News from Leading Brands

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

Helen Mathis seated on a couch

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement | Verizon

Entrepreneur Expands Her Thriving Tax Firm With Digital Innovation

Helen Mathis taught accounting as a vocational instructor for 30 years before facing a career-defining moment: The school where she worked closed and Mathis knew she needed a new plan

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Research, Reports & Publications

Smithfield Foods Showcases Continued Leadership and Transparency in New Sustainability Report, Launches Unique Tool for Today’s Conscious Consumer

Smithfield Foods, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of its 2018 Sustainability Report, highlighting key milestones and ongoing efforts to feed the world’s growing population in a responsible way. Smithfield’s robust sustainability program drives all aspects of its business, creating value in the following areas: animal care, environment, food safety and quality, helping communities, and people.

CyberGrants

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

3 Ways to Honor Memorial Day Through Corporate Philanthropy

Memorial Day honors the men and women who died while serving in the US military. Originating during the Civil War, Memorial Day was declared a federal holiday in 1971. While businesses across the nation are closed, giving their employees the three-day weekend start to summer, it doesn’t mean you can’t observe and incorporate this day into your total CSR strategy.

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Responsible Production & Consumption

HP and Smile Direct Club Collaborate on Largest Multi Jet Fusion 3D Production Factory in the U.S.

At Rapid 2019, North America’s largest 3D printing conference, HP Inc. and SmileDirectClub, the pioneer of teledentistry and market leader in doctor-directed, remote clear aligner therapy, announced an expanded collaboration to revolutionize the way that millions of people can achieve a straighter smile. SmileDirectClub is powering its digital differentiation and rapid manufacturing expansion of clear aligners with HP’s Jet Fusion 3D printing solutions, making it the largest producer of Multi Jet Fusion 3D printed parts in the country.

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Health & Healthcare

New Public-Private Partnership to Strengthen Primary Healthcare in Vietnam

A new public-private partnership, comprising the Vietnamese Ministry of Health, and three other founding members, i.e. World Economic Forum (WEF), Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care and Novartis could transform primary healthcare in Vietnam. As announced by the Vietnamese Ministry of Health, this innovative public-private partnership will help deliver on the Ministry of Health’s objectives the Vietnamese Ministry of Health by strengthening existing primary care demonstration projects in 30 provinces.

Events, Media & Communications

Calling All Business and Community Leaders: Join Us for a Half-Day on June 7 in Washington, D.C., to Catalyze Social Change and Chart a Course for Collective Impact

The America’s Charities Collective Impact Conference is the only event of its kind that brings together private and public sector employers and nonprofits for a rich discussion of what’s new, what’s tried and true, and what is yet to come as it relates to tackling real-world challenges via giving and engagement.

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Social Impact & Volunteering

Making a Difference by Sharing Expertise

MetLife Foundation focuses on improving the financial health of low-income people. And that can be done in many different ways, including by making a social impact in local communities. Thanks to MetLife volunteers, numerous nonprofit organizations have gained invaluable help and improved their futures – without spending a dollar.

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Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Ecolab Event Raises More Than $200,000 for National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation Scholarships

Ecolab Inc., a global leader in food safety solutions and expertise, helped raise more than $200,000 for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) during the 17th Annual Ecolab Chairman's Reception, held Sunday, May 19 in conjunction with the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago.

Research, Reports & Publications

Consumers Energy Focuses on Providing World Class Performance While Delivering Hometown Service

At Consumers Energy, we’re more than pipes, poles and wires. We’re part of Michigan’s landscape. That’s why we’ve worked proudly to maintain the Mitten for more than 130 years. As we reflect on our efforts to pursue our purpose of World Class Performance Delivering Hometown Service, we know our business is about more than profits. It’s about enabling the communities we serve to share in our success. Learn more about Consumers Energy’s commitment to the Triple Bottom Line in their 2019 Sustainability Report.

