Author: sHq_LoGiNz

Tork expands range of pioneering high-capacity paper hand towel dispensers, launching an automatic model that dispenses at least 500,000 towels per battery set¹

Originally published on Tork Newsroom

Tork, the global leader in professional hygiene and an Essity brand, has launched Tork PeakServe® Automatic, a sensor-activated version of the highest capacity paper towel dispenser on the market.² Designed to reduce maintenance time during peak restroom traffic hours, Tork PeakServe Automatic delivers a reliable and superior user experience. 

“Facility managers depend on Tork PeakServe to reduce run outs during peak times, allowing them to save time spent on constantly monitoring and restocking dispensers,” said Josefin Nilsson, Global Brand Innovation Manager, Professional Hygiene at Essity. “With Tork PeakServe Automatic, we’re enhancing the efficiency gains that our customers appreciate and meeting a market need for unmatched reliability. With one set of batteries lasting up to five years³ and dispensing at least 500,000 towels, Tork PeakServe Automatic alleviates even more pressure from businesses. Cleaning staff can work more efficiently, users enjoy reliable towel dispensing right when they need it, and the restroom line keeps moving.”

More than half of guests (53%) prefer fully automated restrooms.⁴ Touch-free systems are perceived as more hygienic, but current automatic dispensers are often seen as unreliable due to their quick battery depletion and towel run outs, which create challenges for cleaning staff. With the longest battery life⁵ and 99.99% jam-free performance,⁶ Tork PeakServe Automatic helps businesses deliver a consistently superior user – and cleaning staff – experience even during peak traffic times. Tork PeakServe Automatic is also the most intuitive automatic dispenser to use and refill.⁷ Users can simply wave their hands in front or below it to receive a towel in less than a second.

All solutions within the slim Tork PeakServe range reduce maintenance time for cleaning staff, freeing up their time for other cleaning tasks, streamlining operations and helping to reduce user complaints:

• The Tork PeakServe system serves up to 600 more guests before needing a refill.⁸ It includes the highest capacity hand towel dispenser on the market² and uses 50% compressed towels that serve twice as many visitors.⁹ This is especially crucial during peak usage times when towels often run out and cleaners are in high demand.
• Cleaning staff can top up dispensers at any time, unlike most roll towel systems that require the entire roll to be used before replacement. This eliminates unnecessary restroom visits to check dispensers or refill them.
• All Tork PeakServe dispensers use the same refill, helping facilities to streamline their operations by simplifying ordering, handling and storage.
• Tork PeakServe is 99% tab free,¹⁰ ensuring that no towel fragments are left behind, reducing both mess and additional work for cleaning staff.

All Tork solutions are designed to support four focus areas of sustainability – materials and packaging; use and waste; carbon and hygiene for all. Tork PeakServe Automatic requires less energy consumption with more than two times towels dispensed per battery set10 compared to other automatic dispensers. In addition, one-at-a-time paper towel dispensing also helps to control consumption and reduce waste.¹¹ Compressed refill bundles save transportation space and reduce environmental impact.¹² Lastly, all Tork PeakServe dispensers are certified “Easy to use” for both users and cleaners.¹³ 

To learn more about the Tork PeakServe range, including the new Tork PeakServe Automatic, please visit: torkglobal.com/us/en/peakserve

¹Based on third party tests.

²Compared to roll towel systems in North America.

³Based on refill consumption of 2 cases of refill article 105065 annually using alkaline batteries.

⁴Tork Insight Survey 2024, conducted in US, UK, Germany, France and Mexico among 6000 end-users and 900 end-customers.

⁵Compared to Georgia Pacific enMotion 10 dispenses 200 rolls per battery set (192,000 10-inch towels) and Kimberly-Clark Icon dispenses 150,000 towels. Tork PeakServe Automatic dispenses at least 500,000 paper hand towels per battery set using refill article 105065.

⁶Used with articles 105065 and 105066.

⁷3rd party research with facility managers comparing Tork PeakServe Automatic dispenser with Georgia Pacific enMotion Flex automated touchless hand towel dispenser and Kimberly-Clark Icon hand towel dispenser.

