Tag: 3BL

CLEVELAND, July 1, 2024 /3BL/ – Today, KeyBank announced that it has funded more than $2 million in KeyBank Home Buyer CreditsSM1, helping 442 clients achieve their dream of homeownership in areas where the program is available. This milestone is the latest KeyBank has achieved since launching this program in September 2022.

The KeyBank Home Buyer Credit is a Special Purpose Credit Program that provides $5,000 toward closing costs and other pre-paid fees that may come with financing a new home, to homebuyers for the purchase of eligible properties. Additional costs include mortgage, flood and hazard insurance, escrow deposit, real estate taxes, and per diem interest for eligible properties.

“In this competitive and challenging homebuying environment, we are excited to continue working to reduce the barriers of homeownership and help more clients achieve their dreams while building wealth,” said Dale Baker, president of Home Lending at KeyBank. “Through responsible lending products and services, educational support, and direct investment into the diverse communities we serve, we are committed to helping clients at every stage of homebuying and homeownership.”

KeyBank’s 2024 Financial Mobility Survey found increasingly rising costs have made many Americans come to the realization that owning a home may not be feasible. Of those people (20%) who are not currently in the market to purchase a home and haven’t purchased one in the past year, 69% believe the dream of owning a home is not very attainable.

The KeyBank Home Buyer Credit is one of three special purpose credit programs2 (SPCPs) from KeyBank. The KeyBank Neighbors First Credit3, provides up to $5,000 in credits toward closing costs and other pre-paid fees that may come with financing a new home to homebuyers for the purchase of eligible properties in eligible communities. The Neighbors First Credit launched in July 2023. Through this program, Key has funded more than $845,000 in credits, helping 169 clients.

In addition, the Key Opportunities Home Equity Loan4 provides affordable terms for borrowers with qualifying properties to refinance their primary residence to a lower interest rate, consolidate debt, finance home improvements, or tap into their equity when needed. This loan features a fixed rate, with no origination fee, and a first or second lien option for loans up to $100,000. Since the program began on March 1, 2023, through June 26, 2024, KeyBank funded $11.7 million in loans, helping 233 clients secure loans for their primary home in designated communities.

“The KeyBank Home Buyer Credit, and all of our special purpose credit programs, are helping our clients achieve something many think is unattainable, providing them with a safe, comfortable home that doubles as a wealth building tool,” said Rachael Sampson, head of community banking for KeyBank’s consumer bank. “This latest milestone reflects our enduring commitment to helping make homeownership achievable and sustainable for our clients.”

Learn more about KeyBank’s home lending opportunities and programs, determine whether a property qualifies for Special Purpose Credit Programs, or get started on the journey to homeownership by visiting key.com/communitylending. For details on the current state of local markets and to answer any questions you may have, including whether a property qualifies for Key’s Special Purpose Credit Programs, KeyBank Mortgage Loan Officers are available to help.

ABOUT KEYCORP

KeyCorp’s roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, KeyCorp is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $187 billion at March 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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NMLS #399797. Mortgage and Home Equity Lending products offered by KeyBank are not FDIC insured or guaranteed. KeyBank extends credit secured by residential real estate without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, handicap, or familial status. All credit products are subject to collateral and/or credit approval, terms, conditions, availability and are subject to change.

CMFA #240628-2668030

1 Available on primary residence first lien purchases only. Property must be located in an eligible community as determined by KeyBank. Eligible Communities are subject to change without notice. Additional terms or restrictions may apply. Ask us for details.

2 Special Purpose Credit Programs (“SPCPs”) are, generally, programs that are established to meet special social needs or the needs of economically disadvantaged persons by extending credit to persons who would probably be denied credit or would receive it on less favorable terms, under certain conditions. See 15 U.S.C. § 1691(c)(1)-(3); 12 C.F.R. § 1002.8(a).

3 Available on primary residence first lien purchases only. Property must be located in an eligible community in KeyBank’s retail footprint or Florida. Eligible communities are determined by KeyBank and subject to change without notice. Additional terms or restrictions may apply. Ask us for details.

