Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Harnessing Uganda’s Agricultural Potential to Improve Farmers’ Lives

May 14, 2018 9:05 AM ET

Divine Masters Ltd (DML), a Ugandan socially-focussed agribusiness enterprise, has joined Business Call to Action (BCtA) with the aim to incorporate 96,000 Ugandan farmers into its agricultural value chain, increasing their production yields, reduce post-harvest losses through climate adaptation practices, improve access to markets and increase household income by 10 percent by 2020.

Responsible Production & Consumption

EFI Welcomes Rouge River Farms to Its Growing Family of Ethical Suppliers

May 14, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Rouge River Farms joins a fast-growing network of certified growers that have made a commitment to improve labor conditions, food safety and pest management through Equitable Food Initiative’s workforce development program.

The company’s farming and packing operations in Clewiston, Florida, became EFI's first certified grower shipper on the East Coast after meeting more than 300 rigorous indicators, based on independent assessment by third-party certifier SCS Global Services.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Aramark Again Honored as a Top 50 Company for Diversity

May 14, 2018 8:20 AM ET

Aramark (NYSE: ARMK), a global leader in food, facilities management and uniforms, was once again named to DiversityInc’s Top 50 Companies for diversity list.

Diversity & Inclusion

Ryan Murphy to Donate All Profits From FX’s “Pose” to LGBTQ Charities

May 14, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Ahead of the June 3 premiere of his new FX series Pose, a dance musical about ball culture in 1980s New York City, writer and producer Ryan Murphy announced he will donate 100% of his profits from the show to trans and LGBTQ charities across the U.S. The series features the largest cast of transgender actors in regular roles in TV history, as well as the largest recurring cast of LGBTQ actors ever for a scripted series. Murphy will spotlight each of the recipient organization on his Twitter account and plans to host fundraiser screenings and other benefits to continue to raise awareness and drive donations. Murphy is also the creator of hit FX series American Horror Story, American Crime Story, and Feud, as well as FOX’s 9-1-1.

Diversity & Inclusion

Ikea Bullies Plants to Demonstrate the Impact of Negative Words

May 11, 2018 7:15 PM ET

More than one-out-of-five students in the U.S. reports being bullied, making it a prevalent topic for educators and parents. And, over the past few years, organizations and brands have joined the conversation – creating hashtags, emojis and even hidden camera stunts – to bring awareness to the issue. Now, Ikea is joining the ranks with a simple, tangible activation that demonstrates the negative effects of bullying.

Education

Discovery Partnerships Pave Pathways Toward College Access and Career Success

May 11, 2018 4:45 PM ET

At Discovery Education, we have established collaborative relationships with a variety of like-minded partners who are dedicated to ensuring equitable access to college for all students—while also highlighting examples of the diverse career paths available to them.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Bloomberg Provides ESG Data to Nearly 15,000 Investors on the Bloomberg Terminal

May 11, 2018 3:35 PM ET

Bloomberg collects, scrubs, verifies and continually updates environmental, social and governance (ESG) data from published company disclosures on the Terminal. Currently, we provide company-reported ESG data for almost 9,500 companies in 83 countries and executive compensation data for more than 5,600 companies in 69 countries — and we’re on track to provide ESG data on 13,000 companies by the end of 2018. Investors across asset classes can dig into data on energy and emissions, waste, gender diversity on boards, independent directors, workforce accidents and more to better understand the risks and opportunities associated with potential investments and counterparties. Our ESG data now also includes daily corporate governance data that displays changes in board membership when proxy docum

Innovation & Technology

Aflac Toy Robot for Kids Faces Cancer With Real Feelings

May 11, 2018 2:40 PM ET

Aflac has teamed up with robotics toy company Sproutel to create My Special Aflac Duck, a technology that offers emotional support to kids with cancer.

Innovation & Technology

Hacking for a Better Commute

May 11, 2018 2:25 PM ET

Dell and Forum for the Future, sponsored a hackathon as part of New York City’s Open Data Week. The Open Data L-train Innovation Challenge asked participants to create ideas that focused on using open data to help mitigate and manage the effects of the planned shutdown of the Canarsie Tunnel in April 2019.

Research, Reports & Publications

KeyBank Releases Corporate Responsibility Report and 2017 Community Benefits Plan Results

May 11, 2018 11:30 AM ET

KeyBank has released its 2017 Corporate Responsibility Report, highlighting progress in the areas of responsible banking, responsible citizenship and responsible operations.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

CEO Patti Poppe Discusses Consumers Energy's Commitment to People, Planet and Prosperity

May 11, 2018 10:50 AM ET

In this brief video, Consumers Energy CEO Patti Poppe discusses the company's commitment to its triple bottom line of people, planet and prosperity.

Green Infrastructure

WELL AP Community Surpasses 5,000 Mark

May 11, 2018 9:55 AM ET

The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) announced a milestone achievement in the growth of its WELL AP program as it surpassed 5,000 registrants. The WELL AP credential denotes expertise in the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and a commitment to advancing human health and wellness in buildings and communities

Events, Media & Communications

WBCSD's Panorama Podcast | Cities’ Response to Climate Change

May 11, 2018 9:50 AM ET

As the world becomes more urban, our cities are under increasing pressure to take the lead on sustainability. How have cities responded to this challenge? And what action is business taking? To answer these questions, and many more, we speak with Bianca Nijhof, Global Sustainability Program Manager at Arcadis and Simon Hansen, Director of Regions at C40.

