Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Green Infrastructure

SC Johnson and Plastic Bank Team up to Address the Global Ocean Plastic Crisis

Oct 29, 2018 12:45 PM ET

Today, SC Johnson is announcing a new partnership with Plastic Bank, one of the leading organizations working to reduce the global crisis of ocean plastic, to help increase recycling rates in impoverished communities across Indonesia while addressing the challenges of poverty.

Sustainable Development Goals

What Does It Really Mean When We Call Something “Sustainable”?

Oct 29, 2018 12:40 PM ET

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Working Together for Water and a Cleaner Lake Taihu

Oct 29, 2018 12:30 PM ET

A 2016 McKinsey study suggested that 90 percent of air, soil, and land impacts associated with consumer goods are supply chain-related. Meanwhile, organizations such as Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) are highlighting dynamics such as the competition among supply chains for limited water supplies, alongside other key sustainability challenges such as climate change and population growth.

We have an opportunity for real impact here, and focus on addressing both our direct water use, as well as driving positive change among our supply base.

Innovation & Technology

Green Chemistry: Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany Makes it Possible

Oct 29, 2018 12:20 PM ET

How can you develop environmentally friendly chemicals that are just as effective as traditional substances? This question has been asked by the life science company, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Through the company's "Green Chemistry" program, the Group develops and produces sustainable alternatives to the usual chemical products.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

An Interview with Arash Ghafoori, Executive Director, Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth

Oct 29, 2018 12:20 PM ET

Arash Ghafoori is the Executive Director of the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY), Southern Nevada’s most comprehensive service provider for homeless youth. Leveraging his diverse background in policy, academia, and the start-up and corporate worlds, Ghafoori has transformed NPHY into a community leader on issues affecting Southern Nevada’s homeless youth.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Mohawk Supports Susan G. Komen 3-Day

Oct 29, 2018 11:30 AM ET

Across the country, Mohawk Industries employees have been rallying to show support for Susan G. Komen with multi-campus #MohawkGoesPink events and volunteering in the multi-city Susan G. Komen 3-Day series.

Environment

Practitioner Spotlight--Don Riggs

Oct 29, 2018 11:10 AM ET

Antea Group shines the spotlight on Don Riggs, its industrial safety consultant based in the Lakewood, Denver office.

Sustainable Development Goals

Healthy Soil 101: Why Soil Health Matters and How the Food Sector Can Help

Oct 29, 2018 11:05 AM ET

Beyond sustaining plant life—and the rest of the food chain along with it—soil itself is very much alive. One handful of dirt contains up to 50 billion bacteria and hundreds of thousands of individual fungal cells. As these microorganisms move through the soil, they feast on minerals and dead organic matter and leave nutrients behind, allowing plants to grow and ecosystems to thrive.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

eBay UK Raises £105,000 in 24 Hours for Youth Charity

Oct 29, 2018 11:00 AM ET

At eBay, we strive to create opportunity for all. Supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses in communities all over the world is central to our mission.

That’s why we’ve recently entered into a partnership to help raise funds and awareness for youth charity The Prince’s Trust. Through its Enterprise programme the charity works with 18-30 year old budding entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into a business reality by providing them with training, mentoring, funding and a variety of other resources.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Cisco, Domtar and Dow Inspire 2019 RBSNY Agenda

Oct 29, 2018 10:55 AM ET

2019 is bringing the best, the most innovative and most inspiring brands and investors in responsible business to New York, with a focus on delivering transparent ESG leadership.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Key Women at Scotiabank Receive WCM’s Transformational Leadership Awards

Oct 29, 2018 10:55 AM ET

Congratulations to the GBM Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Office for winning the 2018 WCM Excellence in Innovation Award. This award honours those who have approached gender diversity with an innovative lens and taken bold steps to improve diversity and inclusion.

Events, Media & Communications

3BL Forum Focuses on the Long View

Oct 29, 2018 10:35 AM ET

This year’s “Brands Taking Stands: The Long View” doubled down on the theme, exploring the latest developments in those companies taking positions on the key social and political issues of the day—and in their actions to make progressive change.

Environment

How Ikea and HP Want to Help Keep Plastic out of the Ocean: Make Stuff From It

Oct 29, 2018 10:05 AM ET

If you buy an ink cartridge from HP, some of the plastic might have come from bottles collected on streets and canals in Port-au-Prince, Haiti–intercepted before they could end up in the ocean. Since 2017, the company has worked with local collectors to gather more than half a million pounds of plastic in the area, keeping around 12 million plastic bottles out of the Caribbean.

Events, Media & Communications

Experts Gather to Discuss ROI of Sustainable Business at New Metrics ‘18

Oct 29, 2018 10:00 AM ET

The Sustainable Brands® community gathers today in Philadelphia, PA to kick off the 8th annual New Metrics conference. Over 300 global executives from brands like Nike, Salesforce, and Eileen Fisher are convening to unveil cutting-edge corporate practices that measure and quantify environmental and social impacts and tie them to financial and business value. Conversations are focusing on 4 key areas: Value in Strategy & Operations, Value in Finance & Investing, Value in Product & Service Innovation and Value in Marketing & Communications.

