Tag: 3BL

December 12, 2023 /3BL/ – Franklin Templeton, along with two of its specialist investment managers, was recognized in the 2023 Best Places to Work in Money Management program announced by Pensions & Investments. Franklin Templeton was included in the Super Employers category for those with 1,000+ employees, while Clarion Partners and ClearBridge Investments were included in the Large Employers category for those with 100 to 499 employees.

Presented by Pensions & Investments, the global news source of money management and institutional investing, the 12th annual survey and recognition program is dedicated to identifying and recognizing the best employers in the money management industry.

“We are honored to be included among Pensions & Investments’ Best Places to Work in Money Management,” said Jenny Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Franklin Templeton. “We believe that our employees and inclusive values-based culture set us apart. It is critically important to empower and encourage our employees to ensure we are laser-focused on our mission to help clients achieve the most important milestones of their lives.”

“We aim to deliver an employee experience that is more than just a job by cultivating an inclusive culture that helps employees feel appreciated, connected and engaged,” said Penny Alexander, Franklin Templeton’s Chief Human Resources Officer. “We prioritize collaboration and continuous learning while providing a holistic workplace experience with total rewards and professional development that celebrates achievements and supports employee overall well-being. Business resource groups, volunteer programs and social networks provide a greater sense of shared experience and help us to build global community.”

Pensions & Investments partnered with Best Companies Group, a research firm specializing in identifying great places to work, to conduct a two-part survey process of employers and their employees.

The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. This part of the process was worth approximately 25% of the total evaluation. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. This part of the process was worth approximately 75% of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the top companies.

“As their employees attest, the companies named to this year’s Best Places to Work list demonstrate a commitment to building and maintaining a strong workplace culture,’’ said Pensions & Investments Executive Editor Julie Tatge. “Even as firms grappled with volatile markets and ongoing stresses from the pandemic, their employees said they felt strong support from their managers, enabling them to do their best work.’’

For a complete list of the 2023 Pensions & Investments’ Best Places to Work in Money Management winners and profiles of the top 100 firms across size categories, go to www.pionline.com/BPTW2023.

Franklin Templeton did not pay an entry fee for the program.

About Pensions & Investments

Pensions & Investments, owned by Crain Communications Inc., is the 50-year-old global news source of money management and institutional investing. Pensions & Investments is written for executives at defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans, endowments, foundations, and sovereign wealth funds, as well as those at investment management and other investment-related firms. Pensions & Investments provides timely and incisive coverage of events affecting the money management and retirement businesses. Visit us at www.pionline.com.

About Franklin Templeton

Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE: BEN] is a global investment management organization with subsidiaries operating as Franklin Templeton and serving clients in over 150 countries. Franklin Templeton’s mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through its specialist investment managers, the company offers specialization on a global scale, bringing extensive capabilities in fixed income, equity, alternatives and multi-asset solutions. With more than 1,300 investment professionals, and offices in major financial markets around the world, the California-based company has over 75 years of investment experience and over $1.4 trillion in assets under management as of November 30, 2023. For more information, please visit franklintempleton.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Copyright © 2023. Franklin Templeton. All rights reserved.

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International Olympic Committee news

As the countdown to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 continues, the Worldwide Olympic Partners are preparing to play a fundamental role in making the Games a success. In our Road to Paris series, these Partners talk about some of the essential support they will be providing and reveal their excitement at helping to shape an unforgettable Olympic experience for fans and athletes alike. Here, we speak with Eike Bürgel, the Global Head of Olympic & Paralympic Programme at Allianz.

What is Allianz most looking forward to about the Olympic Games Paris 2024?

The Olympic Games Paris 2024 will be the first Summer Games for Allianz. After COVID-19, we will see full stadiums again. We will see fans cheering and that will be amazing.

Allianz is very much looking forward to the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 to excite our customers, to excite the Olympic and Paralympic fans, to see our athletes competing and to get our employees involved.

Allianz has launched a dedicated campaign for the Road to Paris. Could you explain the main concept?

For us, as a Partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements, it is important that we are not only activating during each Games, but also during the time in between: the so-called “flame-to-flame” period.

That is why we created our Road to Paris campaign, which aligns with our brand platform: Get Ready For The Best.

Get Ready For The Best stands for how Allianz can prepare its customers, potential consumers, but also athletes and the Olympic and Paralympic Movements for Paris 2024. We will have various activities to support athletes on their Road to Paris and fans to get to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We’re also keen to involve our employees.

What are the key objectives of the campaign?

Athletes are at the heart of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements. Therefore, athletes are the core of our Road to Paris.

In addition to that, we have three priorities with the Road to Paris activations. First, it’s about communication and our campaign – how the Games can be brought to life and how we can spread the spirit of Paris to the world.

Secondly, it’s about MoveNow. MoveNow is an initiative that we founded together with the International Olympic and Paralympic Committees, and it is all about bringing kids and teenagers back to sport after COVID. So, there will be multiple initiatives that enable kids to get involved and try out Olympic and Paralympic sports.

Our third priority is about our sales programme and about our employees – to bring the spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to our employees and agents. We have a volunteer and a ticketing programme coming up, and we will also launch various activations to connect athletes to our employees, so they can participate in and learn about the Olympic and Paralympic Movements. It’s all about transferring the spirit of the Paris 2024 Games.

