Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Research, Reports & Publications

Amid Climate Change Worries, the Question: What to do With Too Much Water?

Jun 17, 2019 10:00 AM ET

Water, water everywhere. And with the troubling prospect of more of it in coming years, concerns over climate change and its effects are deepening, from more frequent extreme events in the Midwest to rising sea levels affecting low-lying areas vulnerable to coastal flooding. Aging infrastructure still dominates the discussion, yet a pressing question lingers: How can water utilities and those entrusted to oversee them do more, sometimes with less, to mitigate against mega-storms already proven to outmatch legacy conveyance and storage strategies?

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Future Returns: Invest for Goals Instead of Returns

Jun 17, 2019 9:55 AM ET

Northern Trust has discovered the best way to bring female clients into the investment process is to show how their portfolio can fund their current lifestyle and their goals, instead of talking about how they are going to invest to beat the market.

Health & Healthcare

Battling the Baby Blues: Meet 3 Researchers Whose Innovative Work Is All About Boosting the Mental Health of Moms

Jun 17, 2019 9:30 AM ET

Worldwide, 13% of women who've just given birth experience a mental disorder—most commonly postpartum depression, which can leave new moms with feelings of sadness, hopelessness and emptiness that can last for more than two weeks after delivery. What researchers hypothesize could be to blame: a complex interplay of physical and emotional factors, like fluctuating hormone levels and lack of access to adequate social support.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

If You Missed the World Circular Economy Forum 2019 — the Elephant is Still in the Room

Jun 17, 2019 9:30 AM ET

“The World Circular Economy Forum brought together more than 2,000 business leaders, policymakers and experts from around the world to present the best circular economy solutions”, it states on its website. As such, it reflects the current state of affairs and the direction of the international community towards transitioning to a circular economy. There’s really no better place to be if you crave a rich multi-stakeholder perspective on the topic in the short span of two days.

Health & Healthcare

Mobile Solutions to Improve Access to Healthcare

Jun 17, 2019 9:30 AM ET

Health inequality is a growing concern in Canada and the United States.1 Where you live can play a big part, especially for those living in remote communities, but so can employment status, income level, gender and ethnicity. And in turn, there is a link between the state of your health and your finances. The cost of care, the ability to carry a job or to participate in society can have health impacts.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Trust and Partnership in Action

Jun 17, 2019 9:00 AM ET

We recognize the relationship with our neighboring communities has a direct impact on our license to operate. A strong example of this recognition can be found at our Pascagoula Refinery in Mississippi where we implemented a process that reflects our approach to stakeholder engagement. We caught up with Melanie Landsiedel on the community affairs team at the refinery to learn more.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Fifth Third Bank to Offer New, Free Virtual Concierge Service

Jun 17, 2019 9:00 AM ET

Personal demands don’t stop while you’re at work, so Fifth Third Bank is now offering a virtual concierge service to its employees through Best Upon Request.

Energy

NRG Energy: Sustainable Solutions for Customers

Jun 17, 2019 8:10 AM ET

Innovation & Technology

Annual Ideagen Global Innovation 2030 Summit

Jun 14, 2019 8:40 PM ET

Leaders and Luminaries from the world's leading companies, NGO's and Public Sector convened for the Annual Ideagen Global Innovation 2030 Summit at Microsoft Headquarters in Seattle on June 4th, 2019.

Energy

ALLETE Clean Energy's Diamond Spring Wind Project Will Provide Renewable Energy to Large Corporate Customers Including Smithfield Foods and Walmart

Jun 14, 2019 6:00 PM ET

ALLETE Clean Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of ALLETE (NYSE: ALE), announced today a power sales agreement with Smithfield Foods, Inc. for the remaining output of the Diamond Spring wind site ALLETE Clean Energy will build, own and operate in Oklahoma.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Mohawk Group Honored with NeoCon Accolades Spanning Multiple Flooring Categories and Awards Programs

Jun 14, 2019 4:30 PM ET

Leading commercial flooring manufacturer Mohawk Group earned several awards this week in Chicago at NeoCon covering all major flooring categories, including carpet tile, broadloom, area rugs, resilient tile and resilient sheet. NeoCon is North America’s largest design exposition and conference for commercial interior design professionals, offering ideas and introductions that shape the built environment today and into the future.

Environment

A Better Way for Michigan

Jun 14, 2019 3:05 PM ET

Consumers Energy has a long term vision to create a more sustainable energy future for our state. Our Clean Energy Plan,* developed with a variety of Michigan stakeholders, is a path to reduce carbon emissions by more than 90 percent and end the use of coal as a fuel source for electricity by 2040. But we’re not waiting two decades to do our part for Michigan’s natural resources.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Ten Billion Dollars & Counting: Helping Small Businesses Globally

Jun 14, 2019 2:30 PM ET

For more than 20 years, PayPal has been helping small business owners achieve their dreams. In the beginning, we provided marketplace sellers with a secure way to accept electronic payments from buyers. In 2013, we started pursuing another path: providing our small business owners with much needed access to capital in order to grow. So, in response, we launched PayPal Working Capital as a way to bring our merchants the financing they so desperately needed.

