Medtronic employees are dedicated to helping others through volunteering and community engagement beyond their daily jobs. As part of the annual Medtronic volunteering drive, employees in Minneapolis packed 98,700 meals in just two days this summer – contributing to over 3.3M meals packed by Medtronic employees in partnership with Meals From The Heart. The meals are distributed to local food shelves.
Learn more about how employees’ commitment to giving back makes an impact across communities.
BETHESDA, Md., August 17, 2023 /3BL/ – WHC (Wildlife Habitat Council) offers a new white paper available for download today, Nature-based Solutions to Prevent Pollution and Support Biodiversity | Opportunities for the Automotive Industry. This white paper is sponsored by General Motors and is available for free on our website.
Nature-based solutions (NbS) are actions that utilize elements of nature to protect and restore ecosystems. In addition to preserving biodiversity of wildlife and plant species, NbS also deliver environmental co-benefits such as climate change resilience and improved air, water and soil quality, as well as community benefits such as recreation, aesthetics and environmental education.
Of particular use to many industries are the pollution prevention capabilities of NbS. Due to company-wide, national and international environmental goals, many automotive manufacturers have been going above and beyond regulatory requirements by incorporating pollution prevention strategies throughout the supply chain and manufacturing process. NbS are another set of tools that auto manufacturers and their suppliers can deploy to prevent pollution.
This white paper explores how the automotive industry can implement nature-based solutions to prevent pollution. Case studies from WHC-certified programs as well as automotive manufacturers around the world illustrate how nature-based solutions reduce pollution and offer co-benefits for biodiversity and communities.
Featured case studies include:
BMW: Site Operations Center, South Carolina, USABridgestone: Aiken County Off Road Tire Plant, South Carolina, USAChrysler/Stellantis: Peter’s Pond, Indiana, USADENSO: DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee, Inc., Tennessee, USAFord: Ford Rouge Truck Plant, Michigan, USAGeneral Motors: World Headquarters, Michigan, USAHonda: HondaWoods, Tokyo, JapanSubaru: National Headquarters, New Jersey, USAToyota: PEMC, Kentucky, USAVolkswagen: Enterprise South Industrial Park, Tennessee, USAWM: Southern Services Landfill, Tennessee, USA
This white paper is part of a series of deliverables supported by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with particular focus on EPA region 4, which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and six indigenous tribes. Throughout this project, WHC has partnered with the Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP) to support the automotive sector and its supply chain in biodiversity uplift efforts.
Sponsored by General Motors, this white paper includes a foreword that states, “When nature-based solutions are designed into our overall business practice, we can develop strategies to be more resilient regarding the resources we all rely on to operate in today’s competitive landscape. Together, we as an industry can help to improve biodiversity and local ecosystems in our communities. Nature is everyone’s business.”
About WHC:
For 35 years, WHC has been promoting and certifying ecological stewardship action on corporate lands through partnerships and education. Since only 10-15% of the world’s land surface is protected, private lands provide an essential opportunity for restoring and protecting biodiversity. As the only international conservation NGO focused exclusively on the private sector, WHC provides a framework for voluntary conservation action on a wide variety of corporate lands. WHC’s corporate members represent some of the leading national and multinational corporations seeking to support sustainable ecosystems and the communities that surround them. These efforts have resulted in more than 1,000 certified programs across 47 states and 28 countries.
Hello – I’m Stephanie Conzelman, Stakeholder Engagement Director with Land Betterment. We are excited to share the first in the series titled, “Meet the ekō Solutions Management Team.”
ekō Solutions, a division of Land Betterment, is rapidly growing and now offers a full array of dwelling solutions for commercial, recreational, residential and crisis recovery using customized up-cycled shipping containers. These sustainable and energy-efficient structures combine contemporary design with practicality.
With growth it is so important to have the right team in place in order to move the company forward in the smartest possible way. I think at the end of this 5-part video series, which will be spread out over the next several months, you will agree with us, that we have an amazing and capable team ready to bring our innovative up-cycled shipping container dwellings to market.
This week, I met with Josh Caleau, ekō Solutions’ Finance Administrator. In this 8 minute conversation I had an opportunity to learn more about Josh and more specifically, Josh’s expansive experience prior to joining ekō Solutions, why he joined ekō and concluding with what about ekō Solutions excites Josh the most. The interview can be viewed here.
