Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Smithfield Foods Donates More Than 35,000 Pounds of Protein To Montana Food Bank Network

Aug 17, 2018 11:35 AM ET

This week, Smithfield Foods, Inc. and Albertsons joined forces to donate more than 35,000 pounds of protein to Montana Food Bank Network. Smithfield’s contribution was part of the company’s 2018 Helping Hungry Homes® donation tour. Now in the program’s 10th year, Helping Hungry Homes® is Smithfield’s signature hunger-relief initiative focused on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure. The donation, equivalent to more than 141,000 servings, will help families fight hunger across Montana.

Education

Piloting PCR at Bay Area Schools: PDIs in Action

Aug 17, 2018 10:55 AM ET

In the last month, Maia Binding and her team have worked with some 30 teachers across the San Francisco Bay area to arm them with new tools and knowledge to share with their students this fall. The teachers come from schools in a variety of districts with varying demographics – many of which serve lower income populations. At these schools, students of all backgrounds have the opportunity for hands-on biotech, thanks to the Amgen Biotech Experience (ABE).

Environment

How to Be a Good Visitor at National Parks

Aug 17, 2018 10:20 AM ET

The nation’s 59 national parks (the 60th, Missouri’s Gateway Arch, received an official national park designation in February 2018) saw more than 330 million visitors in 2017, which is a lot of footsteps, noise, waste and selfie poses in some of the wilderness’s most delicate treasures.

Education

Schneider Electric and DHET Sign Letter of Intent

Aug 17, 2018 9:30 AM ET

Schneider Electric South Africa has signed a statement of intent with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) to expand its Access to Education training collaboration.

Environment

Type 1 Ecolabels Help Keep the Forest Viable

Aug 17, 2018 9:25 AM ET

The concept of forest certification, which ensures that the forests used to create pulp and paper products will continue to remain environmentally viable after harvest, has existed for more than 20 years. Ecolabels, including Type 1 ecolabels like ECOLOGO® and EU Ecolabel, help consumers easily identify products sourced from well-managed forests.

Sustainable Development Goals

UN Global Compact Bulletin (August 2018)

Aug 17, 2018 9:20 AM ET

On 24 September, join the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2018 to share achievements and discuss the challenges and opportunities business face in delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Looking for practical guidance that can enable your company to better measure and report on your impact on the Global Goals? Check out UN Global Compact and GRI new practical guide to SDG Reporting.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Watch the Video and Help Always End Period Poverty

Aug 17, 2018 9:05 AM ET

Nearly 1 in 5 girls in the US have missed school because they didn't have access to period protection.

Research, Reports & Publications

Visa Announces Progress in Latest Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report

Aug 17, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Visa released its 2017 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report, the company’s summary of progress in its ongoing commitment to corporate responsibility, sustainability and ethical leadership. The report addresses the commitments and progress Visa has made across its most significant environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.

Events, Media & Communications

Users Demand Standards for Speech from Social Media Companies

Aug 17, 2018 8:45 AM ET

Do digital companies have a duty to curate content that some find alarming? That’s the current dilemma of social media businesses Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and other platforms, which have self-defined as “agnostic” distributors—that is, neutral carriers not responsible for the content published through their channels and networks.

Media & Communications

CECP's Global Exchange Welcomes Three New Organizations

Aug 17, 2018 8:15 AM ET

CECP’s Global Exchange continues to unite country-based, mission-driven corporate engagement organizations to advance business as a force for good around the world with the addition of three new nonprofits to the group, representing Canada, Turkey, and Russia. At 15 organizations strong, the Global Exchange collectively represents 54% of the world’s population and 67% of the world’s GDP.

Energy

El Abra, a Freeport-McMoRan Company, Increases Use of Renewable Energy

Aug 17, 2018 8:10 AM ET

El Abra operations is working to increase its percentage of renewable energy to reach the goal of 100% use of renewables by 2021. El Abra recently extended an energy supply contract that increases its use of renewable energy sources. The agreement with Engie Energía Chile is part of an energy transition process being developed in Chile to gradually replace coal-fueled power generation with renewable sources, achieving the objectives subscribed by Chile in the United Nations Paris Agreement and established in the country's national energy priorities.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Keybank Provides $38.4 Million in Total Financing for the Construction of Affordable Housing in Texas

Aug 16, 2018 6:30 PM ET

KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) has provided $38.4 million in total financing for the construction of Del Valle Apartments in Austin, TX. The CDLI team provided a $9 million equity bridge loan, with a $29.4 million Freddie Mac Tax Exempt Loan (TEL) Forward Commitment component arranged by Key’s Commercial Mortgage Group.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Tork Survey Reveals Lunch Break Impact on Workplace Engagement

Aug 16, 2018 3:25 PM ET

Today, Tork, an Essity brand, announces its “Take Back the Lunch Break” survey results, revealing a major disconnect between bosses and their employees when it comes to taking a lunch break.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Pedaling for a Cure

Aug 16, 2018 2:50 PM ET

Over 100 associates from ScottsMiracle-Gro recently participated in Pelotonia. Pelotonia is an annual bike tour and nonprofit organization based in Columbus, Ohio, that raises money for cancer research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James).

