Tag: 3BL

An uptick in public awareness and media coverage around mental health has catalyzed a long-overdue shift in how organizations view mental well-being. At the same time, a convergence of global crises—pandemics, economic uncertainty, climate change, and social unrest—has amplified stress, burnout, and anxiety in the workplace. For today’s businesses, mental health isn’t just a wellness topic—it’s a core risk management issue, regulatory requirement, and key to workforce sustainability.

A global survey by McKinsey found that even though roughly three-quarters of organizations surveyed are prioritizing workplace mental health programs, employee burnout remains high. Their research also finds that implementing and scaling proven mental health interventions globally by 2050 could reduce direct and indirect mental health disease burden by over 40 percent.

The cost of inaction is steep. For example, mental health conditions now account for 9% of serious workers’ compensation claims in Australia, with a 37% increase since 2017–18. These claims typically involve four to five times more time lost than physical injuries, and three times the cost in compensation.

This evolving legal and operational landscape means that investing in mental health is not just ethically responsible—it is critical for business continuity and compliance.

Benefits of EHS Mental Health Programs

Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) leaders are uniquely positioned to champion workforce mental health by building programs that address psychological hazards and integrate mental well-being into core risk management systems.

How workplace mental health programs benefit your employees

Workers gain several benefits from quality mental health programs in the workplace.

Benefits for Employees:

• Reduced stress and burnout: Comprehensive mental health programs provide employees with tools to manage stress effectively. This leads to lower stress levels and better coping mechanisms.
• Improved work-life balance: These programs often include resources for achieving a healthier work-life balance. This helps workers avoid burnout and maintain personal relationships.
• Stronger workplace relationships: Improved mental health translates to better interactions with colleagues. Workers are more likely to communicate effectively, collaborate, and contribute positively to team dynamics.
• Increased engagement and job satisfaction: Feeling supported in terms of mental health enhances overall job satisfaction. Employees who are content and fulfilled are more likely to remain committed to their roles and the organization.
• Greater focus on wellness: Mental health initiatives are often part of broader wellness programs. These programs encourage healthier lifestyles, encompassing both physical and mental well-being.

How workplace mental health programs benefit your organization

Here are a few ways your organization can benefit from implementing a holistic mental health program.

Benefits for Organizations:

• Improved productivity and performance: A mentally healthy workforce is a more productive one. Employees who have the resources to manage their mental well-being are better equipped to stay focused, make informed decisions, and perform at their best.
• Improved talent retention: Organizations that prioritize mental health create a positive and supportive workplace culture. This fosters employee loyalty and reduces turnover rates, leading to cost savings associated with recruitment and training.
• Reduced absenteeism and turnover: Mental health programs help employees manage stress and mental health challenges, reducing absenteeism due to mental health-related issues.
• Compliance with regulatory requirements (including psychosocial hazard regulations and ISO 45003)
• Risk mitigation and reduced risk of legal action: Addressing mental health issues early can prevent larger problems from arising. Mental health programs help identify potential challenges and provide interventions before they escalate.
• Stronger employer brand and talent retention: Employees want to work for a company that cares for them and provides structures and programs to support their well-being.

A Holistic Approach to Workplace Mental Health Programs

A holistic employee mental health program examines broader workplace culture to promote well-being at multiple levels. To meaningfully improve workplace mental health, organizations must go beyond awareness campaigns and take an integrated, risk-based approach grounded in the core principles of occupational health and safety. This fosters an authentic culture of support, inclusivity, and overall mental health.

Here are a few key elements for this approach.

Cultural assessment

The program would start with a comprehensive assessment of the existing workplace culture. This involves evaluating factors such as communication patterns, leadership styles, and attitudes toward mental health. A workplace culture assessment provides insights into areas that require improvement and informs the development of targeted strategies. These insights form the foundation for a robust psychosocial risk assessment aligned with ISO 45003.

C-suite engagement and buy-in

As the bridge between the C-suite and the workforce, EHS leaders play a vital role in prioritizing worker mental health programs. Sustainable change must come from the top. EHS teams can help secure executive commitment and embed mental health into broader business strategies.

Leadership training

Holistic mental health programs prioritize leadership development. Training managers and leaders in empathetic communication, active listening, and stress management equips them to create a supportive environment and respond effectively to employees’ mental health concerns—especially when managing teams exposed to psychosocial hazards like trauma or high-stress roles.

Policy review and development

The program would involve a thorough review of existing policies to ensure they support mental well-being. New policies could be developed to address bullying, misconduct, flexible work, and accommodation for mental health needs to align with local psychosocial hazard regulations and mental health standards.

Wellness initiatives

A holistic program extends to physical health as well. Initiatives like fitness classes, mindfulness workshops, and healthy eating options contribute to overall well-being and mental health.

Support beyond the employee

Supporting employees’ families through workplace mental health resources helps reduce stress and emotional strain on the employee, improving their focus, well-being, and overall job performance. When family needs are addressed, employees feel more supported and less distracted, fostering a healthier and more engaged workforce.

