Tag: 3BL

HOUSTON, October 30, 2023 /3BL/ – LyondellBasell is pleased to announce it received the Supply Chain Excellence Award from SC Johnson in recognition of its strong supply chain support during weather disruptions and the pandemic.

Winners were announced at an awards ceremony during SC Johnson’s Together We Win event in Milwaukee on September 19, 2023.

“We are honored to be the recipient of the Supply Chain Excellence Award, and we value our longstanding relationship with SC Johnson,” said Palmer Giddings, vice president, Polyolefins Americas at LyondellBasell. “Our customer-focused global supply chain organization provided exceptional performance to support SC Johnson with solutions during unprecedented times ensuring their products were able to reach consumers.”

Out of thousands of suppliers in SC Johnson’s network, LyondellBasell was among the seven recipients that were recognized at the award presentation event.

About SC Johnson

Founded in 1886 and headquartered in Racine, Wisconsin USA, SC Johnson believes that a more sustainable, healthier and transparent world that inspires people and creates opportunities isn’t just possible – it’s our responsibility.

A heritage of innovation and bold, transparent decisions is why our high-quality products and iconic brands – including OFF!®, Raid®, Glade®, Windex®, Scrubbing Bubbles®, Ziploc®, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day®, method®, Autan®, Baygon®, Mr Muscle®, Duck®, Lysoform® and more – are in homes, schools and businesses in virtually every country worldwide.

As a global, purpose-led company, we are committed to making the world a better place today and for future generations. That means relentlessly bringing our expertise in science, innovation and partnerships to bear on some of the world’s most pressing environmental and health issues like reducing plastic waste and eradicating malaria. Around the world, we use our resources to unlock greater economic and educational opportunities for people and communities where access may be limited, but curiosity and potential are limitless.

See how SC Johnson is a Family Company At Work For a Better World by visiting scjohnson.com or joining us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

About LyondellBasell

We are LyondellBasell (NYSE: LYB) – a leader in the global chemical industry creating solutions for everyday sustainable living. Through advanced technology and focused investments, we are enabling a circular and low carbon economy. Across all we do, we aim to unlock value for our customers, investors and society. As one of the world’s largest producers of polymers and a leader in polyolefin technologies, we develop, manufacture and market high-quality and innovative products for applications ranging from sustainable transportation and food safety to clean water and quality healthcare. For more information, please visit https://www.lyondellbasell.com/ or follow @LyondellBasell on LinkedIn.

Guided by Mary Kay Ash’s dream to enrich the lives of women everywhere, the Mary Kay Ash Foundation raises and distributes funds to invest in breakthrough cancer research to find cures for cancers affecting women and ending domestic violence against women.

Since 1996, the Foundation has awarded more than 270 cancer research grants totaling over $26 million to innovative, translational cancer research projects around the country. Each year, the Foundation funds research efforts, along with critical cancer care support programs and services. The Foundation remains unwavering in its commitment to focusing on finding cures for cancers affecting women.

The Mary Kay Ash Foundation takes a holistic approach to grant giving efforts to ensure supporting research programs that are innovative and help spark additional research throughout the world.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Mary Kay Ash FoundationSM awarded 12 cancer research grants totaling $1.2 million in support of innovative/translational research efforts. Researchers from the country’s top accredited universities and institutes received $100,000 grants to further conduct groundbreaking research in cancers primarily affecting women, potentially leading to better detection, prognosis, and treatment options.

Click here to access a full list of 2023 Mary Kay Ash Foundation Cancer Research Grant recipients, and previous years’ recipients.

To learn more about our cancer research grants, eligibility, and requirements for applying, along with cancer-related programs and support services funded by Mary Kay Ash Foundation, visit our website.

By Lara Warren | October 5, 2023

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., October 25, 2023 /3BL/ – Regions Bank on Thursday announced the company has received the highest possible score of 100 on the 2023 Disability Equality Index®, the leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide. With this year’s distinction, Regions has now been named a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” for the third consecutive year.

