Month: April 2025

This week, Coach announced a multi-year partnership with the WNBA, marking the beginning of a new chapter on the brand’s journey to champion self-expression and authenticity. As the official handbag partner of the WNBA, Coach will play a pivotal role in empowering players and fans alike. This collaboration embodies our core purpose, the Courage to Be Real, by inspiring people to confidently explore all facets of their identity.

The collaboration kicked off celebrations on April 14 with the WNBA Draft 2025 presented by State Farm® at The Shed in New York City. Throughout the evening, the WNBA Draft Orange Carpet presented by Coach welcomed the newest class of WNBA rookies.

This partnership is a testament to Coach’s ongoing commitment to innovation and societal impact. We are proud to be part of the WNBA Changemakers Collective, working alongside purpose-driven companies to enhance the player experience, build the brand, inspire innovation, increase media coverage, and drive business transformation.

Coach will also partner with and amplify the stories of five WNBA prospects who are bridging the worlds of sport and fashion as exceptional athletes who express themselves with their own unique style. The five WNBA prospects are Paige Bueckers (University of Connecticut), Hailey Van Lith (Texas Christian University), Aneesah Morrow (Louisiana State University), Kiki Iriafen (University of South California), and Sonia Citron (Notre Dame).

Coach CEO Todd Kahn said, “This is a sport where the most successful players have that perfect combination of daring confidence, an unshakable commitment to teamwork, and a shared dedication to the dream. I see many parallels in Tapestry and Coach’s own story – after all, Coach was the first company to commit to moving their headquarters to Hudson Yards, and back then we couldn’t conceive of a world where the WNBA would be holding its draft on an old railroad.”

Additionally, Coach will become the presenting partner of WNBA Pride, a platform the league launched in 2014, which marked the first time a pro sports league formed an integrated program to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. In addition to a slate of nationally televised games, WNBA Pride presented by Coach will spotlight the third consecutive season of the Pride Is Love limited content series available on the WNBA App.

Empowering our communities
Giving back to our communities, and empowering them, is at the core of our corporate mission. In 2024, our focus on corporate social responsibility made a meaningful difference in the lives of our customers and communities, resulting in an economic impact of $153.52 million across our service area. Our dedicated employees were vital to this success, contributing more than 122,000 hours of volunteer service, valued at $4.09 million.

Bill assistance for our customers in need
With 40% of our 3 million residential customers living in poverty, Entergy is committed to making a difference in the communities we serve. When temperatures soared last summer, we donated $3 million to help our low-income customers become more energy efficient and save money on their energy bills.Through Entergy’s Beat the Heat program, our customers received bill payment assistance, fans, energy efficiency kits, home weatherization and invaluable support from localcommunity partners.

Free tax preparation for our customers
For more than 15 years, we have provided free tax preparation for our low-to-moderate-income customers at Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites across our service area in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Every year, our IRS-certified employees help customers file their taxes and access valuable information on tax credits and deductions they are eligible for, maximizing their tax refunds. In 2024, Entergy helped low-to-moderate-income customersreceive $55 million in federal tax refunds. Of that amount, $21 million were Earned Income Tax Credits. Since 2009, our support of VITA sites has helped return $333 million to nearly 200,000 customers in our service area.

The Civic 50 honoree  
We were honored to be named an honoree of The Civic 50, Points of Light’s prestigious annual list recognizing the top community-minded companies in the United States. This is the ninth time we have been included on this list, and we were also named as this year’s Utilities Sector Leader for the second year. This recognition highlights our commitment to corporate citizenship and sets a national standard for driving social impact.

Read the full report here.

Originally published on TriplePundit

Subaru recently committed to sponsor the largest community tree distribution in the Arbor Day Foundation’s history. Dan Lambe of the Foundation explains more about the power of trees and the impact this effort will have on communities and ecosystems across the U.S.

