Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Diversity & Inclusion

Betsy Duke — A Career of Firsts in Leadership

Mar 8, 2018 12:15 PM ET

As she relaxed on a Saturday afternoon in 1991, Betsy Duke received a phone call that would change her life. Her mentor and boss at a community bank in Virginia, the Bank of Tidewater, had died from a heart attack. Twenty-four hours later, Duke became one of the state’s first female banking CEOs.

Diversity & Inclusion

GRI Newsletter: International Women's Day Edition

Mar 8, 2018 12:05 PM ET

On International Women’s Day, GRI wants to highlight how transparency can help organizations work towards gender equality. This month's newsletter features several examples of how the GRI Standards and GRI’s services help companies better understand their impacts on gender.

Diversity & Inclusion

Tata Consultancy Services Spreads Its Message of Democratizing Access at This Year’s International Women’s Day Forum

Mar 8, 2018 11:30 AM ET

On March 7, Balaji Ganapathy, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Head of Workforce Effectiveness in North America, joined an esteemed panel of speakers in Washington D.C., at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and U.S. Department of State’s eighth International Women's Day Forum, Partner With Purpose: Business for Gender Equality.

Responsible Production & Consumption

General Mills Helps Transition 34,000 Acres Into Organic Farmland

Mar 8, 2018 11:15 AM ET

General Mills today announced a strategic sourcing agreement with Gunsmoke Farms LLC to convert 34,000 acres of conventional farmland to certified organic acreage by 2020. The farm, located west of Pierre, South Dakota, will grow certified organic wheat and other organic rotational crops. General Mills will use wheat grown on the farm to make Annie’s pasta products, including its signature Mac and Cheese.

Media & Communications

Domtar Improves the Paper Trail, Providing Increased Supply Chain Transparency for Pulp and Paper Products

Mar 8, 2018 11:00 AM ET

Domtar Corporation today announced improvements to its award-winning supply chain transparency tool, The Paper Trail® (www.domtarpapertrail.com), offering customers a deeper look into the company’s products and the people and places behind their manufacture.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

New Sponsorship Pairs Aflac and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals 
to Help Defeat Childhood Cancer

Mar 8, 2018 11:00 AM ET

Aflac, the leader in voluntary insurance sales at the worksite in the United States and a committed corporate ally for families facing childhood cancer, today announced an agreement with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® (CMN Hospitals) to sponsor several key CMN Hospitals events throughout the year, including the second annual #ChildrensHospitalsWeek, which is this week. Aflac will also sponsor the CMN Dance Marathon Leadership Conference in July and five select Miracle Network Dance Marathon events held at universities across the country.

Environment

Consumers Energy’s New Renewable Energy Program Helps Switch and General Motors in Michigan

Mar 8, 2018 10:30 AM ET

General Motors and Switch are the first participants in a new Consumers Energy program to help large businesses use large renewable energy sources. Both companies are now matching 100 percent of their electric use at key operations in Michigan with wind-generated power.

Diversity & Inclusion

VIDEO | Whole Planet Foundation: Powering Her Potential

Mar 8, 2018 10:20 AM ET

In honor of women around the globe who are lifting up themselves and their families through their own hard work and creativity, happy International Women’s Day! Today Whole Planet Foundation celebrates the achievements of microentrepreneurs like Rupa who are using their voice and their personal power to change their own lives through microbusinesses that they lead.

Energy

Building the Energy Grid of Tomorrow

Mar 8, 2018 10:10 AM ET

Roads, railways and broadband might come to mind when you hear the word “infrastructure,” but at Duke Energy, the first thing that comes to mind is the energy grid – the largest machine ever built. It’s the infrastructure that powers nearly every part of society, enabling communities to grow, businesses to thrive and families to live comfortably.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Wendy’s Recognizes 10 Employees for Giving Back to Their Local Communities

Mar 8, 2018 10:05 AM ET

Give Something Back and Do The Right Thing are two core values important to The Wendy’s Company, and employees live these values in a variety of ways. Each year, Wendy’s is proud to recognize employees and all they do to make a positive impact in their communities through its Community Ambassador Grant Program. Ten Wendy’s employees are recognized for exemplary volunteer efforts in their communities with a $2,500 grant to an organization they support with their time, talents, and resources.

Events, Media & Communications

Food Waste Prevention Awareness Event Premiers in Los Angeles

Mar 8, 2018 10:00 AM ET

The inaugural statewide Food Waste Prevention Week kicked off on Tuesday, March 6 with a press event hosted by local elected officials and key partner organizations at the World Harvest Center, a local food bank in South Los Angeles.

Diversity & Inclusion

AEG Launches Like A Girl Campaign in Support of International Women's Day

Mar 8, 2018 10:00 AM ET

In support of International Women’s Day, AEG, the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company, has launched “Like A Girl,” a social media campaign that underscores the organization’s belief in gender equality.

