SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Providing cash-based support to the vulnerable to purchase private health insurance would increase access to quality healthcare at roughly the same per enrollee costs as Medicaid programs — finds the latest paper in the Coverage Denied…
Month: June 2023
We are excited to share that our Global Vice President of Sustainability, Kim Frankovich, recently recorded a podcast for “Sustaining Sustainability” with its host, CB Bhattacharya!
CB is the director of the University of Pittsburgh Center for Sustainable Business and the H.J. Zoffer Chair in Sustainability and Ethics at the Katz Graduate School of Business. In the episode, Kim and CB discuss how Griffith Foods is fulfilling its purpose to Blend Care and Creativity to Nourish the World. They touch on a wide variety of topics including Griffith Foods’ founding in 1919 and how we ensure the farmers we source from are thriving. Kim also shares insight into the work our culinary teams are doing to provide sustainable ingredients that support gluten-free, more nutritious and plant-based diets.
Listen to the podcast to learn more and don’t forget to check out the other podcast speakers on Sustaining Sustainability as well!
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WASHINGTON, June 21, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Aluminum beverage can manufacturers Ardagh Metal Packaging (Ardagh) and Crown Holdings (Crown) are funding a new grant opportunity as part of their continuing support of activities to spur the installation of additional aluminum can capture equipment in material recovery facilities (MRFs), which sort single-stream recyclables. This new grant opportunity builds on the five grants that Ardagh and Crown funded in 2021.
Facilitated by the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI), the five grants given in 2021 to MRFs across the country exceeded expectations. The initial estimate was these five grants would fund equipment that when installed would annually capture 71 million aluminum beverage cans, generating a little more than $1 million in revenue for the U.S. recycling system. Recent performance data from four of the five grantees shows the impact is even higher—nearly 140 million aluminum beverage cans captured per year.
“Ardagh and Crown are generously funding recycling system improvements with significant environmental and economic impacts,” reported Scott Breen, CMI’s vice president of sustainability. “CMI’s can recycling impact calculator shows when the nearly 140 million aluminum beverage cans are captured and recycled each year due to the improvements from these grants, the annual impacts are more than $2 million generated for the recycling system and carbon savings realized equivalent to driving a little more than 34 million miles, or nearly 1,400 times around the Earth.”
As with the 2021 grants, the new grants will be offered through The Recycling Partnership, the leading national force for improving recycling. Several grants will be awarded on a rolling basis to MRFs. More information on the grant opportunity can be found at https://recyclingpartnership.org/aluminum-can-capture-grants-for-mrfs/.
“Capturing each aluminum beverage can at MRFs is important since metal recycles forever and used beverage cans (UBC) are consistently one of the most valuable materials in the recycling stream,” said John Rost, Crown’s vice president of global sustainability and regulatory affairs. In fact, CMI-funded research from Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, “Aluminum Beverage Cans: Driver of U.S. Recycling System,” found that without the revenue from UBCs, most MRFs would not be able to operate without changes to their business models. This same research found that up to one in four aluminum beverage cans is missorted at a typical MRF for various reasons including cans being crushed horizontally into flat objects and then sorted like paper.
The extent of the incorrect sorting of aluminum beverage cans varies by MRF. In 2022, Ardagh and Crown contracted Resource Recycling Systems (RRS) to track exactly how many aluminum beverage cans are missorted at five loss points at three diverse MRFs. This on-the-ground analysis found that between seven and 36 aluminum beverage cans are missorted every minute, resulting in an average annual revenue loss of $71,900 per loss point. With the relatively high economic value of UBCs, can capture equipment at these loss points had an average payback of three years.
Beyond the testing and the funding, Ardagh and Crown also financed the development of tools to catalyze additional can capture equipment installation. In 2022, CMI made available a complimentary return-on-investment (ROI) calculator, developed by RRS, that any MRF can use to see the ROI of putting in additional can capture equipment.
“Ardagh is proud to join Crown and continue investing in can sorting efficiencies at MRFs to strengthen aluminum beverage can recycling,” said Jennifer Cumbee, Ardagh’s chief sustainability officer, global metal. “These investments reflect our industry commitment to increase beverage can recycle rates as CMI detailed in our Aluminum Beverage Can Recycling Primer and Roadmap. The objectives and tactics are clear as CMI aluminum beverage can sector members are aligned in improving from a 45-percent aluminum beverage can recycling rate in 2020, which makes it the most recycled beverage container in the United States, to new heights of 70 percent by 2030, 80 percent by 2040 and 90 percent by 2050.”
