Media & Communications

2017’s Top 10 Sustainable Business Stories – HBR Author Andrew Winston Weighs In – What Are Your Top 2017 Stories?

Jan 8, 2018 3:20 PM ET

As we all quickly learned after the January 20 inauguration, the U.S. signaled it would be pulling out of the historic Paris Climate Accord – to become at some point in 2018 probably the ONLY country standing by itself. At least at the [Federal] governmental level.

And so, Trend #1, writes Andrew Winston, is the “Newtonian equal-and-opposite reaction from business, states, and cities – nothing short of amazing – their pushback on policy decisions is my #1 story of 2017.”

Media & Communications

Kroger Expands Fair Trade Certified™ Offerings

Jan 8, 2018 3:15 PM ET

Kroger, in partnership with Fair Trade USA, announced today that its Simple Truth® brand will expand in 2018 to offer more Fair Trade Certified™ products. The Simple Truth® brand’s current portfolio of Fair Trade products spans multiple commodities, including coffee, cocoa, coconut, tea, sugar and agave, and leads the private label grocery industry in Fair Trade offerings.

Environment

CIT To Plant 18,000 Trees Across California And Florida Through Its Gratitude & Growth Project

Jan 8, 2018 1:40 PM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Glassdoor Celebrates Viacom as “Company We Wished We Worked For”

Jan 8, 2018 12:30 PM ET

Viacom has recently snagged mentions as a company with jaw-dropping workspaces, as one of the top job destinations for working moms, and as one of the top large companies to work for. With such a multidimensional environment that continually cultivates young talent and encourages next-generation development programs such as Girls Who Code, it is fitting that Glassdoor recently named Viacom as one of “11 Companies We Wish We Worked For.”

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

7 Trends to Put on Your Radar

Jan 8, 2018 10:45 AM ET

Large scale disasters, design thinking, and more will affect corporate social responsibility professionals in 2018. Warren Buffet has stated that natural disasters have a greater economic impact than terrorism. As an example, Puerto Rico’s economy is expected to shrink by 8% because of Hurricane Maria, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Bombay Sapphire's Laverstoke Mill is a Sustainable Marvel

Jan 8, 2018 10:30 AM ET

Since 2011, Laverstoke Mill has been home to one of the most recognisable of gins, Bombay Sapphire.

Since the gin distillery took up residence, the most striking addition to this quiet Victorian site has been the two intertwining glasshouses, designed by Thomas Heatherwick’s studio. Behind these picturesque scenes though lies the heart of Laverstoke; the ecological and sustainability emphasis that is key to the site. A biomass boiler uses by-products from the distillation to provide heat and hot water; through this, coupled with a photovoltaic array and a hydro-electric turbine on the river, up to 85 per cent of the site’s power is self-generated to reduce its carbon footprint.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Philip Morris Is Giving up Cigarettes – And Asking Consumers to Do the Same

Jan 8, 2018 10:15 AM ET

Although it may seem counterintuitive for a company to discourage consumers from buying its products, we have seen this strategy work in brands’ favors in the past – Patagonia’s “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign resulted in an overwhelming positive response from consumers who took extra time to learn about the brand’s mission before making a purchase. Now, one company with a notoriously controversial product is attempting to pivot its business model to be more socially responsible – and marketing directly to consumers during this transition.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Smithfield Foods Achieves Industry-Leading Animal Care Commitment, Unveils New Virtual Reality Video of Its Group Housing Systems

Jan 8, 2018 10:15 AM ET

Smithfield Foods, Inc. is proud to announce that it has fulfilled its industry-leading commitment of providing group housing systems for pregnant sows on all company-owned farms in the United States. Smithfield also released a 360-degree, virtual reality video that transports viewers to a company sow farm.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Marina Bay Sands Team Members Share: What Volunteerism Means to Me

Jan 8, 2018 10:05 AM ET

Brandon Cheong, Shift Manager, Loyalty Club at Marina Bay Sands, first started volunteering while still in school at a local animal shelter after being inspired by United Nations Messenger of Peace, Dame Jane Goodall. This sparked a lifelong commitment to volunteerism as he believes in giving a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. He has devoted time volunteering and fundraising for Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD) and Voice for Animals (VFA).

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

WEC and DFGE Expand Their Partnership to Foster Transparent CSR Information

Jan 8, 2018 10:00 AM ET

World Environment Center (WEC) and DFGE Institute for Energy, Ecology and Economy will expand their cooperation to help organizations to better integrate Sustainability Intelligence into companies’ daily business from a corporate as well as from a global perspective. First outcome of the partnership will be another webinar in March 2018 addressing "Climate-related Disclosures and Investment Decisions".

Education

Solving the Immunology Puzzle: A Scholar's Journey From Caltech to Forbes 30 Under 30

Jan 8, 2018 9:15 AM ET

In high school, Marvin Gee was fortunate to get a jump start on his research career, working at the National Cancer Institute. Cancer had been a personal interest of his because of the death of his uncle who battled with the disease. His early exposure to bioscience research helped him realize that biology is like a complicated puzzle. It all eventually fits together to make perfect sense.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Brands That Are Brave, Win

Jan 8, 2018 9:00 AM ET

In the context of higher expectations for honesty and bravery about what really matters in our lives, BBMG partnered with Planned Parenthood Federation of America to empower women with confidence, clarity and control around their sexual and reproductive health. The organization’s new app, Spot On, a birth control and period-tracker enables women to track their menstrual cycles, manage their birth control and learn more about their bodies. While developing their launch campaign, we identified five strategies for shifting behavior through bravery.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Visa Named a Top 100 U.S. Green Company

