Organizational Governance Organizational Governance

How Caesars Supports the SDGs – and How Your Organization Can, Too

As part of our CSR strategy, we strategically aligned our programming based on three Sustainable Development Goals.

Sponsored Content | / This article is sponsored by Caesars Entertainment | By Gwen Migita and Kengo Nishimura | Published 5 years ago | About a 6 minute read

Image: RawPixel

Caesars Entertainment, the world’s most diversified gaming-entertainment provider, advances responsible business practices while inspiring employees, guests, partners and communities to share in making a positive impact. Through PEOPLE PLANET PLAY, Caesars’ framework for corporate social responsibility (CSR), we support the wellbeing of our team members, guests and local communities, take care of the world we all call home, create memorable experiences for our guests and lead Responsible Gaming practices in our industry.

As part of our CSR strategy, we strategically aligned our programming based on three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — which emphasize collaboration and specifically call out to companies for support in addressing the world’s biggest challenges by 2030. We have been examining the work we are doing to align with the UN goals since 2015. Today, much of our work through PEOPLE PLANET PLAY contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Agenda that aims to deliver global prosperity by 2030. Although our global activities contribute to most of the 17 SDGs, our most significant opportunities for impact align with Goals 3, 8 and 11.

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being aligns with the efforts of programming within our PEOPLE pillar. Our award-winning Wellness Rewards employee program — which helps our team members get healthier and stay healthy as they get older — has a voluntary participation rate of more than 90 percent. We maintain funding of more than $15 million each year to support this program, which includes incentives for team member participation, as well as the support of 26 WellNurses and WellCoaches in ten clinics across our U.S. properties. Through our Relay for Life campaign and Battle of the Bras fundraiser for cancer awareness — collectively known as Campaign for the Cause — we educate and raise money for the American Cancer Society to fund groundbreaking research and patient support services. In 2017, Caesars Entertainment team members raised more than $500,000 through our Campaign for the Cause activities.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth is evident in both our PEOPLE and PLAY approaches, which highlight supporting our communities, generating social impact through economic value, and committing to diversity, equity and inclusion. In terms of societal contributions, Caesars has performed better than the average U.S. corporation, providing three times the estimated value to its communities as other companies, as detailed in our latest CSR report.

We provide decent work by fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce, compensating fairly and rewarding positive contribution and service. We provide training for all team members and a positive working environment. We indirectly create further employment in cities where we operate for other hospitality providers and for thousands of vendors.

In 2017, 54 percent of our team members were from minority groups and 42 percent of our managerial roles were filled by women. Our diversity, equity and inclusion strategy directly connects to our endorsement of human rights as laid out in the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and as is reflected in our public stances on LGBTQ rights and work to end human trafficking. Overall, in 2017, we distributed $7.6 billion to the different groups connected to our business (from our suppliers to our team members to local and federal governments), making a strong contribution to the economic infrastructure of communities where we operate and enriching the quality of life for millions of individuals.

SDG 11: Supporting Sustainable Cities and Communities is also reflected throughout PEOPLE PLANET PLAY programming. In all of the communities where we operate, we contribute to revitalizing city life and infrastructure improvements through mandated and discretionary funding in order to have positive influence on local economies. In addressing a core symptom of SDG 11, urban growth and poverty in cities, Caesars works in its own backyard to fund solutions for some of the Southern Nevada’s biggst challenges, including human trafficking, homelessness and immigration integration. Across our properties, our team members reported volunteering more than 331,000 hours to local causes, including for programs such as the National Park Trust’s Buddy Bison Carbon Contest. In 2017 alone, Caesars Entertainment’s employee volunteers helped Atlantic City elementary school students and their teachers save the district an eye-popping $800,000 through energy-smart habits.

We challenge team members enterprise-wide to reduce their environmental impact at work and home through programs such as CodeGreen at Home and CodeGreen Challenge. CodeGreen at Home, which rewards sustainable behavior outside of the workplace, was also revamped in 2018 to further help team members understand how their behaviors at home and in their communities support the SDGs; it now includes rewards for behaviors that align with the three SDGs mentioned above, such as going meat-free for one week and properly disposing of household hazardous waste. Finally, participating in Green Key certification ensures that our properties meet high environmental and social performance targets.

These are just a few examples of how Caesars’ programs and priorities align with the SDGs. As an international organization, with more than 63,000 team members across the globe, we believe that action cannot only come from the corporate level. We believe our team members’ commitment and contribution are crucial to meeting these goals. To ensure our base is engaged, we partner with IMPACT2030, a community of companies working in partnership to advance the SDGs through human capital investments. We leverage IMPACT2030 workshops and webinars to help explain the connection between Caesars’ work and the SDGs. We have even encouraged employees to share about the SDGs by signing up with IMPACT2030 to join ‘EmployeesTeachSDGs.’

Based on our experience connecting our CSR strategy to the SDGs, we have developed a participatory workshop for the SB 2019 Tokyo conference. Through this participatory workshop, we aim to share insights, tactics and ideas to help other organizations learn how to leverage the SDGs (especially 3, 8 and 11) to strengthen CSR programs, successfully collaborate with nonprofits, upgrade business strategy, create new business and brand value, and enhance communications. You will hear from companies and individuals working in Japan and the U.S. about expectations and activities related to the SDGs; have the opportunity to discuss potential collaboration; discover best practices in aligning CSR and SDG work, engage stakeholders and find the right partnerships; and network with leading NGOs working in Japan. We are excited to share and learn from leaders in the sustainable business community through this workshop.

Japan offers a unique geographic framework to understand the SDGs, as it played a leading role in the formation of the 2030 Agenda, including the individual goals and targets. In 2016, the Government of Japan established a new Cabinet called the SDGs Promotion Headquarters to foster cooperation and conversation around the implementation of SDG measures. This Cabinet led cross-sector stakeholder roundtable discussions, public-private partnerships, and the restructuring of the SDGs in light of Japan’s national context. In 2017, to encourage private sector engagement with the SDGs, the SDGs Promotion Headquarters established the Japan SDGs Award to recognize leading initiatives. Japan is also working to raise public awareness of — and increase education about — the SDGs.

Click here for more information on the workshop next month at SB '19 Tokyo. SB Corporate Members can receive 30% off with the discount code:SBSGL330. Non-Members, receive 20% off with discount code: SBNSB220.

Gwen Migita

Senior Principal ESG

As a Senior Principal in Point B’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Practice, Gwen advises executive leaders on the risks and opportunities associated with ESG performance. Her leadership role also involves enhancing connections between Point B’s client-facing ESG Practice and internal Social Responsibility and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Her work seeks to deepen purpose and belonging among Point B’s 800+ employee owners and accelerate action by corporate, nonprofit and public sector customers to improve life on the planet.