Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

One Year of the GRI Standards: in Numbers

Oct 30, 2017 12:00 PM ET

​Launched in October 2016, the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards are the world's first global standards for disclosing ESG performance. The GRI Standards replace the G4 Guidelines, which will be phased out by 30 June 2018. Here's a recap of what has happened since the launch last year.

Innovation & Technology

Systemic Investments in Equity, Talent & Tech – Towards an Equity Lens

Oct 30, 2017 11:35 AM ET

Developing a robust and diverse technical workforce in the United States remains a critical national challenge. Addressing equity directly is a requirement for meeting that challenge. Federal guidelines established under the last administration have made the goal clear. In response, U.S. educational institutions, corporations and philanthropic organizations have targeted efforts to address this issue that sits squarely at the intersection of industry needs and social justice.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Carlsberg Group Wins Award for Reporting on UN Sustainable Development Goals

Oct 30, 2017 11:30 AM ET

The Carlsberg Group has been awarded for the communication and integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) in its 2016 Sustainability Report, at the Danish CSR Rapporteringsprisen 2017.

The judging panel praised the clear connection between Carlsberg's sustainability programme and selected SDG’s for which it can effectively contribute towards, alongside the steps that will be taken to impact them.

Environment

Sustainable Solutions for Organics

Oct 30, 2017 11:20 AM ET

Organics are a fast growing part of an evolving waste stream and represent nearly 30% of what Americans discard daily. According to the EPA, food waste is the second largest category of municipal solid waste sent to the nation’s landfills. At Republic Services, we are working with some of our nation’s most iconic hotels, resorts and theme parks, and forward-thinking municipalities, on sustainable solutions for their organics needs.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Smithfield Foods Donates 80,000 Pounds of Protein to The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and to The North Texas Food Bank

Oct 30, 2017 11:15 AM ET

Smithfield Foods joined forces with Homeland Stores and with WinCo Foods part of their Helping Hungry Homes® initiative

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Unreported World: Embarrassed Fraud Victims Sweep a Third of Scams Under the Carpet

Oct 30, 2017 11:15 AM ET

Health & Healthcare

Hormel Foods Inspires Cancer Awareness

Oct 30, 2017 11:00 AM ET

At Hormel Foods, we’re proud of all of our work supporting cancer research and promoting cancer nutrition. Through The Hormel Foundation and The Hormel Institute, we are working every day to help move forward cancer research, education and awareness.

This year during Breast Cancer Awareness month, more than 275 Hormel Foods and The Hormel Institute employees gathered to raise awareness and show their unified support for cancer survivors, patients battling cancer, and all of those working to find cause and cure.

We’ve joined together to create our own Hormel Foods cancer awareness “living ribbon.” Our pink ribbon outlined by lavender signifies the fight for all cancers with a special dedication to our Hormel Foods team members and families who are living with breast cancer.

Green Infrastructure

Why So Few Buildings are Smart

Oct 30, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Today’s take-up of smart buildings technology is slower than anticipated. The expectation about the size of the smart buildings opportunity in the marketplace is not reflecting the actual activity. Very few retrofit projects are materialising, and on new construction sites, only 30% of the C-Suite believe they got what they were promised when implementing building technology solutions. This is mostly attributable to poor planning, the wrong focus, and the wrong partners or technology solutions.

Diversity & Inclusion

Wells Fargo Volunteer George Baskerville Brings Baseball to Kids With Disabilities

Oct 30, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Wells Fargo volunteer George Baskerville works with The Miracle® League of Richmond to bring baseball to kids with disabilities.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

In Keney Park, a 'Mobile Kitchen' Prepares to Roll Into Food Deserts

Oct 30, 2017 10:15 AM ET

Herb Virgo’s vision arrived on four wheels, painted a yellow as bright as the future he hopes it’ll bring to the North End.

A decommissioned school bus, a relic from the Springfield school district, sits behind the greenhouse operated by the Keney Park Sustainability Project, which Virgo directs. By Thanksgiving, the bus’ transformation will be complete, creating a mobile teaching kitchen, a roving oasis to bring relief to the food deserts of Hartford’s poorest neighborhoods.

Education

This Open Learning Platform Could Improve Education for 264 Million Children Around the World

Oct 30, 2017 10:05 AM ET

HP believes that education is a human right. That's why HP is working with other companies, nonprofit organizations, and governments to create technology solutions that can connect individuals to educational opportunities wherever they live.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Playing Our Part -- Tetra Pak Supports School Feeding in Bolivia

Oct 30, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Our years of school feeding experience is helping to improve nutrition and, in turn, the educational outcomes, for school children in Bolivia.

Events, Media & Communications

National Geographic Photographer Annie Griffiths Addresses BSR Conference 2017

Oct 30, 2017 10:00 AM ET

National Geographic Photographer Annie Griffiths addressed the audience at the BSR Conference 2017 with a speech about how photography can be a powerful tool for telling stories.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Benevity Data Shows 2016 Election Cycle Kicked Off Major Shift in Corporate Giving Trends

Oct 30, 2017 9:40 AM ET

Data from the Benevity client community shows a significant shift in charitable donation trends in 2016 and 2017, with human rights organizations taking top slots from long-standing leaders. Likely sparked by the current socio-political climate and by long-brewing changes in the way companies and their people look at giving back, the data points to a growing notion that today’s corporate giving landscape is at a tipping point.