Recycling more aluminum beverage cans has many benefits. For one, it means more UBC material is available to incorporate into new cans. Today, aluminum beverage cans manufactured in the United States average 73 percent recycled content, the highest average of any beverage container. Additional aluminum beverage can recycling also means a greater environmental and economic impact, as well as more cans exemplifying the circular economy as they go from recycling bin back to store shelf as a new can in as little as 60 days.
About Can Manufacturers Institute
The Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) is the national trade association of the metal can manufacturing industry and its suppliers in the United States. The can industry accounts for the annual domestic production of approximately 130.7 billion food, beverage and general line cans; employs more than 28,000 people with plants in 33 states, Puerto Rico and American Samoa; and generates about $15.7 billion in direct economic activity. CMI members are committed to providing safe, nutritious and refreshing canned food and beverages to consumers in the most sustainable packaging.
2021 Grants Information and Performance Data*
GEL Recycling in Orange City, FL, installed equipment to detect and capture errant aluminum cans that were missorted into the plastic container stream, resulting in additional capture of a projected 204,000 new pounds per year.Independent Texas Recyclers in Houston, TX, installed equipment to capture aluminum that was not detected by the main aluminum sorting equipment, resulting in 2.5 million new pounds of aluminum capture per year.Rivers Recycling in Kilgore, TX, installed equipment to move from hand sortation to a modernized and automated process, resulting in a projected 106,000 new pounds of aluminum capture per year.Curbside Management in Asheville, NC, catalyzed investment in an eddy current separator, which puts the facility on track to add 1.3 million pounds of recycled aluminum per year.
*Performance data is not yet available for the grant given to the MRF jointly owned by the City of Milwaukee and Waukesha County, but the additional eddy current funded with the grant is expected to capture 27 million aluminum beverage cans per year.
Originally published in Webster Bank’s 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report
Social Supply Chain
We began building our new Supplier Diversity program in 2022, integrating diversity and inclusion into our procurement process by laying a strong foundation with key internal and external stakeholders.
We developed policies, practices and procedures to ensure equal opportunity and enable access. As part of OCR, Supplier Diversity progress is reported to the Corporate Responsibility Committee (C-suite executives), which in turn reports to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board.
As part of this effort, Webster partnered with a number of organizations that support women- and minority-owned businesses in New England and New York. Membership in these groups provided valuable opportunities to develop relationships and learn best practices. We’ve been able to increase our visibility in this space by participating in supplier diversity matchmaker events and other external initiatives that promote opportunities for diverse vendors.
Internally, we are working to align our processes and lower barriers to entry by fine-tuning the onboarding process for low-risk vendors. We also developed colleague training to emphasize the important role our colleagues play in making the new Supplier Diversity program a success. We will support this with internal “road shows” across the footprint in 2023. The new Webster Supplier Diversity page went live in 2022, and an online vendor portal is scheduled for 2023.
Access to Capital
Webster believes strongly in empowering people and strengthening communities by expanding access to capital through support for:
Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs)
Finance affordable housing, community facilities and small businesses.
Community Development Corporations (CDCs)
Focus on revitalizing the areas in which they are located; typically, underserved neighborhoods that have experienced disinvestment.
SBICs and SBA-certified development corporations
Help grow small businesses, especially Minority- and Womenowned Business Enterprises.
Small Business
We understand the challenges that small business owners face and we work with them to find the right products and services to meet their needs.
In 2022, Webster was:
Recognized as the Top 7(a) Lender of the Year in both Connecticut and Rhode Island.Named Top Third-Party Lender of the Year (504 loans) by the Connecticut District of the U.S. Small Business Association.Ranked among the Top 100 Most Active SBA 7(a) Lenders in the country for the 2022 fiscal year.
Webster Connect Checking
In 2022, we were pleased to introduce Webster Connect Checking. This product provides unbanked and underbanked clients with financial services with limited fees to help them save, grow and access their money in a reliable way.
Webster Connect was launched in the New York metro area in late 2022, and it will be offered across all Webster locations by mid-2023.
