Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Unreasonable Impact | Improving Job and Food Security for 30 Million Farmers in India

Jul 10, 2017 9:35 AM ET

In eastern India, around 30 million farmers tend to an acre or less of land, where they can’t access most of the available renewable groundwater or reliable agriculture-grade electricity. In a country that will be the world’s most populous in a matter of years, the need is dire for increased agricultural productivity. Khethworks has developed a solar-powered irrigation system that allows these small-plot farmers to affordably cultivate year-round.

Environment

T5’s Food Trash Turns to Healthy Soils

Jul 10, 2017 9:35 AM ET

In 2016, our JFK T5 composting program put 100,000 pounds of food waste back to work. This saved roughly 38 tonnes of CO2e emissions.

Sustainable Development Goals

Mars Launches Farmer Income Lab to Tackle Issue of Smallholder Farmer Income

Jul 10, 2017 9:30 AM ET

Mars has today launched The Farmer Income Lab, a collaborative ‘think-do tank’ aimed at helping to increase farmers’ incomes. The Farmer Income Lab will invest in research and shape dialogue to produce practical insights which will be turned into action. The Livelihoods Fund for Family Farming, as well as Mars’ programs in cocoa, mint and rice, will provide a way of testing the insights and implementing the new models for dramatically improving farmer incomes.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Golfers Tee Off in De Beers Group Tournament

Jul 10, 2017 9:30 AM ET

Twenty-four professional and 14 amateur golfers from Namibia, South Africa and Zambia battled for the top honours at the Namdeb Sperrgebiet Open. It was played over 54 holes on three days (9-11 June) in Oranjemund.

Diversity & Inclusion

'Rosie the Riveter' is Still an Inspiration

Jul 10, 2017 9:15 AM ET

Innovation & Technology

A Better Normal: How X1 Leveled the Field for Two Blind Teens

Jul 10, 2017 9:15 AM ET

Comcast launched the X1 talking guide in 2014 as part of our commitment to making our technology and media accessible to the widest possible audience. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 19 million U.S. households have at least one member with a disability and 8.1 million people have a visual disability. Providing richer, more inclusive entertainment experiences is just the right thing to do for our customers.

Health & Healthcare

Novartis Foundation and Partners Call for a Global Effort to Make Leprosy History

Jul 10, 2017 9:15 AM ET

The Novartis Foundation and its partners published two articles that call for a global effort to make leprosy history. The reviews have been published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, a leading journal in infectious diseases.The two articles set out an action-oriented strategy for achieving the global goal of zero leprosy transmission.

Education

Point Foundation Creates Scholarship to Help LGBTQ Community College Students Transfer to Four-Year Degree Programs

Jul 10, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Events, Media & Communications

Corporate Responsibility Association and CR Magazine Announce Commit!Forum 2017 Theme; ‘Brands Taking Stands’ to Drive Discussion, Oct. 11-12 in Washington’s National Harbor

Jul 10, 2017 9:00 AM ET

The Corporate Responsibility Association (CRA) and CR Magazine announced today the 2017 edition of COMMIT!Forum will focus on “Brands Taking Stands, the role of the corporate responsibility practitioner as companies make their voices heard.

Research, Reports & Publications

Letter from Weatherford's Sustainability Committee

Jul 10, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Weatherford is a global company that helps to provide energy to the world for today and tomorrow while ensuring benefits for all of our stakeholders through responsible operations, sustainable performance, world-class people, and global citizenship. We are guided by our operational principles and Code of Conduct and will operate our business of providing services to the upstream oil and gas industry in an ethical, safe, and profitable manner.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Demystifying Outcomes Measurement: A Glossary for Funders

Jul 10, 2017 7:00 AM ET

There are so many terms floating around that it’s making outcomes measurement seem overwhelming for organizations and individual change-makers who want to get started. If we can demystify the terminology around outcomes measurement and impact storytelling, could that lower the barrier to entry?

Social Impact & Volunteering

All Star Bryce Harper is Going to Bat for Kids with Cancer

Jul 7, 2017 8:55 PM ET

Environment

Companies Raise Awareness and Attendance for National Parks

Jul 7, 2017 7:00 PM ET

As summer heats up, many Americans take this time to enjoy the glories of nature by visiting our nation’s vast National Parks system. Yet, those same national treasures are in peril due to proposed National Parks Service budget cuts. As discussions on the topic heat up, many companies are showing their support for the outdoors through campaigns raising money, awareness and attendance at America’s National Parks.

