Tag: 3BL

April 23, 2026 /3BL/ – The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) has released its 2025 Water, Energy, and Emissions Benchmarking Study, providing a comprehensive, comparable analysis of environmental performance across more than 1,600 facilities globally, offering a clear view of industry progress, operational efficiency, and emerging risk areas.

Now in its 20th year, BIER continues to build on a long-standing benchmarking program, using multi-year data to provide a robust perspective on industry performance trends.

Established in 2006, BIER unites globally recognized beverage companies to advance environmental sustainability through collaboration, scientific rigor, and shared expertise. The benchmarking study is a prime example of this approach in action, providing industry-wide data that supports measurable progress in water stewardship, climate, and operational efficiency.

This year’s study includes data from 2020, 2022, and 2024, representing 15 companies and facilities spanning six continents. Results show that while global beverage production increased by 8% over the reporting period, participating companies achieved meaningful efficiency improvements, including:

• 3% reduction in water use ratio
• 4% reduction in energy use ratio
• 11% reduction in emissions ratio

These findings demonstrate continued progress toward decoupling production growth from environmental impact, an important signal for investors, industry stakeholders, and member companies seeking credible, data-backed evidence of sustainability performance and operational improvement.

The study also highlights the growing importance of water risk. More than 60% of facilities currently operate in areas facing at least medium water risk, with over half projected to face medium to extremely high water stress by 2030. This data underscores the increasing importance of proactive water stewardship, informed decision-making, and cross-industry collaboration in managing long-term operational and environmental risks.

BIER’s benchmarking work supports its broader mission to strengthen collective action within the beverage industry. By providing standardized metrics, transparent insights, and a platform for shared learning, BIER enables member companies to assess performance relative to peers, identify opportunities for improvement, and translate data into actionable strategies that drive measurable environmental performance improvements across the sector.

As sustainability expectations continue to evolve, resources like the benchmarking study are increasingly essential in helping companies move from commitment to implementation and in providing external stakeholders with credible, comparable insights into industry-wide progress.

“BIER’s benchmarking study reflects the value of sustained collaboration across the beverage sector. By bringing companies together around consistent, comparable data, we’re able to move beyond insight to action- identifying practical opportunities, prioritizing investments, and tracking the real progress companies are making on shared environmental priorities.” ~ Erica Pann, Executive Director, BIER

The Beverage Industry Water, Energy, and Emissions Benchmarking is available for download at: 2025 Water, Energy, and Emissions Benchmarking Summary – BIER

For more information, please contact: BIER@anteagroup.us

About BIER
BIER is a technical coalition of leading global beverage companies working together to advance environmental sustainability within the beverage sector. Formed in 2006, BIER is a common voice across the beverage sector, speaking to influence global standards on environmental sustainability aspects most relevant to the sector, affect change both up and down the supply chain, and share best practices that raise the bar for environmental performance of the industry. By doing so, BIER is able to monitor data and trends, engage with key stakeholders, develop best practices, and guide a course of action for the future. BIER members include Anheuser-Busch InBev, Asahi Group Holdings, Bacardi, Brown-Forman, Carlsberg Group, The Coca-Cola Company, Constellation Brands, Diageo, Heaven Hill Brands, Heineken, Keurig Dr Pepper, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited, Molson Coors, Monster Energy, Ocean Spray Cranberries, PepsiCo, Pernod Ricard, and Suntory Global Spirits. For more information, visit www.bieroundtable.com.

April 23, 2026 /3BL/ – The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) has released its 2025 Water, Energy, and Emissions Benchmarking Study, providing a comprehensive, comparable analysis of environmental performance across more than 1,600 facilities globally, offering a clear view of industry progress, operational efficiency, and emerging risk areas.

Now in its 20th year, BIER continues to build on a long-standing benchmarking program, using multi-year data to provide a robust perspective on industry performance trends.

Established in 2006, BIER unites globally recognized beverage companies to advance environmental sustainability through collaboration, scientific rigor, and shared expertise. The benchmarking study is a prime example of this approach in action, providing industry-wide data that supports measurable progress in water stewardship, climate, and operational efficiency.

This year’s study includes data from 2020, 2022, and 2024, representing 15 companies and facilities spanning six continents. Results show that while global beverage production increased by 8% over the reporting period, participating companies achieved meaningful efficiency improvements, including:

• 3% reduction in water use ratio
• 4% reduction in energy use ratio
• 11% reduction in emissions ratio

These findings demonstrate continued progress toward decoupling production growth from environmental impact, an important signal for investors, industry stakeholders, and member companies seeking credible, data-backed evidence of sustainability performance and operational improvement.