Workload management

Ensuring workloads are manageable and realistic reduces stress and burnout. Encouraging breaks, setting reasonable expectations, and providing opportunities for skill development contribute to a healthier work-life balance.

Global Mental Health Regulations and Guidelines – the latest updates:

Global employers need to be aware of regulations that impact their workforce across jurisdictions. Here are some examples of workplace mental health regulations and guidelines from around the world.

Australia

Victoria’s new Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations

Commences on 1 December 2025, requiring employers to identify, assess, and control psychosocial hazards such as bullying, sexual harassment, aggression, and exposure to traumatic events. These hazards must now be treated as seriously as physical risks.

The Fair Work Act now includes a positive duty to eliminate sexual harassment and hostile work environments, requiring proactive measures rather than reactive responses.

Model Code of Practice for Bullying at Work

Australia has a Model Code of Practice on Preventing and Responding to Workplace Bullying. This code provides guidelines for employers to prevent and address workplace bullying, which can have significant mental health implications. It includes recommendations for risk assessment, creating policies, and providing training.

Model Code of Practice for Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work

NSW and other states have already embedded psychosocial risk management into WHS regulations.

United Kingdom

Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

The HSE in the UK provides guidelines for managing work-related stress. Employers are required to assess and manage the risk of stress-related ill health arising from work activities. This includes identifying stressors, implementing control measures, and providing appropriate support.

Canada

National Standard

Canada developed a voluntary standard that provides guidelines for promoting psychological health and safety in the workplace. It addresses factors such as workload management, work-life balance, and supportive leadership to prevent mental health issues.

There are also a few specific province acts related to mental health including:

Stronger, Healthier Ontario Act

(Bill 127) which amended several provisions of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act,

those governing the circumstances in which workers are entitled to benefits as a result of mental stress These amendments took effect on January 1, 2018. Workers are entitled to benefits for both traumatic and chronic mental stress that arises out of and in the course of the employment.

Working for Workers Act 2021

Workers in Ontario now have a right to disconnect when their regular work day is completed, which means not engaging in work-related communications or the sending or reviewing of other messages, so as to be free from the performance of work.

Brazil

Starting in May 2026, Brazil will enforce NR-01 (Regulatory Norm-01) around psychosocial risks. NRs are the federal Health and Safety regulations that are applicable to all businesses in the country.

Psychosocial risks are a big part of the new equation, and this is likely to require significant efforts, specifically around integration of different areas from the business, new resources around health and new documents required.

New Zealand

WorkSafe New Zealand

WorkSafe New Zealand provides resources for addressing work-related stress and mental health. Employers are encouraged to create a supportive work environment and identify and manage stressors that could impact employees’ mental well-being.

Mental Health Foundation New Zealand

The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand is a charity that works towards creating a society free from discrimination. They encourage policies, systems and laws that protect and promote wellbeing alongside providing resources and best practice guidelines for businesses.

For more on bridging occupational health and safety across borders, listen to our podcast episode here.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Workplace Mental Health Programs

What is a psychosocial risk assessment?

A psychosocial risk assessment is a structured process used to identify, evaluate, and control workplace hazards that impact mental health—such as stress, bullying, harassment, or traumatic events. It is essential for creating psychologically safe work environments and is increasingly required under global regulations like ISO 45003.

What are psychosocial hazards in the workplace?

Psychosocial hazards are aspects of work design, organization, and interpersonal relationships that can negatively affect employees’ psychological health. Common examples include unrealistic workloads, poor leadership, job insecurity, bullying, sexual harassment, and exposure to trauma.

Why is ISO 45003 important?

ISO 45003 is the international standard for managing psychosocial risks at work. It provides guidance to organizations on how to prevent work-related stress, promote well-being, and fulfill legal and ethical responsibilities around mental health.

What are the legal responsibilities of employers regarding mental health?

In many countries, employers have a legal duty to protect employees from psychological harm, just as they do for physical harm. For example, Australia has introduced psychosocial hazard regulations in states like Victoria and New South Wales. In the UK, duties fall under the Health and Safety at Work Act. In the U.S., OSHA and the Department of Labor emphasize mental health as part of overall workplace safety. It is important when operating globally that a business understands the local environments and regulations, local consultants can help not only with the compliance and guidelines but important cultural nuances and understanding.

How do mental health programs benefit businesses?

Workplace mental health programs improve productivity, reduce absenteeism, and increase employee retention. They also help organizations comply with emerging regulations, reduce legal risks, and build stronger employer brands.

NEW YORK, October 9, 2025 /3BL/ – The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) announced today that its pioneering 12 Competencies for Measuring Health and Well-being at the Workplace (12 Competencies) has been peer-reviewed and published in the Journal of Corporate Real Estate. This validation affirms the framework’s scope, rigor and relevance for global organizations to leverage when seeking to track and improve their workplace health and well-being strategies.