FedEx sponsored Climate-KIC and EIT Digital’s Sustainable Cities Climate Impact Challenge in 2023. Four cities were selected, including Hackney, working to expand the use of cargo bikes for small businesses. The following story and video were created by the EIT Climate-KIC team.

Hackney is a densely populated and culturally diverse part of London. An inner-city borough, Hackney faces both high levels of inequality and high levels of air pollution. “According to Public Health England, as many as 7 per cent of all deaths among people in Hackney over 30 can be attributed to air pollution— this is higher than both the London and England averages,” says Ali Howes, Senior Transport Planner at the Zero Emissions Network (ZEN) an initiative in London’s City Fringe area to reduce transport emissions and improve local air quality.

Hackney Council recently launched a Climate Action Plan for the borough, with transport as one of its focus areas. “The Plan recognises there’s a need to make a green transition fair. Improved air quality will improve Hackney residents’ health and reduce inequality, which is why ZEN wants to support residents and businesses during this transition,” says Howes.

One of ZEN’s main projects is a cargo bike pilot scheme. It’s one of four projects selected for the Sustainable Cities Climate Impact Challenge, organised by EIT Climate-KIC and EIT Digital, and supported by FedEx.

Cargo bikes can carry extra cargo at the front or back of a bicycle and often have an electrical assist function to help riders carrying heavy loads or through hilly areas. ZEN wants to promote cargo bikes as a cleaner and greener transport option. “One of the biggest barriers to using cargo bikes is cost,” says Howes. “This is why the project includes grants so that small businesses can shift to a cargo or e-bike—particularly those which are replacing a diesel or petrol van.”

The scheme has been so popular that four times more businesses applied for grants than ZEN can currently support. “We had 44 local businesses apply for grants and we’re working to help each of them develop their own sustainable transport action plan. What’s been interesting is the range of different businesses who have applied: painting and decorating companies, catering companies, an art gallery, a bookshop, and an architecture firm. It just goes to show that there’s a lot of interest and demand for cargo bikes in Hackney and it will be interesting to see how they plan to use the bikes,” says Howes.

Following a rigorous shortlisting process, 14 businesses were awarded a grant to purchase a cargo bike which will be used to transport tools and equipment, carry out repairs and client visits, deliver documents and food, and provide cycle education and training for vulnerable groups.

Cargo bikes are also available to Hackney residents as part of an on-demand, publicly-available bike share service for more casual users, or those unable to store or afford them. Riders can use an app to access the bike and ride it straight away. ZEN is also helping provide cargo bike training to Hackney businesses and has also created a toolkit which local governments can use as a template for setting up their own cargo bike share scheme.

While Hackney already has cycling infrastructure—including cycle lanes and quieter streets with traffic filters—ZEN hopes this continues to improve in future, to encourage more cargo bike users, and cyclists in general. Ali Howes says, “I also think there’s more we could be doing to support women riders and people of colour, to make cycling more inclusive and more accessible – we’re currently doing some work with industry on this. What’s great about promoting cycling is that we are uniting more people from different perspectives – not just from transport – who are keen to reduce emissions in our cities.”

Originally published on Essity.com

Global health has climbed higher on the political agenda in recent years, partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There are a number of key global health moments in the coming years where the global community are addressing Universal Health Coverage, tuberculosis, Pandemic Prevention Preparedness and Response, progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, and AMR.

It is understood that combatting antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and prioritizing infection prevention best practices in society in general as well as in healthcare facilities, including strengthening infection prevention, are integral to keeping societies healthy and preventing disease and future pandemics. An increase in the use of antibiotics will have long-term health implications which are yet to be fully understood. Robust infection prevention is one essential key in combating AMR. The threat arising from avoidable and untreatable infections is too significant to ignore. It requires coordinated action involving multiple stakeholders across different areas of antimicrobial resistance.1

Misuse and overuse of antimicrobials comes in many shapes and forms, notably feeding livestock antibiotics to fatten them, overprescribing antibiotics, and taking antibiotics to treat viral infections. To combat AMR, a One Health2 approach is needed, which involves collaboration between human, animal, and environmental health sectors. This approach has been endorsed by the World Health Assembly and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Moreover, AMR makes it more difficult to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). These are infections that patients can get while being treated for another condition while in a healthcare setting. More than 70% of bacteria causing HAIs are resistant to at least one of the drugs most commonly used to treat them.3 To address this and prevent AMR, infection prevention through the WHO recommended Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures are crucial as they minimize the spread of infectious diseases in healthcare settings and in the wider society.4 Practices include hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), environmental cleaning, and appropriate waste disposal.

Infection prevention is crucial in reducing infection spread in society and in healthcare settings. Hand hygiene is the most effective infection prevention measure,5 achieved through washing hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand sanitizers, as appropriate. It is vital that awareness and understanding of the cost-effective role that prevention can play in the fight against AMR is increased: The average nurse uses hand sanitizer approximately 100-150 times per day, which in many cases falls short of what is required to be considered best practice6.

Wearing personal protective equipment, such as face masks, gloves, gowns, and eye protection, can also minimize the risk of exposure to infectious agents, as can cleaning and disinfection, as well as proper disposal of infected waste. These procedures should be tailored to the type of pathogen most present in a given context and the area being cleaned. Education and training on infection prevention measures are essential for compliance and requires constant action from a broad range of stakeholder groups ranging from policymakers to facility managers and cleaning staff, and in healthcare settings health workers, patients, and visitors.