“Regions Bank has a strong commitment to providing a workplace where everyone can thrive,” said Clara Green, head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Regions. “We are proud of our score of 100, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have more work to do. We want to continue to create a workplace environment where associates of all abilities feel included, and our workforce reflects the communities we serve.”

The Disability Equality Index is a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability:IN. Participating companies receive a score on a scale of zero to 100, with those earning 80 and above recognized as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion.” Since its inception in 2015, participation in the Disability Equality Index has grown six times – from 80 companies in the inaugural year to 485 in 2023.

Regions Bank has a strong commitment to providing a workplace where everyone can thrive. We are proud of our score of 100, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have more work to do.

Clara Green, head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Regions

Regions’ commitment to disability inclusion supports associates, customers and the communities the bank serves:

Regions has a dedicated Disability Services and Outreach Manager who manages external and internal outreach efforts.Regions celebrates National Disability Employment Awareness Month every year by hosting educational events for associates.Regions provides associates with the opportunity to self-identify as having a disability.Regions is dedicated to inclusivity and accessibility for its customers, providing accessible products and services both in person and online.

About Regions Financial Corporation 
Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), with $156 billion in assets, is a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation’s largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, and mortgage products and services. Regions serves customers across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates approximately 1,250 banking offices and more than 2,000 ATMs. Regions Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. Additional information about Regions and its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com.

About the Disability Equality Index 
The Disability Equality Index (DEI) is a comprehensive benchmarking tool that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions that they can take to achieve disability inclusion and equality. Each company receives a score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, with those earning 80 and above recognized as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion.”

The DEI is a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the nation’s largest disability rights organization, and Disability:IN, the global business disability inclusion network, to collectively advance the inclusion of people with disabilities. The organizations are complementary and bring unique strengths that make the project relevant and credible to corporations and the disability community. The tool was developed by the DEI Advisory Committee, a diverse group of business leaders, policy experts, and disability advocates. Learn more at: https://disabilityin.org/what-we-do/disability-equality-index/.

Originally published on Essity.com

The care economy

The care economy plays a crucial role in society in accelerating overall health and well-being as well as in shaping and creating resilience. The global demographic shift, with a rapidly growing older population, increases the need for care, and places pressure on an already strained care economy. Yet there is an opportunity for new practices and innovation within the care economy to make a big positive impact. More people will be able to look after themselves at an older age and the demand for care workers will also increase, including both professional and family caregivers. At the same time the financing of public healthcare systems is impacted by more elderly people in need and potentially fewer younger people in the work force. Globally, countries are witnessing a care gap, meaning there is a deficit in the number of caregivers compared to the growing number of people in need of care. If not addressed properly this deficit can create an unsustainable global care crisis and increase inequalities.1

Smart investments in care and preventive measures will not only strengthen the resilience of healthcare systems and contribute to more sustainable and better care as well as better health and well-being for persons receiving care and caregivers but also strengthen societies’ capacity to recover after disasters and crises.2

“The care economy encompasses direct care activities, such as nursing an ill partner or feeding a baby, and indirect care activities, such as cleaning, cooking and so on. Whether paid or unpaid, direct, or indirect, care work is vital for human well-being and economies and is yet to receive adequate attention in policy formulation.”

– Chidi King, Chief of the Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Branch at the ILO

Recognizing the value of care

Recognizing and investing in care in a smart way creates value for society, as it contributes to better health and well-being for both care recipients and caregivers. According to UN Women, the care economy contributes to poverty reduction, elimination of inequalities in socioeconomic status, and sustainable and inclusive growth.3 However, the social and economic value that care creates is still not recognized to the extent that it deserves. A shift in mindset is needed; from seeing care investments as mere costs to recognizing them as valuable investments that generate tangible returns in terms of personal well-being and patient outcomes, as well as public health, societal and economic progress.

