Tag: 3BL

Brand drops limited-edition varsity letterman jacket and hosts first-ever Homecoming event to kick off new 
‘1 in 8’ effort

CHICAGO, November 21, 2023 /3BL/ – Astronauts. Teachers. Award-winning playwrights. Executives. Small business owners. 1 in 8 Americans have one thing in common: the experience of working at a McDonald’s restaurant (just think... that means 1 in 8 Americans have been trusted with the World Famous Fries®). Whether their career continued within the Golden Arches or beyond, McDonald’s is celebrating both former and current crew members who make up this diverse community with the launch of its new “1 in 8” initiative.

Members of the 1 in 8 will have access to unique programming, like opportunities to attend exclusive events, mentorships with notable alums who’ve gone on to make an impact in their respective fields, reunions with former team members and more.

To officially kick things off, McDonald’s is dropping a limited-edition letterman jacket that represents what it means to be 1 in 8 – because a group this iconic deserves swag to match. Designed by McDonald’s alum and founder of lifestyle brand Robotic Minds Concept, Kendall Hurns tapped into his nostalgia and love for the brand to create this one-of-a-kind jacket, featuring IYKYK surprises for fellow crew. For each jacket sold, McDonald’s will contribute funding to help exceptional crew members achieve their aspirations through once-in-a-lifetime experiences and opportunities. Jackets go on sale on Monday, Oct. 16 at 10 a.m. ET at www.McDonalds1in8.com, while supplies last.

“For 1 in 8 Americans, the McDonald’s restaurant experience offers critical life skills and creates opportunities for meaningful work and connections,” said Tiffanie Boyd, Senior Vice President & Chief People Officer at McDonald’s. “Formally bringing this group together will give past and present crew members alike the chance to continue growing, building their networks and celebrating the special community they represent.”

In the midst of Homecoming season, McDonald’s also honored the 1 in 8 with its first-ever Homecoming celebration in New York City today, Oct. 11. During the event, current crew and 1 in 8 alums had the chance to connect to share personal stories and career advice. In attendance were a handful of well-known 1 in 8ers, including New York Times Best Selling Author and Peloton Instructor Cody Rigsby, Michelin-star restaurant chef, Harold Villarosa, TV host, actress and entrepreneur Alejandra Espinoza, creative entrepreneur Kendall Hurns, and McDonald’s franchise owner, Paul Hendel – who started as a crew member when he was 16 years old and now owns 31 restaurants. The event also brought the Homecoming spirit with the Brooklyn United marching band, exclusive gear and a friendly face-off to see who could build a Big Mac® the fastest (because there’s no truer test for a 1 in 8er).

“It’s no secret that McDonald’s is my day one,” said Rigsby. “It’s a full circle moment for me to be able to share my journey to inspire others – including those who had the same start as me and used their job at McDonald’s as a jumping off point.”

And while many members of the 1 in 8 use the skills learned at McDonald’s to succeed in different fields, others apply them to grow within the company as franchisees, management or corporate positions.

“Reflecting back on my beginnings as a McDonald’s restaurant employee 38 years ago, I’m proud to be a part of an organization that roots for and supports its people,” said Myra Doria, U.S. National Field President at McDonald’s. “It’s special to have experienced first-hand the doors that the Golden Arches can open for a person.”

The 1 in 8 initiative is shining a spotlight on the spectacular people that make up the Golden Arches. For the first time, McDonald’s is featuring a cast entirely made up of restaurant crew in its creative campaign – highlighting real stories and real people from local restaurants across TV spots, social media, and digital content.

Are you a member of the 1 in 8? Share your story here on www.McDonalds1in8.com and stay up to date on future 1 in 8 opportunities.

About McDonald’s USA 

McDonald’s USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to millions of customers every day. Ninety-five percent of McDonald’s approximately 13,500 U.S. restaurants are owned and operated by independent business owners. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter @McDonalds and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mcdonalds.

About McDonald’s Now Serving™ Platform

McDonald’s Now Serving platform is about more than serving delicious food. It’s something customers and Crew see every day in McDonald’s restaurants as orders are served, but also celebrates our rich legacy of supporting communities, in partnership with franchisees, for more than 60 years. Now Serving is the comforting meals we provide following natural disasters and the support we give families through our partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities®. In restaurants, it’s about recognizing Crew through our Thank You Crew initiative and offering ongoing education and mentorship opportunities. Click here to learn more.

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Gayle Baldwin| Senior Research Analyst and Portfolio Manager—Equities

Vivian Lubrano| Portfolio Manager—Equities

Transcript

Vivian Lubrano: The world is becoming an increasingly diverse place, especially the societies that we live in and we invest in. It’s not just about social equity that companies need to focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion; it’s really about business fundamentals. They have to worry about how they can, in their future, incorporate and work with more diverse employees and more diverse clients.