Health & Healthcare

VIDEO | Josh and Chloe - My Special Aflac Duck™ and CMN Hospitals

Aug 16, 2018 2:20 PM ET

Health & Healthcare

Always Donates Feminine Hygiene Products to Help North America Girls Stay in School & Stay Confident

Aug 16, 2018 2:10 PM ET

The most recent Always Confidence & Puberty Survey reveals that nearly one in five American girls1 and one in seven Canadian Girls2 have either left school early or missed school entirely because they did not have access to period products.

Environment

Raising Agrifood Yields Is Not Enough to Achieve Global Food Security

Aug 16, 2018 1:40 PM ET

People are still hungry. Despite decades of increasing agricultural yields in less-industrialized regions of the world, in large part thanks to the support from international agencies such as USAID, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, hunger persists. According to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, food production over the past five years has generally increased worldwide. We grow enough food to feed the world’s population. Why does food security remain so elusive? The answer to global hunger lies in the food supply chain—specifically in reducing the amount of food that rots or becomes contaminated before reaching consumers, or as it is otherwise known, “post-harvest loss.”

Responsible Production & Consumption

Timberland Supports Haitian Farmers as They Plant Haiti’s First Commercial Cotton Crop in 30 Years

Aug 16, 2018 1:30 PM ET

Smallholder farmers near Gonaives, Haiti recently planted the first commercial cotton crop in the country since 1987, with support from Timberland and other brands. The farmers planted a demonstration farm which will train other smallholder farmers to cultivate cotton. As a key supporter of the effort, Timberland provided participating farmers with shirts as a symbol of the future market for the cotton they planted. The global outdoor lifestyle brand, in partnership with the Smallholder Farmers Alliance, aims to bring cotton farming back to Haiti not only to create a new supply chain for organic cotton to use in its products, but also to help reforest Haiti and improve the lives of smallholder farmers.

Environment

On September 5th, Listen to a Sustainability Webinar with Mars & Environmental Defense Fund

Aug 16, 2018 1:05 PM ET

Join Mars, Incorporated and Environmental Defense Fund for a webinar on Wednesday, September 5, 2018 at 2:30pm ET to learn about Mars’ sustainability journey, and how businesses of any size can cut emissions and reduce risks related to climate change.

Green Infrastructure

VIDEO | What’s Cool @ Target Field: Pentair Water Recycling

Aug 16, 2018 1:05 PM ET

In 2009, Pentair began working with the Minnesota Twins to help them attain their silver LEED certification. Pentair's Rain Water Recycle System (RWRS) helps Target Field's need for municipal water by over 50 percent; an annual average saving of 2 million gallons of water.

Innovation & Technology

FCA US Toledo Machining Plant to Build Key Component for First Plug-in Hybrid Jeep®

Aug 16, 2018 1:00 PM ET

FCA US announced today that it has awarded the production of the Power Electronics module for the Jeep® Wrangler PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) to its Toledo Machining Plant, positioning the 54-year-old Ohio facility to play a key role in helping the Company meet future regulatory requirements.

Innovation & Technology

VIDEO | Boyle Column: Paul Endry Retains Optimism Despite Accident, Paralysis

Aug 16, 2018 12:50 PM ET

Sometimes a major burnout — especially one fueled by a 900-horsepower Corvette race car — is just good for the soul. Judging by the smile on Paul Endry's face Tuesday afternoon after he launched into a couple of high-octane doughnuts in the former Sears parking lot at Asheville Mall, it was a home run in the soul-stimulation department.

Sustainable Development Goals

Incorporating Resilience in National Infrastructure Plans

Aug 16, 2018 12:20 PM ET

As part of Bechtel’s commitment to contribute 100 ideas to support the United Nation’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we ask experts from the Institute for Sustainable Development to offer a better way to tie disaster response and recovery plans to the national infrastructure agenda.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Duke Energy Foundation Grants Will Help Strengthen Nonprofits, Provide Access to the Arts in South Carolina

Aug 16, 2018 12:00 PM ET

The Duke Energy Foundation recently awarded nearly $300,000 in grants to 11 South Carolina organizations that impact communities served by Duke Energy through nonprofit capacity-building efforts, expanding access to arts and culture, and other strategic community initiatives.

Environment

BIER Provides Leadership in Defining Beer PEFCR

Aug 16, 2018 12:00 PM ET

Learn Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) expert members helped the EU develop their latest beer PEFCR.