Failure to adhere to infection prevention measures can have severe, even deadly consequences, highlighting the need for quality healthcare delivery through infection prevention practices. Given the key role that healthcare workers have on the frontlines of infection prevention, they must be part of the discussion on its implementation. Across the world, concerted efforts need to be made to attract, retain, and train this vital resource in public health7.

Given its importance as a preventative measure to combat both HAIs and AMR, it is crucial that infection prevention education begins early and reaches all layers of society. Educating young children on the role of hand hygiene and the importance of breaking the chain of infections is a clever way to incorporate an IPC mindset early on.

There are also new and innovative ways to improve infection prevention by using technology to improve the rigor and efficiency of hygiene standards in environmental cleaning. Sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) can, for example, be used to predict where there has been the most activity, and alert cleaning services to be extra diligent in those areas. Virtual reality can also be used to improve hand hygiene training, for example by visualizing and providing real-time feedback.

In healthcare settings a great challenge is related to environmental cleaning, where only 55% of facilities assessed by the WHO reported having cleaning records for floors and horizontal work surfaces. Environmental cleaning is crucial to reduce health risks which can contribute to development of AMR.8 Training staff with responsibility for cleaning floors and work surfaces is key.

Cleaning staff needs access to continuous training, provision of the necessary materials, and supervision as part of a broader approach to infection prevention within healthcare facilities, according to the WHO.9

In the context of wounds and bacterial colonization, AMR can contribute to delayed healing and represents a major challenge for patients and clinicians. General hygiene measures should continue to be the first line of defense. When it comes to the treatment of an infected wound, antibiotics should be used with care and can often be avoided in local application through the use of non-medicated dressings with bacterial binding actions.

The fight against AMR will remain a joint multistakeholder effort between healthcare professionals, medical societies, innovative companies, health associations and politicians alike, keeping and putting patients’ needs in the center. The awareness of the dangers of AMR and critical measures and interventions to limit its spread are the first steps on this journey.

In 2021, WHO member states agreed to establish a global framework for international cooperation to enhance global health security and combat future pandemics. This presents a valuable opportunity to strengthen health systems, improve societal well-being, and address crucial preventive measures, access to basic hygiene services, and solutions for reducing AMR.

Download the Essity 2023-2024 Hygiene and Health Report to learn more

Learn more about Essity here

1WHO (n.d.) One Health https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/one-health

2WHO (n.d.) One Health https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/one-health

3Stone P. W. (2009). Economic burden of healthcare-associated infections: an American perspective. Expert review of pharmacoeconomics & outcomes research, 9(5), 417–422.

4WHO (2022) Global report on infection prevention and control. Geneva. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240051164

5WHO (2009) WHO guidelines on hand hygiene in health care https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241597906

6CDC (2020). Clean Hands Count for Safe Healthcare https://www.cdc.gov/patientsafety/features/clean-hands-count.html

7Essity (18th January 2023) Roundtable Summary. The global challenge of healthcare-associated infections

8WHO and UNICEF (2023) Progress on WASH in health care facilities 2000–2021: special focus on WASH and infection prevention and control. Geneva. https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstreams/1495467/retrieve

9WHO and UNICEF (2023) Progress on WASH in health care facilities 2000–2021: special focus on WASH and infection prevention and control. Geneva. https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstreams/1495467/retrieve

Originally published by Taco Bell

Hispanic and Latin cuisines have long inspired our menu at Taco Bell and the Southern California community around us. So, we’re providing resources to help local food vendors and their flavorful aspirations thrive.

We at Taco Bell are lucky to call sunny southern California our home, from our very first location in Downey to our current headquarters in Irvine. And we’re part of a bustling food scene unlike any other. That culinary hotspot includes heavy influence from Latin American cultures—which continue inspiring our own menu—and are often shared with the community via thousands of street vendors. From tamales and elote to tacos and pupusas, street vendors are a SoCal staple for locals and tourists alike. They embody Taco Bell’s entrepreneurial mindset, enthusiastically cooking up both authentic and fusion cuisine.

Although these passionate small business owners are essential to the community, they often face challenges like permitting issues, equipment access, financial barriers and even street harassment. Since Taco Bell’s start, we’ve believed that there should be no limitations when it comes to making, selling, eating or celebrating tacos—or any food for that matter. Earlier this year, we boldly set out to give Taco Tuesday back to the people, so that everyone can freely celebrate Taco Tuesday. As we continue to support taco culture and those that inspire and embolden it, we’re acting to help break down barriers when it comes to serving tacos and other Hispanic and Latin cuisines on Taco Tuesdays starting next month until the end of the year. As part of these efforts, we’ll be teaming up with local organization Revolution Carts on their program to give street-legal carts to 20 deserving entrepreneurs, and bringing the beloved Ave 26 Family Night Market back to the heart of Los Angeles as a pop-up on select Tuesdays.

We are thrilled to partner with an organization that was founded to address the challenges street vendors constantly face and give purveyors of all things delicious the best opportunities to thrive. Each of the 20 carts that Taco Bell and Revolution Carts are distributing will be health permit compliant and customized to reflect the style and spirit of their future owners. The carts will be placed strategically, taking into account the vendors’ operations and driving foot traffic. This partnership will enable the vendors to be the best they can be, and empower them to bring taco culture, and their entrepreneurial spirit, to more people.

