Tag: 3BL

Twelve new participants join Nickelodeon’s annual Writing and Artist Programs, designed to develop the next generation of creative voices from underrepresented communities. This year’s programs are back in person at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank for the first time since 2020, where group members will develop their skills with hands-on work. The long-running Writing Program enters its 23rd year, while 2023 marks the 12th year for the Artist Program. Both programs are overseen by the Paramount Office of Global Inclusion and aligned with the company’s Content for Change initiative.

“We are thrilled to welcome the new participants and future storytellers to the Nickelodeon Writing and Artist Programs,” said Marva Smalls, Paramount’s Executive Vice President, Global Head of Inclusion. “For over 20 years, this program has been a catalyst for many people in the creative community to learn and develop the tools needed to launch their careers. Programs like these continue our commitment to an inclusive talent pipeline and diverse representation within both creators and the content they produce at Paramount.”

The Writing Program offers aspiring television writers with unique voices from underrepresented communities the opportunity to hone their skills and launch their careers as writers on Nickelodeon’s scripted live-action and animated television productions. Nickelodeon’s Artist Program opens the door for talented artists with unique voices from underrepresented communities by mentoring, developing and staffing emerging artists with diverse backgrounds and experiences on the studio’s animated productions in design and storyboard roles.

The Writing Program participants are:

Paige Elson: Paige Elson is a writer, actor, and comedian originally from Stockton, Calif. While studying at Pepperdine University, she created a web-series with her fellow acting peers, wrote and performed monologues, and even created, produced, and performed in a showcase for the theater department’s Black performers. As a Black, biracial, queer woman raised by a single, white mother, she often explores themes of Blackness, biracial-ness, womanhood, identity, and unconventional families in her writing.

Michelle Miyoko Timm: Michelle Miyoko Timm is a biracial Japanese American from Castro Valley, Calif. She attended Las Positas Community College, where she took an acting class she loved so much that she dropped out at age 19 and moved to Los Angeles. Unfortunately, she discovered that she’s a terrible actress. She did, however, find a love for improv and sketch comedy, and writing short films. Timm decided to pursue comedy writing instead, and is proudly becoming her father at the volume of her mother.

Bryan Smith and Mayanna Berrin (“Bryanna”): Bryan Smith and Mayanna Berrin are what’s known in show-biz as a “Triple Threat”—they write together, they do stand up together, and they apply for writing programs together! The essence of their voice as a writing team comes from the beautiful, messy collision of their opposite lived experiences. Berrin found her comedic style in her loud, mixed Long Island family that sent her to improv classes before she could talk. Smith developed his need-for-laughter growing up as an identical twin in Colorado.

The Artist Program participants are:

Chase Mack (Storyboard Track): Chase Mack was born in Houston, Texas and spent his formative years drawing and immersing himself in animation and filmmaking through local art classes and clubs. Mack graduated from The University of Texas at Dallas with a bachelor’s degree in Arts, Technology and Emerging Communications with a focus in animation. Mack continues to further his passion in storytelling so that he can inspire the next generation of artists.

Dianna Kim (General Design Track): Dianna Kim was born and raised in SoCal’s South Bay, spending summers at the beach or watching cartoons. As art was still just a hobby, she studied economics at UCLA and began a career in tech marketing. When she was abruptly laid off in early 2020, Kim found joy in drawing again and she made the big decision to pursue a career in animation. Through online classes, she found a love for creating spaces and telling stories through background art.

Chad Bennett (Storyboard Track): Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Bennett loved cartoons and spent most of his childhood drawing comics and characters inspired by the shows he saw on television. Thanks to the Internet and the advent of social media, Bennett discovered making silly cartoons could be a job! He pursued a degree in animation at Columbia College Chicago, where he found a deep love for storyboarding. Bennett recently moved to Los Angeles to break into the industry, hoping to share his sense of humor and his desire for complexity and diversity in the animation world.

