Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Environment

Dow Discovers the Value of a Swamp

Oct 28, 2015 1:20 PM ET

What if that swamp could naturally convert waste water from a nearby manufacturing site at a cost far cheaper than building and maintaining a water treatment plant? Suddenly, the interests of the accountant, the environmentalist, the politician, and the corporate engineer coalesce around the same goal: protecting the wetland.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Mars Food Partners with the Sustainable Rice Platform

Oct 28, 2015 12:30 PM ET

Mars Food, in partnership with the Sustainable Rice Platform, (SRP), a global alliance of agricultural research institutions, agri-food businesses, public sector and civil society organizations convened by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), today announced the first global standard for sustainable rice at the 5th Annual Plenary Meeting and Assembly here.

Innovation & Technology

How Mobile Money Drives Economic Growth

Oct 28, 2015 12:00 PM ET

Education

New NAEM Research Identifies Five EHS Career Stages

Oct 28, 2015 12:00 PM ET

The National Association for Environmental Management will be releasing a research report in November that examines the core competencies, attributes, and responsibilities of EHS professionals at different stages of their career.

Research, Reports & Publications

Ceres Report: How Board Directors can Elevate Sustainability More Effectively at Companies

Oct 28, 2015 11:40 AM ET

Broadening board compositions, reduced focus on quarterly returns and stronger sustainability/compensation linkages are just a few of the ways that board directors can elevate sustainability concerns more effectively at the companies they serve on. So concludes a new Ceres report highlighting the generally weak performance of U.S. corporate boards in prioritizing environmental and social issues and recommendations for boosting their effectiveness on such issues.

Environment

New Opportunities Blooming for Natural Infrastructure and Caterpillar Business

Oct 28, 2015 11:35 AM ET

Looking out over 65 acres of green prairie grasses, Robert Scoville, Caterpillar's Environmental Health and Safety Senior Associate at the Decatur, Illinois, Earthmoving Facility, knows that supporting the prairie restoration partnership* in his community is having a big impact beyond Decatur’s city limits. In fact, this land reclamation project has the potential to positively impact our climate.

Health & Healthcare

Four Innovators Changing the Game for WASH Worldwide

Oct 28, 2015 11:05 AM ET

This November, the Global Engagement Forum in Washington, D.C., will bring together leaders and innovators to discuss how individuals and institutions can take ownership of Goal #6, to ensure access to water and sanitation for all.

Events, Media & Communications

TWC Hosts Disaster Preparedness Training Sessions for Central Texas Employees

Oct 28, 2015 11:05 AM ET

Unfortunately, natural disasters or severe weather emergencies are all too common. It’s not a matter of if the next disaster will occur but when... Do you know what to do before, during and after a natural disaster or severe weather emergency?

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

New AA1000AS Working Group Announced

Oct 28, 2015 10:30 AM ET

The AA1000AS Nominations Committee and AA1000 Standards Board are pleased to announce the members of the newly constituted AA1000AS Working Group. This collective body of global experts from industry, governmental, and non-governmental organisations from around the world is charged with all aspects of development and promulgation of the next release of the AA1000 Assurance Standard.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

How Smarter Spaces Can Inspire Progress

Oct 28, 2015 10:15 AM ET

Experts from around the world agree: the design of collective spaces can improve quality of life. From transforming a city in crisis, to opening channels that increase knowledge, and improving performance in organizations, the effective use of space can foster rejuvenation, creativity and community. Even in the face of what seems like insurmountable obstacles, the way we use and reuse space can inspire progress and instill hope for a better future.

Environment

Bill Baue: Sustainability In Context

Oct 28, 2015 10:00 AM ET

The environmental impact of any business enterprise depends on the specific environmental conditions and challenges that exist where that enterprise is doing business. So a dairy in Vermont, where the water tables are high but solar energy is more intermittent, will have a different set of environmental factors to consider than a dairy in dry and sunny Arizona. In other words, sustainability planning is context-specific.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Employee Engagement: Make Your Corporate Citizenship Meaningful to Executives, Managers, and Employees

Oct 28, 2015 10:00 AM ET

Employee engagement is key to company performance, leading to positive effects such as higher productivity, improved work quality, and decreased job turnover. Employees want to be involved in their work, enthusiastic about the organization they work for, and committed to their fellow workers. Yet less than a third of U.S. workers were engaged in their jobs in 2014, according to Gallup.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Tetra Pak to Improve Supply Chain Transparency Through Sedex Partnership

Oct 28, 2015 10:00 AM ET

Tetra Pak has informed all of its key suppliers that they will be expected to file ethical performance reports on the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (Sedex), as part of its commitment to improve supply chain transparency.

