Month: June 2023

Sharing your company’s corporate sustainability and social impact progress is no small feat. The key stakeholders – investors, journalists, rankings & ratings agencies, NGOs and consumers – who care about your commitments are a diverse and fragmented audience. It takes a specialist to find them, connect with them, and engage them meaningfully and consistently on a single platform.

That’s where 3BL comes in.

For over a decade, we’ve built a robust and responsive content distribution network across that uniquely complex audience. Our credibility and specialist focus means that when we share our clients’ news, the right people take notice. And, our unmatched service ensures that the client messages we share have been optimized for attention and impact.

Join us on June 28 at 12:30 p.m. ET for a demo of the Professional platform. In thirty minutes you’ll see how leading companies are leveraging our proprietary technology and expansive content distribution network to…

Increase visibility, engagement & credibility with key stakeholdersGain traction with ratings & rankings agenciesDevelop a positive brand reputation among consumersInform current & potential investors about their ESG commitmentsEnhance communications strategy with comprehensive reporting and analytics

Click here to register for the demo.

But, don’t take our word for it. Here’s what a few of our clients are saying:

“3BL allows us to really get eyeballs on our content, we need to drive it to our audiences and 3BL makes sure that the right people are able to find out about it… and without it our content is just so much less viewed” – Head of Corporate Sustainability, 3BL Customer

“3BL does an excellent job with its subject matter expertise. It counsels us about how to modify our information to meet the needs of recipients.” – Senior Investor Relations Advisor, 3BL Customer

“3BL’s analytics helps us to check how our content is doing. It’s nice to be able to say that twice as many outlets posted our annual sustainability report than last year.” – Managing Director, Communications, 3BL Customer

Attendees that purchase a subscription to the Professional platform within 30 days of the demo will receive a 5% discount. Register here. 

ATLANTA, June 14, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Plastic waste doesn’t have to be waste at all. It can be a resource.

With the support of GP Recycling, the Center for Regenerative Design and Collaboration (CRDC Global) is converting plastics into a concrete additive called RESIN8. Now instead of ending up in a landfill or the ocean, those plastics can be used to make the concrete that goes into homes, businesses and infrastructure.

“First and foremost, the big value of RESIN8 is keeping the plastic out of landfills,” said Kevin Butts, director of strategy and business development for GP Recycling. “On top of that, you’re able to substitute plastic for traditional aggregates to improve the performance characteristics of the concrete.”

Concrete produced with RESIN8 is lighter and provides better insulation, according to CRDC Global. In non-structural concrete applications, RESIN8 can improve insulation by up to 35%, per CRDC Global. RESIN8 is suitable for numerous applications including concrete blocks, pavers, grouts, mortars, and even hot-mix asphalt. So where does CRDC Global get the plastic it needs to make RESIN8? That’s where GP Recycling comes in.

GP Recycling supports CRDC Global’s first U.S. facility in York, Pennsylvania, as a direct supplier of plastic feedstock. But the partnership goes beyond just providing supply. GP Recycling also serves as a strategic and logistical partner, helping CRDC Global manage partnerships with other plastic feedstock suppliers.

RESIN8 from CRDC Global’s first facility in San José, Costa Rica, has already been used for Habitat for Humanity building projects in Latin America. Ten concrete companies in the U.S. and Canada are currently exploring incorporation of RESIN8 into their products. And as awareness and use of RESIN8 becomes more widespread in the states, CRDC Global and GP Recycling expect to work closely to scale up supply and bring this innovative solution to more people.

“We see CRDC Global as a unique solution because they take all plastics. They aren’t limited to just certain grades,” Kevin said. “So given that broad range of feedstock, we see them being able to help communities throughout the country find value for different types of plastics.”

The collaboration is yet another example of how GP Recycling is pursuing mutually beneficial partnerships with waste processors and with the companies that use recycled scrap—partnerships that create value for consumers while also minimizing waste and improving environmental performance.

After just four years of collaboration, GP Recycling and CRDC Global have only begun to explore what’s possible in the pursuit of creating value from plastic feedstock.

View original content here.

