Tag: 3BL

BOSTON, June 7, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Sappi North America Inc., a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper, packaging products and pulp, announced today two notable award wins. Sappi won one of the SEAL Business Sustainability Awards in the Environmental Initiatives category for the TUBEL-flushing improvement project at its Cloquet mill. Sappi also took silver in the Telly Awards, Branded Content – Campaign: Recruitment category, for its Somerset mill video.

“We’re proud to receive this prestigious recognition from both the SEAL and Telly Awards,” said Patti Groh, Director of Communications for Sappi North America. “These initiatives speak directly to our core mission: driving sustainability and empowering our employees. We launched the Cloquet water-savings project with our commitment to environmentally friendly manufacturing in mind, and the Somerset recruitment video beautifully highlights how our employees play an integral role in bringing impactful initiatives to fruition.”

The TUBEL-flushing improvement project at the company’s Cloquet mill was recognized by SEAL for its ability to reassess existing systems and develop new best practices for responsible consumption and production. The impact of the project was a reduction in water use of over 2 million gallons of water annually and 3.2 million pounds of steam, resulting in energy, water and cost savings. The SEAL Awards celebrate companies and leaders across the globe that make measurable contributions to sustainability and develop innovative initiatives that will positively impact the environment for centuries to come.

The Somerset mill video, created in collaboration with VSA Partners (VSA) and Mayday Productions, highlights the impact potential recruits can make as a Sappi employee, and how current employees play a vital role in driving world-class sustainability initiatives and research and development work with cutting-edge technology that makes a global impact. The video was recognized by Telly for its ability to expel outdated perceptions of the paper industry, and to demonstrate that Sappi is a dynamic and thriving workplace where talented people are welcomed and empowered.

The Telly Awards recognize local, regional and cable television commercials, as well as non-broadcast video and programming. Telly Award winners are some of the most respected and notable advertising agencies, television stations, production companies and publishers from around the world.

To learn more about Sappi’s award-winning initiatives, please visit: https://www.sappi.com/.

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About Sappi North America, Inc.

Sappi North America, Inc., headquartered in Boston, is a market leader in converting wood fiber into superior products that customers demand worldwide. Our four diversified businesses – high-quality Graphic Papers, Dissolving Pulp, Packaging, and Specialty Papers deliver premium products and services with consistent quality and reliability. Our high-quality Coated Printing Papers are used for premium magazines, catalogs, books, direct mail and high-end print advertising. We are a leading manufacturer of Dissolving Pulp, which is used in a wide range of products, including textile fibers and household goods. We deliver sustainable Packaging and Specialty Papers for luxury packaging and folding carton applications with our single-ply packaging brands and for the food and label industries with our specialty papers. We are one of the world’s leading suppliers of Casting and Release Papers with lines for the automotive, fashion and engineered films industries.

Sappi North America is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited (JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with more than 12,000 employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven countries and customers in over 150 countries. www.sappi.com

Contact

Christy Reiss
Account Manager
Matter Communications
1 585-489-5006
sappi@matternow.com

In recent years, concerns over environmental contamination and its impact on our planet have become increasingly urgent. Corporations play a significant role in mitigating and remediating any environmental contamination that results from their manufacturing processes, supply chains, and waste management practices. 

This high-level primer will offer your organization a clearer understanding of the types of environmental contaminants, their sources, and their associated health risks.

What Is an Environmental Contaminant?

A contaminant is any substance that is introduced through human activities into an environment where it does not belong. While these substances at times come from natural sources, their introduction into the environment can have harmful effects on human health and the ecosystem. 

For example, lead is a naturally occurring element, yet it has a toxic effect on the human body. If an industry working with lead were to release lead-tainted wastewater into the surrounding environment, it could result in a devastating public health crisis.

Types of Environmental Contaminants

The following categories of environmental contaminants have the greatest negative impact on human health and the ecosystem.

Chemical contaminants

These substances include things like pesticides, industrial chemicals, and heavy metals. Chemical contaminants can enter the soil, air, and water. 

Chemical contaminants can cause a range of health problems, including respiratory problems, cancer, reproductive problems, and neurological problems. They can also harm wildlife and aquatic ecosystems by disrupting the chemistry of natural systems.

