Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

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

Research, Reports & Publications

When Does It Pay for Companies to Signal That They Are “Green?” – Research by Tom Lyon, Erb Institute Faculty

The prevailing wisdom says that it pays to be green. However, some research has demonstrated negative market consequences to companies’ voluntary emissions reductions. Why is this? One answer may lie in “regulator discretion.”

Research, Reports & Publications

Caterpillar Supports the Removal of Landmines

About 110 million land mines are still in the ground as a result of past or current conflict or wars. Landmines restrict the movement of people and humanitarian aid, make land unsuitable for cultivation, and deny citizens access to water, food, care and trade.

Environment

Practitioner Spotlight - Peter Penning

Antea Group spotlights Peter Penning, its Water Stewardship Solution Leader who is based in Europe and whose career spans continents. Peter is enthusiastic and hopeful about the future of water sustainability: “It’s the one sustainability challenge I believe can be tackled in my lifetime.”

Innovation & Technology

Robot Duck Comforts Kids With Cancer

A plush, robotic duck may soon become a fixture in the world of children who have cancer.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Domtar Recognized by Newsweek for Sustainability

Domtar is named a top 50 company for its sustainability work on the Newsweek Green Rankings 2017 list.

Research, Reports & Publications

GRI Standards Now Available in German

The German translation of the GRI Standards is now available to download in time, just in time for the reporting season at hand. As a public good, GRI Standards downloads are all free of change.

Energy

SCS Global Services Accredited for Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP) Certification

SCS Global Services (SCS) has become the third Certification Body to be accredited by Accreditation Services International (ASI) for SBP certification services. ASI, the appointed accreditation body for the SBP certification system, has undertaken a thorough assessment of the processes and procedures in place at SCS and is satisfied that the accreditation requirements for the SBP certification system have been met.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Community Impact Investing

Community impact investments focus on positive criteria for inclusion in a portfolio and can include a wide range of intentions such as affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization, and small business development. These types of investments provide capital to help finance affordable homeownership, loans to start or improve small businesses, loans to rehabilitate affordable rental housing properties and healthcare facilities, and improvements to communities nationwide such as green technology, revitalization activities, rural community development, and more.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Our Global E-Waste Challenge and the Need for Leadership

Trisa Thompson, Senior Vice President and Chief Responsibility Officer at Dell, shares in her article on thecirculars.org the growing challenge we face in dealing with the global rise of e-waste. Thompson shares some of the key barriers to innovation as well as provides insight into the work Dell is doing to lead the change.

Innovation & Technology

Sodexo Launches Upgraded User Experience for Universities Digital Platform

Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life Services, today announced the upgrade of SodexoMyWay, a digital platform enabling customer-driven e-commerce dining websites with dynamic content that will predict content for the user, enhancing their digital experience. The upgrade to the website platform includes an upgraded mobile-first technology for ease of access across multiple devices. Using the newly-released SDL/Tridion (Web 8.5) content management system, this upgrade across Sodexo’s 700-site ecosystem marks the largest deployment of Web 8.5 in the world to date.

Environment

VIDEO: TD Helps Advance Prosperous Low-Carbon Economy With New Set of Environmental Initiatives

TD recently announced a set of initiatives to advance the low-carbon economy of the future. As we look to target CDN$100 billion by 2030, through low-carbon lending, financing, asset management and other programs, TD is demonstrating the crucial role that financial institutions can and should play in supporting economic prosperity and transformational technology.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Boeing Donates $10 Million to the Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative

Boeing [NYSE: BA] has awarded $10 million to the George W. Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative in support of veterans’ programs and services. The company’s donation is part of a $30 million, multi-year investment aimed at veterans' recovery and rehabilitation programs and military transition services. In 2018 alone, Boeing grant dollars will assist more than 100 veterans’ nonprofits, worldwide.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Humana Among Top 10 Military Friendly Gold Employers

Humana was recently named a Top 10 Gold-level Military Friendly ® Employer by Victory Media. The 2018 list of Military Friendly Employers distinguishes elite companies who boast the strongest job opportunities, hiring practices and retention programs for transitioning service members seeking civilian employment. Humana placed 4th overall of 200 companies in the prestigious list. View the entire list. This is the seventh time Humana has made the list.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

In Time of Need, Tonya Dirkse Found Warmth, Peace

Tonya Dirkse was, in her own words, at her breaking point. Recently divorced with no job, she was having trouble making ends meet and was hesitant to ask for help. Then her sister mentioned that she might qualify for social services assistance, saying that it would be “a hand-up not a hand-out.”

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Newsweek Recognizes Mohawk in 2017 Green Rankings For Reducing Its Environmental Impact

For the eighth consecutive year, Mohawk Industries has earned recognition as one of Newsweek magazine’s 500 greenest companies in the United States, and once again it is the only flooring manufacturer to make this influential list. The company ranked 265 in Newsweek’s 2017 Green Ranking program, which uses key indicators to measure environmental performance of large publicly traded companies that are delivering solid business results while minimizing their environmental impact.

