Month: February 2023

This year’s winner of SelectScience®’s Scientists’ Choice Awards in the sustainable product design category are Milli-Q® IQ 7003, 7005, 7010 and 7015 water purification systems from the Life Science Business of Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany, which operates in the U.S. and Canada as MilliporeSigma. The Milli-Q® IQ line is a fully integrated water purification system that transforms tap water into pure and ultrapure water to meet the demanding needs of scientists’ lines of work.

The Scientists’ Choice Awards from SelectScience® have invited scientists to review, nominate and vote for the lab products or services that have had the greatest impact on their work for the past 16 years.

The Milli-Q® IQ systems were developed under the company’s proprietary Design for Sustainability (DfS) framework, which holistically embeds sustainability at each stage of the product development process. Each DfS-developed product is recognized with a scorecard, which communicates the product’s sustainability features across seven dimensions of environmental impact: Energy and Emissions, Water, Packaging, Materials, Suppliers and Manufacturing, Circular Economy, and Usability and Innovation. 

The Milli-Q® IQ systems are one of the company’s nearly 2,000 greener alternative products, as it helps eliminate toxic substances, save energy and water, and reduce waste. The sustainable features of the Milli-Q® IQ include:

An industry-first completely mercury-free tap-to-ultrapure water system that neutralizes organic contaminants and bacteria using EcH2o® UV lampsA reverse osmosis recovery loop that optimizes water recovery and reduces water consumptionA smaller product size overall due to the use of innovative ion-exchange media, which reduces the system’s footprint, plastic use, and packaging wasteIn addition to requiring less packaging, the product utilizes sustainable packaging materials: the system’s corrugated packaging has sustainable forestry certification, and its protective foam is made of 100% bio-based polyethylene from sugar cane waste.

Learn more about the Milli-Q® IQ Systems and other innovative strategies the company is implementing to help shape the future, supporting brilliant minds to solve global challenges, by visiting its sustainability and social business innovation webpage.

PARIS, February 23, 2023 /3BL Media/ – The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) Forest Positive Coalition of Action has today released guidance for businesses to use in implementing the actions outlined in the Coalition’s Forest Positive Commodity Roadmaps for soy and paper, pulp, and fibre-based packaging. As the Coalition works to remove deforestation, forest degradation, and conversion from its key commodity supply chains – all the while promoting positive outcomes for climate, people, and nature in forest communities – the new guidance documents offer rich technical advice for any business striving to source its commodities responsibly and sustainably.

The new guidance offers practical information around the execution of the Coalition’s Soy and Paper, Pulp, and Fibre-based Packaging (PPP) Roadmaps, both of which outline actions businesses can take in adopting the Coalition’s Forest Positive Approach to sourcing each commodity. This Approach requires businesses to have:

A public commitment to deforestation and conversion-free (DCF) across their entire commodity business including a public time-bound action plan with clear milestones;A process for regular supplier/producer engagement;A mechanism to identify and to respond to grievances/non-compliances;Support for initiatives delivering forest positive development at landscape/jurisdictional and/or sectoral levels; andRegular public reporting against key metrics (KPIs).

Notably, the Soy and PPP Roadmaps also include specific actions around addressing deforestation and conversion risks in high-risk and high-priority sourcing landscapes, respectively.

Businesses throughout the consumer goods industry – including Coalition members and their upstream supply chain partners – are invited to use this guidance as an additional resource in efforts to become forest positive businesses.

Both guidance documents have been developed by Coalition members with key input from industry experts including the Coalition’s strategic and technical partner, Proforest, and other organisations such as the Accountability Framework initiative. The Coalition’s work on soy is co-led by Nestlé and Tesco, and its work on PPP is led by Essity.

Didier Bergeret, Director of Sustainability, The Consumer Goods Forum, said, “These Guidance documents can provide both Coalition members and non-members with important technical advice on how to implement the Forest Positive Approach. As recent research from Global Canopy and Forest 500 shows, our industry still has work to do before becoming fully forest positive, and the Guidance on our Coalition’s Forest Positive Commodity Roadmaps is an important resource to help businesses begin and/or accelerate their forest positive journey.”

