Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Sanitary Towels and Shoes Help Children Stay in School

Mar 15, 2017 9:00 AM ET

De Beers has stepped in to provide shoes and sanitary towels for dozens of South African children to prevent them from missing out on their schooling

Diversity & Inclusion

UN Global Compact Launches the Women’s Empowerment Principles Gender Gap Analysis Tool

Mar 15, 2017 8:05 AM ET

The UN Global Compact has launched the WEP's Gender Gap Analysis Tool, an online platform which helps global business leaders identify strengths, gaps and opportunities to improve gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace and within the markets and communities they serve. The tool offers an assessment of a company’s progress in advancing gender equality, profiling companies as “Beginner”, “Improver,” “Achiever” or “Leader”.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Environmental Leader 50 2017

Mar 15, 2017 6:00 AM ET

Environment

High & Dry: Talking Groundwater

Mar 14, 2017 8:30 PM ET

Diversity & Inclusion

Breaking the Bad News: How to Effectively Deliver Health and Safety Feedback

Mar 14, 2017 2:50 PM ET

Picture this: you walk through a site, completing your intended tasks and observing employee activities. Suddenly, you see one employee completing an activity that puts them at risk for an injury, possibly a serious or fatal injury.

So what do you do? The incident might be outside the scope of your current work, or in a department you haven't interacted with. But you realize you cannot, in good conscience, simply ignore the problem

Responsible Production & Consumption

Danone and Nestlé Waters Launch NaturALL Bottle Alliance with California Startup to Develop 100% Bio-Based Bottles

Mar 14, 2017 2:15 PM ET

The project uses biomass feedstocks, such as previously used cardboard and sawdust, so it does not divert resources or land from food production for human or animal consumption.

Health & Healthcare

Top Ten GSK Responsible Business Highlights in 2016

Mar 14, 2017 2:10 PM ET

GSK is a science-led global healthcare company. Our mission is to help people do more, feel better and live longer. We do this by researching and developing medicines, vaccines and consumer healthcare products that improve people’s lives.

Health & Healthcare

Combating Antibiotic Resistance

Mar 14, 2017 2:10 PM ET

Resistance to antibiotics is a major public health crisis, with 700,000 people dying every year from drug resistant infections. We have 70 years of expertise in antibiotics and we’re committed to continuing our research in this area.

Innovation & Technology

Innovation for Social Impact: Wrapping-up the First Living Progress Challenge

Mar 14, 2017 2:10 PM ET

Research, Reports & Publications

Arrow Electronics: Innovating Lives

Mar 14, 2017 2:00 PM ET

Social Impact & Volunteering

Mentoring for Youth Entrepreneurship in Latin America

Mar 14, 2017 1:15 PM ET

Finding quality jobs for young people in Latin America, especially jobs outside of the informal sector that provide fair wages and just working conditions, is a growing socioeconomic concern. The United Nations reports that Latin America and the Caribbean are experiencing the largest youth population in history with one in five people between the ages of 15-24. The unemployment rate for this age group is three times higher than for people between the ages of 30-64. For many young people, entrepreneurship has become a survival strategy, demonstrated by the fact that small businesses employ 67 percent of the workforce. However, 90 percent of these small businesses fail within the first two years.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

General Motors Recognized for $1 Million Contribution to the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program

Mar 14, 2017 1:15 PM ET

The American Red Cross today recognized General Motors (GM), headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, for supporting Red Cross disaster relief at home and around the world through the Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) with an annual donation of $1 million.

Innovation & Technology

DREAM BIG: Engineering Our World Opened Worldwide on Feb. 17

Mar 14, 2017 1:00 PM ET

Bechtel, a global leader in engineering, procurement, and construction, in partnership with film producer MacGillivray Freeman Films (MFF) and the American Society of Civil Engineers is supporting a new IMAX 3-D film, DREAM BIG: Engineering Our World. On Feb. 15, Bechtel and its partners hosted a World Premiere at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater in Washington, DC. The film was released on Feb. 17 at movie theaters and science centers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and it is designed to inspire children in grades K-12.

