Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Media & Communications

How Viral Engagement is Revolutionizing CSR

Nov 13, 2018 12:00 PM ET

The millennial generation is quickly becoming the dominant group in our workforce, and they’re turning traditional corporate philanthropy upside down. They care deeply about their own causes, and top-down directives from the corner offices alone won’t move them to action. In fact, millennials care more about the opinions of their peers than those of their bosses. Is this workforce shift an obstacle? On the contrary – it is actually a tremendous opportunity for you to drive deeper engagement with your company’s giving and volunteer programs.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

KeyBank Expands Capabilities to Support CDLI Growth

Nov 13, 2018 11:30 AM ET

KeyBank Community Development Lending & Investment (CDLI) announced today that it has hired five new underwriters to support work across its growing business. The CDLI platform brings together balance sheet, equity and permanent loan offerings to finance the preservation and development of affordable housing and other community development projects. Keven Ruf, Stephanie Curtis, Laura Janosko, Derek Reed and Michelle Kennedy bring expertise in community development, real estate development and tax credit financing from public and private sector experience.

Diversity & Inclusion

3 Lessons We Learned Building a Veteran-Friendly Culture at Nestlé

Nov 13, 2018 11:15 AM ET

For those who have served in the military, it can be a challenge finding a civilian workplace which respects and builds upon the skills learned in service. At Nestlé in the U.S. we want to overcome this challenge, fostering an inclusive working culture that allows our veteran employees and their families to thrive long term.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

eBay Employees Loan $450k to Kiva Entrepreneurs

Nov 13, 2018 11:05 AM ET

The eBay Foundation provides every eBay employee with an annual $25 Kiva loan credit to create economic opportunity for small and micro entrepreneurs around the world. Since 2017, over 23,000 Kiva entrepreneurs have benefitted from more than $600,000 in loans made by eBay employees.

Energy

Lidl Finland Microgrid Enables Carbon-Neutral Distribution

Nov 13, 2018 11:05 AM ET

Schneider Electric has partnered with grocery store chain, Lidl, to deliver Finland’s largest industrial microgrid and an advanced IoT-enabled building automation system for Lidl’s new distribution center in Järvenpää, Finland.

The unique distribution center that will cover a surface of 60,000 m2, the largest in Finland and equivalent to 10 football fields in size, will serve Southern Finland’s grocery stores and fully start operations at the beginning of 2019.

With Schneider Electric’s microgrid offer, Lidl's distribution center will reach a high level of energy efficiency based on 100% renewable energy.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

U.S. Department of Energy Honors Ingersoll Rand With Better Practice Award for Cutting Energy Use by 50 Percent

Nov 13, 2018 11:00 AM ET

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded Ingersoll Rand® a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable and efficient environments, a 2018 Better Practice award for energy management initiatives that reduced energy consumption by 50 percent at its Trane® HVAC manufacturing plant in Waco.

Diversity & Inclusion

Air cXc: Standing Tall and Proud at Whirlpool Corporation

Nov 13, 2018 11:00 AM ET

In 2016, Whirlpool Corporation launched its Air cXc program in Florida in an effort to find skilled and talented military and military family members to support its Whirlpool Customer eXperience Centers (cXc). Since then, the program has expanded across nine states.

Energy

Energy & Environmental Solutions

Nov 13, 2018 11:00 AM ET

Republic is a leading provider and trusted partner in the energy and environmental services industry. We deliver a variety of solutions for our manufacturing, industrial and energy customers — from field services at the point of drilling to the refinery and industrial services within the plants. Our advanced technologies and integrated solutions are meeting our customer’s evolving needs while enabling them to reduce their environmental footprint.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

PNC: Decorated Veteran Receives Keys to Mortgage-Free Home

Nov 13, 2018 10:15 AM ET

Two F-15 jets from nearby Seymour Johnson Air Force base streaked across the sky, creating a fitting start to a ceremony honoring a wounded Army veteran, who received keys to a mortgage-free home.

Research, Reports & Publications

Leading Sustainability Reporting Bodies Launch Two-Year Project for Better Alignment

Nov 13, 2018 10:10 AM ET

Launched simultaneously at the Bloomberg Sustainable Business Summit in London and in Sydney, during the World Congress of Accountants 2018, Corporate Reporting Dialogue participants committed to driving better alignment of sustainability reporting frameworks, as well as with frameworks that promote further integration between non-financial and financial reporting.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

The Biggest Blessing Was Hearing Them Call Us Mom and Dad for the First Time

Nov 13, 2018 10:00 AM ET

“We knew during our first meeting with them that we needed them as much as they needed us,” said Wendy and Joseph Garren about the day they met their four children, Morgan, Logan, Trevor and Tiffany.

Research, Reports & Publications

Albertsons Goes All in on Sustainability

Nov 13, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Albertsons last week released its 2018 Sustainability Update, highlighting its efforts in waste reduction, expansion of organic products, seafood sustainability and cleaner transportation.

