ESG News from Leading Brands

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Students Leading Sustained and Innovative Hunger-Fighting Solutions Can Apply for $10,000 from the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation

Oct 8, 2018 3:15 PM ET

he Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation today announced the opening of the application period for the 2019 Stephen J. Brady Stop Hunger Scholarships which will run from October 5 through December 5, 2018. The scholarship program urges students to apply to #Get5KGive5K to help end hunger in their communities.

Research, Reports & Publications

Hear About the State of Sustainable Business at BSR18

Oct 8, 2018 3:00 PM ET

The recent BSR and GlobeScan State of Sustainable Business 2018survey is a great testament to the progress of corporate action on sustainability and provides insight into how companies are preparing for the next 10 years as they respond to a rapidly changing world. It includes responses from business leaders representing 152 global companies—more than 60 percent of BSR’s global membership network. This is the perspective of the people who do sustainability and corporate social responsibility work every day, inside some of the largest and most influential companies in the world, and we have used it to inform the agenda for BSR18: A New Blueprint for Business.

Energy

California First Large State to Mandate 100 Percent Clean Power Grid

Oct 8, 2018 1:00 PM ET

With the Governor’s signing of Senate Bill 100, California becomes the first large state to set a 100 percent clean electricity target. The new law requires California’s utilities to drive the state’s energy grid to 100 percent clean power by 2045.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Arrow Electronics Employees in Italy Race for Awareness to Prevent Violence Against Women

Oct 8, 2018 12:45 PM ET

Arrow Electronics sponsored the participation of a team of employees in its Milan, Italy branch in the eighth annual StraWoman race, designed to promote fitness and raise awareness about violence against women. Held in Monza, where many of Arrow’s Milan-based employees live, the non-competitive, women-only 5K race drew 5,000 participants.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Spinning Straw into (Packaging) Gold in China

Oct 8, 2018 12:30 PM ET

After the wheat is harvested in farming communities in parts of rural China, the air is often so thick with smoke that roads become impassable and it’s hard to breathe. Farmers, inundated with leftover straw, typically torch the excess crop to dispose of it.

Innovation & Technology

Virgin Atlantic Goes Circular With Innovative Airplane Fuel

Oct 8, 2018 12:15 PM ET

In a 2016 report, UPS* and GreenBiz found awareness of circular economy was not only on the rise, but a majority of companies (86%) believed circular economy principles would be important to their organization in the next two years.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Techniques for Improving Your Company’s Supply Chain

Oct 8, 2018 12:00 PM ET

Supply chain improvements can be a substantial undertaking for companies of any size, and often require years to complete. However, it is a task that can deliver substantial benefits in terms of improving efficiencies, enhancing customer service and minimizing a company’s environmental footprint. Here’s how companies can improve their product’s path to market:

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

How One Call Became a Calling

Oct 8, 2018 12:00 PM ET

It was a sad time. My wife and I had tried to add to our family without success. It wasn’t an immediate decision, but we eventually decided to pursue adoption. From that moment, everything in our life changed.

Media & Communications

Porter Novelli Launches PN STANCE to Help Companies Determine If and How to Engage on Divisive Societal Issues

Oct 8, 2018 11:45 AM ET

Today, global public relations leader Porter Novelli (PN) launched PN STANCE, a first-of-its-kind product to help companies know if and how to respond to increasing stakeholder pressure to stand up for the various societal issues taking center stage in real-time.

Environment

Alaska Beyond Magazine | Pioneering Parks

Oct 8, 2018 11:35 AM ET

Diversity & Inclusion

Scotiabank Video: Inclusion Makes Us Stronger

Oct 8, 2018 11:35 AM ET

Four Scotiabank employees share their stories from the past and their thoughts on the future of inclusion. Here at Scotiabank, we are continuing to build a diverse and inclusive work environment, empowering everyone to bring their whole selves to work.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

GM Leads Way in Gender Equality

Oct 8, 2018 11:30 AM ET

Equileap, a leading organization providing data and insights on gender equality in the corporate sector, this week released the results of its annual global study and has ranked GM the No. 1 company in the world for gender equality in the workplace.

Green Infrastructure

IWBI Celebrates Crossing the 1,000th WELL Registered Project Mark

Oct 8, 2018 11:15 AM ET

The WELL Building Standard™ (WELL™) has marked a new milestone, crossing the 1,000 mark for projects that have enrolled in this premier global program that advances people’s health and well-being through better buildings and communities. The distinction of being 1,000th to register for WELL is shared by two projects in the capital city of Germany.

