Month: February 2024

Frito-Lay, in partnership with PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation, proudly celebrate their continued support of Dallas College students and their collaboration with the college’s Advanced Transportation Technology Division to create workforce readiness opportunities to prepare students for the next stage of their career. On January 18, 2024, PepsiCo donated a much-needed international Class 8 Heavy-Duty tractor to Dallas College Cedar Valley campus. This donation will enhance hands-on learning opportunities for students in the Diesel Preventative Maintenance Program and symbolizes a broader commitment to supporting education and job creation within the Southern Dallas community.

Leaders from Dallas College, including Dr. Veronique Tran, Vice Provost of the School of Manufacturing & Industrial Technology, and Dr. Joe Seabrooks, President of Dallas College Cedar Valley Campus, were also present at the event. Notable alumni from the Advanced Transportation Technology Division, who are also recent PepsiCo hires, had the chance to share their experiences transitioning from classroom to field. As Dr. Veronique Tran, Vice Provost of the School of Manufacturing & Industrial Technology at Dallas College, aptly puts it, “The PepsiCo Tractor Truck will provide invaluable hands-on learning opportunities for our students.”

In addition to the truck donation, Frito-Lay announced a $20,000 donation to the South Dallas Driving Academy, a local non-profit. Nikki Jolly, Senior Manager of Corporate Citizenship and Social Impact at PepsiCo Foods North America remarks, “At Frito-Lay, community is at the heart of everything that we do. We’re proud to invest in impactful programs that support the students at Dallas College and help create opportunities that break systemic barriers and lead to meaningful career pathways. Our goal is to open doors for these students and help them achieve their dreams.” This donation will facilitate driver’s license training and CDL support for Dallas College students, further reinforcing PepsiCo’s dedication to creating a talent pipeline, especially in high-need job growth areas like Automotive Technician.

Since 2021, the PepsiCo Foundation has provided $600,000 to Dallas College, benefiting nearly 200 students pursuing associate degrees or trade certificates in high-growth industries, including Automotive. Additionally, $1.5 million has been allocated to Dallas College graduates for pursuing bachelor’s degrees at 4-year universities. With a remarkable 90% of scholars on track to graduate, the impact of this support is evident.

Originally published by Pepco

This year’s DC Auto Show was phenomenal! The kids had the chance to experience electric vehicles and electrification firsthand. Working alongside our partner wowwheelz, the dynamic Ride & Drive event provides an engaging environment to teach children about the importance of clean energy sources and how they can do their part in creating a greener tomorrow.

This showstopping event not only shared the benefits of EVs but gave the young drivers the chance to develop their coordination, independence, and confidence!

Pepco was proud to once again be a sponsor at the Washington D.C. Auto Show for a fifth year. The District’s premier annual auto show is held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and offers car enthusiasts a chance to see hundreds of vehicles, including electric vehicles (EV), from the world’s top manufactures.

Originally published by HRgrapevine.com

More than 160 years since the company was founded on the Caribbean island of Cuba, Bacardi is still family owned. Best known for its eponymous rum brand, today the Bacardi portfolio of premium spirits also includes Bombay Sapphire gin, Grey Goose vodka and Patrón tequila. The company’s 9,000 employees around the world are united by three cultural pillars, Fearless, Family and Founders, and refer to one another as ‘Primos’ (cousin in Spanish). Following the company’s recent move to a new UK office in London, HR Business Partner, Laura Jenkins, and Off-Trade Director, Charlotte Rann share their insights into how the workspace and the company’s ‘Belonging at Bacardi’ initiative are bringing positive change for Primos and the business as a whole.

Watch the video here.

FOREST CERTIFICATION

Third-party certification confirms that science-based stakeholder developed forest management practices and continual improvement are occurring on all timberland across the Company. Third-party forest certification plays a vital role in fostering an understanding of the value of properly managed working forests, which helps ensure both tangible forest products and numerous quality-of-life benefits sustainably into the future. 

PotlatchDeltic first became third-party certified to standards developed by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) in 2002 and by the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) in 2004. As a leader in sustainable forestry, we were also the first publicly traded company in the United States to become FSC certified. Since that time, we have endeavored to continually improve our forest management practices as new scientific discoveries have been made and forest certification systems have evolved. Independent third-party certification provides a credible assurance that our forest management practices meet clearly defined standards, which have been developed and regularly reviewed by a range of stakeholders interested in the values forests provide. 