Energy

The International Living Future Institute's Streamlined NZE + Reveal Programs

Mar 14, 2017 1:00 PM ET

As industry awareness of net zero energy has grown, the need for a simple certification process has become clear.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

CBRE Group, Inc. Named a 2017 World’s Most Ethical Company for Fourth Straight Year

Mar 14, 2017 12:50 PM ET

CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBG) has been recognized as a 2017 World’s Most Ethical Company® by the Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices. This is the fourth year in a row CBRE has achieved this recognition.

Health & Healthcare

CVS Health Takes Next Step in Five-Year Commitment to Deliver the First Tobacco-Free Generation

Mar 14, 2017 12:30 PM ET

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS), the nation’s largest pharmacy innovation company, today announced it will fund $10 million in new and expanded partnerships and programs to launch the second year of Be The First, the company’s five year, $50 million commitment to help deliver the nation’s first tobacco-free generation.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

The Lipman Family Prize

Mar 14, 2017 12:15 PM ET

What happens when you locate a global social impact prize at a top-tier business school nested within a world-class research university? Over the past several years, we have been exploring exactly that question.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

February 4 & 15: World Cancer Days

Mar 14, 2017 12:05 PM ET

The global health community has made great strides towards addressing cancer in the past decade. However, there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that this progress reaches low and lower middle income countries.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Lowe's Heroes Give Historic Neighborhood a Major Makeover

Mar 14, 2017 12:00 PM ET

Lowe's Heroes employee volunteers team up with Rebuilding Together in Houston to make repairs and transform 1935 home into community welcome center.

Environment

Green Standards Manages Diversion of GM Office Assets; Boosts Crowdfunding Campaign for Urban Farm in Detroit

Mar 14, 2017 11:30 AM ET

Green Standards, a specialized environmental firm that manages furniture and equipment “waste” generated by workplace revitalization and relocation projects, is helping General Motors manage tens of thousands of office asset donations. The company is undergoing a multi-campus office decommissioning effort at its Warren Technical Center, Detroit headquarters, and Milford Proving Ground locations.

Environment

Ecocentricity Blog: Who Doesn’t Love a Good Singalong?

Mar 14, 2017 11:15 AM ET

Perhaps the words are overly simplistic (it is a children’s song after all), but the song directly acknowledges our dependence on nature for a range of ecosystem services. Which isn’t exactly a simple concept when you reflect on it.

Diversity & Inclusion

Be Bold for Change: International Women's Day at Qualcomm

Mar 14, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Through my 20+ years at Qualcomm, I’ve participated in many of our celebratory events for International Women’s Day (IWD). In past years, I’ve always taken away a refreshed inspiration for my own development, and a reinforced commitment to continue empowering my female colleagues as well as enabling an inclusive work environment where everybody thrives and Qualcomm is the ultimate benefactor. However, this year was particularly special for me. As our new Chief Diversity Officer, I was no longer a participant, but instead I had the opportunity to influence and set the tone for our IWD events here at Qualcomm.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Promoting a Supply Chain that Reflects our Values

Mar 14, 2017 11:00 AM ET

We work with nearly 6,000 suppliers throughout the world who provide us with the equipment and supplies we need to operate our global business. We are committed to conducting our business in an ethical, legal and socially responsible manner and, to that end, require our suppliers to comply with our Supplier Code of Conduct (SCoC). 16 This SCoC outlines our expectations across a broad range of topics, from ethics to protecting the environment and is available in 19 languages.

Environment

Auditing Your Hospital's Recycling Program

Mar 14, 2017 10:50 AM ET

Auditing your hospital’s plastics recycling program is a key element of improving your program. This can be divided into two parts: (1) auditing the plastic materials that are collected and (2) auditing the plastics collection, segregation, and transfer process.

Education

AIGA Design Leader Interview Series

Mar 14, 2017 10:30 AM ET

For this first-ever interview series, AIGA spoke with Women Lead committee members and supporters who are stewarding in a new era of increased leadership and impact by women in design. (Increased design impact? Great for everyone.)