News from Leading Brands

Keep up with the latest impact news from companies embracing the triple bottom line, shared via 3BL's publishing platform.

Helen Mathis seated on a couch

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement | Verizon

Entrepreneur Expands Her Thriving Tax Firm With Digital Innovation

Helen Mathis taught accounting as a vocational instructor for 30 years before facing a career-defining moment: The school where she worked closed and Mathis knew she needed a new plan

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Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Board Diversity: Time’s Up on Good Intentions

When I began working to make boards more gender diverse in 2001, the percentage of women on the boards of large companies in the United States was around 12 percent. By 2011, women had gained a few more seats at the table, and by 2016 women held 21 percent of board seats at Fortune 500 companies.

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Awards, Ratings & Rankings

The Arbor Day Foundation Announces 2019 Arbor Day Award Winners

The Arbor Day Foundation has announced the recipients of the 2019 Arbor Day awards. Individuals and organizations are being recognized for their outstanding contribution to tree planting, conservation and stewardship. The winners will be presented their award at a reception in their honor in their local community throughout the month of May.

Research, Reports & Publications

Common Impact Study: Making Long-Term Impact Through a Day of Skilled Service

We recently analyzed three years of data from the Charles Schwab Pro Bono Challenge and are excited to share the results of this program for the nonprofits, employees and the communities it supports. Our new paper - Making Long-Term Impact through a Day of Service – shares data, case studies and lessons learned from our work with the Charles Schwab Pro Bono Challenge and is available to help organizations find new ways to engage volunteers in shorter-term skilled engagements that provide measurable longer-term results

Responsible Production & Consumption

AmpleHarvest.org Announces New Board President

Today, AmpleHarvest.org, the nation’s only virtual solution to food waste and hunger, has announced the appointment of John Powers, Chief Corporate Development Officer at Deloitte, as their new Board President.

"We are thrilled that John’s taking the reins to help us towards further reducing hunger and food waste in America," said AmpleHarvest.org Executive Director, Gary Oppenheimer. “As a gardener himself, he sees the opportunity, presented by the nation’s 42 million gardeners, to donate their excess harvest to nearly 8,500 AmpleHarvest.org registered food pantries. The solution impacts hunger, food waste and climate change on a vast scale.”

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Education

Cisco GPS Challenge Highlights | Social Entrepreneur Jara Makes Education Accessible, Anytime and Anywhere

Jara has developed the Jara Unit, a low-cost, personal crank and solar powered tablet that teaches geographically custom education to refugees and those in disaster/conflict-affected regions, without requiring access to a classroom.

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Diversity & Inclusion

Women in Leadership: Frances Edmonds on the End of the ‘Take, Make and Dispose’ Economy

In her two decades with the company, she’s helped shift the printer-and computer-making IT giant away from the old ‘take, make and dispose’ model towards a more circular one before many other companies put an emphasis on closing the loop on waste. In a world where sustainability departments have often been staffed with marketers and communications experts, Edmonds has always brought a deeper vantage point to the table, thanks, in part, to her roots in environmental science.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

#CSRshareDay Starts a Global Pledge for the Event Industry to Be the Driving Force Behind the Solution, Not the Problem

On March 15th2019, 1.5 million school students went on strike in a fight against climate change. This #CSRshareDay, a day that recognises and celebrates Corporate Social Responsibility, the event industry has the opportunity to share their ideas on what the solution could be. ‘This is a wake-up call for the event industry.’ explains Fiona Pelham, Positive Impact CEO. ‘I regularly hear industry professionals at high levels of influence say they do not have the time or budget to think about sustainability and many that are in action are too fearful of criticism to be taking bold, game changing actions and be the driving force behind the solution.’

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Responsible Production & Consumption

From California to Central India: Implementing Water Stewardship at the Local Level

Jeff Hanratty, applied sustainability manager for General Mills, spoke with TriplePundit about the company’s efforts to identify and address key water risks related to agricultural production. He began by explaining how the organization created its focus on priority watersheds. Water is an extremely localized issue, and each geographic area has its own unique challenges that affect the quantity and quality of available freshwater. As a result, in 2016 General Mills analyzed 41 watersheds affecting its supply chain globally.

