Author: sHq_LoGiNz

DALLAS, April 1, 2025 /3BL/ – Kimberly-Clark has received the 2025 World’s Most Ethical Companies® recognition by Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices.

This marks the seventh consecutive year that Kimberly-Clark has been named to this prestigious list and ten times overall. The company is one of only two honorees in the Consumer Products industry. In 2025, 136 honorees were recognized spanning 19 countries and 44 industries.

“This long-standing recognition by Ethisphere reflects the deep commitment of our global teams to lead with integrity and uphold our values every day,” said Grant McGee, General Counsel at Kimberly-Clark. “It is an honor to receive this award, which powerfully affirms the high standards by which Kimberly-Clark fulfills our purpose of providing Better Care for a Better World.”

“Kimberly-Clark’s inclusion on the World’s Most Ethical Companies list for seven consecutive years underscores the company’s steadfast dedication to corporate compliance and ethical culture,” said Erica Salmon Byrne, Ethisphere’s Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Chair. “The company’s long-standing, deep-rooted commitment to upholding the highest standards of ethics and integrity is a powerful example of leadership in business.”

Methodology & Scoring
The World’s Most Ethical Companies assessment is grounded in Ethisphere’s proprietary Ethics Quotient®, which requires companies to provide 240+ different proof points on practices that support robust ethics and compliance; governance; a culture of ethics; environmental and social impact; and initiatives that support a strong value chain. That data undergoes further qualitative analysis by our panel of experts who spend thousands of hours vetting and evaluating each year’s group of applicants. This process serves as an operating framework to capture and codify best-in-class ethics and compliance practices from organizations across industries and from around the world.

Honorees
To view the full list of this year’s honorees, please visit the World’s Most Ethical Companies website, at https://worldsmostethicalcompanies.com/honorees.

About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) and its trusted brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Fueled by ingenuity, creativity, and an understanding of people’s most essential needs, we create products that help individuals experience more of what’s important to them. Our portfolio of brands, including Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Cottonelle, Poise, Depend, Andrex, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Intimus, Plenitud, Sweety, Softex, Viva and WypAll, hold No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in approximately 70 countries. We use sustainable practices that support a healthy planet, build strong communities, and ensure our business thrives for decades to come. We are proud to be recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere for the seventh year in a row and one of Fortune’s Most Innovative Companies in America in 2024. To keep up with the latest news and to learn more about the company’s more than 150-year history of innovation, visit the Kimberly-Clark website.

About Ethisphere
Ethisphere is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that strengthen corporate brands, build trust in the marketplace, and deliver business success. Companies turn ethics, compliance, and culture into a business advantage by leveraging Ethisphere’s data-driven program and culture assessments featuring the latest guidance and the practices of hundreds of global organizations across the 8 pillars of an ethical culture, and 240+ ethics, compliance, social, and governance data points delivered through a proprietary software platform. Ethisphere also honors superior integrity programs through World’s Most Ethical Companies® recognition, brings together a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA), and advances ethical business practices through the Global Ethics Summit, Ethisphere Magazine and the Ethicast podcast. For more information, visit https://ethisphere.com.

SOURCE Kimberly-Clark Corporation

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AMSTERDAM, HONG KONG, and OAKLAND, Calif., April 1, 2025 /3BL/ – Today, Cascale launched the ninth annual Better Buying Purchasing Practices Index (BBPPI) ratings cycle, a significant milestone in the organization’s integration of key Better Buying Institute (BBI) assets and confirmation that BBI’s positive impact on purchasing practices continues to thrive.

A cornerstone of Cascale’s Support Decent Work for All strategic pillar, the BBPPI is a comprehensive deep dive into purchasing practices across the apparel industry. The survey’s unique methodology enables suppliers – Cascale members and non-members alike – to feed back on their customers’ purchasing practices anonymously and deliver actionable insights. Widely recognized for its credibility, the BBPPI is a trusted benchmark for purchasing practice transparency. In 2024, the BBPPI showed that 70% of participants improved their purchasing practices scores.

“Gone are the days when buyer companies can claim ignorance of responsible purchasing practices or excuse inaction by asserting that there is no way to measure progress on decent work for all,” said Colin Browne, Cascale CEO. “Cascale‘s Better Buying tools are a tried-and-tested, safe way for companies to measure their purchasing practices and track progress, year over year. And we know they work.”