Biological contaminants

These contaminants are living organisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. They can be released into the environment through activities such as agriculture or waste management.

Biological contaminants can cause a range of health problems, from mild skin irritations to severe infections.

Physical contaminants

These are materials or particles that are released into the environment by corporations and can include things like plastic waste, debris, and construction materials. 

Physical contaminants can accumulate in the environment and cause harm to both wildlife and humans. The proliferation of plastics into the environment is a prime example of how physical contaminants can broadly disrupt ecosystems, with fish in the North Pacific ingesting up to 24,000 tons of plastic each year.

Radiological contaminants

These are substances that emit ionizing radiation and can include things like uranium, plutonium, and radium. 

Radiological contaminants can be released into the environment by corporations through activities such as nuclear power generation or nuclear waste disposal. Exposure to these contaminants can have serious health effects.

Mixed contaminants

These are a combination of the above types of contaminants. For example, the waste stream from a manufacturing process may contain both chemical and physical contaminants. 

Mixed contaminants can be particularly challenging to manage and can require specialized treatment and disposal methods.

Sources of Environmental Contamination

Environmental contamination is caused by a variety of human activities. Some of the most significant sources are:

Industrial processes: Industries release a wide variety of contaminants into the environment, including chemicals, heavy metals, and particulate matter.Agricultural activities: Agricultural practices such as the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and animal waste can contaminate water, soil, and air.Transportation: Cars, trucks, and other vehicles emit contaminants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter.Waste disposal: Improper waste disposal can result in the release of hazardous chemicals and other contaminants into the environment.Energy production: Contaminants such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and mercury can be byproducts of energy production.Mining activities: Mining can result in the release of toxic chemicals and heavy metals into the environment.

Health Risks Associated with Environmental Contamination

Environmental contaminants can pose significant health risks to humans. The specific health risks depend on the type of contaminant and the level of exposure.

Health risks associated with environmental contaminants include:

Respiratory Problems: Exposure to airborne particulate matter can cause respiratory problems such as asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema.Cancer: Many environmental contaminants, such as asbestos, benzene, and dioxins, are known or suspected carcinogens. Exposure to these substances can increase the risk of developing various types of cancer, including lung, liver, and bladder cancer.Reproductive Problems: Exposure to certain environmental contaminants, such as lead, mercury, and phthalates, can cause reproductive problems such as infertility, miscarriage, and birth defects.Neurological Problems: Some environmental contaminants, such as lead and mercury, can cause neurological problems such as developmental delays, cognitive impairment, and behavioral problems.Cardiovascular Disease: Exposure to ozone and airborne particulate matter can increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and stroke.

It is important to minimize exposure to these substances through effective environmental management practices. The work of industrial hygiene is to understand these environmental risks in the workplace, playing a vital role in the health and safety of workers across the globe.

Learn more about how you can improve your organization’s impact on the environment with Inogen Alliance.

Inogen Alliance is a global network made up of dozens of independent local businesses and over 6,000 consultants around the world who can help make your project a success. Our Associates collaborate closely to serve multinational corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, and we share knowledge and industry experience to provide the highest quality service to our clients. If you want to learn more about how you can work with Inogen Alliance, you can explore our Associates or Contact Us. Watch for more News & Blog updates here and follow us on LinkedIn.

This Global Volunteer Month, FedEx Cares celebrates Kathy Meyer for her commitment to helping women in her community thrive.

Kathy joined FedEx Office in 2006 and has made her mark in eCommerce, business development and product management roles, but she’s really made a name for herself with her charity work.

Kathy was one of 20 women honored for positively impacting their communities and redefining what happiness and success look like for women everywhere in M&M’S® Flipping the Status Quo Program.

You might have seen the M&M’S® Super Bowl commercial to support this national contest that recognizes outstanding women across the country. Kathy is enjoying her moment in the spotlight, but the real winner is She Supply, the Dallas charity she co-founded in 2016.

She Supply is a nonprofit that helps women and teens in Dallas – Fort Worth. Their mission is to provide a sense of dignity and cleanliness to women in need.

“We provide feminine hygiene products to women who can’t afford them,” Kathy says, “basic necessities that most of us take for granted.”

“Thousands of women here in North Texas make tough decisions each month, whether to pay bills, purchase food for the family or buy their own feminine hygiene products.”

