Tag: 3BL

Originally published in T-Mobile’s 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report

We started the “Un-carrier” movement 10 years ago to focus on the unmet needs of wireless customers and above all else, to never stand for “good enough,” an all-too-common approach among the “Carriers.”

A decade later, we’re still doing the right thing by offering real solutions that make a difference in our customers’ lives. And that turns out to be pretty good business. At T-Mobile we have a simple mission — to be the best in the world at connecting customers to their world. It inspires us to use our network, scale and resources to drive transformational improvements for our customers and employees, society and the planet.

Our extraordinary success in 2022 enabled us to invest back in T-Mobile customers with a strategy to deliver the best network, best value and best experiences. We also upheld our promises to connect more people, in more places, than ever before. For years, the other guys have overlooked and underserved America’s small towns and rural areas, but the Un-carrier is different. We believe reliable and affordable wireless and internet service is a necessity for ALL in today’s highly connected, digital world. When we deliver speed, choice and value to people and businesses across the country, we improve access to essential services, enable more efficient commerce, expand education and employment opportunities, and empower innovation.

That’s why we are so committed to Project 10Million, our $10.7 billion initiative to offer connectivity to up to 10 million eligible student households that lack equal access to the internet. We’ve made tremendous progress with Project 10Million and other education programs to help close the digital divide, connecting more than 5.3 million students and equipping them with free or highly subsidized service so they can have access where and when they need it. And, in partnership with Welcome.US, we pledged to provide up to 200,000 lines of service to Ukrainian and Afghan refugees entering the U.S. It’s difficult to imagine restarting a new life in a new country without the connectivity most of us take for granted.

As we build the nation’s largest, fastest and most-awarded 5G network, managing our environmental footprint is another top priority — something we know is important to our employees, customers and other stakeholders. Earlier this year, we announced an ambitious sustainability goal to achieve net-zero emissions across our ENTIRE carbon footprint by 2040. We set a high bar for ourselves, but tackling big problems with bold solutions is who we are — it’s in our DNA.

All of these efforts are made possible thanks to the amazing employees who bring T-Mobile’s welcoming, celebratory culture to life. They love our customers and champion diversity, equity and inclusion within our walls and out in the world. Together, we’re making progress on our five-year Equity in Action Plan, a set of 54 goals we created in 2020 to support genuine, positive experiences for everyone. We recognize that our company can’t be its best unless everyone can come to work as their authentic, best self.

2022 was an unforgettable year for T-Mobile, backed by our relentless passion for acting as a force for good, connecting people who need it most, and creating opportunity for all. It’s a new era of the Un-carrier, and as a T-Mobile team getting better and stronger each year, we’re committed to making an even bigger impact on the lives of our customers, our communities and the planet.

Learn more about our ESG approach and the progress we’ve made at www.t-mobile.com/responsibility/reporting.

by Paul Hilton, Trillium Asset Management

Trillium’s Sustainable Opportunities thematic suite of public equity strategies aims to address global sustainability challenges in three core areas: climate solutions, economic inclusion, and healthy living. Since 2008, Sustainable Opportunities has looked to identify companies benefiting from the shift to a more sustainable economy. As an intersecting theme, sustainable food and agriculture cuts across these issues, and yet it is a difficult theme to play in public equities.

The three general categories of sustainable food and agriculture investments in public markets include: 

• Agricultural and irrigation equipment,  
• Food production and distribution,  
• Food retailers, food service, and restaurants.

The planet needs more food, and more equitable food distribution, to meet the needs of a growing global population. A 2021 FAO study found that 690 million people globally are hungry, 9% of the world population. And yet we are faced with a scarcity of resources made more insecure based on the growing threats related to climate change, including extreme weather events, invasive pest spread, and plant migration. Agriculture and food production are a big part of the climate change problem, representing 19-29% of total greenhouse gas emissions.

