ESG News from Leading Brands

Environment

Smithfield Foods Collaboration with Environmental Defense Fund and Roeslein Alternative Energy Helps Bring Monarch Butterflies Back in Large Numbers

Nov 1, 2018 2:15 PM ET

Smithfield Foods, Inc. is the first food company to participate in a new program with Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Roeslein Alternative Energy (RAE) to restore key prairie habitat for monarch butterflies, as described in this video. Their efforts are helping bring back the iconic insect, which has experienced a 95 percent population decline since the 1980s and could be listed as a threatened species in June 2019. However, the monarch is currently undergoing what is anticipated to be the largest migration in 10 years.

Diversity & Inclusion

You Don’t Have to Wait to Be Successful: How Astellas Supported my Professional Growth as a Working Mother

Nov 1, 2018 1:35 PM ET

Health & Healthcare

FCA US Offers Employees, Families Personalized Support and a Digital Tool to Better Manage Critical Gaps in Diabetes Care

Nov 1, 2018 1:35 PM ET

FCA US today announced it will enhance support for employees, retirees and covered dependents managing diabetes by offering them personalized care and a digital tool to help better manage critical gaps in their diabetes care.

Research, Reports & Publications

Symantec Looks Back on 10 Years of CR Commitment

Nov 1, 2018 1:05 PM ET

We are proud of the progress we have made, and the impact we have had over the last 10 years—even as we continue to embed sustainability practices throughout our company and value chain.

Health & Healthcare

Introducing Sysco Simply: A Platform Dedicated to Health and Well-Being Food Solutions

Nov 1, 2018 1:00 PM ET

Sysco Corporation, the leading global foodservice distribution company, announced today the launch of Sysco Simply, a platform designed to enable our customers to accommodate the growing consumer demand for varied dietary and lifestyle choices. Based on customer insights, feedback and industry trends, the first focus area of Sysco Simply is plant-forward dining; including vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian and plant-based protein products.

Energy

VMware and the City of Palo Alto Advance Sustainability Efforts with a Proof of Concept for a New Community Microgrid

Nov 1, 2018 1:00 PM ET

VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), a leading innovator in enterprise software, announced its intent to explore developing a microgrid at its headquarters campus with the City of Palo Alto. A microgrid is a system of generators, batteries, and electric loads that can be operated in a controlled, coordinated way to provide resiliency. Microgrids can operate while connected to the main power grid or can power critical electric loads when off-grid. The VMware microgrid will serve as a testbed for the company and the City of Palo Alto to explore the potential of microgrids to advance resiliency at the corporate and community level. Palo Alto and VMware will also explore a partnership to use this microgrid to augment the community’s emergency services by providing a charging site for the City’s emergency

Education

T. Rowe Price: Kids Who Get Everything on Their Holiday Wish Lists Are More Likely to Develop Spendthrift Habits

Nov 1, 2018 1:00 PM ET

T. Rowe Price’s 2018 Parents Kids & Money Survey, which sampled 1,013 parents of 8 to 14 year olds nationally, found that parents who try to get everything on their kids’ holiday wish lists are more likely to report that they have gone into debt for their kids, worry that they’re spoiling their kids, and have kids who are less likely to save their own money. Additionally, parents who participate in promotional days, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, are more likely to splurge. The survey was conducted in January 2018, shortly after the 2017 holiday season.

Environment

Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. Makes a New Pledge to Help Tackle Plastic Waste

Nov 1, 2018 12:55 PM ET

In 1947, decades before the concept of sustainability became popular, then Johnson & Johnson Chairman and CEO General Robert Wood Johnson wrote in his book, Or Forfeit Freedom: “We must use our resources wisely, avoiding waste of both raw materials and scrap, while we seek substitutes for things already in short supply.”

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Whirlpool Corporation Announces New Collaboration with The Walt Disney Company

Nov 1, 2018 12:50 PM ET

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) and The Walt Disney Company today announced that Whirlpool brand will be the Official Kitchen and Laundry Appliance of Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida and Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.

Events, Media & Communications

Four Need-to-Know Insights from 3BL Forum

Nov 1, 2018 12:50 PM ET

This week, business executives, nonprofit leaders, government officials and issue advocates met in National Harbor, Maryland for the annual 3BL Forum (formerly Commit!Forum).

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Alliance Data Partners with Habitat for Humanity to Help Families Build Strength, Stability and Self-Reliance Through Shelter

Nov 1, 2018 11:40 AM ET

Alliance Data, a global provider of data-driven marketing and loyalty solutions, is partnering with Habitat for Humanity to help create a world where everyone has a decent place to live. The company’s $300,000 contribution for U.S. and global Habitat builds, along with the commitment of associate volunteers, means more families will discover strength and stability through more resilient homes and communities.

Research, Reports & Publications

What’s Trending: Giving in Numbers: 2018 Edition Is Out!

Nov 1, 2018 11:30 AM ET

We are pleased to announce that this year’s Giving in Numbers report is now available! In keeping with tradition, this year’s report incorporates many of the classic analyses that have characterized this industry-leading report, including total giving by industry, employee volunteer data, and operations. New this year is an expanded section on international giving and a deep dive into measurement of outcomes. As always, we look at trends across the field and offer dozens of case studies to bring the report to life and, hopefully, inspire readers to advance their efforts. What do you think are some of the biggest corporate societal trends?

