Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Innovation & Technology

Black & Veatch, Kansas to Test Beyond-Line-of-Sight Drone Under FAA Pilot Program

Jul 11, 2018 2:00 PM ET

As unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) – commonly known as drones – become more vital for commercial use, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is weighing whether to free up more national airspace for them by relaxing restraints on their operation. Such airspace rules changes could allow beyond-line-of-sight use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and Black & Veatch is part of the team helping test the safety of that.

Diversity & Inclusion

Astellas Employees Celebrate Pride Month in Support of the LGBTQ Community

Jul 11, 2018 1:35 PM ET

Approximately 100 employees, family members and friends came out to represent Astellas in Chicago's annual LGBTQ Pride Parade on Sunday, June 24. This was the company’s ninth consecutive year of participation in the event.

Events, Media & Communications

Brands Taking Stands | Companies Push Back as Trade Wars Roil Markets

Jul 11, 2018 1:15 PM ET

The global trade wars have begun, despite a rising drumbeat of concern from companies and trade associations.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Creating a More Sustainable World Through Logistics

Jul 11, 2018 1:05 PM ET

The world is growing more connected, and UPS is playing an important role in that transformation. We enable commerce by connecting individuals and organizations in more than 220 countries and territories. Customers use our broad logistics capabilities, global presence, industry-leading technologies, and innovative solutions to grow businesses and build strong, connected communities.

Health & Healthcare

WATCH | Miss America 2018 Cara Mund Talks With Childhood Cancer Survivor Chloe Davison About My Special Aflac Duck

Jul 11, 2018 12:20 PM ET

See why 2018 Miss America Cara Mund and Chloe Davison, childhood cancer survivor, are excited about My Special Aflac Duck™, which Aflac is giving to newly diagnosed pediatric cancer patients in the U.S. free of charge in hopes of providing a comforting companion during treatment.

Environment

Addressing Local Water Data Gaps

Jul 11, 2018 12:00 PM ET

BIER believes that collaboration is key to tackling the complex and ever-changing sustainability challenges our world and industry faces. We’ve done incredible work, but we’re just getting started. Meet the environmental leaders committed to forging a more sustainable future for the beverage industry and world.

Energy

ComCapp, Green Mountain Energy Announce Sustainability Partnership to Power Communities with Rooftop Solar and 100% Renewable Electricity

Jul 11, 2018 12:00 PM ET

Private real estate management and investment firm Commerce Capital Partners (ComCapp) has teamed up with Green Mountain Energy to power 10 Texas apartment communities with 100% renewable electricity, add rooftop solar to one of its Corpus Christi communities, and offer renewable energy at a special rate to the residents of all ComCapp communities in deregulated markets. By switching the common areas of these multi-family properties to wind energy, the real estate firm will avoid 4.7 million pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions every year. That’s like driving 5.8 million fewer miles or taking 500 cars off the road for a year.

Sustainable Development Goals

Agroforestry Systems for Producing Nutritious Food for Smallholders in Odisha, India

Jul 11, 2018 11:35 AM ET

The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) South Asia Regional Programme recently launched a three-year project: Enabling Smallholders in Odisha to Produce and Consume More Nutritious Food through Agroforestry Systems.

Sustainable Development Goals

MetLife Aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals

Jul 11, 2018 11:25 AM ET

Responsible Production & Consumption

Ecolab's Smart Technology Helps Ford Drive Major Water Savings at Chicago Plant

Jul 11, 2018 11:15 AM ET

When it comes to water management, Ford Motor Company continually strives to go further. The company has reduced water use by more than 10 billion gallons since 2000 and is aiming for an additional 30 percent reduction per vehicle from 2015 to 2020. Its long-term ambition: zero freshwater use in manufacturing.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

PNC Scores 100% on 2018 Disability Equality Index (DEI)

Jul 11, 2018 11:15 AM ET

Results from the annual Disability Equality Index reveal 126 companies truly prioritizing the inclusion of people with disabilities and honored as the “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion”.

Innovation & Technology

Advancing a One Water Future Through Collaboration

Jul 11, 2018 11:00 AM ET

Pentair has long supported a culture of collaboration within the business community and beyond with partners across the private, academic and nonprofit sectors. By coming together to identify and implement collaborative solutions, we have the opportunity to help solve some of the most pressing water challenges.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Consumers Energy Employee Receives American Gas Association Award for Saving Life of Accident Victim

Jul 11, 2018 10:50 AM ET

A Consumers Energy employee from Clio is the recipient of the 2018 American Gas Association Meritorious Service Award for his lifesaving efforts to assist a woman involved in a serious car accident.

Media & Communications

Introducing the Pull Factor Project

Jul 11, 2018 10:35 AM ET

For decades we’ve been pushing sustainability on consumers. Despite our best efforts, it’s still not widely embraced in mainstream culture. And yet, we also know the tremendous power of brands to inspire our aspirations, shape our behaviors and mobilize action at scale.

To meet this moment, Sustainable Brands, in collaboration with BBMG, is launching a peer-to-peer collaboration of human insights experts, marketing leaders and sustainability practitioners to better understand the dynamics of desire and human behavior change so we can increase brand relevance, grow market share and fuel the shift towards a culture of sustainable living. This is the first project of the #BrandsForGood collaboratory — an initiative to leverage brands’ voices to deliver “The Good Life.”