It’s easy to take trees for granted since they’re embedded in the landscape of our lives. They grow strong and silent, never asking for anything and always giving something. Clean air. Cool shade. A sense of peace. But in order for us to continue to enjoy the benefits of trees in the future, we can’t afford to overlook them in the present.

Right now, communities across the country are enduring mounting challenges like rising temperatures, frequent extreme weather events, and poor air quality. These pressures put a strain on infrastructure, threaten public health, and disrupt daily life. Trees have a remarkable ability to help us address these impacts and make our communities more resilient in the process.

Unfortunately, we’re losing trees at an alarming rate. Factors like urban developments, natural disasters, and disease are thinning our tree canopy at a moment when we need it most. According to the U.S. Forest Service, cities and neighborhoods lose approximately 36 million trees annually — equivalent to 175,000 acres of coverage each year. The Arbor Day Foundation’s Canopy Report found more than half of Americans must drive to reach their nearest green space.

We feel the absence of trees in tangible ways. In the lack of shade at our children’s playgrounds. In the rising summer energy bills. In the flooding after periods of heavy rain. This isn’t just about statistics — it’s about the strength of our communities.

We need to bring an abundance of trees to our cities and neighborhoods, but we can’t do it alone. Because something that is bigger than all of us, takes all of us. While no single organization, company, or individual can solve our environmental challenges alone, together we can grow solutions at the scale our changing world demands.

This understanding drives the impactful partnership between the Arbor Day Foundation and Subaru. As the world’s largest tree planting nonprofit, the Arbor Day Foundation has collaborated with hundreds of corporate partners to foster healthier cities and forests. Last year, Subaru joined our extensive network and has committed to sponsoring the largest community tree distribution in the Foundation’s history. Through this work, Subaru will activate its nationwide network of retailers to support more than 600 tree distribution events this year. More than 95 percent of Subaru’s retailers volunteered to be part of this initiative, all energized by the opportunity to make their respective communities greener. Thanks to their participation, there will be distributions in every state in the continental United States and Alaska, and luckily, the work is already well underway. This hands-on, community-driven approach is helping to create a ripple effect of environmental impact, with Subaru’s retailers serving as local hubs for environmental action.

In a moment that demands bold action, Subaru is a continued force for environmental stewardship. Subaru has already demonstrated its commitment to social impact through its Subaru Love Promise. The Subaru Love Promise is built on five core pillars including the environment, health, education, pets and community. The company has already helped plant 1.1 million trees in forests affected by wildfires while also supporting and protecting U.S. national parks. In addition to being a leader in the Arbor Day Foundation’s community tree planting initiative, Subaru is also collaborating with the Foundation to help plant 20,000 trees in forests of greatest need. A commitment of this scale is important as we continually seek to drive positive impact through tree-based initiatives.

Trees are a proven and vital community asset. For example, a single tree can provide a day’s supply of oxygen for up to four people while also absorbing nearly 10 pounds of polluted air each year. Collectively, urban and community trees across the country remove 711,000 metric tons of air pollution annually. Communities with robust canopies experience reduced rates of asthma and other respiratory problems. Trees also add value through their water management abilities. One mature deciduous tree intercepts 500 to 700 gallons of water annually, helping to prevent erosion, filter pollutants and manage the impact of urban flooding. Trees can even reduce high temperatures by up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, a potentially lifesaving amount in an increasingly warmer world. Beyond these physical health benefits, research shows that people living near parks and green spaces report better mental health.

As part of its Subaru Loves the Earth initiative, the automaker’s partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation is not only an investment in trees, but also an investment in public health and community resiliency.

Work is already underway and as these trees take root across America, they’ll do more than strengthen our urban canopies. They’ll demonstrate how strategic partnerships can address environmental challenges while building happier and healthier neighborhoods. Each tree planted through this initiative will serve as a living testament to what can be achieved when we work together. Because the power of a tree extends far beyond the moment it’s planted. It’s the beginning of a long legacy, benefiting our communities and our planet. 
Trees have the answers to some of the most challenging issues facing our world today.