The 12 Competencies is a framework that maps out areas of health leadership and offers a comprehensive framework for organizations to evaluate key workplace well-being factors, such as mental health, physical health, social connection and organizational culture. Organized across five interconnected levels—individual, organizational, environmental, community and global—the framework helps companies dimensionalize well-being strategies and identify what they are measuring and where opportunities remain for deeper impact. The 12 Competencies can help companies monitor, track and demonstrate their impact on health, and in turn identify health improvement opportunities while reducing exposure to material risk.

The 12 Competencies, first announced by IWBI in 2022, is the result of an integrated approach to understanding how to measure commitment to and progress in health and well-being, drawing on the expertise of the IWBI’s Research Advisory, the science backed WELL concepts, and industry-leading best practices that IWBI has gathered through its decade-long work with thousands of forward-thinking companies around the world who are elevating workplace health and well-being. Together, these knowledge streams shaped a robust and practical framework designed to move the needle on measuring workplace health and well-being.

“Today’s announcement signifies a major step forward in our mission to provide actionable and science-backed KPIs for organizations focused on improving workplace health and performance,” said Rachel Hodgdon, President and CEO of IWBI. “The peer review of the 12 Competencies and its publication in the Journal of Corporate Real Estate validate the framework’s relevance and effectiveness in transforming workplaces.”

Industry experts advocating for workplace health and well-being are celebrating the growing momentum around this important shift. “In my decades-long experience helping global organizations advance workplace health and well-being, I’ve seen how challenging it can be to measure what truly matters for employees,” said Despina Katskakis, Global Chair Strategic Consulting, Cushman & Wakefield. “The 12 Competencies provide a practical framework that helps companies align measurement and strategy across diverse workplaces, turning good intentions into meaningful outcomes.”

Eleven esteemed researchers participated in the independent peer review article, including academic scholars from seven top universities in the United States, Canada, Australia, Belgium and South Africa, as well as leading experts from the organizational and building health sectors. Their collective expertise and independent validation underscore the strength and credibility of the 12 Competencies.

“Measuring health and well-being is inherently complex. We designed the 12 Competencies to turn that complexity into clarity—and to solve a problem that so many companies face when measuring health and performance. In doing so, we help companies align their investments, reporting and people outcomes across five levels of impact,” said author Dr. Whitney Austin Gray, Senior Vice President of Research at IWBI.

“Validating a company’s investment in people is critical. Leading certification systems around the world provide strategies, but it is challenging to know if these systems comprehensively measure health, or only a portion of health, such as environmental health versus organizational health. The 12 Competencies show how to track, measure and manage how you’re measuring health,” added author Dr. Christhina Candido, Professor and International Advisory Board Member.

In the article, the authors say, “The 12 Competencies identified five interconnected levels known to impact health and well-being, within which 12 competencies are nested. Each competency is broad enough to enable benchmarking. Detailed domains and dimensions help organizations understand what to measure and track for health and well-being and can adapt as research evolves. The framework addresses industry gaps by connecting leading and lagging indicators to allow for a more systemic approach to measuring health and well-being.”

“Too often, organizations don’t know what to measure when it comes to employee health and well-being—or how those metrics connect to performance, thriving and social impact,” said Angela Loder, Executive Director of Greening the City in Denver, Co., and the lead author of the article. “The 12 Competencies framework changes that. It’s an adaptive, evidence-based tool that shows leaders where they’re strong, where they need to improve and how to prove the impact of their investments in health and well-being.”

Leading the charge to operationalize the 12 Competencies, IWBI plans to incorporate the framework in its WELL Standard and program offerings, helping to support organizations’ in leveraging them to measure their multi-tiered investment in health.

Since its 2022 launch during a landmark event at Nasdaq focused on embedding health into corporate strategy, the 12 Competencies are now positioned to provide organizations with a clear, actionable guide to evaluating and strengthening their social sustainability efforts. The competencies include:

Health and well-being
Thriving
Performance, energy & motivation
Employee effectiveness
Organizational performance
Organizational culture & engagement
Risk management
Environment of care & support
Ambient environmental quality
Occupant & market perceptions of indoor environmental quality
Community & stakeholder engagement
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) transparency & reporting

The publication of the 12 Competencies is another important step in IWBI’s mission to support and equip organizations with the tools to advance and validate healthier, more resilient workplaces.

Authors of the peer-reviewed paper include:
Angela Loder, PhD, Greening the City, Denver, Colorado, USA; and formerly IWBI
Christhina Candido, PhD, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
Sergio Altomonte, PhD, Architecture et Climat, Louvain Research Institute for Landscape, Architecture, Built Environment, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium
Whitney Austin Gray, PhD, IWBI, Washington, DC, USA
Casey Lindberg, PhD, Department of Environmental Design, University of Colorado Boulder, USA
Susan Sung Eun Chung, PhD, PhD, HKS Inc., Dallas, Texas, USA
Ina Rothmann, PhD, WorkWell Research Unit – Afriforte, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
Avis Devine, PhD, Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto, Canada
Yoko Kawai, PhD, Yale School of Architecture, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
Usha Satish, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
Sally Augustin, PhD, Design with Science, La Grange Park, Illinois, USA

For more information on the 12 Competencies, visit IWBI’s original announcement here.

