Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Health & Healthcare

Making a Date For Behaviour Change

Dec 10, 2015 10:30 AM ET

Every year the National Health Service loses a staggering £950m because of missed appointments, or DNAs (did not attends) – no-shows who fail to cancel their appointments. Twelve million GP appointments are missed at a cost of £162m and 7.1m hospital appointments at a cost of £788m. Not only do missed appointments incur financial losses in terms of underused specialists and equipment, and increased administration costs, but the patient population loses slots that are in high demand and the patients who DNA do not get the healthcare they need.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Have You Checked For Slavery In Your Supply Chain? If Not Then You Should

Dec 10, 2015 10:30 AM ET

With the world realizing what the effects of forced labor and modern day slavery can do to them, major companies that have identified slavery within their supply chains are creating better plans to rid of this problem. As we’ve seen in recent months major companies, such as Nestle, have found that suppliers within their supply chains have been using the elements of human slavery to increase production. With consumers becoming more aware of what is exactly involved in the products they buy and the sources that companies use to create these products, it has really become top priority for many companies to be aware of the pending social, economical, and ethical issues.

Energy

Wind Energy to Power GM’s Texas Assembly Plant

Dec 10, 2015 10:10 AM ET

General Motors’ Arlington Assembly plant will soon be able to build up to 125,000 trucks a year using wind power from turbines whose blades span the length of a football field in diameter.

Education

Human vs. Machine

Dec 10, 2015 10:05 AM ET

After hours of online classes and project work, we made it! We are the first three AT&T employees to graduate from the Georgia Tech Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMS CS) program. And as we like to say, if you can make it through the Machine Learning course, the rest is a breeze [and by breeze we mean gale force winds].

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

CITGO Joins Muscular Dystrophy Association in Raising More Than $350,000 in Wisconsin

Dec 10, 2015 10:05 AM ET

Fueling good with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) for nearly 30 years, CITGO Petroleum Corporation, as well as its local Marketers and Retailers, supported several recent MDA events throughout Wisconsin, helping to cumulatively raise more than $350,000 to benefit local chapters and fund research for neuromuscular diseases.

Innovation & Technology

Passing the Torch: Insights for the Next Generation of Senior Leaders

Dec 10, 2015 10:00 AM ET

As I near retirement, I’m reflecting more on my career and the learnings that shaped my rise into senior leadership. I didn’t climb straight up the proverbial corporate ladder – but I looked at every new job as an opportunity to expand who I was as a leader. It seems only fitting to pass along a few of my most valued experiences to the next generation of senior leaders.

Research, Reports & Publications

Diversity at Domtar: Employee Demographic Breakdown

Dec 10, 2015 10:00 AM ET

A look at Domtar's workforce

Environment

BSR COP21 Daily Dispatch: Day 11

Dec 10, 2015 9:30 AM ET

The BSR COP21 Daily Dispatch highlights news and insights on the policy negotiations and their implications for business and a sustainable future for our climate.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Top Companies and Nonprofit Recognized at 2015 VolunteerMatch Summit Awards Ceremony

Dec 10, 2015 9:30 AM ET

VolunteerMatch, the Web's largest volunteer engagement network, announced today the winners of the 2015 VolunteerMatch Corporate Volunteer Awards.

Diversity & Inclusion

3 Unexpected Ways to Retain Tech Talent

Dec 10, 2015 9:05 AM ET

As tech companies fight to recruit and retain top talent, a company's environment, health, safety, and sustainability programs can be a unique differentiator to give them an important advantage over their competitors.

Innovation & Technology

And I Barely Heard the "S" Word

Dec 10, 2015 8:45 AM ET

I had a wonderful time at the recent Sustainatopia event here in Boston. But apart from the obvious root “sustain” in Sustainatopia, I heard little mention of the word.

Environment

Bloomberg Carbon Clock

Dec 10, 2015 8:20 AM ET

Carbon Dioxide pollution is the primary reason the Earth is warming.

Research, Reports & Publications

Letter from the 2014 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

Dec 10, 2015 8:15 AM ET

Before corporate social responsibility (CSR) was a generally accepted term, our guiding principles of service, expertise and integrity laid the groundwork for our organizational culture. Celebrating our 125th anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on how these principles have deepened Northern Trust’s longstanding CSR commitment.

