Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Retailers Nationwide Ask Consumers to Save and Improve Lives During Annual #MDAShamrocks Campaign

Mar 9, 2018 3:05 PM ET

More than 20,000 retailers nationwide have rallied together to raise funds to help the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) improve the lives of kids and adults with muscular dystrophy, ALS and related life-threatening diseases that severely weaken muscle strength and mobility by participating in the 36th annual MDA Shamrocks program — the nation's largest St. Patrick's Day fundraising program of its kind.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Women's Empowerment Infographic

Mar 9, 2018 3:05 PM ET

PYXERA Global facilitates Global Pro Bono programs that empower women with tools and resources so they can overcome barriers and participate fully in society. Women’s empowerment is a process that seeks to bridge the inequalities between men and women—strengthening women’s ability to make choices about their own lives.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Lund's Seafood Scallops Earn Fair Trade Certified™ Recognition

Mar 9, 2018 3:00 PM ET

Lund’s Fisheries is pleased to announce that starting next week at Seafood Expo North America in Boston, the firm will offer Fair Trade CertifiedTM scallops to its customers. The independent certification group Fair Trade USA has granted Lund’s provisional approval to sell scallops using its Fair Trade label. The Atlantic sea scallop fishery is the first in the United States to be Fair Trade Certified, and Lund’s is the fourth seller to offer Fair Trade Certified scallops. Lund’s was audited by independent third party certifier SCS Global Services earlier this year, and is currently working to complete the process and earn final certification.

Diversity & Inclusion

20th Century Fox Partners With GLSEN to Create LGBTQ School Discussion Guides Based on the New Film “Love, Simon”

Mar 9, 2018 3:00 PM ET

In an effort to combat the discrimination and exclusion that so many young people in the LGBTQ community encounter during their high school years, 20th Century Fox Film has announced a partnership with GLSEN to create two new resources for educators and students to discuss sexual identity, coming out, and harassment. The discussion guide and lesson plan are based on the studio’s new film Love, Simon, a heartfelt coming-of-age story about 17-year-old Simon Spier coming out to his family and friends. The movie arrives in theaters in the U.S. on March 16, and the school resources will be available for free download at GLSEN.org.

Research, Reports & Publications

WATCH: David Lear, Vice President of Sustainability at Dell

Mar 9, 2018 2:30 PM ET

David Lear, vice president of sustainability at Dell Inc., shares his insights on how on how supplier engagement can drive product and sustainability innovation.

TURNING POINT: Corporate Progress on the Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability is a new assessment released by Ceres that examines how more than 600 of the largest publicly traded companies in the U.S. are responding to urgent calls to act on climate change and other sustainability threats, such as water pollution and scarcity, and human rights abuses, and positioning themselves for success in a world shaped by these unprecedented environmental and social challenges.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Pressing for Progress

Mar 9, 2018 1:00 PM ET

Individually, we may be single drops of water; together, we’re an ocean. International Women’s Day (IWD) is observed each year on March 8th to celebrate the economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and to bring attention to persistent inequality and the barriers to gender parity. The day, which has evolved into a global movement not affiliated with any particular organization or sector, emphasizes a call to action for accelerating change.

Health & Healthcare

National Nutrition Month: Turning Wasted Calories Into Working Calories

Mar 9, 2018 12:30 PM ET

March is National Nutrition Month®, an annual campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound habits related to eating and physical activity. This year’s theme is “Go Further with Food” and it has a dual focus, encouraging healthy eating habits, while also urging Americans to find ways to eliminate food waste. The campaign aims to connect the dots between the health benefits of meal and snack planning with the resulting implications related to food waste.

Research, Reports & Publications

Supporting Employees in Enacting Sustainable Change: Research from Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability and Temple University

Mar 9, 2018 12:00 PM ET

Think interns aren’t like other types of employees? Think again. Since 2008, 840 graduate students have spent a summer working on corporate environmental and sustainability projects as fellows in the EDF Climate Corps program run by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), an American NGO.

Social Impact & Volunteering

10 Years Later: The Evolution of Corporate Pro Bono and Our Opportunities for the Future

Mar 9, 2018 11:30 AM ET

The Taproot Foundation's Advisory Services team works closely with companies to help them develop strategies to engage their talent in pro bono service. Our advisory practice was founded 10 years ago by Lindsay Firestone Gruber, Taproot’s Chief Program Officer, who saw the potential for companies to be more strategic about how they engage their people to help nonprofits succeed. Back in 2008, corporate pro bono was largely nascent outside of law firms and professional services companies. A decade later, the landscape of corporate pro bono is thriving. Kim Gillman, National Director of Advisory Services, sat down with Lindsay to reflect on the decade and to explore what’s next for the field.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

SWANA Announces 2018 Technical Division Award Winners

Mar 9, 2018 11:00 AM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Bristol-Myers Squibb Expands Parental Leave and Caregiver Benefits

Mar 9, 2018 10:30 AM ET

Employees at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) work passionately to advance science for patients with serious diseases, and now its U.S. employees are being given expanded paid time off for critical life events including caregiving for seriously ill family members and the care of newborn, foster or adoptive children. The new, generous, inclusive family-friendly benefits launched this year are part of the company’s commitment to meeting the needs of its diverse workforce through an innovative, market-leading approach.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

GRI Podcast March Edition: Why Should Investors Care About Sustainability Data?