This product has been certified by the Cities for Financial Empowerment for meeting the Bank On National Account Standards for 2023–2024. Bank On collaborates with financial institutions to provide clients with account options that meet safety and affordability standards.
To learn more about Webster Bank’s commitment to corporate responsibility, visit our CR webpage.
For full details about Webster Bank’s 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report, visit here.
By Vanessa Infanzon illumination Contributor
If you’re like me, you’ve read the headlines about tax credits for an electric vehicle (EV) purchase and wondered if an EV is a fit for your family. Our cars are more than 15 years old, so we know a vehicle purchase is imminent. A tax credit could bring an EV closer to our budget.
The newest tax credits for EVs are part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act. The EV tax credits include up to $7,500 for new vehicles, and up to $4,000 for previously owned.
“These new credits create opportunity for prospective EV buyers, many of whom we anticipate will be first-time EV drivers,” said Dylan Lustig, public policy manager at Duke Energy.
Here’s what you need to know if you’re thinking about buying an EV:
Research your options
Know what is eligible for tax credits.Duke Energy’s EV page can help customers decide what car is right for them and how much they’ll save with the fuel savings calculator. The company also has programs to help cover the costs of upgrading electric infrastructure for installation of a charger in some jurisdictions.“I strongly recommend leaning on a tax professional,” Lustig said, “make sure you and your vehicle of choice are eligible to receive them.”Review these IRS resources: Vehicles that qualify for credits, fact sheets and FAQs.Sedans cannot have an MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price) greater than $55,000. SUVs, trucks, and vans cannot have an MSRP greater than $80,000. The MSRP is on the vehicle information label attached to the vehicle at the dealer. According to the IRS, the MSRP for the tax credit is the base retail price suggested by the manufacturer, plus the retail price suggested by the manufacturer for each accessory or item of optional equipment attached to the vehicle at the time of delivery to the dealer. MSRP does not include destination charges or optional items added by the dealer, taxes and fees.Some previously owned vehicles purchased from a qualifying dealer are eligible for credit.
How does this benefit me?
Consumers can expect to see up to a $7,500 reduction in their federal tax liability with the purchase of an eligible vehicle. Switching to clean vehicles can potentially help save in other ways, including through lower fuel and operating costs, said Allan Zhao, an engineer in EPRI’s electric transportation program.
Tax credits make EVs more affordable. This tax credit, he said, could bring the cost closer to the cost of an internal combustion engine-equipped vehicle.“We’re seeing an uptick in the market of consumer interest in electrical vehicles,” said Leilani Gonzalez, policy director at Zero Emission Transportation Association, a nonprofit focusing on advocacy and education around zero emissions. “One (EV) car is really impactful in reducing carbon emissions. EVs don’t have any tailpipe emissions.”
Charge up on road trips
Some people are concerned with the availability of charging stations during long road trips, known as “range anxiety.” Duke Energy is working with its states to ease concerns about finding a charger and has programs to help business owners deploy chargers.
“Just like you rely on gas stations along your route to fill up the tank on your gas-powered vehicle, a network of EV chargers will provide access to chargers for EV drivers,” said Logan Kureczka, lead communications manager at Duke Energy. “We are supporting our states’ plans to build out EV charging infrastructure to provide drivers with effective, efficient, and convenient charging options that enable long-distance travel – ensuring drivers are comfortable knowing there will be ample chargers along their route.”
Make the purchase
New vehicles have a maximum credit amount of $7,500. The tax credit is calculated by whether a vehicle meets two domestic manufacturing criteria: $3,750 for battery component requirements and $3,750 for mineral requirements. In addition to these requirements, there are other eligibility restrictions:
Qualifying new vehicles final assembly location must be in North America and have a 7-kWh minimum battery capacity and meet vehicle MSRP limits.Qualifying consumers for a new EV must meet income limits: single filers: $150,000; joint filers: $300,000; single head of households: $225,000.Pre-owned vehicles have a maximum credit of $4,000. The amount depends on the vehicle’s specifications. To qualify, a vehicle must be at least two model years old, have a minimum battery capacity of 7 kWh, and be listed for less than $25,000 at a qualified dealer. The battery and mineral requirements do not apply for pre-owned vehicles.Qualifying consumers for a pre-owned EV must meet income limits: single filer: $75,000; joint filer: $125,000, single head of household: $112,500.