They just need bold leaders ready to plant them.

This article series is sponsored by Subaru of America and produced by the TriplePundit editorial team. 

Dan Lambe is the CEO of the Arbor Day Foundation, founded in 1972, which has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with over one million members, supporters, and valued partners. Dan leads the strategic development of programs and partnerships through which the Foundation strives to educate, recognize, and empower people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.

Originally published in Lenovo’s 2023/24 ESG Report

Stakeholder engagement: Lenovo 360 Circle – Unveiling the origins and mission

As part of Lenovo’s stakeholder engagement efforts, Lenovo 360 Circle was established to increase collaboration and enhance its relationships with channel partners. Lenovo’s robust network of channel partners helps to deliver smarter technology to millions of customers around the world. When it comes to devices, infrastructure, and services and solutions, Lenovo provides channel partners with the resources needed to succeed in a highly competitive market. In 2021, Lenovo expanded that partner support to include sustainability resources through a partner community called Lenovo 360 Circle.

Built with inputs from channel partners, Lenovo 360 Circle was established as a community for partners to come together for collective learning opportunities and collaboration on addressing key issues in sustainability. The community is based on a self-service portal that follows a similar structure to the engagement process established by the UN Global Compact for private and public sectors.

Partners can apply for membership to Lenovo 360 Circle with their company’s sustainability lead and, through the application, identify where they stand in their sustainability efforts into one of three stages: “Connect” partners, who are just starting out and need some help getting their strategy up and running, “Learn” partners, who have a structure in place and are ready to expand their strategies, and “Lead” partners, who are considered ‘advanced’ in their strategies and may already have a track record of goals and success in their sustainability efforts. Once the partner stage is identified, partners are then connected with a set of resources that are tailored to their specific needs – from assessment tools to tailored curriculums, to access to subject-matter experts and community events and webinars.

Lenovo envisions the Lenovo 360 Circle not only as a strategic advantage, but also expediting the shift to more sustainable business practices and models. As a community, the Lenovo 360 Circle addresses sustainability as a new business driver, while unlocking new business opportunities and aligning on common ESG goals.

Thriving together: Collective learning, collaboration, and partnerships in action

FY 2023/24 Lenovo 360 Circle in a few numbers:

• Since September 2023, 343 members joined. The community now counts 363 members representing 2,181 local partners in 43 countries
• 379 sustainability experts as part of the Lenovo 360 Circle community coming from members, from third party’s advisors as well as from Lenovo, representing a year-to-year increase of 102%.
• The community forum participation increased by 179% since the broader opening of the community (~50% panelists coming from members).
• 280+ hours of collaboration through focus groups, sustainability workshops, regular interlocks.
• 5.5 hours training resources developed to support channel sellers and sustainability experts representing 14 courses and 65 modules (~50% industry agnostic content).
• The overall engagement of Lead partners into the community common goals⁴ keeps improving year over year:

Percentages of Lead partners engaged⁵ in or reached common goals in FY 2023/24

(percentage changes compared to prior year)

Goal-category	Renewable Energy	Alignment with SBTi	Circular economy	Philanthropy	Women in Leadership
Engaged	65% (+5%)	65% (+0%)	91% (+1%)	57% (+2%)	78% (+3%)
Reached	33% (+13%)	33% (+2%)	n/a6	54% (+18%)	67% (-6%)

FY 2023/24 key projects linked to Lenovo 360 Circle Priorities:

