Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Research, Reports & Publications

GRI Creates Practical Guidelines to Accelerate SDG Progress

Aug 6, 2018 9:25 AM ET

Companies from all industries have turned their attention to addressing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), tackling a range of issues including climate change, economic inequality, sustainable consumption, peace and justice, among other priorities. However, reports from the Sustainable Development Solutions Network show that in order to meet the ambitious goals set forth in the SDGs, progress must accelerate – and more organizations need to join the movement. Recently, in an effort to help companies better measure and report on their progress, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the United Nations Global Compact released a “Practical Guide” to help fast-track progress as we move towards 2030.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Digging Into Soil Health Is Good Business

Aug 6, 2018 9:15 AM ET

With its important role in sequestering carbon, soil is gaining recognition as a tool for mitigating the growing threat of climate change. As a result, agriculture-based industries, such as food, textiles and to some extent cosmetics, are digging into the health of soil — the key to sequestration. These industries are engaging with sustainable agricultural practices designed to regenerate and enhance this critical natural resource.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Steady as a Rock: VMware's Pat Gelsinger Leads The CRN 2018 Top 100 Executives Pack

Aug 6, 2018 9:05 AM ET

As VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger prepared last month to raise funds for charity by climbing one of the world's highest peaks, he had already been scaling another mountain of sorts in his efforts over the past two years to transform the company.

Diversity & Inclusion

Mars’ Andrew Clarke on the Genius Behind Skittles’ Spot and Promoting a Culture of Change

Aug 6, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Mars global CMO and chief customer officer Andrew Clarke stopped by Adweek’s Cannes HQ at the JW Marriott for another installment of our Terrace Talk series in collaboration with Mars.

Health & Healthcare

Essity and WSSCC Hygiene and Health Report 2018-2019: Prioritizing Hygiene and Health is Key to Personal Well-Being and Public Progress

Aug 6, 2018 8:45 AM ET

Essity and United Nation’s entity Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) launch the sixth edition of the Hygiene and Health Report. Hygiene and health are critical catalysts for solving several global societal issues stated in the UN Sustainable Development Goals. With this report, Essity and WSSCC address opportunities and challenges throughout the human life cycle, highlighting new research, best practices and possible solutions. It shows the societal implications of prioritizing hygiene and health in decision making, whether by a policy maker, a care professional or an individual.

Diversity & Inclusion

FOX Sports Partners With Play Proud During 2018 World Cup to Support Young LGBTQ Athletes

Aug 3, 2018 8:45 PM ET

To celebrate Pride Month and the FIFA World Cup in June, FOX Sports teamed up with Play Proud to share the stories of three remarkable young LGBTQ+ athletes who found support and community through the sport of soccer.

Environment

National Grid's Statement on U.S. Vehicle Emission and Fuel Standards

Aug 3, 2018 4:45 PM ET

National Grid issued a statement today responding to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed Safer and Affordable Fuel Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule.

Environment

WEC and Partners Find Local Solutions That Have the Potential to Foment Sustainable Economic Growth

Aug 3, 2018 4:00 PM ET

People and economies thrive when micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are empowered to reach their full potential. These enterprises create 75% of all jobs in Latin America, but many need better connections to markets, information, and supportive policies. They need support and incentives to access new markets, adopt sustainable practices, and strengthen workers’ rights.

Sustainable Development Goals

Carnival Corporation's AIDA cares 2018: Growth with Responsibility

Aug 3, 2018 3:00 PM ET

In its Sustainability Report AIDA cares 2018, the cruise company publishes current facts and figures on the status of its environmental and sustainability commitment and provides an outlook on further projects.

Environment

4 Reasons Companies from BP America to Unilever are Thanking Rep. Curbelo for Leadership on Climate

Aug 3, 2018 2:55 PM ET

Yesterday, 34 U.S. businesses sent a public letter thanking Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL 26thDistrict) for introducing the MARKET CHOICE Act (H.R. 6463), a bill to fund infrastructure investment while cutting climate pollution. Companies that signed the letter include BP America, Campbell Soup Company, The Dow Chemical Company, DuPont, General Motors, Ingersoll Rand, Lyft, Inc., IKEA North America Services, LLC, National Grid, PG&E Corporation and Shell. The Sustainable Food Policy Alliance, which includes Danone, Mars, Nestle USA and Unilever also sent its own letter of support.

Social Impact & Volunteering

PHOTO: City of Stamford Proclamation for "Nestle Cares" National Day of Service

Aug 3, 2018 2:35 PM ET

August 2, 2018 marked Nestlé's third annual Nestlé Cares day of service, an effort that unites its eight operating companies in 47 states to make a difference through more than 150 events nationwide. This year, Nestlé expanded its work with Feeding America®, the largest domestic hunger-relief organization in the U.S., to support local food banks and non-profit organizations that provide nutritious foods to families in need.

