ESG News from Leading Brands

Diversity & Inclusion

Yum! Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Elevates Inclusion by Making It a Leadership Competency

Jan 21, 2019 10:30 AM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Aflac Highlights Why Benefits Matter

Jan 21, 2019 10:15 AM ET

Benefits are important to employees, and they’re important to your company’s bottom line too. The Aflac WorkForces Report found that employer-offered benefits are a strong differentiator when it comes to attracting employees, retaining them and protecting their well-being.

Research, Reports & Publications

Your Cheat Sheet to Cisco’s 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

Jan 21, 2019 10:05 AM ET

FY18 was a significant year for CSR in many ways – Blackrock’s CEO Larry Fink came out strong in his annual letter titled, “A Sense of Purpose,” emphasizing the importance that business considers their impact on society and the environment. Companies continued to take a public stand on issues such as equality, immigration and more. At Cisco, we recognize we cannot solve the world’s problems on our own, but we have an opportunity and a responsibility to do our part. Last week we launched our 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, celebrating our achievements to date as well as how we are addressing the areas where we can do more. Here are highlights from this year’s report across our three CSR pillars of People, Society and Planet; your “cheat sheet” to CSR at Cisco in FY18.

Environment

Putting the “Success” in Succession Planning: Why It Matters and How to Do It

Jan 21, 2019 10:05 AM ET

Antea Group’s blog helps you prepare your successor to allow for a potentially seamless career transition and create an invaluable safety net.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Impact at Work: Attracting Talent to Support Financial Education for California Youth

Jan 21, 2019 10:00 AM ET

I had the exciting opportunity to interview Amiko Foster of Youth Finance Institute of America (YFIA), a California-based nonprofit that provides personal finance education programs designed to teach finance life skills to youth in disadvantaged areas. Since launching their program in 2015, YFIA’s entirely volunteer-based staff has been able to serve over 1200 youth to date.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Developing Syria's New Humanitarians

Jan 21, 2019 9:15 AM ET

“The worst man-made disaster the world has seen since World War II.” That’s how the United Nations human rights chief has described the ongoing conflict in Syria. The response from international NGOs has been swift, providing food, healthcare, and temporary shelter to the millions of Syrians affected by the conflict, but the challenges these aid organizations face getting humanitarian assistance to those in need have grown more extreme.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Partner Insights: Pfizer Global Health Fellows

Jan 21, 2019 9:00 AM ET

In 2018, Pfizer celebrated 15 years of the Global Health Fellows (GHF) program, our signature international corporate volunteer initiative that places colleagues on short-term assignments with international development organizations to help improve healthcare systems and build local healthcare capacity in underserved communities. For program partners, it brings much-needed resources, specific technical skills and a fresh mindset.

Diversity & Inclusion

Interview with Tim Singh, Proposal Coordinator, Business Development Support Services

Jan 21, 2019 8:00 AM ET

Tim Singh is a proposal coordinator with Tetra Tech based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He helps Tetra Tech teams specializing in water, environment, infrastructure, resource management, and geotechnical engineering pursue and win new business. Tim has a bachelor’s degree in industrial design and a master’s degree in strategic design.

Green Infrastructure

Alliance for Community Trees Groups Improve Communities Through Tree Planting

Jan 21, 2019 8:00 AM ET

Local impact happens when community-based tree planting organizations create projects that involve citizens, schools, churches, and government. This is the work of the nearly 130 members of the Alliance for Community Trees program. These passionate nonprofit organizations are the boots on the ground — a grassroots network united in its purpose of improving communities and towns across the country with trees.

Environment

General Mills Works to Decouple Emissions From Business Growth

Jan 21, 2019 8:00 AM ET

As our warming climate poses greater and greater uncertainty for the food sector, leading companies are looking to shrink their own contributions to climate change and build resilience for the days to come.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Gildan Opens “Rio Market” for Employees at Their Rio Nance Complex in Honduras

Jan 21, 2019 8:00 AM ET

Gildan has launched a new onsite supermarket for its employees, offering non-perishable food, household essentials and personal care items at discounted prices for 8,500 workers located at the complex.

Research, Reports & Publications

Elkay Begins Tracking Their “Honorable Endeavors”

Jan 21, 2019 4:00 AM ET

Elkay Manufacturing Company today released their inaugural Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, documenting the company’s commitment to their communities, employees, customers, and the planet. The report, named Honorable Endeavors, follows the Global Reporting Initiative G4 model and outlines the company’s focus on promoting social and environmental responsibility while building stronger communities.

Diversity & Inclusion

21CF and U.S. State Department Host Second-Annual #HiddenNoMore Program, Helping Advance Women Around the World in STEAM Fields

Jan 18, 2019 7:05 PM ET

In 2017, 21st Century Fox partnered with the U.S Department of State to launch #HiddenNoMore, an all-female STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) leadership development program inspired by the Fox 2000 film Hidden Figures. The initiative marked the first time in history that a Hollywood movie led to the creation of a publicly-funded educational exchange program.

Innovation & Technology

5 Best Practices of Design Thinking Companies Can Use to Ensure Data Privacy

Jan 18, 2019 4:30 PM ET

As online security and user experience simultaneously become two of the most important topics for modern companies, GDPR compliance by companies is a must. There is an art to creating a high-quality user experience while also adhering to this new regulation, and it begins with design thinking.

