Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Green Infrastructure

Infrastructure Opportunity on The Ray: Solar Noise Barriers

Dec 19, 2017 12:30 PM ET

The Ray is proud to release groundbreaking research on solar noise barriers in conjunction with Innovia Technology, a UK based innovation consultancy. The Ray’s research was conducted in parallel with the U.S. Department of Transportation Volpe Center.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

How Businesses in Puerto Rico are Recovering After Maria

Dec 19, 2017 12:15 PM ET

The Bacardi rum plant was back up and running less than two weeks after Maria. Good news for the place that produces 80 percent of Bacardi's rum and employs 300 people. The company has paid its employees throughout hurricane recovery.

Environment

Changing Consumers Ignite Food Revolution

Dec 19, 2017 12:00 PM ET

Elke Richards drives two hours to Maple Grove every month to shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, both of which offer more organic groceries or minimally processed food than she can find near her home in Alexandria. In the summer, she goes to farmers markets for locally grown produce. For meat, she visits a local family farm that raises sheep and cattle using environmentally friendly land management practices.

Sustainable Development Goals

Quality Management: Assuring the Integrity of Third-Party Certification

Dec 19, 2017 12:00 PM ET

Third-party certification is widely recognized as playing an integral role in helping companies demonstrate their environmental, sustainability, and safety achievements to their customers and stakeholders. As a certification body, the question we are most frequently asked is what qualifies us to do this work. SCS’ Quality Assurance Team assures that our operations run uninterrupted by supporting multiple accreditations in good standing and ensuring that our clients receive the most scientifically rigorous, impartial, efficient, and high-quality assessments from our auditors.

Events, Media & Communications

AccountAbility Event – A Discussion on Sustainability Impact

Dec 19, 2017 11:50 AM ET

On October 31st, AccountAbility hosted an event for business executives and professionals to discuss sustainability impact.

Research, Reports & Publications

Case Study: Reporting as a Means to an End – Sustainable Development

Dec 19, 2017 10:00 AM ET

What kind of reporting challenges does a conglomerate face when planning and executing a sustainability report? We interviewed Mark Harper, Sustainable Development Manager at Swire Pacific, about the challenges and benefits a conglomerate faces with their reporting process.​

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Lehigh Valley County Animal Response Team (LVCART) Receives Donation from Purina to Boost Animal Emergency Life-Saving Efforts

Dec 19, 2017 10:00 AM ET

LVCART handles any 911 call involving animals, including technical rescue or for temporary emergency sheltering. Each county-based team keeps a variety of equipment on hand to aid in their response, such as large crates, leashes, cleaning supplies, pet oxygen masks, trailers and pet emergency kits, but LVCART has never had a permanent, efficient place to store them – until now. Purina recently donated $7,000 to LVCART to fund the purchase of a permanent storage unit.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Drink, Dance, Donate: How Viacom Gave Back and Got Down for the 8th Year in a Row

Dec 19, 2017 9:45 AM ET

Each year, Give Back and Get Down focuses its attention on one or two specific causes—last year, we gave back to individuals and families affected by domestic violence, and partnered with Safe Horizon and Sanctuary for Families.

This year’s focus: transforming the lives of underserved youth.

Environment

Kenyan Farmers Reap Economic, Environmental Gains from ABCDs of Agroforestry

Dec 19, 2017 9:40 AM ET

Less than a decade ago, the hills of Tuiyobei village in Kenya’s Rift Valley were nearly bare, with few trees or shrubs beyond the coffee plantations that yielded very little. The rain was sporadic, temperatures were rising, and crop yields and livelihoods were deteriorating. High deforestation triggered by increasing demand for firewood, lumber and charcoal had degraded the ecosystem.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Video: Smithfield Foods: Food Safety and Quality

Dec 19, 2017 9:35 AM ET

Consumers put their trust in Smithfield every time they eat one of our products. That’s why the safety and quality of our foods is fundamental to our success as a company, underscoring our mission to provide “Good food. Responsibly.®”

Energy

UPS Pre-Orders 125 Tesla Electric Trucks

Dec 19, 2017 9:35 AM ET

UPS today announced it has placed a reservation for 125 of Tesla’s new fully-electric Semi tractors. The new tractors will join UPS’s extensive alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicle fleet, comprised of trucks and tractors propelled by electricity, natural gas, propane and other non-traditional fuels.

Social Impact & Volunteering

FCA Foundation Announces $500,000 Grant in Support of United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s Innovative Solutions to Ending Childhood Hunger

Dec 19, 2017 9:30 AM ET

The FCA Foundation, the charitable arm of North American automaker FCA US LLC, today announced a $500,000 grant to United Way for Southeastern Michigan. The grant will help United Way implement two primary strategies to ensure that more children have access to and participate in child nutrition programs throughout the school year and during the summer.