4 Loan features reduced interest rate and no origination fees. Available on existing primary residence and loans up to $100,000. First or second lien only. Loan must close in a branch. Property must be located in an eligible community in KeyBank’s retail footprint. Additional terms or restrictions may apply. Ask us for details.

To apply for a home equity loan, you must:

Be 18 years of age or older 
Live within the following states: AK, CO, CT, ID, IN, MA, ME, MI, NY, OH, OR, PA, UT, VT, or WA 
Agree to provide additional personal and business information, if requested, such as tax returns and financial statements 
Certify that all information submitted in the application is true and correct 
Authorize the bank and or a credit bureau to investigate the information on the application

Jim Candler had a successful 40-year career in system operations before coming to Gilead three years ago to bring his tech expertise to the Human Resources team.

“I was hired at 71 years old. What does that say about Gilead?” says Jim, Senior Director, People Technology.

Jim is now 74 years old and still enjoys coming to work every day. He feels especially fortunate to be working at a company that offers employees an assortment of healthcare and retirement benefits. He credits one of those benefits with providing invaluable healthcare information when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year.

After seeking a series of medical opinions from a radiation oncologist, a medical oncologist, a urologist and a hormone treatment specialist, Jim was overwhelmed trying to decide which option was best for him.

That’s when his colleagues at work told him to contact AccessHope, a cancer care support benefit that Gilead began offering to U.S. employees and their loved ones last August. The program provides a network of oncology professionals who are available to share treatment information, while also providing emotional support.

“Much of our discoveries here at Gilead are dedicated to treatments for those facing cancer,” says Angela Sim, Senior Director, Benefits. “That’s why our benefits team felt it was important to make sure our employees and their family members could seek information from oncology experts at the forefront of the latest cancer innovations.”

In Jim’s case, he was connected with an oncology nurse who spent hours walking him through each of his treatment options.

“They won’t tell you what to do, but they help educate you and point you to resource materials,” says Jim. After speaking with the nurse and doing some more follow-up research, he was able to make a treatment decision he was at peace with.

“A big part of my job is to remove administrative burdens and help employees navigate our healthcare benefits, and now I want to let everyone know about what an incredibly helpful program I had at my disposal when I needed it the most,” he says. “It didn’t just help me, but my wife was also able to gain emotional support from the program during this journey, too.”

Gilead’s cancer care efforts caught the attention of President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative, which aims to improve the experience of people touched by cancer. Representatives from Gilead’s Benefits team were invited to the White House in March to share best practices on ways employers can influence employee cancer screenings.

Jim, meanwhile, is still undergoing treatment but is happy to say his cancer is undetectable. He also credits his annual check-ups for this good health, and he hopes his experience will serve as a reminder to others of the role regular exams and screenings can play in early detection.

He also notes how grateful he is that Gilead helps him and others – from providing employees access to wellbeing services and cancer support to fostering a rewarding work environment. “I’m proof that Gilead cares about its employees.”

Originally published by Gilead Sciences

Join the Whirlpool Foundation in celebrating a second year supporting the Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation (MCWT) STEM event – Girls Rock IT. This spring, local girls from grades 2-8 dove into the exciting worlds of coding and app development. Elementary students explored coding with Scratch, while middle schoolers built their own apps using MIT App Inventor – all in one day!

Parents and guardians were encouraged to tap in and many attended a session on Internet Safety and Careers in Technology to help equip them to support the girls’ tech aspirations.

With a high demand for tech talent and women still underrepresented in the field, Whirlpool Foundation remains committed to showcasing inspiring Whirlpool Corp. IT role models and helping young girls crack the code on promising tech careers in Michigan.

About Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is a leading kitchen and laundry appliance company, in constant pursuit of improving life at home and inspiring generations with our brands. The company is driving meaningful innovation to meet the evolving needs of consumers through its iconic brand portfolio, including Whirlpool, KitchenAid, JennAir, Maytag, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, and InSinkErator. In 2023, the company reported approximately $19 billion in annual sales, 59,000 employees, and 55 manufacturing and technology research centers. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com.

