News from Leading Brands

Keep up with the latest impact news from companies embracing the triple bottom line, shared via 3BL's publishing platform.

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Social Impact & Volunteering

We’ve Achieved 500,000 Environmentally-Friendly Volunteer Hours

At Comcast, our employees are passionate about giving back to their communities and making the world a more sustainable and better place. Their commitment is a driving force behind our engagement and outreach efforts for sustainability, powering service projects like Comcast Cares Day, and all year-round.

Diversity & Inclusion

“They Needed to Feel Loved”: How One Nurse Revolutionized Patient Care During the AIDS Crisis

In the early 1980s, Cliff Morrison did what no other San Francisco General Hospital staff member had the guts to do: come up with a humane way to treat and care for AIDS patients. We sat down with him to learn more about the life-changing initiative—and how the legacy of Ward 5B lives on.

Diversity & Inclusion

Amplifying Diversity in the Arts

North America is one of the most diverse regions globally, but is this reflected in its arts? Arts and culture capture the spirit of the time and communities. They help bring people together by sparking conversations, raising awareness on important and relevant issues, and fostering a sense of belonging as viewers relate to the story behind a piece.

Diversity & Inclusion

Meet the Women Leading the Future of Science and Engineering at Koch

For Koch employees, transformation means more than just improving products and processes—it means continually improving themselves. For Wurst and countless others, the key to fulfillment is simple: Pursuing their dreams while helping others find theirs, no matter what obstacles—mental or physical—might stand in the way. But even as women have outperformed their male counterparts in the same school subjects and despite filling 47 percent of jobs in the economy, women made up less than one quarter—24 percent—of science, technology, engineering and mathematics-based (STEM) roles.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Viacom Employees Raise Approximately $20,000 for AIDS Walk New York

On May 19th, Viacom talent and employees participated in the annual AIDS Walk New York. AIDS Walk NYC is the largest single-day AIDS fundraising event in the world. Viacom has been a long-standing champion in the fight against HIV/AIDS through its programming, cause marketing initiatives, and support of events like these. This year, more than 50 Viacom employees signed up for the Walk and $20,000 has been raised.

Events, Media & Communications

Feeding Survivors of Disasters Without Single-use Plastics

Last fall, 3BL Media honored chef José Andrés as the inaugural Brands Taking Stands Humanitarian Award winner for feeding millions of hungry survivors of devastating hurricanes, earthquakes and other disasters. We all marveled at the efficiency of Andrés’ World Central Kitchen as the nonprofit rapidly erected feeding centers in Puerto Rico, Haiti and Nicaragua to cook and distribute hot, nutritious meals. Fast forward to today, Tupperware announced a partnership to supply durable, multi-use food storage containers and logistical support to provide them at scale when World Central Kitchen responds to disaster.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Closing the Skills Gap Through the East Community Learning Center Automotive Technology Center

One of the biggest challenges facing today’s workforce is the technical skills gap, partly created by a lack of accessible education opportunities for young professionals. To combat this challenge, Bridgestone and Firestone Complete Auto Care in collaboration with United Way of Summit County and Akron Public Schools (APS) developed the Bridgestone Academy of Applied Engineering and Technology which brought a Firestone Complete Auto Care (FCAC) to East Community Learning Center (CLC) in October 2018.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Northland Workforce Training Center Receives $560,000 in National Grid Grants, Donation

National Grid is a longtime supporter of developing the workforce of the future. The most recent example of these efforts is working with Northland Workforce Training Center to achieve its remediation targets at its 683 Northland Ave. headquarters and training facility. The training center opened last year in a building located on about 35 acres in an historic manufacturing district on Buffalo’s East Side. Prior to doing so, Northland needed to redevelop the building and nearby streetscape.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

My Special Aflac Duck® joins Beads of Courage to Award Employee Supporters

Aflac has been a supporter of Beads of Courage, a nonprofit international organization helping children chronicle their unique stories using beads during their cancer treatment. Each one represents a specific treatment that a child received or a milestone crossed throughout their journey. Children recently received new beads, including a My Special Aflac Duck® bead honoring their courage during treatments.

Environment

Meet the Young Minds Solving the Climate Crisis

As a Cruise Director for an expedition travel company in the Arctic and Antarctic, Meghan Kelly often found herself in conversations with locals about the receding coastline. She heard how decreasing sea ice is diminishing traditional hunting grounds, along with the passages between one community and the next in the Arctic. For the families who have been there for generations, surviving means adapting to a warmer climate.

Diversity & Inclusion

Chevron Partners with Catalyst to Advance Gender Equality

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) announced a $5 million grant to Catalyst, a global nonprofit advancing workplace gender equality, in support of expanding the organization’s Men Advocating Real Change (MARC) program, which Chevron adopted in 2016. MARC is focused on engaging and empowering male executives and leaders to consistently model inclusive behaviors, influence more equitable talent management systems and processes, and build effective partnerships across gender.

Energy

Reaching 100% Renewable Energy

At VMware, we’re optimistic about the power of technology to help solve big societal problems and are committed to leading responsibly. One of our key focus areas is about changing our relationship with energy. According to the U.N.’s report, as a society we need to shift 70-85 percent of electricity to renewable energy sources by 2050 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Data centers are responsible for two percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions—roughly the same as global air travel.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

People-centricity: Connecting the Employee Experience to the Patient Experience

At Alexion, people with rare and devastating diseases are our inspiration. We know that beginning with their first symptoms through an often long path to diagnosis and treatment, living with a rare disease is a sobering new normal to navigate while managing other life priorities.