“There are times when others come into your path to help you realize your dream—Taco Bell and Revolution Carts were just that,” said Karen and Randy Garcia, owners of House of Masa. “This cart will help our family expand our passion and love to bring people together through our food to our community and beyond. We appreciate the support in making our dreams become a reality.”

Taco Bell is also stepping up to support this community by helping to bring the locally iconic Ave 26 Family Night Market back to Los Angeles this fall. The night market, which originally started in Lincoln Heights as an opportunity to provide vendors a location to serve their unique culinary creations and make a living, was required to relocate in 2021 and, with determination and support from the community, found a home at the Pico Rivera Sports Arena. However, starting in November, Ave 26 will return to the Arts District of downtown LA at the corner of 5th Ave and Colyton St. for six consecutive weeks, on Taco Tuesdays, as a haven for street food vendors and a joyous communal gathering place.

The first Revolution Carts will be distributed at the Ave 26 Family Night Market event in Pico Rivera on October 28, where recipients will get to share their inspiring stories with the community. Taco Bell will continue to give Revolution Carts away on Tuesdays in various parts of Southern California to lucky recipients for the remainder of the year.

“Street vending is one of those things that makes the greater Los Angeles area so unique,” said Richard Gomez, Chief Engineer at Revolution Carts. “It’s one of the most accessible entry points for aspiring food entrepreneurs, yet many people don’t realize the significant obstacles that vendors face throughout that process. We’re proud to team up with Taco Bell to do our part in trying to remedy these issues by supplying vendors with the proper equipment and fundamentals for long-term success.”

This initiative is the latest in continued efforts to contribute to bettering the SoCal community we call home. As dedicated neighbors, Taco Bell and the Taco Bell Foundation take pride in local partnerships, such as the ones we’ve forged with Bracken’s Kitchen, Working Wardrobes, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance, and Bridge Builder Foundation and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast.

Meet the First Taco Bell x Revolution Carts Recipients
These impressive entrepreneurs were selected because of their business ambitions, community connectivity and delicious creativity—pursuits that Taco Bell loves to champion.

The Basket Taco Co., led by Abraham and Karla Mota: This husband-and-wife duo are proudly bringing traditional Mexican tacos de canasta to SoCal. Their tacos are stuffed with sizzling chicharrón, refried beans and potatoes, then topped with fresh shredded cabbage and perfectly pickled veggies. As their business name indicates, the tacos are layered one on top of another in baskets, where warm steam creates delicately soft tortillas. The Motas have nurtured their business from a part-time venture to a full-time company including catering and charitable efforts, and now they hope to expand by bringing another entrepreneurial couple into their work.

Sammy’s Elotes y Más, led by Merced Cortés Sánchez: A seasoned street vendor with two decades of experience, Merced has actively collaborated with community leaders for the past ten years to advocate for improved vending legislation to support vendors. Despite once losing everything in a fire without insurance coverage, Sánchez has persisted in her efforts to bring about positive change in the vending industry. She adds flavors from her home state of Puebla to all of her dishes, with her specialty being delicious elotes and esquites, which include white corn, epazote herbs, mayonnaise, cotija cheese and dry chili. Her new cart will allow her to expand and make an even bigger impact in her community.

Martha’s Kitchen, led by Greysi Car: Greysi is a young, talented Ave 26 vendor known for her one-of-a-kind pupusas, a flatbread-like corn tortilla stuffed with goodness. She has dedicated herself to spreading community joy through her love of food. Her pupusas recipe was passed down by her mom, which includes home-cooked pork seasoned just right, and beans mixed in with her family-favorite mozzarella cheese. A 21-year-old college student pursuing a degree in criminal justice, she hopes to finance her education with the support of her new food cart.

House of Masa, led by Karen and Randy Garcia: The Garcias are dedicated to fostering a sense of community unity by sharing authentic Latin food. Their fresh tamales are unlike any other, using a long-time family recipe that represents their history. Generously filled, their tamales are loaded with tri-tip beef marinated in a savory secret red sauce, resulting in regalitos (gifts) wrapped with love for hungry customers to unwrap with delight. The duo has built a loyal following, but their new cart will help them scale.

About Taco Bell Corp.
For more information about Taco Bell, visit our website at www.TacoBell.com  our Newsroom at www.TacoBell.com/news or www.TacoBell.com/popular-links. You can also stay up to date on all things Taco Bell by following us on LinkedIn, TikTok, Taco Bell’s Twitter, Taco Bell News’ Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and subscribing to our YouTube channel.

About Revolution Carts
Revolution Carts was started by LA local industry professionals who saw the need for street vendors to get health permit compliant vending carts. With over 30 years of advocacy and engineering experience, the team put together the first Los Angeles County Health Department approved prepackaged tamale cart for vendors who wanted the opportunity to vend in high traffic areas with the LA City Sidewalk Vending Permit. Its first cart, “The Tamalero,” is a lightweight, low cost cart with very minimal operational and maintenance costs.

Revolution Carts believes that providing carts for vendors is only the first step in the vending cycle. Partnering with educators, lenders, food distributors and technology solutions, they plan to provide resources for vendors to help guide them through to a successful operation and join the formal economy. With more cart designs on the way for 2024, including a first of its kind sidewalk permitted grill cart, Revolution Carts is looking forward to creating endless opportunities for the everyday vendor.