To learn more about ekō Solutions’ products you can visit – ekosolutionsllc.com
About ekō Solutions
ekō Solutions, a Land Betterment Company, is a sustainable development company utilizing innovative, low-cost, up-cycled shipping container structures to provide durable, high-end solutions to the building marketplace while also maintaining the ability to be utilized in a mobile environment. ekō Solutions uses innovative ecological structures to replace legacy inefficient and ineffective methods of living, growing and working. The sustainable craftsmanship of our up-cycled shipping container structures is what separates us from the alternatives. Our structures are suitable for residential, crisis recovery, commercial and recreation use. For more information visit ekosolutionsllc.com and connect with ekō Solutions on LinkedIn and Twitter.
About Land Betterment Corporation
Land Betterment Corporation, an Indiana Benefit Corporation and Certified B Corporation, is an environmental solutions company focused on fostering a positive impact through up-cycling former coal mining and industrial sites to create sustainable community development and job creation. The Company utilizes a complete solution-based lifecycle program to restore and rehabilitate the environment and revitalize communities in need of change and opportunity. Land Betterment accomplishes this by identifying un-reclaimed, run-down and neglected coal mining and industrial sites, fixing the environment through reclamation and remediation, and then repurposing the land to support a sustainable business that serves the community. Land Betterment firmly believes that with real solutions it is possible for restoration of impacted areas to live side-by-side long term employment, while building sustainable and safe surroundings for communities and our planet. For more information visit landbetterment.com or connect with the Company on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Contacts
Mark LaVerghetta
Chief Governance Officer, Corporate Finance
Land Betterment Corporation
Phone: 317.537.0492 ext. 0
Email: info@landbetterment.com
Stephanie Conzelman
Stakeholder Engagement Director
Land Betterment Corporation
Phone: 207.205.0790
Email: info@landbetterment.com
Originally published in International Paper’s 2022 Sustainability Report
Circularity wraps around everything we do at International Paper, from the renewable resources we rely on for our raw materials, to the products we make that can be recycled over and over. Integrating renewable solutions into our everyday operations is critical to our strategy of building a better world.
Our progress toward Vision 2030
We’re committed to advancing circularity across our value chain, using renewable and recycled fiber to create innovative products that are 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable — the key to a sustainable, low-carbon future.
Goal: Accelerate the transition to a lowcarbon economy through innovative fiber-based products
Target: Advance circular solutions throughout our value chain and create innovative products that are 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable
We think about the entire life cycle of our products. A core component of our circularity strategy, our products enjoy multiple lives through repeated cycles of reuse, recovery and recycling, and byproducts of our manufacturing process are put to good use.
2022 Impact: 93.5% of International Paper pulp and packaging products are recyclable, reusable or compostable – including 93.5% recyclability of our NA products and 100% recyclability of our EMEA products
87% of projects support renewable solutions in the pulp innovation pipeline
48% of waste has been diverted from landfill for a beneficial use
What is circularity?
A welcome departure from the linear, take-makewaste production model in which a product is used once and discarded, the circular economy is an economic system based on recovering, recycling and reusing products and materials. The key principles of the system include:
Designing out waste and pollutionKeeping products and materials in useRegenerating natural systems
Our embrace of circularity is evident in our manufacturing processes, where we optimize resources by 1) designing out waste and pollution and 2) maximizing our use and reuse of all materials, resources, byproducts and residuals.
Circularity at IP
To achieve our renewable solutions goal, we’ve implemented a four-pillared strategy to help guide how we think about our impact across our value chain and identify implementation tactics within each of our businesses that advance circular solutions. Those pillars are:
Sourcing sustainable raw materialsUsing circular manufacturing processesCollaborating on solutionsCreating innovative products
We’re committed to advancing circular solutions across our value chain, helping to lead the transition to a low-carbon, circular economy.
About International Paper
International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a global producer of planet-friendly packaging, pulp and other fiber-based products, and one of North America’s largest recyclers. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., we employ approximately 39,000 colleagues globally who are committed to creating what’s next. We serve customers worldwide, with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, North Africa and Europe. Net sales for 2022 were $21.2 billion. Additional information can be found by visiting InternationalPaper.com.