Unfortunately, many large companies focused on agriculture in the public markets have been involved in factory farming, deforestation, prevalent use of pesticides, and excessive water consumption. Some have also been implicated in land grabs that have helped to push smaller farmers out of business.

Trillium began engaging companies on food more than 20 years ago, when it became the first investment firm to file a shareholder proposal on the issue of animal welfare. In 2002, Trillium also became the first sustainable investment firm to file a shareholder proposal on the issue of GMO labeling at Whole Foods Markets. More recently, we have engaged on issues including food waste, packaging, and climate targets.

Read Paul’s full article here – https://greenmoney.com/public-equity-investing-in-sustainable-food-and-agriculture

 

======

What is the business case for sustainability? It’s a question I’ve been asked for 30 years, so finally I finally distilled the economic benefits into the “10 Rs of Return on Regeneration (Figure 1). Let me make each one clear by using an example.

Figure 1: The 10 Rs of Return of Regeneration

RiskRisk is lower, especially due to better supply chain and stakeholder management.ReputationReputationimproves, thus also increasing the intangible asset of brand equity.ResilienceResilience is built, especially the ability to anticipate and survive system shocks such as climate disruption, pandemics, or social unrest.Resource efficiencyResource efficiency increases, thus saving costs through less water, energy, and waste.RegulationRegulation is anticipated, therefore allowing early adaptation and avoiding of fines and penalties.Recruitment and retentionRecruitment and retention of talent improves, especially attracting and retaining the younger generation of employees.RevenuesRevenues are boosted, especially because markets for ethical, responsible, and regenerative products are among the fastest-growing markets.ReturnsReturns are higher, with better access to finance and better long-term financial performance.Research and developmentResearch and development are stimulated, especially since regeneration opportunities require innovation to deliver.Reason for beingReason for being is clarified, because regeneration provides a powerful purpose for organizations.

Risk is lower. The costs of growing the business will be lower without costly delays due to protests by angry activists or unhappy suppliers. Moving to a circular economy may also decrease potential disruption of resource supplies. Risk is the reason why 11 major shipping banks signed the Poseidon Principles, committing to assess the carbon intensity of their shipping investments and to incorporate climate goals into shipping vessels that they fund.

Reputation improves. The reason that Tesla is valued so highly by the market (and by its customers) is because it has gained a reputation for innovative solutions that will accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. Sustainable Brands has, since 2006, tapped into this understanding, bringing together companies that see social and environmental challenges as an essential driver of brand innovation, value creation, and positive impact.

Resilience is built. Companies like Interface have done better during economic recessions because of savings from their sustainability programs, their innovation culture, and strong employee commitment. This is why Randstad worked with Antwerp Management School to develop the Future Resilience Index, with 10 factors to assess individual, organizational, and societal resilience.

Resource efficiencyincreases. The Excess Materials Exchange among companies like Schiphol Airport, Philips, and Sodexo discovered €64 million in financial value creation. According to the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), savings of between 30 and 50 percent can be achieved by investing in no- and low-cost water-reduction techniques and technologies. A company with an annual turnover of £2 million could save up to £20,000 per year.

Regulation is anticipated. Eighteen countries have already committed to ban sales of new diesel and gasoline cars and move to 100 percent zero-emission vehicles, with Norway leading with a ban from 2025. In the EU the Plastics Strategy caught many producers and retailers off guard with its rapid ban of single-use plastics and its declaration that by 2030 all plastic packaging placed on the EU market must either be reusable or recyclable.

Recruitment and retentionof talent improves. A Deloitte survey finds that 42 percent of Millennials and Gen Z are choosing relationships with companies whose core business has positive social or environmental impacts, while 38 percent are lessening ties with companies with a perceived negative impact.[i] In addition, research shows that sustainable and responsible companies also boost employee motivation, productivity, loyalty, and satisfaction.

