Corporate Responsibility

RoHS and REACH are two of the most commonly addressed and highest profile substance regulations worldwide. The EU has set an example that many other countries worldwide have followed by adopting their own similar versions of RoHS and REACH.

Ray C. Anderson Collection featured in Georgia Historical Society magazine.

An increasing number of enterprises are focused on going 100% renewable, driven in large part by the recent push to established science-based carbon reduction goals. Three of the supporting energy strategy trends to help enterprises achieve these goals are Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), Virtual PPAs, and Renewable Energy Certificates. None of these is probably a term that comes tripping off the tongue of the average businessperson.

We know diversity and inclusion (D&I) matter. But how do they create value? That’s the question at the heart of an increasing body of research to understand the business case for diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Chevrolet is announcing the sale of 100,000 Volts, giving those owners a no-compromise electric driving experience with a plug-in vehicle offering an EPA-estimated 53 miles of electric vehicle range and a total range of 420 miles between gasoline fill-ups or full recharges*.

When we as a society think about employment for people with disabilities, we rarely think about self-employment. In fact, in can be difficult for anyone’s family and friends to imagine their family member or friend as an entrepreneur. Yet self-employment can be a wonderful opportunity for people with disabilities.

Essilor International, the world’s leading ophthalmic optics company with a mission to improve lives by improving sight, has joined the Business Call to Action (BCtA) with a pledge to create 40,000 primary eye care workers in underserved regions by 2020. The company expects its broadening inclusive business models to improve health outcomes, productivity and wellbeing for more than 50 million low-income people in the next four years.

Efficient vehicles aren’t the only thing produced at GM’s Orion Assembly plant in Michigan. The home of the Chevrolet Bolt EV also generates more than half of its energy from renewable landfill gas – a feat that got the attention of the U.S. EPA’s Green Power Partnership that tracks such activity. The facility now ranks as the eighth largest user of green power generated onsite in the U.S. among Green Power Partnership Partners.

Those of us GRI-trained reporting-types know that when putting together a sustainability report, we can find ourselves lost in the details – aggregating pages of data, writing countless stories, holding hundreds of meetings with colleagues, and securing approvals for every detail of a final report. This year, it was no different for my team as we put together AT&T’s sustainability report, which we call our “Annual Sustainability Update.” But, throughout the reporting process, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture associated with what we’re doing: How our more than 250,000 employees have come together – harnessing grit, passion and the power of technology – to make a positive difference for our communities, our planet, and our company.

Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made an amendment to their Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) final ruling. The EPCRA was established in 1986 with the purpose of helping communities plan for and prevent chemical emergencies.