Elise Fedoroff (CG Generalist Track): Elise Fedoroff is a Los Angeles-based 3D artist who grew up with a passion for telling stories through her art. Fedoroff secured her love for animation in the California State Summer School for the Arts pre-college program at CalArts, after which she attended Ringling College of Art and Design. There she discovered a passion for 3D modeling and texturing, and after graduating, put her skills to work in the toy industry.

Doyung Lee (Storyboard Track): Doyung Lee started his storyboarding journey two years ago, learning through mentorship programs like Rise Up Animation and Story4All, as well as numerous online resources. In college, he studied engineering where he fed his creativity by learning various forms of printmaking, building robots and coming up with eclectic art projects.

Jonathan Fernandez (General Design Track): Jonathan Fernandez is a visual development artist based in Los Angeles. As a child, he was inspired to draw and paint because of his love for television shows and movies. In college he jumped around different career paths but always found time to draw and paint. Fortunately, he stumbled upon a concept art painting that reignited his curiosity and redirected him to pursue animation.

Bikram Singh (Storyboard Track): Bikram Singh grew up in the suburbs of Sacramento, Calif. watching Saturday morning cartoons and anime. His passion for animation led him to enroll in the Animation/Illustration program at San Jose State University and there he joined the illustrious Shrunkenheadman Club. After graduating, he did design and animation work for various companies and organizations in the Sacramento area.

Richard Rodriguez (General Design Track): Richard Rodriguez is a visual development artist from Southern California with a sense of humor and lively imagination influenced by the cartoons that captivated him in his youth. Rodriguez honed his artistic skills at ArtCenter College of Design, where he discovered the power of visual storytelling. While working in animation has been his long-time goal, his greatest ambition is to entertain and inspire young audiences in the same way as storytellers have done for him.

Following in the footsteps of many others, alumni of the Writing Program currently working at Nickelodeon include Josh Brown (Story Editor, Baby Shark’s Big Show), Angel Hobbs (Staff Writer, That Girl Lay Lay), Sarah Allan (Writer, Big Nate), Jeff Sayers (Staff Writer, The Loud House) and more. Additionally, Program Alumnus writer/producer Sameer Gardezi, in collaboration with his brainchild Break the Room, works closely with NWP designing and architecting innovative curricula for the workshops and writers’ rooms exercises. Alumni of the Artist Program include Roger Hernandez (CG Generalist, Big Nate), Dominique Evans (Visual Development Artist, Transformers: EarthSpark), Sarah Jacques (Art Director, Santiago of the Seas), Jasmine Reyes (Storyboard Revisionist, Big Nate), Anna Hill (Storyboard Artist, The Loud House), Carl Edward Mongan (Storyboard Revisionist, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years), Marisa Torres (Visual Development Artist, Santiago of the Seas & Rock, Paper, Scissors), Jake Kim (Storyboard Revisionist, Shimmer & Shine). Outside of Nickelodeon, alumni of both Programs have gone on to create shows and hold staff positions at every major studio and network.

MEMPHIS, TN, March 17, 2023 /3BL Media/ – FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), one of the world’s largest express transportation companies, has been recognized by Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, as one of the 2023 World’s Most Ethical Companies.

FedEx is being recognized for the first time and is the only honoree in the Transportation/Trucking/Railroad industry category in 2023. This year, a total of 135 honorees were recognized spanning 19 countries and 46 industries.

“This is a great honor for FedEx, and we are pleased to be among this select group of companies with exceptional compliance programs and commitments to advancing business integrity,” said Justin Ross, Chief Compliance Officer of FedEx Corporation. “Our FedEx team members around the globe have done an incredible job building and maintaining FedEx’s strong culture of compliance and ethics, and we are truly appreciative of this esteemed — and hard-earned — recognition.”

