Tag: 3BL

At Boston Scientific, caring for human life is the common bond that connects our mission, business priorities and environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy. As we grow to meet the increasing global demand for our products and deliver meaningful innovations to more patients in need, we are intentionally keeping sustainability as a central focus because we know that healthy lives require a healthy planet.

A great example is our new end-to-end ideal product flow initiative, which is focused on driving more efficiency and sustainability in how our products are sourced, manufactured, packaged and distributed. When fully implemented, we expect the initiative to meaningfully reduce our carbon footprint and lower our supply chain costs annually by up to $80 million by 2026. This enables Boston Scientific to devote more resources to further innovation so that we can deliver more products to more patients.

Here are four of the most important ways we’re making this pivotal shift – one that will have a long-lasting impact on the planet, our customers and their patients.

1. Optimizing shipping routes to expedite safe, reliable product delivery

To be an effective partner for healthcare providers, global medical device companies must be able to respond quickly to urgent patient needs by delivering products exactly when and where they are needed most. Previously, we shipped products from manufacturing to the regions via our two Global Distribution Centers, which was not always the most efficient or sustainable route. Through our ideal product flow process, we have begun shipping products directly from the manufacturing site to the regional distribution hub closest to their final destination. In addition to expediting and optimizing delivery routes, the new process enables us to significantly reduce our emissions by decreasing the number of miles a product travels and also by transitioning from air transport to sea transport where feasible.

2. Streamlining product instructions

The last step in making a newly manufactured product available is packaging it with “instructions for use” (IFU), which provide clear and accurate information about how to use the medical device safely and effectively. Currently, our customers can receive a paper IFU in up to eight languages. Thanks to our region-specific optimized shipping, we will only need to provide a paper IFU in the local language of the destination if a paper IFU is required by regulation. Where permitted, we will only send electronic versions instead of paper. This change alone is expected to result in a 90% reduction in paper use by 2026. It also reduces the overall amount of material used and the size and weight of each package, further reducing our distribution-related carbon emissions.

3. Moving to a targeted sterilization process

Rather than sterilizing an entire pallet of packaged products in a state ready for final transport, which includes IFU materials and excess packaging that does not need to be sterilized, we will only sterilize the product in its primary pack – the packaging that comes into direct contact with the medical device. This will improve the efficiency of the process and reduce waste.

4. Empowering teams to connect and innovate

Transforming a large global company’s supply chain cannot happen without the commitment and vision of employees around the world. To inspire that dedication, we are expanding touchpoints between different functions and regional sites to share learnings and enable teams to see firsthand how rethinking our product flow end-to-end ultimately helps patients in need. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive: these teams have shared that they find it meaningful to see the positive impact that ideal product flow is having – both for patients and the environment.

Ideal product flow enables us to be more effective at the core of our business – delivering life-changing products to address complex health challenges and enable patients to live better, healthier lives. I am proud of our efforts to date and look forward to continuing to realize our vision of creating a supply chain that supports our Net Zero carbon reduction goals and benefits all our stakeholders around the world.

Learn more about how Boston Scientific is advancing science for life through our ESG strategy.

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We’re proud to celebrate Sarah M. Aiosa, SVP and president, Latin America, for being recognized as one of The Association of Latino Professionals for Americas’ 2023 Most Powerful Latinas! Sarah was highlighted among the most influential trailblazers in business, entrepreneurship and civic engagement who are empowering and encouraging the next generation of Latina leaders to reach their full potential. Congrats to all of this year’s nominees.

Merck & Co., Inc.

At Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than 130 years, we have brought hope to humanity through the development of important medicines and vaccines. We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world – and today, we are at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. We foster a diverse and inclusive global workforce and operate responsibly every day to enable a safe, sustainable and healthy future for all people and communities. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

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You won’t want to miss “Nourishing the World: A Primer for Sustainable Diets” in partnership with Worldchefs – World Association of Chefs’ Societies on October 25th at 3PM CET!

