Tag: 3BL

Originally published on Built From Scratch

What started as a part-time job turned into a 34-year career for Regional Vice President Brock Darby. Over the years, he’s interacted with many associates at The Home Depot, and being fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) allows him to communicate with more than most. Although he isn’t hard of hearing, he’s the Child of a Deaf Adult (CODA) and knows firsthand what it’s like to feel different.

Brock talks about how growing up with a deaf father made him the person he is today and how we can all embrace diversity in the workplace.

The Home Depot is committed to promoting Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. “We know we are a stronger company when we have associates from different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives,” shares Derek Bottoms, chief diversity officer and vice president of associate relations. The company is guided by core values of respect for all people and doing the right thing to ensure a positive environment for associates, customers, suppliers and communities.

Keep up with all the latest Home Depot news! Subscribe to our bi-weekly news update and get the top Built from Scratch stories delivered straight to your inbox.

Originally published on Built From Scratch

What started as a part-time job turned into a 34-year career for Regional Vice President Brock Darby. Over the years, he’s interacted with many associates at The Home Depot, and being fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) allows him to communicate with more than most. Although he isn’t hard of hearing, he’s the Child of a Deaf Adult (CODA) and knows firsthand what it’s like to feel different.

Brock talks about how growing up with a deaf father made him the person he is today and how we can all embrace diversity in the workplace.

The Home Depot is committed to promoting Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. “We know we are a stronger company when we have associates from different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives,” shares Derek Bottoms, chief diversity officer and vice president of associate relations. The company is guided by core values of respect for all people and doing the right thing to ensure a positive environment for associates, customers, suppliers and communities.

Keep up with all the latest Home Depot news! Subscribe to our bi-weekly news update and get the top Built from Scratch stories delivered straight to your inbox.

KOHLER, Wis., April 29, 2024 /3BL/ – Kohler’s industry-leading manufacturing waste reuse business, KOHLER WasteLAB, announces its first bathroom sink, constructed of more than 70 percent recycled materials. These materials have been repurposed and reused to create a one-of-a-kind Vox sink, diverting manufacturing waste from landfills.

The Kohler WasteLAB Vox handcrafted bathroom sink features a soft minimalist form, offered in a vessel style, with a stone-like aesthetic that is unique to each sink. The sink production uses an innovative recycling process with both ceramic and cast iron waste, making each piece a truly unique creation.

“The new WasteLAB Vox sink is not only a new category for our WasteLAB business, but also a completely new material set. This will allow us to look at a wider range of products that can reuse waste and help reach our goal of zero waste to landfill, as well as providing consumers with another path for sustainable living,” Monty Stauffer, Kohler WasteLAB Lead Industrial Designer, Product and Process. “The sink has the look and feel of natural granite or polished stone, tying together a sense of high design with materials that previously were considered scrap. What we do at KOHLER WasteLAB is a game changer on how people will look at waste moving forward.”

Since 2017, KOHLER WasteLAB has been looking for ways to reimagine waste using nature as a model for sustainable processes – within nature’s cycle of growth and decay, waste simply doesn’t exist. At WasteLAB, we mapped out our waste streams from our products so that we could see exactly where they came from and what they were made of. We redefined waste streams as not “waste”, but as ingredients and valuable materials for new products – and most importantly, as opportunities for innovation. From 2019 through 2023, sales of KOHLER WasteLAB tile have diverted more than 73,426 pounds of waste from landfills, exemplifying Kohler’s commitment to achieving net-zero waste to landfill by 2035.

About Kohler WasteLAB 
At the Kohler WasteLAB, we look for ways to see the world differently. Specifically, we look to nature as a model for sustainable processes. Through nature’s cycles of growth and decay, waste simply doesn’t exist. The WasteLAB applies such an approach in its manufacturing process, using landfill-bound pottery, wastewater sludge and other forms of waste to design and produce stunning products. The KOHLER WasteLAB is just one of the several success stories to come out of Kohler’s innovative start-up Innovation for Good (ifG). For more information, visit https://wastelab.kohler.com/.

