Month: September 2023

Originally published by Ericsson.

The new packaging materials designed for Ericsson Remote Radio products are fully recyclable and reduce total plastic content from 20 percent to less than one percentEricsson partners with Deutsche Telekom and Swisscom for initial tests of the packaging solution, with the goal of expanding its use to more products and roll out to more customersThe project is in line with Ericsson’s sustainability strategy and contributes towards the goal of the company to achieve Net Zero across its value chain by 2040

The design team at Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) in Stockholm has created a sustainable packaging solution for shipping Ericsson Remote Radio products, transitioning from oil-based plastics to wood fiber materials for the packaging inserts.

The goal of the sustainable packaging design project is to reduce the environmental impact of Ericsson’s packaging while securing efficiency in production, logistics and disposal as well as eliminating the risk of contributing to ocean plastic pollution.

The new inserts are fully recyclable and reduce the total plastic content of the packaging from 20 percent to less than one percent. An anti-abrasion coating applied to the wood fiber material also means Ericsson can remove the plastic bag normally used to protect the product surface. The remaining plastic content is the tape used to seal the outer package.

Designing *plastic-free packaging for heavy-duty electronic products (in this case typically weighing between 24-36kg) requires an innovative approach. Working with two suppliers, Nefab and DS Smith, Ericsson has developed two designs that incorporate the new materials while retaining the high structural integrity required to protect the product during shipping.

Mats Pellbäck Scharp, Head of Sustainability at Ericsson, says: “Packaging is part of our supply chain target of halving emissions by 2030, and removing plastics contributes to our climate and other environmental ambitions. The Ericsson design team has shown that it is possible to remove plastics from packaging for complex and heavy telecom gear while maintaining essential product protection.”

Saskia Günther, Head of Corporate Responsibility, Swisscom, says: “Swisscom has ambitious climate targets and is therefore working across the entire value chain to enable reductions – including, for example, the packaging of its own products and those of our partners. Collaboration with key suppliers has a special role to play here, not only to improve our own climate footprint, but also to accelerate the transformation across the ICT industry.”

Melanie Kubin-Hardewig, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Deutsche Telekom says: “Deutsche Telekom has set ambitious circularity goals for 2030.  We focus on the entire lifecycle of our products and everything we buy from our technology suppliers. We have already taken out all single-use plastics in the packing of our own ‘T’-branded devices. The collaboration with our technology suppliers on innovative ways of sustainable packaging is therefore an essential next step.”

In addition to eliminating plastics and being fully recyclable, calculations show that the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) impact of the new packaging from cradle to grave reaches a balanced or better result compared to existing solutions.

The global effort to reach Net Zero and new legislation and taxes on plastic packaging (initially in the EU, Canada and India) will require an industry-wide shift in the types of materials used in global supply chains.

Ericsson hopes that following the successful trials with Swisscom and Deutsche Telekom, executed by its COSMOTE subsidiary in Greece, the new packaging solution will be rolled out to more customers in the coming months, as well as expanded to cover more hardware products in the future.

The plastic-free packaging initiative is part of Ericsson’s sustainability strategy, which includes the objective to achieve Net Zero across the company’s entire value chain by 2040. Circularity is an important tool for this goal, but also in making sustainable material choices.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

*The sustainable packaging solution has 99 percent fiber-based materials, facilitating recycling and reducing plastic waste in our supply chain. The 100 percent corrugated inserts reduce the packaging size by 15 percent and 20 percent, respectively compared to conventional plastic inserts.

Originally published on Aflac Newsroom

ATLANTA, September 5, 2023 /3BL/ — NFL Hall of Fame receiver Calvin “Megatron” Johnson stopped by the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Friday, Sept. 1. The former Georgia Tech star was in town to help kick off Aflac’s Kickoff for a Cause game tonight at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta where the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will face the Louisville Cardinals.

Johnson, along with Aflac U.S. President Virgil R Miller, visited with children, families and health care providers, while posing for photos and delivering Aflac ducks. He also delivered My Special Aflac Ducks® to several patients who are dealing with cancer and sickle cell disease. My Special Aflac Duck is a robotic, comforting duck that helps children 3 and over cope with cancer or blood disorders like sickle cell disease. To date, Aflac has given more than 24,000 My Special Aflac Ducks to children with cancer or sickle cell in the United States, Japan and Northern Ireland.

“Calvin Johnson is one of the most elite football players who ever played the game as well as a great ambassador for community and families going through a tough time,” Miller said. “Aflac, and the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center are pleased that he took time out of his day to put smiles on faces for people when they need the positive energy that he brings.”

Johnson will be available later today at the Aflac Fan Fest at Mercedes-Benz Stadium where, along with the real Aflac Duck, he will meet and greet fans, before attending the game as a guest of Aflac. Johnson, who played for the Detroit Lions, was a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee in 2021 and a College Football Hall of Fame inductee in 2018.

ABOUT AFLAC INCORPORATED

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE: AFL), a Fortune 500 company, has helped provide financial protection and peace of mind for more than 67 years to millions of policyholders and customers through its subsidiaries in the U.S. and Japan. In the U.S., Aflac is the No. 1 provider of supplemental health insurance products.1 In Japan, Aflac Life Insurance Japan is the leading provider of cancer and medical insurance policies in force. In 2021, the company became a signatory of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). In 2022, the company was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index for the ninth year, the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere for the 17th consecutive year, Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies for the 22nd time and Bloomberg’s Gender-Equality Index for the fourth consecutive year. To find out how to get help with expenses health insurance doesn’t cover, get to know us at aflac.com or aflac.com/espanol. Investors may learn more about Aflac Incorporated and its commitment to corporate social responsibility and sustainability at investors.aflac.com under “Sustainability.”

Media contact: Jon Sullivan, 706.573.7610 or jsullivan@aflac.com 
Analyst and investor contact: David A. Young, 706.596.3264 or dyoung@aflac.com

1 LIMRA 2021 US Supplemental Health Insurance Total Market Report

Aflac | Aflac New York | WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999

SOURCE: Aflac

This year, if needed, our mobile command center is ready to assist in restoration efforts should a tropical system hit our area. The response vehicle can operate at or near the most impacted location a disaster area, with satellite-based communications equipment giving our operations personnel a link to the outside world when oftentimes such capabilities have been knocked offline.

View the video above to tour of the Entergy mobile command center.

The mobile command center has seen field testing earlier this year following tornadoes in Mississippi and severe weather in Texas. Now, with the peak of hurricane season upon us, this mobile information-gathering platform is standing by to travel to impact zones just as soon as the winds of a landfalling storm pass through and it’s safe to begin supporting restoration efforts.

Stay informed:

Be sure to stay informed throughout the restoration process using the following resources:

Download our free Entergy app.Sign up for text alerts by texting REG to 36778.Visit the Entergy Storm Center website and View Outage page.Follow us on Twitter or Facebook.