Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Sodexo Honored as One of America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises

Apr 11, 2018 9:10 AM ET

Sodexo, a food services and facilities management company committed to improving Quality of Life, announced today that it has been named to Women’s Business Enterprise National Council's (WBENC) 18th annual list of America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs) for the first time. This is the only national award honoring corporations for world-class supplier diversity programs that reduce barriers and drive growth for women-owned businesses.

Green Infrastructure

Creating a Smart, Sustainable City in Kenya

Apr 11, 2018 9:00 AM ET

etra Tech is helping Kenya create a 5,000-acre technopolis, supporting the country as it grows into a globally competitive, prosperous nation. The Government of Kenya, through the Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA) selected Tetra Tech as the Master Delivery Partner 2 (MDP2) for the Konza Technopolis project. Tetra Tech is providing program management, architecture-engineering services, and capacity building to support KoTDA with the implementation of Phase I.

Events, Media & Communications

Porter Novelli’s Cone Joins PwC for Fireside Chat at Cause Marketing Summit

Apr 11, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Whitney Dailey, Vice President of Marketing/Research & Insights at Cone, a Porter Novelli public relations and marketing agency specializing in Purpose and CSR, will join Jeff Senne, Corporate Responsibility Strategy and Implementation Leader at PwC, for a fireside chat at the 4th Annual Cause Marketing Summit on April 12. The one-day event is designed for socially responsible businesspersons and nonprofit professionals aiming to develop compelling communications campaigns and increase employee engagement and retention.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Barclays Promotes Access to Green Finance

Apr 11, 2018 8:50 AM ET

In 2017 Barclays was the first bank to issue a green bond using UK assets.

Research, Reports & Publications

Measuring Natural Capital – Briefing

Apr 11, 2018 5:00 AM ET

Companies appreciate that natural capital greatly benefits business, but what is required is quantifying and demonstrating the business value of natural capital.

Innovation & Technology

FCA US Invites Automotive Suppliers to Take Their Best Shot in “Pitch Pit”

Apr 10, 2018 4:00 PM ET

In conjunction with SAE, FCA US will set up “Pitch Pit” April 10 – 11, 2018. There, in private meetings with FCA US purchasing and engineering representatives, suppliers who might not otherwise have such an opportunity will tout their innovations and products in an energetic setting.

Diversity & Inclusion

Q&A with Women Who Code’s Jennifer Tacheff on Women in Tech

Apr 10, 2018 3:50 PM ET

Women of Silicon Valley brought together industry trailblazers last month to share their stories on the importance of female role models within the tech sphere. A significant discussion at the conference centered around creating strategies for addressing the gender gap, measuring the effectiveness of diversity and inclusion policies, and the need to push this topic to the forefront of business cultures. VMware had the opportunity to speak with conference presenter Jennifer Tacheff, vice president of partnerships and growth at Women Who Code, on her career journey and what it means to her to get more women involved in tech. Follow Jennifer on Twitter and learn more about her in the Q&A below.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Atlas Copco Donates Brewing Equipment to Colorado State University's Fermentation Science and Technology Program

Apr 10, 2018 3:45 PM ET

Atlas Copco, a leading provider of sustainable productivity solutions, recently donated new brewing equipment to support Colorado State University’s (CSU) Fermentation Science and Technology Degree Program. The oil-free air compressors, nitrogen generator, receiving tanks, electronic water drains and air filters will be used to keep the University’s campus brewery running efficiently and support research that requires specific anaerobic environments.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Transforming Health Through Technology

Apr 10, 2018 2:40 PM ET

The healthcare system in China is undergoing major reforms to improve access and affordability for its 1.3 billion citizens. The country faces a rising and increasingly unmet healthcare demand due to an aging population, an expanding middle class, growing urbanization, an emerging prevalence of lifestyle diseases, and progress towards universal healthcare insurance coverage.

Green Infrastructure

The Ray's Smart Road Dot Named Fast Company 2018 World Changing Ideas Award Finalist

Apr 10, 2018 2:15 PM ET

Fast Company announced the winners of its World Changing Ideas Awards, which honor businesses, policies, projects, and concepts that offer innovative solutions to the issues facing humanity. The Ray’s smart road dot was selected for recognition as a World Changing Ideas finalist.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

GRI and Colombo Stock Exchange in Partnership for Better ESG Reporting

Apr 10, 2018 1:05 PM ET

The Colombia Stock Exchange and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) will work together to provide guidance to listed companies on ESG disclosures in Sri Lanka. GRI will also facilitate regional peer-to-peer learning with other stock exchanges and capacity building for CSE staff through workshops, seminars and training.