Get the tax credit
As part of the credit claim process, the dealership will provide both the consumer and IRS information such as VIN and details of the sale.
Through the end of 2023, consumers complete IRS Form 8936 with their tax filings to claim the tax credit.Starting Jan. 1, 2024, consumers will be able to claim the credit amount at the point of sale.
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Congratulations to AB’s Global Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Corporate Citizenship Janessa Cox-Irvin on being named a finalist for Top D&I Officer by Crain’s New York Business’ 2023 Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion Awards. Janessa has been recognized for her efforts in creating a more equitable community through engaging DEI programs. Learn more here.
AllianceBernstein
AllianceBernstein (AB) is a leading global investment management firm that offers high-quality research and diversified investment services to institutional investors, individuals, and private wealth clients in major world markets. We believe corporate responsibility, responsible investing and stewardship are intertwined. To be effective stewards of our clients’ assets, we strive to invest responsibly—assessing, engaging on and integrating material issues, including environmental, social and governance (ESG), and climate change considerations in most of our actively managed strategies. We also believe that being a responsible firm allows us to be more responsible investors. Our stewardship practices, investment strategy and decision-making are guided by our purpose, mission and values.
Our purpose—pursue insight that unlocks opportunity—inspires our firm to act responsibly. While opportunity means something different to each of our stakeholders; it always means considering the unique goals of each stakeholder that go beyond the desire for financial returns. AB’s mission is to help our clients define and achieve their investment goals, explicitly stating what we do each day to unlock opportunity for our clients. We became a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) in 2011. This formalized our commitment to identify responsible ways to unlock opportunities for our clients through ESG integration in most of our actively managed equity and fixed-income client accounts, funds and strategies.
Because we are an active manager, our differentiated insights drive our ability to deliver alpha and design innovative investment solutions. ESG and climate issues are key elements in forming insights and in presenting potential risks and opportunities that can have an impact on the performance of the companies and issuers that we invest in and the portfolios that we build.
Our values provide a framework for the behaviors and actions that deliver on our purpose and mission. Values align our actions. Each value emerges from the firm’s collective character—yet is also aspirational. Each value challenges us to become a more responsible version of AB.
Invest in One Another means that we have a strong organizational culture where diversity is celebrated and mentorship is critical to our success. When we invest in one another, we empower our employees to reach their potential, so that they can help our clients realize theirs. This enables us to partner with clients to design and deliver improved investment outcomes.Strive for Distinctive Knowledge means that we collaboratively identify creative solutions to clients’ economic, ESG and climate- related investment challenges through our expertise in a wide range of investment disciplines, close collaboration among our investment experts and creative solutions.Speak with Courage and Conviction informs how we engage our AB colleagues and issuers. We seek to learn from other parts of our business to strengthen our own views. And we engage issuers for insight and action by sharing ideas and best practices.Act with Integrity—Always is the bedrock of our relationships and has specific meaning for our business. Unlike many other asset managers, we’re singularly focused on providing asset management and research to our clients. We don’t engage in activities that could be distracting, or create conflicts—such as investment banking, insurance writing, commercial banking or proprietary trading for our own account. We are unconflicted and fully accountable.
As of December 31, 2022, AB had $646B in assets under management, $445B of which were ESG-integrated. Additional information about AB may be found on our website, www.alliancebernstein.com.
Learn more about AB’s approach to responsibility here
Javier “Chicharito” Hernández made a surprise visit to our Casa Herbalife partner, SOS Children’s Villages in Mexico City, to donate $15,000 on behalf of the LA Galaxy Foundation.
SOS Children’s Villages offers various programs and projects that provide children in Mexico a safe and healthy environment to grow in. The donated funds will help contribute to maintenance and improvement of the facilities, along with the care it provides to children in the program every day.
“It’s truly an honor to have the opportunity to host these events and donate directly to the people who need it the most,” said Jenny Pérez, Executive Director of the Herbalife Nutrition Foundation. “These actions contribute to our mission of improving lives of children and communities around the world.”
Herlinda Quiroz & Juan Carlos Ruvalcaba, the 2022 HNF Regional Humanitarians from Mexico, also donated $2,500 to the Casa. The Humanitarians received a donation of $5,000 from HNF to give to a charitable organization after winning the prestigious humanitarian award.