Innovation & Technology

What’s Next on a Random Walk Down Facebook Lane

Dec 19, 2017 9:10 AM ET

What is Facebook thinking? We live in a values laden society. To presume that those values can be discounted and ignored and factored out of the algorithmic equation ignores the current reality of our society and world. It is still people who are using the platform and people are imperfect.

Environment

Dell, General Motors Convene the 'NextWave' of Marine Plastics Management

Dec 19, 2017 9:05 AM ET

Dell, General Motors, Trek Bicycle, Interface, Van de Sant, Humanscale, Bureo and Herman Miller are partnering to form NextWave, an initiative to develop a commercial-scale ocean-bound plastics supply chain. The industry groups are supported by The Lonely Whale and U.N. Environment.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

This e-Card Helps to Power Rural Homes (And Their Holiday Decorations)

Dec 19, 2017 8:45 AM ET

Sustainable Development Goals

Top 5 Things You Shouldn’t Miss From HPE Living Progress in 2017

Dec 19, 2017 8:25 AM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Sanofi Continues Adopt-a-Family Tradition for 23rd Year

Dec 19, 2017 8:10 AM ET

Earlier this week, employees from Sanofi Pasteur got the chance to be Santa Claus to more than three-dozen area families as part of their 23rd annual “Adopt-a-Family” holiday drive.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

“Man’s Best Friend” Takes on New Meaning Thanks to the Avalanche Dogs of Wasatch Backcountry Rescue

Dec 19, 2017 8:00 AM ET

Outdoor enthusiasts hold few people in higher regard than the brave men and women who provide medical aid on the slopes – and sometimes these professionals are assisted by another kind of hero, who leads the way and finds the rescue. Thanks to nonprofit Wasatch Backcountry Rescue’s (WBR) International Dog School, dogs around the country receive the intense training required of avalanche rescue dogs.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

She’s Keeping Farming in the Family

Dec 19, 2017 8:00 AM ET

This post is from Rachel Bork, a global process associate manager in the Sourcing division at General Mills. When she’s not working her day job, Bork is involved in the succession planning of her 5th generation family farm in Minnesota. While most farm kids who are in their early 30s are looking to escape the farm, Bork is hoping to ramp up her involvement and someday take over the operation.

Health & Healthcare

The Importance of Partnership in Feeding Our Nation’s Kids

Dec 19, 2017 8:00 AM ET

During the holiday season thoughts often turn to gift giving, decorations and holiday treats. But it’s also a time to think of others, and those who have less. Even in our nation of plenty, 1 in 6 children in the United States struggle with hunger.

The good news is that here at Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, we know that childhood hunger is a solvable problem. Together with partners like Nestlé, we can ensure more kids are getting the nutritious food they need each day.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Smithfield Foods and Vons Join Forces to Donate More Than 38,000 Pounds of Protein to Feeding San Diego

Dec 19, 2017 7:55 AM ET

Smithfield and Vons representatives presented the donation to Feeding San Diego at an event that raised awareness of hunger’s impact in the local community. Members from all three organizations discussed the significance of protein donations in helping the nearly 400,000 individu

Sustainable Development Goals

National Geographic Society Board of Trustees Awards Over $4 Million in Grants to Fuel Work of Scientists, Educators, and Explorers

Dec 19, 2017 7:45 AM ET

The National Geographic Society recently approved more than $4 million for 111 grants, further strengthening the 21CF partner’s commitment to investing in science, exploration, conservation, storytelling, education, and technology. These awards complete the annual grants cycle, with over 600 grants totaling nearly $12 million awarded in 2017 to help address the planet’s most critical issues in fighting for a healthier, more sustainable future for all.

Green Infrastructure

IWBI™ and APTA VITAE Trust Join Forces to Advance the WELL Building Standard™ in Italy

Dec 19, 2017 7:35 AM ET

The International WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI™) and APTA VITAE Trust today announced a collaboration to advance health and wellness in buildings and communities in Italy through the WELL Building Standard™ (WELL™). The aim of the collaboration is to foster awareness among Italian and Mediterranean stakeholders of the importance of healthy buildings and to facilitate the adoption of WELL in Italy.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Sustainable Growth: Barclays Launches New Range of Green Finance Products

Dec 19, 2017 7:10 AM ET

Barclays has become the first UK bank to launch a range of green finance products to help its corporate clients fund low-carbon projects and investments.

Media & Communications

NH Liquor Commission & Jack Daniel’s Encourage Customers to Celebrate Responsibly This Holiday Season

Dec 19, 2017 7:00 AM ET

The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey are encouraging responsible alcohol consumption and service during the 2017 holiday season through their award-winning Live Free & Host Responsibly campaign.