ESG News from Leading Brands

Environment

VMware Steps Closer to 100% Renewables with EMEA and US

Sep 18, 2017 2:45 PM ET

VMware is proud to join the growing number of companies committing to 100% renewable energy. We believe that meeting the challenges of global climate change requires speed, ambition and innovation — attributes that are embedded in our DNA. As such, we are actively working to build a price for GHG emissions into our business and achieve 100% renewable energy by 2020.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Visa Inc. Recognized as Leader in Corporate Sustainability

Sep 18, 2017 2:35 PM ET

Visa (NYSE:V) today announced the company has been named to the 2017 Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI), one of the most prestigious indices for corporate responsibility and sustainability performance.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

LBG Canada Data Stories: Return on Program Management Investment (ROMI)

Sep 18, 2017 2:10 PM ET

Throughout the summer of 2017, many companies seem to be focused on the ROI of program management investment (ROMI). This would include investment in people, technology and communications (among other things) toward achieving community investment, volunteering and giving objectives.

Environment

Ask an Arborist: Why Do I Need to Prune?

Sep 18, 2017 2:00 PM ET

This is part one of a three-part dormant season pruning series. Watch part two, what are the rules of pruning to learn the 5 rules for form and function and part three, The ABC’s of Pruning.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Perseverence Pays Off in Huehuetenango

Sep 18, 2017 1:40 PM ET

Health & Healthcare

September Is National Food Safety Month

Sep 18, 2017 1:30 PM ET

ServSafe is excited to be celebrating the 23rd year of National Food Safety Month (NFSM)! This year's theme focuses on The Culture of Food Safety. As a focal point within the restaurant industry, food safety is now synonymous with an operation's reputation.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

From Norway to the Gulf Region: GRI Standards Launch Events Continue Across the Globe

Sep 18, 2017 1:00 PM ET

With events in over 20 countries, the GRI Standards launches have generated leading-edge discussions on emerging topics in sustainability reporting. This week's launch event in Abu Dhabi will discuss the major strides in green development in the Gulf region, with both policymakers and businesses taking action to move past their traditional reliance on the oil and natural gas sectors.

Environment

Water Intake, Quality a Vital Issue at Boeing

Sep 18, 2017 12:15 PM ET

Boeing is a careful steward of one of the planet’s most precious natural resources: water. In our operations, we focus on innovative ways to protect and improve water quality for the benefit of the environment and the communities where we live and work.

Research, Reports & Publications

Announcing the 2017 Cone Gen Z CSR Study: How to Speak Z

Sep 18, 2017 12:05 PM ET

Gen Z has gotten a bad rap. Yes – their faces may be glued to their smartphones, but don’t mistake that for a disinterest in what’s happening in the world around them. This generation is a force to be reckoned with – using their digital devices to spread social and environmental messages far and wide. But they’re not going it alone – they expect companies to be their partners in change. Companies: it’s time to enlist Gen Z to share your CSR message.

Responsible Production & Consumption

97 Percent of Brazilian Consumers Demand Ingredient Transparency

Sep 18, 2017 12:00 PM ET

SC Johnson today announced plans to make its global ingredient transparency program available to consumers in Latin America in 2018. This is welcome news to many who want more ingredient transparency. A recent survey* conducted by the company found that 97 percent of consumers in Brazil believe that ingredient transparency is important.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Yum! Brands Launches Innovative “Grow Yourself Week” Employee Development Program

Sep 18, 2017 11:30 AM ET

Yum! Brands today launched its Grow Yourself Week program for corporate employees based in Louisville as part of the Company’s ongoing investment in its people and culture. The week-long program offers more than 30 interactive professional and personal development courses designed to build the capability of the Company’s employees.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Former U.S. Diplomat and Congressman Tom Perriello to Keynote CFSI Annual Conference

Sep 18, 2017 11:15 AM ET

The Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative (CFSI), a coalition of leading companies dedicated to improving the security and human rights conditions in their minerals supply chains, today announced that former U.S. diplomat and Congressman Tom Perriello will provide the keynote address at CFSI’s annual conference in Santa Clara, California on Oct. 19, 2017.

Environment

UPS First Commercial Customer in U.S. to Use New Daimler Electric Delivery Truck

Sep 18, 2017 11:00 AM ET

UPS (NYSE: UPS) today announced it will place in service three medium-duty electric trucks from Daimler Trucks Fuso brand, called the eCanter. The company will be the first commercial customer in the U.S. to use this series-produced vehicle. UPS will deploy the trucks in the U.S. at locations to be determined. The new EV trucks build on UPS’s Rolling Laboratory fleet of more than 8,500 alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles.