⁸Compared to Tork Universal refills and folded towel dispenser 552020.

⁹Compared to Tork Universal Folded Towels.

¹⁰10,000 towels no tabbing occurred over 99.9% of the time.

¹¹ Based on data from the field test that showed over 10,000 towels no double dispensing occurred over 98% of the time.

¹²With compressed towels you get twice as many towels (100% more) per cubic meter meaning you gain storage space and can transport more towels. Compared to Tork folded towel 150299.

¹³Certified by the Swedish Rheumatism Association.

ATLANTA, October 20, 2025 /3BL/ – Georgia has made major progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions over the past two decades, even as its economy more than doubled and its population added nearly 2.5 million people. A new report from the Climate and Energy Policy Laboratory at Georgia Tech’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy and Drawdown Georgia shows that between 2005 and 2024, statewide emissions fell by 33% while the carbon intensity of Georgia’s economy dropped by more than two-thirds.

The “carbon intensity of the economy” is a way of measuring the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced per dollar of Gross Domestic Product. A lower carbon intensity indicates a greener economy, signifying progress in decoupling economic growth from the creation of carbon emissions.

Net emissions fell from 141 megatons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MT CO2e) in 2005 to 92 MT CO2e in 2024. Over the same period, Georgia’s GDP surged from $389 billion to $883 billion, a 127% increase. The average carbon footprint per person declined by nearly half, from 15.8 to 8.2 metric tons per capita.

“This demonstrates that climate solutions and economic growth can go hand in hand,” said Dr. Marilyn A. Brown, Regents’ Professor and Brook Byers Professor of Sustainable Systems in the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech and lead author of the report. “By transforming our electricity system, improving efficiency, and harnessing the power of our forests and wetlands, Georgia has achieved steep emissions cuts while building one of the fastest-growing economies in the country. To stay on this path, we must now turn more attention to transportation, natural gas use, and agriculture.”

From Peak to Progress: Shrinking the Carbon Intensity of Georgia’s Economy and Society highlights sector-by-sector trends:

• Electricity: Retiring more than 5,000 megawatts of coal-fired power and adding 5,000 megawatts of solar capacity helped cut emissions from the grid by more than half, improving both air quality and public health.
   
• Land Sinks: Georgia’s 22 million acres of forests and coastal wetlands offset nearly 27% of the state’s emissions each year, making the state a national leader in natural carbon sequestration.
   
• Transportation: Now the largest source of emissions in Georgia, transportation produced nearly 60 Mt CO₂e in 2024. Freight growth and diesel fuel use remain major challenges, even as electric vehicle adoption has increased.
   
• Buildings & Industry: Cleaner electricity reduced emissions from homes and businesses, but rising direct use of natural gas has slowed progress.
   
• Agriculture: Emissions have held steady overall, with reductions from improved soil management practices offset by increases in emissions from energy use and manure management.

John A. Lanier, executive director of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation and a founding partner of Drawdown Georgia, said the findings show what is possible when Georgia embraces climate solutions. “Georgia has proven that reducing emissions strengthens our economy, creates jobs, and spurs technological innovation. Continuing this momentum and remaining a leader for the South in delivering climate solutions that benefit our environment, our health, and our communities requires intention and political will – I hope we will make the right choices to keep moving forward.”

Dr. William Drummond, Georgia Tech associate professor and contributor to the report, emphasized the importance of continued monitoring to understand the trends. “Our Greenhouse Gas Emissions Tracker allows us to see where progress is being made and where challenges remain. This kind of data is essential for policymakers, businesses, and communities to make informed decisions about the future of our state.”

The full report, From Peak to Progress: Shrinking the Carbon Intensity of Georgia’s Economy and Society, will be available to the public on October 20th.

About Drawdown Georgia

Drawdown Georgia is a statewide research-based initiative launched in 2020 that was born from a multi-university collaboration, funded by the Ray C. Anderson Foundation. Taking inspiration from Project Drawdown®, the world’s leading resource for taking action on climate change, Drawdown Georgia localized that work by identifying the 20 highest-impact solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our state over the next decade. 