“Ethics matters. Organizations that commit to business integrity through robust programs and practices not only elevate standards and expectations for all, but also have better long-term performance,” said Ethisphere CEO, Erica Salmon Byrne. “We continue to be inspired by the World’s Most Ethical Companies honorees and their dedication to making real impact for their stakeholders and displaying exemplary values-based leadership. Congratulations to FedEx for earning a place in the World’s Most Ethical Companies community.”

Ethics & Performance
Ethisphere’s 2023 Ethics Index, the collection of publicly traded companies recognized as recipients of this year’s World’s Most Ethical Companies designation, outperformed a comparable index of large-cap companies by 13.6 percentage points over a five-year period.

Methodology & Scoring Grounded in Ethisphere’s proprietary Ethics Quotient®, the World’s Most Ethical Companies assessment process includes more than 200 questions on culture, environmental and social practices, ethics and compliance activities, governance, diversity, and initiatives that support a strong value chain. The process serves as an operating framework to capture and codify the leading practices of organizations across industries and around the globe.

Honorees
To view the full list of this year’s honorees, please visit the World’s Most Ethical Companies website, at https://worldsmostethicalcompanies.com/honorees.

About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenue of $94 billion, the company offers integrated business solutions through operating companies competing collectively, operating collaboratively and innovating digitally under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 550,000 employees to remain focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. FedEx is committed to connecting people and possibilities around the world responsibly and resourcefully, with a goal to achieve carbon-neutral operations by 2040. To learn more, please visit fedex.com/about.

About Ethisphere
Ethisphere is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust, and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World’s Most Ethical Companies® recognition program, provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA), and showcases trends and best practices in ethics with Ethisphere Magazine. Ethisphere also helps to advance business performance through data-driven assessments, guidance, and benchmarking against its unparalleled data: the Culture Quotient dataset focused on ethical culture and featuring the responses of 2+ million employees around the world; and the Ethics Quotient dataset, featuring 200+ data points highlighting the ethics, compliance, social, and governance practices of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. For more information, visit https://ethisphere.com.

###

Media Contacts
FedEx Media Contact:
MediaRelations@FedEx.com

Ethisphere Media Contact
Anne Walker
VP, Media and Communications
Anne.Walker@Ethisphere.co

 

Software presales is a profession that has historically been dominated by men. One presales team at SAP; however, has an equal number of women. SAP’s Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Supriya Jha, interviews the Head of SAP SuccessFactors Solution Advisory, Chris McLellan, to understand how he became an ally for diversity & inclusion in general and women in particular.

Global Diversity and Inclusion

As a global organization with employees from more than 150 nationalities, we’re proud of the rich culture we have created for our employees to be their authentic selves for our company to perform at its best.

We proactively promote diversity and inclusion, both within our workplace and in the marketplaces we serve. Our goal is to ensure that our workforce reflects the diversity of the societies and communities we work in, that our workplaces are welcoming for all, and that we serve the marketplace with a focus on rising everyone beyond the walls of SAP. We make every effort to ensure that all stages of the employee lifecycle are inclusive to enable employee success, hold leaders accountable, and build a diverse ecosystem – both internally and among our partners and customers.

For more on diversity & inclusion at SAP go to: https://www.sap.com/about/company/our-values/diversity.html

The gender split of British microbusiness founders in the last 12 months is 46% female vs 53% male, a much narrower gap than microbusiness owners in general (38% female vs 60% male)The shift could be due to flexible working patterns and the normalisation of working from home, GoDaddy experts believeBut obstacles remain to female entrepreneurship as 82% are still responsible for domestic chores and 44% see childcare as a barrierGoDaddy salutes ‘Unstoppable Women in Business’ ahead of International Women’s Day 2023

London, UK, March 17, 2023 /3BL Media/: The proportion of British microbusinesses owned by women has surged during the cost-of-living crisis and since the start of the pandemic, new data from GoDaddy shows.

