Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Events, Media & Communications

SCS' Stanley Mathuram to Speak at International Sustainable Cities Conference

May 9, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Green building professionals, building owners, architects, specifiers and manufacturers convene this coming weekend in San José, Costa Rica, May 17-18, for a conference featuring the latest updates in environmental and sustainability innovation in the building sector. One of the industry’s best-known third-party certification and standards experts, Stanley Mathuram of SCS Global Services, will be among the featured presenters at this year’s International Sustainable Cities Conference (CICS 2018), sponsored by the Green Building Council of Costa Rica (GBCCR).

Social Impact & Volunteering

Xylem Hosts Second Annual “Make Your Mark 30 Day Challenge”

May 9, 2018 9:00 AM ET

In celebration of World Water Day on March 22 and Earth Day on April 22, Xylem hosted the second annual Make Your Mark 30 Day Challenge, a month-long event that encourages employees to engage in efforts to solve global and local water and environmental issues. The 30 Day Challenge is a signature event of Xylem Watermark, the company’s corporate citizenship platform aimed at providing and protecting safe water resources in communities in need and educating people about water issues. This year, 1700 employees volunteered in more than 190 water-related activities across 93 Xylem sites, including leading students through water presentations and water monitoring, and building water towers in communities that lack access to clean drinking water.

Sustainable Development Goals

Cerro Verde, a Freeport-McMoRan Company, Supports Micro and Small Enterprise Development

May 9, 2018 8:30 AM ET

Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde (SMCV) contracted with Cáritas Arequipa to educate and train a group of Uchumayan women in Arequipa, Peru, in Cosmetology. The program required 300 hours of coursework and practical training. In December 2017, 26 Uchumayinas graduated from the program, and were supplied with cosmetology and salon supplies in order to be able to start their own businesses with the necessary tools.

Diversity & Inclusion

GLAAD Media Awards Honor ‘This Is Us,’ ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine,’ and More From 21CF for Outstanding LGBTQ Storytelling

May 9, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Three television projects from 21st Century Fox businesses took home top honors at the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York City on May 5, including Twentieth Century Fox Television’s This Is Us, FOX’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and National Geographic’s Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric. The awards recognize media and entertainment for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community, as well as the issues that affect their lives.

Events, Media & Communications

World Business Leaders to Share New Sustainable Vision in June

May 9, 2018 5:00 AM ET

Ethical Corporation is delighted to confirm that the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Environment UK Government and CEOs from; United Nations Global Compact, Allianz, L’Oréal, Oxfam, VF Corp, LEO Pharma, GRI, Hermes Investment, American Institute of AI, KEMET Corporation, IIRC will share their visions for a sustainable and transformational business at the 17th Responsible Business Summit Europe (London, 13-14 June).

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Channeling New Power

May 8, 2018 5:00 PM ET

Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms have written a new book entitled New Power: How Power Works in our Hyperconnected World and How to Make it Work for You, which builds off a Harvard Business Review article, Understanding New Power, written by these authors in 2014. Jeremy Heimans is a co-founder and CEO of Purpose, a social business that builds movements, and Henry Timms is executive director of the 92nd Street Y and one of the co-founders of Giving Tuesday in 2012.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

SC Johnson Awards $100,000 to Racine-Area Schools, Continuing Commitment to Literacy

May 8, 2018 4:35 PM ET

SC Johnson today announced the winners of a student essay competition and awarded $100,000 to Racine-area schools as part of the company’s longstanding commitment to literacy. The results were announced at a celebration event for the company’s Racine Wonders literacy program, which kicked off in January 2018 with distribution of the book “Wonder” to 9,000 area students. SC Johnson also surprised the 250 students in attendance with Kindle Fire tablets to further encourage a love of reading.

Research, Reports & Publications

Smithfield Foods’ Report Recaps Significant Progress, New Initiatives in Environmental Efforts

May 8, 2018 4:30 PM ET

Today, Smithfield Foods, Inc. announced the release of the Environment section of its 17th sustainability report. This section, the second installment in the report, highlights the company’s ambitious goal to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and its progress toward its 2020 environmental targets.

