Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Environment

Burbank Plum: Named After a Genius

Aug 16, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Luther Burbank is undoubtedly one of the most successful plant breeders the world has ever known. Through his keen eye and genius for selective breeding, Burbank created and introduced more than 200 new varieties of fruits and nuts and hundreds of decorative flowers.

Diversity & Inclusion

Military Veterans Worth £1.5BN to UK Economy

Aug 16, 2017 8:45 AM ET

More than one in five (22%) armed forces leavers face employment challenges, resulting in a potential loss of £1.5bn to the economy. Barclays is calling on other employers to recognise the value that veterans can bring to the UK workforce, publishing new research that highlights how ex-military employees could help to plug UK skills shortage, by filling one in six predicted vacancies.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Highmark Health Uses Website to Match Employees to Community Service

Aug 16, 2017 7:00 AM ET

This year, insurance company Highmark Health subscribed to VolunteerMatch so its employees could more easily find projects that need their help and that fit their personal interests. VolunteerMatch also tracks service hours.

Since the site opened to workers in February, 2,300 of Highmark Health’s 40,000 employees have registered and logged 7,800 volunteer hours, said Judy Windom, who manages the company’s VolunteerMatch platform.

Diversity & Inclusion

How Employers and Employees Can Constructively Fight Against Hate and Teach Tolerance

Aug 15, 2017 6:15 PM ET

Innovation & Technology

The Aircraft Recycling Solutions Taking Flight

Aug 15, 2017 5:55 PM ET

Innovation & Technology

Infographic: Explore Sappi North America's Innovative Casting and Release Business

Aug 15, 2017 5:30 PM ET

Release paper imparts both texture and gloss during the fabrication process and is then removed to reveal the textured surface. The resulting materials are incorporated into a wide variety of items, including furniture, shoes, handbags, apparel, automobile interiors, cabinets, countertops and much more!

Social Impact & Volunteering

Corporate Activism Addresses Climate Change, Immigration Reform, LGBTQ Rights

Aug 15, 2017 4:00 PM ET

​With 50 Fortune 500 companies and more than 400 small businesses voicing opposition to a proposed Texas bathroom law, the phenomenon of brands taking stands shows no sign of abating.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

KFC Takes Children's Hospice Under Its Wing with Staggering Donation

Aug 15, 2017 2:45 PM ET

KFC’s Add Hope Foundation raised £95,638 for the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice through schemes run across 144 London branches.

Innovation & Technology

4 Million Low-Income Americans Have Crossed the Digital Divide Through Internet Essentials

Aug 15, 2017 2:15 PM ET

Today, Comcast Corporation announced that its acclaimed Internet Essentials program, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive high-speed Internet adoption program, has now connected more than four million low-income Americans, in one million households, to high-speed Internet service at home. The State of Florida is second to California with the most connected households in the country, having connected more than 120,000 low-income households benefitting nearly 500,000 Floridians.

Events, Media & Communications

Allie Kelly and Harriet Langford of The Ray to Speak at VERGE 17

Aug 15, 2017 2:00 PM ET

Allie Kelly, executive director of The Ray, and Harriet Langford, president of The Ray will speak in a VERGE Talk on 9/19. Can One Highway Drive the Future?

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Wayfair and Habitat for Humanity Renew Global Partnership

Aug 15, 2017 1:45 PM ET

Wayfair, provider of home furnishings and décor, and Habitat for Humanity today announced the renewal of their global partnership to help build and rehabilitate safe and affordable homes. Wayfair has contributed more than $1 million to Habitat for Humanity as it celebrates five years of partnership. Wayfair will continue to provide fundraising, product donations and volunteer mobilization to help families build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Timberland Marks 25 Years of Path of Service™ Employee Volunteer Program with a Season of Service Celebrated Around the World

Aug 15, 2017 1:30 PM ET

Outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland celebrates the 25th anniversary of its award-winning Path of Service™ program by kicking off a season of volunteer events around the globe. The events will reinforce the brand’s commitment to be Earthkeepers by working to protect and restore the outdoors and support the communities where it does business. To mark this milestone, the brand will lead various service initiatives throughout August, September and October, including its annual Serv-a-palooza and Urban Greening events, while also encouraging consumers to find volunteer opportunities in their own communities through VolunteerMatch.org.