Research conducted among microbusiness owners* shows that, in general, the gender split is 38% female, 60% male and 2% non-binary. But in businesses that have launched since 2020, the split is 47% female vs 52% male, and in businesses created in the past 12 months it’s 46% female vs 53% male. 

However, GoDaddy’s ‘Unstoppable Women’ study also shows that female founders face different challenges from their male counterparts. 

While 78% of female entrepreneurs believe there are more opportunities for women owning a business rather than working for someone else, many still contend with pressures outside of work. Over four fifths of female business owners (82%) say they are responsible for most domestic household duties, while 44% say the costs and expectations associated with childcare are a barrier to female entrepreneurship. Almost half (46%) of the respondents to the GoDaddy survey said they have children under 18.

In general, set-up costs (52%) and time commitments (48%) were highlighted as the biggest obstacles to women starting a business, despite 72% of female founders creating their business for under £1,000. 

One female entrepreneur who has overcome challenging circumstances to set-up a thriving microbusiness is GoDaddy customer, Catherine Sweet, founder of Bobcat Gallery. 

She says: “Caring responsibilities towards members of my family held me back from starting my own business for a long time. I was always passionate about making art buying more inclusive and affordable while showcasing emerging artists, but while being a carer I could never find the time, resources or mental space. When my situation changed and my former employer went through a restructure, I decided to take a leap of faith and follow my dream. Working with GoDaddy, I was able to easily launch the Bobcat Gallery website, which has enabled me to grow my business and establish credibility in the art world.”

Tamara Oppen, GoDaddy Vice President, adds: “Women want to start businesses and become entrepreneurs, but too often they face barriers which prevent them from doing so. However, the rise in flexible working patterns and working from home has made it easier to fit in running a microbusiness alongside other commitments. At GoDaddy, we pride ourselves on helping all entrepreneurs thrive, and ahead of International Women’s Day, we are saluting women like Catherine who are achieving great success against the odds. They really are unstoppable.”

For more information, please contact MHP Group: godaddy@mhpgroup.com

Notes to editors:

*Antenna, an independent consumer research agency on behalf of GoDaddy, conducted an online survey of 1010 female business owners in United Kingdom. The survey was conducted between 23/12/22 – 09/01/23. The survey data collection was national and respondents were sourced using an accredited online research access panel. Data was weighted for representation against country census data.

About GoDaddy
GoDaddy helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start, grow, and scale their businesses. People come to GoDaddy to name their idea, build a professional website, attract customers, sell their products and services, and accept payments online and in-person. GoDaddy’s easy-to-use tools help microbusiness owners manage everything in one place and its expert guides are available to provide assistance 24/7. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com.

About the GoDaddy Survey
Research methodology: Antenna, an independent consumer research agency on behalf of GoDaddy, conducted an online survey of n=1009 women business leaders in Canada. The survey was conducted between 23/12/22 – 09/01/23. The survey data collection was national and respondents were sourced using an accredited online research access panel. Data was weighted for representation against country census data.

Both companies enter into a global strategic partnership for Biologicals discovery and commercialization, that includes crop protection and biostimulant products based on molecules derived from natural sources / Kimitec becomes a new strategic partner for Bayer, combining their unique biologicals discovery capabilities with Bayer’s global field-testing resources, market expertise and comprehensive crop protection portfolio / Implementation of LINNA®, Kimitec’s MAAVi Innovation Center AI platform, will accelerate the discovery of natural molecules 

MONHEIM, Germany and ALMERIA, Spain, March 17, 2023 /3BL Media/– Bayer and Kimitec announced today a new strategic partnership focused on accelerating the development and commercialization of biological crop protection solutions and biostimulants. As part of a global agreement, both companies will become key partners to advance and establish biological solutions derived from natural sources: crop protection products that address pests, diseases and weeds, as well as biostimulants to promote plant growth.

