Month: July 2025

ATLANTA, July 15, 2025 /3BL/ – At Georgia-Pacific, safety is more than a priority – it’s a mindset reinforced at every level of the organization and across all of our facilities. Our people are the driving force behind it, ensuring that they and their colleagues leave their shifts the same way they came in.

This commitment to the safety of our employees is on full display at four of our corrugated facilities after earning recognition from the Fibre Box Association (FBA) for their innovative, bottom-up safety solutions. The Innovation in Safety Achievement Awards aren’t just plaques on a wall — they’re proof that when employees take ownership of safety, real, measurable change happens. From leveraging technology to improving tools and updating procedures based on frontline knowledge. Read on to see how they did it.

The Georgia-Pacific Sheet plant in Denton, Texas, installed new Lock Tag Verify (LTV) procedures. LTV is a safety procedure used to ensure machinery and equipment are safely shut off and cannot be accidentally restarted during maintenance or repair. Data from employee memory and outdated documentation were previously used to input the procedures. This allowed for potential preventable employee errors and created a safety risk. The site currently uses digital tablets and the Parsable software to complete other inspections, and they tried an experiment to move LTV procedures to a digital format as well. Now, tablets are used during the LTV process, and each step is carefully documented as it is completed. For critical LTV steps, the system may require photos before employees can move to the next step. This helps bring attention to the process and ensures quality control.

At the Georgia-Pacific Corrugated plant in Owosso, Michigan, the team installed four additional photo eyes, or sensors, at each corner of the transfer cart (T-Cart). Photo eyes project a beam of light that senses for a break in the light’s path. If the light’s path is broken, it sends a signal back to the receiver and effectively stops or slows down the object it’s attached to – in this case, the T-Cart. Originally, the T-Cart only had two photo eyes on either end of its base that would detect obstructions at the floor level as the cart moved down the aisle. With the additional photo eyes, the T-Cart can now also detect objects above floor level including units hanging off a conveyor, forks of a forklift approaching, or a person.

Employees at Georgia-Pacific Corrugated in Huntsville, Alabama installed a bridge walkway from the roof of the facility to the top of the starch silo, eliminating the need to use a straight ladder on the side of the silo which presented a fall potential. Utilizing the hierarchy of controls and the Georgia-Pacific Path to Zero strategy, the facility has reduced their fall risk while allowing employees to perform necessary tasks on the top of the starch silo. 

In box plants and sheet feeders, the wet end of the corrugator is a high-risk location. In this area, roll clamps deliver paper rolls right next to employees tasked with manually moving the rolls into the corrugator roll stands. The speed of the corrugator means rolls must be delivered frequently. The team at Georgia-Pacific Packaging in West Chester, Ohio, developed a plan to separate employees from mobile equipment. Permanent barricades were installed that can withstand a roll clamp strike and simultaneously protect employees. The structures also allow a roll of paper to enter, significantly reducing the risk of interaction. 

Georgia-Pacific employees are committed to their own safety and that of their colleagues. Employees not only adhere to processes, procedures and regulations, but also develop and implement plans to ensure safety. Congratulations to the employees at these facilities for earning industry-wide recognition.

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Episode Summary

Can luxury go fully circular? In this episode, we take the fast lane of luxury with Jaguar Land Rover JLR. JLR isn’t just shifting gears—they’re redefining the entire ride. Circularity is no longer just a pit stop on the sustainability journey; it’s the new engine driving innovation. Host: Maithreyi Seetharaman Show Producer: Lisa Desai Sound Production: Dow Creative Element Artwork: Dow Creative Element

Host: Maithreyi Seetharaman
Show Producer: Lisa Desai
Sound Production: Dow Creative Element
Artwork: Dow Creative Element

Episode Notes

Can luxury go fully circular? In this episode, we take the fast lane of luxury with Jaguar Land Rover JLR. JLR isn’t just shifting gears—they’re redefining the entire ride. Circularity is no longer just a pit stop on the sustainability journey; it’s the new engine driving innovation.