Events, Media & Communications

Ray of Hope Prize at Circularity 19

The 4th Annual Ray of Hope Prize will be awarded Tuesday, June 18th at Circularity 19 in Minneapolis, MN

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

The Future of Business Sustainability — Extending Inclusiveness to People With Disabilities

People with disabilities constitute the largest minority group, at an estimated one in six people globally, but their needs often are overlooked. Businesses and other organizations that aim to be more inclusive might opt to create an environment where these people’s needs are understood. However, it is often difficult to recognize the best way to make changes. To effectively engage people with disabilities, managers need to understand disability and how their products touch disability, and how businesses can use their position to further promote education and advocacy while also building customer and employee relationships.

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Energy

Schneider Electric Helps City of Holland Adopt 40-year Community Energy Plan

With aspirations to be a national leader in energy efficiency and sustainability, City leaders in Holland, Michigan adopted a progressive Community Energy Plan with goals to ensure economic competitiveness, provide reliable and affordable energy and protect the environment. Watch the video to learn more from Schneider Electric Project Manager Ty Miller about how the city will meet its goals.

Diversity & Inclusion

In Celebration of National Military Appreciation Month, Walmart Announces the Hiring of Nearly 6,000 Military Spouses Through the Military Spouse Career Connection and a $1 Million Grant to Hire Heroes USA From Walmart Foundation

Walmart today announced the hiring of nearly 6,000 military spouses since launching the Military Spouse Career Connection (MSCC) on Veterans Day 2018. In its sixth month, the MSCC gives hiring preference to military spouses who seek employment with Walmart or Sam’s Club.

This announcement comes at a time when more than 75 percent of our nation’s 500,000 military spouses want or need work, according to the Department of Defense Military Spouse Employment Partnership. The MSCC serves as a natural step for Walmart, as the company’s Military Family Promise, now in its ninth year, also guarantees a job at a nearby store or club for all military personnel and military spouses employed by the company who move to a different part of the country as part of their military service.

Green Infrastructure

The Next Mile Podcast: Allie Kelly of The Ray

Allie Kelly, executive director of The Ray shares information about how the The Ray is tangibly working toward reducing waste, increasing productivity, and transforming the everyday transportation experience for Americans.

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Sustainable Development Goals

United Nations Global Compact Launches Search for SDG Pioneers

The United Nations Global Compact today launched a global search for the 2019 class of SDG Pioneers — business leaders who are doing an exceptional job to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

Social Impact & Volunteering

FCA Community: Volunteers Transform Michigan Neighborhood, One House at a Time

To help end local homelessness, Grace Centers of Hope in Pontiac, Michigan, has weaved together supportive services, safe and affordable housing, and neighborhood revitalization efforts to create “Little Grace Village.” Once a blighted neighborhood, this area is now a “community of hope” thanks in part to the hundreds of FCA volunteers who have donated thousands of hours over the course of five years to transform homes for people who are trying to transform their lives.

Energy

The Business Case for Clean Power

General Mills began milling grain with water power from the Mississippi River 150 years ago. Now, the Fortune 500 company is using wind to power operations and cut its carbon footprint.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Update to Chinese Translations of GRI Standards

Additional Chinese translations of the GRI Standards, the world's most widely adopted sustainability reporting framework, are now available.

LOGO

Events, Media & Communications

Corporate Social Investment Leaders Convene to Reflect On New Era of Action and Integrity

Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP) welcomes more than 300 corporate leaders from across the U.S. and around the world to the 2019 CECP Summit: Integrity and Action: Reshaping the Role of Business. The event, held annually in NYC, brings together professionals who drive societal investment strategies at the world’s largest companies.

Environment

Timberland, Wrangler, VF Foundation Support Regenerative Ranching Research

The VF Foundation (the charitable arm of VF Corporation) and the Timberland® and Wrangler® brands today announced $150,000 in grants to researchers at seven US universities — including Arizona State University and Michigan State University — that are conducting the first comprehensive research into regenerative ranching practices.

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Environment

How One Small Business in Brazil is making a Big Impact on the Country’s Deforestation Problem

The Kitambar factory, which formerly used firewood to fire up its kilns, was indirectly involved in this trend by sourcing its wood fuel from forests that are "unmanaged," which essentially means that the biodiversity and health of these forests were not actively maintained by governmental or private parties. Previously, the factory would have used over 30,000 tons of non-renewable wood as fuel each year— mostly because it was cheap and there was little incentive to try to find cleaner fuel sources.