By championing fair purchasing practices, Better Buying tools like the BBPPI help address challenges such as last-minute order changes, delayed payments, and pricing practices that undermine supply chain resilience. These efforts ultimately contribute to improved labor conditions and more sustainable supply chains.

“BBPPI is a secure and anonymous feedback channel, allowing us to share insights that drive meaningful industry improvements,” said Nikhil Hirdaramani, Director, Hirdaramani Group. “This collective input fosters better manufacturing practices and empowers us to build a fairer, more sustainable future together. As a manufacturer, we have experienced how BBPPI supports us, and it is great to see our customers engage constructively and take result-driven actions based on the surveys we have participated in.”

“VF Corporation has long recognized the value of Better Buying’s ratings cycles,” said Sean Cady, VP Global Sustainability, Responsibility, Trade and Government Affairs at VF Corporation, and Cascale Board Director. “The enhanced supply chain, visibility, ability to improve purchasing practices, and tangible business benefits make it a powerful tool for advancing our responsible sourcing efforts.”

Suppliers can submit ratings and access step-by-step guides, supplier testimonials, and FAQs on the Better Buying website. All ratings must be submitted by the deadline of May 31, 2025.

ABOUT CASCALE

Cascale is the global nonprofit alliance empowering collaboration to drive equitable and restorative business practices in the consumer goods industry. Formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Cascale owns and develops the Higg Index, which is exclusively available on Worldly, the most comprehensive sustainability data and insights platform. Cascale unites over 300 retailers, brands, manufacturers, governments, academics, and NGO/nonprofit affiliates around the globe through one singular vision: To catalyze impact at scale and give back more than we take to the planet and its people. LinkedIn | X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Mastercard

These days, there’s nothing small about small business. The global economy has always stood on the shoulders of small businesses, and the digital revolution is enabling them to grow beyond Main Street into the world marketplace.

But a larger digital footprint brings risks as well as opportunities — risks that small business owners, who long considered themselves beneath the notice of cybercriminals, are now painfully, and in many cases, personally, aware of.

A forthcoming Mastercard survey of more than 5,000 small and medium-sized business owners across four continents reveals that 46% have experienced a cyberattack on their current business, and nearly one in five that suffered an attack then filed for bankruptcy or closed their business.

The impact of these attacks — most commonly hacking, malware and phishing, according to the survey — puts a financial strain on businesses. Productivity suffers. Reputational damage lingers: Following an attack, 80% said they had to spend time rebuilding trust with clients and partners.

Upping their cyberthreat posture is now a priority for small businesses, and 86% of small and medium-sized businesses have conducted an active cybersecurity risk assessment and have a cyberattack prevention plan. But only 23% are very satisfied with their plan, and only 23% again are very confident in their ability to identify threats. In other words, they know enough to know they don’t know enough.

And cybercriminals know this. With budget and other resources typically dedicated to growing their business rather than protecting it, owners are often their own IT experts. Among their biggest challenges — their own workers, who are the front line in cyber defense and sometimes the weak link as well. In the survey, 73% of these business owners say getting employees to take cybersecurity seriously is a challenge, and only a quarter are very confident in their ability to educate employees on cybersecurity best practices.

They need support. This is an increasingly large part of our mission to help small businesses securely pay, get paid, access capital and digitize their operations. Since 2020, Mastercard has brought more than 50 million small businesses into the digital economy. But only trust will keep them there.

That’s why we’re partnering with other cybersecurity experts and investing in innovation that simplifies yet strengthens cybersecurity approaches so small business owners can focus on what they do best — serving their customers. For example, we’ve customized our flagship RiskRecon vulnerability scanner for small businesses through My Cyber Risk, enabling them to pinpoint, prioritize and act on cybersecurity threats to their websites or apps.

Launched in February, the Mastercard Business Builder program offers credit and debit cards for small businesses with cybersecurity services that help them protect themselves from fraudsters and provide enterprise-grade security technology and expertise. It includes, among other benefits, ID Theft Protection, which provides monitoring, alerts and resolution services to help protect against identity theft.

Though most people associate identity theft with the misuse of personal information, it can and does happen to businesses. Fraudsters can use the identities of business owners or employees to falsely apply for loans, file fake tax refunds or even steal rights to a company’s intellectual property. That’s why we’ve focused the power of open finance on small businesses, with tools that can confirm ownership of accounts, verify account holder identity and even validate the device being used when a small business opens and funds a financial account.