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Research, Reports & Publications

Bechtel Releases 2019 Annual Report Showing Strong Financial and Sustainability Performance

Today, Bechtel Corporation released its Annual Report showing it ended 2018 in a healthy financial position. Through helping customers deliver their most important projects and in making important progress on its own sustainability goals, Bechtel reinforced its standing as a trusted engineering, procurement and construction partner to industries and governments worldwide.

Discovery Education

Education

Five Core Computational Thinking Skills that Strengthen Students’ Humanities Skills

Anyone who says you can’t apply computational thinking and digital learning strategies to strengthen students’ skills in the writing is wrong. To the contrary, this innovative learning style helps students hone critical thinking skills across every discipline. In my classroom, I teach students computational thinking through free materials from Ignite My Future in School, a partnership between Tata Consultancy Services and Discovery Education. I especially enjoy using their Curriculum Connectors, online resources for teachers across disciplines to help their students apply computational thinking techniques.

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Awards, Ratings & Rankings

IVECO Valladolid Plant Achieves Gold Level Designation in World Class Manufacturing

The IVECO commercial vehicles manufacturing facility in Valladolid, Spain has achieved Gold status in the World Class Manufacturing (WCM) program becoming the second CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI/MI: CNHI) site, after the Madrid plant, to do so.

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Energy

Companies and Institutions Make the Business Case for Smart Energy Policy in the Buckeye State

Companies and institutions in Ohio gathered to discuss with state lawmakers how energy policy has the potential to drive investment and economic development in the Buckeye State.

Merck & Co., Inc. logo

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Merck Named on 2019 Best Places to Work List for LGBTQ Equality by Human Rights Campaign Foundation

Merck has been named a 2019 best place to work for LGBTQ equality by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation. This marks the seventh year in a row that the company received 100% on HRC's Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking tool which evaluates LGBTQ-related policies and practices including domestic partner benefits, surrogacy, parental leave and adoption benefits.

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Environment

Subaru of America Brings the Beauty of the National Parks to the New York International Auto Show

Subaru of America, Inc. today unveiled a one-of-a-kind display at the 2019 New York International Auto Show, honoring the automaker’s long-standing support of the national parks and partnership with the National Park Foundation. The Subaru display allows attendees to experience Yosemite, Denali, Arches and Yellowstone national parks from inside New York’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

FSG Reimagining Social Change

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

How Financial Services Companies Can Advance Racial Equity and Create Business Growth

Finance companies to improve competitive advantage by advancing racial equity.

Research, Reports & Publications

What Does Society Look Like in the Future of the Anthropocene? A Q&A With Andy Hoffman

We have entered a new geologic epoch, called the Anthropocene, that recognizes people’s effect on the Earth’s ecosystems—harming them in ways that are likely irreversible. So what will Anthropocene society look like in the future?

Education

The ABCs of Financial Literacy Month

These days managing your personal finances or even following the business news can be overwhelming if you don’t have mastery of basic financial jargon. A basic financial vocabulary helps fill in the blanks in understanding a confusing and volatile market.

Environment

Ecocentricity Blog: Math Without the Numbers

Ray Anderson's sustainability vision for Interface was for it to rewrite the IPAT equation. He believed that the harmful technologies of the first industrial revolution, extractive and polluting by nature, could be replaced by the technologies of a new, sustainability-focused industrial revolution.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Smithfield Foods Achieves Donations in All 50 States With a 41,000 Pound Delivery of Protein to New Mexico’s Roadrunner Food Bank

Today, Smithfield Foods, Inc. and Lowe’s Supermarket joined forces to donate more than more than 41,000 pounds of protein to Roadrunner Food Bank. Smithfield’s contribution was part of the company’s 2019 Helping Hungry Homes® donation tour. Helping Hungry Homes® is Smithfield’s signature hunger-relief initiative focused on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure. The donation, equivalent to more than 167,000 servings, will help families fight hunger in New Mexico.

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Green Infrastructure

Whirlpool Corporation Highlights Significantly Reduced Emissions, Improved Product Efficiency in 2018 Corporate Sustainability Report

Today, Whirlpool Corporation released its 2018 Corporate Sustainability Report, highlighting the company’s progress and accomplishments in the 2018 operational year, with particularly strong results in its efforts to reduce the amount of natural resources required in manufacturing its appliances.