Research, Reports & Publications

Schneider Electric | WHITE PAPER: Almost 25% of Global GHG Emissions Will Soon Be Regulated by Government Carbon Pricing

Oct 30, 2017 9:25 AM ET

What are SBTs? Put simply, Science-based Targets specifies how much and how quickly companies need to reduce GHG emissions in order to avoid a 2°C global temperature increase. SBTs provide a clear pathway for a company to achieve future business growth while remaining below the 2°C limit. More than 300 companies have committed to setting SBTs under the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) and over 70 companies have approved SBTs.

Environment

Advancing the Circular Economy through Shared Value

Oct 30, 2017 9:15 AM ET

The need and the opportunity to transition to a circular economy—an economic model that is restorative and regenerative by design—have become clear to many industries over the last 5 years.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Atlas Copco Wins Award for Peruvian Flood Rescue Efforts

Oct 30, 2017 9:05 AM ET

Atlas Copco has been commended by the Peruvian Government for helping communities recover from the devastating floods caused by the ‘Fenómeno del Niño’ storm. The Ministry of Labour of Peru recognised Atlas Copco’s efforts in the northern city of Piura at an awards ceremony for companies that provided immediate assistance in the wake of the natural disaster. The award grants Atlas Copco the distinctive denomination of S.O.S Company in Peru.

Environment

Wesley Community Center Increases Local Impact with $150,000 Grant from Green Mountain Energy Sun Club

Oct 30, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Wesley Community Center is increasing its capacity to support more Houstonians with the help of a sustainability grant from the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club. The Sun Club selected Wesley to receive $150,000 for solar power, energy efficiency upgrades and resource conservation for its community center and food pantry facilities. Expected energy savings made possible by the sustainability improvements will have the potential to help Wesley provide an additional 6,000 meals each year.

Environment

Nat Geo Photo Ark EDGE Fellowships Will Train Conservationists to Protect Animal Species at Risk of Extinction

Oct 30, 2017 8:45 AM ET

The National Geographic Society and the Zoological Society of London have launched a new wildlife conservation program to protect lesser-known animal species at risk of extinction. The Nat Geo Photo Ark EDGE Fellowships will support on-the-ground efforts to save some of the creatures featured in the National Geographic Photo Ark, Joel Sartore’s ongoing project to photograph every animal species in human care. Fellows will train with National Geographic and ZSL on essential conservation skills, as well as storytelling strategies that will help raise awareness of the global extinction crisis.

Innovation & Technology

Leading With Science: Tetra Tech’s Women Innovators Solve Complex Challenges

Oct 30, 2017 6:00 AM ET

As part of our Leading with Science® campaign, we asked women from across Tetra Tech to define what it means to lead with science.

Events, Media & Communications

Sustainable Brands Allures Global Brand Leaders to Copenhagen Conference

Oct 30, 2017 5:00 AM ET

Sustainable Brands® kicks off its pan-European conference SB’17 Copenhagen today at the Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark. Over 350 business executives from 25+ countries are convening today to continue the conversation on Redefining the Good Life, or how business can meet evolving consumer demands and continue to deliver value for their customers.

Responsible Production & Consumption

SC Johnson Leading Discussion on Transparency and Earning Consumer Trust

Oct 30, 2017 12:00 AM ET

As consumers continue to lose trust in business*, companies are being held to higher standards for disclosing the ingredients in their products. Building on its legacy and leadership in ingredient transparency, SC Johnson will come together with a panel of experts from Harvard University, GlobeScan, Marks and Spencer plc and Edie.net for an interactive discussion on the opportunities and challenges for transparency and how it affects consumer trust.

Innovation & Technology

Vodafone Asks Customers to Become Cancer Researchers

Oct 27, 2017 6:30 PM ET

As consumers spend more time on their phones, many organizations have begun brainstorming ways to engage them to do good on these compact, yet powerful machines. UNICEF tapped into the “always connected” stigma and created the wildly successful Tap Project app, which garnered over 2.6 million users and raised $1.6 million for kids in need of safe drinking water. More recently, one brand has come up with an even simpler ask in order to harness the power of smartphones and conscious consumers to support a cause.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

AEG’s StubHub Center Welcomes 3,000 Children and Families for 11th Annual Treats-n-Suites Halloween Bash

Oct 27, 2017 6:15 PM ET

AEG’s StubHub Center Foundation and the LA Galaxy Foundation hosted the 11th annual Treats-n-Suites Halloween Bash last week at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. The sold-out event welcomed 3,000 guests, including children ages 2-11 and their families, for a series of Halloween-themed activities including trick-or-treating, arts and crafts, a costume parade and contest, hay rides, face painting, as well as the Wildlife Learning Center's Wildlife Safari Meet and Greet with a series of wild and exotic animals.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

October is #SubaruLovesPets Month

Oct 27, 2017 6:00 PM ET

October is #SubaruLovesPets Month, and to celebrate Subaru retailers are partnering with animal organizations in their communities to collect and donate pet supplies. Basic pet supplies help keep shelter animals happy and healthy, increasing their chances of finding a safe and loving home.