Sustainable Development Goals

Measuring Impact: Private Sector Sustainability Data for Achieving the SDGs

Oct 8, 2018 11:05 AM ET

Read how sustainability data published in voluntary reports can be used to evaluate national progress to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Innovation & Technology

Tools and Tips to Keep Our Families Safe Online

Oct 8, 2018 10:45 AM ET

In 2017, 92 percent of Americans used the internet, with 77 percent of us going online every day. We’re no longer just connected at work. We’re connected at home, in our car and when we walk down the street. Our kids are also connected. A recent Pew study found that 95 percent of teens have access to a smartphone, with 45 percent saying they are online ‘almost constantly.’

The increased use of smartphones, social media and connected toys comes with increased vulnerability. October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month and Symantec is proud to support the National Cyber Security Alliance as a 2018 Champion. This annual awareness campaign encourages individuals and businesses to take action towards protecting themselves from cyber threats.

Innovation & Technology

The Business and Societal Case for Privacy

Oct 8, 2018 10:25 AM ET

While compliance with a new regulation often seems burdensome to global firms, data shows that the type of privacy policies required under the GDPR echo a rising clarion call from consumers, who studies show are increasingly concerned about misuse of their data.

Research, Reports & Publications

Caterpillar's Community Impact

Oct 8, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Our success contributes to the social stability of regions around the world. Caterpillar and our employees focus on contributing time and resources to promoting the health and welfare of communities in which we work and live. We conduct our business in a manner that respects human rights individually.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

How Corporate Foundations and CSR Initiatives are ‘Being the Change’

Oct 8, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Four ways to make changes within your organization to create greater social impact.

Environment

Itron and Discovery Education Launch National Effort to Advance Conservation, Applied-Learning, Technology and STEM Education

Oct 8, 2018 9:45 AM ET

Itron, Inc., which is innovating the way utilities and cities use energy and water, and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, today announced Conservation Station: Creating a More Resourceful World – a new initiative developed to engage and educate middle school students on the relationship between energy and water through the lens of conservation.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Making Clean Water More Accessible by Equipping African Entrepreneurs With Resources and Expertise

Oct 8, 2018 9:40 AM ET

Jibu, a business that supports the self-empowerment of low income communities, joins Business Call to Action (BCtA) with a commitment to equip, train and finance 1,000 African entrepreneurs to launch drinking water franchises that will produce two and a half million litres of affordable, safe water every day and serve three million consumers by 2022.

Research, Reports & Publications

Improving Sustainability Communications

Oct 8, 2018 9:15 AM ET

Corporate Citizenship are seeking corporate sustainability communications experts, practitioners, sustainability information consumers, and thought leaders for their views on effective corporate sustainability communications.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Proofs and Research: Volunteering Benefits Individuals and Companies

Oct 8, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Realized Worth has gathered evidence that supports the business case for corporate volunteering from a talent, engagement and recruitment perspective, as well as from the employee perspective.

If you want to strengthen your case for corporate volunteering, this is a must-read blog by Angela Parker on the benefits of volunteering at corporate and individual level.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Mars’ New Sustainable in a Generation Report – Our Progress to Date for the Thriving People Pillar

Oct 8, 2018 9:00 AM ET

A range of issues continue to face our global community—including climate change, poverty, obesity and water stress. That’s what prompted us to launch our Sustainable in a Generation Plan last year, pledging to invest over $1 billion to start tackling these issues within our own supply chain.

Early indicators of progress for each pillar of our plan—Healthy Planet, Thriving People, Nourishing Wellbeing—say that we are moving in the right direction.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Sodexo Wins Outie Award for Workplace Excellence at Out & Equal

Oct 8, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Sodexo, a food services and facilities management company committed to Quality of Life, announced today that it has won an Outie Award for Workplace Excellence at the Out & Equal Workplace Summit in Seattle. This award recognizes Sodexo for the organization’s historic and ongoing commitment to pursuing and executing workplace inclusion and equality for LGBT employees.

Sustainable Development Goals

The Arbor Day Foundation’s Pennsylvania Community Tree Recovery Campaign Partners With TruGreen, FedEx and Tree Pittsburgh to Distribute Free Trees to Local Pittsburgh Residents Affected by Emerald Ash Borer

Oct 8, 2018 9:00 AM ET

The Arbor Day Foundation’s Pittsburgh Tree Recovery Campaign – a partnership between the Arbor Day Foundation and TruGreen, FedEx and Tree Pittsburgh will distribute 500 new trees this year to homeowners in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Saturday, October 13, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Pittsburgh Zoo parking lot, 7370 Baker Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15206.