When Vicky Choi began her career as an engineer, she noticed that women and Asian people overall were well represented in the field – but that Asian women weren’t reflected in upper management and leadership positions. Vicky saw this as a potential opportunity for her professional growth, and she embraces her background as an Asian American woman.

After graduating from college, Vicky spent a few years working in Shanghai, first at the World Expo, and then the Shanghai Disney Resort. “When I worked on big projects in Shanghai, I still had a lot to learn in terms of culture despite being ethnically Chinese and bilingual,” she says. “But because of the support for developing more Asian women leaders, I found there were lots of career opportunities that allowed me to thrive abroad.”

Several years ago, Vicky joined Gilead as a Senior Project Manager, but was recently promoted to Associate Director for Project Management in Corporate Engineering. She oversees a team that focuses on the scope, schedule and deliverables of new laboratory buildings that enable scientists to do the work they need to every day. The shift into biotech has brought new meaning to her work.

“At Disney, it was making sure that magic is there every time somebody steps into the park,” she says of her past career. “But building a lab means making sure the scientists have the tools they need to discover therapeutics that help improve lives.”

As Vicky’s career has evolved, she’s noticed a shift in her field. “Times have definitely changed,” she says. “As we’re hiring new people, I’m seeing a lot more diversity and people from different backgrounds. That’s been really exciting to see.”

Abbey Kim is a recent hire in the same department as Vicky’s, where she works in Automation Engineering. Unlike Vicky, she went for the biotech industry straight out of college. “I wanted to help people, and to find fulfillment in my career,” she says. “I heard about Gilead’s history in transforming the treatment and prevention of HIV, and I knew that they had developed a cure for hepatitis C. I wanted to work for a company that was determined to make the world a healthier place for all people.”

The Gilead Asian Interest Network 
Abbey started at Gilead in 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic was still in full swing. She worked remotely as an intern, but after getting hired on as a full-time employee, she began coming into the office. It was on campus that a colleague told her about the Gilead Asian Interest Network (GAIN), an employee resource group that brings together more than 1,000 Gilead members of Asian descent. The group promotes and encourages inclusion and diversity while supporting professional development and networking opportunities.

“It’s been a really good way for me to meet people outside of my building and see what other people do at Gilead,” Abbey says. “At the GAIN events I’ve met people from lab operations, scientists and people who work in maintenance. It’s helps me feel more connected to the community here.”

Through the GAIN community, Abbey has also started to dig deeper into her identity as a Korean American woman in her field.

“I grew up in the Bay Area, where so many people around me were also Asian,” she says, noting that she didn’t face much isolation in school or at work. But when she attended a conference in Texas early in her career, “I saw other people in my industry from across the country, and they weren’t like me at all. That was a bit of a shock. But it also gave me a different perspective and made me realize that I’m bringing something new to the table.”

Abbey has also started challenging some of the ways of thinking she grew up with. “I thought that talking about your struggles was supposed to be hush hush,” she says. “But when I joined Gilead and GAIN, I noticed people are very open about the professional and personal struggles that they’re facing, and what they’re doing to overcome them. It left a very good impression on me, and I now think it’s okay to admit when you’re having issues.”

Vicky agrees. “Being ethnically Chinese, we tend to work very hard and often don’t really speak up as much. Gilead has taught me there are different ways to work and communicate to be more effective, and it’s okay to try different methods to see what works and helps you grow.”

Both Vicky and Abbey say they’ve found a place in Gilead where they can pursue their career goals while having their cultural identities embraced not dismissed.

“Gilead has a big emphasis on inclusion and diversity, and that can be really encouraging,” Vicky says. “Regardless of color, ethnicity or role I think each person brings something valuable to the table.”

Learn more about Gilead Careers

Originally published by Gilead Sciences

At Boston Scientific, we encourage everyone to bring their full selves to work, knowing they’ll be accepted, heard and valued.

For Pride Month, three employees from around the globe share what having a supportive and inclusive culture means to them, and how their involvement in the Promoting Respect, Inclusion, Diversity and Equality (PRIDE) employee resource group has helped them speak up and out on behalf of their LGBTQ+ colleagues.