This framework focuses on climate solutions in five sectors: transportation, buildings & materials, food & agriculture, electricity, and land sinks. It considers how these solutions can reduce emissions and advance “beyond carbon” priorities, including equity, economic development, public health, and nurturing the larger environment. 

Drawdown Georgia has grown into a “leader-full” movement, bringing together many organizations, universities, companies, leaders, and funders who are working to advance climate solutions in Georgia, including Drawdown Georgia Research, the Drawdown Georgia Business Compact, Drawdown Georgia Congregations, and Drawdown Georgia Higher Education. Learn more at drawdownga.org.

Media Contact: Lisa Lilienthal
lisa@dialogue.marketing 404.661.3679

Originally published on Aflac Newsroom

In a quiet corner of the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, something extraordinary happened. It wasn’t a medical breakthrough or a new piece of equipment — it was a sandwich bag filled with $22.25 from a boy named Rowan.

Rowan Rieve, 12 years old, loves lemonade, has a gentle smile and carries a bravery that seems far bigger than his small frame. He also has a rare genetic condition called Li-Fraumeni syndrome, which makes him more likely to develop cancer. In just a few years, Rowan has faced medulloblastoma, a malignant glioma and now a relapsed metastatic medulloblastoma.

But Rowan isn’t just a patient — he’s a giver.

One day, after a difficult conversation with his doctor — where his mom asked about a clinical trial that sadly was no longer available — Rowan quietly reached into his backpack, pulled out a small plastic bag and handed it to his doctor. Inside was $22.25, money he had raised from his lemonade stand.

“I’d like to donate this to help children at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center,” he said.

A child with a brain tumor, raising money for other children. Sweet. Pure. Powerful. It was a moment that made everyone stop, including Dan Amos, chairman and CEO at Aflac.

“Rowan’s act of selfless generosity and heart for others shows that heroes can arise from any age and stage of life,” said Amos. “It is my hope that recognition of Rowan’s desire to make a difference will inspire others to do the same.”

Rowan’s gift is now helping to raise awareness about the importance of funding pediatric cancer research. Later this year, a room at the hospital will be named in his honor — a small tribute to a very big heart.

In a world that sometimes feels heavy, Rowan reminds us of the light. His lemonade stand wasn’t just about selling drinks. It was about hope, kindness and the belief that even the smallest hands can make the biggest difference.

Aflac WWHQ |1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999

Z2500997
EXP 10/26

KFC Foundation

Anthony has always been proud of the work he does as a Shift Supervisor at KFC in Lake City, FL. But after a major health challenge, he discovered another reason to be proud—knowing that the KFC Foundation was there to help him and his family when they needed it most.

Earlier this year, Anthony underwent a hip replacement surgery. Recovery meant time away from work and unexpected medical expenses that weighed heavily on him and his wife, Kristina.

“It was tough,” Anthony shared. “I didn’t know how we were going to make it.”

That’s when he turned to the KFC Foundation’s Hardship Assistance program. With support from the program, Anthony and his family received the financial help they needed to focus on his recovery instead of worrying about bills.

“I’ll be honest—I never used to believe in Round Up,” Anthony admitted. “But after this, I see just how much of a difference it makes. The Foundation truly came through for me, and I want others to see that too.”

Today, Anthony is back on his feet—literally and figuratively—and filled with gratitude.

“The help we received gave me peace of mind when I needed it most,” he said. “I’m thankful for the Foundation and for everyone who gives through Round Up. You may not realize it, but you’re changing lives—mine included.”

Anthony’s story is a reminder that the KFC Foundation is here for restaurant employees in their hardest moments, turning small acts of generosity into life-changing support.