The study also highlights the growing importance of water risk. More than 60% of facilities currently operate in areas facing at least medium water risk, with over half projected to face medium to extremely high water stress by 2030. This data underscores the increasing importance of proactive water stewardship, informed decision-making, and cross-industry collaboration in managing long-term operational and environmental risks.

BIER’s benchmarking work supports its broader mission to strengthen collective action within the beverage industry. By providing standardized metrics, transparent insights, and a platform for shared learning, BIER enables member companies to assess performance relative to peers, identify opportunities for improvement, and translate data into actionable strategies that drive measurable environmental performance improvements across the sector.

As sustainability expectations continue to evolve, resources like the benchmarking study are increasingly essential in helping companies move from commitment to implementation and in providing external stakeholders with credible, comparable insights into industry-wide progress.

“BIER’s benchmarking study reflects the value of sustained collaboration across the beverage sector. By bringing companies together around consistent, comparable data, we’re able to move beyond insight to action- identifying practical opportunities, prioritizing investments, and tracking the real progress companies are making on shared environmental priorities.” ~ Erica Pann, Executive Director, BIER

The Beverage Industry Water, Energy, and Emissions Benchmarking is available for download at: 2025 Water, Energy, and Emissions Benchmarking Summary – BIER

For more information, please contact: BIER@anteagroup.us

About BIER
BIER is a technical coalition of leading global beverage companies working together to advance environmental sustainability within the beverage sector. Formed in 2006, BIER is a common voice across the beverage sector, speaking to influence global standards on environmental sustainability aspects most relevant to the sector, affect change both up and down the supply chain, and share best practices that raise the bar for environmental performance of the industry. By doing so, BIER is able to monitor data and trends, engage with key stakeholders, develop best practices, and guide a course of action for the future. BIER members include Anheuser-Busch InBev, Asahi Group Holdings, Bacardi, Brown-Forman, Carlsberg Group, The Coca-Cola Company, Constellation Brands, Diageo, Heaven Hill Brands, Heineken, Keurig Dr Pepper, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited, Molson Coors, Monster Energy, Ocean Spray Cranberries, PepsiCo, Pernod Ricard, and Suntory Global Spirits. For more information, visit www.bieroundtable.com.

The following is an excerpt from Cisco’s FY25 Purpose Report. Explore the full report to learn more about how we Power an Inclusive Future for All.

As innovation accelerates, the need for strong security, data protection, and privacy has never been more critical.

In a world where nearly everything is connected and generating data, technology holds extraordinary promise to solve our greatest challenges, from improving education to curing disease. But with this opportunity comes increasing vulnerability if security and privacy are not prioritized. 

At Cisco, we view security and privacy not as mere checkboxes, but as business imperatives and foundations for responsible innovation. Key to that innovation is governance for secure, trustworthy, transparent, fair, and accountable data usage. This involves embedding security, privacy, and responsible AI by design, advancing zero-trust architecture, and enabling ongoing observability for threat detection. 

We are guided by our core principles of trustworthiness, transparency, and accountability. In fiscal 2025, we continued to embrace a holistic approach to security and privacy throughout our operations, data management practices, products, and solutions. 

Securing Global Data

Our 2025 Data Privacy Benchmark Study revealed that privacy remains core to customer trust, with 95% of survey respondents saying they won’t make a purchase if their data isn’t properly protected. We apply a Privacy by Design approach that reflects our commitment to using data responsibly and serves as the foundation for how we handle personal, customer, and corporate data. Incorporating Privacy Enhancing Technologies in the design process helps enable responsible data use, manages risks, and gives users more control over their information.

This work comes to life through our Cisco Privacy Center of Excellence (PCOE). While the PCOE initially focused on protecting personal data, in fiscal 2025, its scope expanded to include regulated data, such as “industrial data,” or data generated by connected products, like smart devices. Though this data is driven primarily by commercial considerations, users are also demanding greater visibility and control over their nonpersonal data. 

Increasing Data Transparency

In fiscal 2025, PCOE launched data questionnaires to Cisco product developers to gather information about the way data is collected, how the data is used, where the data is stored, and more. Those responses were then used to create public‑facing Offer Disclosures to provide transparency to our customers and stakeholders via the Cisco Trust Portal.

Advancing Cybersecurity Around the World 

Data breach incidents surged 70% from 2021 to 2024, with the average data breach costing an estimated US$4.9 million. As a cybersecurity leader, Cisco builds technology to defend against threats and shares our expertise with customers, partners, and communities.  

Preparing for the Threats of Today and Tomorrow 

As threat actors shift to targeting network infrastructure, we began a multiyear effort to help customers use Cisco equipment more securely and increase resiliency to attacks. 