About International Paper – EMEA
In Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), International Paper focuses on the production and marketing of fiber-based packaging and pulp, employing approximately 4,200 people. As a leading supplier of high-quality corrugated containers for a multitude of applications, we serve customers throughout the region from our network of two recycled containerboard mills and 23 box plants in France, Italy, Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Pulp production is centered in Gdansk, Poland. Other products available from International Paper in the region include Kraft linerboard and recycled containerboard, as well as pulp.
There is a growing emphasis on the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices of corporations around the world. To assess and compare companies’ sustainability performance, specialized organizations known as ESG raters and rankers have emerged. These organizations collect data from various sources and employ their own methodologies to evaluate companies based on ESG criteria.
The importance of ESG raters and rankers lies in their ability to provide third-party evaluations of companies’ management over ESG risks and opportunities that could inform investors’ and other stakeholders’ decision-making processes in business engagement.
ESG scores designated from raters and rankers aid companies in referencing external recognitions to showcase their effectiveness in ESG management, which helps alleviate stakeholder concerns over ESG issues, highlight sustainability practices, and offer a competitive advantage. Being well-informed about ESG raters and rankers is crucial for companies seeking to navigate the ESG landscape and pursue opportunities in developing and/or expanding their ESG programs and communications.
What Are ESG Raters and Rankers?
ESG raters and rankers are specialized organizations that assess companies based on their ESG practices and assign them ESG scores or rankings. These organizations collect data from a variety of sources, including corporate disclosures, public records, and third-party data providers and media, to evaluate companies’ sustainability performance.
There are several prominent ESG raters and rankers in the market, such as MSCI, Sustainalytics, ISS ESG, and CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project). Each rater/ranker employs their own methodology and criteria to evaluate companies, focusing on a wide array of ESG factors like carbon emissions, diversity and inclusion, labor practices, corporate governance, and supply chain sustainability.
What Is the Difference Between an ESG Rating and an ESG Ranking?
ESG rating and ESG ranking are two approaches to assessing and comparing companies’ environmental, social, and governance performance. While they share similarities, there are differences between the two.
ESG rating
ESG ratings provide a comprehensive evaluation of a company’s ESG performance, allowing stakeholders to compare and benchmark companies within an industry or across sectors. Ratings often follow a standardized methodology and can be provided by specialized ESG rating agencies, financial services firms, or investment research institutions.
The output of an ESG rating is typically a score or grade (e.g., on a scale of 1 to 100 or a letter grade), reflecting the overall ESG performance of a company. Ratings may also include individual scores or assessments for different ESG categories.
ESG ranking
ESG rankings involve comparing companies’ ESG performance and positioning them in a hierarchical order based on their relative ESG scores or ratings, creating a snapshot of benchmarked companies’ ESG practices. Rankings are focused on providing a simplified view of how companies perform against one another rather than presenting detailed results of ESG scores or grades.
ESG rankings are often presented in the form of league tables or lists, where companies are ranked from the highest to the lowest in terms of their ESG performance. These rankings allow stakeholders to quickly identify leaders and laggards within an industry or sector.
Benefits of Engaging with ESG Raters and Rankers
ESG ratings provide a platform for companies to communicate their sustainability efforts to stakeholders based on third-party assessment results, enhancing the credibility of their disclosures.
ESG ratings also play a vital role in investment decision-making. A strong ESG rating can attract investors who prioritize sustainable businesses, leading to increased access to capital and potentially lower borrowing costs.
Companies that put work into earning a strong ESG rating can differentiate themselves from their peers by showcasing their superior sustainability performance. This can attract customers who prefer sustainable products/services and help attract and retain top talent.
Pitfalls To Watch Out For When Working With ESG Raters and Rankers
While engaging with ESG raters and rankers has its advantages, companies should be aware of potential pitfalls.
Different raters and rankers adopt varying methodologies and assessment scopes, resulting in inconsistencies and discrepancies in ratings and making it challenging to benchmark companies within an industry from one single rating/ranking source. Companies need to understand the methodologies used by each rater/ranker and how they align with their own sustainability management and communication objectives.
Despite varying rating and raking schemes, companies should provide accurate and valid ESG information that is material to their businesses in order to be accurately assessed by raters and rankers.
Approaching ESG Reporting with an Eye to Rankings
Robust ESG reporting—providing high-quality, decision-useful ESG information and data on an organization’s sustainability performance—can help improve third-party ESG ratings and ranking. To optimize ESG reporting, companies should consider the following approaches.