Set against the picturesque backdrop of Borgo Egnazia, Italy, the latest G7 summit was a stage for delicate decisions. In the final communiqué released on 14 June, the G7 leaders reaffirmed their commitment to tackling the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Acknowledging these aspects as inherently connected is vital, as is pushing for a ‘just transition’.

As the ILO puts it, a just transition is about “Greening the economy in a way that is as fair and inclusive as possible to everyone concerned, creating decent work opportunities and leaving no one behind”. It’s significant therefore that the G7 has recognized the role of vulnerable communities, diverse social challenges and need for wide involvement of businesses and civil society.

We might be tempted to salute these commitments with nothing but enthusiasm, but unfortunately not all that glitters is gold. Despite the positive overtones, the summit lacked the ambition to propose any new – and much-needed – actions against climate change.

Yet how can the corporate world contribute where international policy setters fall short? Here, we can draw inspiration from the G7 communiqué: “Availability, comparability, and credibility of robust information in the financial sector and real economy”, which underscores the importance of effective sustainability reporting practices by the private sector.

Away from fossil fuels, but not just yet

Let’s start with the silver linings. The G7 leaders have pledged to achieve a substantial reduction in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, aiming for a 43% fall by the end of this decade and a 60% reduction by 2035 from 2019 levels. This is welcome, as emissions continue to rise, posing challenges to achieving the goal of limiting global temperature rise to below 1.5°C.

Cutting emissions goes hand-in hand with another important goal, to triple global renewable capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030. Accelerating renewables is essential for transitioning away from fossil fuels, enhancing energy security, boosting growth and job creation. Improving the resilience and flexibility of electricity systems is another key issue and can be attained through increase deployment of storage systems, digitization of grids and power plants, and investing in the dedicated supply chains.

Although it’s an encouraging starting point, it is simply not enough. The G7 countries must rule out an urgent plan to phase out fossil fuel with a clear and ambitious timeline, ideally within the next decade. Only then, they can genuinely lead the way in climate action which, as the G7 highlighted, must put people at its core, and it needs a tangible contribution from the society and business actors alike.

Pollution’s toll on biodiversity

The G7 acknowledges pollution as a key driver of biodiversity loss. For instance, nitrogen deposition remains a significant threat, with damaging levels found in 75% of the total ecosystem of the 27 EU Member States in 2020. The final declaration remarks once again how concentrations of pollutants negatively affect ecosystem and species health. Our planet’s biodiversity, once robust and diverse, it is now struggling to adapt to the rapidly changing climate.

This situation is not merely an environmental concern; it’s a pressing and holistic crisis, with harsh consequences on our food security and supply chains. As the communiqué states:

“We recall our existing commitments…in halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030, in an integrated manner, while ensuring sustainable and inclusive economic growth and development, enhancing the resilience of our economies and accelerating energy transition”.

According to the European Environmental Agency, ground-level ozone continues to damage crops and reduce yields. From 2000 to 2020, there was a notable reduction in the proportion of agricultural land exposed to harmful ozone levels, falling to a low of 6% in 2020. However, the economic losses on wheat yields in 2019 still totalled €1.4 billion across 35 European countries.

What all of this points towards is a complex web of interconnected challenges.

Promises and pitfalls

Ambitious pledges require rock-solid foundations, yet the G7 communiqué falls short by lacking a bold and clear timeline, with defined milestones. The summit should serve as the cornerstone for climate commitments, leveraging its influential position to set agendas and mobilize essential finances and resources. What we perceive, however, is a gap between the urgency of the situation and the incremental steps being taken to address it.

First and foremost, the focus must extend beyond a vague reference to “transitioning away” from fossil fuels. The world is waiting for ambitious commitments based on a direct transition to renewable energy systems, with people to be put at its very cor. Yet, there are no clear steps and timeframe to phase out from fossil fuel.

The aim to phase out unabated coal by the early 2030s is equally underwhelming: there is a deliberate vagueness around the target date while urgent action is required now.

