ESG News from Leading Brands

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Corporate Responsibility in the Workplace at NRG

Jan 7, 2019 10:50 AM ET

To keep our employees healthy, happy and operating at their best, NRG provides several wellness benefits. We offer full and part-time employees scheduled to work 20 or more hours per week health, dental and vision insurance, mental health assistance, a non-tobacco user discount, adoption assistance, parental leave and tuition reimbursement, among other benefits. Additionally, we sponsored more than a dozen runs, walks and bike rides to promote healthy behavior and hosted more than 25 employee health fairs in 2017 at NRG locations across the country.

Environment

Inogen Member Spotlight--Peter Ramsay, Peter J. Ramsay & Associates

Jan 7, 2019 10:45 AM ET

Antea Group talks to Peter Ramsay, Managing Director of Peter J Ramsay & Associates, an Inogen member firm based in Melbourne, Australia.

Energy

How Mohawk’s Smartflowers Make a Social Impact

Jan 7, 2019 10:35 AM ET

Between the elementary and high schools of Rockingham County is Mohawk Group’s latest smartflower installation. Throughout the day, students can watch the 194 square-foot ground-mounted structure's solar paneled petals open and turn in the direction of the sun. It’s the second of 10 smartflowers to be installed over the next three years in collaboration with Groundswell, a nonprofit dedicated to developing community solar projects. The effort serves a multi-faceted purpose: save energy, empower underserved communities and raise awareness around sustainability. It also helped two of Mohawk’s floor coverings — Pivot Point resilient tile and Sunweave broadloom carpet — achieve Living Product Challenge Petal certifications.

Health & Healthcare

Educating 5 Million Rural Bangladeshi Children on Health, Hygiene and Safe Drinking Water

Jan 7, 2019 10:20 AM ET

Consumer goods giant Unilever Bangladesh has joined Business Call to Action with a commitment to educate an additional 5 million rural children on handwashing and tooth-brushing, ensure access to safe drinking water for over 1 million people, and ensure above minimum wage employment for thousands by 2021.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Moody’s Donates $10,000 to Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls

Jan 7, 2019 10:10 AM ET

We truly believe that knowledge fuels opportunity – and we’re proud to support the intelligent, focused and determined young women graduating from the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG)with scholarships for 25 students to help with the cost of university textbooks. Moody’s Foundation, represented by Moody’s Foundation President Arlene Isaacs-Lowe, and Moody’s South Africa Country Manager Sylvia Chahonyo, made a $10,000 donation to the school in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Events, Media & Communications

Life and Laboratory Will Collide at P&G’s LifeLab, January 8-11 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas

Jan 7, 2019 9:55 AM ET

Illuminating six product experiences, our LifeLab exhibit will showcase how we are combining breakthrough science and technologies with deep consumer understanding to deliver connected innovations that transform people’s lives.

Innovation & Technology

The Top 3 Cyber Threats to Watch Out for in 2019

Jan 7, 2019 9:45 AM ET

Every day, cyber criminals from across the world are scheming about ways to steal your data. According to the FBI’s 2017 Internet Crime Report,[1] a total of 301,580 complaints were reported by victims with losses in excess of $1.4 billion that year. They seem to be using increasingly sophisticated methods, which means consumers need to stay on high alert to protect their personal information.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Adding Value to Society

Jan 7, 2019 9:35 AM ET

Our Mission reminds us that our foremost priority is to contribute to human welfare. As global citizens, we leverage the full size and reach of our company to contribute to communities around the world.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Partnership Focuses on Waste Reduction and Overcrowding at National Parks

Jan 7, 2019 8:35 AM ET

Responsible Production & Consumption

The Unholy Marriage Between Crony Capitalism and Sustainability

Jan 7, 2019 8:15 AM ET

In a marketplace littered with crony capitalism is this what passes as corporate sustainability these days?

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

A Decade of Impact in Africa

Jan 7, 2019 8:00 AM ET

This is a true story about 1,500 African food companies in nine African countries, and 1,500 volunteers from six food companies that worked together to improve food security across Africa.

Sustainable Development Goals

Expert Interview With Hope Herron, Resilient Infrastructure Expert

Jan 7, 2019 8:00 AM ET

Hope Herron has been an environmental specialist and climate resilience expert with Tetra Tech for more than 10 years. She develops strategic, sustainable, resilient, and socio-economic solutions to global development challenges. Hope uses her knowledge to improve livelihoods, mitigate climate change impacts, and increase transparency for sustainable supply chains—from creating climate change assessment tools in the Caribbean to incorporating environmental considerations into road and bridge design in South Sudan.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

A Message From the Arbor Day Foundation Chair of the Board of Trustees

Jan 7, 2019 8:00 AM ET

I feel very fortunate to have served on the Arbor Day Foundation’s board of trustees for nine years now. Stepping into my new role as board chair has given me the opportunity to reflect on the last decade and the great change I have witnessed at the Foundation through the years.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Jim Knutzon Takes the Reins of SCS Global Services’ Food and Agriculture Division

Jan 7, 2019 8:00 AM ET

Sustainable agriculture veteran Jim Knutzon has assumed oversight of SCS Global Services’ industry-leading food and agriculture services division. This division provides a wide array of third-party certification, standards development and consulting services, addressing the food safety, sustainability, and quality needs of the entire value chain, including food and fiber producers, manufacturers, handlers, retailers and consumers around the world.