As part of Kathy’s award, she received a grant of $10,000 from M&M’S® to fund additional projects at She Supply.

“I firmly believe in the saying, “You can’t be what you don’t see,” Kathy says. “We are still learning about amazing women of history whose stories were stifled or stolen from their rightful place. Celebrating the accomplishments of women encourages peers and, most important, young girls, to reach for their goals.”

USA Today and Statista have recognized Comcast NBCUniversal on their first-ever list of America’s Climate Leaders.

To determine America’s Climate Leaders, USA Today and Statista ranked U.S.-based companies on how much progress they made in reducing Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emission intensity between 2019 and 2021. Emission intensity measures the amount of greenhouse gases a company produces relative to its revenue, which allows for comparisons across companies of varying sizes.

We’re proud of this recognition and of our progress in reducing our carbon footprint.

SARA CRONENWETT
Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Environmental Sustainability at Comcast

“We have been working diligently to do our part for the planet by reducing our carbon footprint, increasing energy efficiency, and implementing sustainable practices for the future,” said Sara Cronenwett, Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Environmental Sustainability at Comcast.

The recognition reflects some of Comcast’s recent accomplishments, which include:

Reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions 28% from 2019 to 2021.More than doubling the use of renewable electricity from 2020 to 2021.Decreasing Comcast Cable’s energy per consumed terabyte 36% since 2019.Decreasing Comcast Cable’s fleet emissions, saving nearly 9.5 million gallons of fuel since 2019 and avoiding 81,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

These initiatives have improved our business and allowed us to better serve our customers all while creating a greener, cleaner future.

SARA CRONENWETT
Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Environmental Sustainability at Comcast

For more information about America’s Climate Leaders, please visit USA Today.

As consumers become increasingly conscious of the environmental impact of the products they buy and the companies they support, businesses are turning their focus to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies to accelerate positive, sustainable environmental and social impact through their organizations.

With the power and scale to reach millions of people around the world, global technology companies in particular have an opportunity to positively impact environmental change. By manufacturing sustainable products, reducing energy consumption, developing innovative solutions to solve environmental problems, and setting an example for other industries to follow, tech companies can play a vital role in mitigating the impact of climate change and ensuring a sustainable future for all

But it’s no easy task. Companies embarking on their journey to sustainability face many challenges along the way. Businesses often lack the expertise and knowledge needed to navigate best practices, environmental regulations, and stakeholder engagement strategies to develop and implement effective initiatives. Moreover, constraints like time, money, and resources are huge factors, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses operating on limited budgets and staff.

This is where Lenovo sees an opportunity to help.

Lenovo’s robust network of channel partners helps to deliver smarter technology to millions of customers around the world. When it comes to devices, infrastructure, and services & solutions, Lenovo provides channel partners with the resources needed to succeed in a highly competitive market – and we’re expanding that support to sustainability resources through a partner community called Lenovo 360 Circle.

In celebration of Earth Day, we sat down with Virginie Le Barbu, Global Sustainability Channel Director, for a deeper look at how Lenovo is driving actionable and impactful global sustainability initiatives through the Lenovo 360 Circle community.

Q: What is Lenovo 360 Circle?

Virginie Le Barbu: “In 2021, Lenovo launched its first ever global channel framework called “Lenovo 360” as a means of uniting our people, programs, and tools to unlock the full breadth & depth of Lenovo’s product and solutions portfolio for our channel partners. As sustainability continues to become a major focus for customers, we knew we needed to prioritize sustainability-focused programs and resources for our channel partners, too. So, we created a partner community called “Lenovo 360 Circle” where partners can come together to align on ESG objectives and leverage new market trends driven by sustainability to turn them into new business opportunities.

We believe the best way to drive scale and achieve sustainable impacts faster is through collaboration – if we’re all working toward the same goals, we can make progress more efficiently as a team. We hope to break down barriers and encourage collaboration to tackle environmental issues as a united front across our network of partners through both an individual and collective learning approach.”

Q: Why is a community like Lenovo 360 Circle so valuable to partners?