Gayle Baldwin: So the companies that are thoughtful about assembling teams with different cognitive diversity, different ways of thinking, have the potential to really outperform. And I don’t think investors necessarily understand or are identifying that as a source of alpha.

Vivian Lubrano: And what’s very exciting is when we find companies that are finding that relevant diversity for them. There’s this technology company, Infosys, and they have to hire a lot of engineers coming out of college. So for them, historically, hiring men, finding engineers and engineering colleges, but they had to look inwards and they realized, “No, what I need is problem solvers. I can teach the engineering skills. I cannot teach critical thinking.” And that led them down the whole path of rejiggering their whole recruitment process, working with liberal arts and community colleges to hire liberal arts students that are good problem solvers and teaching them the engineering skills they need. So as a result, they actually drove growth, they’ve been able to deliver on their clients’ promises, and they’re also getting a more diverse employee base because community colleges are mostly women and minorities, and that’s really helping them with community engagement at the ground level. It’s been a big success.

Gayle Baldwin: The research organization IQVIA is another interesting example of how important human capital strategies can be. And their business model is to run clinical trials for pharmaceutical companies. And so winning there means carrying out the trial successfully, staffing up the patients, and then ensuring that they come back at the right interval so we can know if the treatments that we’re spending a lot of money developing are actually efficacious across an entire population. So they need to be able to recruit the patients, but also ensuring that the employees look like the patients and can understand what they’re going through, understand where they’re from. And so IQVIA has been really thoughtful about the types of people they recruit, but also the experiences and the community attributes that they’re looking for. So they’re much broader in considering human capital as a core part of their business. And we’ve seen success because they were able to, for example, during the COVID vaccine trials, win a much larger portion of that work because of their speed and successful track record.

Vivian Lubrano: So with the world increasingly more diverse, investors more diverse, employees more diverse, companies that can actually harness this, what we’ve seen in the data is that they can actually deliver on innovation, on efficiencies, on productivities. And that is why as an investor, we should really care about how companies are implementing their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

Gayle Baldwin: And particularly cognitive diversity—I think that’s the opportunity a lot of investors haven’t fully appreciated.

The views expressed herein do not constitute research, investment advice or trade recommendations and do not necessarily represent the views of all AB portfolio-management teams. Views are subject to revision over time.

References to specific securities discussed are not to be considered recommendations by AllianceBernstein L.P.

Learn more about AB’s approach to responsibility here.

International Olympic Committee news

The 141st IOC Session meeting in Mumbai, India, today elected eight new IOC Members, four women and four men, bringing the proportion of women on the IOC membership to 41.1 per cent. This is in keeping with the IOC’s ambition to lead by example and increase female representation in governance structures.

Following a vote, the Session elected Mrs Yael Arad of Israel to join the membership. Mrs Arad, a retired judoka, was the first-ever Olympic medallist from Israel, winning a silver medal at the Olympic Games Barcelona 1992. She was appointed President of the National Olympic Committee of Israel in November 2021, making her the first woman to hold this position.

Mr Balázs Fürjes, a keen sportsman and experienced sports administrator from Hungary, was also elected to the IOC membership. A member of the IOC’s Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXXV Olympiad, Brisbane 2032, Mr Fürjes also chaired Budapest’s 2024 Olympic Games candidature.

The Session also elected Olympian and former Congresswoman from Peru, Mrs Cecilia Tait Villacorta to the membership. A volleyball player, Mrs Villacorta participated in three editions of the Olympic Games: Moscow 1980, Los Angeles 1984, and Seoul 1988 where she won a team silver medal.

Mrs Arad, Mr Fürjes and Mrs Villacorta were all elected to the IOC membership as Independent Individuals.

At the same time, in accordance with Rule 16.1.1.1 of the Olympic Charter, which allows for up to seven IOC Members to be elected in special cases without a nationality or National Olympic Committee (NOC) requirement, the Session elected Mrs Michelle Yeoh from Malaysia and Mr Michael Mronz from Germany as Independent Individuals. Producer and actress Mrs Yeoh is a dedicated road-safety campaigner, a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador and a campaigner for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Meanwhile, entrepreneur and keen sportsman Mr Mronz is an active sports manager in his native Germany, involved in the organisation of several important sporting tournaments and events.

Two candidates, one woman and one man, were also elected based on their functions within an International Federation (IF): Mrs Petra Sörling from Sweden, President of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), and Mr Jae-youl Kim from the Republic of Korea, President of the International Skating Union (ISU). Meanwhile, Mr Mehrez Boussayene of Tunisia was elected to the membership in his capacity as President of the Comité National Olympique Tunisien.