Education

Calling Teen Filmmakers: Toyota and Discovery Launch Safe Driving PSA Challenge

Now in its sixth year, Toyota and Discovery Education have kicked off the 2018 TeenDrive365 Video Challenge, inviting 9-12 grade students to submit an original 30-60 second Public Service Announcement for teens about safe driving habits.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

LIVARI: How 3 Women are Leading the New Sustainable Fashion Movement

How many pairs of jeans do you own? How many t-shirts? How many pairs of shoes? A $3 trillion dollar industry employing roughly 60 million people, the fashion industry accounts for 2 percent of the world’s GDP and supports many adjacent industries, including agriculture, petroleum, mining and construction. It’s also an industry that historically hasn’t been very earth friendly. Boston Consulting Group estimates that the fashion industry is the fifth most polluting industry in the world. LIVARI, a new zero-waste, women-led, women-designed label has entered the fashion scene and is looking to change this one tonne of carbon pollution at a time.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Sodexo Announces Its Mindful Soup-er Hero! Winner From Portland, OR, Receives Free Lunch for One Year

Sodexo, world leader of quality-of-life services, is thrilled to announce that Shawn Daley is the winner of Make It Mindful. Shawn, an administrator at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon, created a delicious and healthy 3 Cs (Chicken, Cabbage & Chickpea) Soup that will be featured in Sodexo cafés across the country today through February 4. In addition to seeing his winning soup on the menu, Shawn will receive free lunch for one year.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

National Grid Earns Emergency Response Awards From Edison Electric Institute

National Grid has received Edison Electric Institute’s Emergency Assistance and Emergency Recovery awards for its response to damaging thunderstorms and tornadoes that struck the upstate New York region in May and July 2017.

Environment

Jeremy Lent: Human History and the Climate

Social Impact & Volunteering

MLK Day Employee Volunteer Spotlight: John Ketner

As MLK Day approaches, Common Impact is encouraging our partners to make it a day "on," not a day off. To honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's legacy were lifting up our inspiring employee volunteers who have a strong commitment to civic engagement and are deeply involved in strengthening the livelihood of their local communities.

Research, Reports & Publications

Action Points for Poverty Alleviation: New GRI Paper Outlines Practical Steps

CSR reporting can help companies advance poverty alleviation. A new paper by GRI outlines recommendations and specific disclosures companies can apply to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goal #1: No Poverty.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Humana Named Greenest Among Health Care Providers & Services in 2017 Newsweek Green Rankings

Humana is the greenest company in the Health Care Providers and Services industry, according to Newsweek’s 2017 Green Rankings. Humana ranked No. 18 out of 500 U.S. companies on the list and is the industry leader in the Health Care Providers and Services industry. Overall, Humana ranked No. 32 on the global list.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Scotiabank Sponsors Race Weekend 2018

Nassau, The Bahamas - Scotiabank is a silver, corporate partner for Sunshine Insurance Race Weekend 2018. The Bank has supported the annual event, inclusive of Marathon Bahamas and the Susan G. Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure since inception.

Latest Campaigns

  1. Aflac Stories
    Get a closer look at the people, products and stories that make Aflac the company we know today.
  2. Enriching Women's Lives
    60 years ago, Mary Kay Ash created an unparalleled opportunity for women to define their own successes and control their own futures. Her vision of...
  3. SustainabilityHQ.com Weekly Highlights
    Highlighting the top news, commentary, and research for the week coming from SHQ. The highlights newsletter also spotlights one profiled organization...
  4. Policy and Regulation
    Cascale shares insights regarding policy and regulation impacting the consumer goods industry, and highlights how it's supporting members prepare for...
  5. AEG's Commitment to Social Impact and Volunteerism
    AEG embraces its responsibility to enrich the lives of people in the communities around the world where we do business, and to use business to create...
  6. FedEx | Delivering for Good
    Doing what we do best for those who need it most. When disaster strikes, and there’s not a moment to lose, our people mobilize the FedEx global fleet...
  7. Sustainable Products and Innovation
    Ongoing research into innovative solutions enables CNH’s brands to manufacture products that respect the environment while satisfying customers’...
  8. Growth Through Sustainability
    Trane Technologies is a global climate innovator with a clear purpose to boldly challenge what’s possible for a sustainable world. See how embedding...
  9. Forests
    Managing our forests sustainably and protecting water, wildlife, and species at risk.
  10. GoDaddy | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
    Diverse teams build better products — period. At GoDaddy, we make apps and services that our worldwide community of entrepreneurs can relate to. Our...
  11. Biomimicry and Ray of Hope Accelerator
    The Ray C. Anderson Foundation has partnered with the Biomimicry Institute to create the Ray of Hope Accelerator, designed to bring commercially...
  12. Social Impact at Mastercard
    At Mastercard, we’re powering economies and empowering people, building a sustainable economy where everyone prospers.
  13. KeyBank's Commitment to Diversity
    Promoting inclusive environments by employing systemic changes to improve the access of individuals of diverse backgrounds. Learn more about our...
  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. Greener Products and Solutions
    We actively integrate sustainability into the product development process and look at all phases of the product life cycle for opportunities to...