Moreover, the G7 leaders gathered in Apulia missed the chance to set ambitious targets on the new collective quantified goal on climate finance. In the final communiqué, the G7 delegates this crucial task to the upcoming COP29, that will take place this fall in Baku.

The seriousness of the situation is echoed in the word of UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres: “Unless we act now, the 2030 Agenda will become an epitaph for a world that might have been”.

It’s time for boldness and accountability

Forward-looking metrics are needed to outline credible transition pathways, both for the public and private sectors. This not just a key part of the G7 stance, but also a milestone of GRI’s mission. The triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution are reflected in the GRI Standards:

GRI 101: Biodiversity 2024. Launched in January 2024, it emphasizes the synergies and trade-offs between biodiversity and climate, urging companies to consider and disclose these in their reports. It also aligns with the G7’s objectives, helping organizations disclose significant impacts on their biodiversity impacts.GRI Climate Change Standard. Currently incorporating public feedback before publication early next year, it prioritizes GHG reductions as the primary mitigation action expected for companies, while linking them with impacts on society and the people, and includes multiple disclosures that are directly linked to biodiversity. It also covers the use of carbon credits, as well as transition and adaptation plans.A new revision of GRI Energy Standards will kick off soon, and focus on transparency in energy efficiency, renewable transitions and their social and environmental impacts, incorporating the broad concept of just transition.

In the grand tapestry of climate action, we must ensure commitments do not become relics of promises unfulfilled. A holistic approach towards climate change is surely the way to go, but it must feature true boldness and effective corporate accountability. In an era where the stakes are so high, we cannot afford anything less.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Margherita Barbieri is a manager in the GRI Topic Standards Team, where she is leading the project to update of the GRI Climate Change & Energy Standards. Before joining GRI, Margherita worked in the food and beverage industry, specializing in marketing and sustainability. She also led the World Economic Forum circular economy initiative, Scale 360°, in Turin. She completed the Executive Programmes in Corporate Sustainability and Leadership from Saïd Business School (UK) and holds an MA in International Relations from the University of Turin (Italy).

ABOUT GRI

Established in 1997, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is the independent, international organization that helping businesses and other organizations take responsibility for their impacts by providing the global common language to report those impacts.

The GRI Standards, the leading global standards for sustainability reporting, are provided as a free public good. They are used each year by more than 11,000 organizations in over 100 countries, including 78% of the world’s largest 250 companies. The GRI Standards were downloaded by users around one million times in 2022, a 45% increase on the previous year.

Jamie Ralston, senior director of training and virtual sales, shares her story about the importance of mental health and how open conversations about mental well-being with her team led to a turning point for her family. Jamie shares how resources like Spring Health, accessible through our benefits, have made a difference for her and her family members.

Georgia-Pacific

Based in Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific and its subsidiaries are among the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of bath tissue, paper towels and napkins, tableware, paper-based packaging, cellulose, specialty fibers, nonwoven fabrics, building products and related chemicals. Our familiar consumer brands include Quilted Northern®, Angel Soft®, Brawny®, Dixie®, enMotion®, Sparkle® and Vanity Fair®. Georgia-Pacific has long been a leading supplier of building products to lumber and building materials dealers and large do-it-yourself warehouse retailers. Its Georgia-Pacific Recycling subsidiary is among the world’s largest traders of paper, metal and plastics. The company operates more than 150 facilities and employs more than 30,000 people directly and creates approximately 89,000 jobs indirectly. For more information, visit: gp.com/about-us. For news, visit: gp.com/news

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International Olympic Committee news

As the first Games fully aligned with Olympic Agenda 2020, Paris 2024 is showing how bringing the Games to a country can bring social, economic and health benefits to its people. The legacy of Paris 2024 is already visible across the nation – from getting people more involved in sport to creating equal economic opportunities for everyone and catering to the needs of local communities.