• Scope 3 inventory management: The Mode of Transportation (MOT) dashboard is providing detailed emissions data for transported goods for channel partners. It allows them to move away from spend-based assumptions to more accurate calculations, consolidating Scope 3 emissions from transportation based on real logistics data, depending on MOT (including air, sea, and truck) and detailed route from manufacturing location to destination. The MOT dashboard has been developed by Lenovo’s Global Supply Chain, while integrating partner feedback.
• Products sustainability attributes: Facilitating access to product sustainability attributes while ensuring transparency and reliability is a key focus of the Lenovo 360 Circle. For this reason, in Spring 2023 the community has joined the “Product ESG Data Transparency” project led by Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC) and CONTEXT. This project has been built in consultation with IT vendors, IT distributors, and IT resellers to create an ESG data platform, primarily focusing on environmental attributes as a first step.
• Packaging: The Lenovo 360 Circle supported Lenovo’s EMEA Education team to design and launch an initiative called ‘Turning Waste into Educational Wonder’, which encourages students and educators to sustainably repurpose Lenovo’s packaging. This initiative comprised a dedicated webpage, instruction booklet in multiple languages and a STEM competition for students to promote skills such as design, engineering, and problem-solving. Overall, there were 160+ submissions from 4,000+ students in 23 countries with nine winners.
• Learning and Development: Leveraging the dedicated focus group and answering to a requirement coming from founding partners, Lenovo has developed the Lenovo 360 Sustainability Learning Paths. The training, primarily targeted at sales and sustainability leaders, offers four learning paths, comprised of courses and interactive, bite-sized modules, to provide essential sustainability knowledge and skills. Learners embark on a journey from sustainability fundamentals, to understanding Lenovo’s ESG approach, and skills to embed sustainability within their business practices. Upon completion, individuals will receive credentials and partners receive Lenovo 360 Accreditation and progression through the levels of Lenovo 360 Circle membership status, where applicable.

As an active participant of the UN Global Compact, Lenovo 360 Circle is also consistently promoting the initiative’s solutions amongst the members of the community while supporting the SDG 17: partnerships for the goals.

Championing sustainability across the value chain

Lenovo 360 Circle has been recognized with Champion status in the 2023 Canalys Global Sustainable Ecosystems Leadership Matrix for outstanding achievement in sustainability-focused partner programs and robust sustainability strategies at an organizational level. Lenovo 360 Circle was also awarded the Best Value Chain Initiative of the Year at CRN’s inaugural Sustainability in Tech summit. This award recognizes a company, or partnership of companies, which are taking steps to reduce emissions across their entire supply chain, reduce waste and resource usage, and provide tangible results of the impact they are making on the environment.

Testimonials from participants:

“Connection is honored to participate as a charter member of Lenovo 360 Circle initiative. Participating in this community has been a tremendous learning experience and has served as a tipping point for Connection to invest in the creation of policies and develop executive sponsored initiatives focused on Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility.”

Brian Hicks, Senior Vice President Product Management and Operations at Connection

“Tackling complex social and environmental challenges is a team sport. The Lenovo 360 Circle systemic approach is a visionary and ambitious, yet complex journey we can all learn from”.

Arnaud Mourot, VP – Global Corporate Alliances and Changemaker Companies at Ashoka

Embracing tomorrow: Mapping out the year ahead for Lenovo 360 Circle

As Lenovo embarks on its journey forward, Lenovo 360 Circle commits to:

• Actively seek out new members who share its vision and values,
• Prioritize and cultivate strategic partnerships that amplify its mission and magnify its impact,
• Quantifying its impact and enhancing its methodologies and tools.

Stakeholder engagement: Corporate Compliance Summit

Lenovo continues to focus on engaging its various stakeholders who may be impacted by its ESG efforts and whose actions can affect Lenovo’s value. On January 15, 2024, Lenovo held a Corporate Compliance Summit in Beijing, inviting guests from the government, industry, university, and research field to discuss corporate compliance issues, jointly exploring new trends, challenges and opportunities, promoting internal compliance management, enhancing risk prevention awareness, and promoting high-quality development of enterprises to create a healthy market environment together

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⁴To become a Lead member, companies must set at least three out of the five common goals relevant to five topics.

⁵Engaged is defined as companies who have set a goal.

⁶“n/a” as circularity goal for each partner is defined individually thus incomparable between the companies.