Subject matter experts Kim Frankovich, Jackie Schulz, MS, RDN and Chef Mark Serice from Griffith Foods will unravel the definition of sustainable diets and share insights into eating patterns that promote both health and environmental well-being.

Register today at https://worldchefs.org/event/nourishing-the-world-a-primer-for-sustainable-diets/

About Griffith Foods
At Griffith Foods, our purpose defines who we are, what we do, and why we exist, highlighting what makes us distinct and authentic in the marketplace. We help our partners meet the evolving needs and desires of consumers in ways that respect and sustain the planet. Our care and creativity mean we’ll find the right mix of global reach and local impact to serve the earth and nourish all of us who call it home.

Our Sustainability Platform of People, Planet, and Performance guides how we behave, conduct business, and treat people, ensuring that everything we do leads to responsible growth for our entire ecosystem.

People
We take care of our employees and the communities in which we do business.

Planet
We all share one Earth, and we take environmental action to responsibly care for it. 

Performance
We operate ethically and strategically to create a positive impact for our business and for all of those with whom we interact.

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Reflecting the Istanbul Apparel Conference’s 2023 theme, “Transformative Journey,” SAC Executive Vice President Andrew Martin shared information about Responsible Purchasing Practices (RPP) as part of a panel discussion on “Improving the Terms of Trade for Apparel Manufacturers.” Moderated by Matthijs Crietee, Secretary General of the International Apparel Federation (IAF), with whom the SAC recently announced a strategic collaboration, the panel also included Irem Yanpar Coşdan, Stakeholder Engagement Manager at Open Supply Hub, as well as a pre-recorded video presentation from John Thorbeck, Chairman of Chainge Capital LLC.

After sharing background information about the SAC, the global multi-stakeholder nonprofit alliance that represents a diverse global membership of over 280 members – about 50% of the apparel and textile industry – in 36 countries, Martin explained how the organization’s work is anchored by the Higg Index, a suite of tools that measures social and environmental impact. He then outlined the important role of RPP in the SAC’s revised strategic focus on “evolution for impact,” which centers around three key pillars: combat climate change, decent work for all, and nature positive future. “Our goal is to transform business for exponential impact through groundbreaking programs and tools, collaborative partnerships, and trusted leadership on industry sustainability,” Martin said. “Responsible purchasing practices are critical to achieving these goals; as we will never achieve our climate, work, and nature goals without responsible purchasing practices at the core.”

Martin explained that inequalities in textile and apparel supply chains hold the industry back, and that everyone at every stage of the value chain should be engaged in partnership to create a more just and resilient industry: “We need more equitable apparel supply chains to unlock a fairer and stronger industry where everyone is treated with respect and dignity. Without responsible purchasing practices, suppliers can be left in precarious financial positions. This not only translates into poor wages and working conditions for those on the factory floor, but also fails to address the investments needed to ensure an equitable decarbonisation of the industry.”

He shared how the SAC is supporting industry alignment, focus and implementation of Responsible Purchasing Practices, through collaboration with leading industry actors. As part of the recent update to the Higg Index Brand & Retail Module (BRM), released in March 2023, the Common Framework for Responsible Purchasing Practices informed the RPP questions, which were developed in collaboration with Fair Wear and the Sustainable Terms of Trade Initiative (STTI). Today, 43% of questions in the Higg BRM relate to RPP. Martin also detailed how the collaboration between the SAC, Fair Wear, and the International Apparel Federation (IAF) will evolve to establish responsible purchasing practices at the heart of fostering more equitable partnerships between buyers and suppliers, ”This will be supported by generating company and industry insights, informing training, setting roadmaps, exploring root causes and much more. Through the tools we are evolving, and the partnerships we have built, we are demonstrating our commitment to accelerating responsible purchasing practices as a key lever in realizing systemic industry transformation,” Martin said.

