News from Leading Brands

Keep up with the latest impact news from companies embracing the triple bottom line, shared via 3BL's publishing platform.

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Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

The Foundation of Northern Trust's Responsible Investment Principles, ESG Funds

The foundation of Northern Trust's responsible investment principles, as with our entire decision-making process, is that we will act in a manner to protect our clients’ financial well-being.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Hormel Foods Recognized by Forbes on World’s Best Employers List

Hormel Foods Corporation today announced it has been recognized by Forbes on its World’s Best Employers 2017 list.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Firms Learn That as They Help Charities, They Also Help Their Brands

Adopting a tiger in India, donating yoga classes to disadvantaged children in Los Angeles or building homes for residents of a struggling New Jersey city might seem unrelated.

Energy

Clean Power is Already the Plan

What would a repeal of the Clean Power Plan (CPP) actually mean? The announcement that the EPA is seeking to repeal the CPP raises some valid questions about the future of clean energy and carbon emissions in the U.S. To understand the impact, let’s look at some important context.

Sustainable Development Goals

Acting Boldly for Sustainability

Sustainability —doing the right thing for people, planet and our own long-term business viability— is part of who we are at Avery Dennison. It’s an ethic that stems from our founder Stan Avery himself, who set the course and tone for our company more than eight decades ago.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Voya Financial’s Michele White Joins Board of Junior Achievement (JA) of Southwest New England

Voya Financial, Inc. announced today that Michele White, SVP and leader of the Enterprise Contact Center has joined the board of Junior Achievement (JA) of Southwest New England. JA is the world's largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs. Voya’s longstanding partnership with JA spans more than 15 years and Voya Financial Chairman and CEO Rodney O. Martin, Jr. serves on the board of Junior Achievement USA.

Diversity & Inclusion

Social Media Isn’t All Broken

This week on the news, I saw Congress grill social media executives. I heard about the spread of fake news and the negative things that social media has wrought. There was lots of focus on young people and how they use these forums – I even heard one report when an expert being interviewed mentioned that he was an undergraduate.

I won’t disagree that there are negatives about social media, but I do want to point out a different perspective that comes from my work.

My industry and the population we serve are often considered out of the loop on technology. But, the truth is social media has become a huge benefit in the lives of many people old enough to be that undergraduate’s grandparents.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Volunteer Helps Build Community, One Cup of Coffee at a Time

As the first volunteer for Refuge Coffee in Clarkston, Georgia – an area that hosts the most diverse square mile in the country and is home to over 60 native-spoken languages – Karen Guess brings together people from all walks of life over the universal language of coffee and tea. She moved to the area at the same time as Refuge Coffee founder Kitti Murray, who had a dream of creating just such a communal place.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Casa BACARDÍ Visitor Center Re-Opens in Puerto Rico

Casa BACARDÍ Puerto Rico has been welcoming visitors since 1961. During the weeks following Hurricane Maria, the visitor center was temporarily closed as its staff remained focused on providing relief to the community as part of the “Bacardi Contigo” (Bacardi is With You) initiative.

As part of the Bacardi ongoing commitment to Puerto Rico relief and rebuilding efforts, $5 of each tour admission will be donated to relief organizations, through the end of the year.

Innovation & Technology

National Grid Develops Innovative Solution for an Island Community’s Unique Energy Challenges

National Grid, a leader in developing innovative energy solutions to meet customer and community needs, will install a 48 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system, or BESS, on the island of Nantucket, 30 miles off the Massachusetts coast, to help address some unique energy challenges.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Standardized Maintenance & Supply Chain Innovation

Through fleet automation, Republic Services’ One Fleet standardized vehicle maintenance program, conversion to compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks, and the use of renewable natural gas derived from organic waste, Republic has lowered our fossil fuel usage, which also reduces costs.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

ADVOCACY: Speaking Out on Policies That Count

As the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, the NAACP has worked successfully with allies of all races who believe in and stand for the principles on which the organization was founded. We are represented in 2,200 branches and units all across this country in 50 states, in every large city, hundreds and hundreds of small towns, and in 60 global military installations, and always welcome new members and supporters. With over 2.2 million digital activists, we have more young people in the NAACP than any other young person’s civil rights organization in the country combined.

