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Welcome to AI on the Edge, our new OnQ series that delivers the latest on-device artificial intelligence insights and trends. Hear from our most active subject matter experts on the dynamic, ever-expanding subject of AI.

Learn more about on-device generative AI by exploring our AI on the Edge posts. If there’s a related topic you’d like us to cover, simply send us a note.

The rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has opened a new world promising explosive creativity, convenience and productivity. With large language models (LLMs), as well as language-vision models (also known as LVMs), creating a wide variety of content like more precise search results, beautiful pieces of art, personalized advertising campaigns and new software code, generative AI is already delivering on these promises.

However, must it come at a cost to privacy and security?

Are AI and privacy at odds with one another?

Not necessarily. With on-device generative AI, where the generative AI model runs on your personal device, like a smartphone, personal computer (PC) or extended reality headset, you can get the best of both worlds: AI with privacy and security at the same time.

When running generative AI models hosted in the cloud, interactions with those models can become public. Information provided to the models — including the query and context surrounding it, or data used to fine-tune the model — can be exposed, creating concerns around AI and privacy.

For enterprise use cases, this includes any proprietary data or even source code that is either used as queries for the model or generated by the model — clearly this situation is unacceptable.

On-device generative AI can mitigate these AI privacy and security issues.

Why on-device AI helps with data privacy and security 

On-device AI helps protect users’ information since queries involving personal data remain on the device. On-device security features (e.g., data and communications encryption, as well as password and biometric protected access) on edge devices, such as smartphones or PCs, are already trusted under certain circumstances to protect sensitive personal and corporate information.

Consequently, generative AI models that are hosted on device can rely on those same on-device security features to improve data security and privacy for queries and outputs. In these situations, since inference, and in some cases fine-tuning, utilize on-device memory, storage and processing resources, the models can also utilize the local data to increase personalization and accuracy of both the input and output of the model with a similar level of trust.

Travel convenience with on-device generative AI

Consider the following example: A user is traveling and looking for good dinner options. Even with a non-generative AI solution, devices already utilize the user’s current location to search the Internet and provide nearby dining options. With a generative AI-based solution however, the user might want the chat assistant to not only look for good dinner options but also utilize personal data like food and restaurant rating preferences, food allergies, meal plan data, budget and calendar information to select a nearby four-star restaurant that has nutritional options compatible with the user’s meal plan.

Once a suitable option is found, the user might then want the assistant to reserve a table at a time that is open in the user’s calendar. In this situation, the assistant only reaches out to the cloud for the list of possible restaurants from which to choose as well as making the actual reservation while keeping the queries and all personal information secure and private.

Software development assistant with on-device generative AI

Another example showing the benefit of on-device generative AI is a software developer who needs to create new source code for a product. In order to accomplish this, proprietary company data, as well as existing code, will be required as input to the generative AI model. Again, it is easy to see how a coding assistant running solely on the developer’s laptop would help ensure that the proprietary intellectual property is not exposed to risks outside of the company’s cybersecurity tolerance.

Retirement planning assistant with on-device generative AI

Another wide-reaching example of the need for AI privacy is in retirement planning. In the United States alone, it is predicted that by 2030 all members of the baby boomer generation will be at least 65 years old — a portion of the population that is estimated to be about 73 million people.1 Immediately following that wave of retirees are multiple generations who have come to understand the importance of a well-funded retirement portfolio. As more and more people approach retirement age globally and as retirees’ life expectancy continues to increase, the cost to retire is likewise increasing. Personal portfolio management will be critical in maximizing returns on investment and given this growing need, qualified financial advisors are likely to be inundated. On-device AI could help alleviate this by putting a retirement planning assistant in the palm of an investor’s hand to educate and provide at least the first few levels of support which would help streamline the process once the qualified financial advisor becomes involved.

Using a conversational interface, the investor could provide the assistant with their current personal financial position in terms of age, savings, current investments, real estate, income, expenses, risk tolerance and investment goals. Based on this information, the assistant could come back with questions to further refine the input parameters. Given these parameters, the assistant could then provide educational information, investment strategies, recommended funds and other investment vehicles to consider. The assistant could also provide scenario analysis using both conversational and graphical outputs based on questions from the investor such as “What if I live into my 90s?” or “I just got a new job, how does this affect my current plan?”

