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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Green Infrastructure

Sands China Ltd. | Small Steps, Big Changes

Given the limited land resources in Macao, waste management is a constant challenge. Yet even the biggest goals can be accomplished with small steps.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Congrats to the 2017 Best Disaster Response and Community Resilience Program Finalists!

Congratulations to the Best Disaster Response and Community Resilience Finalists!

The Best Disaster Response and Community Resilience Corporate Citizenship Award recognizes businesses and chambers that help communities prepare for and recover from disasters. Read on to learn more about the significant, positive impacts these businesses have had in communities, locally and globally.

Research, Reports & Publications

Trust is Down, Expectations are Up as Brands Take Center Stage in Cultural Divides

Trust is down. Expectations are up. And like never before, the world’s consumers are turning to brands to address the social and environmental challenges that affect their aspirations for a better life in divided times.

According to a new global study by BBMG and GlobeScan, Brand Purpose in Divided Times, net trust in global companies to act in the best interest of society is negative (-2). And for the first time since 2009, more consumers say they have punished companies for their behavior (28%) rather than rewarded them (26%), and the number of those who are punishing brands is up by 9 percentage points since 2013.

Environment

FSC-Certified Products Nudging Consumers Into Walking Their Sustainability Talk

For companies such as Domtar and Kimberly-Clark, consumers are crucial to mainstreaming sustainable practices. That is the reason both corporations are working to give shoppers better options, including FSC-certified products. FSC certification helps ensure that forests used to source a host of products are managed in a way that takes into account environmental, social and economic concerns.

Green Infrastructure

Charging Gets a Boost From Ridesharing EVs

It’s a classic chicken-and-egg scenario: buy an EV once there is a lot of charging infrastructure and build EV charging infrastructure once there are a lot of EVs. General Motors, a company who believes the future is electric, is helping to jumpstart the opportunity through its Maven brand.

Research, Reports & Publications

Prioritizing Cybersecurity Key to Ensure Safe, Secure Utilities

Facing inevitable attacks to their networks by hackers, electric utilities are making progress in prioritizing cybersecurity to ensure that they can deliver and maintain safe, secure utilities for all. However, this year’s Strategic Directions: Electric Industry Report shows even as leaders work to ensure grid security, major gaps remain in the areas of asset security control and security risk awareness.

Diversity & Inclusion

How Grace Hopper Fueled My Passion for Women in Technology

Diversity & Inclusion

Viacom Celebrates Coming Out Day on October 11 with First-Ever Global Cross Brand On-Air and Digital Campaign, “Out in 60”

Raising awareness for LGBT challenges while promoting inclusion and acceptance around the world, Viacom International Media Networks today announced its celebration of the act of “coming out” with “Out in 60,” a global campaign timed to Coming Out Day, a worldwide, annual holiday observed on October 11. With more than 50 international stars participating – from musicians and comedians to athletes and influencers -- all sharing emotional and inspiring coming out stories, the campaign will feature 60-second spots airing on linear, digital and social around the world and across channels including MTV, VH1, Logo, BET, Channel 5, and Comedy Central.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Historic Merino Wool Farm Earns Recognition Under Responsible Wool Standard

SCS Global Services (SCS) has certified Gostwyck Partners' sheep farm under the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), verifying its sustainable sheep-raising and land stewardship practices in its historic farm in Gostwyck, NSW, Australia.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

eBay Teams Up With Yara Shahidi, PINTRILL and Bright Pink to Support Breast Cancer Awareness

eBay for Charity has teamed up with fashion and accessory brand PINTRILL and “Black-ish” star Yara Shahidi for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

PNC’s Andréa Stanford Presented with ATHENA Young Professional Award

The ATHENA Awards Program of Greater Pittsburgh recognizes exceptional women who demonstrate excellence in their profession, contribute to their community and help other women succeed through mentorship. At their October 2 awards luncheon, the 2017 ATHENA Young Professional Award was presented to Andréa Stanford, digital experience product manager at PNC Bank. This award recognizes a leader age 35 or younger who dedicates her time and talent to help other women and girls to thrive.

Sustainable Development Goals

Small and Medium Business Owners Are Cautiously Optimistic About Sustainability in the U.S.

Today, Cox Enterprises released the results of the national Cox Conserves Sustainability Survey, which identified that small and medium-sized business (SMBs) owners are cautiously optimistic about sustainability in the United States. The survey, commissioned by Cox Enterprises, is a national study that examines SMB owners’ insights on sustainability.

Sustainable Development Goals

Tetra Tech Recognizes the Power of Girls and Women to Change the World

On October 11, Tetra Tech joins organizations around the world in celebrating the role of girls and women in building a better world.
The United Nations’ International Day of the Girl Child has focused the world’s attention on “the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights. […] Girls have the potential to change the world—both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, and political leaders.”

Environment

Visiting the Birthplace of Coffee: Jimma, Ethiopia

Have you heard the story of Kaldi the goat herder and his frolicking herd? The famous Ethiopian legend tells the story of Kaldi who noticed how excited his sheep became after eating fruit from a certain tree. Curious, Kaldi tried the fruit. Soon he was bursting with energy. After watching the odd behavior of Kaldi and his herd, a monk took some of this strange cherry fruit back to his monastery where monks spent the night awake and alert. Kaldi is often credited as the first person to discover coffee.

Environment

George Monbiot: Altruism For An Age Of Crisis

When you think of the values emblematic of politics in the Occident, does the term “altruism” come to mind? Probably not lately. Our guest today on Sea Change Radio believes that a participatory culture with altruism at its core will be key to digging ourselves out of the mess that is our current political climate.

