Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Chasing Arrows: The Continued Central Role of Recycling in the Circular Economy

Aug 10, 2017 11:00 AM ET

A key tenet of the “circular economy” sustainability paradigm is the reduction in reliance on virgin materials. The goal is to create high-functioning products that flow from cradle to cradle instead of cradle to grave – that is, a closed-loop system, where products are reused rather than disposed of, as opposed to a linear, single-use oriented system. This goal is aptly captured by the classic chasing arrows symbol. Recycling helps build our economic, natural, and social capital, using fewer resources and protecting natural resources as well as impacted ecological systems. It can have positive social impacts as well. This article explores the continued role of recycling in supporting the circular economy.

Sustainable Development Goals

Earth, Hunger & Bottomlines

Aug 10, 2017 10:30 AM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Domtar Sustainability: Diapers for Disaster Relief

Aug 10, 2017 10:15 AM ET

Among the many everyday products Domtar makes, none may be more essential than our infant diapers and adult incontinence products.

While essential, these products can be unaffordable for some families. And, in the midst of a natural disaster, even unavailable.

Green Infrastructure

Make Your Real Estate Decisions Healthy Decisions

Aug 10, 2017 10:10 AM ET

70% of healthcare outcomes are based on the physical and social environments that we live in and work in daily. That includes our buildings, like how an office is designed or how our homes are constructed. But it also includes how we behave – how active we are, whether we smoke, and what we eat each day. It is clear that our physical environment has a significant impact on our health but it can also have an impact on our health-related behaviors.

Responsible Production & Consumption

General Mills Foundation & The Campus Kitchens Project

Aug 10, 2017 10:05 AM ET

The Campus Kitchens Project teams with the General Mills Foundation to prepare healthy meals for the community from perishable food that would otherwise go to waste.

Green Infrastructure

Data Analytics: More Than a Mere Numbers Game for Water Providers

Aug 10, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Water providers have been collecting and utilizing data to perform important but traditional tasks: Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) devices speed information across networks, and smart metering infrastructure systems measure consumption and contribute to customer billing. But, as utilities wrestle with addressing aging foundational assets while balancing limited capital and rising calls for lower costs and safer water, there is new urgency to explore how data can drive and optimize asset performance and reduce risk.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Living Life to the Fullest Thanks to Adoption

Aug 10, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Chris was in and out of foster care before being referred to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s Wendy's Wonderful Kids program. This program finds loving, permanent homes for children who have been waiting in foster care the longest.

Diversity & Inclusion

Two Arrow Executives Named “Women Worth Watching”

Aug 10, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Two executives from Arrow Electronics, Inc. were named to the Profiles in Diversity Journal’s annual Women Worth Watching list for 2017: Lisa Gerber, vice president and region chief financial officer for Arrow’s enterprise computing solutions business in the Americas, and Vivian Kwok, vice president of human resources for Arrow in the Asia-Pacific region.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Are You Prepared for Eco-tourists?

Aug 10, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Not long ago, the term “eco-tourist” may have conjured images of backpackers in Birkenstocks trekking to remote destinations in numbers too minuscule to be considered mainstream. Well, that was then — this is a whole new now. Now, as in The International Year of Sustainable Tourism. Now, in the era where major recommendation resources like TripAdvisor single out Green Leaders for special attention. Now, when nearly two-thirds of travelers factor in environmental considerations when choosing hotels, transportation and meals.

Research, Reports & Publications

Caterpillar Celebrates Diversity & Inclusion

Aug 10, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Environment

Four Reasons to Go See Al Gore’s Hopeful, Compelling An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power

Aug 10, 2017 9:45 AM ET

Directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, Al Gore’s sequel to his Oscar-winning 2006 An Inconvenient Truth hits just two months after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the 195-nation Paris climate agreement. While the timing of the film’s release is coincidental, An Inconvenient Sequel acts as an emphatic counterpoint to the climate-denying, march-with-fingers-in-our-ears-saying-la-la-la-as-the-planet-catastrophically-warms crowd.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

