Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Energy

More Renewable Energy Helps Fight Climate Change

May 8, 2018 4:00 PM ET

The Smart Electric Power Alliance has announced that SCE was No. 1 in battery storage and No. 2 in delivering solar energy to its customers. The alliance’s 11th annual survey, which includes more than 400 utilities, determined the top-10 rankings.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Universal Health Coverage: Filling the Gaps Through International Partnerships

May 8, 2018 3:50 PM ET

Achieving universal health coverage is target 3.8 of United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 3—to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” More than this, providing universal health coverage, which includes access to high quality, affordable health services and essential medicines, is necessary to achieve all 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals. Societies overwhelmed with the burden of disease cannot combat other sources of inequality and injustice. Investing in the local health workforce is a necessary step to reducing the social and economic impacts of injury and illness, and ultimately to achieving universal health coverage.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Northern Trust Tempe Partners Used Paid Volunteer Hours and Collaborated with St.Vincent De Paul of Arizona

May 8, 2018 3:45 PM ET

Our Tempe partners used their paid volunteer hours and collaborated with St.Vincent De Paul of Arizona to make pizzas for those in need in the community!

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Erb Institute and Ross School of Business Professor, Andy Hoffman Honored with 2017 Aspen Institute "Ideas Worth Teaching Award"

May 8, 2018 3:15 PM ET

Professor Andy Hoffman was honored today as a recipient of the 2017 Ideas Worth Teaching Awards for his class on Sustainable Business in Iceland offered through Global Initiatives at the Ross School of Business.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Yum! Brands Earns Spot on Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s 2018 100 Best Corporate Citizens List

May 8, 2018 3:05 PM ET

Yum! Brands has once again been named to the 100 Best Corporate Citizens list by Corporate Responsibility Magazine (CR Magazine) for its commitment to sustainable business practices.

“We’re proud to be recognized again this year by CR Magazine because it demonstrates our ongoing commitment to building sustainable brands that people trust and champion,” said Jon Hixson, VP of Government Relations and Global Citizenship for Yum! Brands. “As a global franchisor, we take our role as a global citizen and the impact of our brands on society very seriously. We’re on a journey to serve food people trust, grow sustainably and unlock the potential of our people by focusing on what our many internal and external stakeholders truly care about.”

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

3 Volunteering Engagement Lessons Corporations Can Learn from Nonprofits

May 8, 2018 3:00 PM ET

Learn how you can apply three volunteer engagement best practices, taken from organizations who rely on volunteers to accomplish their mission. The result? Higher employee participation rates and employee volunteer engagement.

Education

Future Engineers in Action

May 8, 2018 2:55 PM ET

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Medtronic Receives Honor for Corporate Citizenship

May 8, 2018 2:55 PM ET

As a global healthcare leader, Medtronic is putting its size and scale behind making a positive impact on society. That work has gained recognition by Corporate Responsibility Magazine, who ranked Medtronic 44th on its 19th annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens List for 2018.

Diversity & Inclusion

FitSpirit and Scotiabank Empower Canadian Girls to Stick with Sports

May 8, 2018 2:25 PM ET

Today, Canadian not-for-profit FitSpirit announced the Scotiabank FitSpirit Celebration in Toronto. The Celebration is the culmination of FitSpirit's 10-week program where participating young women run a five or 10 kilometre race, encouraging them to push their limits while having fun being active.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Hormel Foods Recognized as a Best for Vets Employer for Sixth Year in a Row

May 8, 2018 1:55 PM ET

Hormel Foods Corporation today announced it has been recognized for the sixth consecutive year on the Military Times Best for Vets Employers list.

The company ranked No. 75 on the list, which evaluates many factors that make a company a good fit for military veterans.

“At Hormel Foods, we are grateful for those who serve and have served our country,” said Janet Hogan, senior vice president of human resources at Hormel Foods. “We are extremely proud to be a great workplace for those who have done so much for all of us, and to be recognized for our efforts for the sixth year in a row.”

Social Impact & Volunteering

How Hope, Dreams are Improving Charlotte Neighborhood

May 8, 2018 1:30 PM ET

RWCI’s holistic cradle-to-career approach attacks the factors that can keep families poor, from lack of education, skills, child care, affordable housing and transportation to crime, mental health and substance abuse issues. A variety of agencies, including housing, social services and medical, as well as nonprofits and business leaders have footprints planted firmly in the effort.

Health & Healthcare

Advancing The Power of Science Behind Immuno-Oncology

May 8, 2018 1:30 PM ET

Pfizer’s advances in oncology demonstrate the Power of Scientific innovation to help improve lives, particularly the power of Immuno-oncology (I-O). Immuno-oncology uses the natural ability of the body’s immune system to recognize and fight tumors. This past year, Pfizer continued to advance its work in I-O because we recognize the urgency of finding anti-cancer alternatives to help patients who need them.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Comcast NBCUniversal Earns No. 7 Spot on DiversityInc’s Top 50 List

May 8, 2018 12:35 PM ET

We are pleased to announce that Comcast NBCUniversal was ranked No. 7 on DiversityInc’s 2018 Top 50 Companies for Diversity List, up 12 spots from 2017.

