Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

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







Editors Pick

Environment

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Children’s Garden to Open May 19

Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens today announced the much-anticipated opening of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Children’s Garden, a two-acre immersive experience designed to connect children with nature.

Environment

Stomachache? Soil gets them, too

If your mother told you it’s important to chew your food, she was right. Dr. Kris Nichols, microbiologist and former chief scientist of Rodale, can scientifically prove it. “We all have microbes that process food in our stomachs, and if you don’t chew your food well, the microbes get upset and lead to a stomachache,” she says. Believe it or not, soil acts in the exact same way.

Research, Reports & Publications

FedEx Multiplies Opportunities: 2018 Global Citizenship Report

FedEx is committed to using its size, scale and network to multiply positive outcomes for businesses, people and communities around the world. The 2018 Global Citizenship Report tracks these efforts across three areas: Economy, Environment and People. Highlights from the report include:

Health & Healthcare

Ask the Dietitian: Top Performance Tips

Aramark dietitian Jillian Wanik shares what the best foods, drink and practices are to maintain a healthy diet and active lifestyle.

Environment

Pernod Ricard: Getting Rid of Plastic Straws is a Call to Corporate Responsibility

Plastic drinking straws are everywhere – in the soft drinks that we order with our meal, in the glass of water we’re served in a restaurant and the boxed juice sold in stores. They are even in the mixed cocktails that are served in bars and lounges. But these days, the sleek, plastic straw is best known for the environmental mess that is cluttering the world’s parks, beaches and landfills.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Iconic Houses: Celebrating Modern Architectural Marvels

As the World’s largest travel network, American Express has a deep understanding of the influence buildings and landmarks can have on society. And, as regular readers of my blog know, we have a long history of helping communities thrive through the power of preservation.

Energy

AEG and LA Kings Partner With BluEco Technology Group on Revolutionary New Water and Ice Development Technology for Stadiums and Arenas, Maximizing Energy Efficiency, Improving In-Venue Climate and Providing Cost Savings

AEG, the world’s leading sports and entertainment company, and its National Hockey League (NHL) franchise, the LA Kings, have formed a joint venture with BluEco Technology Group to introduce a revolutionary new BluEco Liquid Crystalline Turbex™ (LCT™) environmental technology for arenas and public facilities. The BluEco LCT System produces pure water while cleaning indoor air and significantly reducing energy costs for arena and facility operators and owners.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Thriving in a Loving Home, What Every Child Deserves and YOU Can Help

Imagine spending a year and a half not knowing if the bed you slept in one night would be the bed you sleep in the next night. That’s reality for the more than 430,000 children in foster care in North America, but the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption knows that these children can have a bright future. More than 117,000 children living in foster care need to be adopted right now.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

New Mexico Homeownership to Get $4.6 Million Boost

The NeighborhoodLIFT program will offer homebuyer education plus $7,500 down payment assistance grants for all 33 New Mexico counties, through a $4.6 million commitment by Wells Fargo.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

KeyBank Provides a Total of $49.7 Million in Financing for Colorado Affordable Housing Development

KeyBank’s Community Development Lending & Investment (CDLI) team has provided a total of $49.7 million in financing to a joint venture among Koelbel and Company, Mile High Development and Longs Peak Advisors to support the new construction of Eaton Street Apartments, a 118-unit affordable housing development in Westminster, CO. Specifically, KeyBank provided a $24.8 million construction loan, a $14.1 million LIHTC equity investment and a $10.8 million Fannie Mae permanent loan. Jefferson County Housing Authority is a Special Limited Partner.

Environment

How Sea Oats Make Beautiful Beaches Possible

As enchanting as coastal sea oats look, their golden tassels dancing in the ocean breeze from Florida’s Panhandle to North Carolina’s Outer Banks, what lies hidden beneath the sand is even more magical. The roots of this dainty-looking grass extend as deep as 5 feet below the surface, and literally anchor the dunes in place. For the fragile barrier islands, sea oats are the first line of defense.

Environment

Practitioner Spotlight--Julie Mouton

Antea Group spotlights Julie Mouton, who is based in Seattle and specializes in environmental remediation and compliance as well as sustainability.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Record Breaking 17th Annual Comcast Cares Day for Comcast NBCUniversal

Comcast NBCUniversal today announced a record number of volunteers, projects and total hours served during the company’s 17th annual Comcast Cares Day, the nation’s largest single-day corporate volunteer effort and a powerful representation of the company’s year-round commitment to community service.

