Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

There Is No "One Size Fits All."

Feb 27, 2019 8:30 AM ET

As the field of pro bono service continues to grow, companies increasingly identify pro bono programming as a critical element of their overall social impact objectives. Taproot Foundation conducted an inaugural survey of companies doing pro bono to collect data on their programs, identify trends, and share key observations for advancing the field.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

EDF Unveils Crowdsourced Platform to Accelerate Corporate Sustainability

Feb 27, 2019 8:10 AM ET

A new crowdsourced web platform launched today aims to help sustainability professionals meet increasing demands to reduce corporate climate and chemical footprints and showcase results. The platform will fill a vital gap in sustainability departments’ capacity to stay informed on the latest resources to address environmental impacts across global supply chains.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Tetra Tech Wins City of Houston Goods and Services Prime Contractor of the Year Award

Feb 27, 2019 8:00 AM ET

n February 7, 2019, Tetra Tech received the City of Houston Office of Business Opportunity (OBO) Goods and Services Prime Contractor of the Year Award at the 6th Annual Champions of Diversity Awards Ceremony.

Environment

Video: Verizon & NFL Super Bowl LIII: Recycling Rally at Zoo Atlanta 2019

Feb 27, 2019 8:00 AM ET

Verizon, the NFL, and the Atlanta Superbowl Hosting Committee teamed up for the Superbowl 53 e-waste recycling rally. More than 400 people participated in the Recycling Rally and the total collected e-waste filled 87 pallets.

Environment

Forest Recovery: Marlin’s Environmental Legacy

Feb 27, 2019 6:30 AM ET

At Goldcorp, we are committed to managing our impact on the environment. After a mine’s closure, our aim is to leave a sustainable legacy for present and future generations that we can be proud of. Goldcorp’s Marlin mine, Guatemala’s first large scale gold mine, closed in 2017 and has transitioned into a reclaimed and reforested area of biodiversity interest and research.

Energy

Infographic | Are You Ready for an Electric Fleet?

Feb 26, 2019 3:45 PM ET

Are you looking to power up your commercial fleet and go electric? Check out this infographic by UPS - and if you're at GreenBiz this week, join Crystal Lassiter, UPS’s Senior Global Director of Sustainability, for a discussion about the driving factors, challenges, and opportunities of the shift to electrification on 2/27!

Social Impact & Volunteering

Share Your Love by Volunteering for PHILLIPS Playground Build Day This May!

Feb 26, 2019 3:35 PM ET

Looking for a service project for your group or business? How about building a playground?

Responsible Production & Consumption

Walmart Announces New Plastic Packaging Waste Reduction Commitments

Feb 26, 2019 3:00 PM ET

Walmart today issued a bold new set of plastic waste reduction commitments by leveraging its massive private brand program. The new commitments, announced at Walmart’s annual supplier forum, are expected to impact over 30,000 SKUs. The move is designed to help get to the heart of the problem by focusing on the retailer’s private brand packaging, building upon existing efforts to reduce plastic waste in Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club operations, and encouraging national brand suppliers to set similar packaging goals.

Green Infrastructure

A Living Laboratory for Transportation Innovation — #CleanTechnica Interview With Allie Kelly

Feb 26, 2019 2:15 PM ET

Allie Kelly, executive director of The Ray, a non-profit organization which is the nation’s only publicly accessible, living laboratory for transportation innovation, has been announced as a featured speaker for the 2019 WTS Conference in Boston, May 15-17, 2019. With a vision to achieve equity and access for women in the transportation industry, WTS generates high-caliber professional opportunities for members through events and activities, networking opportunities, and unparalleled access to industry and government leaders.

Sustainable Development Goals

UN Global Compact and B Lab to Develop Online Platform for Companies to Manage Their Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals

Feb 26, 2019 2:00 PM ET

The United Nations Global Compact together with B Lab will develop a new online platform for companies around the world to manage their progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Social Impact & Volunteering

Sysco Gives Back Weeks: Volunteers Help Distribute 17,000 Pounds of Food to More Than 200 Families

Feb 26, 2019 1:30 PM ET

We’re at the heart of food and service -- and our community -- as Sysco Gives Back Weeks continues! Our volunteers and their families helped Catholic Charities distribute 17,000 lbs. of food to 200+ families on Saturday. Our volunteers were also out in force with the Houston Food Bank’s Spring Branch and Katy Mobile Food Pantries, Blessings in a Backpack and Meals on Wheels, where we spent another worthwhile afternoon assembling breakfast packs for seniors citizens. Making a difference matters!

Environment

Sands ECO360 Newsletter | Las Vegas Sands' Top Sustainability Moments in Q4 2018

Feb 26, 2019 1:15 PM ET

Through Sands ECO360, Las Vegas Sands’ award winning global sustainability program, the company has a responsibility to the planet and is committed to minimizing its environmental impact. Each quarter, Sands publishes its efforts in sustainability in the Sands ECO360 newsletter highlighting pivotal moments and milestones across its properties around the world. Sands is a leader in sustainability within the hospitality industry focusing on four key pillars: green buildings, green meetings and events, environmentally responsible operations, and stakeholder engagement.

Environment

New National Consortium Forms From Ecosystem Services Market Program; Executive Director Selected

Feb 26, 2019 1:00 PM ET

Today, ten private-sector companies and nonprofit organizations have announced their intent to join together to form the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC).