Our commitment to driving resilient infrastructure strengthens the security of Cisco solutions and customer networks, reducing the risk of insecure network configurations and delivering proactive detection and response to safeguard against evolving threats. 

To help develop real-world skills, we host hands-on “Capture the Flag” cybersecurity simulations in person and online. In fiscal 2025, more than 40,000 learners around the globe participated, using Cisco products to defend against threats. 

We’re also looking to the next frontier: quantum networking and computing. To help organizations safeguard against looming threats, like quantum computers cracking encryption keys, Cisco published resources on Cryptography in a Post-Quantum World and opened our Cisco Quantum Labs facility to provide space for experimentation, education, and training.  

Building Trust Through Cisco Talos 

Cisco Talos’ mission is to defend Cisco’s customers from the broad threat landscape. Using custom-built detection engines, Talos powers the Cisco portfolio 24/7 — protecting customers across every environment, every event, every day. Talos analyzes up to 886 billion security events per day. To sift through this data, we use ML engines trained on Talos playbooks, with recent AI enhancements including: 

• SnortML: Created by Talos engineers, SnortML uses deep neural networks, rather than static signatures, to detect exploit attempts with greater speed and accuracy.
• Cisco Talos Domain Name System (DNS) Security Service: To help organizations detect DNS tunneling attacks, Talos developed an AI-based DNS Security Service trained on millions of global patterns. 

Talos discovered and responsibly disclosed over 200 zero-day vulnerabilities, or previously unknown security threats, in fiscal 2025. 

Threat detection cannot be done in isolation, which is why Talos is committed to educating and working with the security community. We collaborate with over 60 law enforcement partners, in addition to developing and releasing free open-source tools. Additional services offered by Talos include Cisco Talos Incident Response, which provides emergency and proactive support, and a comprehensive suite of cloud-based threat intelligence services. 

Read the full FY25 Purpose Report

At Cisco, our Purpose is core to who we are and what we do. Learn more about our goals and progress to date in our Purpose Reporting Hub. 

View original content here.

As part of Major League Soccer’s “Greener Goals” initiative, AEG’s LA Galaxy partnered with Heal the Bay on Saturday, April 11, to host a community beach cleanup in Santa Monica.

The cleanup brought together over 60 employees, season ticket holders, and local partners to safeguard Southern California’s coastline, reinforcing a shared commitment to environmental stewardship.

The effort removed 141 pounds of debris from the shoreline, including plastic bottles and food wrappers, helping to prevent further ocean contamination.

The event supported Heal the Bay’s mission to keep Greater Los Angeles watersheds healthy and safe. Eyewear brand Goodr, also supported the activation by providing sunglasses for volunteers, ensuring a safe and comfortable experience during the cleanup.

“As we recognize Earth Month, this beach cleanup is a reminder that protecting our coastline starts with showing up for our communities,” said Gia Friedberg, Community Relations Coordinator for the LA Galaxy. “Partnering with Heal the Bay allows us to take meaningful action—bringing people together to care for our environment and preserve Southern California’s beaches for future generations.”

Volunteers from the Galaxy, Heal the Bay, and partner organizations worked side by side, demonstrating how collaboration can drive meaningful local impact while raising awareness around plastic pollution and ocean conservation.

By participating in the beach cleanup, the LA Galaxy continues to support environmental education and action across Los Angeles, empowering individuals to take part in protecting the region’s natural resources.

Case Study Originally Published on Tempus.com

Bristol Myers Squibb is advancing its efforts to improve equitable access to high‑quality cancer care by applying real‑world insight to where care delivery often breaks down. In a recent case study focused on advanced non‑small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC), BMS worked in collaboration with Tempus to deploy the Tempus Next Pathways program across 13 community‑based health systems. The initiative provided a unified, longitudinal view of the patient journey using de‑identified, near real‑time clinical intelligence, helping to surface where and why patients may fall off guideline‑directed pathways, particularly around biomarker testing.

By illuminating practical barriers to care delivery and variation across settings, including geography and community context, the work supports measurable progress in closing testing gaps and informs BMS’ broader approach to health equity. These insights reinforce BMS’ focus on pairing innovation with accountability, using data to better understand real‑world care and help ensure that advances in oncology reach more patients, including those in historically medically underserved communities.

Read the Case Study here: Tempus Next Pathways unlocked critical insights into the aNSCLC patient journey with Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) – Tempus

Originally published on GoDaddy Resource Library

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your career journey to date.

I currently reside in Arizona, but I’m originally from Detroit, Michigan, which is a big part of who I am and the work ethic I carry. I attended the University of Arizona and also graduated from Regency Beauty Institute with a cosmetology license. This experience allowed me to explore my creative talents and develop strong, client-focused skills.

