Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Keep up with the latest news from 3BL’s clients.







Editors Pick

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Bacardi Partners with Sands Cares to Assemble Hygiene Kits for Veterans, Women and Children

In March, Sands Bethlehem hosted a team from the Bacardi Group for two days of meetings and dinners. As part of their visit, the team built 500 hygiene kits for veterans, women and children, providing them with access to soap and other personal hygiene products. The kits were donated to the Victory House, YWCA of Bethlehem and Donegan Elementary School.

Green Infrastructure

Realizing the Future of WELL

Last week, we flipped our calendars from April to May, and with that ushered in a landmark month in IWBI history – the one in which we'll launch the next version of WELL.

Sustainable Development Goals

UN Global Compact Bulletin (May 2018)

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Sappi North America Opens 2018 ‘Ideas that Matter' Call for Entries

Sappi North America, a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper and packaging products, today announced the call for entries for its 2018 Ideas that Matter grant program, inviting designers to show the world how design – specifically print – can play an important role in changing lives for the better.

Sustainable Development Goals

Director of UNEP Speaks on the Role of the Private Sector in Achieving the SDGs

In a recent interview with Ethical Corporation, the Director of Governance Affairs at UN Environment, Jorge Laguna-Celis, explained that engaging with the private sector has been part of UNEP’s “modus-operandi” since the SDGs were signed in 2015. According to Laguna-Celis, “the vision of our executive director Erik Solheim is very simple. In every division, every staff member, in every project he or she is working on, has to devote resources to engaging with the private sector.”

Environment

National Geographic Launches ‘Planet or Plastic?’ Initiative to Reduce Impact of Single-use Plastics on Our Oceans

Every year, 9 million tons of plastic waste ends up in the world’s oceans and could remain in marine environments for more than 450 years. This escalating problem deserves our attention, and today National Geographic is kicking off a multiyear initiative to reduce the impact of single-use plastics on our oceans. The comprehensive plan of action called “Planet or Plastic?” launches today and is tied to the June issue of National Geographic magazine, which is available online now and will hit newsstands on May 29.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

What is Market Transformation and Why Should Business Care?

The Erb Institute is the University of Michigan’s business-sustainability partnership between the Ross School of Business and the School for Environment and Sustainability. We work with business leaders to help them improve company competitiveness through enhanced social, environmental and economic performance. Our degree programs prepare students to be future business leaders for sustainability, while our research and executive education prepare current business leaders for what’s next in sustainability.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Looking for All Things Employee Engagement Embodied into One, Easy-to-Use Employee Giving Tool?

Executing a multifaceted employee giving and engagement program can seem like an overwhelming process. But it doesn’t have to be. If you are looking for all things employee engagement embodied into one, easy-to-use employee giving tool - you can stop looking and start implementing now!

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

CITGO Honored With Special Olympics Louisiana Outstanding Corporate Benefactor Award

This past April, CITGO was honored to receive the Special Olympics Louisiana 2017 Outstanding State Corporate Benefactor Award, noting the company's historic and dependable support of Southwest Louisiana (SWLA) Special Olympics. As a proud partner of SWLA Special Olympics for more than 30 years, CITGO was also presented with a SWLA Special Olympics Sponsor Recognition plaque.

Environment

A Water Crisis Promotes Early Childhood Education and Health

The potential health impact on young children in Flint, Michigan is serious. Two years ago, lead in the city’s water supply reached toxic levels and the drinking water was declared unsafe. At high levels, exposure to lead can affect almost every system in the human body. For young children, especially, it can contribute to learning and behavior problems, slow growth and physical development, and lead to hearing and speech problems. Lead exposure also has been associated with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A Duke University study found that exposure to lead can have a negative impact on children’s lives for decades.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Strengthening the Social Economy: A Conversation With Catherine LaCour, Chief Marketing Officer at Blackbaud

In this episode of the Champions for Social Good podcast, Rachel Hutchisson speaks with Catherine LaCour, chief marketing officer at Blackbaud, about how organizations can strengthen the social economy to build a better world. Learn why leveraging data, individual impact and radical collaboration are critical to achieving greater impact.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Duke Energy Empowers Economies Through Workforce Development

A growing issue for Duke Energy and many businesses is the gap between demand for skilled STEM workers and available talent to fill open positions. One of the ways the company is closing the gap is through our investments in education and workforce development.

Education

For Low-Income Students, a New Graduation Equation

Naffie Baldeh was 27 when she decided to go back to school. A single mother in the South Bronx, she’d been in and out of community colleges over the years as her family obligations and financial circumstances allowed. She was feeling the strain that comes with being a low-income student as her financial responsibilities—childcare, housing, the cost of school itself—competed with her academic ambitions.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Smithfield Foods Releases Latest Section of 2017 Sustainability Report, Shares New Programs and Companywide Commitment to Food Safety and Quality

Smithfield Foods, Inc. released the Food Safety and Quality section of its 2017 Sustainability Report, which provides robust information about the company’s leading approach to producing safe, high-quality products. This section focuses on programs and achievements that underscore a culture of food safety, and highlights new product offerings that reflect Smithfield’s transformation into a world-class consumer packaged goods and protein company.

Education

Teachers on the New Frontier

For many middle school teachers, taking part in a one-to-one initiative, where every student has a digital device for learning, has led to an existential search. In a technology-driven, student-centered learning environment, what does it mean to be a teacher?