Environment

Whirlpool Corporation Announces the Launch of Our 2016 Sustainability Report

Jul 7, 2017 5:45 PM ET

Whirlpool Corporation has launched its 2016 Sustainability Report, which presents a broader view of the company's global sustainability achievements in 2016 in its operations and products, and with its employees and communities.

Environment

Final Recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)

Jul 7, 2017 3:25 PM ET

Last week the FSB Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), chaired by Mike Bloomberg, released its final Recommendations report, which outlines a voluntary framework for companies to disclose their climate-related risks and opportunities in their financial filings.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Liberty International Underwriters Volunteer at Ellis Island

Jul 7, 2017 3:00 PM ET

Members of Keep America Beautiful’s headquarters’ staff joined volunteers from Liberty International Underwriters (LIU) and the National Park Service to beautify the north end of Ellis Island in New York Harbor.

Health & Healthcare

Three Quality of Lifehacks for Safe Summer Grilling

Jul 7, 2017 2:25 PM ET

Social Impact & Volunteering

TeamCITGO Celebrates 30 Years of Volunteering in SWLA

Jul 7, 2017 1:10 PM ET

TeamCITGO volunteers and their families, local elected officials, agencies that TeamCITGO serves, and local business leaders recently gathered at the West Cal Events Center to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the employee-led volunteer group. TeamCITGO is the volunteer organization of the CITGO Lake Charles Refinery and was the first established employee-led industrial volunteer group in the area, donating thousands of community service hours to local charitable organizations throughout the last three decades.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

VMware’s Culture Is Built on EPIC2 Values

Jul 7, 2017 1:05 PM ET

VMware has been recognized by Fortune magazine on its list of Best Workplaces for Millennials. This follows similar recognition for the company’s outstanding culture and working environment from outlets such as Forbes and Computerworld. So, what’s the company’s secret?

Media & Communications

Film with Impact: Stoking the Transformative Power of Story

Jul 7, 2017 12:45 PM ET

In partnership with the American Film Institute’s annual AFI DOCS film festival, we’re helping documentary filmmakers gain new skills and resources to maximize the social impact of their projects. This support is part of our broader efforts to promote innovation through media, which we believe is one of the most powerful avenues for driving positive change on a global scale.

Environment

General Motors Sustainability Newsletter - July 2017

Jul 7, 2017 12:15 PM ET

GM’s chief talent officer, Michael Arena, knows the power of culture and employees. In an industry that is poised for radical disruption, like automotive, it is critical to disrupt the way employees work to not only keep pace with start-ups, but to transform veteran companies.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Three Ways to Streamline ESG Reporting: Outcomes from WFE and GRI Roundtable

Jul 7, 2017 12:00 PM ET

Bringing together companies, investors and exchanges from across the world, GRI and the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) co-hosted a round-table discussion to create a better understanding of how ESG reporting can be made more effective.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Antea Group Named 2017 Top Workplace

Jul 7, 2017 11:45 AM ET

Antea Group has been named one of the Top Workplaces in Minnesota by the Star Tribune. The Top Workplaces program recognizes the most progressive companies in the state based on employee opinions measuring engagement, organizational health and satisfaction.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

How Are You Thinking About Impact?

Jul 7, 2017 11:30 AM ET

Maybe I’m being too idealistic—after all, it’s just a paycheck, right? But because of who I am, that’s not how I think about the 40 (who am I kidding, it’s way more than 40) hours that I spend working each week. And what do I work for? To make an impact—one that’s greater than anything I could accomplish as an individual. I start with me, then my team, then how an organization with 19,000 individuals—who are working with more than 1 million customers all around the world to solve some of the toughest problems—how can you not think about impact?

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

My Greatest Challenge Became My Greatest Joy

Jul 7, 2017 11:00 AM ET

In November of 2015, I received a referral for an 18-year-old girl, who also had a one-year-old daughter. I quickly learned that she was not allowed to contact much of her biological family and many of her other family members had extensive criminal backgrounds. I knew immediately that finding Rebecca and her daughter an adoptive home might be the biggest challenge of my career. So let me tell you how I did it.