Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Research, Reports & Publications

Closing the Gender Gap in Women’s Access to Financial Products and Services Could Unlock $330 Billion in Annual Global Revenue

Mar 2, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Closing the gender gap in women’s access to financial products and services could unlock $330 billion in global annual revenue, according to a new report released today from BNY Mellon and the United Nations Foundation. Increased market opportunities for financial services firms, along with greater financial inclusion and empowerment for women, are additional key outputs from narrowing this gap.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Sands Cares Fresh Start Mobile Showers: Biannual Review

Mar 2, 2018 9:45 AM ET

In July 2017, Las Vegas Sands and Clean the World responded to one of the challenges within Las Vegas’ homeless community with the Sands Cares Fresh Start Mobile Showers Powered by Clean the World, a mobile hygiene unit that visits various locations serving the homeless population to provide showers, hygiene supplies, and other resources.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Innovation Platforms for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa

Mar 2, 2018 9:40 AM ET

A project in Uganda, funded by ACIAR and run by the World Agroforestry Centre, is empowering smallholder dairy and honey farmers to control their own community development by gaining access to high-value markets.

Environment

General Mills and Its Natural & Organic Brands Join Annie’s in Forging Ahead on Climate Action

Mar 2, 2018 9:30 AM ET

We are very excited to see the Climate Collaborative community growing today with General Mills and its nine Natural and Organic (N&O) brands making new climate commitments. With these new commitments, the entire General Mills N&O product line is now represented in the Collaborative.

Alongside this announcement, General Mills is also coming on board as a Climate Collaborative donor at the highest Catalyst level, which means they’ll be helping fund vital programming and events as we look to the project’s second year.

It is incredibly exciting to have such a large company see the value in the collaborative platform we’ve created—and to see them expand the strong record of climate performance from Annie’s and EPIC out to all of their other natural products brands.

Environment

Artist Zio Ziegler and WWF Debut Tiger T-shirt on World Wildlife Day

Mar 2, 2018 9:30 AM ET

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is proud to collaborate with artist Zio Ziegler on an exclusive new tiger-inspired t-shirt design aimed at raising awareness and support of WWF’s global conservation efforts to protect tigers and other wildlife and wild places.

Research, Reports & Publications

Next Steps to Improving Measurement

Mar 2, 2018 9:15 AM ET

CECP has been known for measurement since its founding, with our dataset starting back in 2001 and Giving in Numbers almost to its 15th anniversary. While our companies’ questions drive CECP’s work more than anything, across our team we also keep a pulse on new product offerings or studies to find opportunities to play match-maker between a company challenge and another organization’s solution (if not ours).

Research, Reports & Publications

Barclays Releases 2017 ESG Report: Positioned for Growth, Sharing and Success

Mar 2, 2018 9:15 AM ET

We continue to enhance non-financial reporting across our disclosures, with increased information on material topics, non-financial performance measures and both regulatory and voluntary disclosures on gender pay, modern slavery and climate change.

Green Infrastructure

Consumers Energy Presents Energy Efficiency Incentive Check to Gerald R. Ford International Airport

Mar 2, 2018 8:35 AM ET

The Gerald R. Ford International Airport is being recognized for having one of the best and most energy-efficient airports in the region. Consumers Energy presented a rebate check for $151,631 to the Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GFIA) today, as part of the company’s energy efficiency program which is saving the airport energy and money.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Retired NBA Player, Anthony Avent, Joins iCause Advisory Board

Mar 2, 2018 8:30 AM ET

“Professional athletes have a major impact on our youth today and Anthony’s passion to empower the younger generation to make wiser choices is infectious. We are excited to work with Anthony on sports-related initiatives in the iCause community, bridging the gap between individuals, nonprofits, and causes. ” CEO Kevin McAhren stated.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

How My Passions Come to Life at Cisco

Mar 2, 2018 8:25 AM ET

My Cisco family – and it truly is a family – encourages me to give back, to do my best, and treats me like a valued member of our community. Never was this more true than in my recent trip across the world to help children in need.

Diversity & Inclusion

Why Gender Equity Builds Better Leadership and a Better World

Mar 2, 2018 8:15 AM ET

Environment

Expert Interview With Leslie Turner, Drinking Water Expert

Mar 2, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Leslie Turner has more than 20 years of experience in planning, permitting, design, project management, and construction management for water programs throughout the Southeastern United States. She has served in a senior management role for numerous engineering programs including water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, reclaimed water, and aquifer storage and recovery. She has extensive experience assisting clients with utility master planning and developing funding and capital improvement programs.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Xylem Employees Honored for Volunteer Efforts

Mar 2, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Two Xylem employees were honored by the Forest Reserve District of Will County with the Appreciation of Partners Award for the volunteer contributions of employees from Xylem's Mokena office on behalf of Xylem Watermark in 2017. Volunteer activities included clean-up efforts at the Forest Preserve’s Monee Reservoir and Rock Run Rookery Preserve in Will County, Illinois.