Finding courage, strength and acceptance

Growing up in Piauí, Brazil, Cadu was bright, energetic and fascinated by culture, leading him to learn four languages and eventually build a successful career in international relations. But for years, Cadu kept part of himself hidden: “I thought my parents would be angry when they found out I was gay,” he says. “In my mind, I tried to compensate by aiming to be the best in school, the best at everything.”

Though this drive helped Cadu excel in many aspects of his life, finding the courage and acceptance to embrace his authentic self would prove to be a long road.

When he was 16, Cadu moved to Brasília to study International Relations. For the first time, he met others who identified as gay, which played a major role in his eventual decision to tell his friends and family. “Despite my initial fear of telling my parents, they immediately supported me. In fact, as soon as Brazil started allowing same-sex marriages, my mother became one of the first judges in my state to perform them.”

As he began his career, Cadu chose to remain discreet about his sexuality. But soon after he joined the team at Boston Scientific as a Government Affairs specialist, a simple act by his manager changed his mind: “We were entering a building that required us to show our credentials,” he says. “A guard at the door asked if we were ‘together, but in a good way.’ My manager responded, ‘Is there a bad way for us to be together?’ The guard immediately looked ashamed. In that moment, I knew I could count on my manager to be supportive.”

A few weeks later, Cadu decided to come out to his manager and colleagues. He also joined the PRIDE ERG. Today he lives with his fiancé Caio, whom he’ll marry next year.

“Boston Scientific is the first company where I feel truly comfortable being honest and open about my sexuality and celebrated for who I am,” he says. “Through PRIDE and other platforms, I’m able to speak up for others like me and help inspire them to embrace who they are, without fear.”

“I can’t imagine not having that time with my daughter”

For Michael, a senior marketing specialist supporting the company’s WATCHMANTM business and global communications lead for the PRIDE ERG, helping people live healthier, better lives has always been a passion — it’s what drew him to Boston Scientific almost five years ago. For him, living life to the fullest meant starting a family with his husband, Matt.

Michael began the adoption process a few months after joining the company, in 2020. “I don’t think many people realize how challenging and lengthy the process can be,” he says, reflecting on the multi-year experience. “But having support from the company made such a difference for us, from a benefits standpoint and also in the outpouring of encouragement we received from so many across the organization.” He recalls a baby shower his colleagues held for him, and what that meant to his growing family.

Michael and Matt finalized the adoption of their daughter, Mila, in 2022. “We were there for Mila’s birth, and since it was an open adoption, we remain close with her birth mother,” says Michael. He and Matt also had the chance to bond with Mila over the first few months of her life as part of the company’s global parental leave benefits. “I can’t imagine not having that time with my daughter,” Michael says. “Without it, I think it would have been a very different experience.”

A pioneer for change

Fifteen years ago, Anna joined Boston Scientific in Sydney, Australia, not long after she married her wife, Yasmin. The wedding took place in Canada, because same-sex marriage was not yet legal in Australia.

Anna came out to her manager during her first week at the company. Since then, she has not been afraid to speak up about who she is or when she’s felt a need for change. For instance, when her wife was expecting their first child, there were only two types of leave available at Boston Scientific in Australia: maternity or paternity. “I felt uncomfortable, because I wasn’t taking either of these,” she says. She approached Human Resources with this concern, which eventually led to changing the name of the policy to “parental leave” for all employees in Australia and New Zealand.

Anna’s unwavering commitment to championing diversity and inclusivity was likely what influenced company leaders to select her to launch the Asia-Pacific PRIDE ERG in 2020. “It was hard, because it’s a region where LGBTQ+ is not often spoken about,” she says. “But we got so much accomplished that first year, spreading education and awareness across our region where there was nothing before. It’s just grown ever since.”

Anna says that leading the Asia-Pacific chapter of PRIDE has been a highlight of her career. “For me, it’s so important for others to see people who are out and proud and able to thrive in a career at Boston Scientific,” she says. “I know I’m part of something bigger than myself, my team, even my country.”