About the International WELL Building Institute
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is a public benefit corporation and the global authority for transforming health and well-being in buildings, organizations and communities. In pursuit of its public-health mission, IWBI mobilizes its community through the development and administration of the WELL Building Standard (WELL), WELL for residential, WELL Community Standard, its WELL ratings and management of the WELL AP credential. IWBI also translates research into practice, develops educational resources and advocates for policies that promote people-first places for everyone, everywhere. More information on WELL can be found here.
International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL EP, WELL Score, The WELL Conference, We Are WELL, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rated, WELL Performance Rated, WELL Equity Rated, WELL Equity, WELL Coworking Rated, WELL Residence, Works with WELL, WELL and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute pbc in the United States and other countries.

Media Contact: media@wellcertified.com

View original content here.

In New York, business leaders from every corner of the world are uniting to address evolving global challenges and accelerate solutions. Across multiple events and stages, SAP is sharing how its artificial intelligence (AI) edge is helping leading companies shape the future of business by turning environmental, regulatory, and market pressures into opportunities for action.

AI, with already proven applications, can unlock insights to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 5%-10% by 2030. According to KPMG, over half of sustainability executives say one of their top actions in the next three years is expanding their use of AI to enhance ESG capabilities.

Most businesses have not yet realized AI’s full potential for sustainability. In fact, only 14% of companies are using AI today to reduce carbon emissions. But those ready to do so will gain a decisive advantage that goes beyond emissions reduction. SAP’s ERP-centric approach enables organizations to deliver sustainability outcomes with applications, data, and AI embedded into SAP Business Suite. With sustainability reporting, data processing, automation, and strategic insights, AI can navigate your business through today’s climate challenges and ensure tomorrow’s competitiveness.

Put sustainability at the core of your business with AI-driven solutions

Learn more

Power on, ethically and responsibly

Scaling AI solutions comes with considerable energy and water usage. To ensure net benefit, this needs to be part of return on investment conversations. With robust governance and renewables-backing however, AI is able to reduce more emissions than it generates.

All SAP data centers are powered by 100% renewable energy and any emissions from use of third-party AI systems are calculated and included in the company’s Scope 3 emissions.

Used ethically and responsibly, AI can be the catalyst of your sustainable business transformation. Here are eight ways that businesses use SAP’s AI-powered systems to build their sustainable advantage.

Improve efficiency with automation

1. Compliance information processing

The SAP S/4HANA for product compliance, AI-assisted compliance information processing capability can automatically extract compliance information from updated documents and map the information to compliance requirements.

This can reduce costs in product compliance disclosures, reduce penalties and fines in environmental management, and automate processes to reduce the risk of manual errors.

This helps turn a 50-minute task into a five-minute job and reduce processing and evaluation costs by 90%.

2. Declaration image analysis

With the SAP Green Token, AI-assisted declaration image analysis capability, you can automatically extract data and information from sustainability declarations regardless of format.

This helps cut review time, eliminate manual error risk, and ensure your reports are ready for required external audits.

Without AI, it takes roughly five minutes to review, extract, and post information from declarations. With AI, it’s just 20 seconds.

3. Permit management

SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, EHS environment management, AI-assisted permit management can read hundreds of pages in seconds, extract the compliance requirements, and propose clear tasks to meet permit requirements.

This AI-assisted capability can save days of permit review and interpretation, remove the need to hire external consultants, and lead up to an 80% reduction in environmental penalties and fines.

Your personal AI carbon consultant

4. Emission factor mapping

With SAP Sustainability Footprint Management, SAP’s AI-enhanced solution, users can calculate product and corporate carbon footprints. Where actual supplier emissions data is given, it can retrieve that information from SAP Sustainability Data Exchange and other systems. When estimates are required, the solution can automatically find the most accurate emissions factors from databases and map those to products.

Audit-ready emission factor mapping can turn a 10-minute manual task into a two-minute verification.

5. Report generation

In the SAP Sustainability Control Tower solution, you can generate comprehensive ESG reports in just a few clicks:

• Automatically generate reports that align with internal sustainability strategies and meet external requirements such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
• Take data collection from a half hour to a half minute and report creation and drafting from 30 hours down to just five hours, all the while eliminating confusion and the risk of manual errors.

6. Carbon emissions analysis 

From reporting on today to planning for tomorrow, Joule, SAP’s copilot, can take current carbon emissions data and return actionable insights that help reduce emissions and guide corporate sustainability strategies.

By combining financial and carbon data, Joule can create carbon intensity KPIs and can be your ultimate corporate sustainability consultant.

The AI safety officer for your EHS team

7. Safety observation reporting

Complex safety reporting procedures dissuade employees from reporting potential hazards. With the SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, EHS workplace safety, AI-assisted safety observation reporting capability, basic users can input safety observations in natural language, and the AI model can process that into a formal incident report, prompting the user for any missing details.

This can increase the likelihood that employees report safety hazards and helps prevent severe incidents by identifying potential safety issues in advance.