Thomas Hollick, Sustainability Manager, Forests, Tesco, and Soy Working Group Co-chair, said, “Tesco is committed to sourcing forest positive soy. As co-chair of the Forest Positive Coalition’s Soy Working Group, we are pleased to launch this Guidance to support all businesses in doing the same, as we know that transforming the soy sector to forest positive will only be possible if everyone throughout the value chain plays their part. Retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers alike must work together to ensure their supply chains are forest positive and support initiatives, like the Responsible Commodities Facility in the Cerrado, to drive positive outcomes for people, nature, and climate in forest communities. We encourage all businesses involved in the soy sector to use this Guidance as a key resource in their responsible sourcing practices.”

Joost Koomen, Global Public Affairs Director, Environment, Essity, and PPP Working Group Co-chair, said, “The publication of this Guidance is an important milestone bolstering our Coalition’s efforts to ensure our paper, pulp and fibre supplies are sourced responsibly. The Forest Positive Coalition has been working purposefully to implement the actions laid out in our PPP Roadmap, and this Guidance offers even more support to us as members, but also to any other company working to source forest positive PPP. I encourage all businesses to use this Guidance to collectively accelerate our industry’s move towards a forest positive future for paper, pulp and packaging. As a global hygiene and health company, this is one important tool for Essity to make sustainable forest management the business norm.”

Leah Samberg, Lead Scientist, Accountability Framework initiative, said, “Drawing on the Accountability Framework, this new Guidance clarifies how companies can ensure the soy they source does not contribute to the destruction of natural ecosystems. It provides a firm basis for engagement with suppliers and supports clear communication of progress and performance. This Guidance is the result of close collaboration with the Accountability Framework initiative to ensure alignment with the expectations of civil society and other stakeholders. We appreciate the Coalition’s open and collaborative approach to this work.”

The CGF members joining today’s announcement are eight retailers — Carrefour, Jerónimo Martins, McDonald’s, METRO AG, Sainsbury’s, Sodexo, Tesco, and Walmart — and 14 manufacturers — Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) Sinar Mas, Colgate-Palmolive Company, Danone, Essity, General Mills, Grupo Bimbo, Mars, Incorporated, Mondelēz International, Neste, Nestlé, P&G, PepsiCo, Reckitt, and Unilever.

The Coalition’s four Commodity Roadmaps and the new Guidance on the Soy and PPP Roadmaps are available here on the Coalition’s website.

– ENDS –

About the Forest Positive Coalition of Action

The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) Forest Positive Coalition of Action is a CEO-led initiative representing 22 CGF member companies who are committed to leveraging collective action and accelerating systemic efforts to remove deforestation, forest degradation and conversion from key commodity supply chains. Launched in 2020, the Coalition represents a dynamic shift in the industry’s approach to stopping deforestation: by mobilising the leading position of member companies to build multi-stakeholder partnerships and develop effective implementation and engagement strategies, the Coalition brings together diverse stakeholders for sustainable impact. These efforts support the development of forest-positive businesses that drive transformational change in key landscapes and commodity supply chains, strengthening the resilience of communities and ecosystems worldwide. To learn more about the Forest Positive Coalition, visit www.tcgfforestpositive.com.

About The Consumer Goods Forum

The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) is the only CEO-led organisation that represents both manufacturers and retailers globally. It brings together senior leaders from more than 400 retailers, manufacturers and other stakeholders across 70 countries. The CGF accelerates change through eight Coalitions of Action: forests, human rights, plastics, healthier lives, food waste, food safety, supply chains and product data. Its member companies have combined sales of EUR 4.6 trillion and directly employ nearly 10 million people, with a further 90 million related jobs estimated along the value chain. It is governed by its Board of Directors, which comprises more than 55 manufacturer and retailer CEOs. For more information, please visit: www.theconsumergoodsforum.com.

For further information, please contact:

Didier Bergeret 
Director, Sustainability 
The Consumer Goods Forum 
Email

Madelaine VanDerHeyden 
Manager, Communications 
The Consumer Goods Forum 
Email

February 22, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Ceres urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today to adopt stronger standards for pollution from fine particulate matter, otherwise known as PM 2.5 or soot, than what the agency released in a proposed rule issued last month.