Energy

Bloomberg, Cox Enterprises, Gap Inc., Salesforce and Workday Close All-New Renewable Energy Aggregation Deal

Jan 18, 2019 2:45 PM ET

Bloomberg, Cox Enterprises, Gap Inc.(NYSE: GPS), Salesforce (NASDAQ: CRM), and Workday (NASDAQ: WDAY), with guidance from LevelTen Energy and its renewable energy procurement platform, closed 42.5 megawatts of a 100 megawatt North Carolina solar project, by global renewable energy developer, service provider and wholesaler, BayWa r.e. This group of companies, coming together as the Corporate Renewable Energy Aggregation Group, is the first example of companies aggregating similar, relatively small amounts of renewable energy demand to collaboratively enter into a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA), collectively acting as the anchor tenant for a large offsite renewable energy project.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

PepsiCo and The Global FoodBanking Network Partnership Delivers More Than 85 Million Servings of Fresh Food to Communities in Need in 2018

Jan 18, 2019 1:50 PM ET

PepsiCo, one of the world's leading food and beverage companies, and The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN), a nonprofit organization that develops and supports food banks in more than 30 countries, delivered more than 85 million servings of fresh food to communities in need in 2018 as part of their partnership to strengthen food banks around the world.

Sustainable Development Goals

How DSM is Embracing The Sustainable Development Goals

Jan 18, 2019 1:00 PM ET

As the world's largest food ingredient supplier and vitamin producer, Netherlands-based DSM has a clear interest in global nutrition. The company long has had an outward-looking approach to the subject, having signed a partnership with the United Nations' World Food Program (WFP) back in 2007 and setting up its own Nutrition Improvement Program.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Schneider Electric Recognized by Bloomberg and Catalyst for Advancing Gender Equality and Inclusion

Jan 18, 2019 12:15 PM ET

Schneider Electric, the global leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, has received two significant accolades for its commitment and progress towards gender equality and inclusion across the Group. The company has been awarded as one of the 230 companies included in the 2019 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) and for the first time received the 2019 Catalyst Award that highlight companies for their bold and forward-thinking initiatives that help create safe and inclusive workplaces where women can advance.

Sustainable Development Goals

A Message to Entrepreneurs: This Is About Missing Entire Markets, Not Just Marketing Opportunities

Jan 18, 2019 12:10 PM ET

Sahba Sobhani is a Global Programme Advisor-Private Sector in the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), UN Development Programme (UNDP). He provides programme support and policy advice on private sector development issues and technical oversight for UNDP’s multi-stakeholder initiatives including the Business Call to Action Initiative, the Connecting Business Initiative and the G20 Global Platform on Inclusive Business. Previously, he managed two key UNDP private sector initiatives. He is a graduate of Yale University and the Fletcher School of Diplomacy (USA).

Events, Media & Communications

American Express Backs the Community of Puerto Rico

Jan 18, 2019 11:30 AM ET

The company is proud to back global brand ambassador, Lin-Manuel Miranda, as he reprises his role of Alexander Hamilton in a special, limited-run of the award-winning musical Hamilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico, all in support of the arts. Lin-Manuel has committed to donating proceeds from the production and its partnerships to the Flamboyan Arts Fund, in partnership with the Flamboyan Foundation.

Education

Lockheed Martin Announces $50,000 Scholarship for STEM Students in Partnership with Surface Navy Association

Jan 18, 2019 11:05 AM ET

Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) today announced a $50,000 scholarship program for students pursuing a STEM path, in partnership with the Surface Navy Association (SNA). The scholarship will be $10,000 a year for the next five years. Four students across the nation will receive a $2,500 award each year for financial aid. Recipients of the 2019 scholarship will be announced in the spring.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Bloomberg Announces Founding Members of New Climate Finance Leadership Initiative

Jan 18, 2019 10:20 AM ET

Today, Michael R. Bloomberg, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Action, announced the founding members of the Climate Finance Leadership Initiative (CFLI), convening six influential financial sector leaders to help facilitate the private financing objectives included in the landmark Paris Agreement. Mary Schapiro, Special Advisor to the Founder and Chairman and Vice Chair for Public Policy at Bloomberg LP, will act as Vice Chair of the CFLI.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

MOMS Orange County Names Epsilon as 2019 Champion for Babies & Families

Jan 18, 2019 10:05 AM ET

MOMS Orange County presents its Champion for Babies & Families award to Epsilon, a global leader in creating connections between people and brands, and an Alliance Data company.

Events, Media & Communications

GRI’s Membership Program Evolves: Welcome to the GRI Community!

Jan 18, 2019 9:15 AM ET

As the field of sustainability reporting continues to evolve and grow, GRI’s membership program evolves with it. In 2019, we are building on years of success for GRI’s global network with the establishment of the new GRI Community. This platform will bring together businesses, organizations and sustainability leaders that are committed to transparency.

Sustainable Development Goals

Commercializing Flare Gas to Reduce Emissions and Develop Economies

Jan 18, 2019 8:00 AM ET

Associated gas (AG) is produced from the reservoir during oil production. In this post, Tetra Tech’s John Sachs, director of project finance, and Artur Davtyan, manager of project finance, discuss how AG could be used to fuel power plants, used as bottled gas, serve as a feedstock, exported as liquid natural gas (LNG), or put to other productive use, with contributions by John Beardsworth and William Newton of Hunton Andrews Kurth, LLP. All opinions expressed in this post are the authors’ own.