8. Safety instruction generation

Your AI safety officer can generate clear safety instructions for specific equipment based on the latest risk assessments and job hazard analyses.

With SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, EHS workplace safety, AI-assisted safety instruction generation, the time and effort of manually prescribing and updating safety instructions can be dramatically reduced.

Solve today’s sustainability challenges while preparing for tomorrow

The right AI integration can ensure you future-proof your operations while shining a light on the path that drives competitiveness.

What sets SAP apart is our suite-first, AI-first approach that helps ensure sustainability isn’t an add-on, but a strategic enabler that can deliver measurable outcomes at scale. SAP’s one sustainability data model can drive consistent reporting, deeper insight, and confident decisions across every sustainability process, product, and partner network.

With a responsible AI partner, businesses can realize measurable financial returns on AI investments and unlock sustainability benefits; automate manual-heavy paperwork; identify emissions hot spots and steer their business toward a decarbonized economy; and make environmental impact tracking visible to all lines of business based on a reliable single source of truth. With an integrated set of capabilities, SAP Sustainability solutions help businesses address their sustainability needs holistically and across topics. The result is speed, trust, and traceability, which turn sustainability into strategy, not just compliance.

Get in touch to find out how SAP can help your business power on with sustainability solutions.

Monica Molesag is global head of Sustainability Communications at SAP.

Last week, the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) hosted its 2025 Women in Semiconductor Hardware (WISH) Conference in San Jose, bringing together trailblazers from across the industry to share lessons on leadership, resilience and the urgent need to expand the talent pipeline. I had the privilege to attend this event alongside a distinguished group of AMD women engineers. I felt fortunate to be included among such inspiring peers.

The main sessions underscored three clear themes: the power of mindset in overcoming adversity, authentic leadership in times of change and collective action to address the workforce challenges shaping the future of semiconductors.

Fireside Chat: The Trailblazer’s Mindset

Sylvia Acevedo, former NASA rocket scientist, CEO and current board member at Qualcomm and Credo, shared insights from her book The Trailblazer’s Playbook. In a conversation with GSA CEO Jodi Shelton, Acevedo described how clarity, courage and conviction helped her turn barriers into stepping stones throughout her career.

From being told “girls like you don’t go to college” to becoming one of the first Hispanic women to earn an engineering graduate degree at Stanford, Acevedo emphasized the importance of resilience, persistence and authenticity. Her stories from NASA and corporate leadership illustrated how setbacks can fuel growth if approached with curiosity rather than frustration. She also reminded attendees that strong leaders can be both competitive and compassionate, and that opening doors for others is an essential part of building a legacy.

Leadership Lessons: Authenticity and Advocacy 

A panel of senior executives, including leaders from Broadcom, Arm, Cirrus Logic, Cerebras and more, explored what it takes to lead in times of rapid change. The discussion highlighted that kindness should not be mistaken for weakness, and that leaders must balance being approachable with delivering results.

Panelists stressed that authenticity is a powerful differentiator: leaders who retain their identity and use their natural strengths, whether humor or empathy, are more approachable and effective. They also spoke candidly about visibility and advocacy, reminding the audience that career advancement is not only about what you know, but also who knows you. 

Key advice included:

• Speak the language of leadership by framing contributions in terms of strategy and value.
• Understand how your work fits into the bigger picture of an organization.
• Be proactive in sponsoring unseen talent, especially women and underrepresented voices.
• Teach people how to treat you by setting boundaries and articulating your vision.

The conversation underscored that building a legacy means lifting others as you climb, creating opportunities that only leaders on the inside can unlock. 

Talent and Workforce: Inspiring the Next Generation

The semiconductor industry plays a critical role in modern life, from powering smartphones to enabling AI, and this theme was at the center of the final main session on talent. Leaders from TSMC, GlobalFoundries, Micron Technology, Marvell and San Jose State University discussed the workforce challenges and opportunities shaping the industry.

Panelists emphasized that careers in semiconductors provide high impact, intellectual challenge, long-term stability and a strong sense of societal purpose. To address the talent gap, companies are investing in university partnerships, K–12 educational programs, apprenticeships and collaborations with groups like the Girl Scouts and First Robotics. They also emphasized broadening recruitment beyond elite universities, valuing potential and diverse backgrounds over pedigree.

The collective message was clear: building a skilled, diverse and inspired workforce is both a challenge and an opportunity that the industry must meet together. 

AMD Contributions

AMD was strongly represented throughout the event. Liya Liu, senior member of AMD technical staff, spoke in the AI breakout session on accelerating formal verification workflows. Sharon Zhou, AMD vice president of AI, joined a panel discussion on AI and the future of hardware engineering. Isabelita Camaclang, MTS silicon design engineer, and Manvitha Pannala,  technical program manager, from AMD delivered test and validation track presentations on using AI for DFT optimization and improving SERDES margin analysis with Power BI and Snowflake. Sangeeta Raste, AMD senior manager of PMTS silicon design, spoke in the design technology breakout session on innovative approaches to low-power design. In addition, the 2025 Female Up and Comer Award was presented to Yanfang Le, AMD principal network architect.