About Kohler Co.

For 150 years, Kohler Co. has been a global leader in design and innovation, dedicated to providing gracious living through kitchen and bath products; luxury cabinetry, tile and lighting; distributed energy solutions – home energy, industrial power systems, and powertrain technologies – and luxury hospitality experiences and major championship golf. Kohler’s Whistling Straits golf course hosted the 43rd Ryder Cup in 2021. Privately held Kohler Co. was founded in 1873 and is headquartered in Kohler, Wisconsin. The company also develops solutions to address pressing issues, such as clean water and sanitation, for underserved communities around the world to enhance the quality of life for current and future generations. 

KOHLER Kitchen & Bath, Energy, Golf + Resort Destinations 

Media Contact: 
Kohler Public Relations 
Jillian Rosone 
jillian.rosone@kohler.com

KOHLER, Wis., April 29, 2024 /3BL/ – Kohler’s industry-leading manufacturing waste reuse business, KOHLER WasteLAB, announces its first bathroom sink, constructed of more than 70 percent recycled materials. These materials have been repurposed and reused to create a one-of-a-kind Vox sink, diverting manufacturing waste from landfills.

The Kohler WasteLAB Vox handcrafted bathroom sink features a soft minimalist form, offered in a vessel style, with a stone-like aesthetic that is unique to each sink. The sink production uses an innovative recycling process with both ceramic and cast iron waste, making each piece a truly unique creation.

“The new WasteLAB Vox sink is not only a new category for our WasteLAB business, but also a completely new material set. This will allow us to look at a wider range of products that can reuse waste and help reach our goal of zero waste to landfill, as well as providing consumers with another path for sustainable living,” Monty Stauffer, Kohler WasteLAB Lead Industrial Designer, Product and Process. “The sink has the look and feel of natural granite or polished stone, tying together a sense of high design with materials that previously were considered scrap. What we do at KOHLER WasteLAB is a game changer on how people will look at waste moving forward.”

Since 2017, KOHLER WasteLAB has been looking for ways to reimagine waste using nature as a model for sustainable processes – within nature’s cycle of growth and decay, waste simply doesn’t exist. At WasteLAB, we mapped out our waste streams from our products so that we could see exactly where they came from and what they were made of. We redefined waste streams as not “waste”, but as ingredients and valuable materials for new products – and most importantly, as opportunities for innovation. From 2019 through 2023, sales of KOHLER WasteLAB tile have diverted more than 73,426 pounds of waste from landfills, exemplifying Kohler’s commitment to achieving net-zero waste to landfill by 2035.

About Kohler WasteLAB 
At the Kohler WasteLAB, we look for ways to see the world differently. Specifically, we look to nature as a model for sustainable processes. Through nature’s cycles of growth and decay, waste simply doesn’t exist. The WasteLAB applies such an approach in its manufacturing process, using landfill-bound pottery, wastewater sludge and other forms of waste to design and produce stunning products. The KOHLER WasteLAB is just one of the several success stories to come out of Kohler’s innovative start-up Innovation for Good (ifG). For more information, visit https://wastelab.kohler.com/.

About Kohler Co.

For 150 years, Kohler Co. has been a global leader in design and innovation, dedicated to providing gracious living through kitchen and bath products; luxury cabinetry, tile and lighting; distributed energy solutions – home energy, industrial power systems, and powertrain technologies – and luxury hospitality experiences and major championship golf. Kohler’s Whistling Straits golf course hosted the 43rd Ryder Cup in 2021. Privately held Kohler Co. was founded in 1873 and is headquartered in Kohler, Wisconsin. The company also develops solutions to address pressing issues, such as clean water and sanitation, for underserved communities around the world to enhance the quality of life for current and future generations. 