The following is a repost of North Dakota’s Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) press release published on Oct. 13, 2023 at UNDEERC Blog

The U.S. Department of Energy has selected the Heartland Hydrogen Hub (HH2H) to advance a regional clean energy project. The funding award is under negotiations for up to $925 million. HH2H is a collaborative initiative that will produce low-carbon hydrogen, decarbonize regional supply chains, and create clean energy jobs across Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

The University of North Dakota’s Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC), Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC), TC Energy, and Xcel Energy are leading HH2H’s development. MPC and TC Energy are engaged with the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation and Sumitomo Corporation of Americas to establish their meaningful participation in the initiative.

“We thank the Department of Energy for recognizing Heartland Hydrogen Hub’s commitment to the federal government’s goals for clean hydrogen,” said Charles Gorecki, CEO at the EERC. “We look forward to advancing the ‘all-of-the-above’ approach that the hydrogen energy transformation enables.”

HH2H aims to reduce CO2 emissions by integrating technologically diverse clean hydrogen projects. Utilizing various energy sources will deliver clean hydrogen to multiple end-use markets, including industrial operations, ammonia and urea fertilizer production, and natural gas blending for power generation and existing local distribution facilities. In addition to advancing the clean hydrogen market, HH2H will help reduce carbon emissions—by upwards of 1 million metric tons per year—from multiple sectors in the region, such as agriculture and industrial manufacturing.

“Clean fuels are a critical component of enabling economy-wide decarbonization. The Heartland Hydrogen Hub is game-changing initiative that demonstrates how we’re accelerating the development of the next generation of clean energy technology with significant benefits for our customers and the environment,” said Bob Frenzel, Xcel Energy Chairman, President and CEO. “The strong partnership with our Upper Midwest states and other energy providers demonstrates our commitment to increasing economic impact while achieving carbon reduction goals for our customers.”

HH2H has engaged with communities, tribes, and other stakeholders to identify strategies and programs to promote shared prosperity in the project region. This work contributes to the federal government’s Justice40 goal, which aims to ensure 40% of overall benefits of federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities.

“As we continue challenging ourselves to lead in sustainable energy, we are excited about the possibilities opened up by the Heartland Hydrogen Hub funding,” said Dave Heppner, MPC’s Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development. “We’re confident that the future of this region’s sustainable energy industry is bright.”

“We are committed to being a leader in delivering reliable, low-carbon energy solutions for our customers across North America,” said Omar Khayum, TC Energy, Vice President of Energy Origination and Development. “This award for the Heartland Hydrogen Hub provides validity to our partnership group that hydrogen is an important element in the low-carbon energy future.”

The Department of Energy’s Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) will kick-start a national network of clean hydrogen producers, consumers, and connective infrastructure while supporting the production, storage, delivery, and end use of clean hydrogen. Funded by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the H2Hubs will accelerate the commercial-scale deployment of clean hydrogen—helping generate clean, dispatchable power; create a new form of energy storage; and decarbonize heavy industry and transportation. Together, they will also reduce 25 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from end uses each year and create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs across the country while supporting healthier communities and strengthening America’s energy security.

About the Energy and Environmental Research Center

The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) is a world leader in developing cleaner, more efficient energy to power the world and environmental technologies to protect and clean our air, water, and soil.

About Marathon Petroleum Corporation

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) is a leading, integrated, downstream energy company headquartered in Findlay, Ohio. The company operates the nation’s largest refining system. MPC’s marketing system includes branded locations across the United States, including Marathon brand retail outlets. MPC also owns the general partner and majority limited partner interest in MPLX LP, a midstream company that owns and operates gathering, processing, and fractionation assets, as well as crude oil and light product transportation and logistics infrastructure.