We’re also bringing scale to cybersecurity through new partnerships. For example, with global cyber company VikingCloud, we’re combining Mastercard’s own highly developed risk scoring and evaluation capabilities with VikingCloud’s cybersecurity remediation solutions for its millions of merchant locations worldwide. With CyberMonks, we launched a marketplace for businesses of all sizes to easily find and seamlessly implement tailored cybersecurity and risk management solutions.

As technology evolves and threats change, ongoing education that meets businesses where they are is also crucial. The Mastercard Trust Center is a platform that helps small business owners access research, resources and tools for free in collaboration with our longstanding partners the Global Cyber Alliance, Cyber Readiness Institute, and National Cybersecurity Alliance.

By working together, we can create a safer ecosystem for small businesses. After all, security isn’t just about defense — it’s about enabling growth. The trust it creates is what helps small businesses operate with confidence and thrive without fear.

Johan Gerber is Mastercard’s executive vice president of Security Solutions. Jane Prokop is Mastercard’s global head of Small and Medium Enterprises. 

Originally published by Mastercard

Follow along Mastercard’s journey to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere.

CLEVELAND, April 1, 2025 /3BL/ – Owning a home is a pillar of the American dream and a sign of prosperity, wealth and success. It instills a sense of pride and belonging in individuals and communities. But today, the reality for homebuyers and potential homebuyers in America continues to be sobering. KeyBank’s 2025 Financial Mobility Survey found that many believe owning a home is not an attainable goal for themselves nor the average American. Still, those who have purchased a home in the past year have pointed to factors that boosted their confidence and influenced their purchasing decision — such as meeting with a mortgage loan officer to make the dream of homeownership more attainable.

April is Fair Housing Month, a time to examine and highlight ways to make homeownership more accessible and sustainable. While the market for homeownership in America remains tricky to navigate, it is important to note that potential homeowners have access to a variety of financial tools and education and are more capable than they think on their journeys toward homeownership.

Many don’t believe they’ll ever own a home

Forty-six percent of respondents who do not already own a home say that home ownership is not attainable for them or their families, up from 39% last year. Forty-one percent of all respondents, including current homeowners, say that home ownership is not attainable for Americans.

Half (47%) of those who are younger and don’t have a mortgage are spending less to try to take on a mortgage. Despite spending less, 6 in 10 still don’t believe they’ll ever own a home.

Home-buying programs make a difference

Survey respondents said financial education can help them be more confident in the home-buying process. This includes budgeting for a down payment and closing costs for those in the market (48%) or renting (45%) and estimating and managing ongoing homeownership costs for those who recently purchased a home (31%). And, among survey respondents who purchased a home in the past 12 months, 30% say that meeting with a mortgage loan officer to learn about programs that make buying more affordable influenced their decision, up from 19% last year. KeyBank’s Financial Wellness Center can help you understand your current financial standing and the next step of your financial and homebuying journey. 

“Owning a home is a significant milestone, and many potential buyers don’t realize the valuable resources available to help them get there,” said Dale Baker, President of Home Lending at KeyBank. “Banks and financial institutions offer guidance, education, and tools to help individuals navigate the homebuying process with confidence. By building a strong relationship with your bank, homeownership can become a more achievable and sustainable reality.”

Homeownership inspires financial confidence

Those who just purchased a home are most confident in their ability to come up with $2,000 in a month and have the most positive economic outlook for the next 12 months.

Building a relationship with your bank can help

Whether you’re in the market for a new home or looking to improve your current home, your bank can help make homeownership more affordable and sustainable. A Financial Wellness Review with a banker at your local KeyBank branch can help get you started on the path to saving for a downpayment on your first home or a new home.

KeyBank Mortgage Loan Officers are another great resource. They have information on home lending opportunities and programs to help you get started on the journey to homeownership.

It’s also important to remember that even if you are pre-qualified for a certain home purchase price, the monthly payments might not be ideal for your budget. KeyBank’s Mortgage Affordability Calculator can help you figure out a comfortable loan and payment amount. Don’t forget to consider all the parts of a mortgage loan – down payment, principal, interest, property taxes, homeowners insurance and possible PMI.

“A home is more than just a purchase—it’s a long-term investment in your financial future,” said Rachael Sampson, Head of Community Banking at KeyBank. “At KeyBank, we’re committed to helping all homebuyers not only achieve homeownership but also sustain it through expert guidance, financial planning, and ongoing support. From saving for a down payment to managing the costs of homeownership, we provide the tools and insights to help individuals and families build lasting financial confidence.”