These elections bring the total number of IOC Members to 107.

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The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit, civil, non-governmental, international organisation made up of volunteers which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of USD 4.2 million goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.

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For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team:
Tel: +41 21 621 6000, email: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at www.ioc.org.

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Improving Designs and Features for Consumers: To be the best kitchen and laundry company in the world, we must make efforts towards inclusive design for all.

The AVID team acts as a consultant for business strategy and product development in the company through Disability Immersion Activities that inspire empathy in employees, so they can drive support for more accessible features and marketing in our products.

The first activity focuses on vision impairment and the second on mobility disability. During the activities, participants are asked to attempt some simple tasks with appliances from our major brands while their vision or mobility is impaired.

By educating participants on vision impairments or mobility disabilities, and the small changes we can make to our appliances, we hope to make a big difference for our consumers.

Vice President of Laundry Platforms, Eduardo Andrade says, “Participating in this activity offered me a new perspective towards product design and innovation. It’s a valuable experience for any leader, engineer, or designer as we strive to improve life at home with our products.”

Connecting with Employees: An inclusive workplace culture drives productivity and results.

Employee education and development are imperative to driving an engaging workplace and also an inclusive culture. AVID has internal campaigns and events that support employees throughout the year like Autism Acceptance Month, Mental Health Awareness Month and Suicide Prevention Month, to name just a few.

In October, AVID celebrates National Disability Employment Awareness Month with various activities to reach employees including:

Product Immersion activities that build consumer empathyDevelopment opportunities for current and aspiring people leaders to develop with inclusive best practice sharing“Let’s Talk About It” sessions where panelists lead an open dialogue sharing their personal storiesNetworking opportunities.

“Employee resource groups are vital to the employee experience, and the AVID ERG at Whirlpool is no exception,” said Monica Cederstrom, vice president of human resources and AVID executive sponsor. “From leadership development to resourceful webinars, they are continually driving progress for our employees and our business when it comes to disability inclusion.”

Impacting the Community: Whirlpool succeeds when our community thrives.

The AVID team also drives impact in the community, supporting good-neighbor efforts and partnering with local organizations like the Disability Network of Southwest Michigan, The LOGAN Center, and the United Spinal Association. So far in 2023, the group has contributed at least 274 volunteer hours in southwest Michigan.

AVID also participates in Project Search, a special education transition program that trains and equips individuals with disabilities to perform complex jobs, and supports each student in finding meaningful work within the community. This program supports the hiring and retaining of diverse talent.

Additionally, members of AVID support corporate endeavors, like consulting on accessibility features in the new Emma Jean Hull Flats multi-family housing development in Benton Harbor.

Thanks to these activities, and more, Whirlpool Corporation has been recognized as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” after receiving a 100 percent score on the 2023 Disability Equality Index (DEI) for the seventh straight year.

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PARIS, November 21, 2023 /3BL/ – Consumer Goods Forum’s (CGF) Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) is pleased to announce it has received an application from Rainforest Alliance submitting its Sustainable Agriculture Standard for the SSCI Benchmarking in both the Processing and Manufacturing scope as well as the Primary Production scope. The application marks the Rainforest Alliance’s first step in earning SSCI Recognition by demonstrating it meets industry expectations for how sustainability standards should operate and what topics they should cover. As the industry’s benchmark of choice, the SSCI is committed to helping organisations with their supply chain due diligence by building trust in these standards by driving alignment and continuous improvement among them.

The Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard, is designed to deliver more value to the more than four million farmers and workers and thousands of businesses that use Rainforest Alliance certification to drive more sustainable agricultural production and responsible supply chains. The Sustainable Agriculture Standard is used in more than 70 countries around the globe. Their program focuses on coffee, cocoa, tea, bananas, and many other important commodity sectors facing urgent environmental and social challenges.

Santiago Gowland, Chief Executive Officer with Rainforest Alliance, said, “The Rainforest Alliance is happy to participate in efforts towards transparency and aligning industry expectations when it comes to sustainability topics. Initiatives such as SSCI signal our commitment to continuous improvement with a view to fulfilling our mission of creating a more sustainable world by using social and market forces to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities.”

The SSCI Benchmark is a comprehensive process recognising third-party monitoring, auditing, and certification standards that cover key sustainability criteria and apply relevant verification practices. The benchmark process commences with a self-assessment undertaken by the applicant scheme, followed by a review by an independent expert, office visits, and a public consultation. The methodology also includes opportunities for the applicant to take corrective actions if and when needed.