Education

Discover Expands Pathway to Financial Success in Schools Program with Discovery Education Offering Financial Education Curriculum to Middle School Students Across the Country

Nov 1, 2018 11:30 AM ET

Fifty-nine percent of Americans ages 18-26 who have taken a financial education course believe the lessons will save them more than $10,000 over the course of their lifetimes, according to a new survey from Discover.

Environment

Coming Attractions: A Sneak Preview of HPRC Projects in Progress

Nov 1, 2018 11:25 AM ET

HPRC members and partners are bringing forth new projects to encourage and increase healthcare plastics recycling.

Environment

4 Corporate Sustainability Trends all Business Leaders Should be Watching in 2018 - Part II

Nov 1, 2018 11:05 AM ET

Earlier this year, I identified 4 corporate sustainability trends that all business leaders should be watching in 2018. Those trends were: growth in companies setting Science-Based Targets, greater attention towards reducing supply chain emissions, tech and internet companies stepping up on sustainability, and increased innovation.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Up for More Good? JetBlue for Good Month Kicks Off with Grant Contest for Nonprofit Organizations

Nov 1, 2018 11:05 AM ET

JetBlue today announced it is up to even more good this November, JetBlue For Good Month. To kick-off this month of kindness and good deeds, JetBlue has launched the JetBlue For Good Grant contest to provide much-needed funds for nonprofits to continue their work helping others within their local communities.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

November Is National Adoption Month! 5 Ways You Can Get Involved

Nov 1, 2018 11:00 AM ET

Every child deserves a safe, loving and permanent family. That is the simple, yet profound motivation behind National Adoption Month. Celebrated across North America each November, this special month of awareness building helps to increase the number of families considering adoption and celebrates the joys of creating families through foster care adoption.

Research, Reports & Publications

Inaugural U.S. Financial Health Pulse Report Finds Only 28 Percent of People in America are Financially Healthy

Nov 1, 2018 10:30 AM ET

The Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI), the nation’s authority on consumer financial health, in partnership with the Omidyar Network, MetLife Foundation, and AARP, today unveiled its inaugural U.S. Financial Health Pulse, the first-ever annual benchmarking survey around a composite financial health framework that provides a holistic look at how people in America manage their finances day-to-day, build resilience, and pursue opportunities over time.

Environment

Cisco Announces New Goal to Reduce Its Use of Virgin Plastic by 20%

Nov 1, 2018 10:15 AM ET

At Cisco, we are focused on making sustainable thinking a business imperative. Using the lens of the circular economy, we are changing the way we do business, including being more deliberate about how and when to use plastic.

Like many companies, Cisco uses plastic across its product portfolio and in its packaging. Plastic has a lot of benefits, from its technical properties to its low cost and its light weight, which help reduce logistics emissions. However, it also comes with many, well‑documented challenges.

Health & Healthcare

Aflac CEO Meets His Match With Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® Tough Questions Program

Nov 1, 2018 9:05 AM ET

In what he describes – tongue firmly in cheek – as “one of the toughest interviews I’ve ever done,” Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos, the second longest tenured CEO in the Fortune 200 and 4-time recipient of the Harvard Business Review’s recognition as one of the 100 Best-Performing CEOs in the World, recently sat down at the company’s headquarters in Columbus, Georgia, for an interview with 11-year-old cancer survivor Chloe Davison of Grants Pass, Oregon. In this “hard-hitting” examination, they covered several crucial topics such as where Amos’ dogs sleep when his wife is traveling, how the Aflac Duck came to be and My Special Aflac Duck™ – a robotic duck designed to help children cope with cancer that Aflac is giving to every newly diagnosed child with cancer, between the ages of 3-13.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Subaru Fulfills Love Promise to Oregon Humane Society With Largest Corporate Donation Received in 2018

Nov 1, 2018 8:30 AM ET

Subaru of America, Inc. today announced the donation of nearly $57,000 to the Oregon Humane Society (OHS) as a part of the Subaru Loves Pets initiative to help improve the safety and wellbeing of animals in local Oregon communities. The gift marks the single largest corporate donation received by OHS in 2018 and is the result of the pets-focused initiative of the automaker’s Love Promise philanthropic platform.

Research, Reports & Publications

Caterpillar Provides Cleaner Air Underground

Nov 1, 2018 7:00 AM ET

Underground hard rock mining companies continue to go deeper in search of more raw materials and higher-grade ore. Working at such depths leads to air quality concerns due to equipment emissions, which today are primarily powered by diesel.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Lockheed Martin Employees Celebrate Month of Giving

Oct 31, 2018 6:25 PM ET

Lockheed Martin employees participated in dozens of volunteer events in communities around the world this October as part of the company’s annual “Month of Giving.” These “Be the Difference” days highlight employees’ commitment to service and giving back.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Boys and Girls Clubs in Santa Monica and Venice Get Halloween Make-overs by Kite Volunteers

Oct 31, 2018 5:55 PM ET

For Kite’s Week of Service, employees spent the day decorating for Halloween with local chapters of Boys & Girls Clubs of America in Santa Monica and Venice, which offer programs to inspire young people to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

UPS Recognized By EPA With SmartWay Excellence Award

Oct 31, 2018 5:15 PM ET

UPS has been recognized with the EPA SmartWay Excellence Award for exceptional achievement in supply chain sustainability and freight transportation efficiency