The assistant could then use the investor’s location, level of investment and risk tolerance to provide a list of nearby financial professionals to help the investor take these preliminary strategies, refine them and ultimately implement them.

Security and privacy in a generative AI world is key for building consumer trust

In all of these examples, it is easy to see how the user might not want a cloud-hosted chatbot to access such private information but would be comfortable with an on-device generative AI model to make decisions based on local information available. Running the generative AI models on device can allow the user to take advantage of the benefits of the models without exposing personal or proprietary information.

Users may prefer that not only the results, but even the data contained in the prompts that initiate the queries is protected. As such, on-device inference provides users an opportunity to enjoy AI without exposing their data to cloud-hosted models.

When running generative AI models on device, existing technological protections are leveraged to allow for the use of on-device personal and corporate information as inputs to these models without the security and privacy concerns associated with cloud-hosted models. By enabling on-device generative AI, not only is the promise of increased creativity, convenience and productivity realized, but it also improves upon what generative AI models running solely on the cloud can deliver.

Up next

This begs the question, how do we as an industry enable on-device generative AI? Stay tuned for future blog posts where AI on the Edge will further explore the factors that will accelerate on-device generative AI adoption.

References:

1. America Counts Staff (Dec 10, 2019). 2020 Census Will Help Policymakers Prepare for the Incoming Wave of Aging Boomers. Retrieved on Sep 5, 2023 from https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/12/by-2030-all-baby-boomers-will-be-age-65-or-older.html

BOSTON, November 21, 2023 /3BL/ – Sappi North America Inc., a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper, packaging products and pulp, has been named a Platinum Winner in the category of Business Development – Sustainability & Environment in the 2023 TITAN Business Awards for its “Cloquet Mill Effluent TSS Reduction” project.

The three-phase project, completed in 2022, was designed to find a new chemical treatment program to reduce the TSS (total suspended solids) and biological oxygen demand (BOD) substances in the Cloquet Mill’s effluent, reducing the load being sent to the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District (WLSSD) in Minnesota. The project achieved immediate and consistent reduction in TSS of 11,500 lbs. per day, a reduction in BOD of 1,800 lbs. per day, and a reduction in mercury to WLSSD from 37.9 ppt to 6.3 ppt.

“The Cloquet Mill’s Effluent TSS Reduction Project has won multiple awards this year for its ability to address and manage critical wastewater discharge in the local area of Cloquet,” said Patti Groh, Director of Communications, Sappi North America. “This is a testament to the environmental benefits and positive impact that investing in sustainable innovations can have on our organizations and the communities.”

The program underwent several iterations between 2015 and 2022 to resolve its challenge of reducing the amount of chemicals necessary for pH control that would eventually enter local community’s wastewater systems and ensure the project’s long-term viability. The third and final iteration of this project yielded an immediate and consistent reduction in TSS and an overall resolution. The substantial reduction in TSS and subsequent decrease in BOD not only minimized wastewater substances but also reduced costs for the mill and achieved a significant reduction in the load sent to WLSSD. Furthermore, the substantial decrease in mercury sent to WLSSD allowed Sappi to maintain compliance and target its mercury effluent limit for a record 10 consecutive months.

In 2023, the Cloquet water savings project has won the American Forest & Paper Association’s (AF&PA), SEAL Sustainability Awards and now the TITAN Business Awards. The TITAN Business Awards serves as a primary awards program that predominantly respects and appreciates unparalleled breakthroughs amongst entrepreneurs, business departments, companies and organizations, creative services, business technology solutions, products and services, alongside business websites both locally and internationally.

To learn more about Sappi and its sustainability initiatives, please visit: https://www.sappi.com/. For a full list of winners, please visit: https://thetitanawards.com/winner.php.

###     

About Sappi North America, Inc.   

Sappi North America, Inc., headquartered in Boston, is a market leader in converting wood fiber into superior products that customers demand worldwide. Our four diversified businesses – high-quality Graphic Papers, Dissolving Pulp, Packaging, and Specialty Papers deliver premium products and services with consistent quality and reliability. Our high-quality Coated Printing Papers are used for premium magazines, catalogs, books, direct mail and high-end print advertising. We are a leading manufacturer of Dissolving Pulp, which is used in a wide range of products, including textile fibers and household goods. We deliver sustainable Packaging and Specialty Papers for luxury packaging and folding carton applications with our single-ply packaging brands and for the food and label industries with our specialty papers. We are one of the world’s leading suppliers of Casting and Release Papers with lines for the automotive, fashion and engineered films industries.   