The SSCI Benchmark evaluates applicants against the SSCI Social and Scheme Management Criteria, which define the industry’s expectations for the sustainability topics schemes should cover as well as how they should operate. Developed for the industry, by the industry, the SSCI Benchmark Criteria were defined by the SSCI Coalition member companies, industry experts, and other stakeholders.

At the SSCI, we welcome this positive step from Rainforest Alliance and look forward to reviewing its alignment towards industry values on transparency, social responsibility, and sustainability. To monitor the process of its benchmarking, and that of other applicant schemes, visit recognition.tcgfssci.com.

Learn More and Apply

Third-party auditing and monitoring schemes and programmes are invited to apply for SSCI Recognition and demonstrate their commitment to industry-defined expectations for supply chain sustainability. The SSCI currently benchmarks social sustainability standards under three sectoral scopes (Manufacturing and Processing; At-Sea Operations; and Primary Production, including land-based aquaculture) and is currently working to expand the scope to include environmental standards. Learn more about the SSCI Benchmark, download the application kits, and apply at benchmark.tcgfssci.com.

For more information about the SSCI, please visit tcgfssci.com or contact the SSCI team.

— Ends —

About the Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative 

The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) builds trust in sustainability standards worldwide by benchmarking third-party auditing and certification programmes and recognising schemes that meet industry expectations. By providing an open-source list of recognised programmes, the SSCI delivers clear guidance on which schemes cover key sustainability criteria and apply relevant verification practices. The SSCI improves transparency in the market, facilitates decision-making on schemes at both buyer and supplier level and sets the responsible sourcing expectations for the industry. The Initiative initially focuses on social compliance with the potential to expand the scope to environmental compliance. For more information, visit tcgfssci.com.

About The Consumer Goods Forum 
The Consumer Goods Forum (“CGF”) is a global, parity-based industry network that is driven by its members to encourage the global adoption of practices and standards that serves the consumer goods industry worldwide. It brings together the CEOs and senior management of some 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers, and other stakeholders across 70 countries, and it reflects the diversity of the industry in geography, size, product category and format. Its member companies have combined sales of EUR 3.5 trillion and directly employ nearly 10 million people, with a further 90 million related jobs estimated along the value chain. It is governed by its Board of Directors, which comprises more than 55 manufacturer and retailer CEOs. For more information, please visit: theconsumergoodsforum.com.

Contact

Didier Bergeret 
Director, Sustainability 
The Consumer Goods Forum 
Email

November 21, 2023 /3BL/ – Direct Relief today announced it has donated and delivered more than $2 billion in medicine and medical supplies since 2008 to address chronic gaps in the U.S. healthcare system. The organization is the largest channel for donations of prescription medications and medical supplies in the United States.

Direct Relief’s medicine and supplies reach individuals in medically underserved communities across the United States primarily through thousands of non-profit, local health clinics. These clinics form the key strands of the nation’s healthcare safety net.

The donations include more than $1 billion in medicine and supplies donated to community health centers (Federally Qualified Health Centers or FQHCs) providing primary care to 31.5 million – one in 11 – Americans in medically underserved communities. Direct Relief partners with more than 1,000 of these FQHCs, with an average partnership length of nine years.

The donations also include more than $1 billion in medical aid to free and charitable clinics and pharmacies, which are often volunteer-driven and offer care to people with few other options. These clinics served 1.7 million patients in the United States in 2022, 93% of them without any form of public or private health insurance.

“Direct Relief is a huge part of how we provide medication access to our patients, particularly insulin,” said Megan Doerr, Vice President, Strategy & Operations at CommunityHealth, a free clinic in Chicago. “Medication access and adherence is crucial to overall health, and being able to offer patients medications for free is invaluable. It seems almost too good to be true for individuals that hear about our services, that they’re going to be able to manage their chronic diseases free of charge and not have to choose between filling their medications and paying rent or getting food.”

Direct Relief’s extensive U.S. medical aid program incorporates individual initiatives including resilient power for health clinics, high-volume donations of insulin and the opioid overdose-reversing drug naloxone, women’s health programs like the provision of IUDs for uninsured patients at no cost, funding of mobile healthcare clinics to reach people without local transportation, and much more.

The domestic program includes continuing support during normal times and rapid response to natural disasters. Direct Relief has invested heavily in building capacity to provide medical aid to communities hit by hurricanes and wildfires, as well as public health crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the opioid overdose epidemic.

In addition to the more than $2 billion in donated medicine and medical supplies, Direct Relief has made $186 million in cash grants since 2004 to nonprofit healthcare providers. The grants support projects for disaster preparedness, health equity initiatives, and resilient power, and include donor-funded awards for community health innovations.

