News from Leading Brands

Keep up with the latest impact news from companies embracing the triple bottom line, shared via 3BL's publishing platform.

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Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Microfinance Helping Micro, Small and Agro-businesses Grow in Kazakhstan

KMF, a Kazakhstan-based microfinance organization, joins Business Call to Action (BCtA) with a commitment to expand access to financial products and services for 40,000 new micro-, small- and agrobusiness customers across Kazakhstan by the end of 2018. KMF also commits to ensuring at least half of its new clients will be women, and will actively engage potential clients from rural areas.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

SC Johnson South Korea Named Best Workplace for Second Year in a Row

SC Johnson South Korea today announces it has been recognized as a Best Workplace for the second consecutive year by Great Place to Work®. Out of 187 participating companies, SC Johnson South Korea is one of 33 companies named to the 2018 list of Best Workplaces in the country. The placement in this year’s rankings is attributed to high scores in the Trust Index.

Events, Media & Communications

Now Available Online: CR Magazine Brands Taking Stands Issue

Digital Version of CR Magazine’s 3BL Forum: Brands Taking Stands Edition Now Available Online!

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

CSRHub - What's Changed After Ten Years of CSR Ratings: Part Two

In 2008 CSRHub began measuring performance in corporate social responsibility (CSR). Using ten years of history, we are now starting to answer questions such as:

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Supporting the Troops in Las Vegas

Each month, the Las Vegas United Service Organizations (USO) hosts two Deployed Family Dinners for spouses and children who have a family member that is actively deployed. The USO Las Vegas helps provide a home away from home and a sense of community for more than 32,200 active duty troops, more than 4,700 National Guard personnel, Reservist, and their families based in Southern Nevada.

Sustainable Development Goals

In the Mountains of China and Ethiopia Lies a Joint Future

On 12 October 2018, a delegation of scholars and academic leaders from Ethiopia’s Mekelle University arrived at the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan Province, China.

Their visit was part of a broader effort on behalf of the Institute and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) to expand their Mountain Futures Initiative to other montane communities and research centres.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Xylem Employees Build and Install 18 Benches for Turkey Creek Nature Preserve’s Outdoor Classroom

Last Saturday, Xylem employees concluded a year-long project with a local nonprofit in Pinson, AL, where they built and installed 18 benches and created an outdoor classroom for students to learn and engage with nature. The organization—Turkey Creek Nature Preserve—provides educational programming for thousands of students each year. The programs focus on science, history, and social sciences that meet STEM and the Alabama State Department of Education College and Career-Ready Standards. With Xylem’s help, the organization now has a beautiful new classroom that will make an impact in the its ability to continue to teach kids for years to come.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Whirlpool Corporation Gives Kelley School Students at IU Experience ‘Beyond the Classroom’

Whirlpool Corporation has found an interesting way to engage with students at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University — by having them participate in a Habitat for Humanity house build on campus. The build is the ninth one that Whirlpool Corp. has sponsored at the campus.

Sustainable Development Goals

The Arbor Day Foundation and Kohler Co. Announce a New Tree Planting Partnership

The Arbor Day Foundation and Kohler Co. announced today a new tree planting partnership aimed at expanding the tree canopies of the Kettle Moraine State Forest and the City of Maywood, Wisconsin. Kohler Co. employees will kick off the partnership on November 8, 2019 with an inaugural planting of 70 trees at the Maywood Environmental Park.

Diversity & Inclusion

Encouraging Entrepreneurship in the Dominican Republic

Gildan has launched a new initiative in the Dominican Republic entitled "La Comunidad Emprende" (The Community Startup). Co -funded by the Canadian Embassy and in partnership with the Batey Relief Alliance, the program aims to empower women and young people, providing training, guidance and the encouragement to pursue their own business.

Environment

Freeport-McMoRan Foundation Provides $62,000 Grant to the Gila Watershed Partnership in Arizona

Freeport-McMoRan Foundation recently awarded the Gila Watershed Partnership in Arizona a $62,000 grant to improve and double the size of the Gila Native Plant Nursery in Safford, Arizona.

Research, Reports & Publications

Leveraging Our Scale to Make a Positive Impact Where We Live and Work

Our commitment to sustainability is integrated into every aspect of our business. Our global programs and initiatives, spread across 100+ sites in 30 countries and supported by approximately 200,000 employees, exemplify our strategy from thought into action. We leverage our scope and scale to advance the broader development of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and progress our five Sustainability Cornerstones; People, Communities, Environment, Innovation, and Integrity.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

KeyBank Finances New Development of Mixed-Use Property Serving the Homeless and Individuals with Sensory and Mobility Impairments

KeyBank Community Development Lending & Investment (CDLI) provided Cook Inlet Housing Authority (CIHA) $6.9 million in combined construction-to-permanent loan financing for the development of Elizabeth Place Apartments, along with $5.8 million in LIHTC equity. Elizabeth Place Apartments will be a mixed-use project in downtown Anchorage, AK with commercial space and 38 units of affordable housing for those earning between 50 – 60% area median income (AMI). The project will also have 12 market rate units.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

How PayPal Innovated to Engage More Employees Worldwide

The innovative change-makers in charge of PayPal's giving and volunteering program were eager to engage more employees across their global workforce. They knew their program had the potential for even more social impact, and they wanted to support their people's passions for environmental sustainability. See how they engaged more employees globally and saw tangible results in their sustainability efforts.

Research, Reports & Publications

Shining a Light on Government Support of Emerging Industries – New Research by Former Erb Postdoc Panikos Georgallis

Emerging industries depend on government support to grow, but they may be seen as threats to an incumbent industry, and they need to prove their technical feasibility and market promise. So how do emerging industries garner government support? A group of researchers led by former Erb Institute Postdoctoral Fellow Panikos Georgallis set out to demystify the conditions under which emerging industries get government support.