Diversity & Inclusion

3 Words That Opened My Mind to a New Meaning of Diversity & Inclusion

Mar 8, 2018 9:55 AM ET

"Visibly, I’m a minority female in a leadership position at a tech company. So you might think I know a thing or two about diversity and inclusion in the workplace (affectionately known as D&I). Admittedly, I’m no expert and I haven’t read very much of the literature on this topic. But I have a few experiences of my own that I’ve been sitting on and thought was time to share." - Sona Khosla, VP Marketing Benevity. Continue reading to hear Sona's experiences and find out which three words forever changed her.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

John A. Lanier Is Named Chairman of the Southface Board of Directors

Mar 8, 2018 9:30 AM ET

John A. Lanier, Executive Director of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation, has been named Chairman of the Board for Southface

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

SC Johnson Italy Culture Makes It A Great Place to Work

Mar 8, 2018 9:30 AM ET

For the 13th year, SC Johnson Italy has been recognized as a Best Workplace by the Great Place to Work® Institute. The organization earned the No. 19 spot in the 2018 ranking for Best Medium-Sized Multinational Companies in the country.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Grazie alla sua cultura aziendale, SC Johnson Italia è di nuovo un Great Place to Work

Mar 8, 2018 9:30 AM ET

Per il tredicesimo anno, SC Johnson Italia è stata premiata dall’Istituto Great Place to Work® come uno dei Best Workplace. L’organizzazione si è aggiudicata il 19 posto nella classifica 2018 delle migliori aziende multinazionali di medie dimensioni del Paese.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Five Steps to Successful Dynamic Working

Mar 8, 2018 9:25 AM ET

Health & Healthcare

Aramark and the American Heart Association Continue Progress to Improve Health of All Americans

Mar 8, 2018 9:20 AM ET

March is National Nutrition Month and throughout the month, Aramark and the American Heart Association are presenting a series of videos highlighting the work of their breakthrough health impact initiative, Healthy for Life 20 By 20. Experts from Aramark and the American Heart Association, as well as community members, will talk about the multi-year collaboration, and how we are working together to help millions lead healthier lives.

Diversity & Inclusion

Las Vegas Sands Honors International Women's Day

Mar 8, 2018 9:05 AM ET

In honor of International Women’s Day, Las Vegas Sands has chosen to highlight female Team Members in all of the regions in which we operate that have initiated change in their communities and the workplace.

Diversity & Inclusion

On International Women’s Day, Let’s Press for Progress in Global Supply Chains

Mar 8, 2018 9:00 AM ET

On this International Women’s Day, BSR urges us to commit to strengthen our resolve to ensure that women—and men—everywhere are empowered to create workplaces, communities, and societies in which women can thrive and be treated with respect. These examples from BSR's HERproject initiative demonstrate how that can be done.

Responsible Production & Consumption

They Weren't Expecting a Woman

Mar 8, 2018 9:00 AM ET

In support of International Women's Day on March 8th, Fair Trade celebrates women everywhere who embody the #FairHer mission as role models for gender equality through their words and actions. We call on three women of Fair Trade to share their experiences and what they’ve learned along the way from bold, inspiring women in communities they work with through Fair Trade.

Social Impact & Volunteering

#PressforProgress on Developing Female Leaders in the Workplace

Mar 8, 2018 8:50 AM ET

With tremendous global activism for women's equality, there is now, more than ever, a strong momentum to close the gender gap. At Common Impact, we recognize the need for gender parity across all sectors and are consistently working to hone our unique model of social impact to design programs that both engage and develop female leaders at all levels of their careers.

Diversity & Inclusion

Nat Geo Welcomes Emma Watson as First Guest Editor of @NatGeo on Instagram to Celebrate International Women’s Day

Mar 8, 2018 8:30 AM ET

To celebrate International Women’s Day (Thursday, March 8), National Geographic is welcoming its first guest editor for the @NatGeo Instagram account: actor, activist and UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson. Working alongside National Geographic’s editorial team, Emma will curate the account and highlight the work of eight female Nat Geo photographers from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Australia, the U.S. and the Philippines throughout the day starting at 8 a.m. EST. Their photos cover a wide range of important topics relevant to women around the world today.

Diversity & Inclusion

Q&A with NRG's Amanda Wisinski About #IntroduceAGirlToEngineeringDay

Mar 8, 2018 8:20 AM ET

Meet Amanda Wisinski, she's been with NRG since 2008 bringing electrical engineering expertise to our plant management.

Diversity & Inclusion

This Woman Turned a Hobby Into a Successful Business

Mar 8, 2018 8:15 AM ET

The Mashrou3i program, organized by UNIDO in partnership with USAID, the Italian Cooperation, and the HP Foundation, is designed to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship and offer tools that support fledgling business owners. Its mission is to create some 6,000 jobs and reach more than 25,000 aspiring and existing entrepreneurs in Tunisia over the next five years.