Responsible Production & Consumption

In a groundbreaking—though long overdue—decision, national delegates at the Twenty-third Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 23), held 6–17 November 2017 in Bonn, Germany, agreed on a framework for addressing agriculture’s impact on climate.

Since 2007, more than 2,100 members of Aflac’s Columbus, Georgia, team have strapped on hardhats and tool belts with Habitat for Humanity. The program is so popular that Aflac holds lotteries to determine which employees will get the chance to participate. This year, 175 employees built Aflac’s 11th Habitat house, to the great delight of resident Marion Dantzler. Meanwhile, 50 employees at Aflac’s Columbia, South Carolina, location worked alongside new Habitat for Humanity homeowners during a five-day renovation project, completing the team’s second home construction.

A Jackson manufacturer is being rewarded with an $100,000 incentive from Consumers Energy for its effort to help lower energy costs for homes and businesses across Michigan.

Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of leading tire companies have announced the latest results of ongoing international research projects studying the potential health and environmental impacts of tires. The eleven CEOs form the Tire Industry Project (TIP), which was founded in 2005 to identify and offer solutions to sustainability challenges associated with the life cycle of tires. TIP is a proactive organization that operates under the umbrella of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

Businesses across Virginia are commending Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s proposed rule that would cut carbon dioxide emissions from the Commonwealth’s electricity sector by 30 percent between 2020 and 2030.

The McAuliffe Administration will present their proposal to the State Air Pollution Control Board later today in Richmond.

Country negotiators are in the spotlight at UN climate negotiations in Bonn. But the private sector will be represented at COP23 as well, particularly from the United States. Major U.S. corporations are stepping up on climate action because they understand the grave risk this threat poses to their customers and bottom lines. Increasingly, they are taking bold action to do their part to solve the problem.

LG Electronics’ latest flagship smartphones, the highly acclaimed LG V30 and V30+, have met the requirements for EPEAT, the leading global ecolabel for the IT sector. The EPEAT mobile phone category is based on the ANSI-accredited UL 110 Standard for Sustainability for Mobile Phones.

As part of Whirlpool Corporation's efforts to increase sustainability initiatives at its facilities around the world, Whirlpool India has taken steps to offset electricity needs and replace diesel fuel at plants throughout the country.

Today at COP23, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) released its 2017 progress report on the Low Carbon Technology Partnerships initiative (LCTPi). This report marks the next step in business’ continued drive to scale up climate action and impact.

The International WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI™) today released its Manufacturer’s Guide to WELL™, a guide that aims to help manufacturers who produce sustainable building products and materials navigate the WELL Building Standard™. IWBI used the occasion to reiterate its intention to keep the global WELL Building Standard (WELL) focused on setting design and policy protocols and performance thresholds that buildings and communities should strive to achieve to improve the health of the people in those spaces.