Our third-party forest certification reflects the rigor of our environmental management system, which is based on an ongoing continual improvement process. As new information is discovered, practices are adjusted and improved, whether that be in threatened and endangered species management, forest productivity, water quality or climate change. Forest certification challenges us to think long term, and to invest with research organizations to study and improve the industry’s technical knowledge. In addition, it encourages us to engage with the communities and stakeholders who are connected to us through our timberlands and all they have to offer. 

SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY INITATIVE

SFI is an independent non-profit sustainability organization that collaborates on forest initiatives with the forest sector, conservation groups, academia, local communities, Indigenous peoples, and educators. SFI recognizes that forestland owners have a responsibility for stewardship through reforestation and the management, growing, nurturing, and harvesting of trees. However, SFI also requires a much broader involvement in areas such as research, community outreach, education, and climate change. SFI oversees the standards for certification of approximately 363 million acres of timberland in North America and 69 million acres in the United States. SFI forest certification is based on 13 principles, 17 objectives, 41 performance measures, and 141 indicators that are centered around promoting sustainable forest management practices. These criteria include forest management planning, prompt reforestation, protection of water quality and quantity, wildlife habitat management and biodiversity, recreational opportunities, protection of species at risk, efficient use of fiber resources, Indigenous peoples’ rights, climate-smart forestry, fire resilience, forest research, forest education, and community outreach. 

Certification is a broad effort and encompasses much more than just replanting trees that are harvested. For example, the SFI standard includes a multi-faceted approach for education that includes not only ensuring participant staff and logging contractors are appropriately trained as professionals, but also reaching out to students and families to experience the outdoors and to help others understand the importance of sustainable forestry both now and in the future. 

SFI forest management standard updates in 2022 also address the role of forests as a nature-based solution to climate change. SFI’s Climate Smart Forestry Objective requires that climate change risks to forests and forest operations be identified and addressed with appropriate adaptation strategies implemented. In addition, the updates recognize that forest management is an important catastrophic wildfire mitigation tool. SFI certification requires the evaluation of fire risks, management techniques that mitigate fire impacts, and restoration of forests following wildfire damage. 

PotlatchDeltic is certified to the SFI Forest Management Standards on 100% of its timberlands. To meet certification standards, our forest management practices are reviewed through an annual third-party surveillance audit, and full recertification audits every five years.

Our 2023 SFI Forest Management surveillance audits were in Arkansas and Georgia and resulted in successful recertification with no non-conformances. We also received one Notable Practice in Georgia for minimizing chemical use for site preparation through the use of drones for herbicide application. 

FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL

PotlatchDeltic is also certified on 70% of our combined timberlands in Arkansas and Louisiana to FSC Forest Management standards. FSC sets standards for responsible forest management on more than 390 million acres in 89 countries worldwide. Over 148 million acres are FSC certified in North America, including over 33 million acres in the United States. FSC’s mission is to promote environmentally sound, socially beneficial, and economically prosperous management of the world’s forests. The FSC U.S. standard is based on 10 principles, 56 criteria, and 192 indicators that include compliance with laws, Indigenous rights, conservation of biological diversity and high conservation value forests, water quality protection, community relations and workers’ rights, and others. The FSC U.S. standard is currently undergoing review and is expected to be completed in 2025. 

Our decision to dual-certify some of our timberlands through FSC reflects the specifications of some of our customers who produce paper and packaging that are sold to international consumers who prefer FSC product certification. FSC surveillance audits are conducted annually with a full re-certification every five years.

Our 2023 FSC Audit found no non-conformances.

INTERNAL AUDITS

In addition to third-party certification, we also conduct annual internal audits at every forest district to ensure that our environmental management system is effectively implemented. Internal audits focus on adherence to our environmental management system policies and procedures by foresters and professional staff, application of site-level best management practices on the ground, contract logger understanding and application of policies and practices, employee and contractor safety performance, and understanding of fire risk policies and equipment, among many other areas.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as “annually,” “commit,” “continual,” “every five years,” “expect,” “future,” “initiative,” “long term,” “mission,” “objective,” “ongoing,” “opportunity,” and similar are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management’s views of future events based on assumptions and are therefore subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, and are not guarantees of future conduct, results, or policies. Please view the Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information on page 134 of PotlatchDeltic’s 2022 ESG Report.