Chemours’ sustainability journey has entered a new chapter with the recent appointment of Kathy O’Keefe as Chief Sustainability Officer. Let’s take a moment to get to know Kathy a little better. 

Q: Kathy, congratulations on your new role leading sustainability for Chemours. We’d love to know what inspired you to pursue a career in the chemistry industry?
A: Thank you, I’m excited about this next chapter supporting Chemours continued sustainability progress and our vision to deliver Trusted Chemistry. Chemistry has always been part of my life. Both of my parents had long careers in the industry, so I grew up seeing firsthand how science, and specifically chemistry, can shape the world. That early exposure sparked my own curiosity and passion for the field.

Q: You’ve had quite a journey—from DuPont to Koch Industries and now Chemours. What’s been a defining thread through your career?
A: Purpose. Whether I was working in technology, marketing, environmental compliance, or product stewardship, I’ve always been driven by the idea that chemistry can—and should—be a force for good and fuel societal progress. That’s what excites me and keeps me going forward.

Q: You’ve been deeply involved in our sustainability work for years, including the EVOLVE 2030 product portfolio assessment methodology. What’s your view now moving into the CSO role?
A: The world is changing rapidly with many new challenges and disruptions to our operations, supply chains and markets. It is important to understand how these complex issues impact our business and how sustainability can help mitigate potential impacts or turn potential problems into opportunities. Sustainability helps protect our license to operate, differentiate our portfolio, meet the needs of our customers, while building resilience for the future. It will play a central role in advancing our Pathway to Thrive strategy, too. We embed responsibility into everything we do, from how we manufacture to how we innovate the next great solutions that help our customers solve big challenges. I’m excited to help shape that path and ensure we’re delivering essential chemistries in a way that’s safe, transparent, trusted and forward-looking.

Q: What does “responsible chemistry” mean to you?
A: It means going beyond compliance. It’s about being proactive—understanding the impact of our products, engaging in robust conversations with stakeholders, and constantly listening and improving. Responsible chemistry is how we build trust and create long-term value for our customers, communities, and the planet.

Q: Outside of work, what keeps you grounded?
A: Nature and mentorship. I love being outdoors—it reminds me why environmental stewardship matters. And I’m passionate about mentoring the next generation of leaders. Seeing and feeling their energy and ideas gives me hope for the future as they become environmental leaders for a new era.

Learn more about Chemours’ progress against its 2030 sustainability goals at chemours.com.

ST. PAUL, Minn., July 15, 2025 /3BL/ – Inogen Alliance announces the launch of a new strategic framework including a new purpose statement, mission statement and strategic pillars to guide our collective direction after an 18-month comprehensive strategic planning with diverse inputs from global Associates and clients.

Our new purpose statement is To Accelerate a Resilient Planet for All. This exemplifies why we exist, and what we aim to contribute to the world through our work.

Each word in our purpose statement was carefully chosen, guiding us forward in our work.

• Accelerate – sense of urgency/momentum, hope, determination
• Resilient – withstanding, preserving resources, supporting healthy, adaptive communities for future generations
• Planet – well-being of people, environment, working places, communities,
• All – inclusive and equitable

Our new mission statement is Solve pressing environmental challenges locally through a dynamic global ecosystem. This is how we fulfill our purpose. Together, these new statements provide direction and focus for our future-looking goals as we collaborate across the globe.

We bring the concept of “Global Thinking, Local Delivery” to life by combining deep technical knowledge, strong partnerships, and a relationship-driven approach. Our clients benefit from tailored, high-quality services wherever they operate. At the heart of our work is a team of passionate, experienced professionals dedicated to building a more resilient and sustainable future.

“Our aspiration is to bring this new purpose to life with global thinking, local delivery through collective strength and a relationship-driven approach, to provide value-driven, tailor-made local solutions with best-in-class global services,” Angelique Dickson, President of Inogen Alliance.

With more than 70 Associate companies, covering every region of the world, over 200 offices and 6,000 local experts our teams deliver impactful work for our clients by understanding local regulatory landscapes and cultural contexts—an advantage few global networks can match. Our new purpose and mission help guide this network forward and focus on the most impactful work and outcomes to drive a more resilient future together with our Associates, clients and communities.