Environment

Whole Kids Foundation Joins Forces With Top Chef Talent to Fund School Beehives

Today, Whole Kids Foundation announced the Give Bees A Chance Campaign to showcase the vital role that honey bees play in our food and gardens. The month-long fundraising effort to support the Honey Bee Grant Program, which provides educational honey beehives to schools and nonprofits, will take place during June, National Pollinator Month.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Morgan Stanley Foundation Announces Additional $1.5 Million in Grants to Local Food Banks Across the United States

Morgan Stanley Foundation today announced over $1,500,000 in grants to local food banks in 29 cities across 20 states to support hunger-relief programs that deliver food assistance and healthy meals to children and families. These grants are part of our most recent commitment, bringing our support total to more than $23 million to 200 Feeding America member food banks to help launch, build upon and sustain critical child nutrition programs through child hunger grants and expand access to fresh produce through produce grants. Morgan Stanley is committed to providing children with a healthy start to life and access to nutritious food is a vital part of that pledge.

Sustainable Development Goals

Boosting Farmers’ Income While Strengthening Climate Resilience in Colombia

Media & Communications

Earth911.com Interviews: Cynthia Figge, CEO of CSRHub.com

Consumers have access to corporate sustainability and social responsibility reporting they can use to select the companies they can trust to act ethically. With the rise of "big data" and transparency, there is more information on which to base a smart buying decision than ever before. Cynthia Figge, co-founder and CEO of CSRHub.com, a Seattle-based website that rates and ranks companies based on environmental and social responsibility, joins Mitch Ratcliffe to discuss what CSR reports cover, why business has learned sustainability is good for their bottom line, and how consumers can begin to access CSR data -- including on Earth911.com

Energy

As a Member of RE100, Bloomberg Has Pledged to Obtain 100% of Our Electricity From Renewable Sources by 2025

Bloomberg began investigating renewable energy projects in 2008; our first project, a 1.8MW solar installation in New Jersey, began providing us with energy in 2012. We currently obtain energy from five on- and off-site solar and wind sites. Our newest installation is a 5MW wind farm in Hidalgo, Texas, which started providing us with energy in 2017.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

SC Johnson Switzerland Named 2018 Best Workplace

SC Johnson Switzerland today announced it has been recognized as a 2018 Best Workplace by the Great Place to Work® Institute for the second consecutive year. The organization earned the No. 18 spot in the ranking.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

VIDEO | eBay Everyday Heroes: human-I-T Helps Connect a City

Did you know nearly half of low-income households in Los Angeles do not own a computer and are not connected to the internet*? Watch how eBay seller human-I-T provides teenage mothers in LA with their own PCs to help open new doors for them.

Events, Media & Communications

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association Presents Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine for the 2018 Season

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association announced today details of the menus for the 2018 Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine season. Building on the success of last two summers with award-winning chef Suzanne Goin and business partner restaurateur Caroline Styne of The Lucques Group, and Sodexo Sports & Leisure, Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine promises exceptional dining for visitors to the iconic venue.

Health & Healthcare

Insights: Dr. Mary-Ann Etiebet Reflects on Merck for Mothers’ Efforts and What’s Next

GBC Health sat down with Merck for Mothers Executive Director, Dr. Mary Ann-Etiebet, to hear about the progress that has been made, why she joined the company last year, and what’s next for the global initiative.

Latest Campaigns

  1. Food Systems and Livelihoods
    Illustrate how resilient food systems and economic empowerment enable long-term food security. Cover climate-smart agriculture, local market access...
  2. Aflac in the Community
    Learn more about Aflac’s culture of care and how it sits at the heart of all we do.
  3. Policy and Advocacy
    Policy and Advocacy content from IWBI - International Well Building Institute
  4. Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG)
    The business landscape is reorienting itself and you can almost hear priorities shifting toward change-readiness and the bigger picture. And in this...
  5. Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG)
    The business landscape is reorienting itself and you can almost hear priorities shifting toward change-readiness and the bigger picture. And in this...
  6. IWBI | Workplace Wellness
    A WELL Certified™ project has the potential to add measurable value to the health, well-being and happiness of people in the buildings. It can also...
  7. Collective Action
    Cascale shares updates on its efforts and initiatives geared toward activating its ecosystem to develop and scale solutions that drive collective...
  8. Emergency Response
    Document rapid interventions when crises strike: delivering therapeutic food, water, hygiene kits, and deploying mobile med
  9. Sustainable Products and Innovation
    Ongoing research into innovative solutions enables CNH’s brands to manufacture products that respect the environment while satisfying customers’...
  10. Mary Kay Ash Foundation: Creating a Safer, Healthier World for Women
    In the U.S. and around the world, Mary Kay remains steadfast in its commitment to ending the cycle of domestic violence and finding cures for cancers...
  11. AMD Diversity, Belonging and Inclusion
    Fostering a workplace where all voices are heard, welcomed and valued
  12. GoDaddy | Customers
    GoDaddy is the world’s largest services platform for entrepreneurs around the globe. We’re on a mission to empower our worldwide community of 20+...
  13. Truist Championship
    The Truist Championship has been an official PGA TOUR event since 2003, contested annually at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. One of...
  14. Cascale Events
    Cascale organizes and participates in a series of events, leveraging its position as a global convener of close to half the sector to bring together...
  15. Social Impact
    We help people around the world access essentials for a dignified life and are putting our brands to work on some of the most pressing challenges...