Diversity & Inclusion

Comcast NBCUniversal's Military Commitment: 13,000 and Growing

Veterans Day is an opportunity for the entire nation to collectively thank and honor military members and their families for living a life dedicated to service, and at Comcast NBCUniversal, we are extending this gratitude to the military community throughout the year.

Since 2010, we have hired more than 13,000 Veterans, National Guard and Reserve members, and military spouses, including many who are graduates of our country’s military service academies. Our Veterans Network employee resource group has grown to more than 6,000 members nationwide, and in the last two years we’ve led more than 100 military-focused community service projects as part of Comcast Cares Day, strengthening longstanding partnerships with dozens of military and veteran service organizations making impacts.

Environment

Duke Energy, Watershed Ecology Center Team Up to Bring Adopt-a-Stream to Spartanburg County

As one of Duke Energy’s Water Resources Fund recipients, Watershed Ecology Center developed the Adopt-a-Stream program for Spartanburg County, and is working with local volunteers and students who have become certified water quality monitors. Thanks to their efforts, Spartanburg County can now monitor and address water quality issues more quickly.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Responding to Natural Disasters: Three Steps for Companies to Maximize Their Impact

In what has been an unforgettable year of natural disasters, companies have demonstrated that they intend to do their part to help devastated communities rebuild. The private sector has committed more than $300 million to date to relief efforts for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and millions more in the aftermath of Mexico’s strongest earthquake in a century and the wildfires ravaging northern California.

Education

Live From HUBweek 2017

Last week, HUBweek took over City Hall Plaza. Presented by the Boston Globe, HUBweek sits at the intersection of science, technology, innovation, and general coolness. Visitors explored interactive installments and open spaces full of intriguing displays that highlighted forward-thinking concepts in areas from education to farming to virtual reality.

Sustainable Development Goals

Reporting on the SDGs: Measuring Today’s Contributions and Educating Tomorrow’s Leaders

GRI is strengthening the contribution of the private sector to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by helping make reporting on them more comparable, encouraging private sector engagement and supporting collaboration between business and academia to prepare the next generation of sustainability leaders. ​Read about recent SDG related events here.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

American Express Climbs 30 Spots to Top Best Adoption-Friendly Workplace List

Each year the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption recognizes the nation’s employers that offer the best adoption benefits to employees.
This year, American Express topped the list by overhauling its adoption benefits package for employees. The first place company offers $35,000 in financial reimbursement for the costs of the adoption and 20 weeks of paid leave to employees to bond with their children.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

“On the Road with eBay Motors” Crosses the Finish Line at SEMA

eBay Motors concluded its summer-long “On the Road” tour at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas by auctioning off a custom 1967 Mustang Fastback through eBay for Charity.

Energy

Imminent Game Changer for Inefficient UK Properties

From April 2018, it will be illegal to let out certain energy inefficient buildings in the UK. Under what has commonly been termed the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, or MEES, landlords will not be able to let out properties with an Environmental Performance Certificate (EPC) rated F or G. Government estimates have shown this could affect as high as 23% of the commercial real estate market, affecting as much as £165 billion of real estate.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Announcing TWITTER® CHAT: “Defending the Harvest: Reducing Food Loss” With the Rockefeller Foundation, Feed the Future and ADM Institute for the Prevention of Postharvest Loss

More than 1.2 billion people go to bed hungry or under-nourished every day, while the food that could feed them is wasted, lost along the food-chain. Such waste also rocks the security of livelihoods for the most vulnerable in the agricultural value chain and negatively impacts the environment. Eliminating food loss—using the harvest wisely—is one of the most solvable problems of our time.