• Now in its third year in partnership with Discovery Education, Honda Safety Driven uses STEAM educational principles to help students develop real-world safe driving habits
• New video series boosts safety awareness with three Honda-powered racing champions, Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon and AMA Pro Motocross champions Jett and Hunter Lawrence
• Initiative aims to help address nearly one-third of annual traffic fatalities in the U.S. involving drivers under the age of 25

TORRANCE, Calif. and CHARLOTTE, N.C., October 20, 2025 /3BL/ – In the midst of Teen Driver Safety Week, Honda and Discovery Education have launched year three of the innovative Honda Safety Driven young driver safety initiative with new educational content featuring IndyCar driver and Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon and champion motocross riders Jett and Hunter Lawrence of the Honda HRC Progressive racing team. The racers are featured in a new two-part video series titled Honda Safety in Action: From Racetrack to Roadway – It Takes All of Us, demonstrating how racing at high speeds should inspire real-world safe riding and driving habits. To access Honda Safety Driven resources, please visit hondasafetydriven.discoveryeducation.com.

“We are thrilled to feature Honda-powered champion riders like Jett and Hunter Lawrence and Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon as they help inspire and educate the next generation of safe riders and drivers through our Honda Safety Driven initiative,” said MJ Foxley, Safety Strategy Leader at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “Now in its third year, Honda Safety Driven continues to introduce innovative and unexpected ways to engage and educate young people about traffic safety with nearly one million students reached in the first two years and counting.”

The first part of the video series focuses on two-wheel vehicle safety, including bikes, e-bikes, scooters, and motorcycles, with Jett Lawrence, who won the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross 450 Class championship, his second, and his brother Hunter, the 2025 runner-up. Part two of the series explores four-wheel vehicle safety with 6-time IndyCar series Driver’s Champion Scott Dixon, along with Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) engineers. Together, the videos are a new way to interest and engage with students by translating elite racing insights into practical, everyday safety tips. In addition, the Honda Safety in Action: From Racetrack to Roadway video series features accompanying standards-aligned classroom activities, educator resources, and at-home materials.

“Teen Driver Safety Week offers the perfect opportunity to talk to students about driver safety, and this engaging new content from Honda and Discovery Education can play a key role in supporting those conversations,” said Catherine Dunlop, Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships at Discovery Education. “By showing how seriously professional racers treat safety on an everyday basis, we’re helping students understand the importance of making smart choices.”

In 2023, Honda and Discovery Education launched Honda Safety Driven as a multi-year safety initiative to help address the nearly one-third of annual traffic fatalities in the U.S. involving drivers under the age of 25. Now in its third year after reaching nearly one million students, the national safety education initiative uses real-world applications and practices of STEAM, aiming to empower students to use safe driving skills as a roadmap to become responsible decision-makers. Discovery Education is the maker of essential PreK-12 learning solutions used in classrooms around the world.

To advance safety initiatives in the community, Honda and the Honda USA Foundation have contributed more than $8 million to nonprofit organizations and schools over the past 4 years, supporting programs that promote safe driving practices, awareness and education both on and off the road. These programs include education, training, and resources that supplement or go beyond traditional driver’s training courses or mandated state driver’s programs.

###

Honda Commitment to Safety 
Honda is committed to further advancing safety for everyone sharing the road, which is captured in the Honda global safety slogan “Safety for Everyone.” The company has established a global goal to achieve zero traffic collision fatalities involving Honda motorcycles and automobiles by 2050. To achieve this goal, Honda is expanding its focus beyond advanced safety and driver assistive technologies alone, to include efforts to augment safety awareness to modify driver behavior and improve the traffic safety ecosystem by working with government, industry and community partners. 

Honda operates two of the world’s most sophisticated crash-test facilities in Ohio and Japan, and is responsible for numerous pioneering efforts in crashworthiness, collision compatibility and pedestrian safety. 

Advanced passive safety features include the proprietary Honda Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure and next-generation driver and passenger front airbag technology, which are designed to provide a high level of collision protection for occupants. Advanced active safety and driver-assistive systems found in Honda Sensing® and AcuraWatch™ technologies, now on over 9.5 million vehicles on U.S. roads, are designed to reduce the frequency and severity of collisions while also serving as a technological and perceptual bridge to the more highly automated vehicles of the future. 

Learn more at https://www.honda.com/safety.

