Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Education

Exploring New STEM Opportunities Beyond Guam

Jan 22, 2019 1:40 PM ET

I had a wonderful time as an Amgen Scholar! I had a wonderful mentor, Dr. Ellen Rothenberg. She paired me with a postdoc, Dr. Hiroyuki Hosokawa, and a lab technician, Maile Romeo-Wolf. With all mentors, I learned a lot throughout the summer. My project for the summer was studying early T cell development by determining phenotypes through transcription factor knockouts using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. The significance of the project is to deepen the understanding of how T cells develop because they are important players for our immune system.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Duke Energy Named One of Fortune’s "World’s Most Admired Companies" For Second Consecutive Year

Jan 22, 2019 1:15 PM ET

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) has been named to Fortune magazine’s 2019 list of the World’s Most Admired Companies for the second year in a row. Duke Energy was ranked 5th among gas and electric utilities.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

PNC Named Among Corporate Knights’ 2019 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World

Jan 22, 2019 1:05 PM ET

Corporate Knights released its 15th annual list of the world’s 100 most sustainable corporations in Davos today, following a rigorous analysis of some 7,500 companies with US$1B+ in revenues. The Global 100 is an annual project initiated by Corporate Knights, the company for clean capitalism.

Health & Healthcare

Advanced Technologies That Keep UPSers Safe

Jan 22, 2019 11:55 AM ET

UPS drivers travel millions of miles every day, and our goal is for all of our drivers to make it home safely. That’s why UPS works hard to remain an industry leader in safety, ensuring our drivers are fully trained and prepared every time they get behind the wheel.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Consumers Energy Donates $100,000 to Michigan Veterans Trust Fund

Jan 22, 2019 11:30 AM ET

Consumers Energy has donated $100,000 to the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund to help military veterans pay their heating bills this winter. The gift is the largest single donation in the 73-year history of the trust fund, which operates within the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, according to Lindell Holm, MVTF director.

Education

Orlando Science Center Students Become Pilots With Lockheed Martin Technology

Jan 22, 2019 11:00 AM ET

Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) donated Prepar3D licenses valued at more than $32,000 to the Orlando Science Center kicking off the annual Otronicon conference furthering science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in the Central Florida community.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Follow the Money: Sustainability Goes Mainstream

Jan 22, 2019 11:00 AM ET

In the last two decades, sustainability reporting has gone from an exercise for the largest companies to a necessity to attract investors and meet local and international regulation. But the main benefit of sustainability reporting remains that companies best understand their impacts and can improve their bottom line along with the world around them.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Can a Legacy E-commerce Brand Help Revive Brick-and-mortar Retail?

Jan 22, 2019 10:30 AM ET

E-commerce pioneer eBay believes its new boot camp "Retail Revival" could boost beleaguered storefronts.

Diversity & Inclusion

Hallmark Fosters Diversity in Entertainment Industry

Jan 22, 2019 10:05 AM ET

Thanks to partnerships with organizations committed to advancing the careers of talented individuals with a wide range of backgrounds, capabilities and experiences, Hallmark’s collective Kansas City-based businesses saw a 20 percent increase in full-time diversity hires in salaried positions during the last year.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

2019 Outlook: Building Nonprofit Capacity Through Pro Bono Service

Jan 22, 2019 10:05 AM ET

There is a fundamental paradigm shift on the horizon in a company's role in society. Last year started with what has become a rallying cry from Larry Fink of BlackRock who stated that the firm would be looking at both its financial and societal performance when making investment decisions. And already in 2019, this idea of a fundamental shift in the way of doing business has moved from the headlines of the social sector press to mainstream publications.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Family is a Feeling

Jan 22, 2019 10:00 AM ET

David came to live with the Stromberg family as an emergency foster placement when he was just four weeks old. His mother had died of an overdose. In January 2016, the Strombergs adopted David.

Diversity & Inclusion

Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index: Investing for Equality

Jan 22, 2019 10:00 AM ET

Bloomberg announced the launch of its 2019 Gender-Equality Index (GEI), which this year selected 230 companies committed to transparency in gender reporting and advancing women’s equality in the workplace.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Timberland x Christopher Ræburn FW ’19 Collaboration Unveiled at London Men’s Fashion Week

Jan 22, 2019 10:00 AM ET

Christopher Raeburn’s design ethos encompasses three key pillars – REMADE, REDUCED, RECYCLED – which complement Timberland’s longstanding commitment to make products responsibly and steadily increase its use of recycled, organic and renewable materials over time. Raeburn also heralds craftsmanship and utility as central to his design philosophy, again creating a natural connection to the Timberland® brand.

