Month: August 2024

Originally published in Principal Financial Group 2023 Sustainability Report

Prioritizing consumer and product impact

Enabling product equity and access

We understand the different obstacles individuals and businesses face when planning, protecting, and saving for the future. We are uniquely positioned to remove these barriers to make financial and insurance products, services, and solutions more accessible through relevant and inclusive experiences and choices.

Our approach 

We understand that financial planning encompasses many factors like age, gender, marital status, family size, cultural values, savings behavior, tenure, income, career path, and retirement dreams. We focus on understanding these variables so we can provide individuals and businesses with personal and relevant messages to enable inclusive experiences. We also work to remove barriers to make it easier to understand and engage with the products and services we offer.

We develop educational programs and unique content designed to reach and facilitate connections between women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and other underserved populations. Additionally, we apply an inclusion lens to our marketing materials, images, and content to make sure they represent all our customers and the diverse population we serve.

Disabilities or impairment support 

We have a dedicated team to help ensure we meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1—Level AA compliance across all mediums and platforms through which our audiences interact with us. We have also built testing into our development process throughout our design system and engineers to ensure new code is accessible.

Our websites support: 

compatibility with the screen reader technology (includes our mobile app),contrast ratios that comply with WCAG to assist users with color blindness,alternative text descriptions for images and other visual elements on the page,proper tab order to ensure content is read in the correct order, andzoom elements to 200% without the page breaking.

Hard-of-hearing or deaf individuals can reach a retirement specialist in our Participant Contact Center using their state’s relay system and teletype (TTY). This connects the person with a relay customer assistant, who voices messages to Principal and types messages to the hard-of- hearing individual. Our representatives can also make outbound calls to hard-of-hearing participants using relay services.

“Having employee benefits allows me to plan for the future. Knowing that the benefits are there and the financial security is there helps me feel at ease when it comes to not only executing my job, but also working toward a future for myself.”

Commercial Sales Training Manager 
Shaw Industries (Principal client)

Language and cultural resources 

We use the Voiance Language Line to communicate with people who speak languages other than English. This service currently provides interpreters for 200 languages, giving individuals who call in access to valuable information interpreted into their primary language.

Our suite of resources includes:

Spanish-speaking bilingual and bicultural customer service phone professionals.Bilingual and bicultural retirement education specialists to facilitate onsite and/or virtual enrollment and education meetings.Culturally enhanced enrollment materials including a digital enrollment experience, Principal® Real Start in Spanish, investor profile quiz, promotional materials, and Spanish-language plan statements.The ability for participants to change their language settings to Spanish in the Principal® app.Interactive Spanish-speaking voice response system.A Spanish version of principal.com (principal.com/es) and financial wellness education through Principal® Hola Futuro (“hello future”) at principal.com/es/holafuturo.

Gender-neutral language

To help foster gender inclusivity, we are making changes to our existing systems and processes. With select U.S. businesses, we are:

Implementing gender-neutral language by removing gender-specific salutations (Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms.) from correspondence, using full names instead.Adding non-binary as a selection in gender fields on forms and screen fields and/or removing the gender field.Updating policy and contract language to be gender neutral, which applies to all interactions (customer, distributor, employee, vendor).Continuing underwriting and rate approaches that do not discriminate.

Designing equitable and inclusive products

Another way we work to enable access to products and services is by providing affordable and customizable products to customers around the world.

The Principal® EASE pooled employer plan (PEP) offered in the U.S. combines integrated retirement plan administration, customer service, and investment fiduciary capabilities enabling employers to offer an efficient, affordable, and professionally-managed retirement solution. Since inception in 2021, a majority of adopting employers are offering retirement benefits for the first time.Simply Retirement by Principal® , our digital 401(k) product, makes retirement plans more accessible to businesses with less than 100 employees. It’s a straightforward cost that small businesses can plan for each month.Principal has a Shariah-compliant money market fund1 available on Malaysia’s leading eWallet, Touch ‘n Go. Customers with as little as RM10 (US$2) can start their investing journey. More than 3.4 million Malaysians invest in the fund, and the number continues to grow steadily.Principal has a suite of target date funds1 available in Malaysia. This retirement solution offers simple, hassle-free retirement planning to customers in that country.