About TC Energy

TC Energy Corporation is a major North American energy company, based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, that develops and operates energy infrastructure in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The company operates three core businesses: Natural Gas Pipelines, Liquids Pipelines, and Energy Solutions. Energy Solutions aims to leverage the size and scale of our energy network and trading platform to be the most trusted and reliable source of low-carbon energy for the North American industrial, oil, and natural gas sectors.

About Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy is a major U.S. electricity and natural gas company, with operations in eight Western and Midwestern states. Xcel Energy provides a comprehensive portfolio of energy-related products and services to 3.7 million electricity customers and 2.1 million natural gas customers through its regulated operating companies. Company headquarters are located in Minneapolis.

Contact Information: eercinfo@undeerc.org

Mondelēz 2022 Snacking Made Right Report

We strive to use more sustainable packaging that protects our products, delights our consumers, and does not harm the environment. We want to continuously improve our packaging, and deliver on our long-term aim of advancing a circular packaging economy that is good for people and the planet.

2025 GOALS

Make 100% packaging designed to be recyclable by 2025Reduce virgin plastic in rigid plastic packaging by at least 25% and in all plastic packaging by 5% by 2025Have 5% recycled content in our plastic packaging by 2025

Making it Light and Right

Our guiding principle is to make packaging light and right, with less packaging, better packaging, and improved systems all reinforcing each other for bigger impact. So we are reducing the amount of packaging we use while also innovating to simplify materials so they can be recycled and using recycled materials where we can.

LESS PACKAGING

Our focus on less packaging includes keeping our packaging light and safe with low environmental impact. It also involves reducing the overall footprint of our packaging, and designing packaging for consumer reuse and refill where feasible. We aim to reduce virgin plastic in rigid plastic packaging by at least 25% and in all plastic packaging by at least 5%, each by 2025 (vs. 2020).

BETTER PACKAGING

By better packaging, we aim to design our packaging to be recyclable and remove challenging materials. We also mean substituting virgin (new) plastic packaging with alternatives, including recycled plastic content. This way, we’ll help support a circular pack economy.

A key goal for us on this front is to have all our packaging designed to be recyclable by 2025. We are getting closer and closer to this – achieving nearly 96% in 2022. We aim to have 5% recycled content in our plastic packaging by 2025.

All our paper and carton board, and some rigid plastics and flexible plastic films are already designed to be recycled.

IMPROVED SYSTEMS

Through improved systems, we aim to collect as much plastic as we put into the environment, lead the development of capabilities to scale the necessary infrastructure; and advocate for extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes to include plastic packaging, especially packaging made from flexible plastics.

Working Together for Bigger Impact

Collaboration is key. We have, for example, joined the Business Call for a UN Treaty on Plastic Pollution, and are members of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) policy working groups. Further, we are part of the Consumer Goods Forum working groups on Extended Producer Responsibility, Golden Design Rules and recent exploration into Flexible Packaging all targeting collective action on plastic waste.

Increasing Awareness on the Need to Save our Seas

We are partnering with environmental NGO Save Philippine Seas (SPS) to produce a five-part YouTube series to increase awareness, particularly among young people, of the real causes of marine litter and how to avoid and/or mitigate this through practical solutions.

Shown on the Miming and Friends YouTube channel aimed at a younger audience, the five episodes focus on various aspects of waste management, with animation and music to appeal to kids and their parents. Episode 1 was launched in 2022, gaining 12.24 million impressions. Episodes 2 and 3 will be shown in 2023 and Episode 4 and 5 in 2024.

This is the second year of our partnership with SPS. We are working with them to help people better understand the issue of plastic waste and marine litter – from the causes of plastic pollution in the sea to how people can help tackle the problem themselves at home.

We’re also working with industry groups across the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries to form a roadmap to increase plastic collection and recycling rates.

Our Packaging Mix

As the chart shows, the great majority of our packaging is non-plastic. There are relatively well-developed recycling markets around the world for this packaging.

