CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
During the Walmart Sustainability Milestone Summit, eight global brands representing over $72 billion in revenue announced that they will be joining the How2Recycle label program. The program seeks to educate consumers about how to recycle packaging correctly.
WALKING THE TALK -
A year after being suspended from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and dropped by companies such as Unilever, Mars, Incorporated, Nestlé and Kellogg for clearing peatlands in Kalimantan, Indonesia, Malaysian palm oil producer IOI Group has announced plans to eliminate deforestation and exploitation throughout its supply chain.
COLLABORATION -
Thirteen Fortune 500 companies have come together to urge the White House to make good on its Paris Agreement climate change commitments. The Agreement has been ratified in 143 countries — including the United States — but the Trump administration could pull out before the G7 Summit in Italy in May.
“Business leaders recognize the costly impacts of climate change and the opportunities for jobs and growth in a clean technology future,” said Bob Perciasepe, President of C2ES.
PRESS RELEASE -
Ford Motor Company and Zipcar, the world’s leading car-sharing network and largest provider of campus car sharing, today announced that as part of their long-standing collaboration, the companies will plant 20,869 trees on Saturday, April 29, through One Tree Planted as a result of their college Earth Month campaign.
PRESS RELEASE -
The cost of natural disasters worldwide could reach $314 billion annually by 2030, up
from around $250 billion now, according to a 2016 report by the World Bank, which cites
rising climate change as a key threat to cities around the globe.
Natural disasters, such as floods, tornadoes, and wildfires can quickly cut off access to
basic, everyday needs. The biggest of these, and the most urgent, is access to clean,
safe drinking water. Damage to infrastructure, as well as flooding, can contaminate drinking water supplies, not only inhibiting people’s ability to hydrate, but can also lead
to sanitation issues and the spread of waterborne diseases.
PRESS RELEASE -
Just in time for Earth Month, our yearly CodeGreen Challenge gets team members even more involved in the community than usual, providing opportunities to support CodeGreen and give back to local causes. This year, we’ve challenged properties to create a CodeGreen cocktail made of local and sustainable ingredients.
LEADERSHIP -
The People’s Climate March is coming to Washington, DC on April 29th. Businesses and their employees can take part and show their support for climate action.
PRESS RELEASE -
As You Sow has withdrawn a shareholder proposal with Target Corp. that asks the company to phase out use of polystyrene foam packaging in its e-commerce operations, as a result of the company’s willingness to work with its value chain and industry peers to discuss replacing foam with less harmful alternatives.
PRESS RELEASE -
In support of Alcohol Awareness Month, HEINEKEN USA (headquartered in White Plains, NY) announced April 4 various programs and initiatives that promote responsible drinking and moderate alcohol consumption.
Every April since 1987, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) has sponsored Alcohol Awareness Month to increase public awareness and understanding, reduce stigma, and encourage local communities to focus on alcoholism and alcohol-related issues.
Heineken® is an industry leader in this space and was the first brand to include responsibility messaging on its packaging. HEINEKEN USA is continuing this commitment with the following initiatives:
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Twelve of the world’s leading cocoa and chocolate companies have agreed to collectively work towards ending deforestation and forest degradation in the global cocoa supply chain, with an initial focus on Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. The agreement commits the participating companies to develop and present a joint public-private framework of action to address deforestation at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP23) meeting in Bonn, Germany in November 2017.
PRESS RELEASE -
With its focus on being a good corporate citizen, Ford Motor Company has been named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the eighth straight year – the longest streak for any auto manufacturer.
PRESS RELEASE -
CVS Pharmacy is the first national retail pharmacy chain to announce the removal of partially hydrogenated oils (PHO), the primary source of artificial trans fats in processed foods, from all its exclusive store brands food products. The retailer now offers over 600 exclusive snack and grocery options which are free from artificial trans fats. This comes a year and a half ahead of the Food and Drug Administration's deadline of June 2018 for processed foods to be reformulated without artificial trans fats, underscoring the company's ongoing commitment to customers' health.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
The year has hardly begun and we’ve already witnessed radical shifts throughout society - growing anti-establishment contingencies, women’s rights marches, and the new US administration are some of the major talking points of 2017. Many have called this the ushering of a new era, one where institutions are met with anxiety rather than trust; in such a climate, brands and businesses can play an important role through establishing a distinct POV and by supporting actions that address critical societal issues of the day.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
The political unrest seems to be good for advertising with a conscience, as this year’s Super Bowl saw the highest number of Goodvertising campaigns ever.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
The question is no longer if an organization will engage with society, it’s how. Yet, from Brexit to Trump to Black Lives Matter, how is now harder than ever before.
So, throughout the year, we will illuminate the “how” for business and societal impact.
We started by asking the Purpose Collaborative – North America’s largest community of purpose, corporate responsibility, and sustainability experts: “What key recommendations would you share with clients to accelerate the impact of their work in 2017?”
Their wisdom follows.
PRESS RELEASE -
Thanks to our Eastman team members - and several community partners and neighbors, we collected a record-setting 25,000 items for the 2016 Supplies for Soldiers campaign! In December, more than 1,000 care packages made their way around the world to 73 U.S. soldiers deployed overseas.
Each soldier received multiple boxes of toiletries, entertainment items such as books and playing cards, non-perishable food/drink mixes, and practical items, including batteries, note pads and much more. Each soldier also received notes and letters from area students sharing their gratitude and sweet wishes.
PRESS RELEASE -
In 2016, General Motors awarded $1.7 million to nonprofit organizations located in and serving General Motors communities across the U.S. through the company’s Community Grants Program.
With a special focus in the areas of STEM education, vehicle and road safety, neighborhood revitalization and workforce development, the program allows facilities to designate grant funding to organizations vital to addressing the needs of the employees and customers in their region.
“GM’s commitment to our local communities runs deep,” said Lori Wingerter, senior manager, Global Corporate Giving at GM. “While building cars that people love is why we’re there, the Community Grants Program empowers our neighbors and fosters sustainable change in the communities we serve.”
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Apple, HP, Samsung SDI and Sony have joined the Responsible Cobalt Initiative, with a pledge to follow the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines for mining supply chains, which call for traceability and immediate correction of any abuses.
PRESS RELEASE -
Panera Bread today announced its intention to initiate an industry-wide effort to improve the welfare of broiler chickens by 2024. The company is also proud to share its continued progress on animal welfare issues and the reduced use of antibiotics across its U.S. Panera Bread® and St. Louis Bread Co.® bakery-cafe menus.