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Innovation & Technology

Innovation Gets in the Weeds Under Solar Panels

Solar power plants provide many benefits but at least one perpetual challenge: How do you keep grass under the panels from growing too high? Mowers with traditional blades can damage equipment. Hand-held weed-whackers are a labor-intensive solution. Even the sheep tried at one small site behaved unreliably. So why not innovate and let engineers-to-be address this question for college credit?

HP logo

Green Infrastructure

How Smart Small Businesses Can Make Sustainability Work for Them

As climate change and environmental responsibility become increasingly important drivers for consumers, businesses of all sizes are taking notice. In a recent survey, 83 percent of millennial respondents said it’s important for companies to implement programs to improve the environment, and 75 percent said they’d change their purchasing habits to reduce their own impact.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Viacom Partners with Reel Works on Annual Day of Service

In 2006, Patricia Henry was a high school senior working through a complicated mix of feelings about sex.

So when her school introduced her to a program called Reel Works—which recruits underserved teenagers and, via after-school, in-school and workforce programs, teaches them the filmmaking skills that can act as a precursor to a career in media—she found a creative outlet through which she could channel her curiosity.

Education

At the Top of Their Game: Messi, Gates & Wooten Not Only Share Great Talent, but Also Opportunity & An Environment That Allowed Their Talent to Thrive

You know it when you see it.

Lin-Manuel Miranda transforming a book into something else entirely. Messi moving up the field with a soccer ball that moves along with him. Diamond taking 13,000 years of history – and multiple disciplines – to incredibly show us how and why societies advanced in different ways at different rates.

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Innovation & Technology

Arrow Electronics and Posner Center for International Development Collaborate on Innovation in Technology Award

Arrow Electronics and The Posner Center for International Development have awarded the 2019 Arrow Innovation in Technology Award to Moving Up the Coffee Chain via Blockchain, a project that will tap technology to connect Honduran coffee farmers with roasters in the United States. A collaboration between iDE and Bext360, the project’s goal is to show how blockchain can be applied to market-based interventions in global development.

Latest Campaigns

  1. Carbon Footprint
    We are accelerating our efforts to help build a low-carbon economy and avert the worst impacts of climate change. Our goal to reduce our GHG emissions...

  2. Environmental Sustainability
    As sustainability leaders, we implement our sustainability strategy across all company activities along the entire value chain, from raw materials to...

  3. Corporate Social Responsibility
    Corporate Social Responsibility

  4. Sustainability Report
    Our latest Sustainability Report highlights recent accomplishments and progress toward achieving goals in the environmental, social and governance...

  5. Kingfisher Around the World
    The SCS Kingfisher certification mark is showing up on an increasing number of products around the world. It differentiates companies that are making...

  6. License to Operate
    Corporate governance, risk management, operational integrity, and regulatory compliance are demanding challenges that companies face in today’s ever...

  7. IWBI | WELL Building Standard
    Our built environment can shape our habits and choices, regulate our sleep-wake cycle, drive us toward healthy and unhealthy choices, and passively...

  8. Leading ESG & Sustainability Stewardship
    The new CNH continues on its longstanding path of excellence in sustainability, which is recognized by the foremost authorities.

  9. Green Mountain Energy Commitment to Sustainability
    At Green Mountain Energy Company, we share our customers’ commitment to the environment and sustainability. We are inspired by the success that we...

  10. 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...

  11. SustainabilityHQ.com Weekly Highlights
    Highlighting the top news, commentary, and research for the week coming from SHQ. The highlights newsletter also spotlights one profiled organization...

  12. Responsible Investing
    Responsible Investing

  13. FedEx | Awards & Recognition
    We are consistently ranked among the world’s most admired brands and employers. Read more about honors and recognition for FedEx’s ongoing effort to...

  14. FedEx | Delivering for Good
    Doing what we do best for those who need it most. When disaster strikes, and there’s not a moment to lose, our people mobilize the FedEx global fleet...

  15. Growth Through Sustainability
    Trane Technologies is a global climate innovator with a clear purpose to boldly challenge what’s possible for a sustainable world. See how embedding...