Fine particulate matter is a harmful and deadly pollutant produced by fossil fuel power plants, vehicle emissions, and other industrial sources that causes significant health challenges. The Biden administration aims to reduce negative health impacts from particulate matter pollution with an updated standard.

Ceres Senior Program Director of Climate and Energy Dan Bakal testified in front of EPA officials in support of stronger standards, making the business case for strong particulate standards and emphasizing that the proposed standard does not go far enough to protect public health, especially in low-income communities and communities of color.

“PM 2.5 causes numerous health problems, such as increased infant mortality, cardiovascular disease, asthma and other respiratory issues, cognitive impairments, and premature death,” Bakal said. “As it stands, the proposed rule would continue to expose communities across the country to unsafe levels of air pollution.”

Ceres also submitted a written letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan advocating for stronger standards on behalf of the Ceres BICEP Network, the nation’s leading coalition of companies committed to advocating for robust federal and state sustainability policy.

Signed by Ceres Vice President of Government Relations Anne Kelly, the letter highlighted that a more aggressive standard would yield between $44 billion and $93 billion in economic benefits, much higher than the benefits of the EPA’s proposed standard.

The letter also emphasized that companies are already moving to take advantage of the substantial tax incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, accelerating the shift to clean energy and clean transportation sources and making stronger standards even more feasible while yielding economic benefits.

“Companies across the nation and from all industry sectors are making commitments to reduce their emissions and promote a sustainable path forward for people and the economy, and they need strong policy to support their efforts,” Kelly wrote.

Both Ceres testimony and the letter from the Ceres BICEP Network called for the EPA’s annual PM 2.5 standard to be reduced from 12 µg/ m3 to 8 µg/ m3 and the 24-hour standard be reduced to 25 µg/ m3, which would align with the recommendations of the EPA’s own Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee. The EPA is currently proposing an annual standard of 9-10 µg/ m3, and the agency has not proposed any adjustment to the 24-hour standard, which is currently 35 µg/ m3.

Ceres is a nonprofit organization working with the most influential capital market leaders to solve the world’s greatest sustainability challenges. Through our powerful networks and global collaborations of investors, companies and nonprofits, we drive action and inspire equitable market-based and policy solutions throughout the economy to build a just and sustainable future. For more information, visit ceres.org and follow @CeresNews.

Media Contact: Helen Booth-Tobin

As published on the Pentair blog

By: Lori-Ann Harrington and Kristina Foster, co-leaders of the Pentair Black Employee Network

Black History Month is a time to recognize, learn about and celebrate the contributions of African Americans. In acknowledgment of the critical role that education plays in the advancement of Black people, Pentair’s Black Employee Network (BEN) is highlighting the historical and current importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other cultural organizations in shaping future innovators and leaders.

As part of our Black History Month celebrations, we were proud to host Dr. Keith Mayes, a professor in the Department of African American & African Studies at the University of Minnesota, for a discussion centered on equity in education and its impact on inclusion, diversity and representation across various professional fields and industries. Pentair employees gathered in-person and virtually for his presentation, “The Color of Achievement: Black Education as the Foundation for Freedom and Equality.”

With more than 100 HBCUs across the United States, Professor Mayes spoke about the importance of these institutions from not only the academic perspective, but also the cultural experience. HBCUs provide an environment for young Black people to discover their unlimited potential as they are immersed with other Black scholars and intellectuals. This sentiment was supported by several of our BEN members who are HBCU alumni, and who shared that they emerged from their college experience with a greater sense of pride and confidence in both themselves and their culture.

According to Professor Mayes, creating a cultural connection for employees is essential for companies that are looking to cultivate an inclusive workplace. At Pentair, our employee-led business resource groups such as the BEN work to help foster a sense of belonging across the organization, and provide an opportunity for employees to develop connections and share experiences and perspectives while also supporting each other in professional and personal development.

The BEN has also been focused on collaborating with Pentair’s talent acquisition team to attend recruiting events at HBCUs as well as other organizations to connect with students as we work to attract, engage and develop up and coming talent for career opportunities at Pentair. Through these efforts and more, the BEN strives to strengthen and enhance the relationship of Pentair’s Black employees with each other and with the broader organization.

