Corporate Social Responsibility

Data privacy is a primary concern for companies today, but that attention is often focused on customers. Yet they are not the only people whose data companies store. They also maintain information on their employees. And employees are apparently not all that confident that employers are doing a good job of protecting their personal data at the workplace.

Smithfield Foods, Inc. is pleased to announce the grand opening of its new distribution center in Tar Heel, North Carolina, which will create approximately 250 new jobs in the state. Smithfield invested more than $100 million into the over 500,000-square foot facility, about the size of eight football fields, and its blast cell cold storage capabilities at its processing facility, which will strengthen the company’s supply chain to better serve customers globally.

In 2009, Sysco began working with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to assess and improve the sustainability of its seafood supply chain. Through this collaboration, Sysco committed in 2011 to source its top 10 Portico® brand (Sysco’s own seafood brand) frozen and further-processed wild-caught seafood species from fisheries that were either certified to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard, in full assessment for MSC certification or engaged in a comprehensive Fishery Improvement Project (FIP), by 2015.

Continuing its alliance with WWF, in 2016, Sysco committed to further improve the sustainability of its seafood procurement through 2020, incorporating additional elements to guide its seafood procurement practices and standards.

At a time when the latest IPCC report calls for urgent action to fight climate change, Schneider Electric, the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, is accelerating its contribution to meeting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. To mark the occasion of COP24 in Katowice (Poland), from December 3 to 14, 2018, Schneider Electric is strengthening its commitments to become carbon neutral by 2030 using solutions that will help accelerate the transition towards a low carbon economy.

Graduate school completely changed this guest author’s thoughts about sustainability issues, and equipped her with a toolkit for analyzing environmental challenges and implementing circular economy solutions.

In October, Gildan joined industry peers as a signatory of a multi-stakeholder initiative to safeguard workers in the global apparel supply chain.

Whole Kids Foundation announced today that it has awarded Bee Hive Grants to three schools in Chicago with money raised from the inaugural Give Bees a Chance campaign this past summer. Grant recipients include Smyth IB World School, Genevieve Melody STEM Elementary School and Community Christian Alternative Academy. Each school will receive support for an educational bee hive on campus, providing students with learning opportunities around science, ecology, nutrition, business and agriculture.

Leading US mayors join CEOs and business leaders from North America’s most innovative, responsible brands to discuss how to lead the change to a sustainable future through investments, collaboration and innovation at Ethical Corporation’s Responsible Business Summit New York, March 18-19.

Carolyn Bloodworth is an effective team builder who works tirelessly to meet the basic needs of Michigan residents through Consumers Energy Foundation and Consumers Energy employee volunteers. Throughout her tenure as director of Corporate Giving at Consumers Energy, she has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for our communities in Michigan.