in the corporation that can authentically stand for purpose is the voice of the employee. Explore with us how companies are entering the conversation about corporate citizenship and civic engagement and how you can connect your company’s purpose and values to the activism of employees.

Diversity & Inclusion

Northern Trust’s Katie Nixon: Change is an Evolution, not a Revolution

Oct 31, 2018 3:05 PM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

3 Warning Signs Your Employees Are Headed for the Door

Oct 31, 2018 3:00 PM ET

In this competitive job market, it’s becoming more difficult for companies to attract and retain top talent. If you’re struggling to keep your employees engaged, learn how to curb disengagement before employees start heading for the door.

Environment

JUST Egg + Aramark Offer Delicious, Sustainable Breakfast Solution

Oct 31, 2018 2:15 PM ET

Innovative food company brings plant-based product to the table

JUST, the innovative San Francisco-based food company with a mission to make the foods we love healthier and more sustainable, has partnered with Aramark to bring JUST Egg, the plant-based, protein-packed product to corporate, healthcare and higher education cafes.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Atlas Copco Partners With Widmer Brothers Brewery

Oct 31, 2018 2:00 PM ET

Atlas Copco, recently partnered with Widmer Brothers Brewery to improve their bottling process and eliminate excess water consumption with the first-known waterless vacuum pump in the craft beer industry.

Events, Media & Communications

Brands Taking Stands | 3BL Forum Offers Brands Taking Stands 3.0

Oct 31, 2018 1:15 PM ET

The 2018 annual 3BL Forum has come and gone, but its impact will be reverberating throughout the corporate responsibility field for some time to come.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Celebrate America Recycles Day by Tossing Your Carton in the Bin!

Oct 31, 2018 1:15 PM ET

America Recycles Day is the perfect time to make sure you are recycling everything you can. For example, food and beverage cartons are now accepted in many community recycling programs.

Environment

Made In The Shade: Erik Hoffner on Agroforestry

Oct 31, 2018 1:00 PM ET

Occam’s Razor is a principle that tells us that the simplest solution to a problem tends to be the correct one. Farmers around the world are abiding by this philosophy in droves by practicing agroforesty, an ancient agricultural technique that supports biodiversity while simultaneously sequestering carbon.

Environment

Improving Quality of Life by Bringing Nature Into the City

Oct 31, 2018 1:00 PM ET

A $200,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Wells Fargo will improve water quality, increase tree canopy and create local jobs in Albuquerque. The three-part project is an integral piece of The Nature Conservancy’s Urban Conservation Program designed to bring more nature into the city to improve quality of life.

Environment

BIER Executive Director Spotlight: Nick Martin

Oct 31, 2018 1:00 PM ET

Twice a month the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) highlights their members' beverage industry sustainability insights and ideas in their BIER Member Spotlight series. These spotlights include their answers to questions about their company's sustainability achievements and strategy, practical insights from BIER, interesting facts, and more.

Diversity & Inclusion

Merck Commits to Disability Inclusion, Joining ILO Global Business and Disability Network

Oct 31, 2018 12:30 PM ET

We are honored to join the ILO Global Business and Disability Network. Ensuring Merck is a place where everyone of all abilities can thrive and develop is a top priority for us. We’re proud to join this wonderful organization.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

2018 Youth Homelessness Summit | Faces of Collaboration: Kathi, Michele and Alex

Oct 31, 2018 12:20 PM ET

The Las Vegas community joins together on November 2 at the 2nd Annual Youth Homelessness Summit in Las Vegas. Below are three stories from this collaboration between Las Vegas Sands and the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth.

Environment

EHS Director’s Cut: 7 Side-Splitting Slip, Trip, & Fall Videos to Inspire a Culture of Safety

Oct 31, 2018 12:10 PM ET

Antea Group shows you 7 videos to keep your employees laughing and learning EHS lessons at the same time.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Comcast NBCUniversal Supports Hurricane Michael Relief Efforts in Florida

Oct 31, 2018 12:00 PM ET

In the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, which devastated parts of the Florida Panhandle and surrounding areas, Comcast NBCUniversal has committed to provide $700,000 to support relief efforts, including cash and in-kind contributions.

Education

Burps, Sharks, Your Insides and Other Scientific Matters

Oct 31, 2018 11:25 AM ET

AAAS members including three AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellows (STPF) spent a fall day at a DC middle school sharing their experiences to help spur interest in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) careers.

Innovation & Technology

Curiosity Cube Helps Stoke Lowell Students' Excitement for Science

Oct 31, 2018 11:20 AM ET

Students at Moody Elementary School pressed virtual reality goggles up to their faces Wednesday afternoon outside the Curiosity Cube, a traveling science lab inside a shipping container.

Diversity & Inclusion

PNC: How the Women Presidents’ Organization Empowers Female Entrepreneurs

Oct 31, 2018 11:20 AM ET

Women own 36 percent of the privately-owned companies in the United States -- nearly 8.4 million businesses. Collectively, they generate $2.5 trillion in annual sales and have created more than 8 million jobs.[1] Over the past 20 years, the number of women-owned businesses has grown at almost four times the rate of men-owned firms.[2]