Sustainable Development Goals

Empowering Women in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Aug 3, 2018 1:55 PM ET

Christine Fraser, Chief Responsibility Officer at Dell, look at the importance of empowering women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Health & Healthcare

Inside the Beijing 'Office' Inhabited by Human Guinea Pigs

Aug 3, 2018 1:45 PM ET

In the fake offices and homes of the Well Living Lab, scientists monitor volunteers to identify ways to make them healthier and more productive.

Sustainable Development Goals

How General Mills Is Tackling the Global Food Crisis to Reach SDG #2: Zero Hunger

Aug 3, 2018 1:00 PM ET

General Mills’ philanthropy in food security is strongly aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 2 of “Zero Hunger”, as well as SDG 12, “Responsible Consumption and Production”. Our approach in food security is to strengthen systems at the local community as well as global levels via targeted investments in three key impact areas.

Social Impact & Volunteering

UPS Assembles 500 Hygiene Kits for Atlanta Homeless Teens Heading Back to School

Aug 3, 2018 12:35 PM ET

Together with the UPS African American Business Resource Group and The UPS Foundation, new UPS CMO Kevin Warren led volunteers to create hygiene kits for Atlanta homeless teens.

Sustainable Development Goals

The Future of Plant Breeding Depends on the Pipeline of Breeders

Aug 3, 2018 12:05 PM ET

On the day that the Bayer acquisition of Monsanto was finalized, I was speaking at the 50th anniversary celebration of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics (PBPG) program – where I earned my M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in the 1980s.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Smithfield Foods Donates $75,000 to Fund Life-Saving Technology

Aug 3, 2018 11:20 AM ET

Energy

Committed Towards Conservation of the Planet

Aug 3, 2018 11:05 AM ET

Venkat Garimella, vice-president, Access to Energy and CSR, Schneider Electric India, shared how the largest nongovernment renewable energy initiative in the Sundarbans came into being.

Environment

Cactus Flats Wind Facility in Texas is Operational

Aug 3, 2018 10:30 AM ET

The electricity and associated renewable energy credits (RECs) generated by the facility are being sold under two separate power purchase agreements with General Mills and General Motors. Both companies have the option to keep or sell the associated RECs.

"As we are seeing an increase in renewable energy adoption in the U.S., we saw an opportunity for our commerce to support and enable the greening of the grid," said General Mills EVP and Chief Supply Chain Officer John Church. "We see the potential for wind energy to have a positive environmental impact. Cactus Flats is one of many initiatives we have underway to get us closer to reaching our climate commitment."

Events, Media & Communications

Business 2018: Values Matter, More Than Ever

Aug 3, 2018 9:45 AM ET

Taking the “right” positions in business can be as difficult as foreseeing future growth and profitability at a time of maximum political uncertainty and market disruption. The hard work of getting it right is illuminated by some recent examples of major companies getting it wrong in areas of major concern.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Microfinance vs. Informal Finance: A Fair Comparison?

Aug 3, 2018 9:35 AM ET

Diversity & Inclusion

Mars CMO: Marketing Industry Making Good Progress on Diversity

Aug 3, 2018 9:00 AM ET

In an interview with James Wright for CNBC, Andrew Clarke, Chief Marketing and Customer Officer at Mars discusses the work being done by marketers to boost diversity and protect endangered animals.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Xylem and Planet Water Foundation Provide 5,000 with Clean Water Access in Cambodia

Aug 3, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Thanks to Xylem Watermark, five rural schools in Siem Reap Province of Cambodia now have clean water access for the first time. Over the course of five days in June, AquaTowers and hygiene education were provided to primary and secondary schools that, before now, only had access to untreated, contaminated well water, causing many to suffer from waterborne illnesses. After school hours, the doors will open for the community members to access the clean water, which means that over 5,000 people will benefit from the AquaTowers.

Education

Freeport-McMoRan’s PT Freeport Indonesia Partnership Fund Supports Education for Indigenous Schoolchildren in Papua

Aug 3, 2018 8:05 AM ET

PT Freeport-Indonesia’s Partnership Fund for Community Development (LPMAK) provides educational facilities and support for local community members.

The LPMAK sponsors the children of the seven local indigenous tribes near the PTFI operations to attend boarding school. Children from ages 6-11 live in dormitories at the Taruna Papua Boarding School, which was built with funding from the LPMAK. Currently the Taruna Papua Boarding School has 412 students enrolled and residing there. This is just one of four boarding schools the LPMAK has provided for Papuan schoolchildren in the Mimika Regency and Central Java.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Employers - How Many Hours of Volunteer Time is the Right Amount?

Aug 2, 2018 7:00 PM ET

Analytics show that more DwH time doesn't increase participation. It may lead to the opposite!

Executive champions, communications, celebrating impact - these features of world-class programs are more likely to increase participation than more or unlimited days.