By acknowledging and prioritizing the value of care, societies can foster an environment conducive to inclusive and equitable growth. This could contribute to creating a society where individuals have equal access to opportunities and resources necessary for health and well-being.

Securing the right and best care for individuals increases independence and improves health outcomes. On the individual level, acknowledging the value of care fosters physical, mental, and emotional health. Individuals who experience quality care are more likely to possess higher self-esteem, improved coping mechanisms, and greater life satisfaction, ultimately leading to an enhanced quality of life.4 Care is a fundamental human rights component. According to the UN Declaration of Human Rights, every individual has the right to access healthcare, education, social protection, and active participation in public life.5 In order to uphold these rights, there is a need to foster a care economy that is rooted in human rights principles, responsive to gender disparities, inclusive of individuals with disabilities, and sensitive to the diverse needs of different age groups. Promoting a care economy that considers the diverse care needs of different individuals is essential for ensuring the health and well-being of all.

SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. Investing in care in a smart way creates value for society, which is essential to ensure good health and well-being for both caregivers and persons receiving care. This drives progress in SDG 3.

What are the returns of investing in the care economy?

Investing in the care economy fosters a more inclusive and equitable society that benefits the health and well-being of individuals, families, communities, and the overall economy. This sets the foundations for stronger and more sustainable long-term economic growth.6Investing in accessible quality care allows individuals to participate fully in the workforce, contributing to productivity and economic stability.7Investing in care solutions and preventive measures strengthens the resilience in healthcare systems, which could increase overall health outcomes and avoid looming crises or speed up recovery after crises.8Investing in care jobs will increase the general health and well-being of the population while also promoting gender equality, as women make up over 70% of the care workforce.9

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

Learn more about Essity here

1ILO (2018) Care work and care jobs for the future of decent work. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—dgreports/—dcomm/— publ/documents/publication/wcms_633135.pdf

2ILO (2022) How to make the care sector resilient after the pandemic? https://www.ilo.org/brussels/information-resources/news/ WCMS_859044/lang–en/index.htm

3UN Women (2018). Promoting women’s economic empowerment: Recognizing and investing in the care economy. Issue Paper, UN Women, New York.

4Malley, J., D’Amico, F., & Fernandez, J. L. (2019). What is the relationship between the quality of care experience and quality of life outco- mes? Some evidence from long-term home care in England. Social Science & Medicine, 243, 112635.

5UN General Assembly (1948). Universal declaration of human rights. 302(2), 14-25.

6Llena-Nozal, A., Martin, N., & Murtin, F. (2019). The economy of well-being: Creating opportunities for people’s well-being and economic growth.

7UN Women (2018). Promoting women’s economic empowerment: Recognizing and investing in the care economy. Issue Paper, UN Women, New York.

8ILO (2022) How to make the care sector resilient after the pandemic? https://www.ilo.org/brussels/information-resources/news/ WCMS_859044/lang–en/index.htm

9World Health Organization. (2021). Closing the leadership gap: Gender equity and leadership in the global health and care workforce: policy action paper, June 2021

As originally published in the 2022 .gay Impact Report

Partner Spotlight

.gay knows that every coming out story is unique, and that being out and proud is very powerful. To commemorate National Coming Out Day 2022, .gay teamed up with Porkbun, a registrar partner to celebrate personal coming out stories.

Together, they collaborated with an incredible group of LGBTQIA+ content creators. These courageous individuals, who are living authentically and continuing to inspire daily, shared their coming out story with the goal of encouraging others with their own coming out journeys.

The outcome, .gay domain names were activated for each of the creators, which were then redirected to their existing website, social media or platform of their choice. This tells internet users that representation matters.

The #BornDotGay campaign highlighted coming out as a brave and beautiful act. It introduced .gay to thousands of people and generated more than 250,000 impressions across various platforms – all in a single day.

This year, .gay partnered with dozens of LGBTQIA+ nonprofit organizations, community impact groups, brands and individuals working to create a safer world for queer and trans people — both online and in the real world.

