Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Research, Reports & Publications

Climate-risk Awareness Rises Among Corporations, Says New Report

Feb 5, 2019 6:00 AM ET

A rising tide of companies around the world are waking up to the challenges and opportunities presented by climate change and other environmental issues, according to a new report from Trucost, part of S&P Global, and GreenBiz Group.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Business Leaders on the Value of the Bloomberg GEI

Feb 4, 2019 4:40 PM ET

This month, Bloomberg released the 2019 Gender-Equality Index (GEI), which includes 230 companies across industries that are committed to transparency in gender reporting and promoting equality. In my role as the head of the Index, I have had the opportunity to connect with business leaders from many of these organizations and gain a stronger insight into why companies report gender data and the value in participating. Below are a few highlights from my conversations with CEOs across the globe on the impact the Bloomberg GEI has had on their organizations.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Scotiabank Invests $15 Million to Help Provide Young People in the GTA a Strong Start

Feb 4, 2019 2:00 PM ET

United Way Greater Toronto announced a $15-million investment from Scotiabank to help ensure that young people in the GTA have the opportunities and resources they need to have a bright future. The funds – the largest corporate commitment in United Way Greater Toronto's history – will be invested in a network of agencies across Peel, Toronto and York that support more than 245,000 young people and their families, each year.

Education

NBA and Discovery Education Invite Teachers and Students Nationwide to Game Plan For the Future: An All-Star Virtual Field Trip

Feb 4, 2019 1:05 PM ET

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital curriculum resources, digital content, and professional development for K-12 classrooms, today invited teachers and students nationwide to participate in Game Plan For The Future: An All-Star Virtual Field Trip on Thursday, February 14, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. EST. During this immersive virtual experience, teachers and students will join NBA players and executives to hear how they use the STEM skills learned in school to bring the excitement of regular season games, playoffs, NBA Finals, and NBA All-Star to life for fans around the world.

Innovation & Technology

Helping Foster Youth Protect Against Identity Theft

Feb 4, 2019 12:30 PM ET

Identity theft is a nightmare for anyone who falls prey to it, and while everyone is vulnerable, America’s foster youth are particularly at-risk. There is conflicting data about exactly how many foster youth are impacted by this problem, but estimates run as high as up to 50 percent of foster youth have been affected by identity theft such that by the age of 18, many of them are starting their adult lives with their credit already destroyed. This is an enormous problem when you consider that almost half a million children were in foster care as of 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Hormel Foods Drives Environmental Sustainability Results Through Annual Competition

Feb 4, 2019 10:45 AM ET

Hormel Foods Corporation has announced its Austin (Minn.) Plant team has been named the company’s 2018 Environmental Sustainability Best of the Best champion for its heat recovery project. The internal annual Environmental Sustainability Best of the Best award program, now in its 11th year, recognizes teams for their achievements in reducing environmental impacts. The Austin Plant team’s winning project focused on the design and installation of the most efficient heat recovery system available to meet the plant’s needs, which resulted in an annual energy savings of 101,000 MMBtu and an additional 17 million gallons of water.

Responsible Production & Consumption

How Durkan’s Definity Carpet Solved Acoustics Concerns While Sharing the Stage with Carrie Underwood

Feb 4, 2019 10:35 AM ET

Carrie Underwood and her team at Universal Music Group Nashville pulled off the Cry Pretty album listening event with the help of hospitality flooring by Durkan. After the event, the carpet that had been installed in a day for only one night’s use had to be removed. Both Underwood and UMG Nashville were adamant that the carpet be disposed of responsibly.

Luckily, our company-wide commitment to sustainability meant that we were able to leverage ReCover, the carpet recycling program of our parent company Mohawk Industries, to give the broadloom from the event a whole new life.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

JetBlue’s “Destination Good” Revealed

Feb 4, 2019 10:00 AM ET

Last fall, JetBlue embarked on one of its most surprising initiatives to date. In October, JetBlue kicked off JetBlue for Good month with its second annual “#CheckInForGood Contest.” The contest had a twist - entrants did not know where they were traveling. It wasn’t until the winners arrived at New York’s JFK Airport that when JetBlue revealed “Destination Good” as the Dominican Republic. All 100 winners and guests then boarded the brand new JetBlue for Good plane, and were on their way to do good.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Albertsons Companies: A Store Brands Success Story

Feb 4, 2019 10:00 AM ET

“Geoff has put together a diverse team; everybody brings something different to the table,” says Nancy Cota, Albertsons’ vice president of Own Brands, who has spent 42 years in the grocery industry. “That’s what makes us so strong. And when you trust each other like we trust each other, you want to win together.”

Events, Media & Communications

National Grid Foundation Elects Eileen Cohen as New Chairman of the Board

Feb 4, 2019 10:00 AM ET

Recently retired from JP Morgan Asset Management as Managing Director, Ms. Cohen was Chair of the North America Governance Committee and led the firm’s initiatives in corporate governance. She also was a Senior Client Portfolio Manager and a proven expert in investment consulting, financial management and financial communications.

Innovation & Technology

Five Elements of a Cyber-Secure BYOD Policy

Feb 4, 2019 9:35 AM ET

Between 80 and 90 percent of the U.S. workforce prefers to work from home at least some of the time, according to GlobalWorkplaceAnalytics.com. The modern workforce craves flexibility, and the technology needed to provide it is more readily available than ever before.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Wells Fargo Invests $442 Million in LIFT Programs, Creating Nearly 20,000 Homeowners Across the U.S.

