Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Innovation & Technology

Cross-Border Trade: PayPal’s $400B Business

Apr 18, 2017 1:05 PM ET

We’re living in a world where nearly everything – goods, services, entertainment, etc. – is available to purchase online. The expansive global e-commerce market affords consumers greater choice than ever before, and offers merchants access to an entirely new customer base. This represents incredible opportunities for large retailers and small merchants alike as they scale their businesses – including payments – to reach online consumers and expand their overseas sales opportunities.

Diversity & Inclusion

Everyday Diversity

Apr 18, 2017 12:15 PM ET

Earlier this month, I sat in a room alongside 400 nonprofit sector leaders at the Center on Effective Philanthropy’s annual conference – all of us still trying to find our footing in the wake of regressive and unjust social policy announcements from Washington, D.C., and the resulting fresh challenges facing our organizations and the communities we serve. Grant Oliphant, CEP’s Board Chair, opened the conversation with sobering, resonant words.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Kohler Signature Store Receives LEED Gold Certification

Apr 18, 2017 12:00 PM ET

The Kohler Signature Store by First Supply has become the first retail space in the U.S. to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification under the new LEED v4 guidelines. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) awarded the 5,800 square-foot showroom located in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, LEED Gold v4 for Interior Design & Construction Retail.

Sustainable Development Goals

5 Examples of Beverage Companies Tackling Water Risks, Stewardship Challenges

Apr 18, 2017 11:35 AM ET

Diminishing water resources is a rising global challenge and many beverage companies have recognized the vital role they play in addressing it. We highlight examples of global beverage companies and associations that have taken action to address water risks and achieve better water stewardship with the help of Antea Group and its global partners.

Innovation & Technology

Major League Baseball Players Launch Infield Chatter, a New Mobile Social Community

Apr 18, 2017 11:30 AM ET

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) today announced that it will make the bridge from players to fans even shorter to cross, by debuting the new Infield Chatter mobile social community. The first-of-its-kind platform seeks to become the dedicated mobile destination for players and their passionate fans, with more than 1,000 players already on board as registered users.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

America’s Charities Welcomes 16 High-Impact Nonprofits to Its Alliance of 140+ Member Organizations

Apr 18, 2017 11:30 AM ET

America’s Charities, which inspires employees and organizations to support causes they care about, is pleased to welcome 16 new members to its alliance of 140+ nonprofit organizations.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Avista Named as a 2017 Grid Edge Award Winner by Greentech Media

Apr 18, 2017 11:00 AM ET

The Grid Edge Awards represent the top twenty companies or projects that showcase innovative products, introduce new business models to the electric sector, or otherwise present alternative ways of managing the electric grid that are more efficient and reliable.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

BSR at 25: Meeting the Moment

Apr 18, 2017 11:00 AM ET

This year marks BSR’s 25th anniversary. And in a time of extraordinary change, we're staying firmly focused on what these shifts mean for the future of sustainable business.

Health & Healthcare

A Pluralistic Approach to Non-Communicable Diseases

Apr 18, 2017 10:10 AM ET

More than five years have passed since the 2011 United Nations high-level meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs). NCDs such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic lung disease are a leading cause of mortality worldwide, responsible for more than 30 million deaths annually. These diseases alone place an enormous burden on health systems, representing $2 trillion a year in health costs, and the projected toll in lost economic output by 2030 is a staggering $47 trillion. Beyond the impacts on economic output, NCDs will continue to deepen poverty and impede our collective ability to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Women Building Careers in Impact Investing

Apr 18, 2017 10:05 AM ET

Jenn's journey to be a CEO - When I returned from Gabon I made the decision to focus on finance. My experiences abroad alongside my education had led me to the thinking that capital equates to power, and is a key determinant of capability for individuals, businesses, and communities. Although now I know that finance is only one piece of the pie of life, I still maintain the important role that it plays.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Meet Jeff Johnson, Outdoor Photographer, Fair Trade Ambassador

Apr 18, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Launching next week, we teamed up with Jeff Johnson, a well-known photographer of California adventure culture, for our We Wear Fair Trade photo series to honor a few of the individuals and brands who are making a bold, collective commitment to value the people who make our clothes.

Events, Media & Communications

Actress Pam Grier to Attend Dining Out For Life® Hosted by Subaru® on April 27

Apr 18, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Actress Pam Grier will participate in the 27th Annual Dining Out For Life hosted by Subaru. The delicious fundraiser, that’s expected to raise more than $4 million to help fund essential HIV/AIDS services, will be held on April 27, 2017, when over 3,000 restaurants in 62 cities across North America will donate a generous portion of the day’s proceeds to their local HIV/AIDS Service organizations.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Is Your Company Adoption Friendly? There’s Still Time to Make Our Top 100 List.