Direct Relief has reached this milestone as more Americans than ever rely on these safety net providers, with the FQHC patient population growing 30% between 2015 and 2022. Yet funding is volatile, with government shutdown threats this fall making it harder for FQHCs to commit to making hires amid a nationwide shortage of clinical staff. In 2022 FQHCs received 43% of their revenue from Medicaid, the jointly funded state and federal healthcare program for people with limited financial resources. But more than 10.6 million people have been disenrolled from Medicaid this year through Nov. 14 as pandemic-era funding dried up.

Amy Simmons Farber, associate vice president at the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), recalls Direct Relief’s role in helping health centers remain in operation at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. “The early days of the pandemic were an extraordinary time in which community health centers mobilized and in a matter of days transformed their clinical practice. With a scarcity of resources, health centers launched testing sites, converted their facilities, transitioned to virtual visits, and diverted nonacute Covid cases from overwhelmed hospitals. Direct Relief came through with a critically needed solution, donating PPE and medicines and dollars, and that was amazingly helpful to these health centers in keeping their doors open.”

“Direct Relief is a true champion and friend of free and charitable clinics,” said Nicole Lamoureux, President & CEO of the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics (NAFC). “We often say free and charitable clinics feel like the healthcare world’s best kept secret, but Direct Relief’s consistent commitment and support make us feel seen, known, and appreciated. We would not be able to support our members like we do without Direct Relief.”

Ongoing Programs

Among the many ongoing U.S. programs are:

ReplenishRx, a streamlined option for pharmaceutical companies to donate their products, via safety net clinics, to people without health insurance or other means to pay for them. The program reduces administrative burdens and the risk of patients losing access.Donor-funded innovation awards provide flexible funding to safety net providers for new and expanded programs that best meet community needs. In all, $18 million has been awarded to health centers, free and charitable clinics, and women’s health centers through support from AmerisourceBergen, Baxter, Bayer, BD, Eli Lilly, Pfizer and Teva.Direct Relief’s Fund for Health Equity, which provides flexible philanthropic funds that enable health centers to focus on high value efforts that are not easily funded from existing revenue streams. The Fund has awarded $43.7 million in grants.Power for Health. Without power, critical health services can’t be provided – lifesaving medicines go bad, electronic health records can’t be accessed, essential medical equipment can’t be powered, and vital community health facilities serving the most vulnerable shut down. This initiative brings clean, renewable backup power to community health centers and free clinics to ensure they can deliver critical healthcare services during power outages.

AccessHealth, an FQHC serving two counties west of Houston, uses a mobile clinic the size of a large bus to bring care to its patients. With the mobile clinic, donated by Direct Relief, AccessHealth holds back-to-school health fairs each August serving about 2,000 families, providing the immunizations their children need to attend school, along with health screenings, eye exams and dental screenings. About half the patients it serves lack any form of health insurance. In 2023 through November, Texas kicked 1.4 million people – 64% of all enrollees – off its Medicaid program, the highest number and largest proportion of any state, according to KFF.

“The funding Direct Relief has given us for the mobile health unit allows us to work in rural communities, both on the medical and dental side,” said Mike Dotson, CEO of AccessHealth. “The need for transportation highly affects the folks that we see, so being able to use that resource is a big win for us, and it helps our patients in a really, really positive way.”

Disaster Response

In addition to its decades-long work internationally, Direct Relief has responded to dozens of major natural disasters in the U.S. since ramping up its domestic programs nearly 20 years ago.

Climate change is driving more frequent and far more destructive hurricanes and wildfires, uprooting people from their homes and cutting them off from their healthcare providers and medicine supplies. Research has shown that in disasters like 2017’s Hurricane Maria that devastated Puerto Rico, more people have died from interrupted access to healthcare than from physical injury. People living with medication-dependent chronic conditions like type 1 diabetes and hypertensive diseases are at particular risk.

Drawing on its long experience responding to natural disasters, Direct Relief assembles, stocks and prepositions caches of the medicines and medical supplies most commonly needed by people in the wake of a disaster, including trauma supplies, antibiotics and wound care supplies, as well as medications for diabetes, hypertension, and respiratory, psychological and gastrointestinal ailments.

Direct Relief provides the supplies both in Emergency Medical Backpacks, which can be quickly flown to disaster scenes and given to medical responders, and in Hurricane Prep Packs (HPPs), which are large caches prepositioned in hurricane-prone areas. Packed into each HPP are 220 types of medicine and medical supplies, designed to provide enough medical supplies to care for 100 people for 72 hours. Ahead of the 2023 hurricane season, Direct Relief pre-positioned emergency medical supplies in every southeastern and Gulf Coast U.S. state from Virginia to Texas, as well as throughout the Caribbean and Central America.