Revenues are boosted. Sustainability-marketed products grew more than seven times faster than other products in 2015-2019,[ii] with plant-based foods expected to grow annually at 11.9 percent from 2020-2027.[iii]

Returns are higher. Analysis by S&P Global Market Intelligence and Morningstar shows that investments that are screened on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria are less risky and outperform the market in both the short and long term.[iv]

Research and development are stimulated. The Business Commission on Sustainable Development estimates that meeting the SDGs will unlock $12 trillion in new market value,[v] while Accenture estimates that the circular economy is a $4.5 trillion opportunity.[vi]

Reason for being is clarified. When Paul Polman was CEO of Unilever, around 1.7 million people applied to work at the company every year. Polman believes this had a lot to do with its inspiring Sustainable Living Plan. Similarly, IKEA is using its “People & Planet Positive” sustainability strategy to drive innovation, transform their business, shape their investments, and unleash new business opportunities.

Source: Extract from Thriving: The Breakthrough Movement to Regenerate Nature, Society and the Economy, by Wayne Visser (Fast Company Press, 2022)

Endnotes:

[i] Deloitte, 2019 Deloitte Millennial Survey, Report, 2019.

[ii] New York University and IRI, “2020 CSB Sustainable Market Share Index,™ Report by the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business and IRI, 2020.

[iii] Meticulous Research, Plant Based Food Market—Global Forecast to 2027, 2020.

[iv] S&P Global Market Intelligence, “ESG Funds Beat Out S&P 500 in 1st Year of COVID-19; How 1 Fund Shot to the Top,” April 6, 2021.

[v] BSDC, Better Business, Better World, Report by Business & Sustainable Development Commission 2017.

[vi] P. Lacy and J. Rutqvist, Waste to Wealth: The Circular Economy Advantage (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015).

This blog is part of our People Behind Purpose at Cisco series that focuses on employees driving Cisco’s purpose to Power an Inclusive Future for All. Each blog highlights a different Cisco employee whose work positively impacts people, communities, or the planet. The series was formerly known as people behind Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at Cisco.

Since 2015, Cisco has collaborated with government leaders, industry, and academia to support the delivery of national digital agendas through the Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program. Over the last two years, the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies; however, it has also highlighted the stark digital divide across society and within different socioeconomic groups. Through CDA, we are supporting countries to embrace digital technologies and deliver connected and inclusive societies. To date, CDA has over 1100 active or completed projects in 50 countries.

Another important and growing part of CDA is partnering on sustainability projects, with 30+ to date. Meet Jutta Graefensteiner, Director for CDA, Sustainability and the Country Plan in Germany. She shares more about her early connection with nature, the evolution of her career at Cisco over the past 20 years, and how digitization can go hand-in-hand with sustainability.

When did your interest in sustainability begin?

Jutta: My interest in sustainability has been with me my entire life because I grew up on a farm in Germany that was a four-generation household. We had cows, sheep, pigs, rabbits, cats and dogs of course. It was a small farm, but it was lovely, and I had a beautiful childhood. Nature and animals have been with me since I started to breathe, walk, think, and act, so it is always close to my heart.

From a business perspective, I think about how we are embedding sustainability across Cisco operations, and how our products and solutions can support our customers in reaching their net-zero goals. About two years ago, a colleague was tasked with setting up a tiger team to enhance our sustainability strategy for our Europe, Middle East, and Africa region. She reached out and asked if I wanted to join that community, and I was happy to say yes.

From that moment on, I was diving in, embracing, and inhaling the topic of sustainability for Cisco in Germany. A significant task is bringing our corporate approach, our products, and our solutions closer to our customers, partners and other stakeholders.

Tell us more about what brought you to Cisco and your current job responsibilities.

Jutta: I started working at Cisco in January 2000, so I have been here for over 23 years. At that time, I worked for an IT distributor, and somebody from Cisco reached out to me. So, I came to Cisco and started as a marketing manager for Cisco’s small and medium business (SMB).