Our experts at KeyBank are here to support you at every step of your homebuying journey, from planning to celebrating your success.

About the KeyBank 2025 Financial Mobility Survey: This survey was conducted online by Schmidt Market Research in September 2024, polling 1,000 Americans, ages 18 – 70, with sole or shared responsibility for household financial decisions, who own a checking or savings account. The survey sought to gain insight into financial resiliency and explored respondents’ spending and savings habits, levels of financial confidence and financial resiliency, economic sentiment, and impacts of societal trends and pressures over the prior year.

This is designed to provide general information only. All credit products are subject to collateral and/or credit approval, terms, conditions, availability and subject to change. ©2025 KeyCorp. All rights reserved. CFMA #250313-3079428

NOTICE: This is not a commitment to lend or extend credit. Conditions and restrictions may apply. All home lending products, including mortgage, home equity loans and home equity lines of credit, are subject to credit and collateral approval. Not all home lending products are available in all states. Hazard insurance and, if applicable, flood insurance are required on collateral property. Actual rates, fees, and terms are based on those offered as of the date of application and are subject to change without notice.

NMLS #399797. Equal Housing Lender.

ABOUT KEYCORP

In 2025, KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY) celebrates its bicentennial, marking 200 years of service to clients and communities from Maine to Alaska. To learn more, visit KeyBank Heritage Center. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $187 billion at December 31, 2024.

Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,200 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank Member FDIC.

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Client Background

American Outdoor Brands (AOB) was founded in 1992 and is an industry leading manufacturer of outdoor sports and recreation products, with 21 brands of outdoor equipment and accessories for rugged outdoor enthusiasts. With just over 300 employees, they are headquartered in Missouri.

The business challenge

American Outdoor Brands had completed its spin-off from its parent company and was in the process of implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 as their new ERP system. They also had data in two legacy transactional systems that were being retired – Sage and SAP. AOB needed help building an enterprise data solution that included an analytical model that allowed them to look both back in time and forward into the present day-to-day business operations across all three systems.

During an initial assessment phase, Baker Tilly’s digital team learned about the need to ingest and model legacy data from Sage and SAP, and to combine it with data from Dynamics 365. In the current state, it was difficult to find where data was stored, understand naming conventions and organize the different item numbers and customer identification schemes across disparate systems.

Use cases dictated that the data needed to be structured into a user-friendly data model that provided a holistic picture of sales, purchasing and inventory management across different customers, products, product categories and time ranges. AOB also wanted to deliver self-service analytical capabilities in Power BI for business users. Lastly, they wanted to ensure access to operational analytics from day one of the solution go-live.

Strategy and solution

Baker Tilly’s primary objective was to deliver a fully unified data warehouse and data model architecture that merged the data from Dynamics 365, SAP and Sage systems, providing a single source of truth for reporting and analytics.

The solution was developed using an all-Azure architecture to provide for ease of scaling, low maintenance, simplified integration, streamlined connection to Power BI and cost effectiveness.

Baker Tilly leveraged an automated metadata driven code development framework to fast-track solution creation and allow for simplified ongoing maintenance and updating of code. Baker Tilly also implemented a structured DevOps process to manage the deployment of changes to the solution.

The benefits of the new solution included:

• Unified disparate data into a single enterprise data model, providing a single source of truth.
• The enterprise data solution makes prepared data available from a common repository, saving processing time and reducing manual steps.
• Power BI reporting empowers AOB to make data-driven decisions.
• Timely access to information enables proactive responses to changing market conditions and operational challenges.
• Easier to view and analyze product cost trends, cost of goods sold, quantity ordered and shipped, and customer retention and turnover.
• Improved data governance by translating difficult naming conventions into familiar business terminology in the analytical model.
• Ability to view historical trends in the legacy systems and compare them to what is happening in the business today in D365.
• There are now around 140 internal active users, which will increase over time as the company grows and scales.

American Outdoor Brands noted our strategic, collaborative approach, which drove innovation and knowledge transfer and positioned them for ongoing sustainability. They continue to review new data sources and additional metrics that they will consider adding to the solution in the future. Lastly, American Outdoor Brands and Baker Tilly are now building a ChatGPT integration to the Power BI data model to enable robust natural language query capabilities over their enterprise data model.

Connect with a Baker Tilly specialist to learn more