Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Responsible Production & Consumption

Healthy Soil 101: Why Soil Health Matters and How the Food Sector Can Help

Jan 16, 2019 8:00 AM ET

Most of us don’t think too closely about dirt, but perhaps we should. After all, it’s the foundation of all life on Earth.

Beyond sustaining plant life—and the rest of the food chain along with it—soil itself is very much alive. One handful of dirt contains up to 50 billion bacteria and hundreds of thousands of individual fungal cells. As these microorganisms move through the soil, they feast on minerals and dead organic matter and leave nutrients behind, allowing plants to grow and ecosystems to thrive.

Health & Healthcare

Sandoz Selects Three Finalists for Healthcare Access Challenge (Sandoz HACk) From Over 400 Global Entries

Jan 16, 2019 1:20 AM ET

Sandoz, a Novartis division, today announced the three finalists for the second Sandoz Healthcare Access Challenge (HACk).

The three shortlisted entrants are from Uganda, the US and the Netherlands, respectively. They propose novel ways of leveraging digital technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), mobile apps and digital therapeutics, to connect patients with caregivers, medicines and information and address local healthcare access challenges.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Webinar: “How Circular Thinking Is Transforming Sustainable E-Commerce” with UPS, Optoro and Sustainable Brands

Jan 15, 2019 5:55 PM ET

The e-commerce era has not only changed how consumers shop, but also how they return unwanted items. Once an afterthought for many retailers, providing a seamless returns experience has become top priority. Crystal Lassiter, Senior Director of Global Sustainability and Environmental Affairs at UPS, and Ann Starodaj, Senior Director of Sustainability at Optoro, will share how they’re combining global logistics expertise and the world’s leading reverse logistics platform to help retailers manage returned and excess inventory.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Elizabeth Heider, Skanska USA Chief Sustainability Officer, Appointed to International Living Future Institute Board of Directors

Jan 15, 2019 5:00 PM ET

The International Living Future Institute announced today that Beth Heider, Chief Sustainability Officer, Skanska USA, has become a member of the Board of Directors.

Environment

Out With the Old Gadgets, in With the New: How to Recycle E-waste

Jan 15, 2019 4:00 PM ET

If Santa brought you a new phone or tablet this holiday season, or you couldn’t resist the sale price on a 70-inch TV, you might be wondering what to do with your old electronics. You’re not alone. Overall, Americans get rid of 7 million tons of old electronics – or “e-waste” – each year. That adds up to about 42 pounds per person!

Research, Reports & Publications

New Report from JetBlue and The Nature Conservancy Uses AI Technology to Evaluate the Impact of Natural Resources on Tourism

Jan 15, 2019 3:45 PM ET

JetBlue, along with The Nature Conservancy, whose mission is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends, today released a new report focusing on the connection between natural resources and tourism. The report’s results revealed that the Caribbean is more dependent on tourism than any other region across the globe and highlights new data on the benefits that coral reefs provide to the travel industry and the region’s economy.

Media & Communications

Best CSR Reads of 2018

Jan 15, 2019 3:30 PM ET

Jennifer Weston-Murphy of CECP shares her annual list of must-reads in the CSR space for 2018

Responsible Production & Consumption

Tyson Foods and EDF Launch Partnership to Accelerate Sustainable Food Production

Jan 15, 2019 2:10 PM ET

Tyson Foods, Inc. and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) today announced a new partnership to develop and deploy initiatives that support Tyson’s sustainability strategy and help meet increasing consumer demand for more sustainably grown food. The partnership’s first project focuses on land stewardship and aims to pilot and scale agriculture practices on 500,000 acres of corn that reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), improve water quality and maximize farmer profitability. This effort will also help Tyson meet its land stewardship goal of working with farmers to improve environmental practices across two million acres of corn production by 2020.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Wolverhampton Businesses Reach £1M in Sales with eBay UK Retail Revival Program

Jan 15, 2019 2:00 PM ET

Just two short months ago local Wolverhampton businesses joined eBay for the first UK Retail Revival training event at the iconic Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton. Today, the 64 businesses participating in the program have reached £1M in sales on eBay, representing a 41% increase in sales for these businesses.

Events, Media & Communications

Effie Collegiate Introduces 2019 Brand Challenge by Subaru

Jan 15, 2019 1:25 PM ET

Effie United States, which recognizes marketing effectiveness, has announced that its ninth Effie Collegiate program will be in partnership with Subaru of America, Inc. Modeled after the Effie Awards, the Effie Collegiate program calls on the next generation’s brightest marketers to work on real world business challenges with a focus on creating marketing that really works. As the 2019 sponsor, Subaru will challenge college students throughout the U.S. to reinvent the experience of buying a new car to meet the expectations and lifestyles of the Millennial/Gen Z audience, many who think of buying a car as a thing of the past.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

PNC: Setting the Record Straight on Four Myths about the Workforce

Jan 15, 2019 1:25 PM ET

Over the past three decades, experts have had much to say about the changing workforce and the future of work. While trending topics vary over time, one thing is clear: talent– having the right people in the right roles at the right companies – is more important than ever.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Consumers Energy Supports Michigan Communities With First ‘Put Your Town on the Map’ Competition

Jan 15, 2019 1:05 PM ET

Consumers Energy is strengthening its commitment to rural Michigan communities by announcing a new competition to provide funding for projects that will help energize towns in the Lower Peninsula. The “Put Your Town on the Map” competition will provide a total of $15,000 to three initiatives that are designed to build a stronger sense of community. Up to 10 finalist communities will compete for the funding at the 2019 Small Town and Rural Development Conference on April 17 in Thompsonville, Mich.