Virginie Le Barbu: “The pressure on private and public sectors to adopt sustainability practices has intensified in recent years. This pressure is coming from all sides: investors, shareholders, regulators, governments, NGOs, employees, local communities, as well as consumers. Many organizations are navigating sustainability journeys on their own and achieving mixed results. Sustainability is still very broad and complex, and access to the necessary expertise, knowledge, and best practices remains a challenge. Companies are operating from different sets of data and market research, and it can be hard to establish consistency in how businesses set their benchmarks as a starting point. Lenovo 360 Circle aims to provide a platform for our partners to gain expertise and guide them to resources to help standardize their approach to their sustainability journey.

We’ve also leveraged our partnerships with recognized governing bodies, like the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and Science Based Targets initiative. As a signatory of the UNGC, the Lenovo 360 Circle is directly aligned to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UN Sustainable Development Goal #17: Partnership for the Goals. Additionally, earlier this year, Lenovo was the first PC and smartphone manufacturer to have our Net-Zero goals validated by the Science Based Targets initiative.

Aligning with these organizations offers consistency, standardization, and accountability to what we’re trying to achieve in our sustainability efforts. By extension, we can offer that same level of credibility to our partners who align with us through the Lenovo 360 Circle.” 

Q: So, what does a partner experience when they join Lenovo 360 Circle?

Virginie Le Barbu: “We designed the community with input from our channel partners and one of the key requests we received was to keep things simple. The community is based on a self-service portal that follows a similar structure to the engagement process established by the UNGC for private and public sectors.

Partners can apply for membership to Lenovo 360 Circle with their company’s sustainability lead. The application is designed to help us understand where partners currently stand in their sustainability efforts and position partners in to one of three stages: “Connect” partners, who are just starting out and need some help getting their strategy up and running, “Learn” partners, who have a structure in place and are ready to expand their strategies, and “Lead” partners, who are considered ‘advanced’ in their strategies and may already have a track record of goals and success in their sustainability efforts. Once we identify what stage a partner is in, we then connect partners with a set of resources that are tailored to their specific needs – anything from assessment tools to tailored curriculums, to access to subject-matter experts and community events and webinars.”

Q: What kind of sustainability priorities is Lenovo 360 Circle focused on?

Virginie Le Barbu: “Last year we held workshops around climate change mitigation, value chain optimization, and circular economy with our founding partners. Those discussions helped us define the priorities we should be working on as a community, which are represented across five categories: data management, circular economy, energy efficiency, learning and development, and social impact. We’ve launched focus groups to work on these priorities with representatives from our founding partners and from across our Lenovo business units. The focus groups aim to set actionable and impactful action plans to unlock barriers and accelerate the transformation to more sustainable business models. Lenovo 360 Circle aims to grant access to the data that our partners need in order to promote responsible consumption and minimize carbon footprint in our industry.”

Q: What’s next for the Lenovo 360 Circle in 2023?

Virginie Le Barbu: “We have a few key milestones planned for 2023, starting with growing the Lenovo 360 Circle community. The blueprint has been launched on Lenovo Partner Hub and any partner registered there can apply to join us. Our aspiration is to attract 1,000 partners to the community by April 2024.

The global digital transformation has significantly impacted the evolution of society and economic structures. We now live in a society that has a constant need for innovation and personalization of new products and services offerings. Now, more than ever, the tech industry is defining the way forward. We have a duty to accelerate sustainable technology innovation while ensuring inclusion and social equity, and it’s that foundation of values that we’ll continue to build upon in the Lenovo 360 Circle community.”

By Shawna Ryan, T-Mobile Stories

When April Ryan applied to work with the team that is in charge of communicating how T-Mobile is mobilizing for communities during times of crises, securing the promotion wasn’t just a professional ambition. It’s an extremely personal one as well.

“I was an Experience Manager on the Social Media Care team that was responsible for making sure our frontline was prepared with resources to answer questions for our upcoming launches, announcements, and exciting events,” says April. “Thanks to my time with such a wonderful team, I was given the opportunity to work further with Corporate Communications. After a decade at the company, I’m now a communications manager that amplifies the work T-Mobile is doing for those in need during natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes and wildfires, as well as for those in personal crisis as well. That would include resources like the 988 hotline. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and four years ago my younger brother Kevin died by suicide. I want to get the word out about his story in the hopes of preventing this from happening to other families.”