“This strategy really allows us to leverage the strengths of all of our Associates, not just a few but all of them. All of our markets are evolving, all of us are innovating new solutions and solving our clients problems,” Keith Knoke, Chair of the Board of Inogen Alliance / EVP Antea Group USA.

Our values remain the same: Respect, Trust, Collaboration and Integrity. These values help bind together our diverse network of Associates and ensure we can consistently deliver seamless results to our multinational clients.

Hear from more of our leadership on the new strategic framework, process and what it means to them in this short video, and find more on our Purpose, Mission and Values page.

Leah Kintai heard there were birthing caves used by forest elephants in her community’s territory around Mount Elgon in Kenya but had never seen them herself. Leah is a member of the Ogiek community, a group Indigenous to the Chepkitale region of Mount Elgon who have lived in harmony with the forest for generations. However, their way of life and land rights have been repeatedly impacted by efforts to create national reserves and timber farms – plans that can harm the local environment.

In response, the Ogiek community developed a land management system to document their ancestral connection to the land and ecosystems they protect. Recognizing the importance of technology in this effort, they began using CoMapeo, a landscape mapping tool developed by Awana Digital. Since 2021, Leah and other community members have been mapping key ecological sites, such as the salt caves shared by goat herds and forest elephants, and recording environmental destruction caused by logging.

Women in particular play a vital role in this work. “We are rich in knowledge which is important to the community,” Leah explains. “We know where to gather firewood and vegetables and find special soil for decorating our artwork. We women also know more about the history and traditional rituals that happen in caves.” It was through this mapping use that Leah finally witnessed elephant mothers and calves in the caves, deepening her appreciation of the importance of preserving the land through CoMapeo.

Why User-Centric Mapping Tools Matter

Indigenous communities like the Ogiek steward 80% of the world’s biodiversity. Yet, they often lack the infrastructure, resources and tools to sustainably manage their landscapes. Most existing mapping technologies are inaccessible — dependent on internet connectivity, available only in English, and managed through centralized databases that exclude local ownership. Getting appropriate support to make informed decisions for landscape management is critical at the community level as well as at the global level.

The Cisco Foundation has supported two community-led tools that enable local leaders to conduct landscape mapping: Awana Digital’s CoMapeo, and Tech Matters’ Terraso, developed through community-led design processes, with the aim of supporting effective decision-making by local leaders.

Awana Digital: Building Decentralized Technology

Awana Digital works with frontline communities to use technology to protect their environment and human rights. They partner to co-design and co-develop tools they can use to protect critical ecosystems and Indigenous cultures, working toward a world where all people can participate in the decisions that govern their lives.

The Cisco Foundation funded Awana Digital in 2023 to build the CoMapeo tool, designed in collaboration with Indigenous communities, like the Ogiek, to make it easier to securely map their territories and build a database without ever needing internet connectivity.

In 2024, Cisco extended the funding, and introduced Awana Digital to the Equinix Foundation who also extended funding. Then this year, Cisco and the Equinix Foundation came together funding the enhancement and growth of CoMapeo in new ways. This peer-to-peer database enables local data ownership and offline workflows so that users can seamlessly gather data in remote locations. While most data collection apps are form-centric, CoMapeo utilizes a map-centric approach to make data collection intuitive and easy to learn for non-technical users.

The Ogiek community now uses CoMapeo to keep their land use maps up to date; since 2021, the community mapping team have mapped and actively monitored 80,000 hectares of their territory, benefitting the 4,000 members of the Ogiek community.

But the Ogiek’s vision goes beyond mapping. They are committed to showing how their stewardship leads to better conservation and biodiversity outcomes. With support from Oxford University, Forest Peoples Programme, and Awana Digital, the Ogiek are implementing a biodiversity monitoring project to gather evidence of their effective community-based conservation. This data could help them reclaim rights to more of their ancestral land and improve stewardship practices.

