News from Leading Brands

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

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Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Smithfield Foods Donates More Than 38,000 Pounds of Protein to The Food Bank of Iowa

Today, Smithfield Foods, Inc. and Hy-Vee, Inc. joined forces to donate more than 38,000 pounds of protein to the Food Bank of Iowa. Smithfield’s contribution was part of the company’s 2018 Helping Hungry Homes® donation tour. Now in the program’s 10th year, Helping Hungry Homes® is Smithfield’s signature hunger-relief initiative focused on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure. The donation, equivalent to more than 152,000 servings, will help families fight hunger across Iowa.

Innovation & Technology

Busting 5 Myths About Electric Vehicles

With gas prices rising, is there an electric vehicle (EV) in your future? A survey released in May by the American Automobile Association found that 20 percent of Americans said an EV would be the next car they buy. That’s up 5 percent from 2017.

Sustainable Development Goals

Business and Investors “Crucial” to Delivering 2030 Agenda at the Country-Level

Creative approaches to advance the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are being jointly developed at the national level by multi-stakeholder partners.

Sustainable Development Goals

Carnival Corporation Releases 2017 Sustainability Report, Meets Goal to Reduce Carbon Footprint Ahead of Schedule

Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world’s largest leisure travel company, today released its eighth annual sustainability report, announcing that in 2017 the company achieved its 25 percent carbon reduction goal three years ahead of schedule and is on track with its nine other 2020 sustainability goals. The full 2017 report, “Sustainability from Ship to Shore,” was developed in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative format and is available online at www.CarnivalSustainability.com.

Environment

Recycling at ‘Risk’: China’s New Rules Put Programs in U.S. In Jeopardy

SEATTLE -- Companies that collect your bottles and boxes say recycling programs as we know it are at risk. It’s because of the so-called ‘China Sword,’ the country’s ban on several types of recyclables. The ‘sword’ has paper and plastic piling up across the country, including Washington state.

Education

FFA Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders

When Leslie Turner was growing up on a cattle farm in Kansas, getting up at 5:30 a.m. to do her chores, she turned to one of the largest youth leadership organizations in the world to give her a valuable experience that would help shape her life and career.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Engaging Employees for Impact: Global Health Corporate Champions Improve Capacity for Public Health in Senegal

For the third year in a row, The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) will send top professionals into the field as Global Health Corporate Champions (GHCC), to work with local organizations to improve health in Africa. The highly skilled professionals, which include a physician, attorney, country manager, manufacturing manager, and supply chain director, will serve as pro bono consultants to two key public health organizations in Dakar, Senegal.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

VIDEO | See How CIT Employees Volunteered in Their Communities Across the Country

During CIT Cares Month, more than 250 community projects were completed by 1,900 CIT volunteers over 7,300 hours across 18 locations to make a difference. These efforts included packing & delivering over 130,000 lbs of food, planting 1,300 lbs of vegetables, and cleaning parks and beaches across the country.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

VIDEO: Timberland Shares Efforts to Reintroduce Cotton Farming to Haiti

Education

AEG and BET Host Sixth Annual BET Experience Youth Program

Since the inception of BET Experience at L.A. LIVE in 2012, AEG, the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company and BET Networks have provided more than 300 students throughout the greater Los Angeles area with an in-depth look at the entertainment industry and behind-the-scenes access to the BET Experience at L.A. LIVE and the BET Awards through the BET Experience Youth Program.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Connecting the Orphans of Jhamtse Gatsal to the World

National Geographic's Mike Libecki challenged the Dell team to become part of the journey to open a technology lab for an orphanage in a very remote area of Anruchal Pradesh, Eastern India.

Social Impact & Volunteering

What to Know About the Next Generation of Activists

At 19 years old, Ziad Ahmed has become one of the young voices in a growing movement around creating social change. In describing his peers—Generation Z as they’re labeled—he says they have one goal in mind: Change.

Ahmed, the founder of the organization Redefy and the Gen Z consulting firm, JÜV Consulting, joined fellow activists on the “The Power of Youth to Create Change” panel at Vidcon on June 24. The panel was part of Viacom’s launch of its global initiative, Generation Change, which elevates and empowers young people driving change.

Education

Everyone Can Be the Legacy – Celebrating Mandela Day

While attending school at MIT, I was shocked that only 5% of schools in Africa teach ICT, increasing just slightly to 10-12% at affluent primary schools. Nearly all high schoolers never had a chance to learn basic programs such as Microsoft Word. At the same time parts of Africa were becoming hotbeds for technology. For example, many would be surprised to know that Elon Musk was educated in South Africa.