Originally published on GoDaddy Resource Library

By Katelyn Armas

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you currently do at GoDaddy.

I am born and raised in Arizona and am currently living in Phoenix. I am a Lead UX Designer on the Front of Site team. My main focus is leading the visual design for our Search Engine Results Page.

What has driven your growth most through your career?

The biggest driver to my growth is probably a bit of self-doubt and a desire to always be growing. I remember having major impostor syndrome when I first started at GoDaddy but luckily I had a supervisor, Amine Zaydi, who really helped me grow my skills and give me confidence in my ability as a designer.

Outside of work, you have an apparel business. Would you mind sharing more about it and how it came to be?

I started my business ‘Not Good’ with my brother about seven months ago. We are an athletic lifestyle brand making five-star apparel for two-star athletes. The catalyst for the business was me writing “not good” on a golf ball one morning before I was heading out for a round of golf with my uncle and cousins. I told my brother: “that way, when someone finds my ball in the parking lot they will know I was never pretending to be something I am not”. My brother replied “you could make a brand our of that.” Within ten minutes of that conversation we purchased notgood.co and started filing for an LLC.

What are your biggest goals for your business with the end of the year approaching?

My biggest goal for the end of the year is to complete a lifestyle photoshoot of our first line of products and run paid advertising. I am looking to learn how to effectively market the brand.

How has GoDaddy assisted you build out your company?

GoDaddy has really assisted in helping me with showing me how everyday entrepreneurs can start anywhere. I used to think only “professionals” could start a business. I also use all GoDaddy products for the business, domains, WordPress hosting, and email. It has also been great getting to learn from others in the Employee Resource Group – GD Entrepreneurs in Tech.

What’s your motto or personal mantra?

I don’t know if I have a personal mantra. But I try to not take myself to seriously and think a lot of joy can be found in having fun in life’s small failures.

Are you enjoying this series and want to know more about life at GoDaddy? Check out our GoDaddy Life social pages! Follow us to meet our team, learn more about our culture (Teams, ERGs, Locations), careers, and so much more. You’re more than just your day job, so come propel your career with us.

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JOHANNESBURG, December 11, 2023 /3BL/ – Qualcomm Incorporated today announced the completion of the first year of the Africa Innovation Platform, a suite of mentorship, education, and training programs created to support the development of Africa’s emerging technology ecosystem. The platform has provided resources and support for local universities, ten small-to-medium sized startups, and grant participants. The program exposed these groups to Qualcomm Technologies Inc.’s engineers and its state-of-the-art capabilities suite for mobile platforms and technologies, including 4G, 5G, IoT, AI, and machine learning. Qualcomm also announced several additional benefits to the Innovation Platform for this year’s participants:

Social Impact Funds from the Qualcomm® Wireless Reach™ Initiative to help QMIA startups scale.Patent filing incentive fund, to help QMIA startups protect their inventions through patenting.QMIA 2024 program launch for mentoring 10 deep-tech startups in Africa.

During 2023, Qualcomm’s Africa Innovation Platform reached the following milestones:

Qualcomm® Make in Africa Startup Mentorship Program: As the first initiative of its kind in Africa, this equity-free mentorship program identified promising early-stage startups keen on applying advanced connectivity and processing technologies to innovative end-to-end systems solutions, including hardware, and provided these companies with business coaching, access to engineering consultation for product development, and guidance on protecting intellectual property. The inaugural cohort includes the following startups (listed in alphabetical order) :Ecorich Solutions – patented organic composting in KenyaFixbot – Vehicle diagnostics and inspection via OBD dongle in NigeriaKaraa – e-Bike tracking, charging, retrofit, and rentals in UgandaMaotronics Systems Limited – IOT-enabled precision agriculture in NigeriaMicrofuse – Affordable plugin computers for the education sector in UgandaNeural Labs Africa Ltd – Deep learning and AI for healthcare diagnosis in KenyaOneTouch Diagnostics – Diabetes patch and monitoring system in KenyaQuadLoop – Leveraging e-waste for solar e-Lanterns and battery storage in Nigeria.SLS Energy – Recycled lead-cell battery storage banks in RwandaSolarTaxi – Electric vehicle (EV) taxi and fleet management in GhanaQualcomm Africa University Relations Program: This program bolsters the research and educational capabilities of select African universities, research labs, and students by enhancing engineering curriculum and providing training on technologies such as Extended Reality, Robotics and AI/ML using Qualcomm platforms and developer kits.Qualcomm Academy: Qualcomm’s education and training arm expanded its 5G University Training Program to students at select African universities and organizations, who received 5G training and certification from industry-leading engineers.

Qualcomm is pleased to enhance the Africa Innovation Platform with the following new benefits:

Qualcomm Wireless Reach Social Impact Funds: Since 2007, Wireless Reach has invested in sustainable programs across Africa that demonstrate innovative uses of wireless technology to advance economic and social development.

Upon conclusion of the QMIA mentorship phase, Wireless Reach is providing funding to propel the 10 startups as they scale their societal and market impact. These startups are invited to submit proposals that demonstrate how their solutions are leveraging wireless technologies to address a pressing need in their communities. One recipient will be awarded the primary grant to help scale and sustain their impact, while others will receive valuable stipends to continue fueling their growth.

