ESG News from Leading Brands

Education

A Journey From West Philadelphia to Cambridge in Pursuit of Understanding the Human Brain

Jan 16, 2019 11:30 AM ET

Ask Ivan Simpson-Kent who his early idols were and he would give a surprising response: criminals. This is despite growing up in a dangerous neighborhood in West Philadelphia, where he lived across from drug dealers, often heard gunshots at night, and nearly daily stories of people, mostly youth, getting murdered. “I perceived these criminals as invincible outlaws going against the limits society had placed upon them,” he says.

Health & Healthcare

Do Heart Disease, Diabetes or Prostate Cancer Run in Your Family Tree? Experts Share How You Can Help Reduce Your Risk

Jan 16, 2019 11:30 AM ET

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Webinar | Join UPS, Optoro, and Sustainable Brands TODAY for “How Circular Thinking is Transforming Sustainable E-Commerce”

Jan 16, 2019 11:25 AM ET

Today you can join UPS, Optoro and Sustainable Brands for the “How Circular Thinking is Transforming Sustainable E-Commerce” webinar

Responsible Production & Consumption

Empowering West African Women Through Ethical Manufacturing

Jan 16, 2019 11:15 AM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

5 Corporate Social Responsibility Trends to Watch in 2019

Jan 16, 2019 11:15 AM ET

2018 proved to be an active year in Corporate Social Responsibility with issues related to sustainability, globalization, advocacy on social issues and multiple natural disasters in the forefront.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Preventing Wood Fiber Loss Improves Efficiency — and the Bottom Line

Jan 16, 2019 11:15 AM ET

Most New Year’s resolutions are meant to improve some aspect of life. Here at Domtar, we’re making resolutions to improve our manufacturing operations. Two of our pulp and paper mills are actively working to reduce wood fiber loss and increase efficiency in 2019. Beyond the immediate costs of lost production, wood fiber loss causes additional issues at a mill’s effluent treatment plant, where the mill has to spend even more time and money to process the additional fiber and produce sludge that is provided to local farmers as a soil amendment.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

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

Jan 16, 2019 11:10 AM ET

Alliance Data Systems Corporation (NYSE: ADS), a leading provider of loyalty and marketing solutions derived from transaction-rich data, today announced that it is one of 230 companies selected for the 2019 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) which distinguishes companies committed to transparency in gender reporting and advancing women’s equality.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Aflore and Whole Planet Foundation Help Small Businesses Blossom in Colombia

Jan 16, 2019 11:00 AM ET

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

Jan 16, 2019 10:20 AM ET

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

Jan 16, 2019 10:00 AM ET

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

Jan 16, 2019 9:30 AM ET

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’

Jan 16, 2019 9:30 AM ET

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

Jan 16, 2019 9:10 AM ET

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

Jan 16, 2019 9:05 AM ET

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

Jan 16, 2019 9:00 AM ET

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

Jan 16, 2019 9:00 AM ET

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

Jan 16, 2019 9:00 AM ET

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

Jan 16, 2019 9:00 AM ET

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?

Jan 16, 2019 8:35 AM ET

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

Jan 16, 2019 8:05 AM ET

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

Jan 16, 2019 8:00 AM ET

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

Jan 16, 2019 8:00 AM ET

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

Jan 16, 2019 8:00 AM ET

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

Jan 16, 2019 1:20 AM ET

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

Jan 15, 2019 5:55 PM ET

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.