KOHLER Kitchen & Bath, Energy, Golf + Resort Destinations 

Media Contact: 
Kohler Public Relations 
Jillian Rosone 
jillian.rosone@kohler.com

Eastman

The challenge

Axilone, a renowned luxury cosmetics packaging producer with a history of developing sustainable solutions, is passionate about reducing its environmental impact. That includes lipstick packaging, which usually ends up in the landfill. Consumers increasingly want more sustainable material and packaging solutions but expect zero tradeoffs in aesthetics or performance.

Recycling cosmetics poses many challenges. They are often made with a variety of materials and include extensive decoration. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) — a material commonly used in color cosmetics such as lipstick, mascara and compact cases — creates environmental concerns and hinders recycling efforts.

Axilone’s solutions include biobased materials and recycled content, enhancing recyclability with mono-material packaging, and promoting reuse with refillable packaging.

The solution

Axilone and Eastman’s technical service team have long collaborated on cosmetics innovations. When Axilone needed lipstick packaging solutions, the team knew Eastman provided best-in-class service, along with eco-friendly commitments to innovation.

The two companies took up the challenge to create a lipstick design with the environmentally conscious cosmetics consumer in mind. Their goal was to create a recyclable, refillable lipstick with no materials of concern.

The first step was to replace ABS with Eastman Cristal™ One Renew 100 EN059 PET resin. Since it is compatible with the PET recycling stream for all the components, the mono-material packaging does not require disassembly before recycling. The packaging design is refillable and reusable. It also addressed Axilone’s need for a fully smooth-glide operation in the mechanism, which is difficult to achieve with most other recyclable resins.

The result

The newly developed lipstick has a life that extends beyond its initial use. Users can buy refill cartridges and recycle the containers when finished with them. Consumers can feel good knowing their purchase supports the circular economy. The lipstick’s primary packaging is made from 100% certified recycled content* using Eastman’s molecular recycling technologies. The new design is also compatible with standard decoration options, delivering a glossy outer finish, perfect color compatibility and exceptional durability.

When designing with Cristal Renew, brands can choose up to 100% certified recycled content packaging. This helps keep plastic waste out of landfills or incinerators. Part of the Eastman Cristal™ One family of resins, Cristal One Renew EN059 is compatible with the PET recycling stream.

“Reducing the environmental impact of our products is at the heart of Axilone’s vocation,” said Reynald Trochel, Innovation Director at Axilone. “Through our partnership with Eastman, and with this mono-material lipstick made with Cristal Renew with 100% certified recycled content, we can simultaneously enhance their recyclability and reinforce the flows of the circular economy with a refillable package.”

Together, we’re making sustainable beauty packaging a reality.

*Certified recycled content is allocated using ISCC mass balance.

Eastman

The challenge

Axilone, a renowned luxury cosmetics packaging producer with a history of developing sustainable solutions, is passionate about reducing its environmental impact. That includes lipstick packaging, which usually ends up in the landfill. Consumers increasingly want more sustainable material and packaging solutions but expect zero tradeoffs in aesthetics or performance.

Recycling cosmetics poses many challenges. They are often made with a variety of materials and include extensive decoration. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) — a material commonly used in color cosmetics such as lipstick, mascara and compact cases — creates environmental concerns and hinders recycling efforts.

Axilone’s solutions include biobased materials and recycled content, enhancing recyclability with mono-material packaging, and promoting reuse with refillable packaging.

The solution

Axilone and Eastman’s technical service team have long collaborated on cosmetics innovations. When Axilone needed lipstick packaging solutions, the team knew Eastman provided best-in-class service, along with eco-friendly commitments to innovation.

The two companies took up the challenge to create a lipstick design with the environmentally conscious cosmetics consumer in mind. Their goal was to create a recyclable, refillable lipstick with no materials of concern.

The first step was to replace ABS with Eastman Cristal™ One Renew 100 EN059 PET resin. Since it is compatible with the PET recycling stream for all the components, the mono-material packaging does not require disassembly before recycling. The packaging design is refillable and reusable. It also addressed Axilone’s need for a fully smooth-glide operation in the mechanism, which is difficult to achieve with most other recyclable resins.