Kimitec operates the MAAVi Innovation Center, Europe’s largest biotechnological innovation hub with 15 years of experience in the research and discovery of natural molecules and compounds for agriculture and food sectors, to provide farmers and growers with all types of natural agricultural products. By leveraging Bayer’s unparalleled product development expertise with Kimitec’s proven discovery capabilities, biological product development will be accelerated to build integrated crop management solutions that can scale and develop through Bayer’s global infrastructure backbone. This includes field testing, product support and commercialization.

“Bayer is committed to providing growers with the benefits of biological solutions as part of an integrated crop management system backed by our leading traits, crop protection products and digital tools,” said Dr. Robert Reiter, Head of R&D for Bayer’s Crop Science division. “Every farmer can benefit from biologicals, from seed treatment to pest control, and Bayer will be bringing together systems of solutions to provide more value by providing farmers greater flexibility.”

With this agreement, Kimitec becomes a key partner for the acceleration of Bayer’s pipeline of Biologicals. As a world leader in biologicals R&D, Kimitec’s MAAVi Innovation Center will provide its expertise and its unique disruptive technology, including AI as an enabler of faster time-to-results. This will fuel Bayer’s ability to market the next generation of biological solutions.

“Our work with Kimitec offers a unique accelerated path to innovative biological solutions that will help us deliver on our shared vision for a new generation of effective, safe, and sustainable solutions derived from nature,” said Benoit Hartmann, Head of Biologics for Bayer’s Crop Science division. “Being able to partner with Kimitec is exactly how Bayer is going to leverage the open innovation ecosystem to work with our different strategic partners and bring the next generation of biologicals to growers.”

The biologicals market is expected to grow to nearly €25 billion by 20281, as consumers’ demand for low- and no-residue food products, and retailer food sourcing standards drive growers to look for new innovations in crop protection. Since 2007, Kimitec has been developing effective biologicals that provide effective alternatives and complementary options to synthetic crop protection, aligning them well with Bayer’s strategy to provide best-in-class solutions for growers through the integration of future and existing technologies.

“15 years ago, Kimitec had a clear vision to change the way food was produced. Our agreement with Bayer will help us get closer than ever to materializing our vision as it allows us to expand our global footprint and bringing our technology to millions of growers for the first time,” said Félix García, Chief Executive Officer for Kimitec. “As a world leader in biological solutions R&D and manufacturing, Kimitec delivers natural and sustainable solutions without a compromise in efficacy or productivity to the farmer. This agreement with Bayer is closely aligned with our 360 Open Innovation strategy, to partner with world leading innovation companies to bring meaningful and sustainable solutions for the farmer, the consumer, and the planet.”

Note to editors: 
Representatives from Bayer and Kimitec will be attending Fruit Logistica in Berlin from February 8-10, 2023. You are kindly invited to our joint event on February, 9 at 3:00 p.m. CET at Bayer’s booth (Hall 1.2, Stand C23).

About Bayer 
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2021, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 44.1 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 5.3 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

About Kimitec 
Kimitec positions itself as the alternative to agricultural products based on synthetic chemistry, putting consumer health, the respect for the environment and natural productivity at the heart of the agricultural production system. Currently, the company operates in over 94 countries and have branch offices in the USA, Brazil, LATAM and China. In 2019, Kimitec opened its MAAVi Innovation Center, Europe’s largest biotechnology innovation hub focused on the research and development of natural molecules and compounds, to facilitate the transition from synthetic chemistry to a more natural system in the agricultural and agri-food industries. MAAVi stands for “Making a Vision” and represents a unique way of producing food with natural solutions, without jeopardizing efficacy and productivity, and focusing on the environment and human health. Kimitec has currently over 50 independent research projects in the pipeline, all of them focused on developing natural, effective, productive, residue-free solutions for the main issues facing the farming industry worldwide. For more information, go to www.maaviic.com.

1 Source: DataM Intelligence, 2021: Global Agriculture Biologics Market

Market Size, Share and Forecast; Market Outlook, Opportunity and Data Analysis 2021-2028

Find more information at www.bayer.com.