I am proud that AMD was a sponsor of this year’s WISH conference and plays an active role in the GSA Women’s Leadership Initiative, reinforcing its commitment to supporting women leaders across the semiconductor industry.

Looking Ahead

The 2025 WISH Conference showcased the leadership, grit and collaboration driving the semiconductor industry forward. From personal stories of resilience to candid conversations on authenticity and talent, the sessions highlighted the responsibility and the opportunity to create pathways for future generations.

As Sylvia Acevedo put it, trailblazing is not just about creating a path but building a highway for others to follow. Last week’s conversations made it clear: the future of semiconductors will be shaped not only by technology, but by leaders committed to unlocking opportunity for all.

In the latest effort to make cotton data more accessible and available, cotton programs have released an LCA position paper, with Cascale contributing additional expertise.

Together, Better Cotton, Cotton Australia, Cotton Incorporated, and U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol commissioned the report, with Cascale, Cotton Research and Development Corporation, and Textile Exchange as contributors. EarthShift Global, LLC prepared the report, “From Data to Impact: How to Get Cotton LCAs Right” which zeroes in on the importance of proper use and interpretation of cotton LCA data, especially in the context of differing growing regions and methodological parameters.

Cascale’s Joël Mertens, head of Higg Product Tools at Cascale, outlined the problem. “What can I really claim in terms of making change happen?” It is one thing to say, “This is my footprint,” and another to claim that switching from cotton to another fiber or blend has helped improve climate change or water scarcity. This last piece in particular is the one that is misleading. The approach that moves the sector forward is fixing the supply change instead of ignoring the problem by going somewhere else without moving the state of play.”

The work followed a joint workstream within Cascale: the Higg MSI Methodology Cotton Expert Team, to help collaboratively address cotton data gaps. The 40-page report captures a number of nuances, challenges, and positive indicators for change, hoping to help guide sustainability managers, policymakers, cotton programs, and growers.

”Real progress will come from investment in farmer-centered improvements backed by science and transparency, aligning around responsible use of LCAs,” read a line from the report’s summary.

Readers can find the report and press release on Better Cotton’s website.

Listen: Cascale’s “Source of Good” podcast featuring Jesse Daystar!

Over two years, 620 days, and countless miles, laps, and hills later – she did it.

Ariana Luterman has set the world record as the fastest female to complete six Ironman Triathlons on six continents in one year. An extraordinary feat – and yet, for those who know her story, not a surprise. 

Ariana’s path began long before this record-breaking year. Her training started at just seven years old. By twelve, she founded Team Ariana, turning her passion for triathlon into a mission to support homeless children in Dallas, Texas.

Like the entrepreneurs GoDaddy champions every day, Ariana’s journey has been defined by grit, resilience, and purpose. 

Despite setbacks and obstacles, she stayed the course in pursuit of her dream – the same way entrepreneurs and small business owners press forward with theirs. GoDaddy provides the tools, guidance, and community that help them persevere, and congratulates Ariana on her remarkable achievement. 

Ariana may have crossed the finish line. But for her, and for every dreamer daring to push beyond limits, this is only the beginning.

 About GoDaddy 

GoDaddy helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start and scale their businesses. People come to GoDaddy to name their idea, build a website and logo, sell their products and services, and accept payments. GoDaddy Airo^®, the company’s AI-powered experience, makes growing a small business faster and easier by helping them to get their idea online in minutes, drive traffic and boost sales. GoDaddy’s expert guides are available 24/7 to provide assistance. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com 

Published by Action Against Hunger.

Contact media@actionagainsthunger.org for inquiries.

• Action Against Hunger currently has over 2,000 food parcels awaiting entry in Amman and hundreds of staff members are on the ground in Gaza prepared to scale up operations the moment access is granted.
• Action Against Hunger stresses the urgency of transforming this lifesaving opportunity into a permanent ceasefire.

October 9, 2025 /3BL/ – After more than two years of starvation, displacement, and extreme violence resulting from Israeli military operations in Gaza, today’s announcement of a ceasefire agreement offers a long-awaited flicker of respite. Action Against Hunger stresses the urgency of transforming this lifesaving opportunity into a permanent ceasefire – one that includes the release of hostages and detainees and guarantees unrestricted access into and within Gaza.

“The halting of hostilities alone will not save lives,” said Manuel Sanchez-Montero, Action Against Hunger’s CEO. “Our teams must be granted immediate and safe access to all areas of Gaza to reach families who have been cut off from food, water, and medical care for weeks.”

Very little, if any, food or humanitarian aid has entered North Gaza or Gaza City governorates in recent weeks, where famine is spreading rapidly. Action Against Hunger teams stand ready to respond – as they did just hours after the January 2025 ceasefire – but conditions today are far more severe. Destruction is deeper, hunger is sharper, and recovery will take much longer. “We stress the importance of making every effort to implement the agreement as quickly and effectively as possible – we have aid ready to go in as of tomorrow, and it is much needed,” added Sanchez-Montero.

