ESG News from Leading Brands

Research, Reports & Publications

Combined Heat and Power Offers Efficiencies, Opportunity

Nov 21, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Energy

Renewable Energy Demand from Ambitious Multinational Companies Helping to Achieve Paris Climate Agreement Goals

Nov 21, 2018 8:35 AM ET

Identifying Japan, Australia, Mexico, Turkey and Taiwan as growth hotspots, the RE100 Progress and Insights Annual Report “Moving To Truly Global Impact” shows a 41% increase in renewable electricity sourced by RE100 companies in 2017, compared to 2016. With the falling cost of renewables strengthening the business case for switching, 37 companies are already over 95% renewable, and six members reached their 100% goal for the first time. Schneider Electric is one of these companies who has committed to being powered by 80% renewables across all facilities by 2020 and 100% by 2030.

Green Infrastructure

Sustainable Design: Optimizing Energy Use in Los Angeles From the Outside In

Nov 21, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Increased climate variability and surging population growth are placing greater demands on limited resources such as water, energy, and physical space. Our teams are considering how buildings and infrastructure can be designed to more effectively cope with these stresses and perform well into the future. Facilities need to be built not only to operate in greater harmony with nature but also to withstand the forces it may unleash.

Research, Reports & Publications

PayPal Releases 2017 Global Impact Report

Nov 20, 2018 6:00 PM ET

We released our Global Impact Report - $PYPL’s first comprehensive summary of our Environmental, Social and Governance efforts. As we continue to advance on our #ESG journey, we’ll share updates on our progress along the way.

Events, Media & Communications

Living Future unConference 2019 Opens for Registration, Focus on Collaboration and Abundance

Nov 20, 2018 5:30 PM ET

The International Living Future Institute is hosting its 13th annual Living Future unConference in Seattle, Washington, on April 30-May 3, 2019, at the new Hyatt Regency. Architects, engineers, manufacturers, CSR professionals, and more will gather for the leading regenerative design event of the year.

Education

Preparing the Next Generation of Engineers

Nov 20, 2018 5:20 PM ET

Civil engineering student Kathleen Sagun felt a bit scared going into her freshman year at California State University, Long Beach’s College of Engineering. So, a recent visit to Southern California Edison’s GridTech Labs to meet engineering interns and tour the lab gave her some helpful direction.

Social Impact & Volunteering

If You Build It, They Will Come

Nov 20, 2018 4:45 PM ET

At Symantec, we know that corporate responsibility is not only the right thing to do, it is directly linked to employee retention, productivity, and overall engagement.A recent study conducted by Glassdoor found that 75 percent of employees and job seekers expect their employer to support the communities in which they do business through donations and/or volunteer efforts.

We work hard to attract and retain talented employees and we’re committed to building a culture that enables our people to apply their time and talents to the issues they care most deeply about. A big part of this commitment is our annual Global Service Week (GSW), a time to join together to improve the communities where we live and work.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Makers of HORMEL® COMPLEATS® Brand to Match Donations for Meals on Wheels America Holiday Campaign

Nov 20, 2018 4:05 PM ET

The makers of Hormel® Compleats® products announced today that it will match every dollar, up to $25,000, donated now through Nov. 27 to Meals on Wheels America leading up to the organization’s No Time to Wait campaign to help fight senior hunger.

The No Time to Wait campaign, which launches on Black Friday, focuses on the 9 million seniors across America that face the threat of hunger.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

MetLife Founding Sponsor of Working Mother’s 2018 Best Companies for Dads

Nov 20, 2018 3:45 PM ET

There is a growing recognition that there are different ways in which families are constructed and how they operate. To that end, MetLife initiated a program in the last few years to help defray some of the legal and non-medical costs of surrogacy. We have also expanded paternity leave, and seen an increase in fathers taking that time. From my own experience, I can say that I was one of the first officers to take a paternity leave as a primary care giver and received excellent support from the Company and my colleagues throughout that experience. And I am preparing to take a similar leave in the next few months as my husband and I expect our second son.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Jessie James Decker Partners With eBay to Curate The Ultimate Holiday Toy List for Charity to Benefit Save the Children

Nov 20, 2018 3:20 PM ET

eBay, the world’s most dynamic marketplace, and singer and mom of three, Jessie James Decker joins forces to deliver holiday cheer to children in need with Save the Children. Decker reveals all the toys on her family’s wish list, exclusively curating the ultimate toy list on eBay for Charity with all proceeds benefiting Save the Children.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Comcast Employees Help Communities Thrive with $100 Million in Support to United Way

Nov 20, 2018 2:10 PM ET

From funding day care so that young, ambitious parents can learn job skills and finish school, to helping veterans and their families find housing, so many of our society’s most pressing issues relate to the basic needs of food, education, and housing. Increasingly, these needs cannot be addressed by the private, public, or nonprofit sectors alone, and that’s why Comcast NBCUniversal is committed, year after year, to partnering with United Way to help make a lasting impact in the communities we serve.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Centerplate and Miami Beach Convention Center Announce Contract Extension

Nov 20, 2018 2:00 PM ET

Centerplate, North America’s leading convention center hospitality provider, and The Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC) have announced an agreement to extend the food and beverage contract at the Center. The newly signed extension comes as the MBCC reopens after an all-encompassing $620 million renovation.