One exciting new feature of CoMapeo is its audio recording function, which allows the Ogiek to capture birdsongs in the forest. Elders can then identify these species, enriching the data with local ecological knowledge and keeping track of biodiversity in these lands.

CoMapeo can be used free of charge and is designed to be user-friendly and adaptable, making it easy for anyone to get started with mapping and monitoring their land or environmental projects.

Tech Matters: Tech Solutions That Serve Humanity

The Cisco Foundation also supports Terraso, an open-source mapping and storytelling tool developed by Tech Matters to help communities collect, store, and share landscape data. Designed with local partners, Terraso is accessible and cost-free – making it especially valuable to nonprofits and grassroots organizations that can’t afford expensive, commercial alternatives.

In India, Paani Earth faced a significant challenge: Bangalore’s rivers were rapidly deteriorating, yet the general population lacked awareness of the city’s hydrological systems. The problem was compounded by the absence of a reliable, integrated river data system which can compromise decision-making and lead to mismanagement of water resources.

To address this, Paani Earth used Terraso to create an accessible, interactive map of the region’s river systems, compiling data from government agencies, independent studies and satellite sources. With the platform’s Story Maps feature, they created an interactive, visual narrative combining data, photos and videos. Cofounder Madhuri Mandava explains the transformation: “Our old website – people called it very academic. People said, ‘I don’t see why I should care.’”

That changed with Terraso.

The Story of Forgotten Rivers was featured in a local museum exhibit. Its final chapter included a call to action – inviting people to join a WhatsApp group dedicated to river walks and local cleanup events.

“That group now has dozens of members,” says Madhuri. “We walk to a nearby river to start rebuilding that connection. We make art and poetry, and discuss how we can take action to protect this space.”

Paani Earth plans to expand its use of Story Maps in future projects. With continued support from Cisco and others, Tech Matters is actively improving the platform, based on real user feedback like Madhuri’s.

Terraso remains free and open-source, and organizations everywhere are encouraged to use it to tell their place-based stories, advocate for change, and engage their communities.

The efforts of communities like the Ogiek show that when local leaders are equipped with the right tools, they can protect biodiversity and reshape the future of their landscapes. Platforms like Awana Digital’s CoMapeo and Tech Matters’ Terraso — backed by the Cisco Foundation and the Equinix Foundation — are helping make this possible. As these technologies continue to evolve, they offer powerful examples of how place-based innovation can protect the environment and benefit local communities.

For more information, please visit the Cisco Foundation’s Climate Grants Portfolio page.

This blog was written with assistance from Anastasia Baranoff, TekSystems at Cisco.

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Originally published on https://newsroom.marykay.com/

DALLAS, July 15, 2025 /3BL/ – Mary Kay Inc., a global advocate for sustainability and women’s empowerment, today announced the release of its 2025 Sustainability Report, a comprehensive overview of the company’s 2030 commitments and 2024 milestone achievements for creating positive impact around the world.

The annual report highlights Mary Kay’s decades-long dedication to social, economic, and environmental sustainability – core pillars central to its business strategy and its purpose-driven legacy rooted in the company’s mission of “enriching women’s lives” around the world.

“For over 60 years, our company has championed a business model and key initiatives that empower women, help protect the planet, and model resilient communities,” said Ryan Rogers, Chief Executive Officer of Mary Kay. “This year’s report reaffirms our goals and commitments, while celebrating the measurable and meaningful impact we are creating worldwide.”

From product stewardship and biodiversity preservation to advancing women’s equality and economic inclusion, and accelerating digitalization efforts to unleash entrepreneurship, Mary Kay continues to integrate sustainability into every facet of its business. Below are key 2024 highlights: 

Environmental:

• Responsible Packaging: Reaffirmed our commitments to reducing plastic intensity, increase post-consumer recycled content (PCR), and increase recycle-ready/recyclable packaging¹. For example, the bottle of Mary Kay TimeWise® Targeted-Action® Toning Lotion contains 94% PCR content.
• Sustainable Sourcing: 93% of Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified Palm Oil is used by our suppliers as of 2024 and 80% of our Shea use was sourced from the Global Shea Alliance (GSA) member suppliers.
• Water Management: 100% of the water used at our Richard R. Rogers (R3) global R&D and Manufacturing facility in Texas is treated and recycled back into the local watershed.
• Impact Partnerships: Celebrated 37-year partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) representing 100 conservation projects supported and 16-year partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation (ADF) to preserve ecosystems in Texas and around the world through 34 projects.