In addition to my professional career, I’m a small business owner and the founder of Foure Corners, an event and networking company dedicated to bringing people together, creating meaningful connections, and helping entrepreneurs and professionals build community. My background blends business, creativity, environmental awareness, and leadership. I love creating spaces—both professionally and personally—where people can grow, collaborate, and feel supported.

Prior to joining GoDaddy Commerce, I built my career in the waste and environmental services industry, serving as an Account Executive for the Northern California area. In this role, I was responsible for driving new business growth through proactive prospecting—identifying leads, cold-calling potential clients, and selling a full range of services including garbage pickup, recycling programs, and specialized disposal solutions for commercial, industrial, and municipal customers. Alongside new business acquisition, I managed a diverse portfolio of existing accounts, focusing on customer retention by addressing service issues quickly and maintaining strong, long-term relationships.

What stood out to you about the interview process or the people you met?

One of the things that really stood out to me during the interview process was how authentic and engaging everyone was.

Every conversation felt less like a formal interview and more like a meaningful discussion about how we support businesses.

That told me a lot about the culture.

What I also appreciated was hearing how passionate the team is about helping entrepreneurs succeed through GoDaddy. Working in merchant services, I know business owners need more than just a payment processor—they need a partner who understands their challenges and can offer solutions that truly help them grow. It was clear from the people I met that this team genuinely cares about that mission.

Another thing that stood out for me was the energy and collaboration I saw throughout the process. Everyone seemed aligned around the same goal—helping customers succeed while supporting each other as a team. That’s the kind of environment where I know I can bring my best work, continue growing, and make a real impact on the businesses we serve.

What’s your approach when you’re helping a customer who’s not sure what they need or where to start?

When a customer isn’t sure what they need or where to start, I approach the conversation as a consultant rather than just a salesperson. My first step is to ask targeted questions to understand their business—how they currently accept payments, whether they sell in person, online, or both, and what challenges they’re experiencing with their current setup.

Working with small businesses through GoDaddy Payments, I’ve learned that many owners simply need clarity around their options. Once I understand their needs, I position solutions that directly support how they operate and help them grow. For example, if they’re looking to streamline in-person payments, I’ll highlight how a POS or smart terminal can simplify transactions and give them better visibility into their sales.

I also focus on educating the customer on the value, whether that’s saving time, improving the checkout experience, or consolidating tools into one platform. By connecting the product to real business outcomes, it helps the customer feel confident moving forward.

My goal is to guide them from uncertainty to a clear solution; while building trust and making sure they feel supported throughout the process. When customers feel that you truly understand their business, they’re much more comfortable making a decision.

What’s one piece of advice you have for someone joining GoDaddy as a Care Sales Guide?

My advice would be to stay open to learning and always look for ways to refine your approach. Every customer and every business is different, so being adaptable and learning from each interaction really helps you grow in the role. The more you take time to understand the challenges business owners face, the better you’ll be at guiding them toward the right solutions.

I’ve found that staying curious about their business and taking the time to educate them on tools that can help them grow makes a big difference. When you approach the conversation that way, you naturally become more of a partner or advisor—and that’s what ultimately leads to stronger relationships and better results.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Outside of work, I really enjoy experiences that bring people together. Traveling is a big one for me. My family and I have a tradition of taking an annual trip together each year, which is something I really look forward to. This April we’re traveling to Accra, Ghana, and I’m especially excited about that trip because it’s a chance for us to connect with family, experience our culture, and create new memories together.

I’m also a big sports fan, especially football. I’m a loyal Detroit Lions fan, so I love attending sporting events and being part of that game-day atmosphere.

I genuinely value giving back to my community, so I volunteer whenever possible. When it’s time to unwind or spend quality moments with friends and family, I love bowling and golfing. Both activities help me relax and offer a fun, social way to stay connected.

Overall, those things help me maintain a good balance outside of work and keep me energized.

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Are you enjoying this series and want to know more about life at GoDaddy? Check out our GoDaddy Life social pages! Follow us to meet our team, learn more about our culture (Teams, ERGs, Locations), careers, and so much more. You’re more than just your day job, so come propel your career with us.

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Covia

Polyolefins, particularly polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), are some of the most widely used materials in the world. As performance expectations rise, businesses need to balance more variables than ever before to produce modern polyolefin applications.

Today’s manufacturers are navigating a more complex formulation environment that creates new technical and operational challenges. Covia is actively responding to these changes by expanding how we engage with the polyolefin market.  