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Ethisphere Names Ecolab One of the World's Most Ethical Companies for 13th Consecutive Year

Feb 26, 2019 12:30 PM ET

Ecolab Inc. has again been recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices. Ecolab has been named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies every year since the list’s inception in 2007.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Mars, Incorporated Named One of the 2019 World's Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere for the Second Year in a Row

Feb 26, 2019 11:30 AM ET

At the heart of our recognition are The Five Principles, ideals we’ve outlined to help us grow our business in ways that are good for people and the planet. Meanwhile, our Sustainable in a Generation Plan, launched in 2017, outlines our plans to make the world better for the next generation. Through the Healthy Planet pillar, we’re working to reduce our environmental impact in a number of ways, including the elimination of problematic plastics and our goal of 100 percent recyclability by 2025. We want to make it as easy as possible for our products to be a part of a healthy lifestyle by Nourishing Wellbeing. Finally, we’re committed to building sustainable communities through our Thriving People pillar.

Sustainable Development Goals

Honesty Is the Best Policy When Talking About the SDGs

Feb 26, 2019 11:15 AM ET

At Tetra Pak we’ve committed to support all of the 17 Goals, and in 2017, we spent eight months on a rigorous material assessment identifying and prioritising those aspects of our business where we could have the greatest economic, environmental and social impacts and/or could substantively influence stakeholder decisions. Sustainability has always been at the core of our promise to protect food, people and futures. That is to say, we are not new to this, and we’ve been looking at the science of environment for decades – but aligning to the SDG’s has enabled us to expand and evolve our approach.

Research, Reports & Publications

The Faculty Member Who Fights Fake News – Erb Institute Faculty Andy Hoffman in La Nación

Feb 26, 2019 11:00 AM ET

Energy

The Intersection of Politics & Energy Policy

Feb 26, 2019 11:00 AM ET

The intersection of Politics and Energy Policy is a busy one. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees on the traffic signals and, as a result, there’s a lot of gridlock. Even as scientists warn that world leaders are running out of time to take comprehensive action on climate change, some politicians are still debating the existence of the problem. Across the globe, the carbon-free-future campaigners are in a tug of war with the fossil-fuel advocates. Bold plans set in motion by one administration are postponed or cancelled by the next. In 2019, energy buyers must remain alert in tracking political developments, as well as traditional concerns about energy security, and trade policies and sanctions, for example, to understand the impact on energy markets.

Environment

7 Basic Steps for Conducting a Successful Materiality Assessment

Feb 26, 2019 10:45 AM ET

If you’re considering conducting a materiality assessment, read Antea Group’s blog for 7 basic steps that should be a part of your initiative.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Unique Paper Program Benefits Charity, One Ream at a Time

Feb 26, 2019 10:15 AM ET

Since 2014, Millcraft’s Buy & Give paper program has given its business customers a way to support local charities through their purchase of Buy & Give paper. Each Buy & Give box is custom made by Domtar with private label wrapping and packaging, and then is filled with Domtar private label office paper. For each carton purchased through the paper program, Millcraft donates $1 to charity.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Technology Advancements Boost Traceability in the Food Sector

Feb 26, 2019 10:00 AM ET

In cases of widespread foodborne illness, like last year’s E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce, the next step is to determine where along the food supply chain the contamination occurred. That’s where food traceability—the ability to trace a product through every step in the supply chain, from point of origin to final retail location—comes into play.

Energy

General Motors Partners With DTE on Wind Energy in Michigan

Feb 26, 2019 9:05 AM ET

As part of its commitment to increasing its renewable energy footprint globally and finding clean energy solutions near its operations, General Motors has partnered with DTE Energy for 300,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of wind energy in the state of Michigan. Once complete, the energy sourced will be enough to power 100 percent of the electricity needs of GM’s global technical center in Warren and its Detroit-based operations at the Renaissance Center. The 300,000 MWh are equivalent to the amount of power consumed by nearly 30,000 U.S. households per year.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Verizon Joins with First Responder Foundation to Expand Services to Public Safety

Feb 26, 2019 9:00 AM ET

First responders put their lives at risk daily, and Verizon supports these heroes. That’s why we recently made a $10,000 investment to the First Responders Foundation that will help expand and grow the Foundation, serving more first responders.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Xylem Watermark Partners with the Water Well Trust to Bring Clean Water to 24 Households in Holly Ridge, NC

Feb 26, 2019 9:00 AM ET

This past summer, the Water Well Trust partnered with Xylem Watermark to launch its largest project to date outside of Ashville in Holly Ridge, NC. The small town of 24 households relied on 3 deteriorating wells as its water source and did not have access to clean water. Xylem Watermark worked with local distributors, and together they assessed the site and installed 3 new well houses, which provided all 24 households access to clean, safe water. The project involved rehabilitating the wells, which cost $45,336—$3 million less than it would have cost for the households to connect to the local municipal system. Xylem Watermark is thrilled to have taken part in this project.

Education

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Announces SEEDS Hands-on Curriculum to Get More Children Learning, Growing in the Garden

Feb 26, 2019 8:45 AM ET

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation recently announced the launch of Gro More Good, a national initiative that will bring the life-enhancing benefits of gardens and greenspaces to 10 million children over the next five years. As part of Gro More Good, the Foundation is now offering a curriculum designed to help parents, caregivers, and educators engage more children in hands-on learning opportunities in the garden.