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Sands ECO360: Sustainable Food Sourcing

Jul 11, 2018 10:10 AM ET

The master chefs at Las Vegas Sands are transforming the Food and Beverage experience to reflect today's food mindset and palate with organic ingredients, creative preparations, and sustainable practices.

Innovation & Technology

Fast Forward Helps Technology Nonprofit Shift Into High Gear

Jul 11, 2018 10:05 AM ET

While working at a Bay Area nonprofit in the mid-2000s, Rey Faustino routinely took low-income students on tours of major technology companies. He wanted the students to consider tech fields after high school as a path out of the housing, employment, and health care uncertainty that plagued many of their families.

But by the end of each tour, Faustino had more on his mind than career counseling. He was thinking about the power of technology to connect people. More specifically, the power of technology to connect his students to the services they desperately needed.

With the backing of nonprofit accelerator Fast Forward and Comcast NBCUniversal, Faustino launched One Degree in 2012.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Goldcorp Recognized in 2018 Enablon Excellence Awards

Jul 11, 2018 10:00 AM ET

We are committed to creating sustainable value in all areas of our business, and for our stakeholders, who want assurance that we are managing as well as mitigating the risks associated with our operations.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Bechtel Volunteers with Engineers Without Borders Successfully Finish Drinking Water Project

Jul 11, 2018 9:45 AM ET

Bechtel is committed to continuous community involvement, charitable giving, and economic development in communities where we live and work. Bechtel Group Foundation partners with EWB to use engineering and construction skills to improve quality of life.

Research, Reports & Publications

HPE | Top 5 Things You Shouldn’t Miss From the Living Progress Report

Jul 11, 2018 9:35 AM ET

HPE released annual Living Progress Report, showcasing how HPE is driving sustainable innovation and embedding corporate citizenship within our culture. From garnering investor confidence with leading environmental and social governance (ESG) performance, to developing the world’s most efficient and secure products, I'm delighted to share a few of the highlights from the new report.

Energy

Tackling Fuel Poverty with Innovative Solutions

Jul 11, 2018 9:25 AM ET

Ashoka and the Schneider Electric Foundation, in partnership with Enel, recently awarded the 5 most innovative solutions to tackle fuel poverty and promote energy sustainability in Europe.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Bacardi and Lonely Whale Team Up to Ensure #TheFutureDoesntSuck

Jul 11, 2018 9:05 AM ET

Family-owned Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, and Lonely Whale, the award-winning non-profit dedicated to bringing forward courageous ideas that positively impact the health of our ocean, today announced they have joined forces to help rid the environment of single-use plastic, including the goal to eliminate one billion single-use plastic straws by 2020. In addition, Bacardi announced a commitment to review its global supply chain, with the aim of removing non-essential, non-recyclable single-use plastic waste.

Sustainable Development Goals

Expert Interview With David Keith, African Energy Sector Expert

Jul 11, 2018 9:00 AM ET

David Keith is a senior vice president with Tetra Tech International Development Services. He has worked on international development engagements in the energy sectors of more than 40 countries in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. He has been retained as a technical expert on national energy strategy, energy sector restructuring, public-private partnerships, electricity company management, electricity tariff design, power sector planning, project financing, and industrial energy management. David has worked on energy projects in South Africa, Malawi, Uganda, Ghana, Benin, Tanzania, and for the West Africa Power Pool. He has participated in more than a dozen Africa Energy Forums (AEFs). He earned three degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology, including a Master of Science in

Energy

South Pole Offers New Green-e Energy Certified Renewable Energy Certificate Option

Jul 11, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) announced today that South Pole is now offering a renewable energy certificate (REC) program certified by Green-e® Energy, North America’s leading independent certification program for renewable energy. South Pole is one of the world's leading developers of emission reduction projects and offers renewable energy solutions in over 20 countries worldwide, including U.S. RECs for commercial and wholesale customers located in the North American market.

Health & Healthcare

SC Johnson Improves Access to Health Care Through Partnership with Rwanda Ministry of Health

Jul 11, 2018 4:00 AM ET

For millions of people in east central Africa, the risk of malaria infection is an everyday concern. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), up to 90 percent of Rwandans are at risk for malaria. To help address this risk and other public health issues, SC Johnson today announced a partnership with the Rwanda Ministry of Health and the Society for Family Health to co-develop a national strategy to increase access to health care through the construction of 10 new health posts across the country.

Health & Healthcare

SC Johnson Inoza uburyo bwo guhabwa ubuvuzi biciye mu Bafatanyabikorwa bakorana na Minisiteri y’Ubuzima mu Rwanda

Jul 11, 2018 4:00 AM ET

Kuri miliyoni z’abantu batuye muri Afurika y’Uburasirazuba bwo hagati, ibyago byo kwandura malariya ni ikintu gihangayikishije abantu buri munsi. Nk’uko Ishami ry’Umuryango w’Abibumbye Ryita ku Buzima (WHO) ribivuga, Abantu bagera kuri 90 ku ijana mu Rwanda bugarijwe n’indwara ya malariya. Kugira ngo dufashe kurinda abantu ibyago byo kwandura no gukemura ibindi bibazo birebana n’ubuzima bw’abaturage, SC Johnson yatangaje uyu munsi ubufatanye yagiranye na Minisiteri y’Ubuzima mu Rwanda n’Umuryango wita ku Buzima mu Rwanda mu gushyiraho ingamba ku rwego rw’igihugu zo kongera uburyo bwo guhabwa ubuvuzi bwibanze bubaka posite de Sante 10 nshya hirya no hino mu gihugu.