Over the years, I held various marketing and communications-related roles, first in Germany and then in Central Europe where the sales region consisted of 19 countries at the time. In 2015 I went back to Germany to lead Cisco’s Channels and Partner Organization for over five and a half years, which offers solutions, training, tools, and support to help value-added resellers (VARs). I’m also part of Cisco Germany’s Management Board.

Now I am the Director for Sustainability, CDA and the Country Plan in Germany. Importantly, we are seeing that sustainability can help with digitization, including as far as solutions are concerned, and vice versa. They are tightly connected.

You led Cisco’s Channels and Partner Organization. How did your work with partners prepare you for your role in CDA?

Jutta: Leading a partner organization is challenging, and I loved it. It requires a lot of resiliency, agility, and persistence. Those competencies are also needed for sustainability. Sustainability is being integrated across our company, and it is increasingly important for the business organization we drive, our portfolio and customer landscape. Having that established network and persistence in moving the topic forward is essential, especially since it is a rapidly developing topic from a sales perspective. Further, Cisco has been reporting on sustainability since 2005. So, I can build on that knowledge, and on the other side, I have those relationships with our partners and a good entrance point for sustainability in our conversations. The doors are open; I have to go through them and raise further awareness about our sustainability journey.

Can you tell us more about the sustainability initiatives that CDA is leading and the impact you hope to make?

Jutta: As mentioned earlier, sustainability and digitization are tightly interconnected, and sustainability is becoming important for businesses.

One example is one of our customers and partners in Germany — Deutsche Telekom (DT). DT deployed the Cisco 8000 Series based on Cisco Silicon One, the router with transmission speed of 260 terabits per second (Tbps). DT has reported that the move from the Cisco CRS-X multi-chassis system to the Cisco 8000 Series routers has reduced power consumption by up to 92 percent per 100 gigabits per second (Gbps). In addition, DT has also reported that the high connection density of the routers leads to a reduction in space requirements from eight racks to one rack per system. We see that companies can save energy and space with innovations developed by Cisco.

Currently we are working with one of the biggest global sports retailers. With the support of CDA we are investing in the development of a sustainability dashboard to monitor and visualize in real-time various parameters like energy consumption, climate, oxygen, and heating. Initially, the dashboard is expected to be implemented in one of the company’s new pilot retail stores. Of course, the goal is a global scale implementation.

CDA is a wonderful program to support our customers and accelerate their digitization and sustainability efforts.

Why is it important for corporations and people to care about a sustainable and regenerative future?

Jutta: We see, hear, and experience global climate change. Depending on where you are living in the world, it is with different intensity. Companies can play a key role in taking action, and Cisco is making this a priority.

And, not to forget each one of us. As employees and as private citizens, we can start taking action. For example, calculating your personal carbon footprint can help you get transparency on your impact and identify your own private actions to reduce it.

I heard you’re passionate about animal welfare. Can you tell us more about that?

Jutta: From a sustainability perspective, I can touch on biodiversity and how important animals are for our survival as humans. If you don’t plant trees, the insects will not have a home. The bees won’t be around to pollinate plants on the farm, and we will not be able to produce food for us human beings. As humans, we depend more on animals than they need us. We should treat them well and ensure they survive.

To bring it down to the most personal level, I simply love animals. It gives me a good feeling to be surrounded by animals and they are part of our big family. They give love, belonging, and make me laugh. Petting animals makes people feel good, and research shows that interacting with animals has health benefits.

My pets are part of my family, and I love to care for them. We got our first dog six years ago, and during the pandemic we opened our home to a rescue cat. Seeing the situation in Ukraine and how blessed we are, we decided to adopt another small, elderly dog from Kyiv, Ukraine. She fits in perfectly with our first dog and our cat. And, in our greenhouse, I have two hedgehogs living there over the winter. Once it is warm enough, they will wake up and we will return them to the wilderness.