Lightweight flexible packaging works well to protect our products for our consumers, keeping it safe and fresh for longer, and reduces food waste. It also reduces shipping costs and CO2e emissions from transportation due to its relative light weight.

However, lightweight flexible packaging creates environmental challenges as collection and recycling are underdeveloped in most countries.

Creating Infrastructure Through Sustainable Futures

Through our Sustainable Futures impact investment platform, we have partnered with the Circulate Capital Ocean Fund (CCOF), a fund dedicated to addressing India and Southeast Asia’s plastics challenges. The investment will help CCOF support scalable business solutions to help develop infrastructure for the collecting, sorting, and recycling of plastic waste, including flexible films. We are working with Ricron Panel, who are part of the Circulate Capital Ocean Fund. We are using their innovative, strong, and durable recycled panels made from hard-to-recycle, multi-layered waste plastic in a number of ways, for example for furniture and pallets.

We have also invested in a project in India to transform multi-layered plastic food packaging waste into construction of plastic boards that can be used to manufacture various products. Wealth out of Waste Boards (WoW Boards) uses technology from a female-led start-up, TrashCon, in India. Since 2021, we have been supporting a waste picker-managed centre with a capacity for handling 600 MT/year of plastic waste. At the centre, the MLP waste is repurposed to make WoW Boards. These boards are then used to make desks / benches for schools, the roof of workers’ sheds, and benches in parks.

Leading the Way in India

In India, we are doing a great deal to improve our packaging and make advances on circularity. 2022 saw a massive drive to reduce our plastic footprint with a strong focus on recyclability. It involved taking ownership of the product to the end of its lifecycle by successfully executing 100% Extended Producers Responsibility for post-consumer plastics.

Our plastic recycling efforts in India in partnership with plastic waste management agencies and plastic waste processors have enabled us to recycle up to 75% of our post-consumer plastic in 2022. This is almost a 10% increase in recyclability compared to 2021. Initiatives included less packaging, for example with the elimination of single-use plastic, including with the overwrap film on Cadbury Celebrations Gift packs, better packaging, such as recycle-ready packs; and the introduction of post-consumer recycled PET for Cadbury Rich Dry Fruit Collection Celebrations packs and Cadbury Lickables spoons.

World-first for Cadbury in Australia

In a first for Cadbury, we’re supporting emerging recycling technology to source soft plastic packaging that contains recycled content. Traditionally a single-use material for food packaging, the switch to sourcing soft plastics will see our Australian-made Cadbury Dairy Milk, Caramilk, and Old Gold blocks wrapped in 30% recycled content. The transition to using recycled material will divert 120 tonnes of soft plastic from landfill – that’s the weight of 206 fully-sized dairy cows – who supply the famous fresh milk in Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate.

While the new packaging is more sustainable, it looks and feels the same, carrying Cadbury’s iconic purple colors and distinctive markers and preserving the chocolate’s taste, texture, and shape. However, chocoholics will notice a new on-pack QR code, leading Cadbury fans to more information on the packaging innovation and how Cadbury is supporting a circular economy for packaging.

Encouraging Ideas to Make our Packaging Light and Right

Through our Packathon campaign, which we run across Europe for a few months, we have encouraged our colleagues to share their ideas on how to make our packaging ‘Light & Right’. The aim was to invite our colleagues everyone to have an end-to-end mindset in tackling the issue, from sourcing to manufacturing to selling, and to share their ideas.

The program was launched with a special focus on our supply chain colleagues and our factories across Europe, and within three months, more than 300 ideas were shared with our leaders.

Most of the winning ideas have started be implemented across 2022, with some already up and running withing our EU plants. As we move forward, we aim to apply our ‘Light & Right’ approach across major parts of our portfolio.

Using 30% Recycled Packaging with Cadbury

As part of our broader initiative to reduce the use of virgin plastic material in our packaging portfolio by 5% by 2025, our iconic Cadbury Dairy Milk and Cadbury Mini Snow Balls 110g sharing bars now come with 30% certified recycled plastic in their packaging. So Cadbury fans across the UK can continue enjoying their favorite sharing bars more sustainably.