Feb 4, 2019 9:30 AM ET

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) and NeighborWorks® America announced today that more than 3,900 homeowners were created in 2018 through the Wells Fargo NeighborhoodLIFT® program — bringing the total number of homeowners assisted to nearly 20,000 since LIFT programs were launched in 2012 in Los Angeles and Atlanta.

Environment

Super Bowl ad Shows Anheuser-Busch InBev's Global Leadership on Renewable Energy

Feb 4, 2019 9:05 AM ET

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Ingersoll Rand Recognized for Outstanding Business, Social and Environmental Sustainability

Feb 4, 2019 9:00 AM ET

Ingersoll Rand (NYSE:IR), a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable and efficient environments, was recently recognized for outstanding business, social and environmental performance by three prestigious organizations that rank companies on elements of sustainability. Recognition by Fortune, Corporate Knights and Forbes in conjunction with their research partners, solidifies Ingersoll Rand’s position as a global sustainability leader.

Research, Reports & Publications

Novartis Releases Novartis in Society 2018 Report

Feb 4, 2019 8:00 AM ET

For the sixth consecutive year, Novartis is publishing an annual Novartis in Society report (formerly our Corporate Responsibility Report).

Social Impact & Volunteering

Video: 3 Years of Urban Greening with Timberland

Feb 4, 2019 8:00 AM ET

his year took our urban greening to New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. More than 260 people volunteered and planted 37 trees, 800 shrubs, and 400 seeds to transform underutilized space into 15,000 square feet of community green space.

Diversity & Inclusion

Interview with Nik Sawhney, Project Manager

Feb 4, 2019 8:00 AM ET

Nik Sawhney is a project manager with Tetra Tech based in Pickering, Ontario. He supports projects that provide safe, clean, and reliable energy and works to help grow Tetra Tech’s business. Nik has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. We talked with Nik as part of our #TtInspires campaign celebrating the passion of Tetra Tech employees. Follow #TtInspires on social media for more stories.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

World Cancer Day 2019: What It Is and How You Can Get Involved - Now and All Year Long

Feb 1, 2019 5:45 PM ET

Cancer - we're all way too familiar with this scary word and have all been touched by this awful disease in one manner or another. But what exactly is it? Can it be prevented? What research and actions are being taken to treat and cure cancer?

Research, Reports & Publications

Do People Cheat When No One’s Looking? Implications for Environmental Management

Feb 1, 2019 4:10 PM ET

Many environmental management programs offer people incentives to engage in conservation activities. But these activities, carried out on a local level, often are difficult to monitor. Are people inclined to cheat to get the incentives? Research led by Rohit Jindal of the MacEwan University Business School in Edmonton, Alberta and Erb Institute Faculty Director Joe Árvai set out to answer this question. Their research, entitled “To Cheat or Not? Results From Behavioral Experiments on Self-monitoring in Vietnam,” by Rohit Jindal, Joe Arvai, Delia Catacutan and Dam Viet Bac was published in Strategic Behavior and the Environment.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Whirlpool Corporation Named One of World’s Most Admired Companies for Ninth Consecutive Year

Feb 1, 2019 3:35 PM ET

Whirlpool Corporation is celebrating nearly a decade of recognition as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies. FORTUNE Magazine has placed Whirlpool Corporation on its distinguished list for the ninth consecutive year.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Ingersoll Rand Committed to American Heart Association and the Fight Against Heart Disease

Feb 1, 2019 3:15 PM ET

Ingersoll Rand (NYSE:IR), a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable and efficient environments, joins the American Heart Association in its efforts to promote physical activity and heart-healthy living.

To celebrate the annual National Go Red for Women Day! employees are donning red in support of the cause. Women employees at Ingersoll Rand also created shared experiences with other Charlotte-based women during the Annual Go Red for Women Breakfast.

Diversity & Inclusion

GLAAD Media Awards Recognize “Love, Simon,” “Deadpool 2,” and More Fox Projects for Outstanding LGBTQ Representation

Feb 1, 2019 3:00 PM ET

Eleven films and television series from across 21st Century Fox businesses have received nominations for the 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, which recognize media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues. The nominated projects, which include Deadpool 2 from Twentieth Century Fox, Modern Family from Twentieth Century Fox Television, Pose from FX Networks, and more, will compete for the top honors at two ceremonies: one in Los Angeles on March 28 and another in New York City on May 4.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Six Atlanta Families Receive Home Repairs in 24th Annual ‘Kickoff to Rebuild,’ a Super Bowl-Sanctioned Event

Feb 1, 2019 2:15 PM ET

Nonprofit Rebuilding Together partnered with Lowe’s, the Official Home Improvement Retail Sponsor of the National Football League (NFL), to provide critical home repairs for six families in Westside Atlanta’s Just Us neighborhood.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Nestlé Speeds up Efforts Towards Full Supply Chain Transparency

Feb 1, 2019 1:35 PM ET

Nestlé today announced that it will disclose the list of suppliers for 15 priority commodities, alongside additional data, as the company accelerates its journey towards full supply chain transparency.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Best Buy and HP: Closing the Loop

Feb 1, 2019 12:30 PM ET

Plastic from old printers and other electronics that our customers recycle at Best Buy is separated, shredded, melted, and put directly back into the manufacturing of three new HP printers. The HP ENVY Photo 6200, 7100, and 7800 are the world’s first-in-class printers made from recycled printers and other electronics—more than 10% by weight.