Jenny Pérez joined Chicharito, our 2022 Mexico Humanitarians and several Herbalife Independent Distributors at SOS Children’s Villages Mexico for a day of celebration. Chicharito even played a friendly match of soccer with the children.
With this donation, HNF continues its commitment to supporting communities and children around the world. Join us in our mission!
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HOSFORD, Florida, June 21, 2023 /3BL Media/ – When a powerful tornado struck the small, rural town of Hosford, Florida on April 27th the team at GP Hosford OSB immediately stepped up to help.
The destructive storm, an EF2 tornado with winds as high as 125 miles per hour, severely damaged almost every home along a 2-mile stretch, just south of the plant. Trees and debris were left scattered everywhere.
Right away, the team at GP Hosford reached out to local authorities to discuss the need for support and recovery efforts. They gathered essential supplies, including two pallets of bottled water, safety glasses, and protective clothing, and delivered them to the Hosford Volunteer Fire Department. The supplies were then distributed to the affected residents. Over the course of the weekend, dedicated employees volunteered their time to distribute water and cook and deliver food to residents and relief workers.
The GP team then partnered with SIS, the waste contractor for Hosford OSB. Together, they redirected a full-time driver to promptly deliver large construction dumpsters to various homes in the area. Door-to-door visits were conducted, engaging with homeowners to understand their needs, and working closely with the Liberty County Sheriff’s Department to coordinate volunteer efforts.
GP volunteers worked diligently to move debris piles into dumpsters for homeowners. Furthermore, the team extended their support to one of their own, a fellow colleague who had been directly impacted by the tornado,
cleaning up two loads of debris from his residence.
“I have an immense sense of pride and gratitude for the team at GP Hosford,” said Madison McNealey, facility environmental manager at Hosford OSB. “They came together during a time when our neighbors and community needed them the most. Their remarkable display of collaboration and compassion in the face of adversity truly showcases what Georgia-Pacific employees are about and what happens when people come together.”
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In this compelling episode of the Boston Scientific Talks podcast, Kathryn Unger, VP of ESG, and Brad Sorenson, EVP of Global Operations, delve into Boston Scientific’s transformative Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives, exploring how these principles are influencing supplier relationships, impacting product design, and exceeding customer expectations. Additionally, they discuss strategies to align business operations with ESG objectives to foster employee engagement, improve patient outcomes, and better support communities. Tune in to this episode for a comprehensive understanding of Boston Scientific’s commitment to balancing quality, environmental sustainability, and social responsibility in the medical device industry.
The Boston Scientific Talks Podcast, produced in partnership with DeviceTalks, features Boston Scientific leaders and innovators discussing cutting-edge work to improve patient care and advance science for life.
Thank you for listening to the Boston Scientific Podcast.
Subscribe to this podcast on every major podcast platform.
Boston Scientific
Boston Scientific transforms lives through innovative medical solutions that improve the health of patients around the world. As a global medical technology leader for 40 years, we advance science for life by providing a broad range of high performance solutions that address unmet patient needs and reduce the cost of healthcare. For more information, visit www.bostonscientific.com and connect on Twitter and Facebook.
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As a young gay man growing up in Detroit, Joe Hawkins witnessed the stigma and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. And when he entered the military in the 1980s, during the early years of the HIV epidemic, he again faced anti-gay fervor.
“It was terrifying, and it became a witch hunt in many ways,” Joe says.
After he left the military and arrived in Bay Area, Joe found a supportive Black gay culture. But he was surprised to discover that Oakland had far fewer resources for LGBTQ+ individuals than nearby San Francisco.
“When areas are not sufficiently resourced, we fail our communities,” he says. “My whole life has been dedicated to changing this.”
With support from partners, including Gilead, Joe went on to co-found the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center, which opened its doors in 2017. The center is focused on enhancing the wellbeing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals, as well as families and allies. They do this by offering a welcoming gathering spot and providing educational, social, and health related services, such as HIV care, mental health support, food and transportation assistance.
“It’s really important we have a humane approach to helping our community,” Joe says. “Without sounding too corny, love is the answer.”
Gilead Sciences
Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a research-based biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes innovative medicines in areas of unmet medical need. The company strives to transform and simplify care for people with life-threatening illnesses around the world. Gilead has operations in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California.
Originally published by Gilead Sciences
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