Data accuracy and relevance
Companies should work to ensure their ESG data is accurate, reliable, and aligned with recognized reporting frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) or the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB). Relevant data points of company-specific material ESG topics should be prioritized to ensure the availability of meaningful information for ESG raters/rankers’ evaluations.
Stakeholder engagement
Engaging with stakeholders is crucial in identifying material ESG issues and demonstrating a commitment to addressing them. Regular communication and collaboration with stakeholders can provide valuable insights and help align a company’s ESG management and disclosure practices with stakeholder expectations.
Continuous improvement
ESG management and disclosure is an ongoing journey. Companies should consider setting meaningful ESG targets, tracking progress, and implementing initiatives to improve performance over time. Regularly reviewing and updating sustainability strategies demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement.
The Emerging Role of AI in ESG Ratings
AI is playing an increasingly important role in ESG rating processes. AI-powered algorithms can analyze vast amounts of structured and unstructured data, including financial reports, news articles, social media sentiment, and satellite imagery. These algorithms can identify patterns, assess risks, and provide real-time insights into a company’s ESG performance.
AI-driven ESG rating models aim to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of assessments. However, challenges related to data quality, biases in algorithms, and transparency in the rating process still need to be addressed. In preparation for the increasing adoption of AI-driven ESG ratings, it is recommended that companies ensure machine-readable ESG disclosures and data to support AI-based ESG assessments.
Working Toward Your Own ESG Rating
Engaging with ESG raters and rankers allows companies to communicate their sustainability efforts, appeal to socially responsible investors, and differentiate themselves in the market. By approaching ESG reporting with accuracy, investing in stakeholder engagement, and maintaining a commitment to continuous improvement, companies can optimize their ratings and rankings and strengthen their sustainability practices.
Learn more about Antea Group’s ESG advisory services.
About Antea Group
Antea®Group is an environment, health, safety, and sustainability consulting firm. By combining strategic thinking with technical expertise, we do more than effectively solve client challenges; we deliver sustainable results for a better future. We work in partnership with and advise many of the world’s most sustainable companies to address ESG-business challenges in a way that fits their pace and unique objectives. Our consultants equip organizations to better understand threats, capture opportunities and find their position of strength. Lastly, we maintain a global perspective on ESG issues through not only our work with multinational clients, but also through our sister organizations in Europe, Asia, and Latin America and as a founding member of the Inogen Alliance. Learn more at us.anteagroup.com.
Edison International’s support is both meaningful and impactful in the success of our veterans. We are grateful to receive a generous grant that allowed us to reach even more women veterans with our services and also have the support of SCE employees in providing our women veterans with vital support and skills needed to transition to the civilian sector. Through our partnership with SCE and our donors, we collectively impacted over 1,200 women veterans and children this year.”
JODIE M. GRENIER | Foundation For Women Warriors CEO and Marine Corps Veteran
As part of our mission to create a more inclusive company and society, in 2020 we established 10 commitments that focus on employees, suppliers, our broader charitable giving and the community. We began implementing these commitments in 2021 — starting by focusing on our Black colleagues and community. In 2022, we expanded the reach of our commitments. Below are a few noteworthy successes:
Talent Development Accelerator
This 18-month program matches high-potential leaders with officerlevel Talent Champions. The role of a Talent Champion is to provide mentorship, advocacy and increased visibility to participants with the objective of enhancing their leadership capabilities and career development opportunities. We initially piloted this program in 2021, targeting high-potential Black managers. In 2022, we widened the program to a broader community of underrepresented talent — welcoming our second cohort, with plans for a third cohort in 2023.
Long-term success of the Talent Accelerator Program will be evaluated based on several measures, including feedback collected from participants and Talent Champions; alignment of this Program with Edison International’s overall DEI goals; stakeholder interest in expanding the Talent Accelerator Program to a broader participant base; and, ultimately, participant career progress through lateral and promotional movement.
Allyship Commitments
The annual allyship charitable commitments are deeply invested in time, energy, funding and cooperation with community partners to bring about meaningful growth, opportunity and demonstrated values in the Edison International commitment to DEI. What began as a response to building and supporting the community in racial equity has continued in partnership to help cultivate and sustain organizational and community resiliency. We collaborate with Southern California Grantmakers, Inland Empire Community Foundation and Orange County Community Foundation to fund the Black Equity Collective, Black Equity Initiative — Inland Empire and the African American Alliance Fund — all organizations dedicated to promoting the advancement and empowerment of Black communities. In 2022, Edison International increased our contributions to these coalitions for a total of $130,000 combined. These contributions are intended to benefit many organizations as they partake in the capacity-building and infrastructure strengthening to be successful in uniting community efforts toward racial equity.