Visit www.Community.gay for a collection of interviews with a selection of .gay’s 2023 community partners.

Ali Forney Center Play OUT ApparelAustin LGBT Chamber of Commerce PTM Foundation CenterLinkQDoc Queer Documentary Film Festival COLAGEQweerty Gamers EqualdexRainbow Labs Equality New MexicoRainbow Rose Center GATE Seacoast Outright GLAADSQSH (St. Louis Queer+ Support Helpline) GLAPN StartOut Imperial Sovereign Rose Court of Oregon T.A.K.E. Kill Rock Stars The Ally Coalition LGBT Center of Greater Reading The Center for Positive Sexuality Oasis Center LGBT National Help Center The North Idaho Pride Alliance LGBTQ Relationship Center of Iowa The Phluid PhoundationLouisville Youth Group The Venture Out Project //One-N-Ten Utah Pride CenterPlanned Parenthood Trans Tech Social Youth Pride, Inc. 

View and download the full 2022 .gay Impact Report here.

About .gay 
The .gay domain extension provides a distinctive digital space devoted to connecting and celebrating members of LGBTQIA+ communities and their allies. For individuals, organizations, businesses and brands, .gay serves as a virtual Pride flag and inclusive badge of honor. For every new domain registered, .gay donates 20% of registration revenue to LGBTQIA+ nonprofit groups to help address key issues facing these communities.

About GoDaddy Registry 
GoDaddy Registry is one of the world’s largest domain registry providers. We operate top-level domains (TLDs) on behalf of sovereign nations, city governments, global brands and other domain registries. With more than two decades of industry leadership, we serve as the Registry Operator for industry-leading TLDs like .co, .us, .biz and .nyc — and manage the backend registry technology for hundreds more.

CLEVELAND, October 30, 2023 /3BL/ – KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. (“KBCM”), the corporate and investment banking arm of KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY), announced the appointment of Ben Rechkemmer to head of Native American Financial Services (NASF). Rechkemmer is based in Michigan and will report to Mike Jackson, KeyBanc Capital Markets segment leader.

Previously, Ben was a relationship manager with the NAFS team over his 19 years at Key. In his new position, Ben will take a more visible role as the face and voice of Key in Native American circles, providing superb service to Native American tribal clients. Ben’s banking career began with Bank One (later JPMorgan Chase) where he completed commercial banking credit analyst training and served as capital markets associate before working as a senior credit underwriter in commercial banking. He joined Key’s NAFS team in its early days, establishing the underwriting framework before quickly moving into a relationship manager role with his own book of business.

“Ben is a natural fit for this role given his experience in helping NAFS grow to the national business it is today,” said Jackson. “His understanding of this segment and its challenges and opportunities ideally positions him to step into this leadership role.”

Rechkemmer earned his B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Iowa and MBA from the University of Washington.

Mike Lettig, Head of Native American Financial Services, will retire in early November 2023 after a 47-year career in banking. He established Key’s Native American Financial Services (NAFS) business, going live with one hire and a single client. Under Mike’s leadership, NAFS grew to a national business that has raised over $15 billion in capital, with $2.5 billion in commitments, close to $3 billion in deposits, and $4 billion in investment management and trust business. NAFS works with more than 200 tribes and tribal enterprises across the country and has also made substantial grants to nonprofits including the Native American Finance Officers Association (NAFOA) and the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development. In October, he was honored with the NAFOA Honorary Leadership Award.

“Mike’s track record of developing and leading NAFS, as well as his expertise, passion and commitment for our tribal clients have been instrumental in the growth of our business,” said Jackson. “I feel privileged to have learned from and partnered with him and we wish him the best in retirement.”

