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.

"AI" amongst trees

Innovation & Technology | SAP

3 Ways AI Accelerates Sustainability Efforts

While climate risk, social equity and ethical governance used to be peripheral concerns, they are now central to long-term business success.

Diversity & Inclusion

Social Media Isn’t All Broken

This week on the news, I saw Congress grill social media executives. I heard about the spread of fake news and the negative things that social media has wrought. There was lots of focus on young people and how they use these forums – I even heard one report when an expert being interviewed mentioned that he was an undergraduate.

I won’t disagree that there are negatives about social media, but I do want to point out a different perspective that comes from my work.

My industry and the population we serve are often considered out of the loop on technology. But, the truth is social media has become a huge benefit in the lives of many people old enough to be that undergraduate’s grandparents.

Points of Light logo

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Volunteer Helps Build Community, One Cup of Coffee at a Time

As the first volunteer for Refuge Coffee in Clarkston, Georgia – an area that hosts the most diverse square mile in the country and is home to over 60 native-spoken languages – Karen Guess brings together people from all walks of life over the universal language of coffee and tea. She moved to the area at the same time as Refuge Coffee founder Kitti Murray, who had a dream of creating just such a communal place.

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Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Casa BACARDÍ Visitor Center Re-Opens in Puerto Rico

Casa BACARDÍ Puerto Rico has been welcoming visitors since 1961. During the weeks following Hurricane Maria, the visitor center was temporarily closed as its staff remained focused on providing relief to the community as part of the “Bacardi Contigo” (Bacardi is With You) initiative.

As part of the Bacardi ongoing commitment to Puerto Rico relief and rebuilding efforts, $5 of each tour admission will be donated to relief organizations, through the end of the year.

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Innovation & Technology

National Grid Develops Innovative Solution for an Island Community’s Unique Energy Challenges

National Grid, a leader in developing innovative energy solutions to meet customer and community needs, will install a 48 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system, or BESS, on the island of Nantucket, 30 miles off the Massachusetts coast, to help address some unique energy challenges.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Standardized Maintenance & Supply Chain Innovation

Through fleet automation, Republic Services’ One Fleet standardized vehicle maintenance program, conversion to compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks, and the use of renewable natural gas derived from organic waste, Republic has lowered our fossil fuel usage, which also reduces costs.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

ADVOCACY: Speaking Out on Policies That Count

As the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, the NAACP has worked successfully with allies of all races who believe in and stand for the principles on which the organization was founded. We are represented in 2,200 branches and units all across this country in 50 states, in every large city, hundreds and hundreds of small towns, and in 60 global military installations, and always welcome new members and supporters. With over 2.2 million digital activists, we have more young people in the NAACP than any other young person’s civil rights organization in the country combined.

Diversity & Inclusion

Comcast NBCUniversal's Military Commitment: 13,000 and Growing

Veterans Day is an opportunity for the entire nation to collectively thank and honor military members and their families for living a life dedicated to service, and at Comcast NBCUniversal, we are extending this gratitude to the military community throughout the year.

Since 2010, we have hired more than 13,000 Veterans, National Guard and Reserve members, and military spouses, including many who are graduates of our country’s military service academies. Our Veterans Network employee resource group has grown to more than 6,000 members nationwide, and in the last two years we’ve led more than 100 military-focused community service projects as part of Comcast Cares Day, strengthening longstanding partnerships with dozens of military and veteran service organizations making impacts.

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Environment

Duke Energy, Watershed Ecology Center Team Up to Bring Adopt-a-Stream to Spartanburg County

As one of Duke Energy’s Water Resources Fund recipients, Watershed Ecology Center developed the Adopt-a-Stream program for Spartanburg County, and is working with local volunteers and students who have become certified water quality monitors. Thanks to their efforts, Spartanburg County can now monitor and address water quality issues more quickly.

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Social Impact & Volunteering

Responding to Natural Disasters: Three Steps for Companies to Maximize Their Impact

In what has been an unforgettable year of natural disasters, companies have demonstrated that they intend to do their part to help devastated communities rebuild. The private sector has committed more than $300 million to date to relief efforts for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and millions more in the aftermath of Mexico’s strongest earthquake in a century and the wildfires ravaging northern California.

The life science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada

Education

Live From HUBweek 2017

Last week, HUBweek took over City Hall Plaza. Presented by the Boston Globe, HUBweek sits at the intersection of science, technology, innovation, and general coolness. Visitors explored interactive installments and open spaces full of intriguing displays that highlighted forward-thinking concepts in areas from education to farming to virtual reality.

Sustainable Development Goals

Reporting on the SDGs: Measuring Today’s Contributions and Educating Tomorrow’s Leaders

GRI is strengthening the contribution of the private sector to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by helping make reporting on them more comparable, encouraging private sector engagement and supporting collaboration between business and academia to prepare the next generation of sustainability leaders. ​Read about recent SDG related events here.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

American Express Climbs 30 Spots to Top Best Adoption-Friendly Workplace List

Each year the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption recognizes the nation’s employers that offer the best adoption benefits to employees.
This year, American Express topped the list by overhauling its adoption benefits package for employees. The first place company offers $35,000 in financial reimbursement for the costs of the adoption and 20 weeks of paid leave to employees to bond with their children.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

“On the Road with eBay Motors” Crosses the Finish Line at SEMA

eBay Motors concluded its summer-long “On the Road” tour at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas by auctioning off a custom 1967 Mustang Fastback through eBay for Charity.