Sport for health and education

The Paris 2024 “Bouger Plus” (Move More) campaign aims to bring more sport to more people, as part of an ambition to combat sedentary lifestyles and obesity – a growing issue among the French population.

Paris 2024 successfully advocated and supported the implementation of a daily 30-minute exercise period at all French schools. Adopted as a national policy, the campaign is being progressively introduced into all 36,250 primary schools. The positive impact of daily exercise on pupils is already visible, with 94 per cent of teachers reporting an improvement in children’s well-being, attention and concentration.

To further promote physical activity among young French people, schools and higher education establishments can be awarded the Generation 2024 label, recognising their joint efforts with local authorities and sports clubs to actively foster sports practice. So far, more than 8,700 schools and higher education establishments across the nation have obtained the label.

In Seine-Saint-Denis, where half of kids aged 11 do not know how to swim, Paris 2024 has offered free swimming and water safety lessons to more than 9,400 children since 2020. The “1,2,3 Nagez!” (1,2,3 Swim!) project has now reached kids across the whole of France, teaching more than 26,000 children essential swimming skills.

The Terre de Jeux 2024 label, meanwhile, brings local authorities, sports clubs, federations and leagues together to collaborate on projects that promote the Games and get people in France more involved in sport. More than 50,000 projects have been facilitated by partnerships under the Terre de Jeux accreditation.

And Paris 2024 set up the first-ever Olympic legacy-focused investment fund, Impact 2024, to finance projects that promote health, well-being, education, inclusion, equality and environmental improvements. With EUR 47 million in funding distributed, the endowment fund has supported more than 1,100 grassroots projects to date.

Social and economic legacy

In line with its “Games wide open” slogan, Paris 2024 is creating equal economic opportunities for everyone. Aiming for more inclusive, more responsible and more sustainable Games, it developed a Social Charter, a first in Olympic host history.

The Social Charter was signed in 2019 by public and private stakeholders, trade unions and employer organisations, and its 16 commitments focus on decent working conditions, social inclusion and ensuring small- and medium-sized enterprises get access to project contracts.

The Social Charter commitments are clearly being met, as some 181,000 people have found employment in Games-related jobs. As for keeping it local, 90 per cent of the Paris 2024 Games suppliers are French, while 78 per cent of them are small- and medium-sized businesses, with more than 500 local businesses from the social and solidarity economy (ESS).

Venue legacy

As per Olympic Agenda 2020, the Games adapt to host city needs, and not the other way around. To reduce cost and carbon emissions, hosts are required to prioritise existing and temporary venues and only build new infrastructure where there is a long-term need for it, and to the highest sustainability standards possible.

The location of one of the few venues built for the Games, the Aquatics Centre, is a strategic choice. Located at the heart of Seine-Saint-Denis, which lacks sports facilities and where one in every two 11-year-olds cannot swim, the venue will become a multi-sports facility after the Games, catering to the needs of the local population over the long term.

After hosting 15,000 athletes from over 200 nations, the Olympic Village will provide more than 2,800 new homes to the local population. A quarter of these new apartments will become public housing, and the rest will be rented out at affordable prices for low-income residents. Additional offices, shops, restaurants and leisure centres on site are planned, with the hope being to reduce the unemployment rate in the district, which currently exceeds 20 per cent.

This blog is part of our focus on Cisco employees who are “Striving for Sustainability” by finding opportunities to integrate sustainability in their day-to-day work.

When I announced the company’s next generation environmental sustainability strategy, The Plan for Possible, last July, it led Cisco employees to wonder how to further integrate sustainability into their work. And this can be done in many ways, no matter what area you work in.

Meet Pelin Salem. She is a Radio Regulatory Technical Leader at Cisco who spearheaded an initiative on test optimization at Cisco to reduce testing time, improve energy efficiency, and help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. She shares more about her interest in sustainability, her professional background, and how collaboration is vital when developing new climate solutions.

When did your interest in sustainability begin?