Our actions and performance in 2023

We’ve launched new products in 2023 that further expand access.

We launched our first registered linked index annuity (RILA) in May to meet the growing demand for annuity solutions to help customers manage market ups and downs through investment options that offer choice and personalization, which can include climate focused options.In April we launched the Principal® Intelligent QDIA (IQDIA), a more personalized default investment alternative that delivers a hybrid approach that evolves with participants throughout their career and life stages. It starts by defaulting younger participants into an option to help meet their early savings needs. Then, at a later age set by the plan, automatically transitions to a managed account service that can be tailored by participants to help meet their needs as they approach retirement. IQDIA can help remove the guesswork and can increase participants’ confidence in their financial future.Un our Workplace Benefits vision insurance offering, we’ve extended our in-network provider options to include local retail locations in rural areas to improve access.We launched our Hospital Indemnity product in early 2023. The product helps consumers focus on medical recovery rather than the financial burden of hospitalization. Plan designs are flexible and allow employers to offer plan design(s) to fits their employees’ needs.We launched an updated version of our disability income product. The redesigned product simplifies the offering for consumers and provides more flexible future insurability options to help maintain coverage as earnings and cost of living increase over time.

To learn more, read the Principal Financial Group 2023 Sustainability Report.

1The referenced funds are not available in the U.S. or to U.S. investors and are mentioned for information purposes only.

Insurance products issued by Principal National Life Insurance Co (except in NY) and Principal Life Insurance Company®. Plan administrative services offered by Principal Life. Principal Funds, Inc. is distributed by Principal Funds Distributor, Inc. Securities offered through Principal Securities, Inc., member SIPC and/or independent broker/dealers. Referenced companies are members of the Principal Financial Group®, Des Moines, IA 50392.​

3715952-082024

Originally published in Principal Financial Group 2023 Sustainability Report

Prioritizing consumer and product impact

Enabling product equity and access

We understand the different obstacles individuals and businesses face when planning, protecting, and saving for the future. We are uniquely positioned to remove these barriers to make financial and insurance products, services, and solutions more accessible through relevant and inclusive experiences and choices.

Our approach 

We understand that financial planning encompasses many factors like age, gender, marital status, family size, cultural values, savings behavior, tenure, income, career path, and retirement dreams. We focus on understanding these variables so we can provide individuals and businesses with personal and relevant messages to enable inclusive experiences. We also work to remove barriers to make it easier to understand and engage with the products and services we offer.

We develop educational programs and unique content designed to reach and facilitate connections between women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and other underserved populations. Additionally, we apply an inclusion lens to our marketing materials, images, and content to make sure they represent all our customers and the diverse population we serve.

Disabilities or impairment support 

We have a dedicated team to help ensure we meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1—Level AA compliance across all mediums and platforms through which our audiences interact with us. We have also built testing into our development process throughout our design system and engineers to ensure new code is accessible.

Our websites support: 

compatibility with the screen reader technology (includes our mobile app),contrast ratios that comply with WCAG to assist users with color blindness,alternative text descriptions for images and other visual elements on the page,proper tab order to ensure content is read in the correct order, andzoom elements to 200% without the page breaking.

Hard-of-hearing or deaf individuals can reach a retirement specialist in our Participant Contact Center using their state’s relay system and teletype (TTY). This connects the person with a relay customer assistant, who voices messages to Principal and types messages to the hard-of- hearing individual. Our representatives can also make outbound calls to hard-of-hearing participants using relay services.

“Having employee benefits allows me to plan for the future. Knowing that the benefits are there and the financial security is there helps me feel at ease when it comes to not only executing my job, but also working toward a future for myself.”

Commercial Sales Training Manager 
Shaw Industries (Principal client)

Language and cultural resources 

We use the Voiance Language Line to communicate with people who speak languages other than English. This service currently provides interpreters for 200 languages, giving individuals who call in access to valuable information interpreted into their primary language.