Environment

Keep America Beautiful® 'Cigarette Litter Prevention Program'

Jun 14, 2019 2:00 PM ET

Keep America Beautiful®, the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization, has taken aim at aggressively reducing cigarette litter and beautifying communities through its Cigarette Litter Prevention Program® (CLPP), which launched in 2002.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Alliance Data Named as a Forbes America’s Best Employer by State

Jun 14, 2019 1:35 PM ET

Diversity & Inclusion

JetBlue and RuPaul’s Drag Race Bring It to The Runway for World Pride as New York’s Hometown Airline® Celebrates Ongoing Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Jun 14, 2019 1:20 PM ET

JetBlue today announced a series of special events and highlighted the airline’s ongoing support for various LGBTQ organizations throughout Pride Month – and throughout the year – as New York’s Hometown Airline celebrates World Pride.

Diversity & Inclusion

Schneider Electric: Building an Inclusive Culture for LGBT+ at Work

Jun 14, 2019 12:35 PM ET

Over the past few years, our company has adapted and improved the way to talk about Inclusion. Especially about LGBT+ communities. When I joined Schneider Electric in France, my partner and I had access to the same benefits as any other couple. Even before marriage was legal, the company was already one of the few to recognize all forms of unions.

Research, Reports & Publications

Water Meets "New Energy": Surging Renewables Have Utilities Eyeing Alternative Power Sources

Jun 14, 2019 12:30 PM ET

Water and energy systems long have been intrinsically intertwined, given electricity's entrenchment as one of a water or wastewater utility's biggest expenditures. But as water suppliers and wastewater service providers grapple with ways to reduce power costs, advance toward "green" energy and participate in the electric industry evolution, there's talk of "ner energy."

Environment

Painting A Blue Sky

Jun 14, 2019 12:10 PM ET

Shipping containers play a major role in global trade, helping companies around the world to move goods securely from A to B. However, until recently, containers manufactured in China were painted using solvent-heavy coatings. This endangered the health of local communities due to the release of high concentrations of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Different From Business As Usual: Unique Talent Management Principles in Inclusive Business

Jun 14, 2019 12:00 PM ET

Research, Reports & Publications

Public Consultation Period on the Latest AA1000 Assurance Standard Opened

Jun 14, 2019 11:45 AM ET

The latest revision of the AA1000 Assurance Standard, the AA1000AS (2019), has been initiated by AccountAbility for public consultation via a globally accessible web platform today. The AA1000AS (2019) is an internationally accepted, freely available standard that provides the requirements for AccountAbility licensed assurance providers to conduct good-quality sustainability assurance on sustainability disclosures by reporting organisations.

Research, Reports & Publications

Mike Bloomberg Introduces the 2019 Bloomberg Philanthropies Annual Report

Jun 14, 2019 11:05 AM ET

Mike Bloomberg issued his new letter on philanthropy today as part of the release of Bloomberg Philanthropies' 2019 annual report.

His lifetime giving now totals more than $8 billion.

He writes: “In the year ahead, as political candidates debate what to do in the future, we will work to improve the present by expanding our efforts."

Education

The Possibilities Lie Within Us

Jun 14, 2019 11:00 AM ET

Can you imagine the implications to the country and society if we were better able to harness and unleash the talent all around us? What if opportunity and culture unlocked the ambition and dreams of more people – young and old – to achieve their potential? We’re barely scratching the surface.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Being in the Zone: When Work Just Goes So Right

Jun 14, 2019 10:10 AM ET

I recently had the fortune to visit one of our customers, and this visit was unlike any other I’ve ever had. To understand how we got to this day in March, let me give you some flavor of how these experiences usually go for context.

There’s route one: Our sales team emails or calls and says, “Hey, our customer is asking what we do for sustainability.” Typically this happens in April — Earth Month, of course — and other times during quarterly customer reviews. They ask for a few slides or send a questionnaire. This is my most loathed format because, from my end, I don’t see much done with the data and these requests take time. The sales rep is concerned because the request is steep and the details are tough, especially for those who aren’t subject matter experts. They also want to make su

Events, Media & Communications

SC Johnson Brings Acclaimed “Love Sonia” Anti-Human Trafficking Film to Racine, Wisconsin

Jun 14, 2019 10:00 AM ET

SC Johnson hosted a screening of the acclaimed film “Love Sonia,” the story of a young girl’s journey to rescue her sister from the dangerous world of human trafficking after their debt-ridden father sells her into prostitution. Inspired by real-life events, the film is the directorial debut from “Slumdog Millionaire” producer Tabrez Noorani and exposes the disturbing issue of international human trafficking. The film was shown to an audience of law enforcement professionals, educators, medical professionals, community leaders and the general public at the company’s Golden Rondelle Theater in Racine, Wisconsin on Thursday, June 13.