Mar 9, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Investors don't always get the sustainability data they need from companies for effective decision-making. In the latest GRI podcast, this question was posed to Amanda Feldman from the Impact Management Project, who told us how corporate reporting should change so that even more investors could use this information. Listen to the full episode here.

Diversity & Inclusion

Merck Earns Place on 2018 List of Top Companies for Executive Women

Mar 9, 2018 9:25 AM ET

The National Association for Female Executives (NAFE) named Merck as one of its 2018 NAFE Top Companies for Executive Women. The award recognizes U.S. corporations where women have significant clout to make the decisions that affect their company’s future and its bottom line. The NAFE Top 70 Companies are featured in the April/May issue of Working Mother.

Social Impact & Volunteering

A Cross Sector Approach to Closing the Gender Gap

Mar 9, 2018 9:15 AM ET

Anyone who works in the nonprofit sector knows that women make up a significant part of its workforce and leadership – until you get to the top. Women currently account for 43 percent of the board seats among all nonprofits but only 33% of those seats at large nonprofits, defined as $25 million or greater in annual income.[1] At the staff level, this gap increases further -- women make up 45% of nonprofit CEOs but only 21% at large nonprofits, and they are compensated at 66% of their male CEO counterparts.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Consumers Energy: Sometimes Caring for Our Communities Requires Crossing State Lines

Mar 9, 2018 9:10 AM ET

More than 140 employees and contractors arrived in Pennsylvania on Tuesday afternoon to assist with restoration efforts after Nor'easter Storm Riley left nearly two million customers in the Northeast U.S. without power.

Green Infrastructure

Well Buildings Are Becoming More Than A Fad As Benefits Get Easier To Measure

Mar 9, 2018 9:00 AM ET

The evidence shows that this phenomenon is being led by tenants. In a survey of European occupiers, CBRE found that 72% either already had or wanted to have a building that promoted wellness.

Diversity & Inclusion

On International Women’s Day HP Invites Girls Everywhere to Tell Their Stories

Mar 9, 2018 8:35 AM ET

At a moment when the world is acknowledging the power of women’s voices, HP is inviting girls to reinvent their stories and reach for their dreams. In celebration of International Women’s Day, HP is releasing “Paro,” a short film shot in Kolkata, India that follows a girl’s journey as she discovers her passion for storytelling.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

iCause Is Joining Forces With the Extending a Hand Foundation

Mar 9, 2018 8:30 AM ET

Extending a Hand Foundation is a nonprofit whose mission is to increase awareness about the poor living conditions and the primary necessities of children and elderly in situations that include vulnerability, abandonment, sexual abuse, lack of affection, and the physical and psychological mistreatment.

Education

This Short Film About How Technology Empowers Girls Will Give You All the Feels

Mar 9, 2018 8:15 AM ET

In the last several months, the next generation of leaders have called for change in an unprecedented wave. They have used their voices to demand attention and change from the very highest echelons of power — and many of those voices have been female.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Box’s Culture of Engagement Gets a Boost With the VolunteerMatch Network

Mar 9, 2018 8:10 AM ET

Volunteerism has long been an integral part of Box’s epic corporate culture. The technology company, based out of Redwood City, CA, wanted the process of finding and signing up for volunteer opportunities to be as easy as possible for their employees. With VolunteerMatch’s Network Integration, they were able to consolidate their giving platforms and incorporate thousands of searchable, real-time volunteer opportunities.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Women in Kenya Improve Their Families’ Food Security Through Simple Land-Restoration Technology

Mar 9, 2018 8:05 AM ET

Social Impact & Volunteering

Xylem Employees Visit India with Nonprofit Partner Water For People

Mar 9, 2018 8:00 AM ET

This past November, a group of Xylem employees traveled to the North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas districts in India with one of Xylem’s global nonprofit partners, Water For People. The trip included visits to community water points and community toilets, piped water supply projects, and primary and high schools to learn about functionality issues around operation and maintenance of the safe water and sanitation resources from local community members and officials.

Diversity & Inclusion

For International Women’s Day, I’m Inviting Guys to the Table

Mar 9, 2018 8:00 AM ET

A sad reality: we all know hardworking, high performing women who don’t necessarily get ahead. Why? Research shows that when it comes to getting career-accelerating assignments, making influential connections and landing key promotions, women are often overlooked. In corporate America, for example, women are underrepresented at every level, despite earning more college degrees than men for the past 30 years.

Diversity & Inclusion

Barclays HeForShe Ambassador Srishti Warman on Promoting Gender Equality in India

Mar 9, 2018 7:40 AM ET

On International Women’s Day, we talk to Barclays Business Analyst Srishti Warman about her work promoting gender equality in India – and how her commitment to “making a difference” began as a child.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Freeport-McMoRan’s Greenlee County Community Investment Fund Grants $250,000 to Arizona Communities

Mar 9, 2018 7:05 AM ET

The Greenlee County Community Investment Fund (CIF) awarded grants totaling $250,000 to the Greenlee County community in Arizona.