Social:

• Pink Changing Lives®: $230 million USD donated in monetary and in-kind donations by Mary Kay Inc. and its four Company-sponsored foundations globally since 1996².
• Women’s Empowerment: 600K+ women positively impacted globally through meaningful programs at the global, regional, and local levels as of 2024.
• Future of STEM: 37 grants awarded to young women from 16 countries pursuing STEM careers and 8 grants awarded to female students through the “Madam C.J. Walker Scholarships” with The Society of Cosmetic Chemists (SCC) sponsored by Mary Kay as of 2024.
• Impact Partnerships: Mary Kay served as a special award organization at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in 2024.
• Women Powered: 63% of the global workforce at Mary Kay are female and 57% of leadership positions are held by women in our top 10 markets. 60% of our Executive team is female³.
• Global Footprint: Mary Kay expanded into Kyrgyzstan.
• Digitalization: Reimagined the digital selling experience through embracing digital opportunities while maintaining the hallmark of personalized service and attention our Independent Beauty Consultants (IBCs) are known for. In 2024, Mary Kay launched the “Phygital” campaign in Mexico and Brazil with Colombia to follow in 2025.
• Advocacy: Engaged in 100+ trade associations globally on a range of policy issues from direct selling and entrepreneurship to personal care and supply chain and logistics. In Brazil, Mary Kay contributed to the G20 Employment & Education Task Force (B20) Policy Paper.

Economic:

IN 2024 AND 2025, MARY KAY EARNED SIGNIFICANT RECOGNITIONS: 

• Named the #1 Direct Selling Brand of Skin Care and Color Cosmetics in the World⁴ by Euromonitor International for three consecutive years, in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
• Ranked #9 on Forbes’s Best Brands for Social Impact 2025 out of 3,900 brands. Mary Kay is the only beauty brand in the Top 10 and the only direct selling company on the list.
• Ranked #11 in the Women’s Wear Daily Beauty Inc.’s 2024 Top 100 Beauty Companies released in 2025.
• Five Stars rating on Newsweek 2025 America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women.
• Honored with a “Leadership in Conservation and Sustainability Award” by Texan By Nature (TxN) in 2023 and again in 2024.
• Received a 2024 “Top Supply Chain Award” by The Supply & Demand Chain Executive for priority work on a shipment visibility solution in partnership with Tive, a leading provider.

Mary Kay’s 2025 Sustainability Report is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and serves as a benchmark for stakeholders and partners seeking to drive collective impact.

To view the full report, visit here.

About Mary Kay
One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her dream beauty brand in Texas in 1963 with one goal: to enrich women’s lives. That dream has blossomed into a global company with millions of independent sales force members in more than 40 markets. For over 60 years, the Mary Kay opportunity has empowered women to define their own futures through education, mentorship, advocacy, and innovation. Mary Kay is dedicated to investing in the science behind beauty and manufacturing cutting-edge skincare, color cosmetics, nutritional supplements, and fragrances. Mary Kay believes in preserving our planet for future generations, protecting women impacted by cancer and domestic abuse, and encouraging youth to follow their dreams. Learn more at marykayglobal.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, or follow us on X.
 

¹ Recyclable only where facilities exist.

² While the Company has provided philanthropic support to charitable causes for many decades, official documentation began in 1996 with the founding of the Mary Kay Ash Foundation® (U.S.).

³ Women Representation and Leadership at Mary Kay (May 2025). 

⁴ “Source Euromonitor International Limited; Beauty and Personal Care 2025 Edition, value sales at RSP, 2024 data”