We have grown our allyship purview, extending to other communities as well. The newest allyship partner is Tomorrow’s Talent, which is helping attract local students from traditionally marginalized communities to the nationally recognized cybersecurity program in California at Cal State San Bernardino. In partnership with Making Hope Happen Foundation, Tomorrow’s Talent is also connecting students to high-demand jobs by local employers, including Edison International, to keep regional workforce talent local. In addition, we increased support for seven allyship partners that included the Foundation for Women Warriors, the only veteran-serving organization solely focused on female veterans.
Career Counseling
Since the launch of our one-on-one career coaching program for nonrepresented employees3 in November 2020, 760 employees have completed more than 2,400 coaching sessions. In 2022, SCE also held four speed-coaching events for nearly 200 employees to facilitate their individual exploration for a meaningful career. A total of 65 career webinars and workshops were held with over 3,000 attendees. A special speed-coaching event and career workshops were held specifically for people managers as well — to support their teams’ development and help them have better career conversations. In addition to the career counseling DEI commitment, SCE also invests in executive coaching to help leaders realize their untapped personal and professional potential through individualized and team coaching. As a result of professional coaching, leaders set better goals, take more action, make better decisions and more fully use their strengths. Our results indicate that coaching increases the likelihood of landing a job for a competitive position. Additionally, individuals who participated in career coaching experienced increased internal mobility with greater participation in development assignments or permanent role changes in the organization.
Lineworker Scholarship Program
We are focused on building a workforce that reflects the diverse area we serve. In 2021, in partnership with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 47, we launched the Lineworker Scholarship Program. This four-year, $1 million scholarship program awards up to $25,000 per recipient to provide tuition, tools and support services to complete required training at the Los Angeles TradeTechnical College. Graduates qualify for an entry-level groundman/groundwoman position at SCE once they complete the Powerline Mechanic Certificate program, obtain a Class A driver’s license and complete SCE preemployment requirements.
The first cohort of scholars all obtained their Powerline Mechanic certificate, and five have since been hired at SCE. Several others are engaged in various stages of pre-employment requirements. We welcomed our second cohort into the program in 2022, continuing our focus on attracting Black candidates — an underrepresented group in the profession in comparison to the population in our service area. This cohort was comprised of 12 scholars, including our first female scholar.
In 2022, we also launched our SCE Lineworker Navigator Program, a one-on-one mentorship that pairs each new lineworker with an experienced employee. This six-month program was designed to support new lineworkers by creating a positive onboarding experience and reinforcing safety best practices. We also aim to increase long-term retention by helping new hires to build one of the most critical components to their success: teamwork.
Everybody wants to be happy and successful at work. I cultivate curiosity by helping others develop agency through greater self-awareness, career exploration and planning. It is the greatest gift to witness people take charge of their career.”
JOCELYN CHAN | Senior Advisor, Career Planning & Development, SCE
Finding Purpose from Opportunity
Vincent Barney’s interest in the lineworker profession first started nearly 15 years ago when he saw a friend thriving in the profession — fulfilled by his career and providing for his family. His friend encouraged Vincent to pursue a career as a lineworker, but Vincent felt he couldn’t afford to get the education needed to make this profession a reality. Vincent had supported himself since age 17, and his education had been largely pursued online, while also maintaining a job at an airline.
Experiencing a power outage in his neighborhood further reignited his desire to work in this field, as he witnessed crews working around the clock to restore power. When Vincent heard about Edison International’s lineworker scholarship, he applied — and to his surprise, he was accepted into the program. Finally, there was a direct path to the career he wanted, and he was ready to apply himself to the coursework and testing, and attend school in person. Per Vincent, “You can’t learn how to climb a pole online!” After graduating from the program, he joined SCE as a full-time employee in 2022.
Vincent finds the job just as fulfilling as he imagined: “When you drive past a pole you helped repair or replace, it has your handprint on it, and there’s a satisfaction in that. What you did helped a hospital maintain power, or a nursing home or a school. They might never see your face or shake your hand, but you have that personal pat on the back.”
