ESG News from Leading Brands

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

US Sustainable, Responsible and Impact Investing Trends

Jan 23, 2017 10:55 AM ET

US sustainable, responsible and impact (SRI) investing continues to expand. The total US-domiciled assets under management using SRI strategies grew from $6.57 trillion at the start of 2014 to $8.72 trillion at the start of 2016, an increase of 33 percent.

Education

Capital Area Head Start Receives Federal Grant to Extend Classroom Hours

Jan 23, 2017 10:25 AM ET

Federal grant provides for extension of classroom hours for 192 preschool children in Cumberland, Dauphin, and Perry Counties in Pennsylvania.

Environment

42BELOW Vodka Brand Says: “When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Eco Soap”

Jan 23, 2017 10:25 AM ET

As waste continues to be a major trending topic within the sustainability world, companies are coming up with increasingly creative ways to address the issue within their own business operations – from "inglorious vegetables" to shoes that can biodegrade in your sink after their useful life. Now, the phrase "one man's trash is another man's treasure" has never rang truer, with one liquor brand taking an item destined for the trash can and giving it new life, all while educating consumers along the way.

Diversity & Inclusion

Introducing the Antea Group Charlotte Office!

Jan 23, 2017 9:05 AM ET

The Charotte office, one of Antea Group's largest, has a very diverse range of expertise. We have strong environmental liability management practitioners (and are home to the ELM practice lead), very knowledgable operational performance and health and safety experts with a particular focus on industrial hygiene, and also do a lot of work in transaction support across our industry segments.

Diversity & Inclusion

Simplifying the Activities of Barclays

Jan 23, 2017 9:05 AM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

The Year Ahead in Philanthropy: 2017 Trends to Watch

Jan 23, 2017 9:00 AM ET

2016 was a generous year in philanthropy. What else will 2017 bring? Here are our predictions for the coming year in philanthropy from Jamie Serino, the MicroEdge + Blackbaud Director of Marketing.

Green Infrastructure

Paya Lebar Quarter Office Buildings First in Singapore to Register for New Global Building Standard Focused on Occupant Well-being and Productivity

Jan 23, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Paya Lebar Quarter by Lendlease, a $3.2 billion mixed-use development, is the first in Singapore to register for the International WELL Building Institute’s (IWBI) WELL Core and Shell Certification for nearly one million square feet of Grade A workspaces across its three office towers. The commitment to pursue WELL Certification in Singapore is a testament to Lendlease’s leadership in sustainability and the development’s vision to create an Active, Green and Engaged precinct that can enhance the well-being and productivity of the people who will come to work in these spaces every day.

Innovation & Technology

Empowering Working Families to Build Better Lives

Jan 23, 2017 8:15 AM ET

Employee-benefit programme iCare Benefits has joined the Business Call to Action (BctA) with a commitment to provide 80 million workers worldwide with access to essential products and services by 2020. By 2019, the company aims to enable access to free education for over 32 million workers and their families through its online platform.

Research, Reports & Publications

Wellness Architecture is Named a Top Wellness Trend for 2017

Jan 23, 2017 7:35 AM ET

The latest report by the Global Wellness Institute highlights how the design and construction communities are shifting to build for human health through new technologies and standards, so that our homes, offices, schools, hospitals and hotels can keep us healthier and happier.

Events, Media & Communications

21CF’s Liba Rubenstein Discusses Branding, Storytelling, and the Future of Social Impact

Jan 23, 2017 7:00 AM ET

Corporate responsibility consultant and writer Susan McPherson spoke with industry leaders across multiple business sectors in a January 19 article for Forbes about the trends in CSR they see for the year ahead. Liba Rubenstein, 21CF's newly appointed SVP of Social Impact, was among those interviewed, and she discussed the business world's unique capacity to bring about social change, as well as the importance of clear, captivating storytelling to a successful CSR strategy.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Voya Financial Recognized in 2017 Bloomberg Financial Services Gender-Equality Index

Jan 23, 2017 6:15 AM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

The Players Trust 2016 Year in Review

Jan 20, 2017 5:00 PM ET

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Gildan Receives Bronze Class Distinction in the RobeccoSAM 2017 Sustainability Yearbook

Jan 20, 2017 4:00 PM ET

For the fifth consecutive year, Gildan has qualified for inclusion in the 2017 RobeccoSAM Sustainability Yearbook, receiving the Bronze Class distinction this year for its strong sustainability performance. RobecoSAM’s Sustainability Yearbook is one of the world’s most comprehensive publications on corporate sustainability.

