Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Innovation & Technology

How VSP Innovates Employee Involvement

May 4, 2016 12:15 PM ET

VSP Global’s innovation lab (“The Shop”) was created in December, 2012, to innovate with external entrepreneurs and partners. When the company announced it would solicit ideas and involvement from employees, it got a surprising response.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Celebrates 5,000th Adoption

May 4, 2016 12:05 PM ET

Years ago, a sibling group of four was placed on the caseload of a very special Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter, and it wasn’t long before she realized they were meant for each other.

Environment

Heineken's Bold Approach to Increasing Their Transparency

May 4, 2016 12:00 PM ET

Sustainability professionals are chronically over-worked, and the idea of reviewing another sustainability report - even one from a leading global brand - often gets filed under "good idea" rather than "essential reading."

Environment

Timberland Reveals 2015 CSR Results

May 4, 2016 11:00 AM ET

Global lifestyle brand Timberland recently unveiled its 2015 CSR performance results, highlighting a year of progress and addressing a few challenges. The data is a powerful demonstration of the brand’s continued commitment to sustainability and transparency against its three key CSR pillars: product, outdoors and community.

Diversity & Inclusion

Bloomberg Launches Financial Services Gender-Equality Index

May 4, 2016 11:00 AM ET

Environment

Antea Group Case Study: Environmental Liability Management for a Large American University

May 4, 2016 10:30 AM ET

A large American university recently acquired a two-hundred acre hospital property for the purpose of future developments. One fifth of the property was impacted by chlorinated solvents and petroleum. Antea Group was appointed to assume the liability, return the land to residential use, and abate the migration of contaminants with minimal disruption to the campus or the hospital.

Diversity & Inclusion

KFC Restaurant General Manager Earns His GED and Inspires Others

May 4, 2016 10:25 AM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Five Global Companies Join Forces to Fight Migrant Worker Exploitation

May 4, 2016 10:00 AM ET

The Coca-Cola Company, HP Inc., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IKEA and Unilever today in London launched a new collaboration, the Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment, focused on promoting ethical recruitment and combating the exploitation of migrant workers in global supply chains across industries. The five founding companies have committed to the ‘Employer Pays Principle’, which states that no worker should pay for a job - the costs of recruitment should be borne not by the worker but by the employer.

Innovation & Technology

Sustainable Brands Announces 2016 Innovation Open Semi-finalists

May 4, 2016 10:00 AM ET

Sustainable Brands® recently announced 11 semi-finalists to compete at the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) startup competition presented by Target. The competition, culminating at SB’16 San Diego, June 6-9th, attracts world-changing entrepreneurial teams with unique ideas to solving some of the world’s pressing environmental and social concerns.

Health & Healthcare

LIVESTRONG at the YMCA Text to Connect Pilot Kicks Off

May 4, 2016 8:00 AM ET

There are more than 14.5 million cancer survivors in the United States today, and the LIVESTRONG Foundation is always looking for new ways to improve access to our navigation services. Last month we launched a “text to connect” pilot project at select YMCA locations that offer the LIVESTRONG at the YMCA program.

Diversity & Inclusion

Atlas Copco Kıds Make an Impact on Safety & Health Awareness

May 4, 2016 7:50 AM ET

Innovation & Technology

Benevity Launches OneWorld, the Only Complete International Giving and Volunteering Solution

May 3, 2016 7:15 PM ET

Benevity, Inc., the global leader in online workplace giving, matching, volunteering and grant management solutions, released Benevity OneWorldTM, the only complete international giving and volunteering product available for deploying corporate and employee engagement programs across borders. Benevity OneWorld allows companies and their people fast, localized and cost-effective access to over 2 million global causes spanning more than 200 countries.

Events, Media & Communications

Fox Showrunners Talk Women in TV at Tribeca Film Festival: Flawed Female Characters, Getting Their Voices Heard and More

May 3, 2016 7:00 PM ET

21CF showrunners Liz Meriwether ("New Girl"), Nahnatchka Khan ("Fresh Off the Boat"), and Julie Klausner (Hulu's "Difficult People") discussed the challenges and opportunities facing women in the television industry during the Tribeca Film Festival's #DaringWomenSummit. The April 20th session spanned a range of subjects, such as the lack of female directors in Hollywood, the progress women have made in recent years, and the work that still needs to be done. Danielle Nussbaum, Senior West Coast Editor at Entertainment Weekly, moderated the panel, which also featured journalist and "Being Mary Jane" writer Keli Goff.

