Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Social Impact & Volunteering

Blackbaud + YourCause | The sgENGAGE Podcast Episode 92: The State of CSR

Apr 23, 2019 11:25 AM ET

Things are changing in the world of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Employee volunteerism is on the rise, and a variety of new trends in employee giving programs are taking hold. Today’s guest, Dustin Joost, VP of Sales and Marketing at YourCause (a Blackbaud company), joins the podcast to talk more about these trends and what they say about the state of CSR today.

Diversity & Inclusion

The Importance of Culture, Community, Family and Diversity

Apr 23, 2019 11:10 AM ET

President of Asset Management, Shundrawn Thomas, discussed the importance of culture, community, family and diversity during a town hall last week in hashtag#Tempe. The panel was represented by a member of the Northern Trust Women in Leadership, L.I.F.E, and Black Business Resource Council's.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

General Mills to Match 100 Percent of Its Annual U.S. Electricity Use With New Wind Power Agreement

Apr 23, 2019 11:10 AM ET

General Mills has taken one of the biggest steps thus far toward its climate goal by signing a virtual 15-year power purchase agreement with Roaring Fork Wind, LLC, a joint venture partnership between RES (Renewable Energy Systems) and Steelhead Americas, for 200 megawatts (MW) of its Maverick Creek wind project.

Health & Healthcare

Mental Health Crisis… A Region Unites for Solutions

Apr 23, 2019 11:10 AM ET

One in five. That’s the percentage of adults in America who experience a mental illness. Nearly one in 25 adults in America live with a serious mental illness. And, perhaps even more startling, one-half of all chronic mental illness begins by the age of 14.

Environment

Marco Ugarte Joins Antea Group Sustainability Team

Apr 23, 2019 11:10 AM ET

Marco Ugarte joins Antea Group with 15+ years of experience in corporate sustainability, supply chain management & strategic partnership development.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Comerica Aids Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washtenaw County in Raising Over $50,000 for 2019

Apr 23, 2019 10:05 AM ET

For the seventh consecutive year, Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) served as the presenting sponsor for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washtenaw County’s annual Rise and Shine for Kid’s Sake! Breakfast. The event, held April 18 at the Barton Hills Country Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan, supports the organization’s Investing in Children Circle annual fundraising campaign.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Gildan Empowers Students to Care for the Planet in the Dominican Republic

Apr 23, 2019 9:00 AM ET

Gildan believes that a more sustainable future starts with education by encouraging students to take ownership over the environmental issues in their own communities.

Environment

The Movement Toward Socially Responsible Workplaces

Apr 23, 2019 8:30 AM ET

Since celebrating 10 years of CSR initiatives in 2018, Legg Mason has embarked on a series of new initiatives to drastically reduce the volume of waste being sent to landfills and reduce consumption of single-use plastics.

Health & Healthcare

Asian Malaria Endgame Threatened by Resistance to Insecticides and Malaria Treatments

Apr 23, 2019 8:00 AM ET

Asian malaria experts surveyed in a new report are saying that new tools are needed as the disease is becoming resistant to existing prevention and therapy measures. They called for continued investment in R&D for new antimalarials and insecticides to achieve the World Health Organization’s 2030 elimination targets.

Environment

Gila River Arena Partners With City of Glendale’s Parks Maintenance Division to Celebrate Earth Day

Apr 22, 2019 8:10 PM ET

In Celebration of Earth Day today, more than 20 AEG Facilities employees at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. spent the day cleaning and picking up trash at Grand Canal Linear Park and Glendale Heroes Regional Park.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Lockheed Martin Employees Embrace Earth Day All Year Long

Apr 22, 2019 8:00 PM ET

This week, Lockheed Martin employees around the world will come together for informational events and volunteer activities focused on Earth Day. Their commitment to the environment is on display throughout the year, however.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Scotiabank Supports Talk With Our Kids About Money Day Across Canada

Apr 22, 2019 5:45 PM ET

Talking with kids about money to improve financial literacy is increasingly recognized as a priority, not only for Canada's young people, but also for the future financial health of individuals, families and communities.

There is growing recognition across Canada and around the world of the correlation between financial health and physical and mental health and wellbeing. Many Canadians of all ages are struggling with stress, anxiety and feeling out of control in managing their financial affairs. The TWOKAM program helps to engage parents and teachers in talking with youth about money. It can help prepare youth to manage their financial futures and avoid the stresses faced by so many Canadians today. And teachers and parents are listening– and getting involved.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Changing the Game on Climate Advocacy: BICEP 10 Years Strong

Apr 22, 2019 5:30 PM ET

Ceres BICEP Network members have weighed in on a range of state and federal policies from renewable energy issues to fuel efficiency standards, to various Clean Air Act measures to the Paris Climate Agreement. These forward-thinking companies are respected leaders in their sectors who recognize that the low-carbon economy will continue stimulating growth and create new jobs, while stabilizing our climate.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

New dimensions for climate-change analysis

Apr 22, 2019 5:05 PM ET

Environment

Partners in Purpose: Bacardi & Mercy Corps Restore Coral Reefs in Puerto Rico

Apr 22, 2019 5:00 PM ET

One year following Hurricanes Maria and Irma, Puerto Rico is still rebuilding. In 2018, Bacardi provided a $1 million grant to Mercy Corps, a global humanitarian organization, to aid in long term recovery, providing support to small business owners and tourism restoration in the Caribbean.