Environment

Cumbria Flooding 2015 – Uncertainty in Flood Risk Management

Dec 10, 2015 8:05 AM ET

Research, Reports & Publications

IKEA Group Reports Strong Sustainability Progress

Dec 10, 2015 8:00 AM ET

The IKEA Group Sustainability Report for fiscal year (FY) 2015 shows progress towards its People & Planet Positive sustainability strategy including commitments to tackling climate change.

Energy

Report Focuses on Building Trust with Canadians

Dec 10, 2015 7:40 AM ET

Canadian Energy Pipeline Association’s (CEPA) inaugural safety report, focuses on the pipeline industry’s recent performance and efforts we are making to provide the safety and reliability Canadians expect and deserve.

Environment

Patti Harris: On Climate Change, COP21 and Public Art

Dec 10, 2015 7:00 AM ET

World leaders, environment experts and delegates from around the globe are convening in Paris for COP21, the U.N.'s climate summit. Meanwhile, in the center of the city at Place du Panthéon, the public has the chance to encounter Ice Watch, a work by acclaimed artist Olafur Eliasson and scientist Minik Rosing, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Fox Pride Group Celebrates First Anniversary, Volunteers for LGBT Causes

Dec 10, 2015 7:00 AM ET

On Thursday, October 15, the Fox Pride LGBT-Straight Alliance commemorated its first anniversary with an outdoor event in honor of Spirit Day, GLAAD's yearly campaign to support LGBT youth and speak out against bullying. The event, held at the Fox Studios Lot in Los Angeles and at the Fox International Channels office in Hong Kong, brought together Fox Pride members and supporters from across 21st Century Fox businesses to celebrate the company's LGBT community. Fox Pride was formed in 2014 to cultivate a passion for all types of diversity in order to advocate for and celebrate advances in the fight for equality.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Mike Bloomberg on Mark Zuckerberg's Decision to Devote His Wealth to Philanthropy

Dec 10, 2015 6:45 AM ET

My hat’s off to Mark Zuckerberg for making a decision he’ll never regret and making a difference he’ll forever be remembered for.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Matt Barnes Hosts 3rd Annual Charity Clinic for Sandy Hook

Dec 9, 2015 5:15 PM ET

Matt Barnes this past weekend drew about 125 kids to his third annual youth baseball clinic to promote healing and the rebirth of normalcy in the community where 20 children and six adults were gunned down in a school rampage shooting in December 2012.

Social Impact & Volunteering

26,000 DPS Elementary School Children Get a Hand in Fighting Winter Cold from Mittens for Detroit and FCA US

Dec 9, 2015 4:30 PM ET

In an effort to help children stay safe and warm this winter, Mittens for Detroit (MFD), a charity that’s known for warming hearts, two hands at a time, and automaker FCA US LLC kicked off a “mitten drop” December 9 at Dossin Elementary-Middle School. The partnership will provide a new pair of mittens or gloves to more than 26,000 Detroit Public School elementary students.

Research, Reports & Publications

Big Data to Build Sharper Profiles of Consumer Commerce at the City Level

Dec 9, 2015 4:20 PM ET

Mixed signals. It’s a far too common phrase used by U.S. economists, policymakers and market analysts who are trying to interpret the latest economic data. Whether it’s understanding the Federal Reserve’s thinking on interest rates, or decoding Black Friday consumer spending - mixed signals are reported too often. True at the national level, these mixed signals, or no signals at all, are even more prevalent at the city level.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Trim Tab v.27 - The Equity Issue

Dec 9, 2015 3:00 PM ET

Trim Tab Magazine is the International Living Future Institute's quarterly, online publication that is awash with provocative articles, interviews and news on the issues, designs, and people that are truly transforming the built environment.

This issue shares stories of heroes who are proving that we can choose to work toward communities that are inclusive and robust for every person.

Environment

Bloomberg News: Climate Diplomats Have 940 Decisions to Make in Three Days

Dec 9, 2015 2:25 PM ET

With three days left in their marathon negotiating sessions and 940 decisions still to be made, envoys at the United Nations climate summit are advancing toward a deal that would limit fossil fuel pollution everywhere.

Energy

Biofuels Take Flight with FedEx

Dec 9, 2015 2:00 PM ET

FedEx planes to deliver packages using fuel made from forest waste.