Events, Media & Communications

Save the Date: VM Summit 16 to Be Held October 25, 2016

May 3, 2016 5:15 PM ET

Volunteerism has the power to solve the world’s most pressing problems — if nonprofits and corporations work better together. VM Summit 16 brings corporate responsibility and employee engagement professionals face-to-face with local and national nonprofits to learn how to create impactful partnerships that effectively engage corporate volunteers.

VolunteerMatch has hosted its annual Summit for nearly 15 years, bringing together employee volunteer program managers to discuss strategies and common challenges.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Banking on Change Helps the World’s Poorest Save US$34M

May 3, 2016 4:30 PM ET

Education

Kimberly-Clark Awards $1.18 Million in College Scholarships to High School Students in North America

May 3, 2016 4:30 PM ET

Innovation & Technology

Caterpillar Launches Cat® Microgrid Technology Suite, Integrating Renewable Energy Sources with Traditional Power Generation

May 3, 2016 4:10 PM ET

Caterpillar Inc. today announced the launch of Cat® Microgrid technology, an innovative suite of power systems that adds environmentally friendly solar panels, state-of-the-art energy storage, and advanced monitoring and control systems to Caterpillar’s traditional line of reliable power generation equipment, including Cat generator sets, switchgear, uninterruptible power supplies and automatic transfer switches.

Diversity & Inclusion

AT&T Helps Adults with Autism Succeed in Tech Workforce

May 3, 2016 3:15 PM ET

AT&T, software consulting firm Meticulon and technology service provider MindSparks Technologies are the primary drivers behind a new initiative to train and employ people with autism in technology positions. The program, called The 5,000 Initiative, has a goal to secure 5,000 jobs for individuals with autism by 2020.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Is Your Conflict Minerals Program Ready for 2016 Reporting?

May 3, 2016 3:15 PM ET

Conflict minerals due diligence is top of mind for companies subject to Dodd-Frank 1502 and their downstream supply chain as the May 31st reporting deadline is quickly approaching. Source Intelligence has resources available to facilitate your conflict minerals reporting process.

Environment

Talk With Green Guy Show - Former NJ Governor, Christine Todd Whitman and Scott Sadler, Green Chamber of the South

May 3, 2016 2:30 PM ET

Hear Former New Jersey Governor, Christine Todd Whitman, and Scott Sadler of Green Chamber of the South on Talk with Green Guy

Environment

General Motors Corporate Responsibility Newsletter - May 2016

May 3, 2016 2:05 PM ET

General Motors is turning its employees’ recycled water bottles into a new life: noise-reducing fabric insulation that covers the Chevrolet Equinox engine. The bottles – collected from five of its Michigan facilities – are also being turned into air filtration components and insulation in coats for the homeless community.

Education

A ‘Whale’ of a Video: High School Students from Washington, D.C. Area Win Grand Prize in Toyota TeenDrive365 Video Challenge

May 3, 2016 1:40 PM ET

Silver Spring, Md. April 29, 2016 /3BL Media/ – If you were steering a beluga whale down the street, would you risk sneaking a peek at your phone? Probably not. High school sophomores Matthew Post and John Caporaletti agree, and in their new public service announcement (PSA), they encourage their peers to drive their vehicles with the same care and attention.

Events, Media & Communications

Launching Our New Podcast Series “Follow the Data”

May 3, 2016 1:30 PM ET

Podcast fans and listeners on-the-go can download our new show: Follow the Data – a podcast about how our work is driving change and making an impact in the areas of education, the arts, the environment, public health and government innovation.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Searching for the Crowdfunding Stars

May 3, 2016 1:30 PM ET

For many of us, it's possible when we think of 'Crowdsourcing' that what comes to mind is the Kickstarter of an exciting cause or product that we recently contributed financially to (often to support a friend who’s involved in it) after seeing it promoted on social media. Crowdfunding, whilst the highest profile aspect, is, however, only part of a burgeoning ecosystem of crowdsourcing.

Education

GM and NWF Partner to Enhance Sustainability Education

May 3, 2016 1:05 PM ET

General Motors and the National Wildlife Federation are partnering to increase environmental education in schools. The new GM Eco-Green program will connect NWF’s network of over 3,700 participating Eco-Schools with local GM non-manufacturing facilities, dealers and suppliers. GM Eco-Green is NWF’s first large corporate-sponsored environmental outreach program, reaching hundreds of students through community-based sustainability activities.