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.

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.

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.

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.’

The 2019 Gender-Equality Index highlights 230 firms that are trailblazers in their commitment to transparency in workplace gender reporting

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.