Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Innovation & Technology

Pioneering Virtual Reality and Its Potential to Improve Our World

Jan 31, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Imagine this… You put on a pair of virtual-reality glasses. You see a school in a poor, rural Chinese village. You turn your head to see inside the door and you find a group of students gathered in a small classroom, learning with technology.

Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainability Across the Economy: Bain & Company Joins WBCSD

Jan 31, 2018 9:50 AM ET

Bain & Company offers management consultancy services to many of the world's leading business leaders. Bain advises clients on strategy, operations, information technology, organization, private equity, digital transformation and strategy, and mergers and acquisitions, developing practical insights that clients act on and transferring skills that make change stick. Founded in 1973, Bain has 55 offices in 36 countries, and its deep expertise and client roster cross every industry and economic sector.

Environment

Ecocentricity Blog: What Does a Penguin Say?

Jan 31, 2018 9:30 AM ET

At the time, no one individual was to blame, and humans were not intentionally trying to wipe these birds off the face of the planet. The people of the day simply weren’t aware of how their collective actions were impacting the great auks.

Education

Marina Bay Sands Distributes Youth Education Award to Team Members' Children

Jan 31, 2018 9:20 AM ET

The Marina Bay Sands 2017 Youth Education Award is an annual event that rewards and recognizes the excellent academic performance of Team Members’ children. The award is given out to inspire students to achieve outstanding academic performance.

Research, Reports & Publications

Check the Boxes: Your Smart City To-do List

Jan 31, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Building a smart city is easy to envision, but it can be challenging to implement. From questions about financing and stakeholder engagement to technology advocacy and information technology (IT) governance, there is a lot to consider after you’ve made the decision to enable data to make your community more livable, sustainable and connected. After the overarching vision and strategy are set, making smart cities real often starts by implementing a series of smaller changes that contribute to the overall transformation.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Smithfield Foods Supports Its Local Communities Through Educational Giving

Jan 31, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Smithfield Foods, Inc. has recently made several contributions to support the communities in which it operates and its employees live in order to further the education of future generations.

Media & Communications

Why Dog Lovers Love Subaru

Jan 31, 2018 8:45 AM ET

“Love” is a word you hear a lot with regards to Subaru. It was almost 10 years ago that the carmaker launched its “Love” campaign, be it love of the car, love of dogs, love of safety, etc. And it all came about quite organically.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Legg Mason Earns Inaugural Global Anti-Bribery Certification

Jan 31, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Legg Mason has demonstrated a strong commitment to maintaining the highest ethical standards through the years, as demonstrated by our “No Chalk”* culture and recognition for maintaining outstanding compliance programs.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Where Conservation and Food Intersect

Jan 31, 2018 8:00 AM ET

This is the latest post in our “You Grow, Girl!” series highlighting female farmers – from the northern reaches of Canada to the heartland of the U.S. From the western coast of Africa to the rolling hills of France and beyond. The series amplifies the voices of female farmers, who play vital roles in agriculture worldwide. Here, they share their unique perspectives on food, family and farming.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Major League Baseball Players Provide $50,000 Grant to Water Mission in Support of Puerto Rico Recovery

Jan 30, 2018 6:00 PM ET

The Major League Baseball Players Trust today announced it will provide a $50,000 grant to Water Mission in support of the nonprofit’s relief and recovery efforts in Puerto Rico. The grant is another example of the Players Trust’s ongoing “Returning Home” initiative, in which Major Leaguers combine their resources to support the places they call home, especially in times of need.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Aramark Named a Top 50 Employer for People With Disabilities

Jan 30, 2018 4:45 PM ET

Aramark has been named a Top 50 employer for their diversity and inclusion efforts for people with disabilities by CAREERS & the disABLED Magazine for the fourth year in a row.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Viacom’s Season of Giving Kicks off Its All Good, All Year Initiative

Jan 30, 2018 4:45 PM ET

Packing 10,151 meals may sound like a hefty feat, but Viacom volunteers took the challenge head on and held two Rise Against Hunger meal-packing events during Viacommunity’s 2017 “Season of Giving.”

Enormous as this effort was, these two events represented just a portion of the many volunteer opportunities offered during Viacom’s annual Season of Giving, which engages employees nationwide with holiday-themed volunteer opportunities throughout November and December.

Responsible Production & Consumption

SWA the Latest to Take Stand Against Plastic Straws

Jan 30, 2018 4:40 PM ET

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has announced that it will be phasing out plastic straws across all its operations, and will be urging its members to do the same, following in the footsteps of Bacardi, Pernod Ricard and Diageo.

Bacardi was among the first to call time on plastic straws and stirrers, banning their use across its events in 2016 in an effort to reduce waste as part of its ‘Good Spirited’ campaign.