As with its ongoing domestic programs, Direct Relief’s U.S. disaster response is delivered primarily through its health center and free clinic partners. Health center and clinic patients tend to be more medically vulnerable due to factors such as longstanding societal barriers, lower incomes, and less wealth, and these factors magnify the impact of emergencies. The health centers’ and clinics’ deep experience and earned trust within communities and among their patients, and their keen familiarity with the particular health risks that existed prior to an emergency, are essential to engage and support when an emergency occurs.

A Domestic Program Born in Crisis Response

From its founding in 1948 until the mid-2000s, Direct Relief worked almost exclusively outside the United States. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans, displacing 1 million people and cutting them off from essential medicine supplies. This was a turning point for Direct Relief, spurring the organization to obtain pharmaceutical distribution licenses nationwide. In 2009, it became the first charity with licenses to distribute pharmaceuticals in all 50 states. Today, the vast majority of Direct Relief’s support for community health is provided for ongoing needs that aren’t tied to specific disasters.

Last fall Trane Technologies made a commitment to source low-carbon steel, a material that is used in nearly all our products and a significant part of our supply chain. Less than one year later, we have shipped more than one million HVAC units made with that low-carbon steel to homes, schools and data centers across the United States.

When we say we’re reducing a gigaton of carbon emissions from our customers’ footprints by 2030, this is what we’re talking about. When we say we’ll reach net-zero by 2050, this is one of the ways we’re going to make that happen.

To us, these are not just commitments, these are not just words. This is how we do business. From the world stage to the factory floor, this is who we really are.

Big challenges, big opportunity

Traditionally, steel has been manufactured in a very energy-intensive way, making up approximately 8% of global carbon emissions. Innovators in the steel sector have developed a new way to manufacture steel in an electric arc furnace, a process which is nearly 80% less carbon intensive than traditional blast furnace methods.

And because Trane Technologies is committed to cultivating an innovative and sustainable supply chain, we’ve incorporated the use of low-carbon steel at two Trane® manufacturing plants, where we build high-efficiency products for residential and commercial clients. Products leveraging low-carbon steel include high-efficiency heat pumps and air conditioners for homes, and thermal management systems for commercial buildings such as schools and data centers.

As a founding member of the First Movers Coalition, we understand the importance of early market commitment to purchasing innovative clean technologies, especially across hard-to-abate sectors like steel and shipping. And we intentionally partner with companies at the forefront of innovation in low-carbon solutions because we know they play a critical role in reducing emissions across our value chain.

Last November, we became the first in our industry to join SteelZero, an initiative launched by Climate Group and ResponsibleSteel. SteelZero aims to accelerate the decarbonization of the steel sector. We pledged an initial 20% of our annual steel purchasing to low-carbon steels, and we pledged to procure 50% net-zero steel by 2030 and 100% by 2050.

Partnering with low-carbon steel suppliers is an important step toward achieving a net-zero future. Using low-carbon steel, Trane Technologies expects to reduce our Scope 3 emissions by nearly 120,000 mtCO2e by 2030—the equivalent of the emissions generated from powering more than 15,000 homes for one year.

Generating momentum

We’re proud of our progress, and even more excited about the future of low-carbon steel.

In the future, as the grid greens, the electricity used in the production of this important raw material could ultimately transition and be replaced with renewable energy, a zero-emissions source.

Customers around the country, in nearly all regions and key vertical markets including schools, data centers and healthcare, are now leveraging low-carbon steel in their sustainable HVAC solutions from Trane Technologies. Our industry-leading purchase and use of low-carbon steel creates important momentum, moving the global market forward, encouraging demand for the responsible production and sourcing of steel, and paving the way for others to make the shift, too.

Sustainability is our strategy, and partnering with suppliers who are aligned with our bold 2030 Sustainability Commitments allows us to meet our customers’ needs for innovative, environmentally responsible products and services – while leading the way toward a net-zero future.

Learn more about our products development process and approach to reducing embodied carbon in our 2022 ESG report.

At Kimberly-Clark, we know digital transformation is pivotal to our ability to better serve consumers. As a result of our innovative supply chain initiatives, we were recently awarded the prestigious NextGen Supply Chain Visionary Award, which is given to one company each year that has made great strides in its supply chain and is setting the bar for the future. Scott DeGroot, vice president of global distribution and planning, accepted the award virtually during last month’s conference.

In an acceptance interview with Bob Trebilcock, executive editor of Modern Materials Handling, Scott discussed the digitization and innovation of Kimberly-Clark’s supply chain and the company’s commitment to delivering exceptional value while fulfilling consumer needs.