About Discovery Education 
Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art, PreK-12, digital solutions help educators engage all students and support higher academic achievement. Through award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, and innovative classroom tools that are effective, engaging, and easy to use, Discovery Education helps educators deliver powerful learning experiences. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Through partnerships with districts, states, and trusted organizations, Discovery Education empowers teachers with essential edtech solutions that inspire curiosity, build confidence, and accelerate learning. Learn more at www.discoveryeducation.com.

Contacts

Chris Martin
Honda
Email: Chris_Martin@na.honda.com

Grace Maliska
Discovery Education
Email: gmaliska@discoveryed.com

By Jason Hartke, Ph.D.

With over a decade of experience in the smart buildings industry, Kashif Mughees, who leads commercial and partnerships at WellStat, has built a career on turning complex energy and environmental challenges into opportunities for organizations to embrace solutions that yield powerful economic benefits. An engineer by training, Kashif’s work stands at the intersection of technology, data and human impact, partnering with leaders from across the public and private sectors to apply innovative solutions that advance energy security, environmental performance and healthier indoor spaces.

At its core, WellStat is helping reshape what it means to manage building performance, leveraging intelligent energy solutions and building analytics to help businesses achieve healthier, smarter and more sustainable spaces. The company’s approach combines industry knowledge with real-time insights and IoT analytics, improving operational performance while helping organizations optimize for health.

Kashif has been at the heart of this work, driven by a passion for sustainable energy management, cross-sector collaboration, and data-driven innovation. We sat down with him to learn more about the work WellStat is leading and how the company is addressing today’s most pressing challenges and empowering market leaders to champion health, sustainability, and long-term business resilience.

Q: How do you see the relationship between energy efficiency and indoor air quality evolving and what kind of synergies should the industry be driving to advance both?
For too long, energy efficiency and indoor air quality have been treated as trade-offs: save energy or improve comfort. Today, we have the tools and intelligence to achieve both.

In my experience, fine-tuning building systems through real-time insights can reduce waste and maintain healthy air at the same time. For example, in one project, simply adjusting HVAC start times cut energy use without affecting comfort. In another, tracking indoor air quality helped uncover efficiencies that, once fixed, improved both ventilation and performance. Demand Control Ventilation is a great example of this synergy in action, using live occupancy and air quality data to optimize airflow, reduce energy consumption, and maintain healthier environments.

It’s important to stop treating health and efficiency as separate goals and start measuring how they work together to improve overall building performance.

Q: From your perspective, what is the business case for investing in buildings that prioritize health, well-being and sustainability? How do you communicate that to organizations you work with?
The value is clear. Healthier buildings are higher performing assets. They attract and retain talent, reduce operational risk and strengthen long-term value.

I often say, if you can measure it, you can prove it, and if you can prove it, you can scale it. That is where data comes in. When leaders see tangible results such as improved air quality, reduced energy costs and greater occupant satisfaction, the conversation shifts from compliance to commercial advantage.

Even in residential developments, we are seeing growing interest in WELL-aligned design and monitoring. Healthier air, balanced humidity and thermal comfort reduce risks associated with damp and mould, while improving overall indoor quality and occupant well-being. These improvements do not just make homes healthier; they protect asset value, reduce maintenance costs and strengthen community trust.

Ultimately, prioritizing health delivers value for occupants while supporting long-term financial performance.

Q: Many organizations face difficulties in implementing these building strategies, such as cost constraints or new technology adoption. What are some of the biggest challenges you see in the field today and how are you working with stakeholders to overcome them?
The challenge is usually not the technology. It’s getting different teams aligned. Facilities, sustainability and finance teams often have different success metrics. Our job is to connect those dots through shared outcomes.

We typically start small with a pilot project that proves measurable impact. Once the data speaks for itself, adoption accelerates across the portfolio. For example, demonstrating how small operational changes can lead to both lower energy costs and better IAQ helps shift the mindset from “new cost” to “new value.”

By focusing on visibility, evidence and shared success metrics, we help organisations move from good intentions to scalable results.

