Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Diversity & Inclusion

Viacom Diversifies Vendor Pool, Echoing Internal Culture

Jul 20, 2018 11:30 AM ET

Sustainable Development Goals

CSR Now Drives Business as Usual

Jul 20, 2018 11:15 AM ET

In the past, “The CEO rule was basically keep your head down, stay out of complicated issues, because there were opinions on both sides of any issue,” Lawrence Parnell, program director at the Strategic Public Relations Program at George Washington University told the Wall Street Journal.“It’s no longer a question of if, but where, when and how to engage on these issues and what type of topics to engage on. These are new challenges and things CEOs and boards never had to deal with before, so they are struggling.”

Environment

HP Used Eight Million 'Ocean-Bound' Plastic Bottles in Products Last Year

Jul 20, 2018 11:10 AM ET

80% of HP ink cartridges now contain 45-70% recycled content and all toner cartridges contain at least 10% recycled content. In total, more than 8.3 million "ocean-bound" plastic bottles were used for HP products in 2017.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

The JetBlue Foundation and Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) Host Hands-On Aviation Camps in Seven JetBlue Cities

Jul 20, 2018 11:05 AM ET

This summer, the JetBlue Foundation has partnered with the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) to host seven Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academy summer camps for future aviators. Thanks to a grant from the JetBlue Foundation, OBAP was able to bring the program to additional cities this year. The camps were held in seven different locations – New York, Boston, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Long Beach, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Smithfield Foods Donates More Than 36,000 Pounds of Protein to Harvesters—The Community Food Network

Jul 20, 2018 11:00 AM ET

Smithfield Foods, Inc. and Price Chopper joined forces to donate more than 36,000 pounds of protein to Harvesters—The Community Food Network. Smithfield’s contribution was part of the company’s 2018 Helping Hungry Homes® donation tour. Now in the program’s 10th year, Helping Hungry Homes® is Smithfield’s signature hunger-relief initiative focused on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure. The donation, equivalent to more than 147,000 servings, will help families fight hunger across northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas.

Research, Reports & Publications

INFOGRAPHIC | Sustainable Business at NRG

Jul 20, 2018 10:50 AM ET

As with other organizations that have chosen to make sustainability part of their strategic imperative, sustainability at NRG means driving business results, reducing risk and enhancing the company’s brand value. Sustainable Business lies at the core of our five-pillar strategy because it encompasses initiatives that embed sustainability in the organization.

Health & Healthcare

Merck Reinforces Commitment to Responsible Pricing

Jul 20, 2018 10:25 AM ET

Merck has a long history of responsible pricing. In 2017, Merck issued its second annual Pricing Action Transparency Report, which showed that net prices across Merck’s U.S. product portfolio declined by 1.9 percent. We believe that further changes are still necessary to help red

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Changing Lives at the Sands Cares Fresh Start Mobile Showers

Jul 20, 2018 10:10 AM ET

Las Vegas Sands and Clean the World teamed up in July 2017 to launch the “Sands Cares Fresh Start Mobile Showers,” as a response to the growing homelessness population in Southern Nevada, an initiative addressed by Sands Cares, the company’s global corporate giving program. The mobile hygiene unit travels across the valley offering hygiene services to those experiencing homelessness.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

iCause: Helping Nonprofits Build Their Audience and Increase Engagement

Jul 20, 2018 10:00 AM ET

iCause is proud to announce a sponsorship and advertising solution for a fraction of the normal cost. Not only can companies advertise with iCause, end users can also earn rewards for redemption with Amazon by engaging with events, worldwide. iCause provides access to millions of people on its event platform, making this the perfect opportunity for companies seeking to build their audience and increase engagement.

Energy

HPE VIDEO | Powering the Digital Economy

Jul 20, 2018 9:30 AM ET

Emerging technologies get a lot of attention for the promise of transforming the future. But there’s not enough energy available to power the IT infrastructure to run these IT applications at their imagined scale. HPE is creating solutions to power the future sustainably.

Education

What Skills Do Young People Need to Succeed?

Jul 20, 2018 9:15 AM ET

Many businesses face a common challenge these days: Finding enough qualified workers for an increasingly technical workplace. According to Code.org, by 2020 there will be as many as 1 million more computer jobs available than there will be skilled applicants.

Diversity & Inclusion

Voya Financial Named a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion

Jul 20, 2018 9:05 AM ET

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), announced today that the company is one of 145 companies honored as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” and included in the 2018 Disability Equality Index (DEI) in recognition of Voya’s commitment to prioritizing the inclusion of people with disabilities.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

TruGreen Helps to Distribute Free Trees to Communities in Need

Jul 20, 2018 9:00 AM ET

In celebration of National Arbor Day, TruGreen once again teamed up with the Arbor Day Foundation to support the Community Tree Recovery Program. Several TruGreen branches in the areas of Buffalo, Detroit, and Boulder helped homeowners by planting trees in areas affected by natural disasters. These new trees were free and will help to replace those lost to the emerald ash borer and hurricanes of 2017.

