ESG News from Leading Brands

Keep up with the latest environmental, social and governance news from companies embracing the triple bottom line, shared via 3BL's distribution platform.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Two Months Without Aid

Action Against Hunger

Events, Media & Communications

AB, EMIA and Societe Generale Host the Impact and Blended Finance Conference

AllianceBernstein

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Aflore and Whole Planet Foundation Help Small Businesses Blossom in Colombia

Whole Planet Foundation was created to support communities worldwide where Whole Foods Market sources products. Flowers for Whole Foods Market stores across the US, Canada, and the UK, are sourced in large quantities from Colombia — so while it’s perhaps a bit of a happy coincidence, it seems quite fitting that Whole Planet Foundation’s newest microfinance partner in Colombia is called Aflore, the name of which comes from the Spanish word flor, for ‘flower.’

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

PNC Selected for 2019 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, Recognizing Commitment to Advancing Women in the Workplace

The 2019 Gender-Equality Index highlights 230 firms that are trailblazers in their commitment to transparency in workplace gender reporting

Environment

Ecocentricity Blog: This Land Is Your Land, This Land Is My Land

Politics aside, as many carry on daily activities in the wake of the government shutdown, many generous folks are out there being stewards of America's treasures on behalf of all of us. It hasn’t been a pretty job, and they're not being paid a dime to do it. They're doing it to preserve America's treasures for current generations and for tommorrow's generations as well.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Xylem Employees Install Solar Power and Water Filtration Systems in Ten Homes Near Pune, India

On January 3, 2019, Xylem employee volunteers in Pune and Thane completed the installation of ten AquaHomes into households in the villages of Mugoan and Masaad, India. The volunteers spent four days installing the AquaHomes, which provide the households with solar power and clean water for the first time. Prior to this project, the families were using kerosene lamps as their only source of light in their homes. Additionally, the families collected water from contaminated wells in the community, causing many illnesses and diseases among villagers. Xylem is proud to help families and communities through this powerful project in partnership with Planet Water Foundation.

Diversity & Inclusion

USC Shoah Foundation and Discovery Education Join Forces to Empower Students to Counter Hate Offering $10,000 in Scholarships and Prizes With ‘Stronger Than Hate Challenge’

In an effort to spark a social movement against hatred in all forms, USC Shoah Foundation and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, today announced the Stronger Than Hate Challenge as part of Teaching with Testimony. The Stronger Than Hate Challenge provides an actionable way to promote equality, challenge bias, discuss tolerance and engage students in a service-learning project that inspires action.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Capital H – a Human Capital Podcast Series: Episode 1: Where Performance Meets Purpose

When is it right for companies to take a public stand on social issues? We explore what it means to be a social enterprise, one whose mission combines revenue growth and profitmaking with respect and support for a broader community of stakeholders.

Sustainable Development Goals

The Time for Business to Act is Now

On the 25th September 2015 in New York a document entitled Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was endorsed by the 193 countries of the UN General Assembly. The Agenda set out 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets covering a range of issues facing humanity including action on ending poverty, combating hunger, universally improving health and education, making our cities more sustainable, tackling climate change, and protecting our oceans and forests.

Events, Media & Communications

TRAINING: FSC® Standards and Auditing Principles

Attend this training to work towards Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) lead auditor qualification or to familiarize yourself more with the standards as a stakeholder, certificate holder, or prospective certificate holder.

Sustainable Development Goals

Annual Letter From CEO & Executive Director of the UN Global Compact : A Year of Tipping Points

It was 20 years ago this month that our late founder UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan first proposed the idea of a Global Compact between the United Nations and the world’s businesses. The universal principles on human and labour rights, respect for the environment and anti-corruption proposed by Kofi Annan as the basis of our relationship are as valuable and relevant today as they were then.

Environment

M Jackson: It’s Thin Where We’re Skating

Have you ever noticed that scientists historically are mostly white men? Do you think that this fact has skewed some scientific findings?

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Wells Fargo Supports Customers and Communities During Federal Government Shutdown

During this historic Federal Government shutdown, Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is offering relief to impacted customers and community members. Fee reversals and waivers are available to affected customers and, today, the company announced a donation of $250,000 to the United for U.S. Coalition announced Friday by United Way Worldwide to support those in local communities who are also impacted.

