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 Development Goals

UN Global Compact Bulletin (April 2019)

Almost four years into the 2030 Agenda, it is clear that our actions are not transformational enough, nor at the scale and pace needed to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Estimates project that it will require roughly US $5 to 7 trillion of annual investments to make this happen. This leaves us with a financing gap of between $2.5 and 3 trillion annually, and for each year we fail to close the gap, the price tag grows.

Green Infrastructure

How Cities Are Evolving to Meet the Sharp Rise in Shipping Demands

According to the 2017 Material Handling Industry’s annual report, urban freight deliveries are expected to grow 40 percent by 2050. For cities looking to stay on the cutting edge, urban planning teams will have to work hand-in-hand with emerging technologies and private-sector providers to keep the delivery playing field in order. And while managing additional packages is nothing new—USPS delivered 3.1 billion packages across the U.S. in 2009 and 5.1 billion in 2016—city infrastructure has a more finite limit than sprawling suburbs or rural areas.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Tetra Tech Releases Its 2018 Sustainability Report Card

Tetra Tech released its 2018 Sustainability Report Card on Earth Day, April 22, 2019. Our report card shares how we are Leading with Science® to achieve a more sustainable and resilient world. Featuring an introduction from Tetra Tech CEO Dan Batrack, the report card covers the company’s sustainable practices and highlights how Tetra Tech incorporates the latest innovations and technologies throughout its projects and operations.

Innovation & Technology

PepsiCo Goes Beyond the Bottle with New, Mobile-Enabled Hydration Platform

Built to reflect how people drink water today, the new hydration platform from PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP) is a connected ecosystem that responds to the rise in consumption of low-and-no-sugar drinks as well as heightened focus on plastic's effect on the environment. As part of PepsiCo's Beyond the Bottle efforts, the new system makes it easier for people to stay hydrated with great-tasting beverages, digitally track their hydration, and help meet the growing consumer demand for more sustainable packaging.

Research, Reports & Publications

Hannon Armstrong’s 2018 ESG Report: Investing in Climate Change Solutions

Hannon Armstrong (NYSE: HASI), a capital provider focused on sustainable infrastructure markets that address climate change, today announced that its inaugural 2018 ESG Report is available online.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

2018 CFC Results: America’s Charities Nonprofit Members Outperform Overall Results

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) just released the final results of its 2018 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), the workplace giving program for current and retired federal and military personnel (one of the largest workplace giving programs in the world). America’s Charities nonprofit members outperformed overall results, and despite the historic government shutdown, the CFC is showing signs of improvement.

Research, Reports & Publications

Mohawk Industries 2018 Sustainability Report Showcases Flooring Company’s Commitment to Handprints Over Footprints

The power of handprints over footprints is the focus of the 2018 Sustainability Report released online by Mohawk Industries today. This year’s report illustrates how a growing commitment to sustainability by the world’s largest flooring company is shaping business decisions that positively impact the company, its customers, employees and communities. Through innovative product design and manufacturing—and a company-wide passion for making a difference—Mohawk is broadening the definition of corporate social responsibility to both “believe in better” and “believe in beautiful.”

Events, Media & Communications

Can a Circular Economy Salvage the Climate?

Can a Circular Economy Salvage the Climate? Panel discussion on May 7th in San Francisco with Ray C. Anderson Foundation, Biomimicry Institute and Cradle to Cradle: ClimateOne at the Commonwealth Club.

Events, Media & Communications

[Webinar] Evolving Your Employee Volunteer Program for Greater Impact & Participation

Join our discussion with employee volunteer leaders as they share insight into what makes their programs successful and take home innovative solutions to jumpstart employee participation and amplify your impact.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Subaru Motorsports USA Partners With TerraCycle to Reduce Waste at Rally Events

Subaru of America, Inc. today announced an expansion of its partnership with TerraCycle®, the world’s leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams, to reduce hard-to-recycle waste and enhance sustainability in the brand’s motorsports activities. Subaru Motorsports USA, together with technical partner Vermont SportsCar (VSC), will utilize TerraCycle Zero Waste Boxes™ at 2019 American Rally Association events and on-site at Vermont SportsCar’s facility in Milton, VT.

Diversity & Inclusion

Bloomberg Launches News Voices Initiative in Dubai

Bloomberg recently announced the expansion of its New Voices initiative to the Middle East at an event held in its Dubai office and attended by 50 public relations and finance professionals from the region. Dubai is the latest city to join New York, San Francisco, London, Toronto and Hong Kong in the New Voices initiative; Sydney and Mumbai will join later this year.

