Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Sustainable Development Goals

What Science-Based Targets Mean for the Sports and Entertainment Sector

May 23, 2019 9:00 AM ET

Today, the sports and entertainment industry has become an even more powerful voice on climate change and sustainability. This shift aligns well with the rest of the global business community, which has coalesced around a single, widely-accepted source for guidance on global climate issues, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Perhaps even more importantly, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide businesses with a universal language for focusing public conversations on the world’s most important challenges.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Merck Named One of 100 Best Corporate Citizens of 2019 by CR Magazine

May 22, 2019 7:45 PM ET

Merck has been named one of the top 100 Best Corporate Citizens in 2019 by Corporate Responsibility Magazine (CR Magazine). The publication’s list recognizes the top 100 U.S. public companies for outstanding environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

PepsiCo Partners With the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation to Invest in a Community Collaborative to Train Chicago Youth, Reentry Population for Restaurant Careers

May 22, 2019 6:15 PM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Omaha Homeownership to Get $3.9 Million Boost

May 22, 2019 4:45 PM ET

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC), NeighborWorks® America and Family Housing Advisory Services (FHAS), Inc., today announced the NeighborhoodLIFT® program will expand for Omaha with a $3.9 million commitment by Wells Fargo to boost local homeownership.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Strengthening Communities in San Jose and Around the World

May 22, 2019 4:20 PM ET

At PayPal, our values are the driving force guiding how we can best serve our customers and communities. Our values reinforce our mission to democratize financial services globally and to further the financial health of those who have not been well served by the financial system.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Disney and Points of Light Announce National Search for the "Volunteer Family of the Year" in Honor of Thriving Volunteer Movement

May 22, 2019 3:30 PM ET

Disney and Points of Light announced the national search for the Volunteer Family of the Year. Nonprofits and schools registered for the Disney Family Volunteering Reward Program can nominate an exceptional volunteer family for this contest.

Research, Reports & Publications

STMicroelectronics Reports Progress Towards 2025 Sustainability Goals

May 22, 2019 3:00 PM ET

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM), a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, announced the publication of the Company’s 2019 Sustainability Report.
The 22nd report contains details and highlights of ST’s sustainability performance in 2018 and presents the Company’s ambitions and longer-term goals for 2025.

Innovation & Technology

GM Digital Vehicle Platform Debuts, Enables Adoption of Future Technologies

May 22, 2019 3:00 PM ET

General Motors has debuted the company’s all-new electronic platform necessary for its next-generation of vehicles, EVs, active safety, infotainment and connectivity features, and the evolution of the Super Cruise driver assistance feature*. These and many other advancements are central to GM’s vision for a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Aflac Remains Committed To Columbia As A Business Hub And A Community

May 22, 2019 3:00 PM ET

Building on more than 20 years of ongoing support for The Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Aflac helps underwrite treatment for children, funds essential research, contributes to more than 50 children's hospitals nationwide, and supports child-life programs to improve quality of life and help children cope with their illness. Among its South Carolina efforts, the company sponsors a wing at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital-Midlands.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

This Older Americans Month, Help Fight Senior Hunger

May 22, 2019 2:50 PM ET

Older Americans Month, which was originally called "Senior Citizens Month" and takes place in May each year, was designated in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy and the National Council of Senior Citizens as a time to pay tribute to the contributions of past and current older persons to our country. At that time, only 17 million living Americans had reached their 65th birthday. Today, about one in every seven Americans is over the age of 65 and by 2040 that number will swell to one in five.

Events, Media & Communications

Cultivating the Business Leadership Required for a More Sustainable, Inclusive and Equitable Economy

May 22, 2019 2:00 PM ET

John A. Lanier, author of Mid-Course Correction Revisited to speak at Sustainable Brands SB19

Innovation & Technology

Lockheed Martin and Drone Racing League Announce 2019 AlphaPilot Teams

May 22, 2019 1:35 PM ET

Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Drone Racing League (DRL) today announced the nine teams that were accepted into the 2019 AlphaPilot Innovation Challenge, an open competition to develop artificial intelligence (AI) for high-speed racing drones. These teams have earned a coveted spot in DRL’s inaugural autonomous drone racing series, the Artificial Intelligence Robotic Racing (AIRR) Circuit, which kicks off later this year.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Consumers Energy, Grand Rapids Public Schools Name Finalists for Seventh Annual Student Art Competition

May 22, 2019 1:35 PM ET

Ten Grand Rapids Public Schools students have been selected from a record number of entries in an annual art competition focused on energy-related subjects. The artwork will be on display this fall during Project 1 by ArtPrize through collaboration with the district and Consumers Energy.