Wireless Reach is also providing the startups with Qualcomm hardware and software kits for development and prototyping platforms. This will enable them to develop custom innovations and improved capabilities into their products while utilizing Qualcomm’s advanced technologies for connectivity, computing, and AI.

Patent Filing Incentive: Qualcomm will offer startups financial reimbursement (subject to a cap) towards filing of a single utility (non-provisional and complete) patent application with a pre-approved patent office or patent union based in Africa. This strategic investment will not only protect the startups’ intellectual property rights but also propel their market reach, positioning them as leaders in the African innovation landscape.

“With emerging technologies in 5G, AI, robotics, IoT, and multimedia, we are seeing a new era of invention,” said Alex Rogers, President, QTL & Global Affairs, Qualcomm Incorporated. “Through initiatives like the Qualcomm Innovation Platform, we are enabling companies around the world to build on our foundational technologies and join us in finding solutions to the world’s biggest challenges.”

QMIA 2024 Launch: Applications for the 2024 Qualcomm Make in Africa startup mentorship program are now open. Details can be found here: https://www.qualcomm.com/company/locations/africa/qualcomm-make-in-africa

About Qualcomm  
Qualcomm is enabling a world where everyone and everything can be intelligently connected. Our one technology roadmap allows us to efficiently scale the technologies that launched the mobile revolution – including advanced connectivity, high-performance, low-power compute, on-device intelligence and more – to the next generation of connected smart devices across industries. Innovations from Qualcomm and our family of Snapdragon platforms will help enable cloud-edge convergence, transform industries, accelerate the digital economy, and revolutionize how we experience the world, for the greater good.

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business.

Marathon Petroleum’s El Paso, Texas, refinery has gone more than five years without being cited for safety or equipment defects in any railcar that left the refinery.The refinery’s rail loading rack team is responsible for inspecting arriving tank cars to make sure they are secure, in proper condition and safe for transportation when shipped out.All railcars leaving the refinery are subject to random inspections by the Federal Railroad Administration.

As many as 25 railroad tank cars a day pass through Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s (MPC) El Paso, Texas, refinery to deliver feedstock or be loaded with finished product, helping meet the world’s need for reliable, responsibly produced energy. Currently, each day adds to the milestone the refinery recently reached by completing five years without Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) inspectors citing a safety or equipment defect in any railcar that left the site.

“A damaged railcar needs to be repaired before we ship it out. If not, there could be safety issues, and the refinery could get fined,” said Operator Eddie Baquera, who is one of 11 operators working at the refinery’s rail loading racks.

These operators are responsible for visually examining tank cars when they arrive. They look for safety hazards, such as broken or bent ladder rungs, and equipment defects, which could include bad gaskets on manway openings that would pose a risk of leaks. If operators see any defects or damage, the cars must be rejected back to the delivering carrier.

During and after the loading and unloading of tank cars that are accepted, operators focus on making sure the cars are secure, in proper condition and safe for transportation. If any defects are found, operators request repairs from a trained and certified, third-party mobile repair team that is on site. All railcars that leave the refinery could be further scrutinized by the FRA.

“The FRA inspectors get a list of all railcars that are ready for shipment and could pick a certain number of them, or all of them, for random inspections at nearby rail yards,” Baquera said.

Reaching the five-year milestone reflects tremendous discipline by the loading rack team according to Day Foreman Diego Gonzalez. He praised the team’s dedication to consistently maintaining routines and procedures under conditions that can change from day to day.

“Loading and unloading is very physical work, and this is all done in the elements through extreme heat and cold, rain, snow and dusty winds,” Gonzalez said. “There are 1 million reasons to be proud of them.”

Originally published on Built From Scratch

The Home Depot Foundation recently wrapped its annual veteran service campaign. Operation Surprise is about service, community and living the company’s core values. This year, the campaign garnered record-breaking reach, touching the lives of veterans and their families all over the country.

Completed 360 projectsGathered more than 11,000 Team Depot volunteersSurpassed $500 million invested in veteran causesPledged to invest $750 million in veteran causes by 2030

Giving back to veterans is personal to The Home Depot, as more than 35,000 of the company’s associates are veterans or military spouses. Since 2011, The Home Depot Foundation has invested more than $500 million in veteran causes and helped renovate and enhance more than 60,000 veteran homes and facilities. This ensures more of our nation’s heroes have a safe, comfortable home that fits their individual needs. Learn more at HomeDepotFoundation.org.

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Originally published in Kohler’s 2022 Believing in Better Impact Report

Reducing Environmental Impacts Across Operations

In 2022 we began evaluating operations in our manufacturing sites using the Design for Environment (DfE) process, resulting in tangible ways to advance our net-zero 2035 goals—including moving toward renewable energy, reducing water consumption, and reusing waste materials in new ways.

Every project considers many factors and the best ideas that come out of the DfE sessions are often unique to the particular process, region, or environment. Nine major projects were initiated, ranging from major equipment upgrades to entirely new greenfield installations. In 2023 we will expand this methodology throughout the enterprise and increase the number of projects that incorporate and execute DfE.

