Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Dell Technologies Brings THE EXPERIENCE to SXSW 2018

Mar 12, 2018 10:25 AM ET

Just as SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals, so does Dell. From powering five Academy Award-winning films for visual effects, to helping musicians push the boundaries of live electronic performance, to enabling an entrepreneur to create a renewal in wallpaper popularity and anything in between.

Research, Reports & Publications

Schneider Electric WHITEPAPER | Discover Why Helping Entrepreneurs in the Energy Field Can Contribute to Reaching a More Sustainable Development

Mar 12, 2018 10:05 AM ET

According to The United Nations University World Institute, entrepreneurship is a “resource process and state of being through and in which individuals utilize opportunities in the market by creating and growing business firms”. It can notably be key to addressing Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 8 of the UN, to ensure sustainable employment and lasting energy solutions. Thus, it needs crucial supporting actions from the International Community and local governments.

Energy

Powering a Cleaner Grid Through Green Tariffs

Mar 12, 2018 10:00 AM ET

This week, General Motors became one of the first companies in Michigan to participate in a new Consumers Energy program that will allow the company to match 100 percent of the electricity used at its Flint Metal Center and Engine Operations with wind energy generated from Cross Winds Energy Park II in Michigan.

Research, Reports & Publications

New Report Shows That Costa Rica Is Raising the Bar for Sustainability Reporting Ambitions

Mar 12, 2018 9:35 AM ET

Today, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB) in collaboration with the Business Association for Development (AED), released a case study on the sustainability reporting in Costa Rica. The report was compiled using data from The Reporting Exchange, the global resource for corporate sustainability reporting.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

VIDEO | Cisco Teams Come Together in Times of Adversity

Mar 12, 2018 9:10 AM ET

As natural disasters disrupted lives around the world in 2017, Cisco teams came together to support each other, our customers, and their communities.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Empowering West African Women Through Sustainable Agriculture

Mar 12, 2018 9:00 AM ET

General Mills knows that empowering women and girls is crucial for communities to fully flourish.

In the world’s poorest communities, women and girls typically bear the brunt of poverty. When families struggle to grow enough food to eat or earn enough money to send all their kids to school, it’s the girls who are often the last to eat and first to be kept home from school.

Diversity & Inclusion

Unlocking the Potential of Women in Global Supply Chains

Mar 12, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Global supply chains are the engine of our economy. They make it possible for teenagers in Virginia to enjoy chocolate with cocoa from Cote d’Ivoire, for fashionistas in New York to wear dresses made in Bangladesh, and for bankers in London to use cell phones made in China. Supply chains bring many of us a great deal of ease, access and flexibility. And yet, many of the women who work in these supply chains aren’t thriving.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

VSP Global and U.S. Conference of Mayors Partner on Free Vision Care Events for Third Year

Mar 12, 2018 7:00 AM ET

The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) and VSP Global are partnering for the third year. Together with VSP network doctors, the two organizations are teaming up for the third year in a row to bring access to eye care and eyewear to people who need it the most.

Diversity & Inclusion

The Evolution of International Women’s Day As Brands #PressForChange

Mar 9, 2018 7:00 PM ET

As International Women’s Day (IWD) continues to grow in momentum year over year, so too does company involvement. While in the past, many campaigns were short-lived or focused on more narrow issues like self-esteem and confidence, the conversation – and resulting programs – are shifting. Over the past year, movements like #MeToo and #TimesUp have evolved the dialogue, prompting brands to take on weightier elements of women’s rights. This year’s #PressForChange theme encouraged brands to forgo flashy campaigns and instead focus on creating programs that can make a lasting impact.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

How to Make CSR Everyone’s Responsibility

Mar 9, 2018 5:50 PM ET

Do you believe that corporate social responsibility is important to your company, but that it’s someone else’s problem?

A recent Harvard Business Review article entitled “How to Make Sustainability Every Employee’s Responsibility” posits that question (albeit substituting “sustainability” for “corporate social responsibility”) and suggests that while many companies talk about sustainability and integration, it’s much harder to get people to act individually to achieve these corporate goals.

Education

Smithfield Foods Furthers Its Support of Education in Communities Across the US

Mar 9, 2018 4:15 PM ET

During this past week, Smithfield Foods furthered its commitment to the communities in which it operates through two educational initiatives, one through employee volunteerism in Georgia as well as a cash donation in Ohio.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Keep Indian River Beautiful Creates Sanctuary for Citizens With Special Needs

Mar 9, 2018 4:00 PM ET

Keep Indian River Beautiful partnered with 25 volunteers from Key Club and Kiwanis to help create a beautiful sanctuary for The Arc, an Indian County, Florida, agency that has been improving the lives of individuals with special needs and their families for more than 40 years.