View the full Edison International 2022 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Report.
This is the second instalment in a series of episodes sponsored by Acre. If you’re not yet familiar with Paul Ellis and The Sustainable Finance Podcast, it boasts a series of interviews with sustainable finance experts from top companies and global organizations like Schroders, FTSE Russel, The London Stock Exchange Group, Gitterman Wealth Management, and many more.
The episode features Gloria Mirrione in conversation with Paul Ellis, Charlotte Kaiser, Head of Impact Finance at BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group, and Chris Larson at Alder Point Capital Management, to discuss how Nature Based Solutions provide powerful Net Zero opportunities to reduce the physical and transitional risks of climate change.
If you like what you hear, stay tuned for more of this partnership airing over the next six months.
About Acre
At Acre, we work with the most aspirational businesses with potential to make real change; from those who are just starting out to those who are well on the journey to crafting a legacy.
Our 18 years’ experience in sustainability recruitment, combined with our extensive global network, enables us to provide talent solutions that are designed to deliver this change.
Through our unique behavioural assessment technology, we understand the types of people, skills and behaviours required to create impact. We can develop these qualities within your existing teams too.
We find talented people and develop their skills to ensure they make a true impact in ambitious, progressive organisations.
Acre. Making companies ready for tomorrow.
Originally published in Paramount’s 2021-2022 Environmental, Social, and Governance Report
What ends up on the screen – and how it gets there – is an important ESG consideration for our company. We adhere to standards and procedures to ensure accuracy of our content and creative independence, safeguard vulnerable groups, and handle challenging issues responsibly in our content and advertising.
Standards and Practices
Paramount’s Standards and Practices department is responsible for overseeing advertising and original content shown on several of our key platforms. We work closely with producers, advertisers, and other partners to ensure that content complies with governmental regulations, cultural mores, internal standards, voluntary content ratings, and advertising guidelines. In addition to applicable regulations, Paramount maintains its own controls for content and advertisements developed and regularly updated in accordance with industry best practices, brand identities, advertiser and public expectations, and audience demographics.
To maintain its independence, the Standards and Practices group is not part of either the creative or ad sales groups. Rather, it reports directly to our corporate legal team.
Accountability for Diverse Content
Our Standards and Practices department partners with internal groups such as Social Impact, Government Relations, and the Office of Global Inclusion (OGI) to ensure that our content and advertisements accurately represent the diverse perspectives and experiences of marginalized groups, while meeting all relevant moral, legal, and ethical standards.
Paramount’s day-to-day work on DE&I spans many topics and involves many groups, under the oversight of the OGI. Our Global Inclusion Advisory Committee (GIAC), a cross-functional leadership “think tank,” provides strategic insights into the direction of the diversity and inclusion initiatives in collaboration with the OGI team. GIAC is co-chaired by our CEO and our Global Head of Inclusion, along with leaders from across the company. The group drives and implements solutions that advance DE&I across our business, including through content, workforce and talent development, and community and social programs.
To inform and validate our efforts to develop diverse content, Paramount also regularly consults with organizations like Color Of Change, SeeALL, and SeeHer. To support DE&I practices within our full content creation lifecycle, we also work with the National Action Network, the NAACP, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Hispanic Heritage Foundation, and others.
Paramount’s Anti-Bias Policy on Content
The Paramount library represents decades of content, and we recognize that some of our programs include culturally insensitive material and/or potentially offensive portrayals of people and/or cultures. As Paramount strives to create content that fully embraces diversity, inclusivity, and equity in all its forms, we believe that instead of removing this content, it’s important we use it to remain accountable: to acknowledge our history, learn from our failings, and spark dialogue that helps transform the world for the better – one person, one story, and one program at a time.
Ensuring Accuracy and Independence
Across many parts of our business, such as our News divisions, we work diligently to uphold our commitment to journalistic integrity. Our creators and producers bring creativity and precision to the content they deliver to our audiences. In the news and public affairs programming we produce through CBS News, CBS Sports, Channel 5 in the UK, Telefe in Argentina, and Network 10 in Australia – as well as editorial units and programs across all our brands – accuracy is essential to maintaining our viewers’ trust. Key to this commitment is our editorial independence from external entities, including government agencies.