Our suite of resources includes:

Spanish-speaking bilingual and bicultural customer service phone professionals.Bilingual and bicultural retirement education specialists to facilitate onsite and/or virtual enrollment and education meetings.Culturally enhanced enrollment materials including a digital enrollment experience, Principal® Real Start in Spanish, investor profile quiz, promotional materials, and Spanish-language plan statements.The ability for participants to change their language settings to Spanish in the Principal® app.Interactive Spanish-speaking voice response system.A Spanish version of principal.com (principal.com/es) and financial wellness education through Principal® Hola Futuro (“hello future”) at principal.com/es/holafuturo.

Gender-neutral language

To help foster gender inclusivity, we are making changes to our existing systems and processes. With select U.S. businesses, we are:

Implementing gender-neutral language by removing gender-specific salutations (Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms.) from correspondence, using full names instead.Adding non-binary as a selection in gender fields on forms and screen fields and/or removing the gender field.Updating policy and contract language to be gender neutral, which applies to all interactions (customer, distributor, employee, vendor).Continuing underwriting and rate approaches that do not discriminate.

Designing equitable and inclusive products

Another way we work to enable access to products and services is by providing affordable and customizable products to customers around the world.

The Principal® EASE pooled employer plan (PEP) offered in the U.S. combines integrated retirement plan administration, customer service, and investment fiduciary capabilities enabling employers to offer an efficient, affordable, and professionally-managed retirement solution. Since inception in 2021, a majority of adopting employers are offering retirement benefits for the first time.Simply Retirement by Principal® , our digital 401(k) product, makes retirement plans more accessible to businesses with less than 100 employees. It’s a straightforward cost that small businesses can plan for each month.Principal has a Shariah-compliant money market fund1 available on Malaysia’s leading eWallet, Touch ‘n Go. Customers with as little as RM10 (US$2) can start their investing journey. More than 3.4 million Malaysians invest in the fund, and the number continues to grow steadily.Principal has a suite of target date funds1 available in Malaysia. This retirement solution offers simple, hassle-free retirement planning to customers in that country.

Our actions and performance in 2023

We’ve launched new products in 2023 that further expand access.

We launched our first registered linked index annuity (RILA) in May to meet the growing demand for annuity solutions to help customers manage market ups and downs through investment options that offer choice and personalization, which can include climate focused options.In April we launched the Principal® Intelligent QDIA (IQDIA), a more personalized default investment alternative that delivers a hybrid approach that evolves with participants throughout their career and life stages. It starts by defaulting younger participants into an option to help meet their early savings needs. Then, at a later age set by the plan, automatically transitions to a managed account service that can be tailored by participants to help meet their needs as they approach retirement. IQDIA can help remove the guesswork and can increase participants’ confidence in their financial future.Un our Workplace Benefits vision insurance offering, we’ve extended our in-network provider options to include local retail locations in rural areas to improve access.We launched our Hospital Indemnity product in early 2023. The product helps consumers focus on medical recovery rather than the financial burden of hospitalization. Plan designs are flexible and allow employers to offer plan design(s) to fits their employees’ needs.We launched an updated version of our disability income product. The redesigned product simplifies the offering for consumers and provides more flexible future insurability options to help maintain coverage as earnings and cost of living increase over time.

To learn more, read the Principal Financial Group 2023 Sustainability Report.

1The referenced funds are not available in the U.S. or to U.S. investors and are mentioned for information purposes only.

Insurance products issued by Principal National Life Insurance Co (except in NY) and Principal Life Insurance Company®. Plan administrative services offered by Principal Life. Principal Funds, Inc. is distributed by Principal Funds Distributor, Inc. Securities offered through Principal Securities, Inc., member SIPC and/or independent broker/dealers. Referenced companies are members of the Principal Financial Group®, Des Moines, IA 50392.​

3715952-082024

STAMFORD, Conn., August 13, 2024 /3BL/ – Webster Bank, together with the Hispanic Coalition of Greater Waterbury, celebrated the opening of the Webster Bank/Hispanic Coalition Finance Lab, a program created to provide students the skills needed for financial empowerment and future financial well-being. The program is funded by a $100,000 grant from Webster and is Webster’s fifth Finance Lab location. By year end, Webster will have invested $1.7m into its Finance Lab initiative throughout the footprint.