Kohler recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of our facilities through the internal Kohler Sustainability Excellence Awards. Facilities are eligible for the Kohler Sustainability Excellence Award though the achievement of their sustainability footprint reduction targets in the prior year. This award is given based on the assessment of several criteria, including the demonstration of high innovation, engagement with multiple stakeholders in the process, and the impact of their reduction.

Through emissions reduction initiatives, we have reduced our global net greenhouse emissions intensity by 62% since 2008 and by 17% in 2022.

GHG EMISSIONS REDUCTION

We gather data and report on metrics according to the GHG Protocol, historically reporting since 2008 on scope 1 emissions (fuel consumed in our owned or controlled operations) and scope 2 emissions (generation of purchased energy obtained from our energy providers).We performed a climate risk assessment using scenario analysis to identify critical physical and transitional risks and opportunities that may impact our operations. We will use these learnings to deepen the integration of mitigation strategies to address these risks into our processes and operations.

GHG Reduction Success Stories

Champagnole, France: Our plant reduced volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions by using an activated carbon filter system. For these efforts, it received a Kohler Sustainability Excellence Award in 2022.Brest, France: Our Kohler Power Systems facility switched fuel used in its test lab from conventional fossil diesel to fuels made from renewable HVO. This change enabled 13,000 liters of fossil diesel that were previously burned at the test benches to be replaced by HVO fuel, leading to a GHG emissions reduction of 31 metric tons, based on a conversion factor of 0.957 kgCO2e/kg. This effort will expand to the entire facility in 2023, with total GHG reductions projected at 864 metric tons. Juárez, Mexico: One of our largest facilities reduced GHG emissions by 6,600 metric tons and improved energy efficiency through many energy-efficiency projects. Its completed projects include reducing the use of compressed air, reducing natural gas use in kilns, and reducing the impact of defect repairs. This plant received a Kohler Sustainability Excellence Award in 2022.Brownwood, United States: Our plant created a Strategic Energy Management (SEM) plan with its electric utility Oncor to eliminate wasteful use of electricity by analyzing the power consumption of the plant and its equipment. The analysis determined that improved detection and elimination of compressed air leaks would help the facility reduce its power consumption by 1.3 million kWh annually, which is equivalent to preventing 921 metric tons of CO2e.Kohler, United States, & Andradas, Brazil: Our vitreous china sanitary ware plants identified process improvements that resulted in a reduction in kiln defects and lowered natural gas usage by 9% in our Wisconsin plant and 16% in our Brazil plant. This resulted in 1,155 MT of emissions saved collectively.

SCOPE 3 GHG EMISSIONS

In 2022 we made substantial progress toward implementing Kohler’s commitment, established by the Kohler Leadership Team (KLT) and Board of Directors in 2021, to report metrics and set targets for relevant scope 3 emissions, which are defined as all indirect emissions that occur in the value chain. Our Kitchen and Bath and Kohler Energy business units worked to identify what is material to our scope 3 emissions and we determined baselines that will be used to model future reductions and set targets, which will ultimately be combined into a company-wide scope 3 reduction goal.

Kohler’s procurement organization has three programs that address ESG with our suppliers. The Responsible Sourcing program reduces risk of potential forced labor with our suppliers by performing due diligence to the standards set forth within our Supplier Code of Conduct. The Supplier Diversity program supports the continued growth, increased visibility, and use of businesses owned by members of U.S. communities that are or have been historically—both socially and economically—underrepresented and underserved. Lastly, the Supplier Sustainability program focuses on improving the environmental sustainability of our supply base and purchased goods. Learn more in the Transparency section.

Clarke Energy Projects Reduce Scope 3 Emissions

Clarke Energy, a Kohler company, is a pioneer in biogas and converting landfill gas to power, securing 80% market share in this arena. Other successes include:

They expanded to deliver 1.4 GW of biogas-fueled power globally, supporting sustainable waste management and renewable energy generation.They helped to reduce scope 3 emissions through energy- efficient combined heat and power (CHP) technology.They participated in several projects designed to help customers reduce GHG emissions through use of energy efficiency, emissions reduction, carbon capture, and renewable energy technologies. In Cambridgeshire, England, they will supply a CHP and water-source heat pump energy system for a greenhouse facility that will be used to grow 10% of the cucumbers consumed in Britain while using 30% less CO2 than a conventionally heated greenhouse.They will use CO2 recovered from exhaust gases to enrich air in the greenhouse to help accelerate the growth process, while waste heat generated from the system’s engines will be used to heat water circulating in the greenhouses. This project won the United Kingdom’s Association for Decentralised Energy’s Integrated Energy Award 2022 and was runner-up in COGEN Europe’s 2022 Innovation Award.

Clarke Energy is part of a consortium that won the 2022 Water Breakthrough Challenge sponsored by Ofwat, the water services regulation authority for England and Wales.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Increasing the use of renewable energy sources across our global operations is another significant contributor to our ability to reduce Kohler’s scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions. Kohler continues to invest in renewable electricity to help reach our net-zero goal.

In 2022 100% of the electricity for our U.S. and Canada operations continued to come from renewable sources such as wind and solar. Kohler ranked 45th in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership list of largest consumers of renewable power in 2022 with 393.6 million kWh of annual power usage in the U.S. coming from solar and wind. Kohler’s power purchases from Enel Green Power’s wind farms in Kansas, known as the Diamond Vista project, have reduced our global carbon emissions footprint by 27%.