Environment

Ray C. Anderson Foundation’s NextGen Committee Awards $90,000 to Second Nature

Nov 13, 2018 10:00 AM ET

The NextGen Committee of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation has awarded a $90,000 grant to Second Nature to provide the tools necessary to allow universities to collaborate and pool their financial investments, to increase the number of large-scale renewable energy projects in the national grid, and to achieve climate neutrality on more U.S. campuses.

Diversity & Inclusion

Women’s World Banking Partnership, Q&A with Sylvia Chahonyo

Nov 13, 2018 9:35 AM ET

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Aligning Faith and Finances

Nov 13, 2018 9:15 AM ET

Aligning Faith and Finances is an important topic with hundreds of years of history in the Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) community. Today millions of people are aligning their investments with their sincerely held beliefs and values. I've always found stewardship important from personal finances to the planet we call home. How do you align your money with your morals?

Responsible Production & Consumption

Introducing Nutopia by Mohawk Group: Carpet Plank Inspired by “Urban Fabric”

Nov 13, 2018 9:05 AM ET

Nutopia is a new Living Product Challenge Petal certified carpet plank system from Mohawk Group inspired by the idea of “urban fabric,” where humankind coexists with buildings, streets and other infrastructure. The collection’s designers looked at metaphors for how urban design can translate into patterns of balance, acceptance and integration—where the dichotomy of metropolis is coalesced into a mélange of culture and connection. Earlier this summer, Nutopia officially debuted to the commercial architecture and design community at NeoCon’s 50th anniversary exposition along with four other Living Products from Mohawk Group.

Events, Media & Communications

Pro Bono Perspectives Podcast: Episode 8 - Evan Goldberg, NetSuite

Nov 13, 2018 9:05 AM ET

We are excited to welcome Evan Goldberg, Founder and Executive Vice President of Development of NetSuite to Pro Bono Perspectives! Before starting NetSuite, Evan worked at Oracle Corporate where he focused on making powerful database technology more accessible to users and launching his first startup, mBED Software, where he developed groundbreaking website technology.

Environment

Johnson & Johnson Chairman and CEO Alex Gorsky Takes the #EmbracingSustainability Challenge

Nov 13, 2018 9:05 AM ET

For more than 130 years, Johnson & Johnson has made it a mission to help keep people healthy. And since human health and environmental health are inextricably linked, the company is dedicated to helping keep the planet healthy, too.

Innovation & Technology

VIDEO | Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge 2019 Now Open to Applicants

Nov 13, 2018 8:35 AM ET

Our third annual Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge aims to recognize new business ideas that leverage technology for social impact from student entrepreneurs around the world. The Challenge is open to students and recent alumni from any college or university.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Sands Cares Ambassadors Provide Support Before and After Typhoon Mangkhut

Nov 13, 2018 8:25 AM ET

In response to the Macau Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) calling on the Macao community to help alleviate damage throughout the city caused by Typhoon Mangkhut, 60 volunteers from Sands China Ltd.’s (SCL) Sands Cares Ambassador program helped clean up Hac Sa beach, where they disposed of branches, debris, and helped shovel displaced sand back onto the beach.

Environment

OFA Supports Bees in France

Nov 13, 2018 8:15 AM ET

At General Mills, we love bees. Not just Buzz Bee, the famed Honey Nut Cheerios mascot, but all bees. Here’s why:

Simply put, without bees, we wouldn’t have enough food to feed the world’s growing population.

Innovation & Technology

Black & Veatch Report: Natural Gas Industry Trending up Despite Headwinds of Trade Dispute, Surge in Renewables

Nov 13, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Demand from increasingly thirsty energy markets is stoking near-term optimism for natural gas investment, as plentiful supply and innovative liquified natural gas (LNG) solutions help governments elevate the energy source to the center of their clean power goals. But as renewables gain increasing shares of today’s power portfolios and the U.S.-China trade dispute persists, questions linger about the long term, according to Black & Veatch’s just-released 2019 Strategic Directions: Natural Gas Report.

Events, Media & Communications

Plastics Debate With Dow & Walgreen Boots Alliance

Nov 13, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Plastic has been an invention that has been seen until recent years as the perfect material for product packaging. However, its strengths are also its weakness. Businesses are increasingly looking at plastic reduction, closing the loop and finding more sustainable and less impactful substitutes.

Diversity & Inclusion

Walmart Announces New Focus on Hiring Military Spouses

Nov 12, 2018 4:05 PM ET

Walmart today announced it will give hiring preference to military spouses, becoming the largest U.S. company to make such a commitment.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Deep Dive on Giving in Numbers: How Business Is Supporting Veterans

Nov 12, 2018 3:50 PM ET

The U.S. Department of Labor in October celebrated the continued improvement of the unemployment rate for veterans since with a 2.9 percent, down from 3.7 percent in 2017 (the non-veteran unemployment rate in comparison is 3.5 percent). This accomplishment is in large part due to the efforts of leading companies and nonprofits that have broken down barriers to veteran employment such as translating job skills from military to civilian work roles and communicating the high-value veterans bring to the workplace.