Environment

Ecocentricity Blog: A Shattered Record

Jan 22, 2019 10:00 AM ET

Tesla’s Model 3 is the new king, with a whopping 139,782 vehicles sold in 2018! December alone saw more than 25,000 Model 3s purchased.

Media & Communications

The US Sustainable Development Goals – How Companies & US Cities Are Leveraging the Goal to Maintain the Pace of Progress

Jan 22, 2019 10:00 AM ET

The nation’s leading think tanks, home to numerous scholars and policy wonks, including former officeholders (with many centers headquartered in Washington DC) focus on a variety of political, economic, cultural, environmental, science, and global issues and topics -- typically reflecting the points-of-view of their constituent base.

Diversity & Inclusion

3 Vital Steps to a New Gender Equality Playbook

Jan 22, 2019 9:35 AM ET

We launched the “Women at Work: Myth vs. Reality” installation on the promenade of Davos last January. For four days, leaders from around the world stepped into the installation and immersed themselves in the myths and realities of women at work. For many, it was a powerful moment as they recognized that myths they had accepted as truth were not based on reality, but were affecting reality every day.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Congrats to the Benevity Clients Who Made the JUST 100!

Jan 22, 2019 9:25 AM ET

We couldn’t be more proud of all of our clients that make up a significant part of the JUST 100. Together, we’re evolving the way companies do well by doing good.

Media & Communications

Common Impact Announces New Initiatives to Build Nonprofit Capacity Through Pro Bono Service

Jan 22, 2019 9:05 AM ET

Common Impact, a national nonprofit leader in corporate skills-based volunteering, is launching a model to engage private sector talent in supporting community disaster preparedness and resiliency, as part of a broader expansion of its program models and leadership team. The move is designed to meet the demand of U.S. communities faced with recovery from wild fires, hurricanes, and other disasters brought about by climate change, with long-term preparation and recovery services from catastrophic events.

Environment

Sustainability and the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Jan 21, 2019 2:15 PM ET

Since the late 1700's, the world has experienced three industrial revolutions. From the advent of mechanical production in the 1700's and early 1800's, to the introduction of mass production in the late 1800's, to the advancement of production automation in the mid-1900's, each revolution has had a lasting impact on manufacturing processes, economic growth, and overall living conditions around the world.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

A Deeper Look at CECP's Year-End Investing in Society: Planet

Jan 21, 2019 12:00 PM ET

Investing in Society, CECP’s recently launched and updated compendium of data, research, and case studies illustrates innovations in corporate efforts to solve the world’s most pressing problems. Divided into five sections – Priorities, Performance, People, Planet, and Policies – the collection of insights offers a far-reaching assessment of what leading companies are doing in each of the five focus areas.

In the Planet section, CECP asks, “How does a company's approach to the planet's resources factor into investments, resource management, and sustainability decisions?"

Social Impact & Volunteering

SpongeBob Mural at Roy Romer, Van Nuys

Jan 21, 2019 11:45 AM ET

Diversity & Inclusion

Business Resource Groups Take Off at UPS

Jan 21, 2019 11:20 AM ET

As one of the world’s largest employers, UPS employs people from all cultures, backgrounds, lifestyles, and experiences.

Events, Media & Communications

How to Make MLK Day a Day “On”

Jan 21, 2019 10:30 AM ET

Starbucks and VolunteerMatch are empowering volunteers to follow in the footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and find ways to do good this MLK Day of Service.

Diversity & Inclusion

Yum! Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Elevates Inclusion by Making It a Leadership Competency

Jan 21, 2019 10:30 AM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Aflac Highlights Why Benefits Matter

Jan 21, 2019 10:15 AM ET

Benefits are important to employees, and they’re important to your company’s bottom line too. The Aflac WorkForces Report found that employer-offered benefits are a strong differentiator when it comes to attracting employees, retaining them and protecting their well-being.