Environment

Carlsberg Group Chairman Flemming Besenbacher Emphasises Need for Business Leadership to Combat Climate Change During Speech at Climate Week NYC

Sep 18, 2017 10:45 AM ET

Speaking in New York at the opening of Climate Week NYC, Carlsberg Chairman Flemming Besenbacher called for businesses to adopt ambitious targets and actions in order to create necessary change.

Environment

CSRHub's Cynthia Figge to Speak at 28th Annual SRI Conference

Sep 18, 2017 10:45 AM ET

CSRHub Co-Founder and CEO, Cynthia Figge, will be speaking at the 28th Annual SRI Conference. This event will be held on November 1-3rd in San Diego, CA. During this conference, thought leaders, investors and investment professionals from all corners of the Sustainable, Responsible, Impact (SRI) investing universe convene to gain and share knowledge and strategies that align financial performance with positive change.

Events, Media & Communications

60+ Speakers, Fortune 500 CEOs and a Focus on ‘Brands Taking Stands'

Sep 18, 2017 10:35 AM ET

The Corporate Responsibility Association and CR Magazine published today the full agenda for COMMIT!Forum, Oct. 10-12, featuring more than 60 speakers, including Fortune 500 CEOs and top sustainability and corporate responsibility professionals.

Environment

The Trust for Public Land Announces Cox Enterprises as Presenting Sponsor of 9th Annual Celebration of Land Event

Sep 18, 2017 10:30 AM ET

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) announces Cox Enterprises as the presenting sponsor for its “Urban Nights, City Lights” event.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Fortune Names Comcast NBCUniversal a Top Workplace for Women

Sep 18, 2017 10:15 AM ET

Comcast NBCUniversal is one of the country’s best places to work for women, according to a Fortune survey polling thousands of women at companies from across the country.

Sustainable Development Goals

PepsiCo Reports on First Year of Progress Against its 'Performance with Purpose' 2025 Goals

Sep 18, 2017 10:00 AM ET

PepsiCo reported progress towards its ambitious Performance with Purpose 2025 Agenda sustainability goals, announced last year. The company improved performance against goals in each of the Agenda’s three focus areas – Products, Planet and People – while returning over $7 billion to shareholders.

Sustainable Development Goals

This Week: Releasing Business Reporting on the SDGs: An Analysis of the Goals and Targets

Sep 18, 2017 10:00 AM ET

On 21 September, GRI and the UN Global Compact will launch the first outcome publication of their groundbreaking Action Platform for Business Reporting on the SDGs. The publication, An Analysis of the Goals and Targets, demystifies the esoteric world of sustainability disclosures for companies seeking to report their impact on the SDGs.​

Sustainable Development Goals

Vast Majority of CEOs Are Personally Involved in Advancing Sustainable Business and SDGs Are a Top Priority

Sep 18, 2017 10:00 AM ET

The United Nations Global Compact will release its 2017 Progress Report today. The report includes findings from a 2017 survey of the 9,500 companies participating in the UN Global Compact, showing how businesses are embedding the Ten Principles in their operations to align with the universal values of the UN and detailing how businesses are contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Gildan Organizes an Annual Entrepreneurship Fair in Honduras to Promote Employee Businesses

Sep 18, 2017 10:00 AM ET

In line with one of the Company’s core values ‘We Act Like Entrepreneurs’, Gildan encourages its employees in their entrepreneurial activities outside of the workplace by hosting an annual fair which offers them a forum to promote their businesses.

Health & Healthcare

Spurring Nutrition for Children in India

Sep 18, 2017 9:45 AM ET

General Mills works to advance nutrition wellness in India through unique partnerships with global and local nonprofits, starting with the country’s school meal programs. For school children, a nourishing daily meal can make a remarkable difference.

Health & Healthcare

This Duck Goes Gold for Kids With Cancer

Sep 18, 2017 9:15 AM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

C-Suite Support Plays Integral Role in Corporate Social Responsibility

Sep 18, 2017 9:05 AM ET

A company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program says a lot about its business values. In today’s business world, companies are judged not just by the quality of products and services they offer but how willing they are to invest in the communities they call home, and how engaged both their workforce is in demonstrating those values.