The result

The newly developed lipstick has a life that extends beyond its initial use. Users can buy refill cartridges and recycle the containers when finished with them. Consumers can feel good knowing their purchase supports the circular economy. The lipstick’s primary packaging is made from 100% certified recycled content* using Eastman’s molecular recycling technologies. The new design is also compatible with standard decoration options, delivering a glossy outer finish, perfect color compatibility and exceptional durability.

When designing with Cristal Renew, brands can choose up to 100% certified recycled content packaging. This helps keep plastic waste out of landfills or incinerators. Part of the Eastman Cristal™ One family of resins, Cristal One Renew EN059 is compatible with the PET recycling stream.

“Reducing the environmental impact of our products is at the heart of Axilone’s vocation,” said Reynald Trochel, Innovation Director at Axilone. “Through our partnership with Eastman, and with this mono-material lipstick made with Cristal Renew with 100% certified recycled content, we can simultaneously enhance their recyclability and reinforce the flows of the circular economy with a refillable package.”

Together, we’re making sustainable beauty packaging a reality.

*Certified recycled content is allocated using ISCC mass balance.

Congratulations to Franklin Templeton’s Margaret King, who was recognized by Junior Achievement of Northern California (JA) as a 2024 Volunteer of the Year. The award recognizes efforts to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.

Junior Achievement is a key global charity partner of Franklin Templeton. Employee volunteers help deliver JA curriculum to provide innovative, hands-on work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy education to students.

King, along with other volunteers and educators, was honored at the JA Virtual Hall of Fame event in April.

This is how Margaret describes her experience with the organization:

I’m excited to be involved with Junior Achievement because it provides an opportunity to educate and inspire the next generation of financial and technology leaders. Being able to share my experience and help shape young minds, foster financial literacy, and empower students to make informed career decisions and financial goals is a tremendous opportunity. JA is a great community service medium for experiential learnings for aspiring high school students who are looking at meaningful careers in making an impact on brighter financial outcomes for all. It’s inspiring to see young talent interested in the fintech industry. 

Franklin Templeton extends its sincere thanks to Margaret and other employee volunteers for sharing their time and talents with their communities. 

About Junior Achievement of Northern California

Junior Achievement’s mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. Locally, JA connects students, educators, and business professionals together to build quality partnerships that empower young people to own their economic success by becoming financially literate, workforce ready, and equipped with entrepreneurial skills. Each year, JA serves 90,000 students agency-wide in experiential, hands-on learning that enable them to connect their studies in school to real-world business and industry. After participating in JA, students see first-hand how academic success can prepare them for a fruitful and meaningful future. Learn more at norcal.ja.org

About Franklin Templeton

Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN] is an international investment management firm with subsidiaries that operates as Franklin Templeton serving clients in more than 150 countries. Franklin Templeton’s goal is to help clients achieve better outcomes through expertise in investment management, wealth management, and technology solutions. Thanks to its specialized investment managers, the company has developed expertise in all major asset classes on a global scale – including equities, fixed income, alternative solutions and custom multi-asset solutions. With offices in over 30 countries and over 1,500 investment professionals, the California-based firm has over 75 years of investment experience and over $1.6 trillion in assets under management as of March 31, 2024. For more information, please visit franklintempleton.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Congratulations to Franklin Templeton’s Margaret King, who was recognized by Junior Achievement of Northern California (JA) as a 2024 Volunteer of the Year. The award recognizes efforts to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.

Junior Achievement is a key global charity partner of Franklin Templeton. Employee volunteers help deliver JA curriculum to provide innovative, hands-on work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy education to students.

King, along with other volunteers and educators, was honored at the JA Virtual Hall of Fame event in April.

This is how Margaret describes her experience with the organization:

I’m excited to be involved with Junior Achievement because it provides an opportunity to educate and inspire the next generation of financial and technology leaders. Being able to share my experience and help shape young minds, foster financial literacy, and empower students to make informed career decisions and financial goals is a tremendous opportunity. JA is a great community service medium for experiential learnings for aspiring high school students who are looking at meaningful careers in making an impact on brighter financial outcomes for all. It’s inspiring to see young talent interested in the fintech industry. 