Environment

A Business Sustainability Framework for Understanding Water Stewardship through Shared Value

While many companies are already engaging with climate change and an array of other environmental issues, water is quickly emerging as an impactful driver of both business risk and opportunity in the 21st century. Water is a critical input for many supply chains, providing energy and both direct and indirect materials for production as well as giving life to essential natural resources beyond the company gates.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Two Consumers Energy Leaders Have Been Named Among the Energy Industry’s “Top 40 Innovators”

Two Consumers Energy leaders – Andy Bordine and Holly Bowers – have been named among the energy industry’s “Top 40 Innovators” by Public Utilities Fortnightly, a leading national trade publication.

Education

Turn Today's HBCU Students Into Tomorrow's Leaders With Thurgood Marshall College Fund

Over the last several months, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund received over 3,500 applications for about 500 scholarships providing financial assistance to students at our 47 historically black member institutions across the country. And while we celebrate that 500 students will be able to continue to complete their academic careers over the course of the 2017-18 academic year with support from our valued corporate partners and donors, being able to help less than one out of every five students who express need is not an acceptable success rate by any means.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Sands Bethlehem Raises Money and Supplies for Hurricane Victims

During the months of August and September, major hurricanes ravaged parts of the United States and Puerto Rico, devastating many. Hurricane Harvey trampled through the southern portion of the US – yielding the most destruction in parts of Texas. Across the state, tens of thousands of individuals were left without power, food, and infrastructure. Less than a couple of weeks later, Hurricanes Maria and Irma, caused catastrophic damage in Florida and the US territory, Puerto Rico. In an effort to help those affected, Sands Bethlehem participated in several ways to raise money and supplies for the victims.

Latest Campaigns

  1. Coach Foundation | Dream It Real
    To help break cycles of inequality, we empower the next generation to reach their full potential through higher education.
  2. Responsible Business
    We integrate responsible and sustainable practices in every aspect of our organization. Our products are created in ways that do not harm individuals...
  3. Subaru Love Promise: Health
    Subaru believes we all should have a chance to lead a healthy life. Through our partnership with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® (LLS), Subaru and...
  4. KeyBank: Responsible Banking
    Everyone’s financial journey is different. We make intentional efforts to meet the individual needs of clients and communities through a diverse range...
  5. KeyBank Foundation: Helping Communities Thrive through Education, Workforce Development, and Service
    KeyBank Foundation helps build thriving communities by supporting organizations and programs that foster thriving students and a thriving workforce...
  6. License to Operate
    Corporate governance, risk management, operational integrity, and regulatory compliance are demanding challenges that companies face in today’s ever...
  7. License to Operate
    Corporate governance, risk management, operational integrity, and regulatory compliance are demanding challenges that companies face in today’s ever...
  8. Sustainable Products and Innovation
    Ongoing research into innovative solutions enables CNH’s brands to manufacture products that respect the environment while satisfying customers’...
  9. Corporate Social Responsibility
    Gilead Sciences Corporate Social Responsibility
  10. Corporate Social Responsibility
    Whirlpool Corporation has several CSR partners including United Way, Habitat for Humanity International, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Consulada...
  11. People: Belonging
    We have committed to making the next ten years the best yet for Bacardi, and part of that journey includes creating a unified global community of...
  12. Diversity & Inclusion
    Kimberly-Clark: Diversity & Inclusion
  13. Enriching Women's Lives
    60 years ago, Mary Kay Ash created an unparalleled opportunity for women to define their own successes and control their own futures. Her vision of...
  14. Drive for MPC
    At Marathon Petroleum, our professional truck drivers share one common vision: no accidents, no injuries, and no harm to the environment. We’re proud...
  15. KeyBank's Community Investment
    In states where Key has a presence, there are approximately 1.7 million low- to moderate-income (LMI) households. Many LMI individuals don’t have bank...