Read more about Pentair’s business resource groups and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

February 22, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Students across 35 countries competed in the 2022 Bloomberg Global Trading Challenge, testing their skills on investing $1 million virtual USD. The global event is supported by the research and analytics of the Bloomberg Terminal, used by top investors worldwide.

The Bloomberg Global Trading Challenge tests students annually on generating the highest relative profit and loss return (P&L) via the Bloomberg Terminal, located in the university’s Bloomberg Finance Lab. Each team is accompanied by a faculty advisor.

This year, 948 teams invested a total of $785,061,647 of virtual cash over 4,469 individual stocks. The winning team was University of Southampton in the United Kingdom, which was able to generate a relative profit of $305,644. Regional winners include: University of the Incarnate Word in North America, Universidad Marista de Merida in South and Central America, New York University – Abu Dhabi in the Middle East and Africa, and Nanyang Technological University in Asia and Australasia.

“We have previously used the Bloomberg Terminals at our University for several assignments and research, but the 2022 Global Trading Challenge helped us discover further capabilities,” said Xiaohan Yu, Shuyue Li, Junyu Kang, and Libo Chen, the winning team of four. “We benefited from Bloomberg’s powerful database to obtain reliable data, valuable information from financial markets, and to backtest our trading strategies.”

Emily Perrucci, Bloomberg Global Head of User Support said, “Bloomberg is proud to provide financial education and access to students around the globe, a role we have played for over 20 years. Students are gaining the hands-on experience needed to work in the financial industry.”

In addition to the challenge, Bloomberg offers access to two certifications: Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) course, and a new course on Environmental Social Governance (ESG). Both courses provide self-paced modules that deliver guidance on how to navigate financial markets.

“I am very delighted to see our students from the University of Southampton Business School win this year’s Bloomberg Global Trading Challenge after fierce competition with about 950 teams from around the world,” said Dr. Mohamed Bakoush, Faculty Advisor at University of Southampton. “We integrate Bloomberg in the teaching of various courses and programmes at SBS. Winning the 2022 Global Trading Challenge is another testament for the strength of the experiential learning approach that we follow at SBS.”

For more information on Bloomberg for Education, click here.

About Bloomberg for Education 
Bloomberg for Education helps universities incorporate the Bloomberg Terminal into their academic programs to better prepare students for the global job market. Universities around the globe use Bloomberg to bring the real world of finance into the classroom, providing students with access to the same information platform used by leading decision makers in business, finance and government.

About Bloomberg 
Bloomberg is a global leader in business and financial information, delivering trusted data, news, and insights that bring transparency, efficiency, and fairness to markets. The company helps connect influential communities across the global financial ecosystem via reliable technology solutions that enable our customers to make more informed decisions and foster better collaboration. For more information, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/company or request a demo.

Media contact 
US, Natanae Williams, nwilliams143@bloomberg.net, +1-646-324-3149

Germany, Japan, South Korea . . . they’re knocking on our door. The world wants Canada’s energy, specifically Canadian liquified natural gas (LNG), as countries shift away from Russian imports.

To be sure, an energy crisis driven by the need for energy security is well underway. But there’s much more to consider as global demand for energy grows and Canada’s important role comes into focus.

Such was the emphatic message Wednesday at the Rideau Club in Ottawa from Greg Ebel, President and CEO of Enbridge, who along with fellow panelists offered insights during a Policy Magazine-hosted discussion titled LNG and Net Zero.

Ebel, recently appointed top executive at North America’s largest energy infrastructure company, sat alongside fellow panelists Karen Ogen-Toews, CEO of the First Nations LNG Alliance, Ed Greenspon, President and CEO of the Public Policy Forum, Policy Magazine Editor and Publisher Ian MacDonald, and award-winning broadcast journalist Don Newman.

Yes, Europe and Asia want our energy to protect their economies and to displace fuel like coal to combat climate change. But there is also another side of the energy crisis that doesn’t get enough attention, Ebel noted. Consider this. According to the World Health Organization last year:

733 million people still had no access to electricity.2.4 billion people were still cooking using unclean fuels such as plastic materials and dung detrimental to their health.By 2030, the number of people without access to electricity will be 670 million – a population 20 times that of Canada’s.