Watch Scott’s full interview here:

https://www.scmr.com/article/what-does-it-take-to-be-a-supply-chain-visionary

About Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) and its trusted brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Fueled by ingenuity, creativity, and an understanding of people’s most essential needs, we create products that help individuals experience more of what’s important to them. Our portfolio of brands, including Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Cottonelle, Poise, Depend, Andrex, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Intimus, Neve, Plenitud, Sweety, Softex, Viva and WypAll, hold No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in approximately 80 countries. We use sustainable practices that support a healthy planet, build strong communities, and ensure our business thrives for decades to come. We are proud to be recognized as one of the world’s most ethical companies by Ethisphere for the fifth year in a row. To keep up with the latest news and to learn more about the company’s 150-year history of innovation, visit kimberly-clark.com.

DUBAI and NEW YORK, November 21, 2023 /3BL/ – The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) has awarded Expo City Dubai the WELL Health-Safety Rating for 23 of its buildings, a testament to the city’s commitment to supporting human well-being and prioritising sustainability. The city’s iconic Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion and Alif – The Mobility Pavilion are among those to have received the rating.

The WELL Health-Safety Rating is an evidence-based, third-party verified rating that supports organisations to advance health-focused strategies for building operations and prepares businesses for long-term resilience. A people-centric, innovation-driven city of the future, Expo City Dubai is committed to maximising its positive social, environmental and economic impact, during and beyond its hosting of COP28, with health, safety, and well-being embedded into its city-wide sustainability strategy.

Derived from the WELL Building Standard (WELL), the world’s leading framework for healthy buildings, organisations and communities, the WELL Health-Safety Rating has sparked considerable demand across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the wider region. With over 60 evidence-based strategies spanning operational policies, maintenance protocols and emergency plans, the rating is a proven roadmap for organisations that are committed to operational excellence by addressing air and water quality, cleaning procedures, emergency preparedness, health resources and stakeholder engagement.

“One of five hubs in the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, Expo City Dubai is a growing, mixed-use community that seeks to create a better future for both people and planet – and a healthy, safe environment that promotes well-being is key to achieving this. The experiences of those who visit, work and, eventually, live at Expo City Dubai is integral to every decision we make in developing and operating our community, and we are proud this has been recognised with IWBI’s awarding of the WELL Health-Safety Rating. We will continue to explore ways to maximise our social and environmental impact, particularly as we progress toward our net zero by 2050 targets,” said Matt Brown, Chief – Sustainability, Expo City Dubai.

“Expo City Dubai’s outstanding WELL Health-Safety Rating achievement ahead of hosting major international events and as the city continues to evolve reflects a proactive and innovative approach to prioritising the importance of addressing both climate change and human health, safety and well-being,” said Paul Scialla, IWBI Founder. “We are proud to continue this important collaboration with Expo City Dubai as they set an inspiring example for adopting and verifying evidence-based measures.”

“The leadership and commitment demonstrated by Expo City Dubai to implement the WELL Health-Safety Rating across its buildings aligns with IWBI’s belief that planetary and human health go hand-in-hand,” said Prateek Khanna, Chief Operating Officer, IWBI. “The rating communicates to members of the global community entering these spaces that Expo City Dubai has prioritised their health, safety and well-being as they conduct the important work of addressing the climate crisis.”

“Congratulations to Expo City Dubai for achieving the WELL Health-Safety Rating at its permanent structures, and for leading the way on the health and safety of its people,” said Tekha Selim, Vice President and Head of MENA Region, IWBI. “As a leader in the region and globally, Expo City Dubai is leveraging WELL to instil confidence in the places where people spend their time, enhance resilience to health-related impacts and drive productivity.”

Built on the legacy site of Expo 2020 Dubai, Expo City is already home to 123 LEED-certified buildings and eight rated ‘Excellent’ under BREEAM Infrastructure – one of the largest rosters of BREEAM Infrastructure awards on a single site globally – a demonstration of the city’s focus on sustainable design, construction and operations.

Expo City Dubai, an IWBI member, is also the region’s first community enrolled to register and pursue certification for the WELL Community Standard, a district scale programme that sets a benchmark for healthy communities.

Designed with 15-minute city planning principles, Expo City’s newly launched residential developments prioritise environmental sustainability, health and well-being. The community includes 45,000 sqm of parks and gardens, running and cycling tracks and children’s playgrounds, while native and adaptive species are prioritised in its landscape plants, consuming less water. More than 90 percent of landscape areas are managed without the use of chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers.

