Corporate Responsibility

GRI’s new Benchmarking Service helps you to understand how your reporting compares to what your peers are doing in your industry, country and region, and is a useful tool to showcase the ROI of sustainability reporting.

Third-party certification is widely recognized as playing an integral role in helping companies demonstrate their environmental, sustainability, and safety achievements to their customers and stakeholders. As a certification body, the question we are most frequently asked is what qualifies us to do this work. SCS’ Quality Assurance Team assures that our operations run uninterrupted by supporting multiple accreditations in good standing and ensuring that our clients receive the most scientifically rigorous, impartial, efficient, and high-quality assessments from our auditors.

Aligning the capital markets more directly with the urgent needs we face as a society to halt environmental destruction and reverse decades of worsening inequality must be our priority for 2018. Alignment needs to occur at every level, across the global markets. Despite the tremendous efforts behind the Paris Climate Accord, formalization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and a long history of other efforts to change the course of climate change and inequality, we are not making nearly the progress needed. The 1,700 signatories to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment, which represent $70 trillion of assets and a wave of press about environmental, social and governance-oriented investing, have not gotten us on track.

What is Facebook thinking? We live in a values laden society. To presume that those values can be discounted and ignored and factored out of the algorithmic equation ignores the current reality of our society and world. It is still people who are using the platform and people are imperfect.

SCS Global Services (SCS) has achieved a new milestone, crossing the 125 million metric tons CO2e mark for carbon offsets verified. This achievement reflects greenhouse gas (GHG) offset projects evaluated over nearly 10 years by SCS, including projects focused on forests and land-use, agriculture, renewable energy, ozone depleting substances (ODS), and more.

During 2017, we have seen many brands stepping into divisive conversations sharing different perspectives, spreading inclusivity and attempting to offset unkindness. Acknowledging the divisiveness that our nation faced this year, KIND has launched a storytelling campaign to counter the negativity and unite the country despite opposing opinions we all may have.

Our social responsibility efforts focus on our employees, customers and our local communities. We engage with customers to create relevant and innovative products. Across our operations, we focus on the safety, well-being and expertise of our employees, and we routinely work to connect and contribute in our local communities.

Last week, Aflac Chief Brand and Communications Officer Catherine Blades, and Reputation Institution Chief Research Officer Stephen Hahn Griffiths, discussed the findings of Aflac’s 2017 Survey on Corporate Social Responsibility with 31 television and radio stations across the country. This annual, scientific survey collects the thoughts and expectations of 1,000 consumers and investors regarding business ethics and responsibility.

Every year, as part of its long commitment to support our nation’s military communities, Walmart helps Wreaths Across America (WAA) recognize the sacrifices of our nation’s veterans and their families through wreath laying ceremonies around the nation. Coordinated and led by local volunteers, this annual event seeks to further the WAA’s mission — Remember, Honor, Teach — ensuring that the memory of those who served our country endures.

Winter has officially hit West Michigan and the freezing temperatures have arrived. For many families the cost of keeping the heat on hits close to home.