Thanks to our senior leadership commitment, strong recruitment efforts, and supplier diversity initiatives, this is the fifth consecutive year that our ranking has improved. In particular, DiversityInc attributes Comcast NBCUniversal’s position in the top ten to our significant growth in the number of diverse leaders at every level, as well as our best-in-class commitment to Supplier Diversity.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Sands Cares Presents INSPIRE

May 8, 2018 12:10 PM ET

INSPIRE, the annual philanthropic celebration benefiting and honoring members of the Sands Cares Accelerator Program has returned. All proceeds from concert ticket sales will be donated to the Marty Hennessy Inspiring Children Foundation and Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth.

Environment

Gina McCarthy’s Advice for Environmental Champions: Be Persistent

May 8, 2018 12:10 PM ET

Next week former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy will keynote a gathering of top corporate environmental leaders as they discuss their work to build business systems that put environmental, health and safety protection at the core. She shared a preview of her remarks with us, along with her advice for those who are making the business case for environmental protection from within companies today.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Giving Back is Part of JetBlue’s DNA

May 8, 2018 12:05 PM ET

Giving back is part of JetBlue’s DNA and is core to our mission of inspiring humanity. At JetBlue our culture IS service. Many crewmembers have shared that opportunities to give back are important to their work/life balance. As such, in addition to the award-winning service we provide to our customers, we regularly try to find ways to work in our local communities by providing opportunities for service. In fact, our corporate responsibility initiatives have been cited as a key recruiting and retention tool for JetBlue.

Last week, our annual “JetBlue For Good” Dinner, hosted by our CEO and executive leadership, celebrated individual and team volunteer accomplishments over the past year.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Subaru Ascent Production Begins at Subaru of Indiana Automotive

May 8, 2018 12:00 PM ET

Official production of the Subaru Ascent, a new three-row SUV that will seat up to eight passengers, began at Subaru’s Lafayette, Indiana plant yesterday. To mark the occasion, members of the famous Subaru canine family, The Barkleys, visited SIA to welcome the family vehicle to the Subaru line-up. In addition, SIA presented $8,000 in grants to four local nonprofit organizations focused on animal welfare: Almost Home Humane Society, Loving Heart Animal Shelter, Natalie’s Second Chance No-Kill Dog Shelter and North Central Indiana Spay & Neuter.

Environment

Keeping Our Commitment to an All-Electric Future

May 8, 2018 12:00 PM ET

General Motors remains steadfast in its vision of an all-electric future. Today, Chairman and CEO Mary Barra reaffirmed the company's stance on vehicle efficiency standards with employees globally.

Events, Media & Communications

On World Press Freedom Day: In Defense of the Media

May 8, 2018 11:15 AM ET

May 3 was World Press Freedom Day, first proclaimed by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in December 1993 to raise awareness of the importance of a free press and to remind governments of their duty to uphold the right to freedom of expression guaranteed by the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Environment

EHS Leadership in a Changing World: EHSxTech Takes Paris

May 8, 2018 11:15 AM ET

Antea Group gathered some of the biggest names in the tech industry for a 1-day workshop in Paris, hosted by Salesforce. What are the EHS takeaways?

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Join the GRI Standards Governance: Help Shape the Future of Sustainability Reporting

May 8, 2018 11:00 AM ET

Two of GRI's governance bodies closely linked to the standard-setting activities are looking for new members. Find out more and submit your nomination before deadline!

Research, Reports & Publications

AccountAbility Updates Signature Sustainability & Performance Guidance

May 8, 2018 10:30 AM ET

AccountAbility is today releasing its next-generation sustainability management framework and guidance – the 2018 AccountAbility Principles. The AA1000AP (2018) is a timely, informed update to the firm’s internationally accepted, principles-based approach to sustainability management for the 21st century.

Research, Reports & Publications

NEW RESOURCE: Taproot Releases the Pro Bono Sweet Spot

May 8, 2018 10:15 AM ET

We’ve learned a lot over the years about what makes a corporate pro bono program successful, and one thing has been proven true time and again: the most impactful programs are those that are uniquely tailored to fit a given company. With this in mind, we’ve developed a handy framework for helping companies hone in on their own unique opportunities to make an impact in the social sector through pro bono service.

The Pro Bono Sweet Spot is a framework that recognizes that the corporate sector is rich with diversity across a variety of characteristics, such as organizational culture, skills and expertise, attitudes towards volunteering, and more. Long story short, each company is unique, and therefore needs a tailor-made pro bono program in order to maximize its opportunity for impact.

Sustainable Development Goals

A Four-Step Plan for Quickly Building Access to Energy in Remote, Rural Areas

May 8, 2018 10:05 AM ET

Schneider Electric takes its commitment to Access to Energy programs very seriously. By 2020, we are committed to supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, of “Ending poverty in all its forms everywhere” and “Ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all”. Between 2025-2050, we commit to benefitting 50 million additional people with our Access to Energy offers and to training 1,000,000 underprivileged people in energy management.

Education

Big Impact in Bio: Developing Nanomedicine and Mentoring Young Scientists the World-Over

May 8, 2018 10:05 AM ET

When Bronwyn Scott received a Stamps Scholarship a couple years ago, she cited an Amgen Scholar as the person having the greatest impact on her in her college career: “My incredible research mentor Dr. Joy Wolfram had inspired me to work hard, believe in myself, and remain unapologetic for my passion and drive. She continuously pushes me to reach for goals I thought were unattainable.”