New Analysis Shows Fuel Economy and Emissions Standards Enhance Auto Industry Financial Prospects

Aug 10, 2017 9:30 AM ET

As disruption from new technologies, mobility models and global trends threaten financial prospects for legacy automakers, national fuel economy and emissions standards can help increase the viability and international competitiveness of domestic automakers and suppliers, according to a new analysis prepared by an independent automotive industry analyst and commissioned by the sustainability nonprofit organization Ceres.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Supporting Our Heroes by Reuniting Best Friends

Aug 10, 2017 9:05 AM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Visa’s “Everyone, Everywhere” Report Details Progress on Corporate Responsibility to Help People Thrive

Aug 10, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Visa published its 2016 Corporate Responsibility Report titled “Everyone, Everywhere,” which demonstrates how one of the largest payment networks in the world is operating as a responsible, ethical and sustainable company while fulfilling its mission: to connect the world through its innovative, reliable and secure digital payment network and help enable individuals, businesses and economies to thrive.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Wells Fargo Stories of Better: Homeless Atlanta Resident Becomes Homeowner.

Aug 10, 2017 9:00 AM ET

A new community ad spotlights Lavonna McKoy, an Atlanta, Georgia, resident who went from being homeless to becoming a homeowner thanks to Wells Fargo. (2 minutes)

Health & Healthcare

Half of US Parents Skip Back-to-School Eye Exams for Their Children, Survey Says

Aug 10, 2017 6:35 AM ET

As much as 80 percent of learning a child does is visual, with children spending most of the school day reading, looking at a blackboard, and using laptops and tablets. However, come back-to-school season, parents overlook one of the most critical learning tools – their child’s eyes. Half (50.1 percent) of US parents do not bring their school-age children for a back-to-school eye exam, according to a VSP Vision Care and YouGov survey, “How Parents ‘See’ Eye Health.”

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Safeway Foundation Awards $650K to Beneficiaries of Breast Cancer Research and Treatment Campaign

Aug 10, 2017 6:00 AM ET

Events, Media & Communications

Major League Baseball Players to Put Their Passion & Personalities on Display During Players Weekend

Aug 9, 2017 6:30 PM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

New Video Ads Celebrate the ‘Grit and Determination of Remarkable People’

Aug 9, 2017 6:30 PM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

To Create Leaders, Challenge Employees to Volunteer

Aug 9, 2017 4:45 PM ET

As one international corporation has discovered, corporate leadership engagement is often critical to ensuring a vibrant and successful CSR strategy.

Alexander Mann Solutions, which was founded by Rosaleen Blair in 1996, is considered a global leader in talent acquisition and management. Today, it’s also known as a company that demonstrates CSR values by showcasing its own – clear to the top of its corporate leadership.

Sustainable Development Goals

Surrounded by Water with Nothing to Drink

Aug 9, 2017 4:25 PM ET

Diversity & Inclusion

Annual Ideagen UN Empowering Women and Girls 2030 Summit

Aug 9, 2017 3:40 PM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Happy Birthday Canada! - Connecting Your Community Investment to the National Celebration

Aug 9, 2017 3:30 PM ET

There is still half a year left of Canada's 150th birthday party. It's not too late to harness the power of your employees and leverage your community investment to generate a positive impact in your communities - something truly worth celebrating.

Research, Reports & Publications

Voya Financial Releases 2016/2017 Corporate Responsibility Annual Report

Aug 9, 2017 3:30 PM ET

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), announced today that it has published its 2016/2017 Corporate Responsibility Annual Report, which details ways in which the company’s corporate responsibility (CR) pillars have been integrated with its day-to-day business strategy and operations.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

The Next 25 Years – Big Picture Thinking by Amy Domini, CFA

Aug 9, 2017 3:15 PM ET

Responsible investing momentum is strong. For me, and for many of my generation, the future is clear: we are well on our way towards the installation of a vitally important system-level force for good, one that will protect future generations, indeed the planet itself. But we know that universal human dignity and ecological sustainability are not guaranteed - how can investments make a difference?