ESG News from Leading Brands

Social Impact & Volunteering

Statement From Natalye Paquin, Points of Light President and CEO, in Honor of President George H.W. Bush

Dec 1, 2018 8:00 AM ET

President George H.W. Bush was a kind, compassionate and humble man; a leader who believed in service for the betterment of society. As he aptly put it, 'any definition of a successful life must include service to others.' The call to serve your country and your fellow man – both of equal value – was a centerpiece of his presidency and his life. It was from the White House that he founded Points of Light, which has evolved into the largest nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting the power of individuals to create change. Today because of his work, Points of Light is an enduring part of his legacy.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

PayPal Surpasses $98M in Platform Donations on Giving Tuesday

Nov 30, 2018 6:00 PM ET

PayPal has proudly partnered with #GivingTuesday and its founding organization, the 92nd Street Y, since its inception in 2012, supporting charitable giving by creating safe, secure and convenient touch-points for customers to contribute to their favorite charities online. Year-after-year we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our community as millions of global customers turn to our platform to connect with and give to the causes they care about most. In 2012, PayPal processed approximately $16 million in donations on the first #GivingTuesday. In 2015, we set a Guinness World Record by raising more than $45 million, the highest amount raised online for charity in a 24-hour period. And last year, we enabled more than 715,000 people to contribute $64 million to their favorite causes.

Research, Reports & Publications

Erb Featured Business Sustainability Case Study | What is Water Worth?: Nestlé Walks a Fine Line

Nov 30, 2018 4:45 PM ET

Paul Bulcke, CEO of Nestlé S.A., is confronted with an Internet firestorm after a comment made by his predecessor, Nestlé Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, in a 2005 interview resurfaces. In the interview Brabeck-Letmathe calls the human right to water an “extreme solution.” Bulcke must make recommendations to lay the foundation for the company’s future direction relevant to water use at its shareholder meeting the next day.

Energy

Smartflower Provides Clean Energy from the Ground Up

Nov 30, 2018 3:45 PM ET

Mohawk Group and nonprofit Groundswell have teamed up to install a new smartflower solar energy unit near three Rockingham County Schools in North Carolina — a project that will bring the benefits of clean solar power to the area, create educational opportunities for students and contribute to Mohawk’s sustainability efforts.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation Increase Commitment to California Wildfire Relief and Announce Funding for Homeless Services

Nov 30, 2018 2:30 PM ET

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation today increased to $1 million their commitment to support California wildfire relief efforts, including shelter services for evacuees, and announced an additional $1 million from the Walmart Foundation to help address the increased needs of the local homeless population affected by the Camp Fire. This brings Walmart and the Walmart Foundation’s total commitment to more than $2 million for local organizations responding to the impacts of the most recent California wildfires and the growing homeless population in the community.

Events, Media & Communications

Sustainable Finance Week in New York: Dec 3-7

Nov 30, 2018 2:25 PM ET

Bloomberg will convene the first ever Sustainable Finance Week in New York City December 3-7 to accelerate the adoption of sustainable finance practices. Anchoring Sustainable Finance Week is the Bloomberg Global Responsible Investing Forum powered by Nuveen, an organization with over five decades of responsible investing leadership.

Diversity & Inclusion

Men Still Outnumber Women in STEM Fields. The Girl Scouts is Trying to Change That.

Nov 30, 2018 1:15 PM ET

Maggie, Carys and about two dozen other Girl Scouts were participating in a workshop at Northern Trust’s Loop office on a Saturday morning earlier this month to earn their cybersecurity badges. Girl Scouts earn badges or other awards once they’ve explored a topic or learned a new skill. The cybersecurity badges, introduced for girls in kindergarten through fifth grade earlier this year, are part of an effort from the Girl Scouts of the United States of America to increase participation in STEM fields, which have long been dominated by men.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

As JetBlue For Good Month Wraps, Airline Encourages Its Customers and Crewmembers to Keep Up the Good Work throughout the Year

Nov 30, 2018 12:35 PM ET

JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) celebrated November as JetBlue For Good Month. Aligned with the airline’s mission of Inspiring Humanity®, JetBlue gave back in many meaningful ways in the air, on the ground and in the community. Throughout this third annual month-long celebration of volunteerism, JetBlue encouraged its customers and crewmembers to participate in good deeds and acts of service both big and small.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

CyberGrants Announces Record Breaking #GivingTuesday

Nov 30, 2018 12:05 PM ET

CyberGrants, the global leader in Agile Social Impact technology, is thrilled to announce another record breaking #GivingTuesday. Nearly one-third of all corporate giving and grantmaking is processed via CyberGrants, so their results are a good barometer for the corporate world’s impact on Giving Tuesday.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Filer Township Receives Grant for Magoon Creek Park Improvements

Nov 30, 2018 11:45 AM ET

A combined $16,000 grant from the CMS Energy and Consumers Energy foundations has leveraged more than $70,000 in additional funding to improve public use of a little-known treasure on Lake Michigan in Manistee County’s Filer Township.

Local leaders announced a list of improvements planned for 2019 to the Magoon Creek Natural Area, a 97-acre park with 2,300 feet of Lake Michigan frontage owned by Filer Township.