Environment

CEOs of Major Companies Call on U.S. Congress to Set a National Price on Carbon

May 22, 2019 1:20 PM ET

CEOs and other representatives of more than 75 U.S. businesses and trade associations, with combined market valuations of nearly $2.5 trillion, call for federal climate action including carbon pricing.

Environment

What Does the Future Hold for Sustainability in the Beverage Sector?

May 22, 2019 1:00 PM ET

Increasing optimism and opportunity with a splash of insularity. Fast-paced innovation and growing accountability with a twist of stakeholder pressure. Big gains shaken and stirred with mounting challenges.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Amplifying the Nonprofit Voice Using Resources and Talent from the Business Community

May 22, 2019 12:45 PM ET

There are several reasons why businesses choose to partner with charities. Among them, providing financial support through workplace giving, matching gifts, and volunteer time are effective and critically important ways for companies to demonstrate their commitment to the community. And leveraging those initiatives to engage employees can also help businesses accomplish recruitment and retention objectives and other corporate philanthropy goals.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

New Holland Agriculture Installs a Drinking Water Booth at Agriculture Mandi in Vidisha District, Madhya Pradesh, India

May 22, 2019 12:35 PM ET

With the mercury continuing to soar and with no relief from the heat, the farmers coming to the Krishi Upaj mandi (farmers’ market) in Vidisha, India to sell their crops, are welcomed with drinking water that is provided by New Holland Agriculture, a leading global agricultural equipment brand of CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI /MI: CNHI), through its business partner, M/s Lodhi Motors.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Putting Good Food to Good Use in the UK

May 22, 2019 12:30 PM ET

Big Ben. Fish and chips. “The Tube.” The United Kingdom is known for all of these (jolly good) things, and much more. But one thing few people know about is the level of hunger that exists across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In fact, in the UK, one in eight people go hungry every day. Yet 163,000 pounds of perfectly good food is wasted every day in Britain. At General Mills, we believe that all food should be eaten, and that taking a lead role in surplus food recovery is a business, moral and sustainability imperative.

Events, Media & Communications

Mid-Course Correction Revisited - Minneapolis Book Launch

May 22, 2019 12:00 PM ET

Book Launch event for Mid-Course Correction Revisited, Monday, June 17th in Minneapolis.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Employee Fulfillment Trumps Engagement

May 22, 2019 12:00 PM ET

Never confuse motion with action. Good advice from Benjamin Franklin. Never confuse motion with meaningful action. Even better advice from Aaron Hurst et al., in the third Workforce Purpose Index, released May 16.

Environment

Marketing EHS: How to Create Compelling Employee Messaging

May 22, 2019 11:50 AM ET

Take steps to successfully sell EHS to your own employees and convince them of the importance of your EHS initiatives.

Research, Reports & Publications

CR Magazine’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens Edition – Available Now

May 22, 2019 11:45 AM ET

The Summer 2019 edition of CR Magazine has arrived on the heels of the 2019 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking announcement.
Enjoy interviews and stories about companies on the 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking, including; How Cisco will help 11 million people in need, What soil health means to General Mills, Why Intel engages investors on ESG topics, How Owens Corning employees connect to communities...

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Preventing, Treating, and Surviving Melanoma - the Most Dangerous Type of Skin Cancer

May 22, 2019 11:35 AM ET

Melanoma is an aggressive form of skin cancer. In addition to the skin, melanoma may also occur in mucous membranes – thin, moist layers of tissue that cover surfaces such as the lips – or in the eye. It is more likely to invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body than the more common forms of skin cancer. While melanoma represents just 5 percent of the skin cancer cases diagnosed in the United States each year, it results in the highest rate of deaths.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Does Bigger Mean Better?

May 22, 2019 11:25 AM ET

Do bigger companies get better ESG ratings than small ones? We believe the answer is “no.” This seems true across a wide range of companies, whether one measures size by revenue or by market capitalization (a proxy for enterprise value). Our result indicates that small companies can and should expect to be able to equal or outperform their bigger rivals on environment, social, and governance (ESG) issues.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Targeting Action to Combat Climate Impacts: A Conversation with HP’s Global Head of Energy and Sustainability

May 22, 2019 11:15 AM ET

Our commitment to climate action has earned HP placement on key ratings and rankings. Today, I’m honored to announce that CR Magazine ranked HP #1 for climate change and #5 overall on its annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens list. CR Magazine ranks the top 100 of the 1,000 largest U.S. public companies based on performance and transparency in 98 environmental, social, and governance practices, as verified by the independent, investor-focused rating organization ISS ESG.