Education

Duke Energy Partners with S.C. Technical College System to Expand Lineworker Training with $1 Million Grant

Nov 20, 2018 1:45 PM ET

Duke Energy is partnering with the S.C. Technical College System to invest $1 million in grants to expand training opportunities for much-needed utility lineworkers across the state.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

NAEM Announces New Benchmarking Forum for Senior EHS and Sustainability Leaders

Nov 20, 2018 1:20 PM ET

The National Association for Environmental Management (NAEM) announced today the addition of the EHS&S Roundtable to its portfolio of benchmarking services for corporate EHS and Sustainability leaders.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

PNC: Shopping Online? Foil the Fraudsters with These Tips

Nov 20, 2018 1:10 PM ET

There it is, that fantastic gift everybody wants but has been so hard to find. Your excitement builds as you take out your credit card and begin typing in the number and expiration date quickly, before someone else snags the last item in stock.

Events, Media & Communications

Arrow Electronics Expands its Arrow Charitable Platform

Nov 20, 2018 12:30 PM ET

Launched in 2017, the Arrow Charitable platform empowers employees to engage in their local communities. After achieving high engagement during its first year in the United States and Canada, Arrow worked to make its volunteering and giving programs available to all employees in the Americas.

Events, Media & Communications

Sustainability Academy – a Black Friday Bargain for Your Career

Nov 20, 2018 12:15 PM ET

Massive Black Friday sales confirm that consumerism is alive and well. While we are thankful for an economy that is prospering, we must be ready to deal with the fall-out: waste, corner-cutting supply chains, deeper scrutiny into ethical practices. The Sustainability Academy has courses which help sustainability practitioners maneuver through these corporate challenges.

Sustainable Development Goals

East-West Seed Leads Seed Industry On Increasing Smallholder Farmer Productivity in South and Southeast Asia

Nov 20, 2018 12:00 PM ET

Thailand-based East-West Seed outperformed global giants Bayer andSyngenta in the first-ever Access to Seeds Index for South and Southeast Asia, which evaluated the efforts of 24 leading seed companies in the region to support growth in the productivity of smallholder farmers, one of the main targets of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Mow a yard. Create a home.

Nov 20, 2018 11:00 AM ET

Did you know a poorly maintained yard causes moisture and pest problems? Both of which can be detrimental to the health of the home and those inside. Rebuilding Together affiliates nationwide help neighbors in need, like Cheryl, protect their homes from these dangers by removing debris, pruning overgrown bushes and trees and installing drain pipes that carry water away from the home’s foundation.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Teens Invited to Enter Third Annual Operation Prevention Video Challenge as Part of National Opioid Education Initiative

Nov 20, 2018 11:00 AM ET

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the DEA Educational Foundation, and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, announced today the launch of the third annual Operation Prevention Video Challenge – a peer-to-peer platform for communicating messages about the dangers of opioid misuse.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Caterpillar Foundation Invests $50,000 in Second Harvest Japan Tokyo2020: Food for 100,000

Nov 20, 2018 10:55 AM ET

The Caterpillar Foundation has announced an investment with Second Harvest Japan that will provide direct assistance to households in need through pantries, care packages and mobile pantries.

Events, Media & Communications

Pro Bono Perspectives Podcast Thanksgiving Special! Episode 9: Robert Lee, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine

Nov 20, 2018 10:35 AM ET

We are thrilled to welcome Robert Lee, Co-Founder and CEO of Rescuing Leftover Cuisine for a special Thanksgiving week episode. Rescuing Leftover Cuisine is a national nonprofit that targets both the prevention of quality food waste and putting an end to hunger. In the United States alone, 40 percent of food gets tossed every year and on average, 1,160 pounds of food are lost to the garbage pail each year by an American family of four. This amounts to $162 billion in waste annually, which could serve over $58 billion in meals using the national average spent on meals of $2.79.

Events, Media & Communications

Erb Faculty Director, Joe Arvai Talks Metrics at Innovation Forum: Measuring Business Outcomes and Impacts, and Capacity Building

Nov 20, 2018 10:05 AM ET

Ian Welsh and Joe Arvai, professor of sustainability, and faculty director at the University of Michigan’s Erb Institute, discuss the challenges companies face in measuring their impact. [20:47-31:29]. Arvai discusses the information overload affecting companies when it comes to measuring their impact and the apparent confusion between impact and outcomes. Where outcomes measure the incremental improvements against previously outlined benchmarks on a path to sustainability, impact instead gets at whether companies are meeting their fundamental goals. "In the sustainability space there is so much more to it.”

Events, Media & Communications

How Do You #GiveTime To Make Home Possible?

Nov 20, 2018 10:05 AM ET

VolunteerMatch joins forces with U.S. Bank to inspire good people to #GiveTime to make home possible in honor of #GivingTuesday.

Environment

Ecocentricity Blog: Feeling Gratitudinal

Nov 20, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Here's hoping that you are able to gather with your family and friends this week and find peace and joy in the time spent together. It really is a special time of year. And "gratitudinal" should really be a word.