Sappi North America is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited (JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with more than 12,000 employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven countries and customers in over 150 countries. www.sappi.com   

Contact 

Rajira Hernandez 
Account Manager 
Matter Communications 
(978) 499-9250 
sappi@matternow.com  

This quarterly newsletter showcases how Truist Foundation supports Truist Financial Corporation’s purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities through strategic investments in a wide variety of nonprofit organizations centered around two focus areas: building career pathways to economic mobility and strengthening small businesses to ensure all communities have an equal opportunity to thrive. Click here to sign up to receive the newsletter via email.

Inspire Awards Challenge nonprofit finalists
In collaboration with MIT Solve, we’re proud to announce the seven nonprofit finalists for our second Inspire Awards Challenge. Join us on April 24, 2024, for the Inspire Awards Ceremony to crown our winners.
Learn more about the finalists 

Supporting those impacted by disasters
Truist Foundation proudly invests in ongoing disaster relief efforts.
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Fast and efficient emergency relief
Lynette Bell joins Trevor Riggen from the American Red Cross for an online discussion about emergency support services. 
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Trailblazer Award
The Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals recognized Lynette Bell for her strategic partnerships with purpose-centered philanthropy.
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The latest in Truist Foundation grantmaking
Check out our latest partnership announcements on our website. 
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Happy Holidays
Truist Foundation wishes you and your loved ones a happy and safe holiday season! As you consider how to give back to your community, don’t forget to look into any Matching Gift programs available through your employer.

On November 8 an Indianapolis east side restaurant was destroyed after it caught fire. The owner and head chef of 1313 Eatery, Ron Gilmore, is a well-known community advocate for the city of Indianapolis and a selected guest chef for the 2023 KeyBank Guest Chef Program at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Gilmore opened the restaurant with his brother in 2021 to transform the restaurant scene and build a sense of community and togetherness.

But the fire is putting their mission on hold.

To support 1313 Eatery, KeyBank surprised Gilmore with $5,000 during the Pacers home game on Sunday, November 19.

Watch the video above to see Gilmore’s reaction when KeyBank Market President Juan Gonzalez shared the news.

Gilmore said he had no idea KeyBank was surprising him with funds.

“It’s just a blessing,” he said. “I’m going to put it all towards the restaurant.”

“We believe small businesses are the heart of our communities,” said Gonzalez. “I hope this gift can help Chef Ron and his team get back on their feet after such devastation.”

Gilmore is one of ten chefs selected for the KeyBank Guest Chef Program. As part of the program, during select games of the 2023-24 Pacers season, guest chefs will showcase their signature dishes at The Kitchen stand located on the Main Concourse of Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Section 17). Fans will have the opportunity to experience Indy’s amazing local food cultures and flavors.

Gilmore, and his signature dishes, will be featured during the Pacers home games on November 27, December 16, 18, 20 and 23.

SAN FRANCISCO, AMSTERDAM and HONG KONG, November 21, 2023 /3BL/ – In October, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) reached a milestone: Over 300 members are now part of the organization. This includes 27 new members in 2023 alone!

When Walmart and Patagonia joined forces with other key value chain partners in 2009, their vision was to develop a common approach to measuring sustainability. Little did they know that 14 years later the group they founded would represent nearly 50 percent of the apparel and textile industry across 36 countries.

The SAC’s mission is now more critical than ever. The organization is intent on transforming business for exponential impact through groundbreaking programs and tools, collaborative partnerships, and trusted leadership on industry sustainability. And this work remains anchored by the tools that the original group pioneered: The Higg Index, which measures social and environmental impact from materials in products, to how those products are made, to brand practices.

“Diamond Fabrics Limited is proud to join the SAC community, and we believe that our SAC membership will play a pivotal role in advancing our sustainability initiatives,” said Saqib Shahzad, head of sustainability, at Pakistan-based textile manufacturing company Diamond Fabrics Limited of Sapphire Group, a new member. “We are committed to actively contributing to the shared vision of creating a consumer goods industry that gives back to the planet and its people. We look forward to collaborating with like-minded organizations to drive positive change.”

