Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

How Financial Institutions and Fintechs Are Partnering for Inclusion

Aug 17, 2017 9:00 AM ET

This report—produced in partnership with the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion (CFI)—examines how partnerships between mainstream financial institutions (e.g., banks, insurers, and payment companies) and fintechs are addressing financial inclusion challenges and expanding access to the formal financial economy for underserved segments of the global population, particularly in emerging markets.

Research, Reports & Publications

Commonwealth Bank of Australia Publishes Its 2017 Corporate Responsibility Report

Aug 17, 2017 5:00 AM ET

This week Commonwealth Bank of Australia released its 2017 Corporate Responsibility Report, which shows continuing progress across a range of initiatives focused on delivering the Group’s vision to excel at securing and enhancing the financial wellbeing of people, businesses and communities.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Fox and National Geographic Lead 27th Annual Environmental Media Association Awards Nominations

Aug 16, 2017 8:45 PM ET

21st Century Fox businesses have received a total of four nominations from the Environmental Media Association, whose awards honor film and television productions that increase public awareness of environmental issues and inspire personal action to correct them.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Workplace Giving Campaign Best Practices and Potential Pitfalls to Avoid

Aug 16, 2017 6:30 PM ET

Events, Media & Communications

Five Reasons to Register for the Institute for Corporate Social Responsibility

Aug 16, 2017 4:45 PM ET

Environment

How General Mills Celebrates Honey Bees

Aug 16, 2017 4:15 PM ET

Could you do your job if you were kicked out your house, had no food, and under constant attack by parasites and poisons? Not likely. But this is what life is like for many species of birds, bees and other insects who pollinate our crops and help grow one-third of the global food supply.

Research, Reports & Publications

Ingersoll Rand Shares 2016 Sustainability Journey in New Report

Aug 16, 2017 4:05 PM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Junior Achievement volunteers help students make ‘cents’ of their future

Aug 16, 2017 4:00 PM ET

Wells Fargo team members share the impact Junior Achievement has had on their lives — and why they enjoying giving back to future generations.

Environment

Brightening Our Corner Newsletter - August 2017

Aug 16, 2017 3:45 PM ET

Green Infrastructure

Better Buildings Conserve Water and Cash

Aug 16, 2017 3:15 PM ET

Energy

Capturing Solar Energy

Aug 16, 2017 2:55 PM ET

At Republic Services’ Hickory Ridge Landfill near Atlanta, GA, solar panels were installed to generate clean electricity and provide a reuse of the landfill. This award-winning project, which sits on 48-acres and is the largest solar energy generating facility in the state of Georgia, is now converting sunlight into clean, renewable energy resources for the local community, including landfill gas and solar electric power.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Corporate Pro Bono Is Evolving - Are You? | Taproot Foundation's Advisory Services Summer Newsletter

Aug 16, 2017 2:45 PM ET

When Taproot got its start as an organization in 2001, we used to say "Pro bono isn't just for lawyers." We were determined to prove that we could power the nonprofit sector with other forms of corporate expertise, like pro bono marketing, strategy, finance, design, and HR.

15 years later, our narrative has evolved. Now we say "pro bono isn't just for marketers, strategists, finance professionals, designers, and HR specialists." Today professionals are going beyond traditional expertise and applying specialized skills and emerging forms of problem solving to the pro bono they provide.

Environment

Brendan O’Connor on Unholy Alliances

Aug 16, 2017 2:00 PM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

KeyBank Forms Corporate Responsibility National Advisory Council

Aug 16, 2017 2:00 PM ET

Launched earlier this year, KeyBank’s five-year National Community Benefits plan is focused on supporting people and neighborhoods by providing safe and decent affordable housing, small business and farm lending, mortgage lending to low-to-moderate income communities, and philanthropy.

Environment

Water Supply Diversification Continues Rising to Reach Resiliency, Reliability Goals

Aug 16, 2017 1:45 PM ET

Objectives for developing alternative water supplies to increase availability and improve water system resilience continue as top priorities for resource stakeholders. This year more than 50 percent of Strategic Directions: Water Industry Report respondents cited resiliency as an increasingly important driver for ensuring reliable water system delivery.

Energy

Grid Modernization: How a Smart Grid Offers Customers More Control, Reliability and Clean Energy

Aug 16, 2017 1:00 PM ET

The energy grid is the backbone of the new digital economy. That’s why Duke Energy is investing $25 billion to modernize it.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Is Your Company's Giving Program as World-Changing as You Think?

Aug 16, 2017 12:40 PM ET

Innovation & Technology

Innovation for the Greater Good

Aug 16, 2017 12:10 PM ET

We take pride in innovating for the greater good. Our products are helping to empower people and enhance the quality of life around the globe. They’re enabling economic development, “smart” urban infrastructure, efficient transportation, cost-efficient health care and more.

Sustainable Development Goals

Pfizer Supports the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development

Aug 16, 2017 12:00 PM ET

For Pfizer, Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being, is inextricably linked to our belief that every individual deserves to lead a long, healthy and productive life. Good health is fundamental to advancing all of the 17 SDGs, each of which is connected to advances in public health.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

CSRHub Releases Third e-Book in How to Improve Your CSR Score Series

Aug 16, 2017 11:05 AM ET

CSRHub is pleased to release the third e-Book in the new series, How to Improve Your CSR Score, sponsored by Triple Pundit. “Telling Your Story... Is more disclosure better disclosure?"

Research, Reports & Publications

Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability Faculty, Tom Lyon asks, "Do Millenials Have a Sense of 'Meh' When It Comes to the U.S. Auto Industry?"

Aug 16, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Erb Institute, faculty member, Tom Lyon along with A. Wren Montgomery and Kimberly S. Wolske, have recently completed research which considers differences between Millennial’s perceptions of automotive ownership versus prior generations and whether Millennials are exhibiting significantly different driving behaviors and attitudes. Interestingly, “changing emotional connections to and meanings around driving and ownership, and utility perceptions around vehicles” may be indicative of a general lack of interest by this generation, or more simply, ‘meh’.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Former Foster Youth Is Now Adoptive Mom

Aug 16, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Imagine growing up in foster care and never being adopted. You start your life as an 18 year old on your own and build a family of your own. What’s the next step? For Nichole, it was adopting an older child from foster care to ensure that he had the love and support as an adult that she didn’t have.

Sustainable Development Goals

Growing Role for the Private Sector in the 2030 Agenda

Aug 16, 2017 11:00 AM ET

At this year's United Nations high-level political forum, 43 countries presented their voluntary national reviews on the progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. GRI took this opportunity to investigate how the private sector in particular has been included in these reviews. Here we present a quick overview of three emerging trends on the private sector role in the 2030 Agenda.

Research, Reports & Publications

VIDEO | Making Cargill More Efficient & Sustainable

Aug 16, 2017 10:50 AM ET

In 2015, Cargill set five-year goals to improve our use of energy and natural resources. By 2020, we're committed to sourcing 18 percent of our energy portfolio for renewable sources, up from 14.4 percent today. We are also committed to improving energy efficiency, freshwater efficiency and greenhouse gas intensity by 2020. See the video for a look at our progress so far.

Innovation & Technology

Accelerating Technology and Globalized Markets

Aug 16, 2017 10:45 AM ET

Globalization and rapidly advancing technology are reshaping society in unprecedented ways. These trends can open new markets, drive economic growth and improve quality of life around the world.