We spoke with April about her experience with depression through her brother’s struggle, as well as her own following his death, and how working both personally and professionally to raise awareness for 988 is a way for her to honor his memory and the recent anniversary of his passing by helping others suffering from mental health issues.

May is Military Appreciation Month as well as Mental Health Awareness Month. Can you tell us why each is important to you in honoring your brother?

Kevin was the youngest sibling of all three of us. He was the wild child of the family and he brought so much laughter and energy into any room that he walked into. He was amazingly brave. It was really no surprise to any of us when he joined the Navy at 18 after high school. He wanted to be the best he could be and help other people. Kevin also had struggled with depression for most of his life prior to joining the military. It was something that he did not like to talk about because he enjoyed bringing joy to other people.

While I knew that my brother struggled for a long time, I had never personally experienced anything to the degree that he went through daily. After his death, though, I got a taste of it and it’s not something that I recognized for what it was at first. He was only 25 years old. I was only 29. I had never set up a funeral before. Talking about mental health in the same way we openly talk about physical health is so important because depression can kill you if you do not seek treatment.

Can you explain what 988 is and why you think it can be such a vital resource for those in need of help?

I’m a survivor of suicide loss and there are more of us out there than people realize, as suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the U.S. currently, with an average 130 suicides per day. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is an emergency hotline. When you dial 988 you’re connected directly to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a network of approximately 180 local- and state-funded crisis centers staffed 24/7 by professionally trained counselors to help if you’re in crisis.

It’s an amazing resource launched initially for calls in 2020, and then last year it was announced that you can text to receive the same benefits. I think of my brother, who was a notorious texter and not a phone caller. I am very proud that T-Mobile offers this all free of charge to its customers and I want more people to know. I want 988 to be as familiar as 911. My role in corporate communications is to inform the media to help spread that word to everyone who may need it, either in the moment or in the future. We need to bring this up often, to reach the people who struggle day to day and perhaps hide it or mask that struggle like my brother did.

What else would you like people to know about Kevin, and even your own story?

They say grief after loss never goes away, right? Four years later, I’m still trying to find ways to cope with that grief. But getting stronger at handling it over time.

I started to ask myself, what would Kevin want? I didn’t always have those answers so I felt I had to start asking myself what I would want, because this is my story too.

As I continued on in my career I knew I wanted to join the corporate communications world and when I learned that they are central to getting the word out for the 988 response I said, “That’s how I can help.” It’s something that I can be proud of and know that my work makes an impact.

I was telling my husband about doing this interview and I asked him what he thought my brother would say about it. My brother was a tall man, like six-foot-three inches, and he would often give me an endearing pat me on the head like a small child whenever he was proud of me. My husband said that my brother would probably pat me on the head. And I knew then that I was making the right decision.

My brother was the kind of person who would give you the shoes off his feet. Depression was a lifelong struggle for Kevin, but even at one of his lowest points when he was hospitalized, he still sought to help others, often visiting rooms just to give companionship and lend a listening ear. And while living up to the role model that he set for me, I’m going to do my best to try.

T-Mobile Mental Health Resources

In 2020, T-Mobile became the first major wireless provider to make the 988 emergency lifeline immediately available to its customers, which offers real-time mental health services.

Calling 988 connects customer to free mental health services from professionally trained counselors at the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, now the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

In 2022, T-Mobile announced that those customers can also text for that same critical support, too.

Studies show that those who reached out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline were significantly more likely to feel less depressed, less suicidal, less overwhelmed and more hopeful after speaking with a counselor. This service, available to any T-Mobile, Sprint, Metro by T-Mobile and Assurance Wireless customer, removes barriers to accessing help.

Originally published on Built From Scratch

The Home Depot and The Home Depot Foundation are committed to educating more people in the skilled trades and helping them find careers in the home improvement industry through our Path to Pro programs. 

The Foundation is highlighting women participating in its Path to Pro scholarship program, an effort to help train more people in the skilled trades and bridge the opportunity gap for women and minorities in the construction industry, in partnership with SkillPointe Foundation.

Name: Julie Luu  Trade/Certification: Carpentry Apprentice/DesignatedSafety Person Location: California

Julie’s grandparents and parents immigrated from Vietnam, which makes her a first-generation American in her family. She’s always been fascinated by the idea of creating something tangible and loved using different tools to complete her school projects.  