Pelin: I have always been connected to nature and animals, volunteering for environmental and animal welfare causes. As a 7th grader, I served on the youth leadership team for a Turkish non-governmental organization (NGO) known as the TEMA Foundation (The Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion). I organized a youth march to protest the pollution generated by an iron and steel works factory, which was very well received and helped the community acknowledge that the next generation is trying to do something good and help.

Later in my life, while living in Sonoma, California, during the fall of 2017 with my then 6-month-old daughter, we experienced the fear of a natural disaster when a fire burned down half of the surrounding neighborhoods, and ash rained from the sky for weeks. It was very heartbreaking, and several of our friends and colleagues woke up in the middle of the night to their houses burning, and they had to run away barefoot from their homes and lost everything they owned. It was a difficult time to see everyone suffer, and there were aftereffects, like the air quality not improving for several months in that region. Since climate change can exacerbate natural disasters like wildfires, I knew we could not continue what we were doing. It made me realize that I should do my absolute best to support sustainability initiatives.

Tell us more about your professional journey and what brought you to Cisco.

Pelin: My journey began with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering (EE), then I immersed myself in the defense industry while pursuing my master’s degree in EE. However, academia beckoned, and I seized the opportunity to embark on a Ph.D. journey. When my husband was offered a position at a newly established international research institution, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, I paused my studies to join him. At KAUST, I delved into bioscience pursuing a second master’s degree, driven by a desire to merge my radio frequency (RF) expertise with biomedical research that could make a positive impact on humankind. After a rewarding break to focus on raising my daughter and completing my Ph.D., I found my professional home at Cisco in January 2019. The company’s supportive culture and leadership resonate deeply with me, and I envision it as where I’ll build my future career and retire someday.

Can you explain how you started your work supporting sustainability at Cisco?

Pelin: I currently work as a Radio Regulatory Technical Leader within the Corporate Compliance team under the Product and Component Operations Team. Prior to my current role, I served as a New Product Introduction Test Development Engineer within the Industrial Internet of Things business unit (IOTBU). During my time in the IOTBU, I focused on designing manufacturing test lines in the factories for new products. This involved close collaboration with our manufacturing partners to design efficient test lines.

Cisco’s commitment to quality meant rigorous testing of products, which contributed to GHG emissions, especially in energy-intensive testing areas like the 2-Corner and 4-Corner test sections where the manufactured Cisco products are tested at the high-low temperature and voltage specification limits to support top performance at the edges of the defined operational conditions. 2-Corner testing is done at High Temperature – High Voltage and Low Temperature – Low Voltage corners, whereas 4-Corner testing has additional corners as follows: High Temperature – Low Voltage and Low Temperature – High Voltage. Limited capacity in these areas could lead to delays in production schedules.

To tackle these challenges, I initiated the “Test Optimization Dashboard” project in March 2021. This project aimed to automate and visualize the impact of test optimization efforts, reducing the time needed for optimization and increasing team enthusiasm. Working closely with sustainability subject matter experts (SMEs), we developed methods to measure GHG emissions reductions resulting from optimization.

After successful pilots, I presented our findings to executives, gaining support for wider implementation across business units. Transitioning to automated workflows streamlined the optimization process, significantly reducing manual entry. Collaborating with experts, we developed plans for further improvements, including an artificial intelligence (AI)-based model to estimate energy consumption.

Our ongoing efforts include collecting data to train AI models for GHG emissions tracking. By highlighting the environmental impact of testing processes and advocating for optimization, we aim to advance sustainability, product quality and innovation.

This sounds like a complex project. What kind of support did you receive for it?

I am grateful for all the SMEs collaborating with me on this Cisco-wide effort. Cisco has top talent in such diverse areas, and I feel privileged to know them and get to work with them. My current organization was also supportive and provided me with the space to continue contributing to Cisco’s sustainability goals beyond my “regular job” duties.

I am forever grateful that our Executive Vice President and General Manager of Cisco Networking Jonathan Davidson opened such important doors for me and this project, and his support was invaluable for the Test Optimization Dashboard to reach a 75% enablement rate across Cisco. Receiving invaluable support and guidance from my executive mentors and sponsors immensely helped ideate, locate resources, and develop solutions that can help advance sustainability in manufacturing processes.