Action Against Hunger currently has over 2,000 food parcels awaiting entry in Amman and hundreds of staff members are on the ground in Gaza prepared to scale up operations the moment access is granted.

“We take this moment to honor the tens of thousands of people who were killed before they could see this cause for hope, including some of our own colleagues,” said Sanchez-Montero. “Our teams will continue their mission in their memory – to save lives with dignity and compassion.”

Action Against Hunger also warns that violence and displacement in the West Bank must not be ignored. During the last temporary ceasefire, Israeli military operations displaced more than 40,000 people in the northern West Bank, marking the largest mass displacement there since 1967.

Action Against Hunger calls upon the international community to seize this moment to ensure that the ceasefire leads to a lasting solution that supports the unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid to all families in need and takes steps toward a meaningful Palestinian-led reconstruction process.

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Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 26.5 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across over 55 countries, our 8,500+ dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.

The best leaders are the ones who aim to inspire others to lead, like forklift aficionado and CertainTeed Shift Supervisor Rhonda Clink in Athens, GA!

Saint-Gobain is an industry leader with thousands of talented team members who are dedicated to one unified purpose: Making the World a Better Home. With more than 160 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada, there are so many robust and fulfilling career opportunities available. You’ll have the opportunity to work with colleagues from a wide range of businesses, cultures, and experiences.

About Success in the Making

Anyone can be a manufacturer! Whether you are just starting out or transitioning your career path, the manufacturing industry presents opportunities for success. Saint-Gobain North America’s Success in the Making series features the stories of team members who built their careers in manufacturing and thrived!

Watch the full Success in the Making series on YouTube.

About Saint-Gobain

Worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial markets. Its integrated solutions for the renovation of public and private buildings, light construction and the decarbonization of construction and industry are developed through a continuous innovation process and provide sustainability and performance. The Group, celebrating its 360th anniversary in 2025, remains more committed than ever to its purpose “MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME”.

€46.6 billion in sales in 2024 
More than 161,000 employees, locations in 80 countries 
Committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050

Verizon

For some teens, a blank computer screen isn’t very daunting; but for these diverse learners — struggling with dyslexia, ADHD and other executive functioning skills — even writing one sentence can be tough.

Graff knows that feeling. Diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia at a young age, she remembers the sting of being written off. 

“As a student, I felt I had to work 10 times harder than everybody else,” she recalls. “Things just didn’t come easily to me.”

Now a special education teacher at Chicago’s Lake View High School, Graff wants to be the teacher she never had: one who can adapt the curriculum to her students’ strengths and help them find the path to becoming independent, confident adults.

Assistive technology is central to that approach. For one student, it’s dictating ideas through speech-to-text instead of struggling at the keyboard. For another, it’s breaking down complex assignments into smaller, achievable goals.

“Technology helps make content accessible for diverse learners,” she says. “As a teacher, we have to teach very rigorous skills like finding main ideas and writing claims,” she says. “If we didn’t have online tools like AI, spellcheck and text-to-speech, our diverse learners wouldn’t be able to access the content.”

Through Verizon Innovative Learning HQ’s professional development resources, Graff has refined how she blends tech and traditional teaching methods. “With the Verizon model, you’re not using technology every single day. You’re gradually building technology into your classroom so that students who need a blend of using technology and using paper-based materials can have that,” she says.

“It’s all about meeting students where they are,” she explains. “Utilizing supports such as graphic organizers, sentence starters and visuals paired with text that help reach all learners no matter if they have a disability or not.” 

That morning, essays took shape. One student explored the role of religion in her life; another explained how taking care of her siblings impacted her childhood.

“Do you want to use speech to text?” Graff asks Sheily Avelino-Gomez, one of her students who is more comfortable talking out her ideas rather than typing them. “Yes,” replies Sheily with a smile.

By the end of class, the students were much closer to having a complete essay than at the start. A couple of them used assistive technology; others shared their ideas with Graff by their side.

“The Verizon Innovative Learning resources have helped me become more flexible in my teaching,” says Graff. “That flexibility and patience helps students understand I don’t just value the content they’re learning; I value them as humans and that I’m meeting their learning needs in the classroom.”

Verizon Innovative Learning is a key part of the company’s responsible business plan to help move the world forward for all. As part of the plan, Verizon has an ambitious goal of providing 10 million youth with digital skills training by 2030. Educators can access free lessons, professional development and immersive learning experiences to help bring new ways of learning into the classroom by visiting Verizon Innovative Learning HQ. 

This blog is part of our focus on Cisco employees who are “Striving for Sustainability” by finding opportunities to integrate sustainability in their day-to-day work.

At Cisco, we are designing our products and packaging with circularity in mind, aligning them to our Circular Design Principles. Circular design means designing products and systems that enable reuse, minimize environmental impacts, drive innovation, and realize value for our stakeholders.