About KeyBanc Capital Markets 
KeyBanc Capital Markets is a leading corporate and investment bank providing capital markets and advisory solutions to dynamic companies capitalizing on opportunities in changing industries. Our deep industry expertise, broad capabilities and unique ideas are seamlessly delivered to companies across the Consumer & Retail, Diversified Industries, Healthcare, Industrial, Oil & Gas, Real Estate, Utilities, Power & Renewables, and Technology verticals. With over 800 professionals across a national platform, KeyBanc Capital Markets has more than $50 billion of capital committed to clients and an award-winning Equity Research team that provides coverage on over 600 publicly traded companies. Securities products and services are offered by KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, and its licensed securities representatives, who may also be employees of KeyBank N.A. Banking products and services, are offered by KeyBank N.A.

About KeyCorp 
KeyCorp’s roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $188 billion at September 30, 2023. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications, and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.

By The Black & Veatch Insights Group

Across the landscape of U.S. electric utilities, the words “grid modernization” encapsulate the frustration and promise in tackling the growing need to update and harden chronically aging grid infrastructure against an onslaught of threats while capitalizing on emerging opportunities.

Pressures come with better integrating distributed energy resources (DERs) and improving reliability of the grid while bolstering its resilience against severe weather. From cybersecurity to the outage-causing effects of a changing climate and the push to accommodate growing uses of renewable energy onto the grid in an evolving energy ecosystem, the demands for modernized grid infrastructure are real – and rising. Widening adoption of electric vehicles, distributed energy storage and solar photovoltaics will require more infrastructure to accommodate customer vehicle charging, decarbonization and reliability needs.

The sector has reached a tipping point. After more than a decade of especially intense concerns aboutcthe resiliency of infrastructure that, in many cases, is past its prime, the chorus of calls to modernize iscreaching a growing pitch. Federal lawmakers hear it and, with the stroke of President Joe Biden’s pen, have greased the pipeline with billions of dollars of available funding to make change happen, though that infusion only now is beginning to flow.

At this moment, it’s simply about fundamentals. Supply chain bottlenecks first manifested by the COVID-19 pandemic continue to frustrate efforts to get what’s needed in any timely fashion. As older workers continue to retire – taking their intimate knowledge of the nuances of grid infrastructure with them – utilities are having a tough time recruiting skilled workers in a tight, competitive job market. And sadly, utilities still aren’t making the most of their data that, in the absence of actual investment in new technologies, can help operators get the most out of infrastructure past its prime.

It’s a complicated picture illustrated by other data, this time from Black & Veatch in a survey of more than 650 U.S. power sector stakeholders for the global critical infrastructure leader’s 2023 Electric Report.

The Time to Modernize is Now

Without question, strategically modernizing the grid inherently carries great opportunity, including the potential of greater value from infrastructure investments, lower operating costs, improved resiliency and the enhanced reliability that comes with replacing aging assets.

So, what’s the appetite for such investment, and what’s the time horizon among U.S. electric utilities? Black & Veatch survey respondents cited as the top driver of grid modernization now and within the next year for their enterprises as low-probability, high-impact events that include increasingly frequent extreme events — droughts, hurricanes and wildfires — fueled by climate change (50 percent). That narrowly outranked renewable energy penetration (49 percent).

The takeaway: At least in the short-term, utilities worry most about their grid’s resiliency against catastrophic events.

Supply Chain Issues a Big Headwind

Confounding the eagerness of U.S. electric utilities to proactively update their grid, supply chain issues persisting since the COVID-19 pandemic are stoking uncertainty and slowing needed progress. Availability of everything from transformers to other vital components has reached unprecedented delays, and their costs in many cases are higher and more volatile given the tight supply, slowing efforts to modernize and decarbonize the grid.

When asked when they anticipate their enterprise will face certain challenges to grid modernization, nearly two-thirds of respondents — 62 percent — cited supply chain constraints as their most-pressing issue. Three other challenges — competition for capital dollars, concerns about ongoing maintenance costs, and resource constraints — were tightly bunched at about 50 percent.