Research, Reports & Publications

Observations for a Better World – Valuable Impacts for Customers and Societies

Mar 2, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Vaisala, a global leader in environmental and industrial measurement, published today its renewed annual report. The report is its first to integrate strategy, value creation, financial statements, governance, and sustainability information all into one coherent report.

Diversity & Inclusion

The Scully Effect: Celebrating the X-Files’ Enduring Character Dana Scully and the Scientific Phenomenon She Inspired

Mar 1, 2018 7:30 PM ET

One of the longest-running science fiction series in network TV history, FOX’s The X-Files follows FBI special agents Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) as they investigate unexplained cases set aside by the government. A medical doctor and realist, Agent Scully is the foil to Agent Mulder’s conspiracy theorist character, and served as an early example of a strong female TV protagonist who inspired a generation of women to pursue careers in the sciences and law enforcement.

Education

Minecraft Hour of Code Introduces 85M+ to Computer Science

Mar 1, 2018 5:10 PM ET

“It’s about time!” Maine elementary school teacher and Code.org facilitator Mike Harvey laughs, recalling his reaction when Code.org partnered with Microsoft to launch the first Minecraft activity for the Hour of Code in 2015. An early adopter of Minecraft in the classroom, Mike thinks that it was a natural and logical outcome of what he called the “symbiotic relationship” between Code.org and Microsoft.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Republic Services and Habitat for Humanity of Denver Dedicate Affordable Homes to Local Families

Mar 1, 2018 4:00 PM ET

Republic Services partnered with Habitat for Humanity last year to help build and revitalize neighborhoods in communities across the country, one of those communities being Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver’s Sheridan Square. The local partnership includes a powerful combination of volunteer hours and financial support to help build a total of 16 new homes and to develop a community park.

Diversity & Inclusion

“A Victory for Common Sense” – Second Circuit Upholds LGBT Employee Rights

Mar 1, 2018 3:00 PM ET

In a victory for equality in the workplace, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit this morning held that the Civil Rights Act prohibits sexual orientation in employment. This ruling legally affirms the sentiment behind a petition that Viacom and 49 other major companies signed last summer.

“This ruling affirms the strong stand we have taken at Viacom – that there is no room in the workplace for discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,” said Viacom Senior Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs Rick Baker. “This is a victory for equality, for the LGBT community, for businesses at large, and for common sense.”

Environment

Creative Cooperation: An In-Depth Look at the Innovative Dartmouth-Hitchcock Recycling Program

Mar 1, 2018 2:05 PM ET

HPRC’s latest blog describes how Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center forged a relationship with other entities to create a viable recycling program.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Ocado Repurposes Uniforms Through Unique Partnership

Mar 1, 2018 2:00 PM ET

More than a third of us wear a uniform at work. The problem with that is, as with most garments, when uniforms reach the end of their life they are merely tossed in the bin. In fact, a staggering 90% of the 33 million corporate garments given to staff every year end up in landfill. That adds up to 15,000 tonnes of clothing. The cost of waste disposal alone comes to £1.2m in Landfill Tax.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Natural Wonder: 2017 Nightingale Awards Best of Competition

Mar 1, 2018 1:45 PM ET

Lichen, a modular plank carpet system from Mohawk Group, was the Best of Competition winner in the 2017 Nightingale Awards. The collection blends concepts of sustainability and biophilic design.

Energy

Wells Fargo Joins Global Atlantic Financial and Origis Energy to Increase Clean Energy Supply for Southeast U.S.

Mar 1, 2018 1:30 PM ET

SAN FRANCISCO – Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) Renewable Energy and Environmental Finance today announced it has completed $49 million in tax-equity funding for the new 540-acre solar generation facility known as MS Solar 3 in Sumrall, Mississippi. One of the Southeast’s biggest solar projects, it will generate enough clean energy to power more than 11,400 homes.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

OneWest Bank Wins Recognition At The 12th Annual Stevie® Awards

Mar 1, 2018 1:25 PM ET

Education

Edison NJ Mayor Lankey Speaks to goIT Students About STEM at Woodrow Wilson Middle School

Mar 1, 2018 12:55 PM ET

Energy

Bringing Renewable Energy to the Grid in the Rapidly Developing World

Mar 1, 2018 12:45 PM ET

As the demand for computing power grows exponentially, there has been a push from both outside of, and within the IT sector to reduce the carbon emissions and energy consumption associated with the world’s rapidly expanding IT infrastructure, which consists largely of data center facilities. The reality is that efficiency improvements won’t be enough to meet the exploding demand for data, and the compute power necessary to provide it.