Advanced recycling technology and a significant investment enabled us to develop the innovative new packaging. The necessary food-grade recycled plastic packaging isn’t widely available so securing the volume for this project was a challenge involving significant resources and collaboration with many external suppliers throughout the value chain.

Using the mass balance approach, the packaging is independently certified by International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) and supplied in partnership with Amcor, a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging for food and other industries. By the end of 2022, the new packaging had been used for over 10 million bar wrappers.

We are also using 75% recycled plastic (RPET) content in our Dairylea Lunchables packaging in the UK and will expect to begin using certified plastic with recycled material using the mass balance approach in our Philadelphia tubs and lids from next year. And there is more to come as we keep striving to use less and less virgin plastic in our packaging.

Read more in the Mondelēz 2022 Snacking Made Right Report

Originally published on Bloomberg.com

NEW YORK, October 23, 2023 /3BL/ – Bloomberg announced its DL+ ESG Manager solution has been selected by Mackenzie Investments, one of Canada’s largest investment management firms, to host the acquisition, management and publishing of multi-vendor ESG data. This positions the firm to implement ESG investing approaches more efficiently and develop more sophisticated ESG-focused insights and investment products.

ESG Manager is a part of Bloomberg’s Data License Plus (DL+) solution suite, built to address client demand for integration of ESG data from multiple vendors into their investment systems. While DL+ acquires, models and links all of a customers’ licensed Bloomberg data, which includes reference, pricing, regulatory, ESG, fundamentals, estimates and historical data for quant and investment research workflows, ESG Manager arranges the different models and content sets offered by the industry’s leading ESG providers.

“The need for financial institutions to incorporate quality, consistent ESG data throughout their investment workflow continues to grow alongside the market’s ever-increasing demand for ESG data,” said Don Huff, Global Head of Client Services and Operations at Bloomberg Data Management Services. “We built DL+ ESG Manager to help customers achieve a unified and holistic view of ESG data across their firm, delivered to the cloud data warehouse of their choice.”

The ESG data made available through Bloomberg can also be supplemented with other reference data and pricing through DL+. This creates a combined universe of data that can be easily browsed and navigated through a web-based Data Management Workstation.

“As a leading Canadian investment manager, we continue to strengthen our processes and advance our ESG and sustainable investing approaches, and by working with a trusted technology partner like Bloomberg our team is able to operate in a more agile environment,” said Fate Saghir, SVP, Head of Sustainability at Mackenzie Investments. “Bloomberg DL+ ESG Manager enables our team to quickly access high-quality data to help assess the impact of ESG on our portfolios and to inform critical investment decisions, allowing us to deliver value to our clients.”

Mackenzie Investments previously adopted Bloomberg’s AIM and PORT Enterprise solutions to support its portfolio management and ETF workflows.

About Bloomberg

Bloomberg is a global leader in business and financial information, delivering trusted data, news, and insights that bring transparency, efficiency, and fairness to markets. The company helps connect influential communities across the global financial ecosystem via reliable technology solutions that enable our customers to make more informed decisions and foster better collaboration.

For more information, visit Bloomberg.com/company or request a demo.

About Mackenzie Investments

Mackenzie Investments is a leading investment management firm with $186 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2023. Mackenzie provides investment solutions and related services to more than one million retail and institutional clients through multiple distribution channels. Founded in 1967, Mackenzie is a global asset manager with offices across Canada as well as in Boston, Dublin, London, Hong Kong and Beijing. Mackenzie is a member of IGM Financial Inc. (TSX: IGM), one of Canada’s premier financial services companies with approximately $253 billion in total assets under management and advisement as of September 30, 2023. For more information, visit mackenzieinvestments.com.