Health & Healthcare

LIXIL's SATO Achieves New Milestone with First Profitable Market in Bangladesh

Today, 2.3 billion people – or one in three people worldwide - still do not have access to basic sanitation. As a leading company in sanitary ware, LIXIL has incorporated design and technology to solve real consumer needs in all of its bathroom products, but it is also dedicated to improving accessibility to basic sanitation as an opportunity to solve one of the world’s greatest challenges, and to do so sustainably by helping to develop a future market. Establishing Global Sanitation & Hygiene as one of the pillars of its Corporate Responsibility Strategy, LIXIL has been tackling the global sanitation crisis by commercializing solutions such as its innovative and affordable SATO products.

Health & Healthcare

Circadian Rhythms

Circadian rhythm is a 24-hour pattern that is found in all life, generally mediated by a central clock. Plants use their clocks to coevolve with their predators and their pollinators. Rodents use their clocks to determine food availability, safety and mating time. All forms of life utilize their clocks for maximizing resource efficiency and survival. Within the human body, each cell has a clock. There exists a direct link between a novel photosensitive cell in the retina and the region of the brain where the central clock is located, pinpointing light as the main input to reset and synchronize our clocks each day. Considering life on earth evolved with the predictable solar cycle, it makes sense that light would be our primary tool to synchronize these circadian

Sustainable Development Goals

‘Drinkable, Pure, Safe’: The Business Bringing Affordable Clean Water to Bangladesh

Across Bangladesh, water is readily available to 97% of the population, but it is not always fit for human consumption. As such, 4 million people do not have access to safe drinking water. Communities rely on contaminated water from rivers and wells; some may boil it before use, but this does not eliminate the arsenic that occurs naturally in the groundwater across much of the country.

Diversity & Inclusion

UPS Brings Commitment and Support to Pride Month

Strong communities begin with respect, inclusion, and support. Read how UPSers are taking a stand to bring inclusion forward this Pride Month.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

My Special Aflac Duck® Makes Landing at CHOC Children's Hospital, Patients Receive Robotic Duck Designed to Help Them Cope with Cancer

At the delivery event, attendees were treated to a demonstration of My Special Aflac Duck, highlighting how it will help comfort children and serve as a tool for health care professionals to use with their patients. After the demonstration, children and their parents went on a fun scavenger hunt, finding clues and visiting various locations throughout the oncology unit, eventually leading them to the discovery of their very own My Special Aflac Duck®.

Events, Media & Communications

Northern Trust Hosted Art Event to Support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in Texas

Art for a great cause! In hashtagDallas we hosted an art event at the Samuel Lynne Galleries to support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in hashtagTexas. We are pleased to support the LLS and our own Julie Buschman on her nomination for the LLS Woman of the Year!

Energy

No Time to Waste: How Digitalization Can Solve the Carbon Crisis

Schneider Electric itself is committed to reach carbon neutrality by 2030 and being powered by 80% renewable electricity by 2020. The company has also helped many other RE100 signees to reach the same goal. After taking steps for efficiency, the next step, if more energy is needed, is to adopt renewables by the different ways of buying it. That combination of efficiency and fostering renewable energy has also helped Schneider to get closer to its goal of avoiding 120 million tons of CO2 on behalf of their customers by 2020.

Research, Reports & Publications

ICYMI! Spring 2019 – Shedding Light on Gender and Navigating Academia

We are excited to share the latest edition of ICYMI! A Magazine for Business Sustainability Professionals. In each edition of ICYMI!, we share the latest research, teaching and engagement from the Erb Institute. Our cover story for this edition is by Erb faculty member, Sara Soderstrom. She shares how she’s working to bring awareness to gender issues in academia.

Environment

Ecocentricity Blog: More Ray Andersons

Ray Anderson believed in the “Power of One” and so do the staff and trustees at his namesake foundation. One community, one organization, and even one person can have far-reaching influence beyond that which might seem possible.

Research, Reports & Publications

8th Global Pro Bono State of the Practice Report Is Released

The 8th Global Pro Bono State of the Practice, presented by PYXERA Global, highlights the top five trends based on data collected from 26 companies, 63 percent of which belong to Fortune’s Global 500.In addition to overall growth in the practice area, trends show companies are prioritizing social impact, aligning programming with corporate strategy, engaging more internal stakeholders, and increasing impact measurement to make the business case for Global Pro Bono. The State of the Practice also includes a practitioner’s guide for companies keen to pilot a program and ensure it has a foundation for success.

Innovation & Technology

New Solvent, Cyrene, Takes on NMP

A small Austrailian company called Circa Group and the lab services giant Merck KGaA have teamed up to launch a new solvent intended to replace two old but environmentally suspect standbys: N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and dimethyl formamide (DMF).

Environment

FPT Industrial Promoted “Urban Forestry”, Turin’s New Green Lung

Sustainability consists of concrete gestures and it is for this reason that FPT Industrial, a Brand of CNH Industrial, decided to support Urban Forestry. This is a reforestation project of the Basse di Stura area, in the north of Turin, involves the planting of 1,000 trees of 32 native species typical of the forests and hedges of Piedmont. The four-hectare area has been planted with oak, poplar, willow, elm, ash, linden, maple, hawthorn and other shrubs. Basse di Stura will become an all-around sustainable area and it is estimated that this project will help reduce carbon dioxide by some ten tons annually.

Latest Campaigns

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