Boston Scientific is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace where all of our employees can bring their authentic selves to work and thrive personally and professionally. See our objectives and progress to date in our recently released 2022 Performance Report.

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Do you feel a bit lost when people refer to certain environmental sustainability topics and aren’t sure where to start when it comes to learning more? Sustainability 101 is a blog series that you can turn to for information about different environmental sustainability terms that may come up at work, during discussions with friends, and even at your annual holiday gathering.

Have you heard the phrase “Smart Building” in recent meetings or in the news and wondered what it meant? This blog will explain the ins and outs of smart buildings and how Cisco technology fits in.

What is a Smart Building?

According to a CommScope article hosted through the US Green Business Council (USGBC), a smart building “collects data from multiple systems and devices and shares that information so that action can be taken to improve business process, operational efficiency, sustainability, health and occupant safety, and user experience.” In essence, a smart building can take the data from its various building systems to make changes in real time.

The term intelligent building has been around since the 1980s, when spiking energy prices helped crystalize the need for and development of automated building systems. The internet boom of the 90s and early 2000s saw the transformation of intelligent buildings into smart buildings, thanks in large part due to the connectivity made possible by the internet.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), “in 2021, the operation of buildings accounted for 30% of global final energy consumption.” This trend is only continuing to rise as buildings demand increasing amounts of energy. Smart buildings represent one way building owners and operators can systematically reduce the energy and emissions of their portfolios, while improving occupant health and satisfaction.

What are the benefits of a Smart Building?

The real benefit of a smart building lies in how you use the collected data. Smart buildings can enable:

Lower energy costs. Smart building design can help save money and reduce the emissions of energy-intensive systems like Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and lighting. How? As one example, buildings with connected HVAC, security, and occupancy systems can modify temperature based on when employees enter and leave the office. This means heating and air conditioning will only be running when necessary.

Lower operational costs. A similar scenario plays out when you provide facility management teams with smart building data. Sensors that monitor how often a door is opened can provide valuable information to a janitorial team scaling their operations, for example. Instead of cleaning every conference room and restroom on the floor, teams can focus on only the rooms that need to be cleaned, saving time, money, and resources.

Greater flexibility. A well-designed smart building can be future proof. When designed with interoperability in mind, building systems can adjust to future technology evolution and adoptions.

How does Cisco influence Smart Buildings?

Cisco has an important role to play in the expansion of smart buildings. Cisco is leading the way with technology solutions such as Catalyst 9000, Power over Ethernet (PoE), and Cisco devices and spaces.

Catalyst 9000 provides the network upon which building systems and IT services converge.With PoE, devices are able to share data and power connectivity over a single Ethernet cable, helping to streamline infrastructure and simplify operations.Cisco devices such as the Room Navigator provide datapoints that allow HVAC and lighting systems to be modified based on occupancy. And, when connected with sensors and Cisco Spaces, devices allow users the ability to modify a room to their liking.Cisco Spaces provides the visualization of building system data that allows users to make decisions. Employees and visitors are empowered to make decisions on where to work based on how busy or temperate rooms are.

Smart buildings play a fundamental role in helping owners and operators better understand and reduce the energy used in spaces, while increasing occupant comfort and satisfaction. Cisco’s Collaboration Centers are digitally enabled, efficient workspaces that use Cisco devices and networks to create a comfortable, safe, and inspiring environment for customers and employees to meet. The redesign of our Penn 1 building in New York City uses PoE capabilities and Cisco video endpoints to monitor and measure occupancy, space utilization, indoor air quality, energy usage, and security. This helps to reduce our expenses and energy use, and serves as a model of how smart building technology can be successfully integrated.

You can explore the full portfolio of Cisco smart building solutions and associated use cases at Cisco Smart Building Solutions and Cisco portfolio for smart buildings.

Willing to learn and engage more on environmental sustainability? In the next blog in our series, we will share more about IT and climate change.

Information regarding Cisco’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives, goals and commitments, our latest impact, as well as policies and additional disclosures for specialized audiences, can be found in our 2022 Cisco Purpose Report and supplemental information in our ESG Reporting Hub.

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