News from Leading Brands

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

Focus for maximum impact

Focus™ is 3BL’s premier product, a comprehensive suite of proprietary tools and expertise to optimize your impact programs with precision and purpose.

Discover Focus

Smarter impact communications

Power your message with data, insights and confidence

Find out more at 3BL.com

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

KeyBank Provides $39.4 Million in Financing for the Redevelopment and Preservation of a Historic Cleveland Affordable Housing Property

KeyBank Real Estate Capital and KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) have provided a total of $39.4 million in financing for the redevelopment and preservation of Commodore Apartments in Cleveland, OH. Specifically, KeyBank provided a $16.6 million LIHTC equity investment, an $11.6 million construction loan and an $11.1 million non-recourse, FHA 221(d)(4) first mortgage loan.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Join Feed the Children's Fight to Defeat Hunger and Help Kids Be Kids

Hunger. It has crept into our cities. It has found a way into our neighborhoods. It’s affecting the lives of millions of men, women and children domestically and internationally, cementing itself as a real threat to our well-being.

See, hunger isn’t prejudiced. It doesn’t care about gender, age or ethnicity. Hunger doesn’t know if you are homeless or a part of the working class. It only has one job, and it performs it very well.

Research, Reports & Publications

Caterpillar Thiruvallur Energy Efficiency & Renewables

The long-term strategy at Caterpillar India Private Limited in Thiruvallur, India, includes embedding sustainability in manufacturing through renewable energy and energy conservation.

Environment

Organics

Environmentally conscientious communities across the country are seeking our help with sustainable solutions for their organics, which includes food and yard waste. The good news is that organics are highly biodegradable and can be recycled at our compost facilities — benefiting our planet and business.

Diversity & Inclusion

Nestlé Purina is Working to Build a More Disability-Friendly Workplace and Community

The two years Sarah Schwegel, a lifelong advocate for people with disabilities, spent at Nestlé Purina were hugely beneficial for both Sarah and the company. Sarah, who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type II and uses a power wheelchair, worked in Purina’s human resources department, helping us to bring the best people to our company. She put forward suggestions detailing how Purina could better support employees with disabilities, and we acted on her ideas and saw what a difference they could make.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Duke Energy Foundation Awards Indiana Nonprofits $315,000 in Community Impact Grants

Twenty-one Indiana nonprofit organizations are receiving $315,000 in Duke Energy Foundation grants to make a difference in their communities. Their projects range from a holiday food drive for the needy in Howard County to Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra concerts for elementary students from around the state.

Social Impact & Volunteering

The Knitting Factor: Tying It All Together in Celebration of Pro Bono Week

Last year we debuted a concept called The Knitting Factor, which helps explain how skills-based volunteering knits together the expertise from the corporate and nonprofit sectors to create sustainable solutions that don’t come undone when partners part ways. We also introduced three key ingredients to the success of The Knitting Factor: Panoramic Perspectives, Skill Sharing and Sticky Relationships. In celebration of Pro Bono Week, we wanted to share a quick review of how the Knitting Factor has worked in practice over the past year.

Environment

Boeing Celebrates Energy Awareness Month by Sharing Conservation Tools

Aerospace manufacturers can save energy using these tools.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

National Ski Patrol and Subaru Renew Partnership

The National Ski Patrol (NSP) and Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) have renewed their partnership for another two years.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

2018 Youth Homelessness Summit | Faces of Collaboration: Tai

The Las Vegas community joins together on November 2 at the 2nd Annual Youth Homelessness Summit in Las Vegas, a collaboration between Las Vegas Sands and the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth.

Energy

Video | UPS Rolling Lab – Sustainability on the Road

UPS has been leading sustainable fleet innovations for decades. Learn about our latest investments in alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles, and how this rolling laboratory is helping advance our environmental goals.

Environment

HP Inc. and IKEA Join Initiative to Develop First Global Network of Ocean-Bound Plastics Supply Chains

NextWave Plastics announces two new member companies – HP Inc. and IKEA – are joining its consortium of worldwide businesses committed to scaling the use of ocean-bound plastics by developing the first global network of ocean-bound plastics supply chains. The addition of HP and IKEA marks 10 companies collaborating to “turn off the tap” of plastic entering the ocean.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Scotiabank Asks a Small Business

Amanda Hamilton runs Amanda Hamilton Interior Design, a Calgary-based interior design business, which works within the residential and commercial market throughout Western Canada. She has also recently launched an e-commerce based business called Palette Archives that provides people with designer-curated materials palettes to help with any home renovation or build.

Amanda says one of the best pieces of advice she has received was from her first client, who encouraged her to face obstacles head on.

Environment

Nature-Inspired Reforestation Innovation Wins Ray of Hope Prize®

The top prize for a biomimetic climate change solution was awarded to a Brazilian team for a system that helps foresters plant more trees in less time.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

LG Celebrates ‘ENERGY STAR Day’ with Laundry Upgrades for Local Non-Profits

Commemorating “ENERGY STAR® Day” 2018, LG Electronics USA partnered with the United Way of the Greater Clarksville Region to help local organizations save today, save tomorrow, and save for good with LG’s ENERGY STAR certified clothes washers and dryers.

LG’s support of ENERGY STAR Day, in cooperation with the local United Way and non-profits, “is consistent with our commitment to environmental sustainability and to the community,” said John I. Taylor, LG Electronics USA’s senior vice president, public affairs and corporate social responsibility. “This ENERGY STAR Day and every day, LG and ENERGY STAR help you save for good – for all the good things you want in your life and for a healthier planet for you and your family.”