Research, Reports & Publications

Ingersoll Rand Achieves 45% Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Increases Spend in Women-Owned Businesses by 23%

Ingersoll Rand released its 12th annual ESG Report, Performance with Purpose today. The report provides a comprehensive update on its environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance, including significant advances in its climate and social sustainability initiatives.

Education

First Year ABE Teacher Shares Her Experience With the Program

Why did you choose teaching as a career?

I joined the teaching service as I realised that teaching was very meaningful and rewarding, especially when students came back after their graduation to express how much we, as their teachers had impacted their lives and how we had influenced their career choices.

Responsible Production & Consumption

How Billionaire Greed Ruined a Perfectly Good Strategy Called Corporate Sustainability. (Part 1)

Where has corporate Sustainability and its cousins; CSR, Impact Investing, Profit with Purpose, and Social Innovation actually taken us? Some may argue that it’s delivering a cultural shift in how we conduct business and some might argue that it’s a slow process and that we just need more time. But the harsh truth is that despite all of the positive inputs that are being added to the capitalist recipe, the end product is becoming more brutal and difficult to swallow.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Fair Trade USA & Rachael Wang Create First-Ever We Wear Fair Trade Lookbook

Fair Trade USA unveils its first ever lookbook, We Wear Fair Trade. Made in partnership with renowned fashion director, activist, and stylist Rachael Wang, the lookbook features exclusively Fair Trade Certified™ apparel modeled by contemporary human and environmental rights advocates.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Strategic Investor Initiative Releases New Framework for Companies Seeking to Develop Long-Term Plans

Building on a significant body of original research and ongoing feedback from institutional investors, CECP’s Strategic Investor Initiative (SII) has released a template for companies seeking to develop and communicate effective long-term strategic plans that help inform investment, voting, and engagement decisions. According to buy-side investors, the long-term should be described in terms of goals, metrics, and milestones, to enable a deeper understanding of the strategy and to track progress as it is implemented.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Blackbaud + YourCause | The sgENGAGE Podcast Episode 92: The State of CSR

Things are changing in the world of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Employee volunteerism is on the rise, and a variety of new trends in employee giving programs are taking hold. Today’s guest, Dustin Joost, VP of Sales and Marketing at YourCause (a Blackbaud company), joins the podcast to talk more about these trends and what they say about the state of CSR today.

Diversity & Inclusion

The Importance of Culture, Community, Family and Diversity

President of Asset Management, Shundrawn Thomas, discussed the importance of culture, community, family and diversity during a town hall last week in hashtag#Tempe. The panel was represented by a member of the Northern Trust Women in Leadership, L.I.F.E, and Black Business Resource Council's.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

General Mills to Match 100 Percent of Its Annual U.S. Electricity Use With New Wind Power Agreement

General Mills has taken one of the biggest steps thus far toward its climate goal by signing a virtual 15-year power purchase agreement with Roaring Fork Wind, LLC, a joint venture partnership between RES (Renewable Energy Systems) and Steelhead Americas, for 200 megawatts (MW) of its Maverick Creek wind project.

Health & Healthcare

Mental Health Crisis… A Region Unites for Solutions

One in five. That’s the percentage of adults in America who experience a mental illness. Nearly one in 25 adults in America live with a serious mental illness. And, perhaps even more startling, one-half of all chronic mental illness begins by the age of 14.

Environment

Marco Ugarte Joins Antea Group Sustainability Team

Marco Ugarte joins Antea Group with 15+ years of experience in corporate sustainability, supply chain management & strategic partnership development.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Comerica Aids Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washtenaw County in Raising Over $50,000 for 2019

For the seventh consecutive year, Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) served as the presenting sponsor for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washtenaw County’s annual Rise and Shine for Kid’s Sake! Breakfast. The event, held April 18 at the Barton Hills Country Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan, supports the organization’s Investing in Children Circle annual fundraising campaign.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Gildan Empowers Students to Care for the Planet in the Dominican Republic

Gildan believes that a more sustainable future starts with education by encouraging students to take ownership over the environmental issues in their own communities.

Environment

The Movement Toward Socially Responsible Workplaces

Since celebrating 10 years of CSR initiatives in 2018, Legg Mason has embarked on a series of new initiatives to drastically reduce the volume of waste being sent to landfills and reduce consumption of single-use plastics.

Health & Healthcare

Asian Malaria Endgame Threatened by Resistance to Insecticides and Malaria Treatments

Asian malaria experts surveyed in a new report are saying that new tools are needed as the disease is becoming resistant to existing prevention and therapy measures. They called for continued investment in R&D for new antimalarials and insecticides to achieve the World Health Organization’s 2030 elimination targets.

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