As part of our “Time2Give”, which is a benefit at Cisco where you get paid time off to volunteer, I organized a one-day building project with a woodworker and 10 Cisco employees. We built hedgehog houses together for an animal nonprofit, so they could sell them to get funding for medicine and other things to care for the hedgehogs. It was a great give-back activity with our colleagues, and the next build is scheduled for the end of June.

View original content here

CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 12, 2023 /3BL Media/ – SEE (NYSE: SEE), formerly known as Sealed Air, has been chosen by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for a Supplier Performance Award for Supplier Excellence.

SEE is one of only 12 companies recognized through the USPS Supplier Performance Award program in 2022 from the approximately 12,000 suppliers that currently support the USPS. The Supplier Excellence Award specifically recognizes suppliers that provide exceptional quality and on-time delivery performance and those that demonstrate extraordinary public safety awareness and assist the Postal Service in achieving its business objectives. SEE has been a USPS supplier for more than 10 years.

SEE was honored for responding to the USPS’s immediate call to action to provide shipping mailers for COVID-19 test kits last year. In January 2022, the White House launched COVIDTests.gov, a program through which all U.S. households could order free at-home test kits from the federal government, which were distributed by the USPS.

Without prior notice, SEE was able to ramp up production and use all its available inventory of cushioned and non-cushioned mailers—more than 23 million—from eight of its manufacturing facilities across the country to help fulfill the shipments. SEE also provided 270 truckloads of BUBBLE WRAP® brand original cushioning to protect the test kits placed inside the non-cushioned mailers.

“It was an unusual feat of speed and ingenuity,” said SEE Strategic Channel Manager Rob Pietras. “As a packaging solutions provider, SEE’s mission is to protect, solve critical challenges, and make our world better than we find it. We accomplished all three of those things within this unprecedented shipment. It was important that the COVID-19 test kits arrived undamaged and we’re proud SEE made that happen.”

SEE was formally honored at the National Postal Forum, the country’s premier mailing and shipping conference, on May 24, 2023.

###

About SEE

SEE (NYSE: SEE) is in business to protect, to solve critical packaging challenges, and to make our world better than we find it. Our automated packaging solutions promote a safer, more resilient, and less wasteful global food, fluids and liquids supply chain, enable e-commerce, and protect goods in transit from damage.

The company, under its former trade name, Sealed Air, announced its new SEE corporate brand and logo in May 2023.

Our globally recognized solution brands include CRYOVAC® food packaging, LIQUIBOX® fluids and liquids systems, SEALED AIR® protective packaging, AUTOBAG® automated packaging systems, BUBBLE WRAP® packaging, SEE Automation™ and prismiq™ digital packaging and printing.

Our partnership with customers creates value through sustainable, automated, and digital packaging solutions, leveraging our industry-leading expertise in materials, automation systems, engineering and technology.

Our SEE Net-Positive Circular Ecosystem is leading the packaging industry in creating a more environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable future. We have pledged to design or advance 100% of our packaging materials to be recyclable or reusable by 2025, with a bolder goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions in our global operations by 2040.

Our Global Impact Report highlights how we are shaping the future of the packaging industry. We are committed to a diverse workforce and a caring, inclusive culture through our 2025 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion pledge.

SEE generated $5.6 billion in sales in 2022 and has approximately 17,300 employees (including Liquibox employees) who serve customers in 120 countries/territories. To learn more, visit sealedair.com.

Company Contacts

Media | Christina Griffin 
704.430.5742 
christina.griffin@sealedair.com

Investors | Brian Sullivan 
704.503.8841 
brian.c.sullivan@sealedair.com

BROOKLYN, N.Y. /3BL Media/ – National Grid launched The Grid Collective, a groundbreaking program born out of the company’s cornerstone community commitment initiative, Project C. Business leaders, community members, and customers came together at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral in Jamaica, Queens to hear from a panel of National Grid employees discussing the benefits and process for becoming inaugural participants in the program.