Franklin Templeton extends its sincere thanks to Margaret and other employee volunteers for sharing their time and talents with their communities. 

About Junior Achievement of Northern California

Junior Achievement’s mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. Locally, JA connects students, educators, and business professionals together to build quality partnerships that empower young people to own their economic success by becoming financially literate, workforce ready, and equipped with entrepreneurial skills. Each year, JA serves 90,000 students agency-wide in experiential, hands-on learning that enable them to connect their studies in school to real-world business and industry. After participating in JA, students see first-hand how academic success can prepare them for a fruitful and meaningful future. Learn more at norcal.ja.org

About Franklin Templeton

Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN] is an international investment management firm with subsidiaries that operates as Franklin Templeton serving clients in more than 150 countries. Franklin Templeton’s goal is to help clients achieve better outcomes through expertise in investment management, wealth management, and technology solutions. Thanks to its specialized investment managers, the company has developed expertise in all major asset classes on a global scale – including equities, fixed income, alternative solutions and custom multi-asset solutions. With offices in over 30 countries and over 1,500 investment professionals, the California-based firm has over 75 years of investment experience and over $1.6 trillion in assets under management as of March 31, 2024. For more information, please visit franklintempleton.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Written by Kimberly Bishop Corporate Responsibility

Gen Blog | People & Impact

More than 500 Gen team members from ten countries came together in April for our first ever Global Volunteer Week, five full days of service that positively impacted people in communities around the world. This week-long volunteering campaign grew out of the success of our inaugural Global Volunteer Day, held in 2023.

This year, from April 8-12, team members at 14 sites across three continents took part in virtual and in-person opportunities that spanned a wide range of impact areas, including using skills to mentor diverse students, applying Cyber Safety knowledge to support seniors and families, delivering resources to underserved groups, protecting our environment and more.

Gen team members logged more than 1,300 service hours in just one week, giving of their skills, time and energy to the people in our communities who need them most and continuing to demonstrate the culture of giving that informs our operations year-round.

Promoting Cyber Safety for All Ages

Gen team members in Dublin, Prague and Mountain View created digital literacy educational materials for seniors, parents, children and young people, providing necessary skills for people of all ages to stay safe online. Employees also met virtually with job seekers from all over the world to offer career advice and guidance.

Giving Students the Resources They Need

Throughout Global Volunteer Week, our teams were heavily invested in helping the educators and schools in our communities continue their critical work. More than 630 kits, cards and resources were created by volunteers and distributed to support students, teachers, homeless individuals, foster youth, at-risk families and sick children all around the globe, including:

In Tempe, employees partnered with ACCEL and Boys Hope Girls Hope of Arizona to mentor students with disabilities and assembled college care packages for young people about to enter the next phase of their academic careers.The Plano site partnered with Bikes for Goodness Sake and Foster Love to assemble bicycles for children in the community and birthday boxes for children in the Texas foster care system.Team members in Belgrade, Serbia, and Chennai, India, created school supply kits for students in care homes and schools, providing necessary tools to help further their education.

Additionally, Gen worked with Story Pirates, an organization that encourages children in under-resourced communities to express themselves creatively, to create a website where employees from all over the world could read children’s stories and give positive feedback.

Beautifying Our Communities

Environmental service opportunities were among our most popular this year, with ten events dedicated to opportunities to clean up local parks, neighborhoods, community gardens and more:

Mountain View employees built native bee houses, learned about local pollinators and staffed a farm shift at the Veggielution community farm in San Jose.Team members in Prague, London, Bucharest and Tettnang, Germany, participated in neighborhood clean ups and community gardens.The Pune, India, and Brno, Czech Republic, sites planted trees in their communities.Dublin team members volunteered with OWLS, a children’s nature charity, to create an engaging woodland space for after school programming.Employees in Chennai worked with Bhumi to beautify a local school and increase green cover by making 2,000+ sustainable seed balls that will be planted across Chennai.