Outside of the U.S., we have solar power installations that generated 30.5 million kWh of power in 2022. These installations include two new solar projects installed in 2022 in Saraburi, Thailand, that will supply 5,500 kWh annually.

WATER STEWARDSHIP AND REDUCING WATER USAGE

The stress on the world’s water supply is of paramount concern for Kohler. Water is not only used in our manufacturing processes, but it is also the means by which many of our products deliver experiences. We have reduced our water withdrawal intensity by 57% since 2008 a result of water- reduction initiatives.

We recognize the importance of reducing our operational water usage and being responsible water stewards. This includes restoration efforts in key high-water-stress watersheds where Kohler has facilities.

In 2022 we had 75 associates complete risk assessments of seven Kohler facilities located in high-water-stress locations and the surrounding communities to better understand water quantity, quality, access and biodiversity as well as river fragmentation.

The results of these assessments will be used to develop action plans around reducing water usage in operations and in the management of discharges to minimize impacts on groundwater and other water supplies.

Water Use Reduction Success Stories

Beijing, China: Our faucet plant installed a smart water metering system this year to track and manage water more effectively in its processes. This project is estimated to reduce the facility’s annual water usage by 15%.Changzhou, China: In 2022 our faucet operations installed a zero liquid discharge (ZLD) system for its plating line that allows the facility to recover 90% of wastewater for reuse in the plating process, allowing the facility to rely less on higher-quality water sources.Tangier, Morocco: Our vitreous china facility completed a bathroom-improvement project that replaced pipes, valves, and fixtures, resulting in a 5% decrease in annual water consumption.Reynosa, Mexico: In 2022 our metal facility installed a closed-loop recycling system for fire protection to save water being utilized for weekly testing, eliminated the prewash stage for certain processes, and installed water- saving valves in the domestic areas. These projects reduced annual water consumption for these processes by approximately 45%.

Kohler Seed Fund Supports Stormwater Project

Kohler’s Spartanburg, South Carolina, property completed a stormwater project made possible by funding from Kohler Seed, a fund created to support associate-led sustainability initiatives. This sustainability project focused on modifying one of the location’s stormwater outfalls to ensure only clean water leaves the Kohler property—enhancing the watershed.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

Kohler is committed to responsible management of the waste generated in our manufacturing and hospitality operations worldwide. We have established a global goal of sending zero waste to landfill by 2035 and are implementing programs to reduce, reuse, and reclaim materials used in the manufacturing process.

These programs include finding new uses for manufacturing waste such as repurposing otherwise landfill-bound materials as the basis for new products. KOHLER WasteLAB®, which was discussed earlier in this chapter, has used landfill-bound pottery, wastewater sludge, foundry dust, and enamel powder to design and produce new products, with 25.5 metric tons of waste diverted from landfills through WasteLAB product sales since 2019.

We have reduced our waste to landfill intensity in our operations and offices by 58% since 2008, and in 2022 the reduction was 23% from the prior year. These reductions have been achieved through process improvements and diversion initiatives to reuse or recycle waste previously sent to landfill.

We have several facilities globally that are leading the way to net-zero waste to landfill. In 2022 six manufacturing facilities reported net-zero waste to landfill, with an additional five facilities that are approaching net-zero. Combined, this resulted in 8,313 metric tons of waste diverted from landfill. One of the facilities was Kohler Power Systems in Johor Bahru, Singapore. In addition to maintaining its waste segregation projects separating its largest waste streams, it has been actively working to transition its facility to phase out paper use by digitizing as much as possible. Another great facility initiative was our faucets facility in Cheltenham, U.K., which implemented a waste education program and expanded recycling sorting to make sure that associates segregated all waste streams.

Waste Reduction Success Stories

Andradas, Brazil: Our facility made process improvements to reduce the amount of waste treated through its sewage treatment station, reduce the amount of sludge sent to landfill, and increase overall efficiency. Over the past two years the plant has achieved a 58.5% reduction in sludge generated per item and a 21.5% cost reduction.Champagnole, France: Our facility reused 919 metric tons of wood scraps from panels to heat the entire production site and office headquarters. It also reduced its waste disposal by 25% and decreased cardboard consumption by 4%. For these efforts, it received a Kohler Sustainability Excellence Award in 2022.Nanchang, China: Our faucet plant continues to increase the amount of waste materials recycled, including waste sand, sludge, plating wastewater, and waste filter paper, supported by an advanced wastewater treatment system with multistage reverse osmosis membrane and vacuum distillation technologies. The amount of non-recyclable waste produced at the plant has been reduced by 60% over a five-year period and the cost for processing of nonrecyclable waste decreased by 33%.Sariburi, Thailand: Our vitreous china plant automated its machine casting which reduced scrap clay by 1,130 tons per month and defective product by 111 tons per month.

KOS Green Cup

The annual Kohler Operating Systems (KOS) Cup competition highlights our associates in Kitchen & Bath manufacturing sites around the world and their commitment to continuous improvement across five categories, including the KOS Green Cup, which recognizes projects that reduce environmental impacts. In the 2022 competition nearly 200 project teams submitted entries in the regional competitions for projects completed over the past 12 months. The 2022 winner of the KOS Green Cup was our Nanchang faucets plant for reduction of non-recyclable waste.

Read the full 2022 Kohler Believing in Better Impact Report here.