Events, Media & Communications

CEO, Interface to Join Assistant Secretary-General, UN Environment at Responsible Business Summit

Jan 7, 2019 8:00 AM ET

I’m excited to share with you that Jay Gould, CEO, Interface will join Satya Tripathi, Assistant Secretary-General of the UN Environment on stage. Both will be sharing their vision on climate action and achieving net positive impact at Ethical Corporation’s 2019 Responsible Business Summit New York (March 18-19).

Education

Wells Fargo, Scholarship America Invite Veterans to Apply for Scholarships, Emergency Grants

Jan 7, 2019 8:00 AM ET

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) and Scholarship America announced they are accepting applications for the 2019 Wells Fargo Veterans Scholarship and Wells Fargo Veterans Emergency Grant Programs. In 2016, Wells Fargo committed $2 million over a four-year period to fund the programs and assist veterans and spouses of veterans with disabilities succeed in getting the education they need for careers they choose.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

How Share the Warmth Helped Avert Crisis

Jan 4, 2019 3:10 PM ET

She didn’t want to ask for help. All her life, Melissa Agnew promised herself if she ever had kids, she would give them a better childhood than the one she had, that they wouldn’t know poverty like she did, that they wouldn’t have to wonder, like she did, whether their father had spent the rent money on addiction.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

3 Ways Bloomberg Philanthropy and Engagement Changed the World in 2018

Jan 4, 2019 2:35 PM ET

Our philanthropic programs at Bloomberg allow employees to develop their skills and expertise by applying them to help local nonprofits, small businesses, and students around the world. Together, we invested our time, resources and skills to connect our business with the local communities where we live and work, to create a sustainable impact that we can continue to grow throughout the year.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Lockheed Martin Top CSR & Sustainability Moments of 2018

Jan 4, 2019 2:00 PM ET

2018 was a big year for our customers and employees. As it comes to an end, we reflect on the missions, milestones and achievements.

Energy

A Clean Energy Revolution Is Rising in the Midwest, With Utilities in the Vanguard

Jan 4, 2019 1:15 PM ET

Even with all the evidence that renewable energy has become less expensive than fossil fuels, it doesn't seem real until utilities start to stake their futures on it. For some Midwestern utilities, 2018 is the year that happened.

Xcel Energy of Minnesota in early December said it would go to zero carbon emissions throughout its eight-state territory by 2050, the first major utility to do so. That followed some big steps by Consumers Energy in Michigan and NIPSCO in Indiana, which issued plans to shut down coal-fired power plants sooner than previously planned while also accelerating development of wind and solar power.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

The Nonprofits Behind the Profits

Jan 4, 2019 12:00 PM ET

Arrow Electronics is one such organization. Rather than running a traditional foundation out of the human resources department, Arrow’s philanthropy stems from brand and marketing.

Diversity & Inclusion

Black Enterprise Names Aflac to Prestigious Diversity List

Jan 4, 2019 11:00 AM ET

Aflac, the leader in voluntary insurance sales at U.S. worksites, is once again listed on Black Enterprise’s 2018 prestigious list of the 50 Best Companies for Diversity. This marks the 12th time that Aflac has appeared on this annual list.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

A Journey to Pine Ridge

Jan 4, 2019 10:30 AM ET

Team members from Hormel Foods and Justin’s recently took a break from their day jobs to give back to a community in South Dakota and to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Justin’s partnership with Conscious Alliance, a nonprofit organization committed to supporting communities in crisis through hunger relief and youth empowerment. A group of 16 – including representatives from Convoy of Hope, another community service partner of Hormel Foods –traveled to the Pine Ridge reservation to assemble 400 meal bags, stock food-pantry shelves and spend time with the Oglala Lakota people.

Energy

Schneider Announces Venture Capital for Energy Sustainability

Jan 4, 2019 10:20 AM ET

The firm has committed to invest between 300 and 500 million euros in incubation projects, partnerships with entrepreneurs, and specialised funds in the coming years.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Aide and Laura’s #GardenStory: Garden Transforms Sisters Into Nature-Loving Teenagers

Jan 4, 2019 10:05 AM ET

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation is cultivating the health and well-being of the next-generation from the ground up. We’re supporting garden programs, like the one at La Bajada Youth Farm in Dallas, Texas, to connect more children to the life-enhancing benefits of gardens.
Starting January 2, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation will support schools and nonprofit organizations across the country in bringing a garden to their community through our Grassroots Grants with KidsGardening.