Apr 18, 2017 10:00 AM ET

For 11 years, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption has ranked the Top 100 Best Adoption Friendly Workplaces. Companies like Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Citizens Bank, Wendy’s, Snapchat, Zappos and others have made the list for financial reimbursement of adoption costs and time off for employees who adopt.

Education

UK to Equip 6,000 Underprivileged with Digital Skills, for Free

Apr 18, 2017 9:25 AM ET

It’s 2017, so you might imagine that in the United Kingdom, all citizens have access to technology. Sadly, that’s not the case, but the government is working to change that with a five-year plan.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Andrew Tremblay and the WWF-Canada’s CN Tower Climb for Nature

Apr 18, 2017 9:15 AM ET

Ten years ago, Domtar Difference Maker Andrew Tremblay sized up up the CN Tower’s 147 stories and 1,776 stairs before taking his first try at the CN Tower Climb for Nature, a fundraiser put on by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Canada to help ensure a healthy, thriving planet. Find out why.

Green Infrastructure

Mohawk Group Video | Light Lab: A Model for the Sustainable Workplace

Apr 18, 2017 9:15 AM ET

Health & Healthcare

Togo Becomes First Country in Africa to Validate the Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis as a Public Health Problem

Apr 18, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Health & Healthcare

5 Nutrition Innovations You Didn’t Expect to Come From Nestlé

Apr 18, 2017 9:00 AM ET

For more than 150 years, Nestlé has been providing safe, quality nutrition across a broad range of products worldwide.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Q&A with Dan Hesse Board Member of PNC Financial Services Group

Apr 18, 2017 8:40 AM ET

We must make lending decisions in which we effectively balance the needs of our customers and prospective customers with the interests of our other stakeholders. Determining which industries or companies within a particular industry we should lend to isn’t always easy. Another challenge is balancing the long-term payback of CSR with Wall Street’s focus on the next quarter.

Environment

Illegal Wildlife Trafficking Occurs in Nearly 30 Percent of World’s Most Protected Areas

Apr 18, 2017 7:00 AM ET

A new WWF report published today urges for additional and immediate measures to halt the worrying trend in illegal trafficking for international trade of CITES-listed species in the world’s most ecologically important places, including World Heritage Sites.

Social Impact & Volunteering

LA Galaxy and StubHub Center Implement Full Week of Community Programming to Precede Protect the Pitch Day on Sunday, April 23 vs. Seattle Sounders FC

Apr 17, 2017 8:45 PM ET

AEG’s LA Galaxy and StubHub Center implement full week of community programming in accordance with Earth Day on April 22 and to precede Protect the Pitch Day on Sunday, April 23 at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. Events to showcase efforts to increase sustainability and reduce carbon footprint in the local community.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Seafood Joins Fair Trade Revolution, a Scallop at a Time

Apr 17, 2017 5:30 PM ET

Certification of seafood products, including tuna and shrimp, began in 2014, and the volume of imports of such products grew more than 350 percent last year to more than 1.2 million pounds (500,000 kilograms), said Fair Trade USA, a California-based nonprofit group. The first company to offer fair trade seafood harvested from U.S. waters will have scallops on the market this month.

Diversity & Inclusion

Bringing Out the Best from Each Generation

Apr 17, 2017 5:15 PM ET

With generation Z poised to enter the workforce and baby boomers beginning to leave it, workplace demographics are changing. To anticipate the shift, companies need to make sure all employees feel valued for their contributions and encouraged to bring their unique sets of experiences and perspectives to the workplace.

Social Impact & Volunteering

National Volunteer Week Twitter Chat: Activating Civic Engagement through Skills-Based Volunteering

Apr 17, 2017 5:00 PM ET

In honor of National Volunteer Week, Common Impact is hosting a Twitter chat on Tuesday, April 25th at 12 pm EDT to explore how corporate skills-based volunteer programs activate civic engagement in employee volunteers. Skills-based volunteerism gives employees a chance to roll up their sleeves and truly understand the challenges facing nonprofit organizations and the social sector.

Social Impact & Volunteering

A Habitat House Leads to Personal Successes

Apr 17, 2017 3:40 PM ET

The smell of fresh paint always takes Boris Henderson back. Back to the day he walked through the door of his family’s new Habitat house for the first time.