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

Consumers Energy Provides $15,000 to Three Michigan Community Projects with ‘Put Your Town on the Map’ Competition

Michigan communities in Huron, Ottawa and Kent counties are receiving a total of $15,000 for projects to energize local residents and attract statewide attention after winning Consumers Energy’s first “Put Your Town on the Map” competition. Port Austin received $7,500 for first place. Spring Lake received $5,000 as runner-up, and Sparta received $2,500. Also competing were projects in Greenville, Groveland Township, Pentwater, Quincy, Shelby, Stanton and West Branch.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

MilliporeSigma Employee Spotlight: Fabien Thibault

As part of our brand-new employee spotlight series, we’re sitting down with Fabien Thibault, global manager of product and packaging sustainability at MilliporeSigma — the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany — to learn more about the work he’s doing to move the needle.

Events, Media & Communications

Online Self-Assessment Maps Journey to Becoming a Sustainable Brand

Business executives seeking to identify, prioritize, align and scale company sustainability actions will now find a valuable online solution to support their brand transformation journey. The SB Brand Transformation Roadmap is a powerful orientation and navigation tool that maps out a company’s entire sustainability journey and allows the company to access the maturity of its efforts across five practice areas - Purpose, Brand Influence, Operations & Supply Chain, Products & Services, and Governance.

Environment

Green Mountain Energy Adds Solar Energy at Three Texas State Parks

Green Mountain Energy and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) today announced the completion of solar installations at three state parks across Texas as part of their long-standing sustainability partnership.

Park visitors can now experience the benefits of solar energy whether they are comparing shoe sizes to actual dinosaur tracks at Dinosaur Valley State Park, enjoying the spectacular South Texas wildlife at Estero Llano Grande State Park or camping near the Red River at Eisenhower State Park.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Dr. Monika Lessl to Lead Both the Bayer Science and the Bayer Cares Foundations

Bayer’s Board of Management has appointed Dr. Monika Lessl as Bayer Foundations’ executive committee member to lead both the Bayer Science Foundation and the Bayer Cares Foundation. This role will be integrated into her current leadership of Bayer’s Corporate Innovation and R&D function.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Kim’s Story: How ScottsMiracle-Gro’s Holistic Approach to Wellness Grew Her Family

“We had both been thinking about it,” says Kim when asked about her and her husband’s decision to adopt a foster child. “I have two children—21 and 25—and a 14-year-old stepdaughter, but we both felt in our hearts that we had more love to give.”

Research, Reports & Publications

Sustainability at Work: SCS Global Services Releases 2018 Annual Report

SCS Founder and CEO Stanley P. Rhodes attributes the company’s growth and success to the degree that business, government, and NGO measures to promote sustainability have taken hold around the world in every economic sector.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

HP Global Study Establishes Sustainability As a New Workplace Standard for Successful Businesses

Today, HP unveiled a new study underscoring the importance of sustainable business practices in recruiting, hiring and retaining top talent. It also finds that employees are more productive, motivated and engaged when working for an employer who is leading the charge in social responsibility. The global, 20,000 participant survey found that 61 percent believe sustainability is mandatory for businesses1. Of those interviewed, 56 percent believe that ignoring environmental impact in the workplace is as bad as ignoring diversity and inclusion.

Environment

HP Expands Efforts to Reduce Ocean‐Bound Plastics

Today, HP announced a $2 million investment to expand its ocean-bound plastic supply chain. The company will build a new plastic washing line in Haiti that will allow it to produce cleaner, higher quality recycled plastic locally for use in HP products. This investment continues HP’s longstanding commitment to diverting ocean-bound plastic and contributing to a lower-carbon, circular economy while providing jobs and education opportunities locally.

Research, Reports & Publications

General Mills Global Responsibility Report Highlights Employee Engagement, Progress Against Planet Commitments, and Food Security

General Mills released its 2019 Global Responsibility Report, outlining the company’s approach to creating environmental, social and economic value in the countries where it operates. The progress made by General Mills in 2018 demonstrates the company’s long-term commitment to protect and restore the resources upon which its business and communities depend, with an increased focus on advancing regenerative practices across its supply chain.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Morgan Stanley Launches Broad-Based Commitment to Develop Systemic Solutions to Reduce Global Plastic Waste

Morgan Stanley will prevent, reduce, and remove 50 million metric tons of plastic waste from rivers, oceans, landscapes and landfills by 2030.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Board Diversity: Time’s Up on Good Intentions

When I began working to make boards more gender diverse in 2001, the percentage of women on the boards of large companies in the United States was around 12 percent. By 2011, women had gained a few more seats at the table, and by 2016 women held 21 percent of board seats at Fortune 500 companies.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

The Arbor Day Foundation Announces 2019 Arbor Day Award Winners

The Arbor Day Foundation has announced the recipients of the 2019 Arbor Day awards. Individuals and organizations are being recognized for their outstanding contribution to tree planting, conservation and stewardship. The winners will be presented their award at a reception in their honor in their local community throughout the month of May.