Environment

General Motors' eBike Crowdsourcing Campaign Seeks Ideas From Consumers

As part of General Motors’ commitment to an all-electric future, the eBike is one of the latest electrification technologies developed to give customers more freedom to move and dream beyond the traditional vehicle.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Places That Matter: Cleveland, Tennessee

Whirlpool Corp’s plant in Cleveland, TN—also the company’s newest — is the largest employer in the county, producing cooking appliances for multiple brands. See the people and places of Cleveland in this next video in the "Places that Matter" series.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Day:100

I’ve found that whenever I start a new job, the first 100 days go by quickly and it was no different stepping into the role as the leader of the Shared Value Initiative. I spent my first few months getting immersed in all things shared value, meeting with SVI members and collaborators, and talking with practitioners and thought leaders in the field to understand our challenges and opportunities. In all these encounters there was a common thread: the belief in shared value is strong.

Environment

All Creatures Great and Small: The Vanishing Vaquita

How splendid would it be if humans could somehow find a way to truly co-exist with the rest of the planet’s creatures? This week on Sea Change Radio, we focus on two people doing what they can to protect endangered species around the globe.

Innovation & Technology

LIXIL to Pilot Household Reinvented Toilets in Partnership with the Gates Foundation

LIXIL, maker of pioneering water and housing products, today announced a new partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to bring what could be the world’s first “reinvented toilet” for household use to pilot in at least two markets. LIXIL will build a team of experts in technology, design, and product development from across its global commercial organization to work jointly with a sanitation technology partner to refine and test a leading reinvented toilet prototype.

Events, Media & Communications

WEBCAST | Powering Inclusion Through Solar Handprints: An Innovative Partnership

In this one-hour pre-recorded webcast, George Bandy Jr. of Mohawk Industries and Michelle Moore of Groundswell discuss their unique partnership in aligning environmental stewardship with social equity. You’ll discover how solar energy-focused, community-building initiatives can be implemented into a corporate social responsibility framework, empowering inclusion and transformation while addressing global concerns.

Events, Media & Communications

Brands Taking Stands | What’s Next: Employees Take Stands

This week's Brands Taking Stands newsletter looks at employee activism atGoogle; FedEx ends NRA partnership; UK business leaders on Brexit; and Land O' Lakes and @Purina end support of Iowa rep Steve King.

Innovation & Technology

Pro Bono As a People Strategy in Action: Adobe

Taproot has long made the case that a strong corporate pro bono program is a triple win—nonprofits receive the support they need, companies build deeper relationships with their communities, and employees have the opportunity to apply their skills in new and meaningful ways. While there is a robust foundation of evidence supporting the claim that pro bono is a powerful social impact strategy, practitioners often struggle to articulate the business case for pro bono.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Women’s Economic Empowerment and Inclusive Business: Opportunities for Growth and Impact

In 2017, the World Economic Forum reported that the global gender gap had widened for the first time. This regression stands to hit women and girls at the Base of the Economic Pyramid (BoP) hardest, as many lack independent sources of income or decision making power for themselves and their families.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

5 Ways to Share, Collaborate, and Inspire This Giving Tuesday

#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving, a time to give back to our communities after Thanksgiving and the consumerism of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. Giving Tuesday is also a time to share, collaborate and inspire our employees, friends and co-workers to get involved. With Giving Tuesday less than a month away, here are 5 quick and easy ways to engage and excite!

Latest Campaigns

  1. Coach Foundation | Dream It Real
    To help break cycles of inequality, we empower the next generation to reach their full potential through higher education.
  2. Responsible Business
    We integrate responsible and sustainable practices in every aspect of our organization. Our products are created in ways that do not harm individuals...
  3. Subaru Love Promise: Health
    Subaru believes we all should have a chance to lead a healthy life. Through our partnership with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® (LLS), Subaru and...
  4. KeyBank: Responsible Banking
    Everyone’s financial journey is different. We make intentional efforts to meet the individual needs of clients and communities through a diverse range...
  5. KeyBank Foundation: Helping Communities Thrive through Education, Workforce Development, and Service
    KeyBank Foundation helps build thriving communities by supporting organizations and programs that foster thriving students and a thriving workforce...
  6. License to Operate
    Corporate governance, risk management, operational integrity, and regulatory compliance are demanding challenges that companies face in today’s ever...
  7. License to Operate
    Corporate governance, risk management, operational integrity, and regulatory compliance are demanding challenges that companies face in today’s ever...
  8. Sustainable Products and Innovation
    Ongoing research into innovative solutions enables CNH’s brands to manufacture products that respect the environment while satisfying customers’...
  9. Corporate Social Responsibility
    Gilead Sciences Corporate Social Responsibility
  10. Corporate Social Responsibility
    Whirlpool Corporation has several CSR partners including United Way, Habitat for Humanity International, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Consulada...
  11. People: Belonging
    We have committed to making the next ten years the best yet for Bacardi, and part of that journey includes creating a unified global community of...
  12. Diversity & Inclusion
    Kimberly-Clark: Diversity & Inclusion
  13. Enriching Women's Lives
    60 years ago, Mary Kay Ash created an unparalleled opportunity for women to define their own successes and control their own futures. Her vision of...
  14. Drive for MPC
    At Marathon Petroleum, our professional truck drivers share one common vision: no accidents, no injuries, and no harm to the environment. We’re proud...
  15. KeyBank's Community Investment
    In states where Key has a presence, there are approximately 1.7 million low- to moderate-income (LMI) households. Many LMI individuals don’t have bank...