“In 2017, we made meaningful progress toward our goal to reduce our environmental impact while meeting the growing global demand for pork,” said Stewart Leeth, vice president of regulatory affairs and chief sustainability officer for Smithfield Foods. “We continue to address environmental concerns through innovation and ongoing improvement which creates value for our stakeholders and supports the communities where our employees live and work.”

Energy

More Renewable Energy Helps Fight Climate Change

May 8, 2018 4:00 PM ET

The Smart Electric Power Alliance has announced that SCE was No. 1 in battery storage and No. 2 in delivering solar energy to its customers. The alliance’s 11th annual survey, which includes more than 400 utilities, determined the top-10 rankings.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Universal Health Coverage: Filling the Gaps Through International Partnerships

May 8, 2018 3:50 PM ET

Achieving universal health coverage is target 3.8 of United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 3—to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” More than this, providing universal health coverage, which includes access to high quality, affordable health services and essential medicines, is necessary to achieve all 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals. Societies overwhelmed with the burden of disease cannot combat other sources of inequality and injustice. Investing in the local health workforce is a necessary step to reducing the social and economic impacts of injury and illness, and ultimately to achieving universal health coverage.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Northern Trust Tempe Partners Used Paid Volunteer Hours and Collaborated with St.Vincent De Paul of Arizona

May 8, 2018 3:45 PM ET

Our Tempe partners used their paid volunteer hours and collaborated with St.Vincent De Paul of Arizona to make pizzas for those in need in the community!

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Erb Institute and Ross School of Business Professor, Andy Hoffman Honored with 2017 Aspen Institute "Ideas Worth Teaching Award"

May 8, 2018 3:15 PM ET

Professor Andy Hoffman was honored today as a recipient of the 2017 Ideas Worth Teaching Awards for his class on Sustainable Business in Iceland offered through Global Initiatives at the Ross School of Business.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Yum! Brands Earns Spot on Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s 2018 100 Best Corporate Citizens List

May 8, 2018 3:05 PM ET

Yum! Brands has once again been named to the 100 Best Corporate Citizens list by Corporate Responsibility Magazine (CR Magazine) for its commitment to sustainable business practices.

“We’re proud to be recognized again this year by CR Magazine because it demonstrates our ongoing commitment to building sustainable brands that people trust and champion,” said Jon Hixson, VP of Government Relations and Global Citizenship for Yum! Brands. “As a global franchisor, we take our role as a global citizen and the impact of our brands on society very seriously. We’re on a journey to serve food people trust, grow sustainably and unlock the potential of our people by focusing on what our many internal and external stakeholders truly care about.”

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

3 Volunteering Engagement Lessons Corporations Can Learn from Nonprofits

May 8, 2018 3:00 PM ET

Learn how you can apply three volunteer engagement best practices, taken from organizations who rely on volunteers to accomplish their mission. The result? Higher employee participation rates and employee volunteer engagement.

Education

Future Engineers in Action

May 8, 2018 2:55 PM ET

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Medtronic Receives Honor for Corporate Citizenship

May 8, 2018 2:55 PM ET

As a global healthcare leader, Medtronic is putting its size and scale behind making a positive impact on society. That work has gained recognition by Corporate Responsibility Magazine, who ranked Medtronic 44th on its 19th annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens List for 2018.

Diversity & Inclusion

FitSpirit and Scotiabank Empower Canadian Girls to Stick with Sports

May 8, 2018 2:25 PM ET

Today, Canadian not-for-profit FitSpirit announced the Scotiabank FitSpirit Celebration in Toronto. The Celebration is the culmination of FitSpirit's 10-week program where participating young women run a five or 10 kilometre race, encouraging them to push their limits while having fun being active.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Hormel Foods Recognized as a Best for Vets Employer for Sixth Year in a Row

May 8, 2018 1:55 PM ET

Hormel Foods Corporation today announced it has been recognized for the sixth consecutive year on the Military Times Best for Vets Employers list.