Research, Reports & Publications

ClearBridge Impact Report Highlights ESG Integration and Engagement

Apr 10, 2018 12:35 PM ET

ClearBridge Investments, LLC has published its 2017 Impact Report, “Making an Impact through Active Equity Ownership.” ClearBridge has been engaging with public companies to campaign for improvement on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues for more than three decades. This report outlines the evolution of ESG investing at the firm and how, as active shareholders, ClearBridge measures its impact on the companies it owns across its strategies.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Nestlé Aims at 100% Recyclable or Reusable Packaging by 2025

Apr 10, 2018 12:35 PM ET

Nestlé today announced its ambition to make 100% of its packaging recyclable or re-usable by 2025. Its vision is that none of its packaging, including plastics, ends up in landfill or as litter. Nestlé believes that there is an urgent need to minimize the impact of packaging on the environment.

Education

Keep America Beautiful Opens Application for 2018–2019 National Youth Advisory Council

Apr 10, 2018 12:30 PM ET

Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit, is accepting applications for the 2018-2019 National Youth Advisory Council through June 8. Keep America Beautiful’s National Youth Advisory Council creates a framework for youth engagement, providing a unique opportunity for 10 high school students from diverse backgrounds across the nation to participate in a service-learning and leadership development program.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Teens Changing Driving Behavior: Finalists Announced in National Public Service Announcement Challenge

Apr 10, 2018 12:20 PM ET

A short video message from teens to their peers to encourage safe driving habits might be all that is needed to avoid dangerous driving situations. That is the premise behind the Toyota TeenDrive365 Video Challenge, which drew more than 1,300 entries from students across the country.

Environment

Makerspace Safety in a Nutshell

Apr 10, 2018 11:55 AM ET

A makerspace is a workspace with a variety of tools and machines where people can create and collaborate. Antea Group blogs on makerspace safety.

Green Infrastructure

Ecocentricity Blog: Miles of Opportunity on The Ray

Apr 10, 2018 11:45 AM ET

Even the land itself (called the right-of-way) can multi-task! This year, Georgia will deploy a one-megawatt solar farm in and along the shoulder of The Ray, following successful pilots in Oregon and Massachusetts.

Environment

Q&A: How an Artist Turned a Lifetime of E-Waste Into a Stunning Celebration of Recycling

Apr 10, 2018 11:35 AM ET

At South by Southwest in 2017, photographer Benjamin Von Wong learned that Dell was working with artists to raise awareness of the computer giant’s electronics recycling program, and he decided he wanted to participate.

Environment

Bloomberg: Xi Has a New Signup for China’s Pollution Fight: Walmart

Apr 10, 2018 11:35 AM ET

On Thursday, Walmart Inc. committed to cutting 50 million metric tons of carbon emissions from its Chinese operations.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Carnival Corporation's AIDA Supports Everyday Heroines with 30,000 Euros

Apr 10, 2018 11:30 AM ET

AIDA presented three everyday heroines with a check of 10,000 euros each during three AIDAprima cruises between March 10 to 31, 2018. Bettina Landgrafe, Anja Gehlken and Sylke Hoß were recognized for their voluntary work and courage by Europe’s biggest women’s magazine at a gala held on AIDAprima last year.

Energy

Inside UPS’s Electric Vehicle Strategy

Apr 10, 2018 11:20 AM ET

Passenger electric cars get all the press, especially when someone launches one into space. But something important is going on in the world of commercial vehicles as well - electric vehicles are much better for the break-even proposition and create significant additional value for the business.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Bold Investments Changing the Future of Social Good

Apr 10, 2018 11:15 AM ET

Sustainable Development Goals

Using the Power of Partnerships to Support Global Goal 5: Gender Equality

Apr 10, 2018 11:00 AM ET

At Pfizer, we are proud to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal 5: Gender Equality. Equality across genders is fundamental to advancing all 17 of the SDGs, which in turn is connected to advancing global health.

Responsible Production & Consumption

How to Grow a Bamboo Industry

Apr 10, 2018 10:35 AM ET

Despite a significant contribution to the economy, the bamboo industry in Indonesia remains underdeveloped. In terms of policy, bamboo is also often overlooked, with most attention focused on timber.

Social Impact & Volunteering

How Employee Data Can Be Grantmaking's Most Valuable Resource

Apr 10, 2018 10:30 AM ET

When Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) was faced with a time of change and uncertainty, they discovered that an employee-nominated grants program wasapowerful catalyst for boosting morale and forging meaningful connections between the company, its employees and the community. Hear from Kathy Gu, Program Manager, Living Progress, HPE, as she shares how they revolutionized their grantmaking program by leveraging data from their strongest group of potential advocates: their own people.