Environment

Injured Bald Eagle Takes Flight Again in Manitoba

Steve Loney, a TransCanada employee, works with Manitoba's Wildlife Haven and the Waywayseecappo First Nation to rehabilitate and release an injured bald eagle. TransCanada has been proud to support Wildlife Haven for more than 20 years, after a land agent spotted an owl on the shoulder of a volunteer in the 1990s and became engaged with the organization.

Diversity & Inclusion

You Grow, Girl!: Leslie Turner

This is the third in our “You Grow, Girl!” series highlighting female farmers – from the northern reaches of Canada, to the heartland of the U.S., to the western coast of Africa, to the rolling hills of France and beyond. The series aims to amplify the voice of female farmers who play vital roles in helping farms thrive. These amazing women nurture their families and fields. Here, they share their unique perspectives on food, family and farming.

For this post, we looked inside our walls at General Mills to highlight an employee who grew up on a farm and puts to work both the values she learned and an agricultural lens in her role on our Consumer Insights team.

Energy

Trump Proposal to Abandon Clean Power Plan Out of Step With Business Community

The proposal released today by the Trump administration to abandon the Clean Power Plan is both “misguided and out of step with the leaders in the business community,” Ceres said in a statement today.

The Clean Power Plan is the nation’s first comprehensive effort to reduce carbon pollution from existing electric power plants – the second largest source of global warming pollution in the country.

Diversity & Inclusion

Closing the Disability Employment Gap

People with Disabilities are among the highest unemployed populations in the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for persons with a disability was 10.5 percent in 2016, about twice that of those with no disability (4.6 percent). As employers, this not only provides a significant opportunity to positively impact the workforce, but also, to positively impact the lives of many highly qualified individuals who are often overlooked.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

How Pro Bono Is Revolutionizing the Way We Develop Tomorrow’s Corporate Leaders

Technology, globalization, and current events have transformed the corporate work environment, and experts agree that the unprecedented pace of change we are seeing will only quicken. With so much up in the air, there is one thing that remains certain: Developing those who will lead tomorrow’s companies has never been more important. Within this context, pro bono is emerging as an innovative, high-impact strategy that can equip corporate leaders with the skills they will need to thrive.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Food Security and Sustainable Nutrition is Achievable, but We Cannot Do It Alone

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Major League Baseball Players Announce Finalists for 26th Annual Players Choice Awards

Major League baseball players today announced the finalists for their highest honors – the Players Choice Awards – in which the players themselves recognize excellence on and off the field. Vying for top honor as 2017 Player of the Year are José Altuve of the Houston Astros, Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies and Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Transformative Ideas Take Space

I find that I face an ever-present battle for balance. It’s a struggle between creating the next new thing, while keeping what was the new thing going and delivering on its intended outcomes. I often find myself in the thick of the nitty-gritty details with my team. They help shield me from quite a bit, but we all have to roll up our sleeves. So when you’re doing that day in and day out, how do you find the time to create those new ideas, or even evolve your thinking about current projects to move them forward—a core component of everything we do?

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

For the 11th Consecutive Year Sodexo Sponsors Out & Equal’s 2017 Workplace Summit

Sodexo, world leader in quality of life services, announced that it is proud to be a titanium-level sponsor of the Out & Equal’s 2017 Workplace Summit, which begins on October 9 in Philadelphia, PA. The three-day global conference brings together employees and experts who are dedicated to creating workplaces that are welcoming and inclusive of people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.

Education

Austin Argonauts Study Climate Change in the Field as Citizen Scientists

Dell and JASON work together as part of Dell’s Youth Learning program. The partnership has provided free access to JASON’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) learning materials to students of the Greater Austin Area’s public schools – including digital labs, content and activities, to utilize in the classroom and on their own. Dell’s support also included the sponsorship of two Austin area Argonauts to enter this year’s Argonaut program.

Latest Campaigns

  1. AEG's Commitment to Social Impact and Volunteerism
    AEG embraces its responsibility to enrich the lives of people in the communities around the world where we do business, and to use business to create...
  2. Southwire Giving Back
    Our neighbors depend on us, just as we depend on them, so we are committed to improving the quality of life in the communities in which we work. At...
  3. Carbon Footprint
    We are accelerating our efforts to help build a low-carbon economy and avert the worst impacts of climate change. Our goal to reduce our GHG emissions...
  4. Environmental Sustainability
    As sustainability leaders, we implement our sustainability strategy across all company activities along the entire value chain, from raw materials to...
  5. Corporate Social Responsibility
    Corporate Social Responsibility
  6. Sustainability Report
    Our latest Sustainability Report highlights recent accomplishments and progress toward achieving goals in the environmental, social and governance...
  7. Social Impact at Mastercard
    At Mastercard, we’re powering economies and empowering people, building a sustainable economy where everyone prospers.
  8. Kingfisher Around the World
    The SCS Kingfisher certification mark is showing up on an increasing number of products around the world. It differentiates companies that are making...
  9. License to Operate
    Corporate governance, risk management, operational integrity, and regulatory compliance are demanding challenges that companies face in today’s ever...
  10. IWBI | WELL Building Standard
    Our built environment can shape our habits and choices, regulate our sleep-wake cycle, drive us toward healthy and unhealthy choices, and passively...
  11. Leading ESG & Sustainability Stewardship
    The new CNH continues on its longstanding path of excellence in sustainability, which is recognized by the foremost authorities.
  12. Green Mountain Energy Commitment to Sustainability
    At Green Mountain Energy Company, we share our customers’ commitment to the environment and sustainability. We are inspired by the success that we...
  13. 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...
  14. GoDaddy | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
    Diverse teams build better products — period. At GoDaddy, we make apps and services that our worldwide community of entrepreneurs can relate to. Our...
  15. SustainabilityHQ.com Weekly Highlights
    Highlighting the top news, commentary, and research for the week coming from SHQ. The highlights newsletter also spotlights one profiled organization...