The Grid Collective aims to grow green businesses and job opportunities in New York by providing weatherization and energy efficiency training to both vendor and individual workers. The program offers training through the Business Performance Institute (BPI) and other certified sites, helping vendors and workers gain skills and knowledge they need to keep pace with New York’s clean energy goals and capture their piece of the growing green economic opportunities at both the city and state level.

“We understand what’s necessary is the expansion of businesses to deliver weatherization and energy efficiency to meet the milestones and standards laid out in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act to help enable a clean energy future for all,” said Melanie Littlejohn, Vice President, Community and Customer Engagement, National Grid.

Building upon this call to action, Carla Hunter Ramsey, Director, External Affairs and Community Engagement, National Grid, spoke to the time sensitivity of a partnership program like The Grid Collective. “There is a shortage of vendors and individuals to do this work. We need more people to do the work. So, we must train up a workforce in order to do that,” she said.

National Grid chose Jamaica, Queens, one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse communities it serves, to launch The Grid Collective. Building on the mission of Project C, this choice underscores National Grid’s unwavering commitment to ensure inclusion, inspire change, create positive neighborhood impact, strengthen communities and make a difference for years to come.

Queens State Senator Leroy Comrie, said in a statement, “I have been pleased to work with National Grid for a number of years to expand green initiatives in Southeast Queens. The Grid Collective, a partnership with local small businesses, brings us a step closer to reaching climate and environmental justice goals for our communities by providing workforce development and training for residents and vendors in the clean energy sector in our neighborhoods. I look forward to seeing the program grow to bring even more opportunities to residents of the 14th Senate District.”

Ian Minerve, an Approved Program Partner with National Grid’s Total Home Comfort program, which provides rebates for energy efficiency and weatherization improvements for residential customers in the New York Metro area and on Long, operates Green Power Associates, a Gold Star BPI accredited company. He spoke to his success partnering with National Grid and the opportunities The Grid Collective can afford entrepreneurs in New York’s green energy sector. “Energy efficiency can mean many things to different individuals; this is a great time to get involved as the opportunities are limitless. If you have the passion, drive, and willingness you can go very far,” he said.

About National Grid

National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York and Massachusetts. National Grid is focused on building a path to a more affordable, reliable clean energy future through our fossil-free vision. National Grid is transforming our electricity and natural gas networks with smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions to meet the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

For more information, please visit our website, follow us on Twitter, watch us on YouTube, like us on Facebook and find our photos on Instagram.

Paychex, Inc., a leading provider of integrated human capital management software solutions for human resources, payroll, benefits, and insurance services, today announced that Junior Achievement USA®, the nation’s largest organization dedicated to providing young people the knowledge and skills they need for economic success, will receive a $1 million grant from the Paychex Charitable Foundation. The grant, which allocates $250,000 annually over four years, will support the long-term financial health of America’s youth in key markets where Paychex has a high concentration of employees.

This is the third major gift given under the Paychex Charitable Foundation’s strategic giving framework focused on well-being, addressing mental health, physical health, financial health, and professional skills development. This gift to Junior Achievement will benefit the financial health focus area. Paychex announced similar grants to Mental Health America and Feeding America earlier in 2023 to support emotional and physical well-being, respectively.

“As one of the country’s leading providers of HR, payroll, benefits, and insurance solutions, Paychex has a unique view of the financial challenges American workers face and the critical role that strong financial literacy plays as young Americans join the workforce,” said John Gibson, Paychex president and CEO. “This insight underlies our belief that successful local economies start with vibrant communities—and financial health is the foundation of that mission. Our ongoing support of Junior Achievement will help ensure that the next generation of workers has the knowledge and skills for economic success.”

With more than 100 local affiliates across the U.S., Junior Achievement reaches more than three million students per year in approximately 127 thousand classrooms and after-school locations with core program content focused on work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.