Albertsons Companies Recipe for Change logo

Environment

Albertsons Market Embraces Sustainability

Albertsons Market embraces the opportunity to provide environmentally-friendly choices to our guests and will fully comply with the recent City of Albuquerque ordinance banning point-of-sale, single-use plastic bags.

Arbor Day Foundation Logo

Green Infrastructure

20 Cities Awarded TD Green Space Grants for Innovative Urban Forestry Initiatives in Underserved Neighborhoods

Today, TD Bank Group (TD) and the Arbor Day Foundation announced the recipients of the inaugural TD Green Space Grants program, providing a total of $400,000 USD.

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Research, Reports & Publications

Accenture’s Corporate Citizenship Report 2018: Improving the Way the World Works and Lives

“As the pace of innovation disrupts what it means to be a responsible business, organizations must take a leadership role in positively contributing to society at a scale that makes a difference,” — Laurence Morvan, Accenture’s corporate social responsibility officer and chief of staff – office of the CEO.

Corporate citizenship has always been fundamental to the way Accenture operates. Guided by the responsibility to their people, clients, communities and the environment, the company leverages its understanding of technology and its impact to help create more-inclusive societies that offer more opportunities to more people.

Whole Foods Market Foundation

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Smaller Brands Can Help End Global Poverty, Too

Whole Flanet Foundation focuses on microloans, which the organization has designed to ensure ease of access; the way in which this program works is critical because acquiring seed money is a formidable task for anyone in poverty. Such an obstacle is especially overwhelming for women, who are routinely denied opportunities in education and commerce.

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Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Tetra Tech Wins Two Awards in the Sustainable Pittsburgh Challenge

Tetra Tech was among the top winners honored at the Sustainable Pittsburgh Challenge (SPC) Finale and Awards Ceremony on March 21, 2019. The purpose of SPC is to increase sustainability practices by Pittsburgh businesses across seven major categories: social equity, energy, water, materials management, transportation, air quality, and engagement.

Latest Campaigns

  1. AEG's Commitment to Social Impact and Volunteerism
    AEG embraces its responsibility to enrich the lives of people in the communities around the world where we do business, and to use business to create...

  2. Southwire Giving Back
    Our neighbors depend on us, just as we depend on them, so we are committed to improving the quality of life in the communities in which we work. At...

  3. Carbon Footprint
    We are accelerating our efforts to help build a low-carbon economy and avert the worst impacts of climate change. Our goal to reduce our GHG emissions...

  4. Environmental Sustainability
    As sustainability leaders, we implement our sustainability strategy across all company activities along the entire value chain, from raw materials to...

  5. Corporate Social Responsibility
    Corporate Social Responsibility

  6. International Paper | HEALTHY & ABUNDANT FORESTS
    Vision 2030 Goal: Lead forest stewardship efforts globally

  7. Sustainability Report
    Our latest Sustainability Report highlights recent accomplishments and progress toward achieving goals in the environmental, social and governance...

  8. Social Impact at Mastercard
    At Mastercard, we’re powering economies and empowering people, building a sustainable economy where everyone prospers.

  9. Kingfisher Around the World
    The SCS Kingfisher certification mark is showing up on an increasing number of products around the world. It differentiates companies that are making...

  10. License to Operate
    Corporate governance, risk management, operational integrity, and regulatory compliance are demanding challenges that companies face in today’s ever...

  11. IWBI | WELL Building Standard
    Our built environment can shape our habits and choices, regulate our sleep-wake cycle, drive us toward healthy and unhealthy choices, and passively...

  12. Leading ESG & Sustainability Stewardship
    The new CNH continues on its longstanding path of excellence in sustainability, which is recognized by the foremost authorities.

  13. Green Mountain Energy Commitment to Sustainability
    At Green Mountain Energy Company, we share our customers’ commitment to the environment and sustainability. We are inspired by the success that we...

  14. KeyBank's Community Investment
    In states where Key has a presence, there are approximately 1.7 million low- to moderate-income (LMI) households. Many LMI individuals don’t have bank...

  15. GoDaddy | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
    Diverse teams build better products — period. At GoDaddy, we make apps and services that our worldwide community of entrepreneurs can relate to. Our...