The G&A Institute team closely monitors US corporations included in the index (a number are clients of G&A), and analyzes the reporting practices of the constituent companies. In the first year of the study, we looked at 2010 sustainability / CSR / citizenship reporting by the S&P 500 and determined that about 20% were doing some kind of structured sustainability and related subject matter reporting. That was a good baseline year to build on, but 80% were laggards.

The next year the volume of reporting dramatically increased to more than 50% of the universe; then to three-quarters, and in our latest examination, for year 2016 the result was that 82% of the universe is reporting -- only 18% of the 500 are now laggards in this regard.

An increasing number of companies are making public commitments to power their operations with renewable energy, but convincing senior management that the investment is worth it can still be a difficult task. Evidence of improvements to ESG ratings and reputation make the task easier.

Kevin Burton, branch manager, Scotiabank Santa Cruz, waters a newly planted tree with the help of a student from Holland Primary

The 11th annual Women’s Leadership Conference, sponsored by the non-profit MGM Resorts Foundation, will offer attendees custom-designed educational workshops, in addition to world class speaker presentations.

Northern Trust has maintained its inclusion in the FTSE4GOOD Index for the eleventh consecutive year. The FTSE4Good Index Series measures the performance of companies that meet globally recognized corporate responsibility standards.

Pentair, a global company dedicated to building a safer, more sustainable world, is pleased to announce that The Pentair Foundation is now accepting applications online for its global community giving grant cycle through September 15, 2017.

Several Ingersoll Rand leaders and managers are making important sustainability contributions to the Compressed Air and Gas Institute's (CAGI) work in support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The DOE has focused its efforts on regulatory action on efficiency standards for air compressors and the establishment of test procedures that determine if compressors meet those standards.

This year’s report features narratives describing employees who champion the cause of responsibility throughout the business, from the founder of a non-drinker’s employee resource group to an employee who organized a significant refugee aid effort in Europe.

In addition to the written narratives, Brown-Forman has produced a series of videos to accompany the report which help bring to life the company’s responsibility approach and actions, including its proactive alcohol responsibility efforts in its sales and marketing, as well as the long history of environmental sustainability at the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

The introduction of the Natural Capital Protocol last year provided businesses with an important tool for businesses to measure their impacts and dependencies on natural resources. Now, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the Natural Capital Coalition are making it even easier for businesses to understand their relationships with nature with the launch of the Natural Capital Protocol Toolkit.