Media Contact

Susan Doyle, sdoyle37@bloomberg.net, +1-202-807-2213

Originally published on gfanzero.com

New regional network will support engagement with financial institutions and policymakers across Latin America and the Caribbean to capitalize on the net-zero transition opportunity for the region

Today, during the United Nations Latin America and Caribbean Climate Week, the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), the world’s largest coalition of financial institutions committed to the goal of net zero by 2050, announced the formation of its Latin America & Caribbean Network and the creation of a senior Advisory Board to drive net-zero progress in the region.

Michael R. Bloomberg, GFANZ Co-Chair and UN Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions: “Helping more financial institutions create feasible plans for reaching their net-zero commitments is a critical next step in the global fight against climate change. The launch of GFANZ’s Latin America & Caribbean Network will accelerate that work in a part of the world with vast renewable energy potential. Together with local partners, we can mobilize even more capital for clean energy projects across this important region.”

Click here to continue reading on gfanzero.com

HOUSTON and NEW YORK, October 23, 2023 /3BL/ – The Johnson Development community of Jubilee is the first Texas community to become an early adopter of the WELL for residential program by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) that is designed to transform the way homes are designed, built and maintained to support human health and well-being.

The new WELL for residential program consists of more than 100 health strategies for residences with certification verified through a third party.

“This new WELL for residential program adds another layer to the holistic wellness vision we have set for Jubilee,” said June Tang, Vice President and General Manager of Jubilee. “It can help give residents further peace of mind in their choice to live in Jubilee.”

Jessica Cooper, Chief Product Officer with IWBI, said the program’s evidence-based strategies are key.

“By adopting evidence-based WELL strategies, builders in Jubilee are highlighting their commitment to help make a positive impact in the community,” Cooper said.

The development of the WELL for residential program drew upon two years of industry input, market insight and expert recommendations from IWBI’s WELL for Residential Advisory, a working group of more than 100 globally renowned subject matter experts, including leading builders and developers, architects and engineers, public health and building scientists, government officials and academics, as well as other real estate professionals, Cooper said.

Companies can earn the WELL Residence seal for residences upon completion of third-party review and verification of selected strategies. To be certified as a WELL Residence, a home must achieve at least 40 points. Projects also have an opportunity to earn pre-certified WELL Residence status for participating homes upon preliminary design review, a milestone step forward that allows participants to communicate achievement before construction is completed, Cooper said.

The eight builders who have been selected for Jubilee’s first phase of development — Chesmar Homes, Coventry Homes, David Weekley Homes, Highland Homes, Newmark Homes, Perry Homes, Tri Pointe Homes and Westin Homes — will have the opportunity to earn this WELL for Residence seal on each of their homes in Jubilee.

The builders already have committed to including upgraded wellness features as standard in every Jubilee home.

“These now-standard features for air quality, water quality, lighting and more are aligned with the WELL objectives, and every home potentially achieving the WELL Residence seal will further validate Jubilee’s mission of enhanced well-being for its residents,” said Haley Peck, Marketing Director of Jubilee.

The 1,622-acre Jubilee is in Hockley just south of Highway 290 and a few miles from the Grand Parkway. Planned for approximately 4,900 homes, it will have nearly 30 acres of parks and amenity space as well as more than 270 acres of greenspace and waterways. Home sales are expected to begin in early 2024.

More information about Jubilee: www.liveinjubilee.com.

About Johnson Development
Dedicated to creating vibrant, sustainable and connected neighborhoods, Johnson Development was founded in 1975 and is a nationally recognized, award-winning residential and commercial land development company. Now celebrating 48 years, the company has set the standard for successful master-planned communities in top residential markets around the country, including the Houston-area communities of Sienna, Woodforest, Cross Creek Ranch, Grand Central Park, Veranda, Harvest Green, Jubilee, Kresston, Edgewater, Riverstone, Cross Creek West, Jordan Ranch, and Tuscan Lakes. The company also is developing Viridian and Trinity Falls in the Dallas region, Lake Arrowhead north of Atlanta, and Bryson in the Austin area. Johnson Development has had more top-selling master-planned communities than any other developer in the nation over the past decade. An affiliate of Johnson Development — Johnson Development Services — manages development of boutique communities within the Johnson portfolio, including Amira and Candela in the Southwest Houston area, and Nolina in Georgetown. For more information, visit www.johnsondevelopment.com or LinkedIn.