Q: As the demand for healthy buildings continues to grow, how is WellStat helping demonstrate the value proposition and where do you see the strongest market drivers helping build momentum?
WellStat is helping organisations quantify what matters most, the measurable link between healthier spaces, operational performance and financial outcomes.

Our analytics platform captures real-time data on air quality, energy and environmental performance, turning it into clear, actionable insights. That enables leaders to demonstrate, not just declare, that their spaces are healthier and more efficient.

Momentum is building across sectors:

• Corporate real estate leaders are investing to attract and retain talent.
• Developers and owners see WELL as a differentiator in competitive markets.
• Investors are demanding transparency and data-backed proof of impact.

We are moving into an era where sustainability, health and performance are one conversation, and the organisations that understand that will lead the market.

View original content here.

ALEXANDRIA, Va., October 20, 2025 /3BL/ – The Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), an initiative of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), today announced its Responsible Minerals Assurance Process (RMAP) is the first supply chain due diligence scheme to be officially recognized by the European Commission for EU importers’ Conflict Minerals Regulation compliance.

The Conflict Minerals Regulation (CMR) is designed to ensure the supply chain practices of EU importers and of smelters and refiners sourcing from conflict-affected and high-risk areas are transparent and responsible. The CMR is built on the concept of risk-based due diligence as described in the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk areas. The European Commission found the RMI’s RMAP standards and implementation to be fully aligned with the requirements of the CMR and OECD Guidance.

While EU importers are ultimately responsible for their individual compliance with CMR due diligence obligations, a supply chain due diligence scheme that is recognized by the European Commission, such as the RMI’s RMAP, can help enable importers to comply with their obligations under the CMR. Those obligations include management system, risk management, third-party audit, and disclosure obligations.

EU recognition of the RMI’s RMAP covers the RMAP Tin and Tantalum Standard, the RMAP Tungsten Standard, and the RMAP Gold Standard. The recognition only applies to the RMAP scheme and to smelters/refiners conformant with the RMAP standards, not to other schemes the RMI may cross-recognize.

“The Responsible Minerals Initiative is proud to be the first organization to have its supply chain due diligence scheme recognized by the European Commission,” said Jennifer Peyser, Executive Director of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI). “RMI RMAP recognition supports the fundamental due diligence objectives in the CMR and OECD Guidance, expands the value of RMAP participation for smelters and refiners, and provides a practical compliance tool for EU importers. The RMI valued the recognition process for its independent program review, and we commit to advancing CMR implementation and industry uptake of meaningful due diligence practices and reporting.”

The European Commission is planning to create a “List of global responsible smelters and refiners” based on smelters and refiners covered by recognized supply chain due diligence schemes and information submitted by Member States as part of their annual report on the implementation of the CMR. It is in the interest of EU importers to provide evidence of conformity with the RMI’s RMAP to the relevant Member State Competent Authorities as soon as possible. The RMI also encourages RMAP-conformant smelters and refiners to provide assessment reports to covered EU importers, to support their compliance with the CMR.

Learn more about the RMI’s Responsible Minerals Assurance Process (RMAP) on the RMI website and contact RMI@responsiblebusiness.org for more information on the RMAP.

View the European Commission’s announcement about RMAP here, details on its Implementing Decision here, and FAQs on the recognition of schemes under the Conflict Minerals Regulation here.

About the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) 
The Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), an initiative of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), is a multi-industry initiative with more than 500 member companies. Its members contribute to the development and international uptake of a range of tools and resources focused on minerals supply chain due diligence, including independent third-party assessments for smelters, Minerals Reporting Templates, supply chain risk assessment tools, and guidance documents on responsible sourcing of all minerals/metals. RMI members also have access to specialized due diligence tools, including country of origin data and the RMI Facility Database. The RMI runs regular workshops on responsible sourcing issues and contributes to policy development with civil society organizations and governments. For more information, visit ResponsibleMineralsInitiative.org

Media Contact
Jarrett Bens, Senior Director of Communications
Responsible Business Alliance
Phone: +1 571.858.5721
jbens@responsiblebusiness.org