The Webster/Hispanic Coalition Finance Lab is part of a signature initiative designed to help Webster’s partners in low- to moderate-income (LMI) communities expand financial empowerment and improve financial literacy for youth. The Hispanic Coalition grant funds will be used to help high school students improve their skills to develop strategies for financial success. Students will be recruited via community outreach and referrals through the Coalition’s partnership with Waterbury Public Schools.

“We are proud to partner with the Hispanic Coalition to open our third Finance Lab in Connecticut in Webster’s founding city of Waterbury,” said Marissa Weidner, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer at Webster Bank. “Webster is committed to investing in programs that broaden financial empowerment opportunities, help build our future workforce and offer Waterbury youth the tools and resources to learn more about finance and prepare themselves and their families for a healthy financial future.”

In October, Webster will celebrate the opening of its sixth Finance Lab with the Taunton (Mass.) Area School to Career (TASC); the Bank expects to expand the initiative further in 2025.

“Webster Bank, committed to their founding purpose, continues to place their community first and genuinely respond to the ever-changing needs of our residents. Our unique and innovative partnership has established a Webster Finance Lab, which provides students access to a community based and life-changing opportunity to achieve future financial success,” said Victor Lopez, executive director of the Hispanic Coalition of Greater Waterbury Inc.

In existence since 1988, the Hispanic Coalition has more than three decades of social services experience in the greater Waterbury area and is a principal leader for bilingual services, advocacy, collaboration, education and policy development in the Latino community.

Local and state dignitaries, including Waterbury Mayor Paul Pernerewski Jr. joined Webster leaders to officially open the program housed at the Coalition’s location on Mill Street. The participants will engage in hands-on learning opportunities including job shadowing, internships, and sessions with mentors from Webster Bank.

About Webster

Webster Bank (“Webster”) is a leading commercial bank in the Northeast that provides a wide range of digital and traditional financial solutions across three differentiated lines of business: Commercial Banking, Consumer Banking and Healthcare Financial Services, one of the country’s largest providers of employee benefits and administration of medical insurance claim settlements solutions. Webster is a values-driven organization headquartered in Stamford, CT, with $76 billion in assets. Its core footprint spans the northeastern U.S. from New York to Massachusetts, with certain businesses operating in extended geographies. Webster Bank is a member of the FDIC and an equal housing lender. For more information about Webster, including past press releases and the latest annual report, visit the Webster website at www.websterbank.com.

Contact Information

Media Contact: 
Elaine K. Ficarra 
eficarra@websterbank.com 
203.913.2716

Investor Contact: 
Emlen Harmon 
eharmon@websterbank.com 
212.309.7646

View original content here.

STAMFORD, Conn., August 13, 2024 /3BL/ – Webster Bank, together with the Hispanic Coalition of Greater Waterbury, celebrated the opening of the Webster Bank/Hispanic Coalition Finance Lab, a program created to provide students the skills needed for financial empowerment and future financial well-being. The program is funded by a $100,000 grant from Webster and is Webster’s fifth Finance Lab location. By year end, Webster will have invested $1.7m into its Finance Lab initiative throughout the footprint.

The Webster/Hispanic Coalition Finance Lab is part of a signature initiative designed to help Webster’s partners in low- to moderate-income (LMI) communities expand financial empowerment and improve financial literacy for youth. The Hispanic Coalition grant funds will be used to help high school students improve their skills to develop strategies for financial success. Students will be recruited via community outreach and referrals through the Coalition’s partnership with Waterbury Public Schools.

“We are proud to partner with the Hispanic Coalition to open our third Finance Lab in Connecticut in Webster’s founding city of Waterbury,” said Marissa Weidner, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer at Webster Bank. “Webster is committed to investing in programs that broaden financial empowerment opportunities, help build our future workforce and offer Waterbury youth the tools and resources to learn more about finance and prepare themselves and their families for a healthy financial future.”

In October, Webster will celebrate the opening of its sixth Finance Lab with the Taunton (Mass.) Area School to Career (TASC); the Bank expects to expand the initiative further in 2025.