“At Dunelm, we remain as ambitious as ever about being a company that focuses on growing sustainably. This has meant combining long-term thinking with shorter-term, achievable, and measurable goals,” commented Christina Downend, head of climate change at Dunelm, a candidate member in home furnishings, a new adjacent product category for the SAC. “The SAC global community and Higg Index tools have helped us on that journey, not least as we develop initiatives such as our Better Manufacturing program, where we are supporting and engaging our suppliers on their own transitions to net zero. Our goals cannot be met without collaboration and we are excited to be part of this community, to share knowledge and ideas so that we all make progress to fulfill our ambitions.”

“The Sustainable Apparel Coalition is a collaborative organization that aims to promote sustainable practices in the apparel and footwear industry,” said Jack Duan, director of sustainability solutions at GreenPont, a new SAC member. “Joining the coalition allows GreenPont to share best practices, collaborate on research and development, and collectively drive positive change within the industry. Being part of SAC is a strategic move for GreenPont looking to align its business practices with sustainable and responsible principles, and to contribute to a more environmentally and socially conscious industry.”

Over the past four years, the SAC has doubled its membership and today, there are more than 24,000 Higg Index users worldwide, facilitating comparable sustainability reporting. During that same time, the team has tripled — and capacity has grown accordingly, building and sustaining partnerships with industry leaders including Apparel Impact Institute, Textile Exchange, ZDHC Foundation, Worldly, SLCP, The Industry We Want, and Global Fashion Agenda, among others.

“While many hands were hard at work behind this 300-plus member milestone, it is important we acknowledge the hard work and dedication driven at the ground level by the membership development team,” said Andrew Martin, executive vice president of the SAC. “It can take months of engagement behind the scenes to ensure prospective members get the information they need before joining a mission-focused organization like the SAC. From there, a mutually extensive vetting process is taken on by both parties. We could not be more grateful for the growth we’ve achieved in the name of industry improvement and want to, again, extend a warm welcome to our newest members.”

For 14 years, the SAC has focused on systems change, working collaboratively across supply chains in order to move the industry from silos to collective action. Its new strategic plan further defines these goals, refocusing on combating climate change, ensuring decent work, and contributing to a nature-positive future in order to deliver impact at scale.

– ENDS –

 

About the Sustainable Apparel Coalition:

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) is a global, non-profit alliance of over 280 organizations in the apparel, footwear, and textile industry. Initially formed to create standardized sustainability metrics, the SAC has sharpened its focus to driving pre-competitive, collective action across three foundational pillars. As an independent entity, the SAC brings together brands, retailers, manufacturers, NGOs, academics, and industry associations to combat climate change, ensure decent work, and contribute to a nature-positive future. Central to the SAC’s mission is the Higg Index, a suite of comprehensive tools that empower members to measure, evaluate, and improve sustainability performance across the supply chain.

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Nasdaq

ESG Indexes

The OMX Stockholm 30 ESG Responsible Index (OMXS30ESG), introduced worldwide in June 2018, was the first ESG version of an established exchange benchmark. It was followed by the listing of ESG index futures contracts in November 2018. The OMXS30ESG is an ESG responsible version of the OMX Stockholm 30 Index, which is the leading share index on Nasdaq Stockholm. The OMXS30ESG is based on OMXS30, which consists of the 30 most traded securities on Nasdaq Stockholm, followed by a systematic criteria-based ESG screening where securities that fail the criteria are excluded. The OMXS30ESG Index is a market cap weighted index.

The liquidity of its constituents results in a highly suitable underlying benchmark for derivatives products. In addition, the OMXS30ESG is also designed to be used for structured products, such as warrants, index bonds options, exchange traded funds and other non-standardized derivatives products. The composition of the OMXS30ESG index is evaluated twice a year, at the beginning of January and July. In November 2021, Nasdaq expanded its ESG derivative offering with the listing of options based on the OMXS30ESG Index.

We manage dozens of indexes that integrate ESG criteria into the index methodology. We achieve this in a variety of ways, with some indexes designed purely as ESG and others designed with ESG criteria as an overlay to a broader investment thesis. The index with the largest tracking fund is the ISE Cyber Security Index.