Energy

LG Experience & Design Center Is 100% Powered by Renewable Energy

Jan 15, 2019 12:30 PM ET

The Experience & Design Center facility is 100-percent powered by renewable energy and carbon neutral certified, “further underscoring LG’s commitment to greener living,” according William Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics North America. LG Electronics joined MCE Clean Energy’s 100-percent-renewable “Deep Green” program, which sources power from wind and solar projects in California and supports the development of new, local renewable energy projects in the state.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Aflac Asks: How Important Are Benefits at Work?

Jan 15, 2019 12:00 PM ET

What can you learn about benefits and employee concerns through casual conversations with people on the street? Find out by watching three new videos that take a lighthearted and humorous approach to benefits realities using questions from the 2018 Aflac WorkForces Report.

Education

Major League Baseball and Discovery Education Team-Up to Add Dynamic New Baseball-Themed Content to Science Techbook to Fuel Deeper Student Engagement in Science and STEM

Jan 15, 2019 11:55 AM ET

Major League Baseball (MLB) and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital curriculum, content, and professional development for K-12 classrooms, today announced the launch of a new, multiyear partnership that brings Major League Baseball’s dynamic content into Discovery Education’s Science Techbooks. The partnership launched during a special event in the Baltimore County Public Schools’ Deep Creek Middle School, during which Nicole Sherry, Head Groundskeeper for the Baltimore Orioles, worked alongside area students as they analyzed turf samples taken from Baltimore’s Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Research, Reports & Publications

Sysco Is Starting off the Year Focused on the Big Issues

Jan 15, 2019 11:15 AM ET

Through extensive engagement with internal and external stakeholders, our materiality process identified 10 critical issues that are material to the future our business and the needs, interests, and concerns of Sysco's stakeholders.

Environment

Taking Ambition on Climate Change to the Next Level

Jan 15, 2019 10:35 AM ET

Addressing greenhouse gas emissions continues to be a top priority for Cisco. As of FY2017, our GHG emissions are down more than 40% in absolute terms since 2007 — in spite of our business growing more than 37% over that time. At the Global Climate Action Summit, Cisco joined 20 other companies as part of the Step Up Declaration, a new alliance dedicated to harnessing the power of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Environment

Interested in Setting Science-Based Targets? First, Establish Your Business Case

Jan 15, 2019 10:25 AM ET

Antea Group analyses why setting science-based targets are good for your business and how these apply and can be adapted to your organization.

Environment

Fighting Plastic Pollution From The Top

Jan 15, 2019 10:05 AM ET

The holidays are over- did you keep the environment in mind? Chances are you may be under a mountain of wrapping paper, tinsel, and a lot of plastic.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Recruiters Work From the Heart

Jan 15, 2019 10:00 AM ET

The Brydges family, of Florida, adopted Dalton and Dawson from foster care with the support of Rachel Adler, a Wendy's Wonderful Kids adoption recruiter. Rachel did all she could to find the boys their forever family. "To me, family is so important," she shared. "And to know that there are kids who don't have that and might not have the chance to have that...I thought how awesome that I get to do that work."

Education

Lockheed Martin Now Accepting Applications for $10 Million STEM Scholarship Program

Jan 15, 2019 9:40 AM ET

Lockheed Martin is now accepting applications for its new 2019 Lockheed Martin STEM Scholarship program through Tuesday, March 12, 2019.

Health & Healthcare

12 Simple Tips for Making 2019 Your Healthiest Year Yet

Jan 15, 2019 9:30 AM ET

There's no better time to kick off a wellness regimen than the new year. To help inspire you, we compiled a month-by-month guide of our top expert-backed tips for everything from combating allergies come springtime to getting better shut-eye in 2019.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Working Responsibly

Jan 15, 2019 9:20 AM ET

Diversity & Inclusion

Taking Risks Could Increase Diversity in TV, Film: 'Mandates Aren't Enough'

Jan 15, 2019 9:05 AM ET

Tony Hernandez is of the mindset that risks are the best way to implement diversity, both behind and in front of the camera. Mandates aren’t enough. “The real change is going to come in a farm system, in letting people get the [talent representation] to get the job, or taking real risks on people. Your episode might be messed up because the person’s a rookie, but, without that, we’re going to keep pulling the same 20 diverse directors,” Hernandez explains. “We all need to take a little bit of a gamble to fix the problem, and it’s not that crazy.”

Responsible Production & Consumption

Nestlé Accelerates Action to Tackle Plastic Waste

Jan 15, 2019 9:00 AM ET

Nestlé today laid out its broader vision to achieve a waste-free future and announced a series of specific actions towards meeting its April 2018 commitment to make 100% of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025, with a particular focus on avoiding plastic-waste.