For Julie, construction is not just a job. It’s a career opportunity that feels like a diamond in the rough. She finds the environment exciting, and she enjoys using different machinery to explore all the moving parts of a project. “The opportunities are endless,” Julie shares. Every job site teaches new lessons.

Developing her carpentry skills is a way for Julie to grow as a tradeswoman while honoring her family: “They have gone through so much to bless me with an opportunity to grow up in America. I will make sure to take hold of opportunities and excel in construction.”

Name: Ebony Johnson  Trade/Certification: Carpentry/Construction Management Program Location: Washington  

Ebony became interested in carpentry more than a decade ago. She completed her carpentry pre-apprenticeship program through Job Corps with honors. Ebony credits her career in the trades for helping her through challenging life moments and shares, “the trades literally saved me and my two little girls’ lives.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ebony helped build a new ferry terminal in downtown Seattle and the new shark tank addition for the Seattle Aquarium. Advocating for safety in construction is what drives her the most — she wants everyone to do a great job and get home to their families safely.

Ebony is currently working to become a journeyman carpenter and plans to begin her construction management program in the fall. She looks forward to the opportunities this degree will bring and dreams of managing large heavy construction and infrastructure projects in the future.

Name: Amanda Betancourt   Trade / Certification: Construction Management Location: Texas

Amanda finds a career in the skilled trades inspiring, innovative and full of potential. Her mother worked for a large commercial construction company and demonstrated how women can achieve their goals, including pursuing a career in male-dominated industries. “She always reminded me that I should never let fear stop me from having big plans for my future,” Amanda shares.

After graduation, she wants to become a project engineer for a large commercial construction company and help build her local community.

Since Path to Pro’s inception, the Foundation’s trades-focused partnerships have trained more than 39,000 participants and introduced more than 132,000 people to the skilled trades, surpassing its commitment to train 20,000 people six years ahead of schedule. Learn more at HomeDepotFoundation.org.

As published in Qualcomm’s 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report

At Qualcomm, we believe that bringing diverse talent together is key to unleashing creativity, innovation and breakthrough technologies. As part of our efforts to grow the innovation economy, we’re collaborating with organizations like VentureWell to create a pipeline of diverse inventors and patent holders.

VentureWell helps cultivate the entrepreneurial skills and creativity of university students who are passionate about solving the world’s biggest challenges. In 2022, we proudly continued funding of the VentureWell E-Team program, which supports diverse student teams from across the nation who are aiming to bring their innovations out of the lab and into the marketplace.

This three-stage program provides training on essential topics, such as business model development and validation, customer discovery and IP. Students learn what it takes to launch and scale a venture, while having access to expert mentors (like Qualcomm employees) and thought leaders in social impact entrepreneurship and technology innovation. With our support of the E-Team program, VentureWell was able to train 190 diverse early-stage innovators from across the U.S.

In 2022, we also collaborated on efforts to advance DEI by launching our first Innovator Stipend Program. This program helps remove financial barriers that might prevent students from participating in the innovation ecosystem. In total, 19 individuals from underrepresented groups were provided with stipends that would help them to continue to develop their innovations or secure a patent for their product while enrolled full-time in school. All awardees were also matched with hand-selected Qualcomm mentors who provided relevant guidance in areas of IP and patenting, marketing, business model validation and more.

Learn more in Qualcomm’s 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report

Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric triumphs in the “Interior Design” category, outperforming 11,000 rival entriesThe carbon-neutral stand debuted last fall at the Light & Building trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany

FRANKFURT, Germany /3BL Media/ – Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, set new standards last year by creating the world’s first completely carbon-neutral exhibition stand at the Light & Building 2022 trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany. In recognition of this achievement, the company received a prestigious iF Design Award at the 2023 iF Design Award Night, which took place on May 15 at Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin, Germany.

Presented annually since 1954 by the world’s oldest independent design institution, the iF International Forum Design, the iF Design Award recognizes outstanding product design. Schneider Electric’s concept emerged victorious among approximately 11,000 rival entries in the “Interior Design” category, impressing a distinguished 133-member jury of independent international experts.