Environment

Engaging with Children: Taking Care of the Planet

Jul 20, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Energy

Driving Decisions With Data Dashboards: Tracking Power Plant End-User Efficiencies

Jul 20, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Across Tetra Tech’s markets, nearly all clients share the need for actionable information that can drive decision making. Big data began bursting onto the scene some 25 years ago, inundating our information-hungry clients with megabytes and gigabytes of facts and figures that soon became a flood of petabytes and zettabytes. Managers thirsty for relevant intelligence were drowning in oceans of data, wondering what was important, what was essential, and what was urgent information.

Sustainable Development Goals

Cerro Verde, a Freeport-McMoRan Company, Supports Women-Owned Flower Farming Business Development

Jul 20, 2018 8:40 AM ET

Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde promotes the creation, improvement and development of micro and small enterprises through its various programs in Arequipa, Peru. These development programs provides financial support and technical assistance to entrepreneurs. Business owners in the districts of Uchumayo, Tiabaya, Yarabamba and La Joya are able to participate.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Carnival Corporation Donates $10,000 to Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation

Jul 19, 2018 5:15 PM ET

Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) today donated $10,000 to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation (OWLAF) in support of university scholarships for graduates of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls - South Africa (OWLAG), an independent boarding school founded by Winfrey to provide world-class education to disadvantaged girls in South Africa.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Arrow Electronics Takes Service to New Heights

Jul 19, 2018 4:25 PM ET

This July, a group of summer interns at Arrow Electronics participated in a day of volunteer work at Gray’s and Torrey’s peaks in Colorado, taking service initiatives to an elevation of 12,000 feet. Throughout the day, they performed trail maintenance, guided by leaders from the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (CFI).

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Fair Trade USA Expands Leadership Team and Invests in the Future With Key C-Suite Hires, New Board Chairman

Jul 19, 2018 3:00 PM ET

Fair Trade USA welcomes Mark Gunton as Chief Operating Officer, Nancy Girouard as Chief Financial Officer, Anna Banks as Chief Marketing Officer and James White as Chairman of the Board. These new hires underscore the organization’s commitment to foster a culture of innovation, drive efficient operations and expand impact on farmers and workers around the world.

Energy

Charge Ready Pilot Helps LA County Public Works Electrify Its Service Fleet

Jul 19, 2018 3:00 PM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Smithfield Foods Donates More Than 38,000 Pounds of Protein to The Food Bank of Iowa

Jul 19, 2018 2:20 PM ET

Today, Smithfield Foods, Inc. and Hy-Vee, Inc. joined forces to donate more than 38,000 pounds of protein to the Food Bank of Iowa. Smithfield’s contribution was part of the company’s 2018 Helping Hungry Homes® donation tour. Now in the program’s 10th year, Helping Hungry Homes® is Smithfield’s signature hunger-relief initiative focused on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure. The donation, equivalent to more than 152,000 servings, will help families fight hunger across Iowa.

Innovation & Technology

Busting 5 Myths About Electric Vehicles

Jul 19, 2018 2:00 PM ET

With gas prices rising, is there an electric vehicle (EV) in your future? A survey released in May by the American Automobile Association found that 20 percent of Americans said an EV would be the next car they buy. That’s up 5 percent from 2017.

Sustainable Development Goals

Business and Investors “Crucial” to Delivering 2030 Agenda at the Country-Level

Jul 19, 2018 1:40 PM ET

Creative approaches to advance the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are being jointly developed at the national level by multi-stakeholder partners.

Sustainable Development Goals

Carnival Corporation Releases 2017 Sustainability Report, Meets Goal to Reduce Carbon Footprint Ahead of Schedule

Jul 19, 2018 1:10 PM ET

Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world’s largest leisure travel company, today released its eighth annual sustainability report, announcing that in 2017 the company achieved its 25 percent carbon reduction goal three years ahead of schedule and is on track with its nine other 2020 sustainability goals. The full 2017 report, “Sustainability from Ship to Shore,” was developed in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative format and is available online at www.CarnivalSustainability.com.

Environment

Recycling at ‘Risk’: China’s New Rules Put Programs in U.S. In Jeopardy

Jul 19, 2018 1:10 PM ET

SEATTLE -- Companies that collect your bottles and boxes say recycling programs as we know it are at risk. It’s because of the so-called ‘China Sword,’ the country’s ban on several types of recyclables. The ‘sword’ has paper and plastic piling up across the country, including Washington state.