Others include the OMX Helsinki 25 ESG Responsible Index, the OMX Copenhagen 25 ESG Responsible Index and the Nasdaq Future Global Sustainability Leaders Index. In 2021, we created ESG versions of two of our flagship indexes and now offer the Nasdaq 100 ESG Index and the Nasdaq Next Generation 100 ESG Index.

Green Equity Designations1

Nasdaq launched Green Equity Designations on the Nordic markets in 2021 in response to increased demand for sustainable investments and extensive growth in Nasdaq Sustainable Bond Markets. With issuers and investors searching for more green performance indicators on the equity market, Green Equity Designations aim to enable visibility and transparency for investors with two voluntary designations, Nasdaq Green Equity Designation and Nasdaq Green Equity Transition Designation. Through Green Equity Designations, Nasdaq can support environmentally sustainable companies or companies committed to transition to increase their visibility, transparency and credibility towards investors, business and other stakeholders.

The Nasdaq Green Equity Designation is currently available for companies on the Nasdaq Nordic stock exchanges. As the financial ecosystem anticipates upcoming sustainability and climate-related regulations, Nasdaq may see increasing interest in green equity classification from companies and investors outside the Nasdaq Nordic exchanges. In March 2023, the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) launched its classification standard for Green Equity with reference to the existing model from Nasdaq’s Green Equity Designation, highlighting Green Equity Designation’s importance in helping investors assess companies that are generating revenue from products and services that contribute to positive environmental outcomes.

Nasdaq Sustainable Bond Network

The Nasdaq Sustainable Bond Network, launched in late 2019, is a global platform that aims to increase transparency for environmental, social and sustainable bonds. The Nasdaq Sustainable Bond Network connects issuers of sustainable bonds with investors, empowering them to evaluate impact and make informed investment decisions on sustainable bonds. The platform allows issuers of sustainable bonds to make their sustainable bond data more accessible to investors and other stakeholders. Investors can in turn use the platform to evaluate, track and create impact reports based on issuers’ ESG bond reporting. The database simplifies sustainable investing with an intuitive, easy-to- use solution that allows investors to discover, compile and compare sustainable bonds as well as generate impact reports. The platform also provides issuer-level information on UN Sustainable Development Goals allocation.

In 2022, we launched functionalities that report on the EU taxonomy alignment of projects financed by issuers’ green and sustainable bonds. Furthermore, we reached coverage of more than 1,500 issuers and 14,000 securities globally.

Investors in sustainable bonds are increasingly reporting on the impact of their investments and how their proceeds are allocated. We expect this trend to continue while seeing a larger incorporation of issuer-reported sustainable bond data in investment due diligence.

Total Number of Issuers and Bonds on the Nasdaq Sustainable Bond Network as of December 31

Issuers:

2022: 1,5502021: 1,0122020: 323

Bonds:

2022: 14,2222021: 8,9282020: 4,600

Nasdaq Sustainable Debt Market

The Nasdaq Sustainable Debt Market is comprised of dedicated segments for listing green, social, sustainability and sustainability-linked bonds, structured products and commercial papers.

Our sustainable debt markets are designed to highlight sustainable investment opportunities to investors with a green, social or sustainable investment agenda. It is open to all types of issuers that are looking to issue securities that meet our listing criteria, which are based on the green and social bond principles as well as the sustainability- linked bond principles, for which the International Capital Markets Association (ICMA) acts as a secretariat.

Number of Listings and Issuers on the Sustainable Debt Market as of December 31

Listings:

2022: 47120211: 4242020: 293

Issuers:

2022: 12920211: 1082020: 78

1 2021 and 2020 figures have been restated as a result of double-counting issuers with debt instruments on several markets and to account for all Nasdaq European exchanges.

Macro-economic factors had a negative effect on the Nordic debt markets in 2022 but sustainable debt markets continued to grow, emphasizing the increasing importance of sustainability throughout the financial markets. The number of sustainable debt instruments listed on Nasdaq grew by 11% during 2022 and the volume of listed bonds grew by 27%. The growth was mainly driven by new, large issuers joining the market (e.g., the inaugural Danish sovereign green bond listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen), as well as a wider adoption of sustainability-linked bonds in the Nordic region. Sustainability-linked bonds allow issuers that lack large capex but have set out ambitious sustainability targets to join the broader sustainable debt markets and can spur the overall markets’ growth in the coming years by allowing new sectors to participate.