Health & Healthcare

Two Childhood Cancer Patients Ring NYSE Opening Bell to Raise Cancer Awareness

Oct 29, 2018 9:55 AM ET

Last month, two young patients from the Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta joined Aflac executives to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Education

Forbes Magazine | Corporations Turn To Community Colleges To Create Programs To Meet Workforce Needs

Oct 29, 2018 9:15 AM ET

Google isn’t the only major corporation taking the initiative on training its future workforce; car manufacturer Subaru announced in September that it was getting in on the action, launching an associate’s degree in automotive technology with Mt. Hood Community College in Oregon.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

LG Experience Happiness Initiative Amplifies Awareness of Research-Backed Sustainable Happiness Skills

Oct 29, 2018 9:15 AM ET

Since launching the Life’s Good: Experience Happiness initiative a year ago, LG Electronics USA already has reached 530,000 youth across America with Sustainable Happiness Skills. LG has been working to increase awareness and usage of LG Experience Happiness partner programs across the U.S. with a goal of reaching 5.5 million over five years.

Education

Alliance for Community Trees Mentor Exchange Program Connects Up With Trees with Trees Forever

Oct 29, 2018 9:00 AM ET

This year, Alliance for Community Trees hosted a mentor exchange program for members through a grant from the U.S. Forest Service. The mentor exchange program paired smaller non-profit groups with larger groups and allowed them to learn by travelling to their location and doing a site visit.

Research, Reports & Publications

Securing a Sustainable Future

Oct 26, 2018 5:55 PM ET

We are proud to share our 2018 Corporate Responsibility (CR) Report, which highlights the progress we’ve made in delivering on CR commitments to our people, your information, and the world. In this, our 11th CR report, we share both the progress we’ve made and the areas where we need to improve, as both are a part of our CR journey.

Our 2018 report also describes how we are contributing to specific UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs represent a unique opportunity to align our core business capabilities with society’s pressing needs and we provide progress updates on efforts towards Goal 4 (quality education), Goal 5 (gender equality), Goal 8 (decent work and economic growth), Goal 10 (reduced inequalities), and Goal 13 (climate action).

Events, Media & Communications

Discovery Education, TGR Foundation, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and University of Maryland Changemakers Discuss the Future Workforce and Talent Pipeline at ‘Brands Taking Stands’ 3BL Forum

Oct 26, 2018 5:00 PM ET

Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital education content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, TGR Foundation, A Tiger Woods Charity, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and University of Maryland panelists yesterday joined 3BL Forum: Brands Taking Stands - The Long View to discuss The Future Workforce and a Pipeline of Talent. Technology has drastically changed the technical skills needed to hold the jobs of today and greater job specializations are the driving force behind the need for a STEM talent pipeline.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Personalization and Sustainability Continue to Be Strong Influences in the Label and Packaging Industry

Oct 26, 2018 4:30 PM ET

Just over a week ago, I was in Chicago for Labelexpo, the largest trade show for the labeling and packaging industry. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the ongoing impact of the ever increasing demand from consumers for personalized products and experiences, that are more sustainable in their footprint, was evident across the booths at the show.

Environment

Partnering to Reduce Plastic Waste

Oct 26, 2018 4:30 PM ET

To achieve our long-term sustainability goals, we partnered with Plastic Whale to remove plastic waste from the Amsterdam canals to be recycled into raw material.

Events, Media & Communications

Mohawk Solar Energy “Handprinting” Initiative to be Featured on Oct. 30 GreenBiz Webcast

Oct 26, 2018 3:30 PM ET

Mohawk Industries’ George Bandy Jr., VP of sustainability and commercial marketing, will join Groundswell CEO Michelle Moore for an engaging webcast sharing how their respective organizations built a solar energy partnership geared towards schools and underserved communities. The GreenBiz webcast, titled “Powering Inclusion Through Solar Handprints: An Innovative Partnership,” will take place Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018, 1-2 p.m. EST. Joel Makower, executive editor of GreenBiz, will serve as moderator. The webcast is free to attend online.

Environment

HP Sources More Than 550,000 Pounds of Ocean-Bound Plastic for New Cartridges

Oct 26, 2018 2:55 PM ET

Imagine the size of an adult humpback whale. Now imagine the whale relative to an empty plastic water bottle. No comparison, right? In fact, it would take about 12 million empty plastic bottles (that’s nearly one bottle per every person in the state of Ohio) to balance the scale against just seven adult humpback whales.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Xylem Employees in Germany Improve Their Communities During October Month of Service

Oct 26, 2018 2:00 PM ET

Xylem employees in Germany have been active during Xylem Watermark’s October Month of Service and have engaged children in their volunteer efforts. Last week, the Ludwigsburg site participated in a creative event, where they built a beautiful wooden shed at a youth farm for local children. Their neighbors at the Langenhagen site supported the Friends Children Forest in Hannover by planting trees and restoring a stream. Both the Ludswigburg and Langenhagen teams are showing how their volunteer efforts are improving their communities during Xylem’s Global Month of Service!