Environment

Creating a Minimal Footprint with Renewable Energy

Oct 28, 2015 9:30 AM ET

In this method, energy consumption from purchased electricity is calculated in terms of fuel inputs to account for different fuel efficiencies during power generation and efficiency losses in power transmission. The equivalent energy value is represented in terms of sources as per power supplier-provided data. Our Westbrook Mill does not buy power, and the mill energy profile reflects sales of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). The 2013 conversion of the Cloquet pulp mill to dissolving pulp, a higher-purity pulp requiring more energy to produce, increased the energy intensity of that site. At the same time, Cloquet achieved higher use of renewable fuels, reducing natural gas, purchased electricity and fuel oil.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Subaru of America Continues to “Love Pets” Through Several October Initiatives

Oct 28, 2015 9:25 AM ET

This October, Subaru is rolling out its "Subaru Loves Pets" initiative, part of the brand's Love Promise philanthropic platform, dedicated to supporting causes that are meaningful to its customers. While the initiative is year-round, specific months highlight key causes. October focuses on Subaru's commitment to pet safety and well-being, and the brand will work with several dedicated and highly regarded animal welfare organizations that help share a call-to-action for animals in need.

Research, Reports & Publications

MGM Resorts International Invests in Solar Energy

Oct 28, 2015 9:00 AM ET

MGM Resorts International – in partnership with NRG Renew, the nation’s largest solar energy developer – installed a 20-acre, 6.4MW solar photovoltaic array on the rooftop the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in 2014. The project is but one way MGM Resorts demonstrates its dedication to environmental sustainability. In its first year of operation, the solar array offset the peak electricity demands of the property by as much as 20 percent. That’s enough energy to power 1,000 average-sized homes for a year.

Responsible Production & Consumption

BCSFA Publishes First Sustainability Progress Report

Oct 27, 2015 5:30 PM ET

Salmon farmers in British Columbia are taking further steps towards increasing the availability of information on farming practices and key areas of public interest by publishing a Sustainability Progress Report, released today at GOAL 2015 in Vancouver. The report, a first for salmon farmers in B.C., includes information on all three pillars of sustainability: environmental, social and economic.

Events, Media & Communications

3BL Media Webinar Focuses on ROI of Community Involvement Programs

Oct 27, 2015 5:15 PM ET

Corporate social responsibility and sustainability executives trying to make the business case for community involvement activities should attend the next 3BL Media “Best Practices” webinar, Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. ET.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Volunteer Programs: Developing and Managing an Effective Employee Volunteer Program

Oct 27, 2015 5:15 PM ET

Our forthcoming Community Involvement survey finds that among companies that measure, more than 90% of companies with employee volunteer programs see higher employee engagement.

Environment

China’s Cheap Steel Has High Cost to the Environment

Oct 27, 2015 5:00 PM ET

Xi Jinping, China’s President visited Britain in the same week that Tata Steel announced job cuts at its U.K. steel plants. Global steel price is at its lowest level in more than a decade, so it is no surprise that the U.K.’s production is becoming economically unviable

Energy

Celebrating ENERGY STAR Day and Our 20-Year Partnership with ENERGY STAR

Oct 27, 2015 3:30 PM ET

In honor of ENERGY STAR Day, GM is looking back on its 20-year partnership with the U.S. EPA’s energy efficiency program.

Events, Media & Communications

Do You Work for a Community-Minded Company? Check Out The Civic 50!

Oct 27, 2015 3:30 PM ET

Does your company care about the communities where it does business? Join us Oct. 30, 2015 for a free webinar about participating in The Civic 50, an initiative of Points of Light that honors the 50 most community-minded companies in the nation each year as determined by an annual survey.

Innovation & Technology

Get in the (Engagement) Loop: Gamification for Workplace Giving Programs

Oct 27, 2015 3:00 PM ET

Tap into your team’s passion for giving – and have a little fun while you’re at it. We’ve put together a list of motivational (but often overlooked) features for corporate giving and matching programs that increase participation by creating an Engagement Loop.

Energy

Beam Me Up, Solar – a National Grid Connect21 Video

Oct 27, 2015 2:30 PM ET

Social Impact & Volunteering

Common Impact Showcases Corporate Innovation for Pro Bono Week

Oct 27, 2015 2:00 PM ET

Common Impact, a nonprofit that pioneered corporate skills-based volunteering as a resource for strengthening local communities, showcased two new models of corporate pro bono service during Pro Bono Week (#PBW15, October 26th –30th). These models, led by Fortune 500 companies Charles Schwab and Marriott help answer two critical questions that have arisen for companies as skills-based volunteering has gained popularity in recent years: How do you truly integrate pro bono service into your company’s culture and how do you bring it to scale?