Health & Healthcare

Asbury Communities Awards a 10-year Integrated Facilities Management and Dining Service Contract Extension to Sodexo, a Strategic Partner Supporting Growth, Innovation and Service Delivery

Jan 30, 2018 4:30 PM ET

Asbury Communities, Inc., and Sodexo are pleased to announce the continuation of a successful 10-year partnership through the award of a 10-year contract extension that is focused on driving new growth, innovation and service delivery in the senior living industry. With a commitment to continually improve the quality of life for residents and care providers, Sodexo has worked with Asbury Communities to identify and implement solutions that support Asbury’s mission to “do all the good we can by providing exceptional lifestyle opportunities to those we serve.”

Sustainable Development Goals

Webinar: Activating the SDGs Into Business Operations

Jan 30, 2018 4:30 PM ET

"Increasingly businesses are realising that small sustainable impacts are no longer enough. To meet the SDGs requires a wholesale shift in thinking and operations across both business and industry," says Candy Telani Anton, Head of Strategy Europe at Ethical Corporation. But how can companies go about integrating the SDGs into their own business operations?

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Duke Energy Named to Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity

Jan 30, 2018 4:00 PM ET

Duke Energy is proud to be named to Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity, one of only eight utilities to make the list. We serve increasingly diverse communities in an increasingly complex world. That is why diversity and inclusion are central to both our work today and our vision for the future. At Duke Energy, we are firmly committed to providing an inclusive environment where we value and respect everyone, listen to a variety of perspectives and enable employees to reach their full potential. This work environment not only helps us attract and retain the talented employees we need, but it also helps us become a better company and better corporate citizens.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Northern Trust Included in Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index

Jan 30, 2018 4:00 PM ET

Northern Trust announced today that it is one of 104 companies included in Bloomberg’s first sector-neutral Gender-Equality Index (GEI).

For inclusion in the index, Northern Trust submitted a survey created by Bloomberg in partnership with third-party groups including Catalyst, Women’s Word Banking, Working Mother Media, National Women’s Law Center, and National Partnership for Women & Families. Those included on this year’s index scored at or above Bloomberg’s global threshold to reflect disclosure and the achievement or adoption of best-in-class statistics and policies.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

The Letter That We’ve Been Waiting For

Jan 30, 2018 3:45 PM ET

You’ve read it, right? The Larry Fink, Blackrock’s CEO, open letter to CEOs. The letter that says what we all believe. If you haven’t, read it now. Go ahead. I’ll wait. It is that important.

Diversity & Inclusion

The Manufacturing Institute, Ingersoll Rand Promote Women in Manufacturing

Jan 30, 2018 3:00 PM ET

The Manufacturing Institute and Ingersoll Rand plc (NYSE:IR), a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable and efficient environments, brought together 200 women in manufacturing for a two-day event, STEP Forward: Charlotte, packed with leadership development sessions, networking, and roundtable discussions.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

In Michigan, Walk for Warmth Combines Corporate and Grassroots Action to Help With Winter Heating Costs

Jan 30, 2018 2:30 PM ET

As within much of the U.S., economic prospects have improved across Michigan. But a recent report concluded that the poverty rate actually increased in about half of the state’s communities over the past decade. And with winter now blanketing Michigan, where daily low temperatures often fall under 20°F, this time is a reminder of how some of the state’s residents struggle paying off those expensive winter heating bills.

Events, Media & Communications

Final Week for Shared Value Leadership Summit Speaker Applications

Jan 30, 2018 1:30 PM ET

It's the final week to submit proposals for the 2018 Shared Value Leadership Summit's popular Storytellers speaking opportunities and the NEW for 2018, Solutions Salons. Each year Summit attendees join over 400 leaders from companies, nonprofits, and governments to start innovating the real business solutions that our world urgently needs.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

PYXERA Global Opens Shanghai Office

Jan 30, 2018 12:30 PM ET

PYXERA Global celebrated the opening of its first China office in a signing ceremony this January. The ceremony marked the formal issuance of PYXERA Global’s registration with the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, the final step in establishing the organization under the Shanghai Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

Education

Opportunity for Transformation, Innovation, and Diversity: Thoughts on the Amgen Scholars Program

Jan 30, 2018 12:15 PM ET

For Cammi Valdez, undergraduate research was a pivotal moment in her life. It was her first exposure to thinking critically about a single question and the first time she could delve into thinking about creating something novel. Now program manager for the Harvard University Amgen Scholars Program, Valdez loves seeing that transformation occur for students participating in the undergraduate research experience.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Vote for Humana in the Corporate Citizenship Film Festival

Jan 30, 2018 12:00 PM ET

In Broward County, more than 281,000 individuals struggle with food insecurity. We’re working with Bold Goal partner Feeding South Florida to combat food insecurity by providing greater access to fresh, nutritious food, helping Broward County become a healthier community. Want more people to know about Humana’s work to fight food insecurity? Help us get this Bold Goal video a finalist spot in the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship Film Festival.

Events, Media & Communications

Bringing “Truth to Power” on Climate Change Through Partnerships

Jan 30, 2018 11:40 AM ET