About the International WELL Building Institute
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is a public benefit corporation and the world’s leading organization focused on deploying people first places to advance a global culture of health. IWBI mobilizes its community through the administration of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and its WELL ratings, management of the WELL AP credential, the pursuit of applicable research, the development of educational resources, and advocacy for policies that promote health and wellbeing 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 EP, WELL Score, The WELL Conference, We Are WELL, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rated, WELL Performance Rated, WELL Equity Rated, WELL Equity, , 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.

Media contact:
Johnson Development – hshipper@totalpr.com
IWBI – media@wellcertified.com

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Like a typical first day of summer camp, the youth attending those hosted by Canada’s Outland Youth Employment Program (OYEP) start their six-week experience with a touch of apprehension.

The 16-to-19-year-old participants are quiet with worry and a touch of homesickness. They’re nervous about being away from their community and anxious about who they’ll be bunking with and what they’ll be learning.

But by the closing ceremonies, everything has changed.

“The camps create a family,” says Brittany McCoy, OYEP program manager for Western Canada. “The youth create bonds, and they create relationships that will last them a lifetime.”

OYEP is a summer camp like no other. The campers are Indigenous youth from across the country who are selected from a competitive application process. They move into a summer-camp type facility for six weeks in July and August, but instead of participating in the usual summer camp activities, they take courses that count for high school credits, receive on-the-job training, meet with industry professionals, and complete tickets and certifications such as first aid, chainsaw operation, TransCanada trail building, Bear Aware, and WHIMIS.

“We like to have (the camp) be like a first-job experience,” McCoy says. “We give (participants) the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them . . . but in a safe space that allows them to learn and to grow.

“The youths’ personal development throughout the season—you can’t even describe it,” she adds.

Not only is the camp and all courses and certifications free for participants—they’re paid for their time. Each participant will earn approximately $3,000 over the six-week program, in addition to receiving free room and board.

Delivered by Dexterra Community Initiatives, OYEP was founded in 2000 in Ontario, but has since expanded to offer the program in B.C., Alberta, and Manitoba. This year, OYEP ran seven camps for 213 teens representing 106 Nations, 29 of which were first-time OYEP partners.

Campers apply to attend through a low-barrier application process, but each camp can hold only 25 to 30 spots. More spaces could be available if additional funding sources are secured, something OYEP is working on.

The camps are funded by a mix of provincial and private contributions, depending on the province. Enbridge contributed a $50,000 Fueling Futures grant to support six of the camps this year.

The grant aligns with Enbridge’s Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan, which outlines our commitments to reconciliation through six pillars of focus, each one developed collaboratively with Indigenous individuals and groups.

OYEP has a proven track record of helping build potential in Indigenous youth, something Enbridge is committed to supporting across North America.

McCoy notes that the high school graduation rate of OYEP participants is approximately 92%. That’s nearly 8% above the national average for all youth and more than 27% higher than the national average for Indigenous youth.

The statistics illustrate the program’s considerable success in addressing the barriers to mainstream education that Indigenous youth experience.

“We make sure the youth see proper representation of themselves and also have access to cultural components throughout the program,” McCoy explains.

OYEP’s unique approach to developing youths’ skills and knowledge is working.

“We have youth who come who will not even say one word to you at first,” McCoy recounts. “By the end of the season, they’re speaking up. They’re making speeches. They feel confident.

“They feel empowered to make their own choices, and they feel like they have some sort of control of their future.”