Events, Media & Communications

3BL Media Webcast Series | How Investors Consume ESG Data: Advice for Corporate Reporters from Wall Street

May 11, 2018 9:45 AM ET

Join 3BL Media on May 16 at 12:30 p.m. ET for a free webcast detailing research on the ESG reporting preferences of fund managers and analysts at firms managing trillions in assets.

Sustainable Development Goals

Inside World War II’s Secret Cities: Part 1

May 11, 2018 9:45 AM ET

Bechtel-sponsored museum exhibit looks at massive Manhattan Project effort, 75 years later. Part 1 of a 2-part series.

Environment

Expanding Connected Conservation in 2018

May 11, 2018 9:35 AM ET

Health & Healthcare

Bringing Healthcare to the Fingertips of Pregnant Women and Nursing Mothers in Africa

May 11, 2018 9:30 AM ET

GiftedMom uses mobile phones to provide health advice and eradicate avoidable maternal and infant deaths in Africa.

Sustainable Development Goals

Schneider Electric VIDEO | Leading with a Sustainable Strategy

May 11, 2018 9:15 AM ET

If the world is going to become more sustainable, we all need to know where we stand — how much energy we’re using and how to use energy more intelligently. The convergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) and energy gives us a tremendous opportunity to tap the value of data — especially data in context — to advance sustainability across buildings, data centers, industry, and infrastructure.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

How First Candle is Working to Reduce the Rate of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Other Sleep-related Infant Deaths

May 10, 2018 6:15 PM ET

For over 35 years, First Candle, has been working to educate parents, caregivers, professionals and community members on ways to reduce the rate of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related infant deaths while supporting families who have lost a baby through these tragedies as well as stillbirth and miscarriage.

Health & Healthcare

Malaria No More Honors 21st Century Fox and Star India With the Media Leader Award

May 10, 2018 5:00 PM ET

Malaria No More will present 21st Century Fox, one of the world’s leading portfolios of news, sports, and entertainment brands, and its subsidiary Star India, the largest media company in India, with the Media Leader Award at its 12th Annual International Honors event tonight. The companies will be honored for their remarkable legacy and leadership in raising awareness of the urgent need to end malaria, a preventable disease that kills a child every two minutes.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Volunteers Plant Trees in Lynwood, Part of Effort to ‘Green’ South LA

May 10, 2018 4:00 PM ET

A group of volunteers recently gathered on a sunny day in Lynwood, all with the same mission: to help beautify and improve the local environment by planting trees.

Diversity & Inclusion

Tetra Tech AEG Becomes a Certified Military Talent Employer

May 10, 2018 4:00 PM ET

Tetra Tech AEG, a leading provider of consulting and construction services in solid waste and industrial markets, has become a NEOVETS Certified Military Talent Employer (CMTE). Through the CMTE certification, Tetra Tech is supporting military members who have served the United States’ greater interests and sacrificed for our welfare.

Environment

Randy Olson: “Don’t Be Such a Scientist”

May 10, 2018 3:40 PM ET

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but what if the picture is a bar graph with a bunch of statistical notations? It may be worth a thousand words, but only to a handful of people. In the context of climate change, that’s clearly not enough. This week’s guest on Sea Change Radio, is Randy Olson, a marine biology professor turned filmmaker and author whose book “Don’t Be Such A Scientist” makes the case that scientists can and should be better communicators, especially to regular (non-scientist) folk. Olson draws what he considers to be an important distinction between narration and storytelling, attempts to explain the mystifying ascendancy of Donald Trump, and gives us examples of what does and does not work in messaging scientific knowledge.

Events, Media & Communications

Advisory: On Monday May 14th US Department of State and the World Environment Center to Host Webinar on ‘Power to Grow’

May 10, 2018 2:00 PM ET

On Monday, May 14, 2018 at 3:30 PM EST, the US Department of State and the World Environment Center will host a webinar and Q&A on ‘Power to Grow.’

Power to Grow is a search to discover and reward non-profit organizations empowering micro-enterprises in Central America. Awardees will receive a prize of up to $43,000 to execute their proposed project, partnership with a member organization of La Red de Innovación e Impacto working towards a shared goal, and a comprehensive training and support package to improve their business skills. Applications are open until 11:59 PM (EST) on May 14, 2018.

Events, Media & Communications

Aviso: Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos, Embajada de los Estados Unidos en El Salvador y World Environment Center harán un webinar sobre ‘El Poder de Crecer’

May 10, 2018 2:00 PM ET

El día lunes 14 de mayo del 2018 a las 3:30 PM EST, el Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos hará un webinar con sesión de preguntas y respuestas sobre ‘El Poder de Crecer’.

El Poder de Crecer busca identificar y premiar a organizaciones sin fines de lucro que están empoderando a micro emprendimientos en Centroamérica. Los ganadores recibirán hasta USD 43,000 para ejecutar su solución propuesta, además de una alianza con una organización miembro de La Red de Innovación e Impacto con el fin de trabajar juntos hacia el mismo objetivo y un paquete completo de asesoría y capacitación para mejorar sus capacidades de negocio. El plazo de las aplicaciones es hasta el 14 de mayo del 2018 a las 11:59 PM (EST).