Innovation & Technology

Why Is It So Hard To Innovate?

Every sector, and most organizations, understand the importance of innovating to create competitive advantages and deliver greater value to customers. Unfortunately, identifying the need to innovate is only a small part of addressing the challenge, and many organizations struggle with both deploying and integrating innovation within their corporate culture. Why is it so hard to innovate? To help answer this, I’ve framed some of our learning into an easy to remember acronym: D.E.S.I.G.N. Innovation within any organization can be structured and unleashed by the design of processes, governance, and change, hence the use of the word DESIGN for our six lessons learned. The following are elements to consider as you set out to D.E.S.I.G.N. innovation and change your organization.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Trends in Sustainable, Responsible, and Impact Investing

The articles on the multiple aspects of where the SRI industry has been and where it is headed. The numbers in the Trends Report are positive, as more investors, institutions and financial professionals understand that SRI is good for themselves, their clients, and all of us. The headline here: 38 percent growth in assets using SRI over the last two years, totaling $12 trillion; one in every 4 dollars under professional management.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Benevity Clients Make Up More Than One Third of “JUST 100” List of America’s Most JUST Companies

Benevity, Inc., the global leader in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and employee engagement software, today announced that more than one third of the companies on JUST Capital's list of America’s 100 “most JUST” corporations are Benevity clients.

Research, Reports & Publications

Taking Stock of the Status of Implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries: A Country-level Assessment Framework

In this article, Tetra Tech’s Catherine Courtney, the University of Connecticut’s Robert Pomeroy, and the U.S. Agency for International Development's Stephen Brooks developed and tested an assessment framework and process to assist national and subnational governments to assess progress in meeting the Voluntary Guidelines on Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines).

Responsible Production & Consumption

Healthy Soil 101: Why Soil Health Matters and How the Food Sector Can Help

Most of us don’t think too closely about dirt, but perhaps we should. After all, it’s the foundation of all life on Earth.

Beyond sustaining plant life—and the rest of the food chain along with it—soil itself is very much alive. One handful of dirt contains up to 50 billion bacteria and hundreds of thousands of individual fungal cells. As these microorganisms move through the soil, they feast on minerals and dead organic matter and leave nutrients behind, allowing plants to grow and ecosystems to thrive.

Health & Healthcare

Sandoz Selects Three Finalists for Healthcare Access Challenge (Sandoz HACk) From Over 400 Global Entries

Sandoz, a Novartis division, today announced the three finalists for the second Sandoz Healthcare Access Challenge (HACk).

The three shortlisted entrants are from Uganda, the US and the Netherlands, respectively. They propose novel ways of leveraging digital technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), mobile apps and digital therapeutics, to connect patients with caregivers, medicines and information and address local healthcare access challenges.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Webinar: “How Circular Thinking Is Transforming Sustainable E-Commerce” with UPS, Optoro and Sustainable Brands

The e-commerce era has not only changed how consumers shop, but also how they return unwanted items. Once an afterthought for many retailers, providing a seamless returns experience has become top priority. Crystal Lassiter, Senior Director of Global Sustainability and Environmental Affairs at UPS, and Ann Starodaj, Senior Director of Sustainability at Optoro, will share how they’re combining global logistics expertise and the world’s leading reverse logistics platform to help retailers manage returned and excess inventory.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Elizabeth Heider, Skanska USA Chief Sustainability Officer, Appointed to International Living Future Institute Board of Directors

The International Living Future Institute announced today that Beth Heider, Chief Sustainability Officer, Skanska USA, has become a member of the Board of Directors.

Environment

Out With the Old Gadgets, in With the New: How to Recycle E-waste

If Santa brought you a new phone or tablet this holiday season, or you couldn’t resist the sale price on a 70-inch TV, you might be wondering what to do with your old electronics. You’re not alone. Overall, Americans get rid of 7 million tons of old electronics – or “e-waste” – each year. That adds up to about 42 pounds per person!

Research, Reports & Publications

New Report from JetBlue and The Nature Conservancy Uses AI Technology to Evaluate the Impact of Natural Resources on Tourism

JetBlue, along with The Nature Conservancy, whose mission is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends, today released a new report focusing on the connection between natural resources and tourism. The report’s results revealed that the Caribbean is more dependent on tourism than any other region across the globe and highlights new data on the benefits that coral reefs provide to the travel industry and the region’s economy.