We know it takes a multifaceted approach when it comes to sustainability. What can Cisco employees do in their day-to-day jobs to help reduce our company’s environmental impact?

Pelin: Everybody can do so much. For example, Cisco has a goal that 100% of new Cisco products and packaging incorporate Circular Design Principles by Cisco´s fiscal year 2025. And, in another example, packaging engineers are helping to eliminate plastic bags, papers, and remove accessory items that are not required for a standard configuration in our packaging wherever possible.

Some engineers at Cisco work on IoT technology used in smart building technology that senses when lights should be turned off or blinds should be lowered. And our operations team moved away from paper cups and other single-use items in our break rooms and cafeterias.

Is there anything you do in your personal life to be more sustainable, and if so, what advice do you have for others?

Pelin: At home, I prioritize sustainability by reducing waste, conserving energy, choosing environmentally friendly products, supporting local and organic options, minimizing water usage, utilizing lower-emissions transportation (driving an electric vehicle or using public transit, keeping flight GHG emission scores under consideration when choosing flights, etc.). I also educate my daughter (who just turned 7) on making better choices for the planet.

Let’s start small with actions like recycling properly, conserving energy, and supporting local businesses. Every effort, no matter how small, helps to contribute to a more sustainable future.

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share my story and I hope it will be inspiring for others to start making change for a more sustainable future within their domains.

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June 28, 2024 /3BL/ – A new report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) revealed that more than a year of conflict has caused the worst levels of acute food insecurity in Sudan’s history and one of the worst in the world. Across ten states, approximately 755,000 people are suffering famine-like conditions (IPC Phase 5), and 8.5 million people are experiencing emergency levels of hunger (IPC Phase 4). To date, more than 10 million people have been displaced, with two million fleeing to other countries.

“We are deeply shocked by the dire situation affecting millions of Sudanese,” said Samy Guessabi, Action Against Hunger’s Sudan Country Director. “This situation is especially critical for populations trapped in conflict zones and without access to protection.”

The civil war, which broke out in April 2023, led to an unprecedented deterioration of food security, with more than 25.6 million people – more than half of the country’s population – expected to face crisis or worse conditions (IPC Phase 3 or higher) between June and September 2024, which coincides with the lean season. Famine-like conditions already have swept through Greater Darfur, South and North Kordofan, Blue Nile, Al Jazirah, Khartoum, and five other states. There is a real risk of famine in 14 areas if the conflict escalates.

The conflict has also devastated key infrastructure, health care facilities, water and sanitation services, agricultural lands and other assets. Movement is severely restricted and most people who can access markets are unable to purchase basic necessities due to inflation. Food prices have increased by up to 296% since the start of the conflict for some commodities.

Although hunger has increased, funding has not kept pace. Action Against Hunger is urgently appealing to governments, international organizations and donors to increase their support and solidarity with Sudan.

“The magnitude of this crisis requires a coordinated and sustained response to avoid an even greater humanitarian catastrophe,” said Guessabi.

About Action Against Hunger in Sudan

Action Against Hunger has been working in Sudan since 2018. Since the start of the conflict, Action Against Hunger teams have intensified emergency response efforts. Operating in White Nile, Blue Nile, South Kordofan and Central Darfur, teams supported nearly half a million people last year alone. Despite difficult security conditions, the organization continues to provide food assistance, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene services, and protection, especially to women and girls, as they face increased risk of gender-based and sexual violence when trying to access resources and humanitarian aid.

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 28 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 55 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.

Our snacks are made safely, responsibly and mindfully. It’s how our consumers can feel confident that the snacks they consumer and enjoy are safe and high quality.

In 2023, we continued having a high percentage of our manufacturers and suppliers certified to food safety schemes that are benchmarked by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). This further supports our ability to offer consumers safe, high-quality snacks they can enjoy and feel good about.