Jan 8, 2018 9:00 AM ET

At Visa, our commitment to operating as a responsible and sustainable company includes a focus on understanding and minimizing the environmental footprint of our payments ecosystem. That is why we are pleased to announce our recognition as one of the top 100 U.S. companies on the Newsweek Green Rankings 2017 list, produced in partnership with Corporate Knights. Visa placed at #73, up 170 spots from the previous year ranking and first among U.S.-based payments networks.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Prudential’s Data-Driven Approach to Engaging Middle Management Employees

Jan 8, 2018 8:45 AM ET

As one of Fortune’s (and Benevity’s) Most Admired Companies, Prudential has a social mission at the core of its business model—that everyone should have the opportunity to achieve financial security. They’ve committed over $1 billion to their hometown of Newark through initiatives like impact investments, grants to nonprofits and infrastructure projects. And even with great participation rates and rave feedback on their Goodness program, Prudential CARES, the company is continuously looking for ways to expand and improve by digging into the data. Learn how Prudential used data to increase participation in community impact programs.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Survey Open! Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s Annual Survey of Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces Opens Today

Jan 8, 2018 8:00 AM ET

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption wants to recognize your company as a 2018 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplace.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Why Gyms Love January: Leveraging Behavioral Economics for Financial Health

Jan 8, 2018 8:00 AM ET

People are famously irrational when it comes to financial matters. We can’t seem to resist wasting money on things that we know aren’t beneficial. MetLife Foundation‘s Evelyn Stark offers a painfully familiar example: “We join gyms every January. We stop going every February. And yet people don’t stop paying for the gym until you have to renew – which is probably the following January. And you may actually renew, because you think, ‘This year, I’m going to go.'”

Research, Reports & Publications

Walgreens Boots Alliance Publishes 2017 Corporate Responsibility Report

Jan 8, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Walgreens Boots Alliance (Nasdaq:WBA) on Friday published its 2017 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report covering the company’s progress during the fiscal year ended 31 August 2017. The report shows how the company is setting the pace on sustainability issues from health care and combatting climate change to promoting diversity and fostering inclusion.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

LA Kings Team Up with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to Celebrate National Blood Donor Month

Jan 6, 2018 1:00 PM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

LA Kings to Host Firefighter Appreciation Night at STAPLES Center

Jan 5, 2018 8:00 PM ET

AEG’s LA Kings will host its annual Firefighter Appreciation Night on Jan. 6 at STAPLES Center as the Kings take on the Nashville Predators. A cornerstone of the team’s community outreach, the Kings Care Foundation will donate tickets to local organizations that serve firefighters and their families in addition to encouraging LA Kings season ticket members to donate money toward a fund to provide free tickets to local firefighters.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Whirlpool Corporation’s Global Habitat Build Honors the 13-year Tenure of Former CEO Jeff Fettig

Jan 5, 2018 2:30 PM ET

Whirlpool Corporation is celebrating the conclusion of its first-ever Global Habitat Build Project -- a project which engaged more than 200 Whirlpool Corporation employee volunteers in 14 Habitat for Humanity home build projects in eight countries. The project was coordinated to recognize the many contributions of the company’s former CEO, Jeff Fettig, who stepped down as CEO on October 31, 2017.

Environment

In Dallas as in Phoenix, People Look to Trees for Relief from Urban Heat Islands

Jan 5, 2018 2:15 PM ET

Islands of urban development contribute to a steady rise in temperatures and can intensify heat's deadly effects, focusing the worst of it on inner cities and neighborhoods where residents can least afford to seek relief.

Research, Reports & Publications

Case Study: GUESS Jeans Taking Leaps in CSR Reporting to Create Positive Impacts

Jan 5, 2018 1:00 PM ET

As a recent CSR reporter with the GRI framework, GUESS Jeans is using reporting to fulfil regulatory requirements, enhance stakeholder engagement and improve supply chain conditions, among other things. For GUESS, CSR is a corporate imperative, and transparency around it is becoming intertwined with its core business.

Health & Healthcare

Scotiabank Supports Children’s Health

Jan 5, 2018 11:15 AM ET

Scotiabank has again committed support to the Bustamante Children's Hospital through sponsorship of the upcoming Shaggy and Friends concert. Since the concert's inception, the bank has 'Dared to Care', donating more than $30-million in funds, and volunteer hours to the cause.

Innovation & Technology

Arrow Electronics Engages Local Business Students in Global Learning Opportunity

Jan 5, 2018 10:35 AM ET

Colorado-based global technology-solutions provider Arrow Electronics recently hosted students from the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business at its Tel Aviv, Israel location as part of the students’ global consulting course. The collaboration provided the second-year Master of Business Administration (MBA) students with a unique, hands-on business learning opportunity, with Arrow benefitting from their fresh perspectives.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Harvesting Rainwater, Serving Meals to Children and More Social Sustainability in India

Jan 5, 2018 10:30 AM ET

In the midst of a water crisis in India – where 77 million people don't have access to safe drinking water – the Green Team at the Ingersoll Rand Sahibabad facility built a rainwater harvesting system to collect and filter rainwater before putting it back into the water table. This restores about 1.2 million gallons of rainwater annually, offsetting 75 percent of the water the plant uses in its operations. In addition, the Green Team reduced the facility's water consumption by 43 percent by implementing standard work and making important upgrades to its wastewater treatment plants.