“We at Junior Achievement know that for many young people, financial literacy education in school is an essential part of experiencing financial health later in life,” said Jack E. Kosakowski, President & CEO of Junior Achievement USA. “We greatly appreciate Paychex’s investment and partnership in ensuring more young people have access to the information they need to benefit themselves, their families, and ultimately their communities.”

In addition to this financial gift from the Paychex Charitable Foundation, Paychex will be seeking opportunities to engage its 16,000 employees as a volunteer network to help advance Junior Achievement’s mission of supporting the long-term financial health of American youth. The markets that will receive funding through this gift are: Albuquerque, N.M.; Allentown, Pa.; Baton Rouge, La.; Chicago, Ill.; Pasadena, Calif.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Rochester, N.Y.; San Diego, Calif.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Tampa, Fla. and West Palm Beach, Fla.

To learn more about the Paychex Charitable Foundation, visit the foundation’s website.

About Paychex 
Paychex, Inc. (Nasdaq: PAYX) is a leading provider of integrated human capital management solutions for human resources, payroll, benefits, and insurance services. By combining innovative software-as-a-service technology and mobility platform with dedicated, personal service, Paychex empowers business owners to focus on the growth and management of their business. Backed by 50 years of industry expertise, Paychex serves more than 730,000 payroll clients as of May 31, 2022, in the U.S. and Europe, and pays one out of every 12 American private sector employees. Learn more about Paychex by visiting www.paychex.com and stay connected on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Junior Achievement USA® 
Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches more than 3.3 million students per year in 102 markets across the United States as part of 12.5 million students served by operations in more than 100 other countries worldwide. Junior Achievement USA is a member of JA Worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org.

View original content here

David Brabham, GP’s director of stewardship strategy, joined host Ashley Frasca on the Green and Growing podcast to connect GP’s stewardship commitment to the household products you use everyday. As a forest products company, we understand the importance of conserving the products entrusted to our care. Listen as David explains how GP is focused on being good stewards of Georgia forests: https://lnkd.in/gNpCYZyB

Georgia-Pacific

Based in Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific and its subsidiaries are among the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of bath tissue, paper towels and napkins, tableware, paper-based packaging, cellulose, specialty fibers, nonwoven fabrics, building products and related chemicals. Our familiar consumer brands include Quilted Northern®, Angel Soft®, Brawny®, Dixie®, enMotion®, Sparkle® and Vanity Fair®. Georgia-Pacific has long been a leading supplier of building products to lumber and building materials dealers and large do-it-yourself warehouse retailers. Its Georgia-Pacific Recycling subsidiary is among the world’s largest traders of paper, metal and plastics. The company operates more than 150 facilities and employs more than 30,000 people directly and creates approximately 89,000 jobs indirectly. For more information, visit: gp.com/about-us . For news, visit: gp.com/news

Click here to listen to the whole interview

View original content here

Maintaining reliability and preserving affordability remain key prioritiesCompany making meaningful progress as it prepares its system for net-zero future

CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 12, 2023 /3BL Media/ – In 2022, Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) continued to make significant progress on its strategic goals, managed through headwinds with great agility and delivered constructive outcomes across its jurisdictions, chair, president and CEO Lynn Good told investors during the company’s annual shareholders meeting.

“Our more than 27,000 teammates seized every opportunity to deliver value to our stakeholders and grow our business,” she said. “We made meaningful progress on our clean energy strategy and took decisive action to position our company for the long term.”