Plotting a Path

As the wait continues, Black & Veatch — a global leader in grid modernization solutions — has advised U.S. electric utility clients to remain engaged, among other things by ramping up dialogue with suppliers for a better understanding of what lead times look like in the pursuit of what’s needed. Another suggestion is to widen their net of possible suppliers, understanding the varying state standards that apply to what equipment and components are approved.

In essence, it’s about prioritizing and sequencing upgrade phases. That means having everything queued up to ideally coincide with the federal infusion of funds and tax credits through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) fully flows, underwriting some of the cost of the upgrades for those willing to secure the funding. Having a guiding financial model lining out a roadmap for operational and maintenance priorities will be key, given the expected, intense competition for the federal financing incentives that could have a rush of recipients putting in their orders and launching upgrade projects all at the same time.

Central to grid modernization strategy is having a plan that brings maximum value to the consumers, considers all the constraints and is defensible to regulators and other constituents.

What to Expect: A Crystal Ball

When it comes to supply chain constraints, pessimism abounds that this challenge is not likely to abate any time soon.

Looking ahead over the next three to five years, the top concern among survey respondents about tomorrow’s grid development is the generation mix with fewer traditional baseload units and more utility-scale renewable sources (47 percent), localizing a utility’s grid constraints. That’s followed closely by – you guessed it – supply chain issues for equipment (43 percent), with the lag in getting regulatory approvals for system changes drawing 31 percent.

Workforce worries also are in the mix, with more than one in five respondents citing the lack of qualified workers to engineer, maintain and operate the more complex system as something that’s keeping them up at night.

For U.S. electric utilities, it’s a world of growing complexities that demands collaboration, both with suppliers and outside experts who can offer clarity that cuts through the clutter and offer the smart path forward.

Nasdaq

With each passing year, the urgency to address climate change grows. The global temperature is rising, the number of natural disasters — from droughts and cyclones to fires and earthquakes — is increasing, and as a result, the economic cost of climate change is climbing.

In the United States, the cost of climate and weather disasters in 2022 totaled more than $165 billion, the third most costly year on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). As of Sept. 11, 2023, there have been 23 confirmed climate disaster events in the U.S. this year with losses exceeding $1 billion each. And yet, these figures fail to represent the devastation from lives lost and the effects on families and communities upended and displaced by climate crises.

In recognition that climate change will continue to have far-reaching effects on the economy and society and to help kick off NYC Climate Week 2023, Nasdaq hosted “Climate x Capital,” a half-day summit that convened key leaders from across the climate ecosystem — including investors, founders, experts, advocates and diplomats — to discuss how we can most effectively connect climate solutions to capital.

At the summit’s opening fireside chat, Nasdaq Global Head of Listings Karen Snow sat down with former United States Vice President Al Gore, who shared that when he began his political career as a congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives, conversations around global warming and climate were just beginning. Now, we’re seeing real change in the public and private sectors and, as a result, consumer behavior — pointing specifically to the growth in the electric vehicle industry, the rise of LED lights and expansion in even newer industries like green steel.

“We’re in the early stages of a sustainability revolution that’s powered in part by the new information technologies,” said Gore, who is the co-founder and chairman of Generation Investment Management. “The sustainability revolution is likely to have the scale of the industrial revolution, coupled with the speed of the digital revolution.”

However, all speakers acknowledged this isn’t just about the work of “climate companies;” this is about all companies joining the conversation.

In a session on how organizations can maximize impact, Climate Cardinals Founder Sophia Kianni emphasized the need for cross-industry collaboration. Kianni specifically highlighted the need for companies to share expertise, resources and technology.

Chief Commercialization Officer of The Department of Energy (DOE) Dr. Vanessa Chan also echoed the importance of collaborating in the fight against climate change, speaking about how the private sector can best partner with the DOE.

She emphasized that while the DOE is utilizing resources from the Inflation Reduction Act to buy down risk, in the end, it’s the $23 trillion in the private sector that is going to be able to commercialize things.