Forward-Looking Statements 
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

Contacts

Media Relations 
Alexander Hennig 
alexander.hennig@bayer.com 
+49 175 30-89736

Investor Inquiries: 
Bayer Investor Relations Team 
ir@bayer.com

Kimitec 
Paloma Touris

palomatouris@kimitec.com 
+34 617 811841

View original content here

Denise Roberson, chief purpose officer at TBWAChiatDay, joins Mandi McReynolds, Workiva’s head of global ESG, this week on ESG Talk. Denise and Mandi discuss what Mandi has coined the value versus values debate in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and how ESG reporting is accelerating corporate transparency.

Listen Now

Looking for more? Subscribe to the ESG Talk podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, and YouTube.

Regenerating an urban space means reinterpreting existing places, not only from an architectural point of view but also according to economic, social and cultural perspectives that imply new standards of psychophysical well-being, general livability, biodiversity protection and micro climate mitigation.

Within this framework, urban reforestation projects are among the tools that cities and large urban conglomerates use. These projects are large-scale planting interventions to protect and increase permeable and green surfaces in the city. This practice often includes creating new parks and gardens, transforming city rooftops into urban lawns and gardens, using tree roots to remediate polluted soil, and developing orbital forests and woodlands around city areas.

Manifestation of these interventions includes the Stura Park urban forestation in Turin, Italy; ten parks where native species have been used to restore endangered biodiversity in Bangkok, Thailand; reforestation for soil stabilization in areas around Lima, Peru; and the planting of 54 million trees under the Forest City Program in Beijing, China. Milan’s environmental and territorial project, “Forestami“, also aspires to this latter goal. To improve air quality and green spaces, there are plans to plant a tree for every person residing in the metropolitan city by 2030.

Regeneration, on a human scale, with which to boost the environmental and social sustainability of places. To achieve a quality of life better centered on the balance between social and ecological needs.

About The Sofidel Group    

The Sofidel Group, a privately held company owned by the Stefani and Lazzareschi families, is a world leader in the manufacture of paper for hygienic and domestic use. Founded in 1966, the Group has subsidiaries in 12 countries – Italy, Spain, the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, Greece, Romania, and the USA – with more than 6,400 employees. A member of the UN Global Compact and the international WWF Climate Savers program, the Sofidel Group considers sustainability a strategic imperative and is committed to promoting sustainable development.  For more information, visit www.sofidel.com.         

Media Contact:    

Brianna Fitzpatrick 
Mulberry Marketing Communications 
bfitzpatrick@mulberrymc.com 

Fifth Third Bank has earned inclusion on several industry rankings due its commitment to renewable solar power. The rankings by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Solar Energy Industries Association grade companies based on green power use.

Fifth Third has achieved 100% renewable power since 2019 and has been carbon neutral for its own operations since 2020. The Bank recently completed installations of solar panels on five of its financial centers in Florida, the first time the Bank has had installations on its owned properties.

The Bank earned inclusion on three rankings by the Environmental Protection Agency for the quarter ending Dec. 21, 2022. They include:

100% Green Power Users.National Top 100 Green Power Partner List. Fifth Third ranked #90.Green Power Partnership Fortune 500 Partners List. Fifth Third was #47.

The EPA Green Power Partnership’s Top Partner Rankings highlight the annual green power use of leading Green Power Partners within the United States and across individual industry sectors. According to the EPA, organizations can meet partner requirements through renewable energy certificates, or RECs, on-site generation and utility green power products.

Fifth Third also ranked #19 on Solar Energy Industries Association® 2022 “Solar Means Business Report.” The report tracks U.S. solar photovoltaic (PV) installations that support commercial activities at U.S. facilities. Businesses ranked include the country’s largest brands to small business. Fifth Third was the #2 ranked financial services company.