The company ranked No. 75 on the list, which evaluates many factors that make a company a good fit for military veterans.

“At Hormel Foods, we are grateful for those who serve and have served our country,” said Janet Hogan, senior vice president of human resources at Hormel Foods. “We are extremely proud to be a great workplace for those who have done so much for all of us, and to be recognized for our efforts for the sixth year in a row.”

Social Impact & Volunteering

How Hope, Dreams are Improving Charlotte Neighborhood

May 8, 2018 1:30 PM ET

RWCI’s holistic cradle-to-career approach attacks the factors that can keep families poor, from lack of education, skills, child care, affordable housing and transportation to crime, mental health and substance abuse issues. A variety of agencies, including housing, social services and medical, as well as nonprofits and business leaders have footprints planted firmly in the effort.

Health & Healthcare

Advancing The Power of Science Behind Immuno-Oncology

May 8, 2018 1:30 PM ET

Pfizer’s advances in oncology demonstrate the Power of Scientific innovation to help improve lives, particularly the power of Immuno-oncology (I-O). Immuno-oncology uses the natural ability of the body’s immune system to recognize and fight tumors. This past year, Pfizer continued to advance its work in I-O because we recognize the urgency of finding anti-cancer alternatives to help patients who need them.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Comcast NBCUniversal Earns No. 7 Spot on DiversityInc’s Top 50 List

May 8, 2018 12:35 PM ET

We are pleased to announce that Comcast NBCUniversal was ranked No. 7 on DiversityInc’s 2018 Top 50 Companies for Diversity List, up 12 spots from 2017.

Thanks to our senior leadership commitment, strong recruitment efforts, and supplier diversity initiatives, this is the fifth consecutive year that our ranking has improved. In particular, DiversityInc attributes Comcast NBCUniversal’s position in the top ten to our significant growth in the number of diverse leaders at every level, as well as our best-in-class commitment to Supplier Diversity.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Sands Cares Presents INSPIRE

May 8, 2018 12:10 PM ET

INSPIRE, the annual philanthropic celebration benefiting and honoring members of the Sands Cares Accelerator Program has returned. All proceeds from concert ticket sales will be donated to the Marty Hennessy Inspiring Children Foundation and Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth.

Environment

Gina McCarthy’s Advice for Environmental Champions: Be Persistent

May 8, 2018 12:10 PM ET

Next week former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy will keynote a gathering of top corporate environmental leaders as they discuss their work to build business systems that put environmental, health and safety protection at the core. She shared a preview of her remarks with us, along with her advice for those who are making the business case for environmental protection from within companies today.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Giving Back is Part of JetBlue’s DNA

May 8, 2018 12:05 PM ET

Giving back is part of JetBlue’s DNA and is core to our mission of inspiring humanity. At JetBlue our culture IS service. Many crewmembers have shared that opportunities to give back are important to their work/life balance. As such, in addition to the award-winning service we provide to our customers, we regularly try to find ways to work in our local communities by providing opportunities for service. In fact, our corporate responsibility initiatives have been cited as a key recruiting and retention tool for JetBlue.

Last week, our annual “JetBlue For Good” Dinner, hosted by our CEO and executive leadership, celebrated individual and team volunteer accomplishments over the past year.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Subaru Ascent Production Begins at Subaru of Indiana Automotive

May 8, 2018 12:00 PM ET

Official production of the Subaru Ascent, a new three-row SUV that will seat up to eight passengers, began at Subaru’s Lafayette, Indiana plant yesterday. To mark the occasion, members of the famous Subaru canine family, The Barkleys, visited SIA to welcome the family vehicle to the Subaru line-up. In addition, SIA presented $8,000 in grants to four local nonprofit organizations focused on animal welfare: Almost Home Humane Society, Loving Heart Animal Shelter, Natalie’s Second Chance No-Kill Dog Shelter and North Central Indiana Spay & Neuter.