“[The DOE is trying] to use the IRA money in a way that gets us to the point that the risk has gotten down and we can actually get the private sector to engage,” Dr. Chan said. “We’ll need the private sector to move towards us. We need you guys to be less risk averse and to actually think about ways in which you’re going to maybe not get the ROI you want, not hit the hurdle rate you want, but have the impact that we need.”

During the summit, we heard from industry leaders across the e-commerce, carbon removal and food industry space about how they are driving impact, the role they are playing in the climate revolution and some of the struggles they are currently facing.

Although being a green company isn’t in their mission statement, when Shopify began its journey as a public company, the management team immediately began looking at the changes they would have to make to their company to ensure they would be around for the long run — starting with their environmental footprint, said Shopify Head of Sustainability Stacy Kauk. Shopify joined forces with companies such as Climeworks to work to reduce the amount of carbon in the air. Climeworks CFO Andreas Aepli acknowledged that in order to grow Climeworks, they must be able to scale the carbon removal process even further while educating the public on the difference between carbon removal and carbon reduction.

Impossible Foods CEO Peter McGuinness shared the early struggles his climate-friendly company has faced as it has scaled. When Impossible Foods first launched, its marketing strategy revolved around teaching people about the environmental benefits of the product; however, McGuinness quickly learned what people cared about was taste. He learned that to effectively scale, his marketing strategy had to focus on how the product would benefit the consumer directly. Lowercarbon General Partner Clay Dumas echoed this sentiment, adding that consumers aren’t going to purchase something because of guilt. Instead, sustainable products need to be better, stronger, faster and cheaper, he said.

The climate issue is not a problem for any one specific industry, nor is it a problem for only the public or private sector — it’s everyone’s problem.

“This is the defining challenge of our time,” Gore said. “What a privilege it is to be alive at a time when the generation of those of us alive on earth in this decade have an opportunity to really make history that counts. Future generations will look back, and they will either curse us… or they will say ‘thank God they stepped up.’”

At Chemours, we strive to make chemistry as responsible as it is essential. Our products play a critical role in our daily lives, the global economy, and a better future for our world. From keeping food cold to improving the reliability of medical equipment to enabling semiconductors in our smart devices, our fluoropolymer and fluorinated gas products are the best solution for hundreds of important applications in our daily lives.

Chemours products also support emerging sustainable technologies that enable decarbonization, electrification, and digital transformation. Our Nafion™ membranes are key to producing clean hydrogen, while Opteon™ low global warming potential solutions protect the food chain, enable heat pumps in electric vehicles, cool technology infrastructure, and drive energy efficiency.

However, providing solutions that enable a green economy and support reaching global climate goals is not enough. In a constantly changing world that presents both new challenges and opportunities, we strive to meet the increasing demands and expectations of the global and local communities we serve—responsibly. Because, that’s essential.

We are committed to doing what is right, not just what is required, and that includes manufacturing our essential chemistry in a responsible manner that minimizes environmental impact. This deep commitment is why we’re delighted to be recognized on the 2023 list of 100 Best Corporate Citizens.

This annual ranking recognizes environmental, social, and governance (ESG) transparency and performance among the 1,000 largest U.S. public companies based on 184 ESG factors in seven pillars: climate change, employee relations, environment, governance, human rights, stakeholders and society, and ESG performance.

Chemours’ focus on responsible manufacturing and decreasing environmental impact is embedded in every business process and function at Chemours—from managing emissions at our sites to nurturing a culture obsessed with safety to developing new, sustainable product offerings.

We’re also investing in the technology to reduce our carbon footprint as we pursue a path to net-zero operational greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. At the same time, we’re working to be good stewards of our natural resources through water stewardship, waste reduction, and biodiversity enhancement.

At Chemours, sustainability is embedded across our organization and underpins our vision to create a better world through the power of our chemistry. We strive for continuous improvement and openly share how we are doing with our stakeholders. Through our ESG issue assessment, we track a range of issues crucial to our ongoing sustainability journey and keep stakeholders abreast of those most important to them.