To ensure quality and accuracy, independence, and fairness in our news organizations, as well as, where appropriate, protecting the privacy of sources, we follow a set of established internal editorial policies and best practices. In addition, the dedicated research and reporting teams at CBS News, Channel 5 in the UK, Telefe in Argentina, and Network 10 in Australia follow a rigorous process for gathering and verifying content, guided by a commitment to journalistic integrity.
Intellectual Property and Copyright
For Paramount, the protection of intellectual property (IP) is a priority because acts of piracy directly undermine the creators we work with every day. Such acts also directly affect our bottom line, resulting in lost revenue, lost jobs, and lost wages. In our Global Business Conduct Statement, Paramount sets clear standards and expectations regarding IP and copyright. In addition, our strict copyright policy sets clear guidelines for soliciting content through social media, as a means of protecting the IP we own, as well as other protected IP. Given the steady proliferation of new business models and distribution channels, we regularly review our policies and practices when protecting and valuing our IP.
Responsible Advertising
To our audiences, the advertising we show can be just as influential as our content. That’s why our Standards and Practices group ensures that all commercial content meets the applicable government and legal requirements, self-regulatory industry guidelines, and company/brand standards. Our policies prohibit advertising for products such as tobacco, illegal drugs or services, pornography, and weapons. And our team also ensures that the advertisements we show do not portray discriminatory actions or harmful behaviors.
Recent years have seen a sea change in how advertisers want to reach key audiences. The divisiveness of the public discourse, as well as the rising prominence of social justice issues, have become mission critical for advertisers. In 2021, we received 16 separate requests from advertisers for information (RFIs) directly related to ESG topics. Nine of them had a focus on DE&I and others were related to environmental sustainability. Our Ad Sales team shares those DE&I-related RFIs with our ESG and OGI teams and we respond to them together.
We place special scrutiny and restrictions on advertisements related to highly sensitive categories like gambling, sportsbooks, religion, politics, and advocacy. There have been changing guidelines about sports gambling, both from the FCC and from partners, such as the NFL. Our policy permits advertisements for brick-and-mortar casinos that comply with federal, state and local laws, and regulations, and in which the gambling is incidental and does not include the exchange of money.
Advertisements for online sports gambling websites (sportsbook advertising) are subject to more stringent requirements. In addition to complying with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, these advertisers must include on-screen legal text indicating age and state restrictions as well as a toll-free number and/or URL that vary by state to seek help with gambling addiction.
Advertisements for distilled spirits adhere to all industry self-regulatory requirements including a standardized audience composition. Additionally, we also assess placement for program appropriateness and brand considerations. All alcohol product advertisements should also contain a “responsible drinking” statement, and hard liquor advertisements must contain a video super – industry shorthand for superimposed text or graphics that appear on screen during a video presentation – indicating the alcohol content by volume.
Safeguards for Children
For some of our brands, such as Nickelodeon, children are a central audience. Our responsibility to provide an appropriate experience for them is one we take seriously. Our brands are committed to meeting our obligations under the relevant laws and regulations pertaining to younger viewers globally, including the Children’s Television Act and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA); voluntary standards such as those from the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), the Motion Picture Association, and the Entertainment Software Rating Board in the U.S.; along with other global data protection and advertising laws and self-regulatory principles, including the UK’s Age Appropriate Design Code.
Paramount’s dedicated Standards and Practices department closely reviews much of our content to ensure that it is in alignment with the relevant regulatory and self-regulatory bodies. In addition, Nickelodeon reviews much of our content to ensure its fit within brand integrity, cultural sensitivities, social mores, and the TV Parental Guidelines system. Our systems are designed to protect the privacy of our audiences, as well as to ensure the appropriateness of content accessed through our online platforms.
Learn more in in Paramount’s 2021-2022 Environmental, Social, and Governance Report
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., August 17, 2023 /3BL/ – Black & Veatch Chief Client Officer Patrick Hogan, who helps guide the global critical infrastructure leader’s alignment of its full portfolio of integrated solutions and services with clients’ needs, has been named to the executive board of regional nonprofit Climate Action KC (CAKC).
Championing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for a more resilient, equitable and healthy community, CAKC brings together more than 100 local and state elected officials along with leaders from civic, nonprofit, public and corporate organizations. As part of the governing board, Hogan brings expertise in decarbonization innovations and solutions – a key tenet of Black & Veatch’s service offerings to a diverse client segments and markets rapidly evolving with the acceleration of sustainability goals.