Responsible Production & Consumption

ZLAP Strives to Educate and Reduce Denali Waste

Apr 22, 2019 5:00 PM ET

When the Zero Landfill Initiative came to the Denali Park area, it was the young people who had spread the word. They formed ZLAP, the Zero Landfill Ambassador Program. This small group of teens, who attend Tri-Valley School, are now being honored for their past three years of dedication to this program.

Environment

Earth Day with PayPal CEO Dan Schulman and Jaxon Love, Global Lead, Environmental Sustainability

Apr 22, 2019 4:10 PM ET

PayPal CEO Dan Schulman sat down with Jaxon Love, Global Lead of Environmental Sustainability, to talk about the company's focus on minimizing environmental impact.

Diversity & Inclusion

Balancing the Scales of Opportunity

Apr 22, 2019 4:00 PM ET

For the 2019 Milken Institute Global Conference, we asked speakers to consider what prosperity means. See their insights and share your thoughts using #MIGlobal. See more coverage on the Milken Institute LinkedIn page. This article originally appeared in the #PowerofIdeas. See the entire POI series.

Environment

Earth Day 2019: Our Long Term Plan to Address Rising Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Apr 22, 2019 3:45 PM ET

Two weeks ago, I joined the CEO of Walmart’s international business to discuss how PepsiCo can help them reach their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions goals under Project Gigaton. For our part, we are striving to reduce absolute GHG emissions across our value chain by 20% by 2030—avoiding roughly 35 million metric tons of GHG emissions overall. That’s the equivalent of more than 73 billion miles driven by the average car—or taking more than half the cars in PepsiCo’s home state of New York off the road for a year. This is a science-based target, and it represents PepsiCo’s contribution to meeting the initial goal of the 2016 Paris Agreement: limiting global warming to within two degrees Celsius of pre-industrial levels.

Environment

This Earth Day, We’re Focusing on the Power of Supercomputers

Apr 22, 2019 3:35 PM ET

Inspired by a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California—the first Earth Day was held in 1970. Flash-forward 49 years, Earth Day is now celebrated by more than a billion people worldwide, bringing social awareness to some of our most urgent and complex environmental issues, such as climate change.

Research, Reports & Publications

General Mills’ 2019 Global Responsibility Highlights

Apr 22, 2019 3:20 PM ET

General Mills’ 2019 Global Responsibility Report outlines our approach to creating environmental, social and economic value in the countries where we operate. The report highlights our work and where we made the most impact across four key areas: our food, our planet, our workplace and our community.

Environment

AEG Adopts New Greenhouse Gas Goal in Accordance with UN IPCC’S 1.5˚ Celsius Target

Apr 22, 2019 3:10 PM ET

AEG, the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company, announced today on Earth Day 2019, that the company has adopted a new greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, based on the 2018 Global Warming of 1.5˚ C report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Research, Reports & Publications

National Bank of Kuwait Takes Extensive Steps Towards Becoming a Middle East Corporate Sustainability Leader

Apr 22, 2019 3:00 PM ET

National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) launched its third annual Sustainability Report today, in alignment with the guidelines from the Kuwait National Development Plan (KNDP), the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), the Boursa Kuwait voluntary sustainability disclosure guide and the Equator Principles.

Being in alignment with these five major sets of standards – the de facto international standard for corporate social responsibility reporting – reflects the seriousness of NBK’s commitment to pursuing sustainability at the highest levels of practice in the world. The Boursa Kuwait guide is also aligned with the recommendations of the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative (SSEI) and the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE).

Environment

OneWest Bank Celebrates Earth Day with Turn Paper into Trees Campaign

Apr 22, 2019 3:00 PM ET

OneWest Bank, CIT’s Southern California retail bank division, today announced the Turn Paper into Trees campaign in celebration of Earth Day. Between now and May 31, OneWest will plant a tree in California each time a customer signs up for eStatements, Online Banking, Bill Pay or Direct Deposit.[1]

Environment

35 Strong Moody's Employees Braved Wet Weather to Pick Up Litter

Apr 22, 2019 2:55 PM ET