Environment

BLOG | ScottsMiracle-Gro Foundation-Funded Research Shows 95% of Americans Support Pollinator Protection

Nov 30, 2018 11:30 AM ET

A national poll conducted in 2018 by ScottsMiracle-Gro Foundation partner the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) revealed that 95% of Americans believe communities should make special efforts to create designated areas that support the health and growth of pollinators.

Energy

4 Ways Energy Companies Are Changing for the Future

Nov 30, 2018 11:00 AM ET

From hydro plants to solar farms and the power poles in between, Duke Energy employees are finding innovative ways to make the energy they deliver cleaner and more reliable. Since 2005, Duke Energy has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 31 percent, and by 2030, the company aims to reach a 40 percent reduction.

Health & Healthcare

VIDEO | Aflac CSR Hero Amanda Gordy Brings Hope to Families Facing Illness

Nov 30, 2018 10:15 AM ET

Amanda Gordy knew that Aflac was involved in helping the childhood cancer community, but it was not until her own daughter, Tynsley, was diagnosed with leukemia that she realized just how much. Today, Tynsley is out of treatment and Amanda is devoted to helping other families facing similar battles.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Hunger Isn’t Where You Think It Is

Nov 30, 2018 10:10 AM ET

Through December 31, you can leave non-perishable goods at any of the 5,700 Wells Fargo U.S. branch locations, or at a Mobile Pop Up food bank in nine cities across the country.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Whole Planet Foundation Partners Raise $206,500 for World’s Poorest Entrepreneurs

Nov 30, 2018 9:35 AM ET

Whole Planet Foundation’s annual Poverty Is Unnecessary Project provides opportunity for the world’s poorest people – mostly women – to take a microcredit loan and create or expand a home-based business for the opportunity to lift themselves and their family members out of poverty through their own hard work and creativity. Whole Planet Foundation supports impoverished entrepreneurs through microfinance partners in the United States and 74 other countries around the world.

Sustainable Development Goals

How Mosaic Is Working to Help Feed a Growing and Hungry World

Nov 30, 2018 9:30 AM ET

The UN estimates that the global population will reach 9.7 billion by 2050. The Mosaic Company is helping farmers to replenish nutrients in their growing soil in a sustainable way, to keep up with the growing demand.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Essity ESAVE Celebrates its 10th Anniversary - So Much More Than Just an Energy Savings Program

Nov 30, 2018 9:25 AM ET

This year, we celebrate ten years of ESAVE – Essity's energy savings program. However, its more than just a program, it's about a way of working.

Events, Media & Communications

Get the Practical Knowledge You Need to Overcome Sustainability Reporting Challenges

Nov 30, 2018 9:05 AM ET

Join GRI's 3rd annual Reporters' Summit in February 2019, in Arizona. Take advantage of the early fee and register now!

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Giving Back Has Always Been a Part of Scotiabank's Culture

Nov 30, 2018 8:45 AM ET

Giving back has always been part of Scotiabank’s culture. We have been proud to play an active role in United Way giving campaigns for well over half a century.

Research, Reports & Publications

Companies Now Required to Speak Out on ESG Issues: New Research

Nov 30, 2018 8:35 AM ET

The report defines the Brands Taking Stands movement succinctly: “A growing roster of Blue Chip companies are using their powerful voices to urge continued U.S. support of the Paris Climate Agreement, to strengthen gun control laws, to fight immigration laws that would negatively impact Dreamers, to champion diversity and inclusion, and to protect LGBTQ rights, among other hot-button and often political issues.”

Innovation & Technology

Organic Photovoltaic Greenhouse Innovation Wins Schneider Electric’s 2018 Go Green in the City Student Competition

Nov 30, 2018 8:20 AM ET

Schneider Electric, the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation announce the winning team of Go Green in the City 2018, its international student case study competition focusing on innovative energy solutions for smart cities.

Innovation & Technology

How Data Privacy Regulations Affect Your Supply Chain

Nov 30, 2018 8:05 AM ET

This past May, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect. The comprehensive regulations shift the dominant paradigm of online data from an opt-out model, in which users had to take action to control their data, to a privacy by design model where privacy and user control must be up-front and center.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

It’s a Boat! It’s a Plane! It’s a Wells Fargo Banker!

Nov 30, 2018 8:00 AM ET

The summer season in Alaska offers a small window of time for rural communities to restock the supplies they need to survive the long, harsh winter ahead. With the rivers no longer choked with ice and daylight lasting nearly 24 hours, barges bring these remote towns everything from raw building materials to oil for heating homes and fueling vehicles. Watch the video at Wells Fargo Stories.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Goldcorp’s Cognitive Journey at Red Lake Wins Technology Award

Nov 30, 2018 6:00 AM ET

Since 2017, Goldcorp has been working with IBM to determine how the IBM Watson cognitive computing platform could improve the company’s mineral exploration program. RLGM is now pioneering the world’s first Exploration with Watson platform. The Watson initiative recently earned Goldcorp a prestigious Ingenious Award in the large private sector category from the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC).

Environment

How China's Crackdown on Scrap Imports Hits Recycling

Nov 29, 2018 5:25 PM ET