Green Infrastructure

Las Vegas Sands ECO360 Executive Profile: Norbert Riezler

Ten years ago, senior vice president, chief procurement and sustainability officer Norbert Riezler, was appointed to manage the U.S. procurement department for Las Vegas Sands and within 18 months, was asked to head the department globally by Chairman and CEO, Sheldon Adelson. Three years later, he was asked to lead the sustainability department globally, managing the program in Macao and Singapore as well.

Events, Media & Communications

Announcing the Global Engagement Forum: Live, Hosted by PYXERA Global, October 10 - 11

PYXERA Global is proud to announce the third Global Engagement Forum: Live, to be held on October 10-11, 2018 in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The invite-only forum focuses on four solvable problems within the Sustainable Development Goals. Leaders and experts from business, government, and nonprofit organizations will come together for two days of intensive collaboration.

Sustainable Development Goals

Bringing Business Back Home: Biomass Energy of Sri Lanka

In 2006, my London-based publishing house, Dakini Books, published the critically acclaimed ‘Global Warning – The Last Chance for Change’, Paul Brown's fact-based book on climate change and its consequences for the planet and humanity. This book gave me phenomenal insight into what to expect in the next 20 years, and more importantly what we need to do if humanity is to even have a chance.

Research, Reports & Publications

Ceres’ New Analysis of Large Global Companies Links Sustainability Performance with Strong Governance Systems

A new report released today by the nonprofit organization Ceres finds that companies with strong systems for board sustainability oversight are more likely to perform better on sustainability challenges such as climate change, water scarcity and pollution, and human rights abuses.

Events, Media & Communications

BSR18: A New Blueprint for Business

The world is changing at a rapid pace. The business agenda is changing, and the sustainability agenda needs to change with it. At the BSR Conference 2018 in New York City November 6-8, we will be presenting “A New Blueprint for Business,” defining a path that enables business to thrive in societies that prosper.

Events, Media & Communications

12 Reasons to Attend the 5th International Reporting 3.0 Conference

Reporting 3.0 stands out in a crowded landscape for a variety of reasons, including our positive maverick commitment to necessary levels of transformation and our pre-competitive, collaborative networked approach. Similarly, the 5th International Reporting 3.0 Conference, hosted by KPMG at their Amsterdam Headquarters on 12-13 June 2018, stands out in a crowded landscape for a variety of reasons.

Social Impact & Volunteering

MilliporeSigma Employees SPARK Curiosity Around the World

With the successful launch of the SPARK Global Volunteer Program in 2016, MilliporeSigma, the life science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, employees continue to SPARK curiosity around the world, giving back to the communities in which they live and work during 2018 quarterly dedicated SPARK weeks. In addition to SPARK events organized throughout the year, the dedicated SPARK weeks model brings employees together at specific and consistent points in time.

Events, Media & Communications

How to Boost Employee Engagement With the VolunteerMatch Network [Webinar]

Many companies invest a lot of time in researching nonprofits and curating one-off volunteer opportunities for their employees. Yet research shows that one-third of employees won’t actually give through their workplace because they’re not able to choose the causes that matter to them. In this month's free webinar on May 29, 2018, we will introduce the VolunteerMatch Network and how it can serve the interests of both your company and its individual employees.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Market Forces Driving Combined Food Safety and Sustainability Initiatives

Sound food safety practices are integral to sustainable and resilient agricultural production systems, which in turn are viewed as essential to ending hunger worldwide, as discussed under the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal #2. Even so, approaching food safety and sustainability in tandem is just now becoming mainstream. Nonetheless, a recent consumer survey by SCS Global Services shows that today's shoppers already see food safety and sustainability as congruent. Read more about what's driving this convergence in SCS' latest blogpost.

Research, Reports & Publications

Owens Corning Publishes 12th Annual Sustainability Report

Owens Corning (NYSE: OC) today published its 2017 Sustainability Report. The company’s 12th annual report, themed Purpose + People + Action, documents the progress made against its 2020 sustainability goals and its stated commitment to making the world a better place. The report also prominently features Owens Corning employee stories and employee images as a testament to their contributions.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Good Goes Global During Our Volunteer Week

Research, Reports & Publications

Philip Morris International Sustainability Report Shows Relentless Business Shift Towards Smoke-Free Future

Philip Morris International Inc. (“PMI”) (NYSE: PM) today published its third Sustainability Report (2017), outlining the concrete steps being taken to fundamentally transform its business by putting smoke-free products at the core of PMI’s sustainability efforts to address wider societal challenges, drive operational excellence, manage its social impact and reduce its environmental footprint.

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...