“Webster Bank, committed to their founding purpose, continues to place their community first and genuinely respond to the ever-changing needs of our residents. Our unique and innovative partnership has established a Webster Finance Lab, which provides students access to a community based and life-changing opportunity to achieve future financial success,” said Victor Lopez, executive director of the Hispanic Coalition of Greater Waterbury Inc.

In existence since 1988, the Hispanic Coalition has more than three decades of social services experience in the greater Waterbury area and is a principal leader for bilingual services, advocacy, collaboration, education and policy development in the Latino community.

Local and state dignitaries, including Waterbury Mayor Paul Pernerewski Jr. joined Webster leaders to officially open the program housed at the Coalition’s location on Mill Street. The participants will engage in hands-on learning opportunities including job shadowing, internships, and sessions with mentors from Webster Bank.

About Webster

Webster Bank (“Webster”) is a leading commercial bank in the Northeast that provides a wide range of digital and traditional financial solutions across three differentiated lines of business: Commercial Banking, Consumer Banking and Healthcare Financial Services, one of the country’s largest providers of employee benefits and administration of medical insurance claim settlements solutions. Webster is a values-driven organization headquartered in Stamford, CT, with $76 billion in assets. Its core footprint spans the northeastern U.S. from New York to Massachusetts, with certain businesses operating in extended geographies. Webster Bank is a member of the FDIC and an equal housing lender. For more information about Webster, including past press releases and the latest annual report, visit the Webster website at www.websterbank.com.

Contact Information

Media Contact: 
Elaine K. Ficarra 
eficarra@websterbank.com 
203.913.2716

Investor Contact: 
Emlen Harmon 
eharmon@websterbank.com 
212.309.7646

View original content here.

New $40 million project improves wastewater treatment for San Francisco Bay and environmental compliance and odor control for the Richmond community Three-year construction project brings substantial improvements to wastewater treatment and odor control systems at Richmond Water Pollution Control Plant

RICHMOND, MA, August 13, 2024 /3BL/ – Veolia North America, the leading provider of environmental solutions in the U.S. and Canada, unveiled major upgrades to the Richmond Water Pollution Control Plant to the public, showcasing the results of a three-year, $40 million construction project that will improve wastewater treatment, environmental compliance and odor control for the city of Richmond and nearby communities on San Francisco Bay.

Veolia has operated Richmond’s wastewater treatment plant for more than two decades, and the construction project marks a significant step forward in modernizing the plant’s ability to effectively treat the city’s wastewater and protect its environment. Veolia welcomed local community leaders and neighbors to the plant for an open house today to see the results of this work and to learn how this infrastructure investment will improve their surroundings.

“Veolia is proud to be a key partner to the city of Richmond as it continually improves its infrastructure and its resiliency for the future,” said Karine Rougé, CEO for Municipal Water at Veolia North America, who attended the open house. “These vital improvements will make a significant impact in how the wastewater treatment plant functions in the community, by improving the quality of treated water released into San Francisco Bay, delivering more efficient operations to the city, and better controlling the odors produced by the wastewater treatment process.”

The wastewater system improvements are expected to provide additional environmental and financial benefits to Richmond, as more efficient equipment will require less energy and lower levels of chemical treatment to operate, reducing the city’s costs as well as its greenhouse gas emissions. These achievements exemplify the goals of Veolia’s global GreenUp strategy, which strives to lead the ecological transformation of the planet by accelerating water quality improvement, decarbonization and technological innovation. Some 61% of Americans are concerned that worsening climate conditions may result in a deterioration of their quality of life, according to Veolia’s Barometer of Ecological Transformation survey, and projects which respond to ecological threats while also addressing infrastructure needs help build long-term solutions for the environment and public health.