Media & Communications

Best CSR Reads of 2018

Jennifer Weston-Murphy of CECP shares her annual list of must-reads in the CSR space for 2018

Responsible Production & Consumption

Tyson Foods and EDF Launch Partnership to Accelerate Sustainable Food Production

Tyson Foods, Inc. and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) today announced a new partnership to develop and deploy initiatives that support Tyson’s sustainability strategy and help meet increasing consumer demand for more sustainably grown food. The partnership’s first project focuses on land stewardship and aims to pilot and scale agriculture practices on 500,000 acres of corn that reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), improve water quality and maximize farmer profitability. This effort will also help Tyson meet its land stewardship goal of working with farmers to improve environmental practices across two million acres of corn production by 2020.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Wolverhampton Businesses Reach £1M in Sales with eBay UK Retail Revival Program

Just two short months ago local Wolverhampton businesses joined eBay for the first UK Retail Revival training event at the iconic Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton. Today, the 64 businesses participating in the program have reached £1M in sales on eBay, representing a 41% increase in sales for these businesses.

Events, Media & Communications

Effie Collegiate Introduces 2019 Brand Challenge by Subaru

Effie United States, which recognizes marketing effectiveness, has announced that its ninth Effie Collegiate program will be in partnership with Subaru of America, Inc. Modeled after the Effie Awards, the Effie Collegiate program calls on the next generation’s brightest marketers to work on real world business challenges with a focus on creating marketing that really works. As the 2019 sponsor, Subaru will challenge college students throughout the U.S. to reinvent the experience of buying a new car to meet the expectations and lifestyles of the Millennial/Gen Z audience, many who think of buying a car as a thing of the past.

Latest Campaigns

  1. Building a Sustainable Future | Decarbonizing the Built Environment
    The building sector accounts for nearly 40% of carbon emissions and nearly 50% of the consumption of natural resources. The industry stands at a...
  2. Building a Sustainable Future | Decarbonizing the Built Environment
    The building sector accounts for nearly 40% of carbon emissions and nearly 50% of the consumption of natural resources. The industry stands at a...
  3. License to Operate
    Corporate governance, risk management, operational integrity, and regulatory compliance are demanding challenges that companies face in today’s ever...
  4. Local Communities
    The principals of living and working in synergy with the communities in which we operate, as well as collaborating on projects that benefit those...
  5. Building a Sustainable Future | Circular Economy
    Our economy can work in harmony with our society and the environment. At Saint-Gobain North America, we are reimagining design and construction to...
  6. Responsible Investing
    Responsible Investing
  7. Principal Financial Group: Employee Engagement
    Talented employees are the heart and soul of our company. We believe development inspires individuals to engage, empower, and embrace a growth mindset...
  8. KeyBank's Community Investment
    In states where Key has a presence, there are approximately 1.7 million low- to moderate-income (LMI) households. Many LMI individuals don’t have bank...
  9. Environmental Leadership
    Meeting the world’s growing demand for chemicals that play a critical role in our daily lives requires Chemours to grow while reducing our...
  10. Building a Sustainable Future | Decarbonizing the Built Environment
    The building sector accounts for nearly 40% of carbon emissions and nearly 50% of the consumption of natural resources. The industry stands at a...
  11. GoDaddy Sustainability News & Reports
    GoDaddy's ESG reporting shows our progress in building a more sustainable, equitable and inclusive society and outlines areas for future growth.
  12. IWBI | WELL Building Standard
    Our built environment can shape our habits and choices, regulate our sleep-wake cycle, drive us toward healthy and unhealthy choices, and passively...
  13. Sustainable Products and Innovation
    Ongoing research into innovative solutions enables CNH’s brands to manufacture products that respect the environment while satisfying customers’...
  14. Tork, an Essity brand
    Tork is an Essity brand. Essity is a leading global hygiene and health company. Wherever there is a need for wiping, drying, cleaning or polishing...
  15. Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG)
    The business landscape is reorienting itself and you can almost hear priorities shifting toward change-readiness and the bigger picture. And in this...