A leader in environmental sustainability, Fifth Third has a $100 billion environmental and social finance target and bold operational sustainability goals to be achieved through 2030. Through Dividend Finance, the Bank is a national market leader for sustainable home improvement products and services for consumers.

Today bp publishes an update on progress against its 20 net zero, people and planet aims in its 2022 Sustainability report. The report sets out bp’s broader approach to sustainability, through the strong foundations it has built over many years and its work to embed sustainability across bp. The report reflects updates made to some of bp’s aims earlier this year – including its pathway for its net zero production aim.

The report is now available to download using the link below.

“With three years of experience and delivery under our belt, we have increased confidence that the direction we set is the right one. The company is performing well and the strategy – underpinned by or sustainability frame – is working.”

Bernard Looney, Chief executive officer

Highlights from 2022:

Getting bp to net zero and helping the world get to net zero:

Achieved cumulative reductions in Scope 1 and 2 emissions from bp’s operations of 41% vs the 2019 baseline.Reduced the absolute emissions from the carbon in bp’s upstream oil and gas production by 15% since 2019.Reduced the carbon intensity of the products bp sells by 2% compared to 2019.Decreased methane intensity from 0.14% to 0.05% vs 2019.Around 30% of bp’s total capital expenditure went into its transition growth engines (bioenergy, convenience, EV charging, hydrogen and renewables and power) – up from 3% in 2019.Actively supported many of the climate and energy related provisions in the US Inflation Reduction Act. And worked with several companies to help meet their decarbonization needs.

Improving people’s lives:

Took further steps across bp’s five aims to improve people’s lives to embed social sustainability more systematically in bp’s business.bp confirmed that all its employees globally were being paid a fair wage based on analysis of Fair Wage Network benchmark data and local market conditions.Together with its partner EnBW, invested over £1 million to support training and reskilling in the offshore wind industry in Scotland.Launched a social mobility framework for action with plans to create more opportunities for people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Caring for our planet:

Made progress against bp’s five planet aims and we are starting to see impacts on the ground.Initiated site-based assessments to improve water efficiency, starting with Castellón refinery in Spain. Put bp’s net positive impact framework for biodiversity into action in several new projects, including a pipeline replacement project in Trinidad and Tobago.Launched a new framework to help identify opportunities for circularity across the business.

“I am pleased to see how much progress we have made, despite a year of challenges for the world. We are embedding sustainability in the way we do business. We are in action on the aims we set ourselves for net zero, people and planet – with some tangible results.”
Giulia Chierchia, EVP strategy, sustainability and ventures.

Media Contact:
bp press office, London: +44 7919 217511, bppress@bp.com 

Read More

As part of its signature interview series, IWBI met with Steve Haszard of Meredith Connell to learn more about how the law firm’s headquarters prioritized health and well-being

In a pandemic-era world, how does a business compete with working from the comfort of home, a cafe or even a favorite park bench? And how do you create a working environment that’s the best place for top lawyers to thrive while working?

This was the challenge at hand for New Zealand law firm Meredith Connell (MC).

Celebrating the island country was a core component in the design and creation of its office space, with two-thirds of their fittings made in Aotearoa New Zealand, and purchasing as much Kiwi-made products as possible for the project.

Meredith Connell is the first law firm in New Zealand to achieve WELL Certification–it remains a key component to MC being one of the best places to work in the country. The team met dozens of requirements to achieve certification, selected from the WELL Building Standard, which contains over 100 features based on 10 WELL concepts: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind and Community.

During their WELL journey, the project team delivered on a host of health and well-being strategies, from deploying high-tech acoustic profiling in meeting rooms and terrariums to repurposing rainwater from the roof.

We sat down with Steve Haszard, Managing Partner, Meredith Connell, on the firm’s transformation and WELL Certification process:

What inspired you to pursue WELL Certification?
WELL served as a measure against which MC could assess how well it supports staff well-being, whether in the design layout or the policies and procedures that underpin the different work spaces.