The Richmond Water Pollution Control Plant construction project replaced outdated or ineffective equipment used in major functions at the plant:

Fine screens – Two new mechanical fine screens were installed to filter out trash, rags and other larger debris from the wastewater stream. This prevents that material from clogging pipes and pumps, and potentially polluting the San Francisco Bay.Vortex grit removal system – Grit and sand settles at the bottom of wastewater treatment tanks, where it can cause wear and tear on machinery. The new grit removal system allows those fine materials to be easily separated from wastewater.Biofilter – Gases released by the wastewater treatment process are captured and forced through a new filtration system. Many layers of porous materials in the biofilter promote the growth of specialized microorganisms that break down the odor-causing compounds.Blower building – a new structure holds powerful mechanical turbo blowers, which ingest outside air that is diffused into wastewater to promote the treatment process.Aeration basins – a new system in the bottom of wastewater treatment tanks diffuses air into the water as fine bubbles, rather than the previous mechanical mixing system. These fine bubble diffusers are more consistent, efficient and resilient than the prior system.

The completion of this construction project marks another milestone for Veolia’s partnership with Richmond, in which Veolia is responsible for operating and maintaining the city’s wastewater treatment plant, sewer system and stormwater collection system. Since the partnership began in 2002, the city’s environmental performance has improved significantly.

ABOUT VEOLIA NORTH AMERICA 
A subsidiary of Veolia Group, Veolia North America (VNA) offers a full spectrum of water, waste and energy management services, including water and wastewater treatment, commercial and hazardous waste collection and disposal, energy consulting and resource recovery. VNA helps commercial, industrial, healthcare, higher education and municipality customers throughout North America. Headquartered in Boston, Mass., Veolia North America has more than 10,000 employees working at more than 350 locations across the continent. 
www.veolianorthamerica.com

ABOUT VEOLIA 
Veolia’s ambition is to become the benchmark company for ecological transformation. With nearly 218,000 employees on five continents, the Group designs and deploys useful, practical solutions for managing water, waste and energy that help to radically change the world. Through its three complementary activities, Veolia contributes to developing access to resources, preserving available resources and renewing them. In 2023, the Veolia group served 113 million people with drinking water and 103 million with wastewater services, produced 42 terawatt-hours of energy and recovered 63 million metric tons of waste. Veolia Environnement (Paris Euronext: VIE) generated consolidated sales of €45.3 billion in 2023. 
www.veolia.com

New $40 million project improves wastewater treatment for San Francisco Bay and environmental compliance and odor control for the Richmond community Three-year construction project brings substantial improvements to wastewater treatment and odor control systems at Richmond Water Pollution Control Plant

RICHMOND, MA, August 13, 2024 /3BL/ – Veolia North America, the leading provider of environmental solutions in the U.S. and Canada, unveiled major upgrades to the Richmond Water Pollution Control Plant to the public, showcasing the results of a three-year, $40 million construction project that will improve wastewater treatment, environmental compliance and odor control for the city of Richmond and nearby communities on San Francisco Bay.

Veolia has operated Richmond’s wastewater treatment plant for more than two decades, and the construction project marks a significant step forward in modernizing the plant’s ability to effectively treat the city’s wastewater and protect its environment. Veolia welcomed local community leaders and neighbors to the plant for an open house today to see the results of this work and to learn how this infrastructure investment will improve their surroundings.

“Veolia is proud to be a key partner to the city of Richmond as it continually improves its infrastructure and its resiliency for the future,” said Karine Rougé, CEO for Municipal Water at Veolia North America, who attended the open house. “These vital improvements will make a significant impact in how the wastewater treatment plant functions in the community, by improving the quality of treated water released into San Francisco Bay, delivering more efficient operations to the city, and better controlling the odors produced by the wastewater treatment process.”

The wastewater system improvements are expected to provide additional environmental and financial benefits to Richmond, as more efficient equipment will require less energy and lower levels of chemical treatment to operate, reducing the city’s costs as well as its greenhouse gas emissions. These achievements exemplify the goals of Veolia’s global GreenUp strategy, which strives to lead the ecological transformation of the planet by accelerating water quality improvement, decarbonization and technological innovation. Some 61% of Americans are concerned that worsening climate conditions may result in a deterioration of their quality of life, according to Veolia’s Barometer of Ecological Transformation survey, and projects which respond to ecological threats while also addressing infrastructure needs help build long-term solutions for the environment and public health.