Diversity & Inclusion

Las Vegas Sands Honors International Women's Day: Sands Bethlehem

Mar 9, 2018 3:15 PM ET

In honor of International Women’s Day, Las Vegas Sands has chosen to highlight female Team Members in all of the regions in which we operate that have initiated change in their communities and the workplace. Here we recognize Myrna Fields and Penny Ditri of Sands Bethlehem.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Retailers Nationwide Ask Consumers to Save and Improve Lives During Annual #MDAShamrocks Campaign

Mar 9, 2018 3:05 PM ET

More than 20,000 retailers nationwide have rallied together to raise funds to help the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) improve the lives of kids and adults with muscular dystrophy, ALS and related life-threatening diseases that severely weaken muscle strength and mobility by participating in the 36th annual MDA Shamrocks program — the nation's largest St. Patrick's Day fundraising program of its kind.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Women's Empowerment Infographic

Mar 9, 2018 3:05 PM ET

PYXERA Global facilitates Global Pro Bono programs that empower women with tools and resources so they can overcome barriers and participate fully in society. Women’s empowerment is a process that seeks to bridge the inequalities between men and women—strengthening women’s ability to make choices about their own lives.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Lund's Seafood Scallops Earn Fair Trade Certified™ Recognition

Mar 9, 2018 3:00 PM ET

Lund’s Fisheries is pleased to announce that starting next week at Seafood Expo North America in Boston, the firm will offer Fair Trade CertifiedTM scallops to its customers. The independent certification group Fair Trade USA has granted Lund’s provisional approval to sell scallops using its Fair Trade label. The Atlantic sea scallop fishery is the first in the United States to be Fair Trade Certified, and Lund’s is the fourth seller to offer Fair Trade Certified scallops. Lund’s was audited by independent third party certifier SCS Global Services earlier this year, and is currently working to complete the process and earn final certification.

Diversity & Inclusion

20th Century Fox Partners With GLSEN to Create LGBTQ School Discussion Guides Based on the New Film “Love, Simon”

Mar 9, 2018 3:00 PM ET

In an effort to combat the discrimination and exclusion that so many young people in the LGBTQ community encounter during their high school years, 20th Century Fox Film has announced a partnership with GLSEN to create two new resources for educators and students to discuss sexual identity, coming out, and harassment. The discussion guide and lesson plan are based on the studio’s new film Love, Simon, a heartfelt coming-of-age story about 17-year-old Simon Spier coming out to his family and friends. The movie arrives in theaters in the U.S. on March 16, and the school resources will be available for free download at GLSEN.org.

Research, Reports & Publications

WATCH: David Lear, Vice President of Sustainability at Dell

Mar 9, 2018 2:30 PM ET

David Lear, vice president of sustainability at Dell Inc., shares his insights on how on how supplier engagement can drive product and sustainability innovation.

TURNING POINT: Corporate Progress on the Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability is a new assessment released by Ceres that examines how more than 600 of the largest publicly traded companies in the U.S. are responding to urgent calls to act on climate change and other sustainability threats, such as water pollution and scarcity, and human rights abuses, and positioning themselves for success in a world shaped by these unprecedented environmental and social challenges.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Pressing for Progress

Mar 9, 2018 1:00 PM ET

Individually, we may be single drops of water; together, we’re an ocean. International Women’s Day (IWD) is observed each year on March 8th to celebrate the economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and to bring attention to persistent inequality and the barriers to gender parity. The day, which has evolved into a global movement not affiliated with any particular organization or sector, emphasizes a call to action for accelerating change.

Health & Healthcare

National Nutrition Month: Turning Wasted Calories Into Working Calories

Mar 9, 2018 12:30 PM ET

March is National Nutrition Month®, an annual campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound habits related to eating and physical activity. This year’s theme is “Go Further with Food” and it has a dual focus, encouraging healthy eating habits, while also urging Americans to find ways to eliminate food waste. The campaign aims to connect the dots between the health benefits of meal and snack planning with the resulting implications related to food waste.

Research, Reports & Publications

Supporting Employees in Enacting Sustainable Change: Research from Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability and Temple University

Mar 9, 2018 12:00 PM ET

Think interns aren’t like other types of employees? Think again. Since 2008, 840 graduate students have spent a summer working on corporate environmental and sustainability projects as fellows in the EDF Climate Corps program run by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), an American NGO.

Social Impact & Volunteering

10 Years Later: The Evolution of Corporate Pro Bono and Our Opportunities for the Future

Mar 9, 2018 11:30 AM ET

The Taproot Foundation's Advisory Services team works closely with companies to help them develop strategies to engage their talent in pro bono service. Our advisory practice was founded 10 years ago by Lindsay Firestone Gruber, Taproot’s Chief Program Officer, who saw the potential for companies to be more strategic about how they engage their people to help nonprofits succeed. Back in 2008, corporate pro bono was largely nascent outside of law firms and professional services companies. A decade later, the landscape of corporate pro bono is thriving. Kim Gillman, National Director of Advisory Services, sat down with Lindsay to reflect on the decade and to explore what’s next for the field.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

SWANA Announces 2018 Technical Division Award Winners

Mar 9, 2018 11:00 AM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Bristol-Myers Squibb Expands Parental Leave and Caregiver Benefits

Mar 9, 2018 10:30 AM ET

Employees at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) work passionately to advance science for patients with serious diseases, and now its U.S. employees are being given expanded paid time off for critical life events including caregiving for seriously ill family members and the care of newborn, foster or adoptive children. The new, generous, inclusive family-friendly benefits launched this year are part of the company’s commitment to meeting the needs of its diverse workforce through an innovative, market-leading approach.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

GRI Podcast March Edition: Why Should Investors Care About Sustainability Data?

Mar 9, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Investors don't always get the sustainability data they need from companies for effective decision-making. In the latest GRI podcast, this question was posed to Amanda Feldman from the Impact Management Project, who told us how corporate reporting should change so that even more investors could use this information. Listen to the full episode here.