Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

HanesBrands Celebrates 10th Consecutive U.S. EPA Energy Star Award for Environmental Stewardship

Apr 25, 2019 10:35 AM ET

HanesBrands’ commitment to be an international leader in energy management and eco-friendly business operations has earned the company its 10th consecutive U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Sustained Excellence/Partner of the Year award for continued success in energy conservation, carbon emissions reduction and environmental sustainability.

Hanes was recognized by the EPA for its 2018 environmental stewardship performance, which has been published on the company’s Hanes for Good corporate social responsibility website.

Research, Reports & Publications

NRG Energy’s 2018 Sustainability Report Showcases 37% Reduction in Carbon Emissions

Apr 25, 2019 10:30 AM ET

NRG Energy Inc. (NYSE:NRG) today released its 2018 Sustainability Report, providing an update on the Company’s comprehensive sustainability strategy. NRG demonstrated advancement across all of its previously announced sustainability initiatives, including a 37% reduction in carbon emissions, marking significant progress towards its science-based target of reducing emissions 50% by 2030 from a 2014 baseline.

Sustainable Development Goals

Empowering Women in Conflict-Affected Communities in India

Apr 25, 2019 10:05 AM ET

Ethical clothing manufacturer The Fabric Social has joined Business Call to Action (BCtA) with a commitment to provide fair labour for women in Northeast India. This includes sustaining 2,400 days of contractual work by 2021, developing 300 days of artisanal training by 2022, and creating 200 days of business management and sales development training for conflict affected women by 2023.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Are Americans Financially Healthy?

Apr 25, 2019 9:30 AM ET

PART OF WHAT MAKES THE U.S. FINANCIAL HEALTH PULSE ENDEAVOR SO ROBUST is that each report will examine four pillars of financial health: saving, spending, borrowing and planning. “It’s similar to evaluating physical health,” says Evelyn Stark, the assistant vice president of financial health for MetLife Foundation, founding sponsor of CFSI’s financial health work. “You can’t just look at a single factor like blood pressure or cholesterol. You need to look at a range of financial measures and say, ‘What do these tell us about the collective whole?’”

Research, Reports & Publications

MetLife Releases Global Impact, the Company’s Sustainability Report on 2018 Performance

Apr 25, 2019 9:00 AM ET

Investors, regulators, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders are increasingly focused on how companies perform on a wide range of sustainability measures. Today, how well a company performs in these areas is widely seen as an indicator of how well it is managed overall.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Bridgestone Americas Participation Recognized as Top Supporter for United Way of Metropolitan Nashville

Apr 25, 2019 9:00 AM ET

In 2018, Bridgestone raised $1.54 million for the United Way of Metropolitan Nashville as a part of its ongoing commitment to improving the communities in which its teammates move, live, work and play. More than 80 percent of Nashville-based employees shared their time, resources and talent to make the campaign a success. More than 1,500 employee donations comprised half of all contributions, with the Bridgestone Charitable Golf Tournament and Bridgestone company match program contributing the remaining total.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Impact at Work: Charles Schwab and the SAFE Alliance Join Forces

Apr 25, 2019 7:00 AM ET

In October of 2018, The SAFE Alliance joined forces with a volunteer team from Charles Schwab to tackle a pressing organizational staffing challenge. The SAFE Alliance is dedicated to ending violence through prevention, advocacy and comprehensive services for individuals, families and communities that have been affected by abuse.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Get the Recognition You Deserve at Ethical Corporation’s Global Awards 2019

Apr 25, 2019 6:00 AM ET

Back for the 10th year running, Ethical Corporation's Responsible Business Awards 2019 are the world’s leading awards ceremony celebrating responsible business excellence.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Integrated Eco Strategy and Toxnot Announce Partnership to Streamline Product Ingredient Disclosure

Apr 24, 2019 7:00 PM ET

Integrated Eco Strategy (IES) and Toxnot announce a new partnership designed to integrate their respective materials transparency platforms. This partnership enables manufactures to quickly and efficiently share building product ingredient data and meet the requirements of certifications such as the Living Building Challenge (LBC) and Declare in new, powerful ways. Both companies are partners with the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), an environmental NGO that administers the LBC, the world’s most rigorous proven performance standard for buildings.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

A Sao Paulo Factory Is Pioneering Zero-Waste Manufacturing and Closing the Loop with Plastics

Apr 24, 2019 4:35 PM ET

The manufacturing, recycling and research buildings at the São Paulo site for form a literal — if rectangular — loop. It’s a shift away from a traditional linear supply chain, which takes resources from the Earth to make products that are ultimately discarded. Instead, the goal is to adopt a circular model that uses and reuses materials with minimal waste. HP’s operations in Brazil take the idea one step further, creating a closed-loop system that turns waste directly into new products. “It’s all about keeping materials in motion for as long as possible,” says Randi Braunwalder, HP’s manager of social & environmental responsibility in the Americas. “Continuous life cycles instead of limited lifespans.”

Events, Media & Communications

CITGO Celebrates 123rd Boston Marathon by Surprising Eight Teachers With Entries

Apr 24, 2019 4:30 PM ET

CITGO Petroleum Corporation, the Official Fuel Sponsor of the Boston Marathon, is sending eight teachers, three Marketers and six employees to run the historic race on April 15, 2019.