The Richmond Water Pollution Control Plant construction project replaced outdated or ineffective equipment used in major functions at the plant:

Fine screens – Two new mechanical fine screens were installed to filter out trash, rags and other larger debris from the wastewater stream. This prevents that material from clogging pipes and pumps, and potentially polluting the San Francisco Bay.Vortex grit removal system – Grit and sand settles at the bottom of wastewater treatment tanks, where it can cause wear and tear on machinery. The new grit removal system allows those fine materials to be easily separated from wastewater.Biofilter – Gases released by the wastewater treatment process are captured and forced through a new filtration system. Many layers of porous materials in the biofilter promote the growth of specialized microorganisms that break down the odor-causing compounds.Blower building – a new structure holds powerful mechanical turbo blowers, which ingest outside air that is diffused into wastewater to promote the treatment process.Aeration basins – a new system in the bottom of wastewater treatment tanks diffuses air into the water as fine bubbles, rather than the previous mechanical mixing system. These fine bubble diffusers are more consistent, efficient and resilient than the prior system.

The completion of this construction project marks another milestone for Veolia’s partnership with Richmond, in which Veolia is responsible for operating and maintaining the city’s wastewater treatment plant, sewer system and stormwater collection system. Since the partnership began in 2002, the city’s environmental performance has improved significantly.

ABOUT VEOLIA NORTH AMERICA 
A subsidiary of Veolia Group, Veolia North America (VNA) offers a full spectrum of water, waste and energy management services, including water and wastewater treatment, commercial and hazardous waste collection and disposal, energy consulting and resource recovery. VNA helps commercial, industrial, healthcare, higher education and municipality customers throughout North America. Headquartered in Boston, Mass., Veolia North America has more than 10,000 employees working at more than 350 locations across the continent. 
www.veolianorthamerica.com

ABOUT VEOLIA 
Veolia’s ambition is to become the benchmark company for ecological transformation. With nearly 218,000 employees on five continents, the Group designs and deploys useful, practical solutions for managing water, waste and energy that help to radically change the world. Through its three complementary activities, Veolia contributes to developing access to resources, preserving available resources and renewing them. In 2023, the Veolia group served 113 million people with drinking water and 103 million with wastewater services, produced 42 terawatt-hours of energy and recovered 63 million metric tons of waste. Veolia Environnement (Paris Euronext: VIE) generated consolidated sales of €45.3 billion in 2023. 
www.veolia.com

In 2026—two years from now—the United States will celebrate its 250th birthday, making it the perfect time to show America some love by sprucing up neighborhoods across the country. Since 1953, the nonprofit Keep America Beautiful has been inspiring and working alongside people nationwide to beautify their communities.

Keep America Beautiful is inviting everyone to join the Greatest American Cleanup. In addition to calling upon individuals, families, clubs, and community groups, Keep America Beautiful is rallying 25,000 local governments and leaders across the country to commit to a declaration of independence from litter, calling on everyone to plant trees, clean up litter, and improve recycling practices. Importantly, this effort transcends party lines, bringing people together in a time of political divisiveness to pursue a common goal.

We invited Jennifer Lawson, President and CEO of Keep America Beautiful, to introduce the Greatest American Cleanup and share how the organization will inspire people to contribute to a cleaner, greener, and more beautiful country.

Listen for insights on:

How you can get involved in the Greatest American CleanupMaintaining relevance and impact as a nonprofit for 70+ yearsPositioning and leading an organization that transcends partisan divides

Listen to this and other episodes of Purpose 360 Podcast here.

Purpose 360 Podcast is a masterclass in unlocking the potential of purpose to ignite business and social impact. Hosted by Carol Cone, CEO of Carol Cone ON PURPOSE, Purpose 360 illuminates the impact of purpose, from engaging employees and fostering deeper consumer loyalty to inspiring product innovation and increasing market share.

Carol Cone ON PURPOSE (CCOP) is a pioneering social impact consultancy helping companies, brands, and nonprofits harness the power of purpose to advance their business and societal impact. CCOP’s proven approach, developed over decades and hundreds of purpose assignments, meets clients at any point on their purpose journey to unlock opportunities to build reputation, inspire and engage employees, ignite organizational culture for innovation and growth, while supporting the greater good.