Energy

Imminent Game Changer for Inefficient UK Properties

From April 2018, it will be illegal to let out certain energy inefficient buildings in the UK. Under what has commonly been termed the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, or MEES, landlords will not be able to let out properties with an Environmental Performance Certificate (EPC) rated F or G. Government estimates have shown this could affect as high as 23% of the commercial real estate market, affecting as much as £165 billion of real estate.

PYXERA Global

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Announcing TWITTER® CHAT: “Defending the Harvest: Reducing Food Loss” With the Rockefeller Foundation, Feed the Future and ADM Institute for the Prevention of Postharvest Loss

More than 1.2 billion people go to bed hungry or under-nourished every day, while the food that could feed them is wasted, lost along the food-chain. Such waste also rocks the security of livelihoods for the most vulnerable in the agricultural value chain and negatively impacts the environment. Eliminating food loss—using the harvest wisely—is one of the most solvable problems of our time.

Environment

A Business Sustainability Framework for Understanding Water Stewardship through Shared Value

While many companies are already engaging with climate change and an array of other environmental issues, water is quickly emerging as an impactful driver of both business risk and opportunity in the 21st century. Water is a critical input for many supply chains, providing energy and both direct and indirect materials for production as well as giving life to essential natural resources beyond the company gates.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Two Consumers Energy Leaders Have Been Named Among the Energy Industry’s “Top 40 Innovators”

Two Consumers Energy leaders – Andy Bordine and Holly Bowers – have been named among the energy industry’s “Top 40 Innovators” by Public Utilities Fortnightly, a leading national trade publication.

Education

Turn Today's HBCU Students Into Tomorrow's Leaders With Thurgood Marshall College Fund

Over the last several months, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund received over 3,500 applications for about 500 scholarships providing financial assistance to students at our 47 historically black member institutions across the country. And while we celebrate that 500 students will be able to continue to complete their academic careers over the course of the 2017-18 academic year with support from our valued corporate partners and donors, being able to help less than one out of every five students who express need is not an acceptable success rate by any means.

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Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Sands Bethlehem Raises Money and Supplies for Hurricane Victims

During the months of August and September, major hurricanes ravaged parts of the United States and Puerto Rico, devastating many. Hurricane Harvey trampled through the southern portion of the US – yielding the most destruction in parts of Texas. Across the state, tens of thousands of individuals were left without power, food, and infrastructure. Less than a couple of weeks later, Hurricanes Maria and Irma, caused catastrophic damage in Florida and the US territory, Puerto Rico. In an effort to help those affected, Sands Bethlehem participated in several ways to raise money and supplies for the victims.

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Energy

New Report Finds Increased Investment in Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Far Outweigh Costs

As automakers continue to bring new electric vehicles to the marketplace, electric utilities are grappling with the challenge of deploying adequate electric vehicle charging infrastructure to ensure that vehicles can be charged reliably. A new analysis released today by the sustainability nonprofit organization Ceres and M.J. Bradley & Associates finds that the benefits of increased investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure outweigh the costs by more than 3 to 1.

Research, Reports & Publications

CLP Shares Sustainability Reporting Insights in WBCSD’s Reporting Matters

The CLP Group shares its Asia Pacific perspective and approach to monitoring key trends for sustainability in the latest edition of Reporting matters.

In the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s (WBCSD) annual review of member company sustainability reports, CLP highlighted the importance of tracking the trends that are changing the business landscape and the need for incorporating the trends into a company’s strategy to maintain a sustainable business.

Sustainable Development Goals

World Business Council Releases Policy Recommendations for Climate Negotiators at the Start of COP23 in Bonn

Today at the start of COP23, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) released key policy recommendations for this year’s round of climate negotiations ahead of next year’s global stock take on progress made towards the Paris Agreement.

Diversity & Inclusion

Smithfield Foods Veteran Highlight: John Fineran

“Serving in the military has made me a better person, someone who is not afraid to speak his mind and take on challenges,” says John Fineran, 37, a territory manager assistant for Smithfield’s Hog Production Division in West Central Iowa. “That has certainly helped me in my work.”

Environment

First Nation Elders Visit De Beers Mine to Taste the Fish

The event is one of the ways the company seeks to gain traditional knowledge as part of the mine’s environmental monitoring programme. A dozen lake trout were caught from Kirk Lake by elders from Behchoko and Lutsel K’e, who were accompanied by a member of the mine’s environment team. Kirk Lake is about 20km downstream from the mine site.

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Health & Healthcare

How to Avoid Scary Situations in Food Processing

The food manufacturing industry is subject to regulations and scrutiny that few other industries are: social pressure is ever-present, as news of infection or disease outbreak caused by food-borne pathogens strikes an uneasy nerve in consumers. Manufacturers can be subject to tremendous backlash if they do not take the proper steps to ensure their manufacturing facilities are appropriately equipped to prevent and mitigate the risk of food contamination.

Latest Campaigns

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  3. Corporate Social Responsibility
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  5. Aflac News and Updates
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  6. License to Operate
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  7. Policy and Regulation
    Cascale shares insights regarding policy and regulation impacting the consumer goods industry, and highlights how it's supporting members prepare for...

  8. Cascale Events
    Cascale organizes and participates in a series of events, leveraging its position as a global convener of close to half the sector to bring together...

  9. 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...

  10. Entergy's 2024 Performance Report Shares Progress Toward a Better Future
    Entergy’s 2024 performance report, “Energy for a better future” presents an overview of our company’s 2024 achievements, future plans and strategies...

  11. GoDaddy | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
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  12. Circular Economy and Supply Chain Sustainability
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  13. 2025 Global Inclusive Growth Summit
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  14. Forests
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