Health & Healthcare

WASH Your Hands: How a Simple Well Helps Create a Strong and Healthy Community

Aug 15, 2017 11:25 AM ET

Clean water is one of the few things in life that never fails to live up to expectations. It is difficult to overstate the importance of having it. Really difficult. In fact, it’s probably impossible. Clean water changes almost everything.

Environment

Dock Space Guidance for Hospitals

Aug 15, 2017 11:20 AM ET

HPRC has developed a complete toolkit of loading dock space guidance, from mapping material workflow to the 5S workplace organization method.

Environment

Ecocentricity Blog: Charlottesville

Aug 15, 2017 11:00 AM ET

This is an environmental blog, so I admit that I’m not fully comfortable writing this post. That said, I simply can’t write about anything other than Charlottesville today. It’s occupying too much of my mind and my heart.

Education

Scotiabank & the FC Barcelona Foundation: Kick-Starting Youth, How FútbolNet Soccer Camps Teach Tools for Success

Aug 15, 2017 10:55 AM ET

In an open field in Lima, Peru, beside a tall hill lined with buildings, victory has just slipped out of reach for the young soccer player.

His goals hadn’t counted. He’d broken the rule of passing to two teammates before scoring. In this game of futbol (as the game is known in Spanish), winning is more about how you play than who gets the most goals.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Simon Says Give, So Betty Gives Cake

Aug 15, 2017 10:25 AM ET

When it comes to kids throwing birthday parties for kids in need, Simon Says Give takes the cake.

Sustainable Development Goals

Port of Rotterdam Joins WBCSD

Aug 15, 2017 10:15 AM ET

The Port of Rotterdam Authority today joins almost 200 forward-thinking companies as the newest member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Port of Rotterdam is Europe’s largest port, one of the world’s busiest and the first to join WBCSD. Last year, the port processed over 460 million tonnes of products from almost 130,000 ships.

Health & Healthcare

WELL Story: Fitness at MNP Tower

Aug 15, 2017 10:15 AM ET

Walking past the Vancouver waterfront, you may notice a striking building. This past year, MNP Tower achieved both LEED and WELL certification at the gold level. To achieve certification, the building owner, Oxford properties, has implemented an array of innovative strategies to help improve the health and wellness of people who work at and visit MNP Tower. What we find particularly unique about MNP Tower is how the building embraces WELL’s Fitness concept.

Environment

More Corporate Sustainability Fluff

Aug 15, 2017 10:15 AM ET

While some jaded readers may view claims about sustaining communities as a bunch of corporate fluff, in Domtar’s case it is. Literally.

Health & Healthcare

New Workplace Design Trends Promote Well-Being, Collaboration and Flexibility

Aug 15, 2017 10:15 AM ET

In a quest to create healthier office environments, more employers have embraced the scientific research behind modern office design. There’s even a high-tech facility called the Well Living Lab, a collaboration between the Mayo Clinic and Delos, that hosts studies on “how the indoor environment influences health, well-being and performance, from stress to sleep quality, physical fitness to productivity.”

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

VIDEO | #CITCares Month 2017

Aug 15, 2017 10:15 AM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

PepsiCo’s Food for Good Program Drives Company Innovation

Aug 15, 2017 10:00 AM ET

How the purpose-driving business initiative has helped achieve company goals.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Infographic: Subaru's 50 Cars for 50 Years

Aug 15, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Subaru has supported Meals on Wheels for the last nine years through Share the Love, contributing more than $12 million to Meals on Wheels America and providing more than 1.7 million nutritious meals, friendly visits, and safety checks to seniors in communities nationwide. Subaru announced the donation to its 630-strong retailer body at the company’s National Business Conference in Denver, CO. This was particularly appropriate as Subaru retailers participate in the company’s annual Share the Love event and donate to causes in their local community. The company’s ‘50 Cars for 50 Years’ vehicle donation will enable Meals on Wheels programs to deliver more nutritious meals and moments of companionship, expanding its reach to seniors in need.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Viacom Again Lands on Indeed.com’s List of Best Fortune 500 Companies to Work For

Aug 15, 2017 9:45 AM ET

Indeed, a strong community conscience has always been vital to Viacom’s self-image, and many employees praised the many volunteer opportunities, an inclusive culture that values diversity, and the unexpected benefits that transcend the typical menu of health insurance policies, such as adoption assistance.