ESG Data Hub

ESG Data Hub is a data solution offering investors and other stakeholders easy access to a wide range of comprehensive ESG data sets, accompanied by detailed product descriptions, selling points and use cases. The platform enables users to find data sets relevant to specific UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) providing investors with visibility on the ESG impacts of their investments. Data sets within the product are wide ranging – they assist our customers with their own projects and the impact is at the customer level.

Demand for the data is driven by a customer move away from broad ratings and instead a move towards understanding in granular detail the different aspects of ESG. For many customers, ratings no longer give a representative picture of a company’s complete ESG picture. The move towards granular data sets started in 2022 and remains a growing segment.

In 2022, we added several new data sets to the product from third party providers. We also added our sustainable bond network data to the platform. For 2023, we continue to look for unique data partners to add to the solution, based on feedback and the needs of customers. We plan to integrate ESG data into our broader data marketplace, Nasdaq DataLink.

ESG Footprint

ESG Footprint is an easy-to-implement platform that measures the global sustainability effect of a portfolio and individual securities. Through an intuitive dashboard, investors and managers have access to the real-life effects of each investment, along with alternatives that may better suit an individual’s sustainability goals.

The tool gives investors insight into positive and negative flags for companies within their holdings depending on criteria set by the customer. We have seen growing demand for regulatory solutions, particularly SFDR and EU Taxonomy.

Within ESG Footprint, there are multiple datasets that provide insight into the 
core impact of business and investment opportunities on SDGs. These datasets (SDG Signals, SDG Fundamentals, SDG CAPX) allow investors to evaluate companies’ alignment against the SDG framework.

In 2022, we added functionality that helps customers meet their SFDR requirements. In addition, we launched the product with a group of 20 banks in Denmark that are providing SFDR overlays for all their retail customers. In 2023, we continue to invest in the product and are looking to add an EU Taxonomy overlay while continually improving data quality.

Nasdaq Products and Services with Select ESG Features1

eVestment Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) and ESG Data in Asset Management

eVestment is a leading institutional investment database and analytics platform acquired by Nasdaq in 2017. To meet increasing demand for transparent and standardized D&I and ESG data from institutional stakeholders, eVestment launched multiple initiatives to provide a centralized resource in collaboration with consultants, asset managers, asset owners and key industry organizations. We partner with key industry parters to enhance the platform’s breadth of data.

1 Not categorized as ESG products and services for financial reporting.

D&I Data

eVestment began collecting D&I data in collaboration with the Institutional Investing Diversity Cooperative (IIDC) in 2021. The D&I questionnaire gives asset managers an opportunity to provide narrative commentary on their firms’ D&I initiatives and statistics. In partnership with FCLTGlobal and the Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA), eVestment also created a new diversity metrics template and data collection capabilities for its private markets reporting solutions in 2022. The data includes information on diversity metrics for investment company firm ownership, investment committee members and investment professionals, as well as aggregated diversity metrics for board and senior management of a fund’s portfolio companies.

ESG Data

In 2020, eVestment launched an ESG questionnaire to power robust investment research providing opportunity for asset managers to articulate their approach to ESG with compelling proof points. In 2022, the questionnaire was expanded with major enhancements to the proxy voting and engagement data designed to better understand process and outcome, add more questions around alignment (SDGs and SFDR) as well as introduce new climate sections at both the firm and the product level. To date, more than 50% of active products on eVestment are providing responses to the ESG questionnaire, while about 45% of firms are providing firm level information. Usage of eVestment’s ESG data has tripled since the 2020 questionnaire rewrite, reflecting not only the increased value of the data, but the increased importance of ESG data in the investing landscape.

Ken Kim, Maintenance Manager at GP’s gypsum plant in Tacoma, Washington, shares how continuous transformation is not just imperative for business but also important for its people. Through our Principles in Perspective series, we aim to highlight employees leading change through our principles. Learn more about the principles that guide us: https://www.kochind.com/about/busines…

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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As the final scene of 2023 unfolds, 3BL is rolling out the red carpet for a close-up of our year-end wrap-up.