That’s where Tom Jackson comes in. Tom is the Senior Director of Supply Chain, Computing Systems, & Product Packaging, and Executive Sponsor of Circular Design at Cisco. His passion for sustainability is rooted in a lifelong love of the outdoors and shaped by visits to nearly 45 U.S. national parks. Learn more about how this has led to a career in advancing circular design:

How have your previous roles influenced your interest and involvement in circular design?

Tom: I think my previous roles really prepared me for this by giving me an outsider’s perspective. I’ve had around eleven different careers here at Cisco over my 25 years. I started early on in test development engineering, then moved into broadband cable routing, fixed microwave wireless systems, and later worked as a program manager. So I’ve had experience across a huge variety of businesses and operating models.

I brought deep experience in taking products from ideation to mass production, which proved valuable in sustainability because I understood how things get done at Cisco. Our sustainability experts taught me the principles and priorities, and my role was to systematically embed circular design into Cisco’s product development process, using my network to build the initial team and launch circular design. Changing 30 years of “how we’ve always done it” was no small feat, but we made progress — and this work will never truly end, as we’ll always be looking for what’s next.

Why is circular design important at Cisco?

Tom: What’s different about Cisco’s approach to circular design is that we’ve built a complete system. We have a process, guiding principles, training, a scoring methodology — and, most importantly, full buy-in from the design, new product introduction (NPI), and supply chain communities. It’s truly embedded into our business and is now just part of how we release every product.

This isn’t something we want to keep to ourselves. We’re all on the same planet, and progress on circularity only matters if everyone moves forward together. That’s why we’re transparent about our approach, openly sharing details about where we’re headed next.

To me personally, I think we all have that intrinsic drive — when we see the misuse of materials, or products not being made with recycled or recyclable materials. I love the movie Wall-E, and I don’t want my kids or grandkids to end up living on Wall-E’s trash planet. But honestly, that’s the direction the world was heading with its old linear cycle of “design, make, dispose.”

There were also some real “aha” moments. For example, we were doing a Cisco building refresh, which included updating the networking equipment in one of the labs. The amount of packaging waste that came from installing hundreds of Cisco products in a single day was eye-opening. That was a real catalyst for me — thinking about the thousands of customers who experience this as well.

Another big catalyst has been the way the market and our customer base are evolving. Brand value is often tied to sustainability now — being seen as a circular company really matters. When we’re responding to a request for quotation (RFQ) and can show we’re more sustainable than our competitors, that can be a real differentiator. In places like Europe, it’s becoming table stakes for customers and a focus of policymakers to emphasize recycled IT products and recycled material origins. So, it’s just good business, in my opinion.

How have engineers at Cisco responded to this type of initiative?

Tom: We’ve really altered our DNA — we’re different now in how we design things. When we first started this journey, there was a massive amount of reluctance and skepticism.

Training was key to overcoming that reluctance. We didn’t want it to be just another mandatory training. We knew it had to be interactive and engaging, something that would really draw people in and help them understand the principles. I loved choose-your-own-adventure books as a kid, so we modeled the training after them. Your choices reveal downstream effects, helping designers see how their decisions — like including every possible accessory — can create waste.

Then we introduced a scoring methodology, so every new product and packaging at Cisco could be scored against these principles. A product needs at least 75 points to be released. That really gamified the process. Our engineers and designers are competitive people, so it sparked this energy. We even added an innovation section where you could earn bonus points for coming up with new circular design ideas.

The design community’s creativity has been extraordinary — from making accessories opt-in to reduce waste, to eliminating paint and single-use plastic, using recycled materials, and rethinking packaging. We’ve seen big strides in power management, modularity, and product longevity. Once Cisco’s design engineers and architects understood the principles and what was at stake, they took off, delivering innovative ideas that exceeded our expectations. All credit goes to them — they’ve truly made it happen.

What is the most rewarding aspect about working in circular design?

Tom: Besides the amazing work from Cisco’s people, it’s about seeing the tangible outcomes. It’s one thing to score your products and have the data, but it’s another to look at the downstream impact these efforts are having. We continue to work on reducing plastics in our products. We used to include foam with many products’ packaging, but we’ve made good progress on our goal to reduce foam in product packaging by 75% (by weight) by FY25. We’ve also seen a 90%+ reduction in single-use plastic bags on accessories as well as changed default accessory options based on customer feedback, eliminating a ton of unnecessary waste.

There are real bottom-line benefits, too. Eliminating waste, unnecessary accessories, and cosmetic features has saved costs while improving sustainability. For example, eliminating oil-based wet paint from products not only reduced volatile organic compounds (VOCs) but also cut out extra logistics, labor, and waste. Most of our products live in racks in data centers — no one sees them — so there’s no need for unnecessary paint or decorative features.

Overall, it’s been an evolution. Five years ago, a lot of these goals felt daunting. We didn’t know how we’d move away from certain packaging, but with trial and error, we figured it out. And we’re seeing the industry follow. When we started, we had to create our own recycled plastic supply, but now there are plenty of vendors. Now the industry is moving in this direction and we’re proud to be leading the charge.

Read more about Cisco’s Circular Transformation on our Purpose Reporting Hub.

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