Environment

Sheryl Telford, VP of EHS & Corporate Responsibility at the Chemours Company, Joins WEC Board

The World Environment Center (WEC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Sheryl Telford to its board of directors.
Telford leads corporate responsibility and environmental health and safety at Chemours. Most recently she guided development of Chemours’ recently launched Corporate Responsibility Commitment and its associated goals. The Chemours Corporate Responsibility Commitment is an enabler of the company’s growth strategy with emphasis on an evolved portfolio of products, inspired people, and caring for a shared planet.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

VIDEO | Consider a Career With a Little "Energy"

Last week, Consumers Energy and DTE Energy collaborated together to expose students in West Michigan to careers in the energy industry.

Green Infrastructure

The Zero-Waste Factory

Inside a huge Indiana warehouse, three people clad in white Tyvek jumpsuits, tall fireman boots, rubber gloves and safety glasses sifted through trash strewn across the floor. It was about 10,000 pounds of refuse, the contents of a compactor from Subaru of Indiana Automotive, the automaker’s U.S. assembly plant in Lafayette.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

VMware Named One of the 2018 World's Best Employers by Forbes

We are proud to announce that VMware has placed #75 on Forbes' list of the world's best employers of 2018!

Social Impact & Volunteering

Learning From Real-life Examples: Collaborating to Design a Boys & Girls Club Playbook

Last week, we partnered with Stanford Social Innovation Review, Charles Schwab and Boys & Girls Club of America to host a webinar around creating long-term sustainable partnerships, or what we refer to as sticky relationships. As a follow up to our webinar, our Senior Consultant, Season Eckardt sat down to reflect on the role she played to deepen the impact of this partnership and help Boys & Girls Club chapters across the US operationalize a common strategic vision.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

MetLife Foundation and Verb Announce Winner of Financial Innovation Competition

MetLife Foundation and Verb announced Onward Financial as the first place winner of the Inclusion Plus competition in the United States. The competition was open to entrepreneurs, non-profits and other social impact organizations focused on addressing the financial health needs of low- to moderate-income Americans. Standing out among more than 150 entries, Onward Financial received a $100,000 grant from MetLife Foundation.

Energy

Nestlé Waters North America Signs Renewable Energy Agreement with ENGIE Resources

Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA), together with ENGIE Resources, today announced that they have signed a renewable energy agreement through which ENGIE will supply over 50 percent of the energy needed for NWNA’s manufacturing and distribution facilities in Texas. With this agreement, NWNA operations in Travis, McLennan, Dallas, and Harris counties will be supplied by renewable wind energy from the Midway Wind Farm in San Patricio County, Texas, supporting Nestlé’s global goal to transition to 100 percent renewable energy use in its operations.

Sustainable Development Goals

Kids Innovate, Explore and Create in Free STEM Workshops in Verizon Stores

Verizon offers free Innovative Learning labs in 36 stores across the United States. It is part of the company’s commitment to invest $400 million from 2012 to 2023 to bring tech education programs to millions of students. The Verizon Innovative Learning labs offer technology-focused lessons created by Project Lead the Way (PLTW), a leading educational nonprofit that empowers students to develop and apply in-demand, transportable skills by exploring real-world challenges.

Health & Healthcare

Aflac Donates $1.5 Million for Childhood Cancer Research and Meets Their 2018 Giving Goal

As part of Aflac’s annual giving for childhood cancer, Aflac donates $2 to The Aflac Foundation, Inc. – up to $1.5 million – whenever someone posts or shares on social media using the hashtag. Well, this year we have officially reached our 2018 giving goal! Because of YOU, our dream of living in a world without childhood cancer is that much closer.

Events, Media & Communications

Pro Bono Week 2018: Leaders for the Future

When Taproot was founded in 2001, we knew our mission to drive social change through pro bono service didn’t have to start from scratch. The legal profession in particular served as an example of the potential that can be realized when you engrain an ethic of service into an industry and build programs and resources so nonprofits can leverage it. But outside of the legal profession, that type of access to pro bono services for the nonprofit sector was still rare.

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. 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...
  3. Environmental Sustainability
    As sustainability leaders, we implement our sustainability strategy across all company activities along the entire value chain, from raw materials to...
  4. Corporate Social Responsibility
    Corporate Social Responsibility
  5. Sustainability Report
    Our latest Sustainability Report highlights recent accomplishments and progress toward achieving goals in the environmental, social and governance...
  6. 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...
  7. License to Operate
    Corporate governance, risk management, operational integrity, and regulatory compliance are demanding challenges that companies face in today’s ever...
  8. 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...
  9. Leading ESG & Sustainability Stewardship
    The new CNH continues on its longstanding path of excellence in sustainability, which is recognized by the foremost authorities.
  10. 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...
  11. 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...
  12. SustainabilityHQ.com Weekly Highlights
    Highlighting the top news, commentary, and research for the week coming from SHQ. The highlights newsletter also spotlights one profiled organization...
  13. Responsible Investing
    Responsible Investing
  14. FedEx | Awards & Recognition
    We are consistently ranked among the world’s most admired brands and employers. Read more about honors and recognition for FedEx’s ongoing effort to...
  15. FedEx | Delivering for Good
    Doing what we do best for those who need it most. When disaster strikes, and there’s not a moment to lose, our people mobilize the FedEx global fleet...