Throughout the year, 3BL spotlights sustainability and social impact news from brands that are making a difference – from thought-provoking stories on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) to heartwarming tales of philanthropy to the intricacies of responsible business practices, and much more. As these stories resonate with diverse audiences across the globe, they are also sparking meaningful change.

We invite you to take a front-row seat as we review our 2023 content trends: 

Audience Trends: Discover which type of content resonated the most with audiences throughout the year. We also uncover insights into what format (articles, blogs, multimedia, newsletters, and press releases) sparked the most engagement and interest.

Category Insights: Get an inside look at the categories that stole the limelight. We showcase the topics that were most shared and generated the most reader interest.

3BL’s Top Picks: Take a look at what our team chose as our top 23 favorite impact stories of 2023.

Check out our 2023 Wrap-Up now.

Claudia Hardy says she’s found her life’s mission. As director of Community Health Access and Relations for the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham – the only National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Center in the state – she brings cancer resources and preventive care to communities in Alabama’s Black Belt like the one she grew up in.

“In our rural communities, there are no Ubers or other public transportation systems, so being able to get to a healthcare facility is hard,” Claudia explains. “But even if we’re able to physically get to a facility, we still need to understand the difficult medical lingo and have the correct insurance to be able to access comprehensive treatment.”

It’s her personal experience with these rural areas that gives Claudia an edge in understanding what’s needed. Food access within many rural cities may only include a dollar store where people get their groceries. “I grew up here. At the time, I didn’t realize I was living in a medically underserved area and a food desert,” she reflects.

Barriers to Cancer Care in Rural Areas
Claudia’s always learning more about what those limitations mean – particularly for Black women. When her sister-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer, Claudia was at first puzzled by her decision to receive medical care in Montgomery, instead of commuting to Birmingham, where Claudia works.

“She could get leading-edge cancer care at our center, but she decided not to travel the 120 miles round trip.” she says. “After my sister-in-law went through more than 40 rounds of daily radiation treatments, I understood why she chose to go to the place closer to her.”

Her sister-in-law’s choices highlighted the barriers facing Black women with breast cancer who live in rural counties. Concerned that not enough was being done to reach these communities, Claudia developed a new program to provide early breast cancer education and screening for Black women in rural areas of Alabama’s Black Belt.

The Natural Helpers on Creating Trust
As part of Gilead’s ongoing commitment to advancing health equity and addressing barriers to care in communities with the greatest unmet needs, a Gilead community oncology grant supported Claudia’s launch of A Family Affair this year.

A Family Affair’s mission is to provide support for Black breast cancer survivors and their family members, especially those at high risk of the disease, across the healthcare journey – from screening to survivorship. Claudia’s team of about 30 community health advisors and coordinators, also known as “natural helpers,” are trusted individuals who bring tailored support and resources to their own communities. They’re connected to 26 counties in rural Alabama and Mississippi that each have unique needs, but the natural helpers all have in common a devotion to their community.

“What I hope to do with A Family Affair is to share resources with Black women who have gone through breast cancer, particularly in these rural communities,” says Claudia. “And I want to bring in experts who can teach them things that’ll hopefully have a long lasting impact on their lives.”

Originally published by Gilead Sciences

The recent report from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) makes it clear we have reached a critical moment in history. The report estimates average global warming is now at 1.1°C compared to preindustrial records. But how are farmers dealing with climate change? Agriculture is in a unique position to be a key part of the solution.

The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, set a goal of limiting average warming to 1.5°C in the 21st century. In each of the future emissions scenarios outlined in the new report, we will most likely reach average warming of 1.5°C within the next 20 years. Even if we reach net zero emissions by 2050 — the best-case scenario in the report — warming will peak mid-century at 1.6°C. The message is clear: it’s crucial that we take decisive action across the board to face this challenge.

Agriculture is uniquely positioned to be a core part of the solution. Today, agriculture accounts for nearly one quarter of all global greenhouse gas emissions — but farms also have an incredible superpower to bring to this fight: Through photosynthesis, they convert carbon from the air into plant matter and capture carbon in the soil. Through climate-smart tools and practices, farmers can help crops remove even more carbon from the atmosphere while reducing the volume and impact of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.

In our new comic, see how the combination of crops’ natural superpowers, proven farming techniques, and amazing technology can help fight against climate change.

Read more here.