Research, Reports & Publications

Andy Hoffman: Honored for His Work on Book “Culture Shapes the Climate Change Debate”

Apr 24, 2019 3:45 PM ET

Andy Hoffman is a 2019 recipient of the RRBM award for his work on “Culture Shapes the Climate Change Debate“. The book seeks to understand why people are rejecting the science on climate change and what the science says about how to overcome that schism.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Commentary: As Demand for ESG Investing Grows, So Too Does the Need for High-Quality Data

Apr 24, 2019 3:40 PM ET

Climate change has already begun to affect business, with extreme weather, flooding, wildfires and drought threatening company assets and supply chains. As the environment evolves, companies that improve their energy efficiency and create new products and services will survive and companies that are slow to change will struggle.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Delivering Real Change in Ghana

Apr 24, 2019 3:35 PM ET

As you read this, drones are making emergency deliveries of vaccines, blood products and life-saving medications. What’s remarkable is that this scene is playing out in Ghana.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Hallmark VIDEO | Inspiring Acts of Caring: Karolyn Roby Helps Students Become Secret Kindness Agents

Apr 24, 2019 2:35 PM ET

Inspiring others to show they care through acts of kindness speaks to the essence of the Hallmark brand. Hallmark’s Care Enough campaign highlighted the selfless acts of dozens of individuals to inspire others to perform acts of caring. Karolyn Roby an elementary school teacher from Omaha, Nebraska, turns students into Secret Kindness Agents. Modeled after the book of the same name by Ferial Pearson, Roby’s students learn how compassion plays a big part in someone’s life. Each student has an “agent name” and devises acts of kindness.

Sustainable Development Goals

Paths to Food Security

Apr 24, 2019 2:00 PM ET

Global population growth, increased water scarcity, stressed food systems, competition over resources—the consequences of inefficient land and water use are already manifesting, and we must act now to correct our course. As a global community, resource efficiency can satisfy the demand for water and food for years to come, even with the projected growth of our population, but this is only possible if we coordinate effectively.

Sustainable Development Goals

What 50 Years of Responsibility Looks Like: Q&A With Whirlpool’s Sustainability Head

Apr 24, 2019 2:00 PM ET

2019 is the 50th anniversary of its Whirlpool Corp's sustainability commitment. As far back as 1969, the CEO talked about how programs to reduce Whirlpool’s impact on the environment had proven to be a smart investment in the company’s future.

Environment

Lloyd Alter: Transportation Puzzles

Apr 24, 2019 1:35 PM ET

The industrial revolution ushered in an era of more efficient transportation. As history has shown us, the impact of our ability to move easily across town and across the planet is complex. It has made the world smaller but it has also given rise to the climate crisis.

Innovation & Technology

Video | Leveraging Technology for Authentic Social Purpose: My Special Aflac Duck

Apr 24, 2019 1:30 PM ET

What does Aflac’s iconic duck have to do with kids facing cancer? Knowing the power of companionship, Aflac paired its brand icon with the latest in social robotics to evolve the company's impact on pediatric cancer. In this panel discussion from the BRITE ’19 Conference, the creators behind My Special Aflac Duck discuss how insights from this initiative can help any brand leverage existing assets, rethink long-term commitments, and boldly embrace innovation to advance purpose.

Diversity & Inclusion

Women in Leadership at Northern Trust Promote Education and Healthcare for Young Girls and Women in Bangladesh

Apr 24, 2019 12:05 PM ET

Events, Media & Communications

Smithfield Foods EVP of Corporate Affairs & Compliance Keira Lombardo Gives Keynote Speech at STEP Ahead Awards

Apr 24, 2019 12:05 PM ET

Keira Lombardo, Smithfield Foods EVP of corporate affairs and compliance, served as the chair of the Manufacturing Institute’s STEP Ahead Awards.

Education

PNC Sponsors High School Students for the Company's Young Innovators: Code for Your Cause Program

Apr 24, 2019 11:55 AM ET

PNC strives to inspire learning and STEAM programs within our community. Pittsburgh high school students joined PNC’s Young Innovators: Code for Your Cause. These talented students were tasked with designing & developing innovative solutions in response to challenge statements with the help of PNC mentors.

Environment

Rock and A Hard Place: How Hazardous Waste Generators Can Avoid Missteps in The Changing State Regulatory Landscape

Apr 24, 2019 11:55 AM ET

The blog explains the difficulty in following RCRA hazardous waste generator rule changes as individual states implement these changes differently.

Diversity & Inclusion

The Launch of Employee Resource Groups Brings an Inclusive Spirit to Viacom

Apr 24, 2019 11:30 AM ET

Last month, 300 Viacom employees gathered on the outdoor pavilion of their Buenos Aires office, clad in sunglasses to temper the summer sunshine. A mix of long-time Viacom employees and those that joined the company via its 2016 acquisition of broadcaster Telefe, they browsed informational stations about Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) devoted to the interests of women, parents, the LGBTQ community, and aspiring next-generation professionals.

Research, Reports & Publications

A Sustainable Year: CNH Industrial presents its 2018 highlights

Apr 24, 2019 11:05 AM ET

CNH Industrial (NYSE: CNHI /MI: CNHI), eight-time Industry Leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability World and Europe Indices, announces the third edition of A Sustainable Year which details the sustainability activities the Company and its stakeholders accomplished in 2018. This 36-page guide accompanies the 2018 Sustainability Report.