2023 PROGRESS2020202120222023Internal manufacturing certified GFSI 100 %100 %100 %100 %External manufacturing certified GFSI 94 %97 %99 %99 %Raw material supplier certified GFSI 100 %100 %100 %100 %Food contact packaging suppliers certified GFSI 97 %98 %97 %97 %

 

MAINTAINING HIGH STANDARDS

We design consumer safety into all our products right from the outset so they are safe for consumption. To do so, we use a comprehensive quality management system to set standards that ensure the integrity of our snacks and their ingredients.

This includes advanced, science-based risk identification and management processes that help us assess and control factors that could potentially compromise processes and finished products, covering ingredients and packaging alike.

Our management standards covering raw materials, processes and end products are of the highest quality. And our food safety systems are based on the internationally recognized and recommended Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system.

Altogether, our comprehensive approach to safety means our consumers can continue to trust our products.

REGULAR TRAINING AND REVIEWS

Giving our people ongoing training is an important aspect of embedding our standards into our business. In 2023, we trained approximately 8,800 employees and approximately 4,200 suppliers on issues concerning food quality and safety. And auditors of our manufacturing sites and suppliers alike review training records to confirm that all relevant training is completed and recorded.

We review our product quality policies every year based on industry benchmarking and best practices. We also make our own supplier quality expectations publicly available.

GLOBAL FOOD SAFETY SCIENTISTS

Many of our food safety scientists are subject matter experts on the boards of global standard-setting organizations such as the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program (FARRP), European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (EHDG) and the GFSI.

CHAMPIONING GLOBAL FOOD SAFETY

We are proud to be part of the GFSI as it continues to benchmark and raise food safety standards around the world. Since joining the GFSI in 2006, we have implemented its schemes at all of our plants and expect our suppliers to do so as well. We promote our participation in GFSI with our stakeholders and across the industry.

We support food safety at the highest level of our organization: Our Chairman and CEO is currently co-chair of the CGF Food Safety Coalition, which helps steward the food safety agenda across the world.

View the full 2023 Snacking Made Right Report

June 28, 2024 /3BL/ – Ceres strongly denounces today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn the 1984 decision in Chevron v. National Resources Defense Council. Known as the “Chevron Deference” ruling, the decision overturns a 40-year legal precedent that allowed experts at federal agencies to resolve ambiguities in laws passed by U.S. Congress. Today’s decision to dismantle the longstanding “Chevron Deference” limits federal agencies’ ability to interpret and enforce statutes they administer.

Ceres CEO and President Mindy Lubber said in a statement:

“This devastating decision will hamper federal efforts to strengthen the economy while protecting the environment, vulnerable communities, and public health. Businesses, investors, and individuals rely upon and support the certainty evidence-based and data-driven decisions from agencies provide to comply with complex laws. The data collected and analyzed by agency experts comes after extensive public stakeholder comment as part of the rulemaking process. The court system is simply not equipped to make these decisions. This is the key role of experts within government agencies, and they are best qualified to make decisions about complex technical and scientific matters that require specialized knowledge and expertise.

Today’s decision will lead to the challenge of more regulations in already overwhelmed lower courts, and inject more uncertainty as businesses make major long-term investment decisions that bring benefits to communities across the country. Federal agencies must have the authority to interpret ambiguous statutes and to take decisive and timely action, neither Congress nor the courts can act as quickly or thoroughly as these agencies.”

In April, Ceres published a report on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s track record on such decision-making, which confirmed the integrity of its analysis and market predictions in four separate regulatory Clean Air Act programs.

Today’s decision comes one day after another devastating ruling from the Supreme Court that blocked the EPA’s ‘Good Neighbor Plan.’ The plan aims to reduce emissions from power plants and other industrial sources contributing to air pollution in downwind states.

About Ceres

Ceres is a nonprofit advocacy organization working to accelerate the transition to a cleaner, more just, and sustainable world. United under a shared vision, our powerful networks of investors and companies are proving sustainability is the bottom line—changing markets and sectors from the inside out. For more information, visit ceres.org.

Media Contact: Diane May, dmay@ceres.org, 617-247-0700 ext. 220