Research, Reports & Publications

Common Impact Study: Making Long-Term Impact Through a Day of Skilled Service

We recently analyzed three years of data from the Charles Schwab Pro Bono Challenge and are excited to share the results of this program for the nonprofits, employees and the communities it supports. Our new paper - Making Long-Term Impact through a Day of Service – shares data, case studies and lessons learned from our work with the Charles Schwab Pro Bono Challenge and is available to help organizations find new ways to engage volunteers in shorter-term skilled engagements that provide measurable longer-term results

Responsible Production & Consumption

AmpleHarvest.org Announces New Board President

Today, AmpleHarvest.org, the nation’s only virtual solution to food waste and hunger, has announced the appointment of John Powers, Chief Corporate Development Officer at Deloitte, as their new Board President.

"We are thrilled that John’s taking the reins to help us towards further reducing hunger and food waste in America," said AmpleHarvest.org Executive Director, Gary Oppenheimer. “As a gardener himself, he sees the opportunity, presented by the nation’s 42 million gardeners, to donate their excess harvest to nearly 8,500 AmpleHarvest.org registered food pantries. The solution impacts hunger, food waste and climate change on a vast scale.”

Education

Cisco GPS Challenge Highlights | Social Entrepreneur Jara Makes Education Accessible, Anytime and Anywhere

Jara has developed the Jara Unit, a low-cost, personal crank and solar powered tablet that teaches geographically custom education to refugees and those in disaster/conflict-affected regions, without requiring access to a classroom.

Diversity & Inclusion

Women in Leadership: Frances Edmonds on the End of the ‘Take, Make and Dispose’ Economy

In her two decades with the company, she’s helped shift the printer-and computer-making IT giant away from the old ‘take, make and dispose’ model towards a more circular one before many other companies put an emphasis on closing the loop on waste. In a world where sustainability departments have often been staffed with marketers and communications experts, Edmonds has always brought a deeper vantage point to the table, thanks, in part, to her roots in environmental science.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

#CSRshareDay Starts a Global Pledge for the Event Industry to Be the Driving Force Behind the Solution, Not the Problem

On March 15th2019, 1.5 million school students went on strike in a fight against climate change. This #CSRshareDay, a day that recognises and celebrates Corporate Social Responsibility, the event industry has the opportunity to share their ideas on what the solution could be. ‘This is a wake-up call for the event industry.’ explains Fiona Pelham, Positive Impact CEO. ‘I regularly hear industry professionals at high levels of influence say they do not have the time or budget to think about sustainability and many that are in action are too fearful of criticism to be taking bold, game changing actions and be the driving force behind the solution.’

Responsible Production & Consumption

From California to Central India: Implementing Water Stewardship at the Local Level

Jeff Hanratty, applied sustainability manager for General Mills, spoke with TriplePundit about the company’s efforts to identify and address key water risks related to agricultural production. He began by explaining how the organization created its focus on priority watersheds. Water is an extremely localized issue, and each geographic area has its own unique challenges that affect the quantity and quality of available freshwater. As a result, in 2016 General Mills analyzed 41 watersheds affecting its supply chain globally.

Research, Reports & Publications

Bechtel Releases 2019 Annual Report Showing Strong Financial and Sustainability Performance

Today, Bechtel Corporation released its Annual Report showing it ended 2018 in a healthy financial position. Through helping customers deliver their most important projects and in making important progress on its own sustainability goals, Bechtel reinforced its standing as a trusted engineering, procurement and construction partner to industries and governments worldwide.

Education

Five Core Computational Thinking Skills that Strengthen Students’ Humanities Skills

Anyone who says you can’t apply computational thinking and digital learning strategies to strengthen students’ skills in the writing is wrong. To the contrary, this innovative learning style helps students hone critical thinking skills across every discipline. In my classroom, I teach students computational thinking through free materials from Ignite My Future in School, a partnership between Tata Consultancy Services and Discovery Education. I especially enjoy using their Curriculum Connectors, online resources for teachers across disciplines to help their students apply computational thinking techniques.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

IVECO Valladolid Plant Achieves Gold Level Designation in World Class Manufacturing

The IVECO commercial vehicles manufacturing facility in Valladolid, Spain has achieved Gold status in the World Class Manufacturing (WCM) program becoming the second CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI/MI: CNHI) site, after the Madrid plant, to do so.

Energy

Companies and Institutions Make the Business Case for Smart Energy Policy in the Buckeye State

Companies and institutions in Ohio gathered to discuss with state lawmakers how energy policy has the potential to drive investment and economic development in the Buckeye State.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Merck Named on 2019 Best Places to Work List for LGBTQ Equality by Human Rights Campaign Foundation

Merck has been named a 2019 best place to work for LGBTQ equality by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation. This marks the seventh year in a row that the company received 100% on HRC's Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking tool which evaluates LGBTQ-related policies and practices including domestic partner benefits, surrogacy, parental leave and adoption benefits.

Environment

Subaru of America Brings the Beauty of the National Parks to the New York International Auto Show

Subaru of America, Inc. today unveiled a one-of-a-kind display at the 2019 New York International Auto Show, honoring the automaker’s long-standing support of the national parks and partnership with the National Park Foundation. The Subaru display allows attendees to experience Yosemite, Denali, Arches and Yellowstone national parks from inside New York’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

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. SCS Consulting
    Any news coming from SCS Consulting
  15. 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...