Environment

Are Data Centers Facing a Literal Watershed Moment?

Antea Group’s blog discusses the literal ‘watershed moment’ for data centers to rise to the challenge of achieving water sustainability & security.

Education

Curiosity Cube Teaches Kids About STEM

A Laramie company has created a mobile science lab out of an old shipping container.

Sustainable Development Goals

VIDEO | Barclays Citizenship Awards: Sumita Patnaik Teaches the Value of Education

In 2001, Sumita Patnaik, along with her cousin, started Twinkle Academy, a school in the rural village of Kalan, India. The school has grown from three children to 170 in this time, with the first class of seniors soon to graduate.

Sustainable Development Goals

Community Engagement Q&A with Brent Bergeron, EVP, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability

In our 2017 Sustainability Report, we demonstrate how our unwavering commitment to safe, responsible and sustainable mining underpins every facet of our business. From our initial community outreach before a mine is built to our meticulous reclamation and rehabilitation practices post-closure, we strive to build lasting, mutually-beneficial relationships, drive innovation, improve safety performance and minimize our environmental footprint. Brent Bergeron, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, reflects on 2017’s developments and initiatives, and how we are generating enduring value for and with local communities.

Environment

The Global Clean Water Crisis -- PepsiCo Expands Its Safe Water Program

People want to drink clean water even more than they want to breath clean air. So it’s a good thing that almost 3 billion people have gained access to clean water over the last 25 years. But current water use, population growth and the effects of climate change have caused two-thirds of the global population – about 4 billion people – to live under conditions of severe water scarcity at least one month of the year. Some of this scarcity has led to violence and conflict, especially in Africa, Southern Asia and the Middle East.

Environment

Earth Overshoot Day: Save the Date to Save the Planet

Humanity is currently using nature 1.7 times faster than our planet’s ecosystems can regenerate. On August 1, humanity will have used nature’s resource budget for the entire year, according to Global Footprint Network, an international research organization that has pioneered the Ecological Footprint resource accounting metric. Since the world went into ecological overshoot in the 1970s, D-day of August 1 this year will be the earliest.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

How Cocoa and Honeybees Are Helping Latin American Farmers Thrive

Many Latin American agricultural businesses don’t survive long term. But it isn’t because they’re fighting against Mother Nature or bad crops or not enough hard-working laborers. It usually boils down to a lack of financial training and little access to credit.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Successes of Starbucks' Responsible Sourcing Program for Coffee

International NGO Conservation International’s new progress report on Starbuck’s C.A.F.E. Practices program for responsibly sourced coffee provides an in-depth look at the positive impact one company is having on land conservation and human dignity.

Events, Media & Communications

Global Climate Action Summit Update—Will We See You There?

We hope you join us in San Francisco this September, as our collective efforts must lead to a turning point by 2020 in order to prevent the worst effects of climate change.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Caring Is at the Heart of Hallmark Culture

Hallmark earned recognition in 2017 by Forbes and Statista as one of America’s Best Employers and by Forbes and the Reputation Institute as one of the top five Most Reputable Companies in the United States.

Latest Campaigns

  1. AEG's Commitment to Social Impact and Volunteerism
    AEG embraces its responsibility to enrich the lives of people in the communities around the world where we do business, and to use business to create...
  2. Southwire Giving Back
    Our neighbors depend on us, just as we depend on them, so we are committed to improving the quality of life in the communities in which we work. At...
  3. 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...
  4. Environmental Sustainability
    As sustainability leaders, we implement our sustainability strategy across all company activities along the entire value chain, from raw materials to...
  5. Corporate Social Responsibility
    Corporate Social Responsibility
  6. International Paper | HEALTHY & ABUNDANT FORESTS
    Vision 2030 Goal: Lead forest stewardship efforts globally
  7. Sustainability Report
    Our latest Sustainability Report highlights recent accomplishments and progress toward achieving goals in the environmental, social and governance...
  8. Social Impact at Mastercard
    At Mastercard, we’re powering economies and empowering people, building a sustainable economy where everyone prospers.
  9. 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...
  10. License to Operate
    Corporate governance, risk management, operational integrity, and regulatory compliance are demanding challenges that companies face in today’s ever...
  11. 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...
  12. Leading ESG & Sustainability Stewardship
    The new CNH continues on its longstanding path of excellence in sustainability, which is recognized by the foremost authorities.
  13. 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...
  14. 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...
  15. GoDaddy | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
    Diverse teams build better products — period. At GoDaddy, we make apps and services that our worldwide community of entrepreneurs can relate to. Our...