A Bronze Class distinction signifies that Gildan achieved a score within 5% to 10% of the top score in the Textiles, Apparel and Luxury Goods industry. Overall RobeccoSAM assesses over 21,000 companies across 60 industries with the goal of identifying those companies that exemplify leading corporate sustainability practices and a focus on long-term growth drivers.

Events, Media & Communications

#DoBeautifulThings — Hockey All-Star Game Sweepstakes

Jan 20, 2017 3:30 PM ET

Hey hockey fans! Do you want to see hockey’s greatest players at this year’s NHL All-Star Game in Los Angeles? Well it’s time to hit the ice — or at least the “enter” button — for the Keep America Beautiful Hockey All-Star Game Sweepstakes!

Responsible Production & Consumption

U.S. EPA Includes Declare and the Living Product Challenge in Recommendations to Federal Purchasers

Jan 20, 2017 1:45 PM ET

The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) announced that the Living Product Challenge and Declare are now recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its Recommendations of Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels for federal purchasers.

The recommendations, which help federal purchasers identify and procure environmentally sustainable products and services, include the Living Product Challenge and Declare as recommended standards for a range of low-emitting materials including carpet, flooring products, furniture, and interior latex paint.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Why Companies Will Take the Lead on Important Issues in the Trump Era

Jan 20, 2017 1:35 PM ET

Business has the opportunity and obligation to advance critical social and environmental issues—and the momentum is undeniable. Regardless of who may be in office, business continues to move the needle on crucial causes.

Innovation & Technology

Study Looks at Biofuel for Flights Out of Sea-Tac

Jan 20, 2017 1:20 PM ET

Sea-Tac Airport could become one of the first major U.S. airports to start using biofuel for every flight that leaves its tarmac.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Why Your Employees Aren’t Using Their Allotted Volunteer Hours

Jan 20, 2017 12:55 PM ET

Managers of employee volunteer programs often say they aren’t seeing high enough participation rates within their volunteer initiatives. Based on what he has seen and heard, Caleb Dow of Porpoise explains a few reasons why their programs might not be working – and how to fix them.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Helping America's Working Poor

Jan 20, 2017 11:40 AM ET

Do I pay the rent or feed my children? Do I heat my home … or do I eat? These are some of the tough choices many families in America face today. Did you know that a staggering 1 in 6 children faces hunger in America?

Diversity & Inclusion

Introducing the Antea Group Boston Office!

Jan 20, 2017 9:45 AM ET

The Boston office is staffed with a diverse team, experienced in providing health and safety, environmental compliance, site assessment and remediation, and facility decommissioning support to a broad range of clients. We work with clients throughout Massachusetts and New England in the technology, food and beverage, railroad, oil and gas, healthcare, and manufacturing industries.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Keep America Beautiful National Youth Advisory Council Set to Visit Manassas National Battlefield Park

Jan 20, 2017 9:15 AM ET

Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading nonprofit that envisions a country in which every community is a green, clean and beautiful place to live, will provide it’s National Youth Advisory Council members with the chance to experience Manassas National Battlefield Park in a unique way – by mapping “Trees of Significance” throughout the park.

Innovation & Technology

Smart Grid Gains From New Black & Veatch EPC Program Management System

Jan 20, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Black & Veatch announced today a new tool aimed at helping utilities deploy large-scale grid modernization projects. The company’s cloud-based Spatial Engineering Knowledge Optimization Immersive Analysis system – SEKOIA – is a central hub for all project management and design-build applications.

Education

Meet Amgen Scholars Alumni Anthony Preza

Jan 20, 2017 8:45 AM ET

My mom is a scientist. She carried out microbiology research as a graduate student, and later as a postdoc, for most of my upbringing. I would go to the lab with her, and I also remember working intensely on school science projects.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Wells Fargo LIFT Programs Create 2,000 Homeowners in 2016

Jan 20, 2017 8:25 AM ET

More than 2,000 families and individuals purchased their home in 2016 through Wells Fargo LIFT programs, which offer homebuyer education plus down payment assistance in local communities.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Mind Your Menus: What to Expect from the World of Food and Drink in 2017

Jan 20, 2017 8:05 AM ET

With nearly everyone happy to see the backside of 2016, most of us are especially grateful to have a shot at that symbolic clean slate that January always promises. And this year, clean living doesn’t seem to be quite as important as social responsibility judging by many in the food and drink industries who are renewing their commitments to making the world a better place. As such, 2017 is already shaping up to be the Year of Mindful Eating and Drinking.