We are setting the standard for how a chemistry company can operate, and we will continue to work in partnership with our communities, suppliers, customers, industry, and academia to advance our responsibility commitment along our value chain and sustainable development at scale.

To learn more about Chemours progress against its ambitious sustainability goals, visit: https://www.chemours.com/en/sustainability.

About the 100 Best Corporate Citizens Ranking 
The 100 Best Corporate Citizens debuted in 1999 in Business Ethics Magazine and appeared annually in Corporate Responsibility Magazine for many years. 3BL has managed the ranking since 2018.

Using a methodology developed by 3BL, each company in the Russell 1000 Index is ranked according to its transparency and performance on 184 environmental, social, and governance factors. Companies are researched by ISS ESG, the responsible investment research arm of Institutional Shareholder Services, based on publicly available sources of corporate data and information rather than questionnaires or company submissions.

There is no fee for companies to be included in 100 Best Corporate Citizens, and companies have the option to verify data collected for the ranking at no cost. Data and information used in the 2023 edition of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking was collected between July 2022 to July 2023. For access to the complete 100 Best Corporate Citizens of 2023 ranking and methodology visit: https://100best.3blmedia.com/.

Tetra Pak 2022 Sustainability Report

Tetra Pak® Custom Printing

In 2022, we debuted an industry-first innovation that will bring new opportunities for brands to use food and beverage cartons to connect and engage with consumers. Tetra Pak® Custom Printing uses digital printing technology to deliver smaller batches of carton packaging, along with increased flexibility to print multiple designs compared to traditional carton printing. This means marketers can be more agile, creative and targeted with their on-pack messaging, giving brands new ways to communicate with customers about the foods they eat.

We showed off these capabilities at PACK EXPO in September 2022 with custom printed cartons just for that industry event. Each of our four carton designs featured a different piece of Tetra Pak® equipment and messaging geared toward the PACK EXPO audience.

Securing Milk Availability in Schools

Tetra Pak is invested in making sure students have access to safe, nutritious milk through school meal programs. While most schools continue to use traditional chilled milk, market factors are causing some to lose access to their local chilled milk provider.

Some school districts use shelf-stable milk to ensure availability, alleviate logistics challenges and reduce milk that may spoil over a holiday break or during other unexpected closures. The Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD) participated in a shelf-stable milk pilot in early 2022 and saw a projected cost savings, fewer weekly deliveries of milk and increased milk consumption. These were similar findings to other school districts that previously conducted shelf-stable milk pilots.

Following the Dallas ISD pilot, Tetra Pak was invited to speak to the Urban School Food Alliance on shelf-stable milk for schools. The Urban School Food Alliance is a nonprofit organization created by school food service professionals to address the unique needs of the nation’s largest school districts. Tetra Pak continues to work with school districts to find ways to ensure milk availability.

Optimizing Cheesemaking With Technology and Knowledge

Using our state-of-the-art cheesemaking equipment, data and deep knowledge of cheese technology, we’re working with customers to optimize their cheesemaking process. Tetra Pak customers choose a cheesemaking parameter that is important to them, such as a higher yield or quality, and then Tetra Pak’s cheese technology and data science teams use customer data, automation expertise and artificial intelligence to achieve the desired outcome.

This means our customers can get a higher yield or higher quality product from the same amount of milk, energy and labor, thus making cheesemaking more sustainable and minimizing food loss.

Educating Consumers on Shelf-Stable Milk

In continuation of our efforts to educate consumers on how shelf-stable milk is processed and packaged, Tetra Pak sponsored content titled, “Milk that doesn’t have to be refrigerated? How does that work?” The article was placed in more than 900 publications across the market and educated consumers about the convenience, quality and sustainability benefits of shelf-stable milk.

Read the full Tetra Pak 2022 Sustainability Report.