“With increasing episodes of dramatic, devastating effects of climate change come the imperatives of the urgent need to lower our carbon footprints. That begins locally, and Climate Action KC is at the forefront of visions of cleaner, greener communities where we live and work,” said Hogan.
“The work we do daily with our clients and our company’s own focus areas align with Climate Action KC’s objectives of creating a more resilient, equitable and healthy community, as exemplified in our recent 2023 corporate sustainability report,” added Hogan, who also serves on the company’s leadership team.
Hogan, who joined Black & Veatch in early 2023 after two decades with Honeywell, has deep experience in fostering collaboration, from building sales communities to cultivating client relationships and taking cutting-edge solutions to market to address the changing needs of government, utility, commercial and industrial clients.
“With his deep technical background, Patrick will help the Climate Action KC stay engaged with the ever-evolving climate technology, as well as the priorities of the private sector in the Kansas City region,” said Hillary Parker Thomas, CAKC’s board chair. “Representing Black & Veatch, a company with an aggressive zero-carbon commitment, Patrick’s perspective and skills are an excellent addition to the leadership of the board.”
A key focus of CAKC is its Climate Action Plan first published in 2021, calling for local governments to collaborate on achieving zero net emissions in a 10-county region around Kansas City by 2050. The nonprofit believes that’s doable through such things as investing in renewable energy sources and making buildings more energy efficient.
Editor’s Notes:
For a high-resolution image of Patrick Hogan, click here.
About Black & Veatch
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Can you read tea leaves? No doubt that is what both corporate sector and capital markets leaders are doing as they peruse the possible meanings of SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s recent comments at the FSOC (Financial Stability Oversight Council) regarding the pending “Final Rule” on corporate climate-related risk disclosure.
Chair Gensler said in his remarks: “The SEC has no role as to climate risk. But we do have an important role in helping to ensure that public companies make full, fair, and truthful disclosure about the material risks they face. Already today, issuers are making climate risk disclosures, and investors are making investment decisions based on those disclosures. Indeed, a majority of the top thousand [corporate] issuers by market cap already make such disclosures, including what’s known as Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions.”
NOTE: In Chair Gensler’s published remarks, which are our Top Story below, he cited G&A Institute’s comprehensive annual research on corporate ESG / sustainability disclosure by S&P 500® and Russell 1000® companies as the basis for his statement on Scope 1 and 2 emissions disclosures by the top thousand issuers.
The SEC issued a draft rule in November 2022 – “The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors” – which has drawn a dramatic 15,000 comments that the agency is “carefully” reviewing in structuring the Final Rule. In his remarks to the FSOC, Chair Gensler said, “We greatly benefit from public input and, given the economics and the law, will consider adjustments to the proposed rule that the staff, and ultimately the Commission, think are appropriate in light of those comments.”
While there was no official word from the SEC chair on when we can expect the Final Rule, it was important that his comments were delivered to a group of influentials in federal financial and banking regulation. The FSOC was created after the 2008 financial crisis and is made up of representatives from the important U.S. regulatory agencies, such as Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen, who chairs the Council. There are 10 voting members (including chairs of the Federal Reserve, FDIC, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and SEC) and five non-voting members.
In October 2021, the FSOC issued a new report in response to President Biden’s EO 14030, “Climate Related Financial Risk,” and identified climate change as an emerging and increasing threat to U.S. financial stability. At that time, the SEC had begun to evaluate its corporate and investor disclosure rules and requested public comment on ways to improve climate disclosure.
A key question as we await the release of the SEC’s Final Rule: were Chair Gensler’s comments a pro forma update for fellow members of the FSOC, or a signal that the Final Rule incorporating changes from the public input is about to be released?
The release of the Final Rule will come in the tense atmosphere created by anti-ESG proponents at federal and state public sector levels. Republicans in Congress are busy with attacks on ESG, holding hearings and passing bills designed to reduce the use of ESG metrics and methodologies by investors. We’re seeing increased pressure now from both pro-ESG and anti-ESG sides, but the SEC is focused on staying true to its mission of protecting investors. The G&A team will continue to monitor this important development for public company disclosure of climate-related risk.
This is just the introduction of G&A’s Sustainability Highlights newsletter this week. Click here to view the full issue.