Good cited several milestones:

“We expanded our net-zero goals to include Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 emissions, becoming one of the first in the industry to tie more than 95% of emissions to a net-zero commitment.”“We set a target to exit coal by 2035 subject to regulatory approval and expect coal to represent less than 5% of generation by 2030.”“We announced plans to add regulated renewables at an ambitious pace. We project we’ll have 30,000 megawatts on our system by 2035, which is five times more than we operate today.”“We advocated for policies that help us deliver affordable, reliable and increasingly clean energy, including the Inflation Reduction Act, which we estimate will generate billions of dollars in savings for our customers over the next decade.”“We filed our first proposed Carbon Plan with the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC), incorporating input from more than 500 stakeholders and outlining multiple portfolios designed to achieve some of the nation’s most ambitious goals while balancing affordability and reliability. In December, we received a constructive order from the NCUC, recognizing the value of an all-of-the-above approach.””We continued to modernize the grid and increase reliability and resiliency in all our service territories, including approvals of our $2 billion, six-year grid investment plan in Indiana and a $7 billion, 10-year storm protection plan in Florida.”“And increased the capital plan for our regulated businesses to more than $145 billion over the next decade. It’s one of the largest in the industry, with 85% funding investments in the grid and our clean energy transition.”“As we increased our capital plan to fund our clean energy transition, we conducted a strategic review of our Commercial Renewables business and made the decision to sell. This decision will strengthen our balance sheet and allow us to focus on the significant investment opportunities within our regulated operations. It will also position the renewables business for continued growth.”

“Whether it was restoring service after a historic hurricane, leading the way on decarbonization or finding ways to mitigate costs for customers, we rose to the occasion last year. We delivered on our commitment to customers and advanced our strategic priorities,” Good said.

Delivering consistent and lasting benefits to customers

Duke Energy continues its strong focus on affordability and cost management, while maintaining attractive returns for its shareholders.

“We worked with state regulators to mitigate bill impacts and provided customers with resources to help them. This included working with community assistance agencies to connect customers in need with nearly $300 million over the last two years,” said Good.

Already in 2023, Duke Energy has achieved constructive regulatory and legislative outcomes, including the approval of fuel and storm cost recovery in Florida; net metering reform in North Carolina; and new legislation in Indiana that supports modern recovery mechanisms and our generation transition.

“We look forward to building on our success, navigating the transition in a responsible way that continues to preserve affordability and reliability while delivering sustainable value for our investors, customers and communities,” said Good.

Other business

Also at today’s meeting:

Good fielded shareholder questions on a range of topics. The company will post responses to questions on its website.Shareholders elected all 14 nominees to the company’s board of directors.Shareholders approved the company’s 2023 Long-Term Incentive Plan.A nonbinding shareholder proposal regarding elimination of supermajority voting provisions in Duke Energy Corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation received the support of a majority of votes cast.A second nonbinding shareholder proposal regarding formation of a committee to evaluate decarbonization risk did not receive the support of a majority of the votes cast.

A replay of the meeting will be posted on Duke Energy’s investors page.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,600 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2023 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list and Forbes’ “World’s Best Employers” list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy’s illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

View original content here

On Tuesday June 13, 2023, thousands of KeyBank teammates across the country will leave their bank offices to volunteer for various local community organizations, projects, and causes for Neighbors Make the Difference Day.

This year marks the 32nd annual Neighbors Make the Difference Day and is one of KeyBank’s most visible community volunteer projects. The number of volunteer hours on June 13 is expected to be more than 16,000.

This long-standing annual event demonstrates KeyBank’s commitment to helping its neighbors and communities thrive. Neighbors Day began in 1991, when a group of KeyBank teammates in Alaska volunteered for service projects and dubbed the effort “Neighbors Make the Difference Day.” By 1993, the idea had swept across many of the communities that Key serves and became an official day of employee volunteerism. It is now the hallmark of KeyBank’s commitment to its neighborhoods.

In past years, volunteers from KeyBank helped to clean up Cleveland’s Cultural Gardens and also spent time at EDWINS, a 501(c)(3) organization that offers formerly incarcerated adults a foundation in the culinary and hospitality industries and a support network necessary for long-term success.

To participate in the social media conversation on June 13th, follow #KeyBankNMTDD, @KeyBank on Twitter and KeyBank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/keybank.

Volunteerism is an important part of Key’s teammate engagement. To read more about how Key helps employees thrive, Key’s 2021 Environmental, Governance, and Social report is available here.