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About the International WELL Building Institute 
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is a public benefit corporation and the world’s leading organisation focused on deploying people-first places to advance a global culture of health. IWBI mobilises its community through the administration of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and WELL ratings and certifications, management of the WELL AP credential, the pursuit of applicable research, the development of educational resources and advocacy for policies that promote health and well-being everywhere. More information on WELL can be found here.

International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL Portfolio, WELL Score, The WELL Conference, We Are WELL, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rating, WELL Health-Safety Rated, WELL Equity, WELL Performance Rated, WELL Performance Rating, Works with WELL, WELL and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute pbc in the United States and other countries.

About Expo City Dubai

An inclusive innovation-driven, people-centric city of the future and one of five hubs on the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, Expo City Dubai is committed to maximising its positive social, environmental and economic impactDesigned as a blueprint for sustainable urban living, its roadmap to achieving net zero by 2050 and its broader decarbonisation targets raise the bar on responsible urban developmentIts ecosystem supports cross-sector collaboration and provides a springboard for businesses of all sizes to scale and grow, enhancing Dubai’s position as a global centre of trade and reinforcing the UAE’s development and diversification ambitionsIts residential communities redefine urban living, exemplifying best practice in innovative, environment-friendly design with a focus on wellbeing and happinessAn incubator for innovation, it is a testbed for solutions and a platform for groundbreaking ideas that benefit both people and the planetPacked with educational, cultural and entertainment offerings and a go-to destination for globally significant events, it celebrates human creativity and ingenuity and inspires future generationsThe legacy of Expo 2020 Dubai, Expo City Dubai connects businesses, government, organisations, educational institutions, residents and visitors, working together to drive progress and create a better, more equitable, more sustainable future for all

Media Contacts:

Expo City Dubai: press.office@expocitydubai.ae 
IWBI: media@wellcertified.com

SWORDS, Ireland, November 21, 2023 /3BL/ – Trane Technologies (NYSE: TT), a global climate innovator, today announced at Solutrans 2023 that it has fulfilled its August 2021 commitment to deliver fully electric, zero direct emission Thermo King® refrigeration solutions for every segment of the cold chain in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region by 2023.

The company is continuing to lead by example in its electrification and decarbonization of the cold chain – helping customers transition to more sustainable fleet solutions while reducing their carbon footprints. Investing more than $100 million into its all-electric evolve™ portfolio, including electric refrigeration solutions for truck, trailer, rail, air and marine transport.

“As we continue leveraging the power of innovation to transform our industry, I am thrilled to announce this significant milestone in our journey toward a more sustainable world,” said Dwayne Cowan, president, Thermo King EMEA, Trane Technologies. “Our ability to deliver an all-electric, zero direct emissions solution in every segment of the EMEA cold chain represents another important step in our unwavering commitment to cutting our customers’ carbon footprints while reducing global food loss.”

From November 21 to 25, Solutrans 2023 visitors will have the opportunity to see Thermo King’s latest transport electrification innovations, including:

Sophisticated solutions in the industry-leading Advancer trailer refrigeration portfolio, including a fully-electric, emission-free system with AxlePower smart energy generating technology.A new, all-electric E-series refrigeration unit for light commercial vehicles – the most energy-efficient transport refrigeration unit on the market today – enabling customers to transition from a diesel-powered to zero-emission solution.Advanced, fully-electric transport refrigeration unit cooling technology for heavy goods vehicles, helping accelerate the next generation of last mile delivery operations.

Continuing to lead by example in the sustainable transport of food and critical pharmaceuticals around the world, the company will also leverage innovative and digitally enabled electrification technologies to offer all-electric solutions for every cold chain segment in the Americas by 2025. With emissions reductions targets externally validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), Trane Technologies is advancing its 2030 Sustainability Commitments, including its Gigaton Challenge to reduce customer emissions by a billion metric tons, and its pledge to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

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About Trane Technologies 
Trane Technologies is a global climate innovator. Through our strategic brands Trane® and Thermo King®, and our portfolio of environmentally responsible products and services, we bring efficient and sustainable climate solutions to buildings, homes, and transportation. Learn more at tranetechologies.com.

About Thermo King 
Thermo King is the leader in sustainable transport climate control solutions. We provide cutting-edge technology and solutions with sustainability and the customer experience in mind. Fresh thinking, passion, and problem-solving are core to our culture and approach, ensuring our customers deliver what matters most to communities everywhere.

Forward Looking Statements 
This news release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of securities laws, which are statements that are not historical facts, including statements that relate to our electrification and decarbonization innovations, and our other sustainability commitments and the impact of these commitments. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from our current expectations. Factors that could cause such differences can be found in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, as well as our subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and other SEC filings. New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible for us to predict these events or how they may affect the Company. We assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.