Reaching Out to People in Need

Additional projects served some of the world’s most vulnerable communities:

In Prague and Brno, employees took part in Missing Maps, a project from the Red Cross that maps areas where humanitarian organizations can help people who live at risk of disasters and crises.In Toronto, volunteers packed wellness kits for people experiencing homelessness.In Prague, team members cleaned Palata, a nearby home for the visually impaired.Tokyo team members learned more about the experiences of refugees and ways to offer support with Refugee Empowerment International.

Virtually, employees worked with Africa Food for Thought to make heartfelt cards for children from under-resourced communities.

Check out the video above to see all the cities that were able to make a difference during our first Global Volunteer Week.

Written by Kimberly Bishop Corporate Responsibility

Gen Blog | People & Impact

More than 500 Gen team members from ten countries came together in April for our first ever Global Volunteer Week, five full days of service that positively impacted people in communities around the world. This week-long volunteering campaign grew out of the success of our inaugural Global Volunteer Day, held in 2023.

This year, from April 8-12, team members at 14 sites across three continents took part in virtual and in-person opportunities that spanned a wide range of impact areas, including using skills to mentor diverse students, applying Cyber Safety knowledge to support seniors and families, delivering resources to underserved groups, protecting our environment and more.

Gen team members logged more than 1,300 service hours in just one week, giving of their skills, time and energy to the people in our communities who need them most and continuing to demonstrate the culture of giving that informs our operations year-round.

Promoting Cyber Safety for All Ages

Gen team members in Dublin, Prague and Mountain View created digital literacy educational materials for seniors, parents, children and young people, providing necessary skills for people of all ages to stay safe online. Employees also met virtually with job seekers from all over the world to offer career advice and guidance.

Giving Students the Resources They Need

Throughout Global Volunteer Week, our teams were heavily invested in helping the educators and schools in our communities continue their critical work. More than 630 kits, cards and resources were created by volunteers and distributed to support students, teachers, homeless individuals, foster youth, at-risk families and sick children all around the globe, including:

In Tempe, employees partnered with ACCEL and Boys Hope Girls Hope of Arizona to mentor students with disabilities and assembled college care packages for young people about to enter the next phase of their academic careers.The Plano site partnered with Bikes for Goodness Sake and Foster Love to assemble bicycles for children in the community and birthday boxes for children in the Texas foster care system.Team members in Belgrade, Serbia, and Chennai, India, created school supply kits for students in care homes and schools, providing necessary tools to help further their education.

Additionally, Gen worked with Story Pirates, an organization that encourages children in under-resourced communities to express themselves creatively, to create a website where employees from all over the world could read children’s stories and give positive feedback.

Beautifying Our Communities

Environmental service opportunities were among our most popular this year, with ten events dedicated to opportunities to clean up local parks, neighborhoods, community gardens and more:

Mountain View employees built native bee houses, learned about local pollinators and staffed a farm shift at the Veggielution community farm in San Jose.Team members in Prague, London, Bucharest and Tettnang, Germany, participated in neighborhood clean ups and community gardens.The Pune, India, and Brno, Czech Republic, sites planted trees in their communities.Dublin team members volunteered with OWLS, a children’s nature charity, to create an engaging woodland space for after school programming.Employees in Chennai worked with Bhumi to beautify a local school and increase green cover by making 2,000+ sustainable seed balls that will be planted across Chennai.

Reaching Out to People in Need

Additional projects served some of the world’s most vulnerable communities:

In Prague and Brno, employees took part in Missing Maps, a project from the Red Cross that maps areas where humanitarian organizations can help people who live at risk of disasters and crises.In Toronto, volunteers packed wellness kits for people experiencing homelessness.In Prague, team members cleaned Palata, a nearby home for the visually impaired.Tokyo team members learned more about the experiences of refugees and ways to offer support with Refugee Empowerment International.

Virtually, employees worked with Africa Food for Thought to make heartfelt cards for children from under-resourced communities.

Check out the video above to see all the cities that were able to make a difference during our first Global Volunteer Week.