With all of the WELL Standard being evidence-based, stakeholders could see the business case behind each WELL feature, knowing we were acting on hard science, not the latest reckons.

What are some of the interventions that you are most proud of?
A benefit of WELL Certification, because of its 10 concepts, is the multi-faceted nature of the certification. This meant, when contemplating how to incorporate certain features, these discussions often transcended design disciplines and applied in building and construction too. By way of example, the Community feature C02; Integrative Design encouraged our project to incorporate a celebration of culture or place, the integration of art or a sense of human delight. These themes had already woven themselves into weekly building progress meetings and decision-making, however, the WELL feature provided us with research and science behind the importance of integrating beauty and design in our project. Holistically, the entire MC office incorporates celebrations of culture and place, integrates art and gives the occupant a sense of human delight.

Additionally, six artworks were commissioned and sit throughout the project, reflecting contemporary values of Aotearoa New Zealand. The artworks represent six “neighbourhoods” around the themes of Land, People, Exploration & Immigration, Diversity, Enterprise & the Human Mind and Capital, the things we build to make the things we value. Six contemporary New Zealand artists were commissioned to provide their interpretation on the themes: Israel Tangaroa Birch (land); Xoë Hall (people); Yuki Kihara, Aotearoa’s representative at the 2022 Venice Biennale (exploration and immigration); Evan Woodruffe (diversity), Mary-Louise Browne (enterprise and the human mind) and Michael Hight (capital). Further expression to the neighbourhood themes through impactful graphics and uplifting illustrative language.

In some instances, these artworks had to be installed in situ, which required attentive collaboration and support from the entire project team to ensure we could meet installation deadlines whilst also complying with the WELL features relating to air quality, volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, and construction pollution management.

WELL Certification provides strong support for the importance of biophilia, and even encourages projects to provide enhanced access to nature.

Inspired by the research in this area, coupled with a desire to ensure our project celebrated contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand, the project’s architects, Jasmax, suggested taking that idea to the next level by centralising indoor plants into terrariums, to create a true native bush feel, evoking the Waitakere Ranges to the west of Auckland.

These terrariums were brought to life and are professionally maintained by Outside In, a company which specialises in merging nature and design. Our reception area, along with formal and informal meeting rooms, are located within the firm’s terrariums. These terrariums are truly dynamic spaces, with plants growing (thanks to the inclusion of LED Grow Lights and precise temperature controls), and are maintained and Outside In, who avail themselves of the Garden Sheds secreted away in each Terrarium in order to do so.

Did you face any challenges? How did you overcome them?
The design and build of the MC offices occurred during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This resulted in uncertainty and shifting timeframes for the build and design; due in particular to various lockdowns that prevented the ability for contractors to be on-site. Another unexpected challenge along the way was the blocking of the Suez Canal by the Ever Given cargo ship in March 2021. This impacted supply chain certainty in relation to the workstations and other office furniture.

During the weekly building progress meetings, it was not uncommon for contractors to whip out their phones and show, using an app or website, where certain container ships were located in the world at that exact moment. This evidenced how earnestly the team were managing supply chain delays, having regard to both practical completion deadlines and the WELL framework within which our build was designed. There were particular concerns that the supply chain delays could cause issues with sourcing furnishings that satisfied the WELL criteria in relation to VOC emission thresholds.

However, through a collaborative approach across disciplines (our WELL Accredited Professionals, Norman, Disney & Young (NDY), along with engineers, project managers and architects), we were able to source locally-manufactured furnishings that met the WELL criteria and gave us supply-chain certainty.

Including NDY as WELL Accredited Professionals was particularly helpful in addressing and overcoming any challenges we experienced in relation to WELL Precertification and (ultimately) Certification, as well.

Achieving WELL Certification required innovative thinking and creativity of, and the end result is nothing short of impressive. We’re thrilled to see Meredith Connell achieve WELL Certification and excited to follow along as they continue their WELL journey.

View original content here.