Canada, which leads in reducing the 1.5% of global emissions created within our borders thanks to government, industry and individual efforts, could set its sights on the 98.5% of global emissions created outside of Canada. This can be done with LNG, Ebel said, describing the Canadian LNG advantage that comes from the use of hydroelectricity to power facilities; a cold climate that requires less energy to produce LNG; and shorter shipping distances to key markets in Asia.

A further strength of Canadian LNG comes from Indigenous equity partnerships, which not only allow projects to tap into environmental expertise that is second to none but help Indigenous partner communities prosper.

While the business and ethical cases for more Canadian LNG now are strong, Ottawa luncheon-goers heard there’s a roadmap, complete with its share of roadblocks, for industry, government and Indigenous communicates to follow.

First, as a nation, we need to align and rally around the belief there’s more that Canada needs to do on the world stage. “We should embrace this responsibility, not shirk from it,” Ebel said.

We then need to focus on attracting investment and on fixing the single biggest obstacle standing in the way. Canada’s regulatory system, which impedes action, slows development and erodes confidence among proponents and international LNG customers, and has to be turned on its head, said Ebel. We need to show that projects—built the right way—can actually get built.

“Canada definitely has a business case for LNG, and we have an obligation to help and to do so in a truly Canadian way, which is to say, to do the right thing, for the right reasons, in the right way—and to do it now,” Ebel said.

Originally published on Tork News Center

The Philadelphia Eagles and Tork®, the professional hygiene brand from the global hygiene and health company, Essity, with North America headquarters in Philadelphia, have teamed up for the second consecutive year to “Tackle Hygiene with Every Catch” and promote the benefits of proper hygiene. For every completed catch made by the Eagles from September 19 through the end of the season, Tork pledged to donate $100 worth of hygiene products to Project HOME, a local nonprofit organization committed to empowering adults, children and families to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty, and to enable all to attain their fullest potential.

The “Tackle Hygiene with Every Catch” campaign aims to raise awareness around the important role good hygiene plays in keeping our community healthy and promote the benefits for fans, players and the community through the donation of toilet paper and surface disinfecting wet wipes.

Thanks to 390 receptions by the team, Tork will be donating $39,000 worth of hygiene products to Project HOME on Wednesday, February 22 as part of a ceremonial check presentation and hygiene product delivery at the Cira Center Lobby.

Last year, $26,500 worth of sustainable hygiene products were donated to Project HOME.

About Essity

Essity is a leading global hygiene and health company. We are dedicated to improving well-being through our products and services. Sales are conducted in approximately 150 countries under the leading global brands TENA and Tork, and other strong brands, such as Actimove, JOBST, Knix, Leukoplast, Libero, Libresse, Lotus, Modibodi, Nosotras, Saba, Tempo, TOM Organic, Vinda and Zewa. Essity has about 48,000 employees. Net sales in 2022 amounted to approximately SEK 156bn (EUR 15bn). The company’s headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and Essity is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. Essity breaks barriers to well-being and contributes to a healthy, sustainable and circular society. More information at www.essity.com.

About Tork 

The Tork brand offers professional hygiene products and services to customers worldwide ranging from restaurants and healthcare facilities to offices, schools and industries. Our products include dispensers, paper towels, toilet tissues, soap, napkins and wipers, but also software solutions for data-driven cleaning. Through expertise in hygiene, functional design and sustainability, Tork has become a market leader that supports customers to think ahead so they’re always ready for business. Tork is a global brand of Essity and a committed partner to customers in more than 110 countries. To keep up with the latest Tork news and innovations, please visit Torkusa.com. 

About Project HOME

Since 1989, Project HOME has helped thousands of people break the cycle of homelessness and poverty by providing a continuum of care that includes street outreach, supportive housing and comprehensive services that focus on health care, education and employment through both adult and youth education and enrichment programs at the Honickman Learning Center and Comcast Technology Labs and community-based health care services at the Stephen Klein Wellness Center. Project HOME and its partners have pledged to end chronic street homelessness in Philadelphia. To learn more, visit www.projecthome.org.