At the Light & Building 2022 trade fair, Schneider Electric successfully reduced two-thirds of the emissions that would have been generated by a comparable 1700m2 exhibition stand in a conventional design, by utilizing renewable raw materials, recycled materials, and upcycling at the end of the object’s useful life. Instead of plastic, nameplates were made of grass paper, while euro pallets were used for walls and information desks to return to the company’s logistics cycle after the show. Most of the furniture was rented, the flooring was biodegradable, while fabric graphics consisted of 100 percent recycled polyester from old plastic bottles and were processed into bags after the event.

In addition to using one-third fewer exhibit panels, the deployment of digital solution worlds (represented on screens) instead of standard trade show displays of products also reduced the booth’s carbon emissions. Personnel travel and accommodation was also considered, as most employees arrived emission-free by electric car.

With these measures, Schneider Electric succeeded in reducing the ecological footprint of the exhibition area from around 300 tons of CO2 for previous trade fair appearances to about 80 tons. Furthermore, to offset this output, the company supported an environmental project in Madagascar through the organization, myclimate. This funding helped support the manufacture and deployment of climate-friendly solar stoves to counteract the rapid deforestation of the Madagascan jungle. Through this commitment, Schneider Electric offset a total of 100 tons of CO2. Crucially, the company has since adopted its carbon neutral approach to Light & Building 2022 as a template to be replicated at all locally organized trade fair stands in the DACH region.

“The award is an honor for us and reinforces our daily efforts to make a positive contribution to sustainability,” says Gerold Göldner, Head of Marketing Sustainability for Schneider Electric in the DACH region. “We are always looking for new ways and opportunities to further reduce our carbon footprint, because in the spirit of an Impact Company, we have committed ourselves to ESG criteria at all business levels, right down to our supplier network. Sustainability and climate protection are inscribed in the entire solution and product development and are also actively lived by our company itself. The use of a CO2-neutral trade fair stand was, therefore, the next logical step.”

To understand more about Schneider Electric’s sustainability commitments and journey as an Impact Company, read its latest sustainability reports.

Originally published on U.S. Bank company blog

U.S. Bank relationship manager Alma Winkel never thought she’d be part of an off-road racing team, but when family circumstances drove her into the sport, she discovered she had a passion for it.

Winkel’s husband, David, had always wanted to compete in the Baja 1000, an off-road motorsport race held on the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico, so when his father passed away, the couple decided to make every day count and mark the race off their bucket list.

The Winkels also decided that racing in the Baja 1000 could help provide important services to kids in their community.

“Helping children in need is very important to me and my husband,” said Winkel, who serves on the board of Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Greater Houston/Galveston. “Our Baja 1000 race team chose to compete with a purpose: raise money to support the charity’s mission to improve the health and well-being of children.”

As part of that mission, RMHC of Greater Houston/Galveston helps fund the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, a mobile medical unit that visits underserved communities to provide free immunizations and healthcare for children. The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile doctors and nurses can also intervene on serious healthcare issues and refer the children for more specialized care.

The program’s positive impact motivates the Winkels and their 30-member Baja 1000 race team, made up of family and friends.

“Our team’s motto was, ‘We’re going off-road to keep the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile on the road,’” Winkel said.

Winkel and her teammates have raised more than $50,000 since 2021.

“We plan to compete in the Baja 1000 again this November to continue fundraising and reach our $100,000 goal,” she said.

For their work with the inspiring race team, Alma and David Winkel were recognized this month with the 2023 Heroes of the Hearts Award by RMHC of Greater Houston/Galveston. This recognition honors community members who have gone above and beyond to support the chapter’s mission.

Not only does Winkel say she loves racing to support RMHC of Greater Houston/Galveston, she also loves being part of the “McFamily” at her job. As a commercial banker, Winkel has served McDonald’s owner/operators across the western United States for 18 years, most recently as part of the U.S. Bank McDonald’s Franchise Group. U.S. Bank built this team in 2009 to support banking and working capital needs for franchisees.

“Whether an owner/operator wants to start or expand a franchise, or a long-time owner/operator wants to transfer ownership to the next generation, U.S. Bank can help,” she said.

U.S. Bank is a long-time supporter of Ronald McDonald House Charities. Since 1993, the U.S. Bank Foundation has donated just shy of $500,000 to RMHC, and U.S. Bank employees have volunteered almost 10,000 hours with the nonprofit.