The Evolution of Polyolefins

Polyolefins have always been valued for their versatility, processability, and cost-effectiveness. However, the definition of “performance” in these materials has expanded significantly.

According to Application Technology Sales Manager John Chee, both application-specific requirements and broader forces are shaping the market. Changing technical needs call for additives that improve products and streamline production. At the same time, factors like regulatory considerations, supply chain disruptions, and sustainability goals are prompting manufacturers to evaluate new mineral solutions for their compounds.

Together, these challenges are driving a shift toward more sophisticated formulation strategies, requiring new additive and filler solutions to contribute to multiple performance objectives.

Meeting Customers Where They Are

As the polyolefin landscape evolves, understanding customer needs requires more than traditional supplier relationships. According to John, Covia is expanding the depth with which it gathers insight by more closely engaging with its customers.

“Covia has been active in the polyolefin space for more than 25 years, but there are always new applications and opportunities for us to add value,” John said. “We understand that it’s essential to be diversified to drive new business development.”

For John, that expansion includes partnering with various players in the polyolefin market—connecting with masterbatch manufacturers, converters, OEMs, and other businesses that need different mineral solutions for their polyolefin applications.

Covia is a regular presence at conferences, expos, and other events across North America. According to John, attending shows like the SPE International Polyolefins Conference and AMI’s Polyethylene Films Event allows Covia to build valuable relationships and gather new market information to develop unique solutions for the industry.

“We meet with many different polyolefin-based customers ranging from major organizations to small- and medium-sized compounders,” John said. “Attending these shows has really helped us uncover new technical trends, regulatory issues, and specific challenges that we can address through application and product development.”

Turning Market Insights into Polyolefin Innovation

Gathering market information is a key step toward spearheading new polyolefin solutions, but it still takes work to turn ideas into advancement in mineral products.

Covia’s approach to polyolefins is to provide new solutions to customer needs using its strong foundation of products. Covia has a long history of providing innovative antiblocking products, with MINBLOC® HC and HIFILL® N serving as a well-established solution for films and other plastic applications. Covia is excited to add even more value for customers through ongoing research and development.

“We are working on several projects to address our customers’ changing needs,” John said. “We’re looking into expanding into different markets that are actively seeking new types of fillers that provide better reinforcement, resistance, and other necessary qualities.”

John highlighted nepheline syenite as a key mineral Covia uses to provide improved, more sustainable products for polyolefin applications. Other advancements include using air-floated kaolin clay to address applications that require a high aspect ratio for gas barrier performance.

Regardless of the minerals, the goal is simple: deliver the right products when customers need them. Polymer scientists, marketing, and sales teams at Covia’s Innovation Center collaborate closely to test new mineral fillers based on current needs and future possibilities. By listening to our customers and actively pursuing innovation, Covia is prepared to provide industry-leading solutions for the polyolefin market.

Learn more about the expanding possibility of plastics on Covia’s Insights blog

Decades of war, conflict, and economic hardship have plunged millions of Afghans into extreme poverty and food insecurity. Among the most vulnerable are infants, who face alarming rates of acute malnutrition. The shortage of professional medical services, combined with rising costs and limited humanitarian aid, leaves many families unable to access lifesaving treatment.

Combatting Infant Malnutrition with Breastfeeding

Action Against Hunger staff meet mothers every day who are desperate to get care for their babies — and the malnutrition situation in Afghanistan is only deteriorating.

The key to reducing malnutrition in infants is to promote exclusive breastfeeding for children under six months. According to the World Health Organization, breastmilk provides all the energy and nutrients that the infant needs for the first months of life, and it continues to provide up to half or more of a child’s nutritional needs during the second half of the first year. Additionally, breastfeeding can help protect babies against short-and long-term illnesses and diseases.

However, data collected by our teams shows that in 2024, about 85% of all children admitted to our therapeutic feeding units for treatment of severe acute malnutrition with complications were under 24 months old. This means most complicated cases occur during infancy, when children should be protected from developing malnutrition through the nutrients they receive via breastfeeding. The fact that infants are overrepresented in complicated cases is an indicator that malnutrition is rising among the general population, including mothers — who then face challenges producing breastmilk.

Barriers to Breastfeeding in Afghanistan

Action Against Hunger has identified four significant barriers to exclusive breastfeeding for children under six months in Afghanistan. All these constraints mean that mothers in Afghanistan may face challenges properly feeding their young children.

1. Financial Constraints and Labor

Economic hardships leave many families unable to provide enough food to make sure no one needs to go hungry. As mothers usually leave more food for their children, they are often the ones with the least food intake within their households, which can lead to malnutrition. In addition, mothers living in rural areas are often busy with heavy physical work like agriculture and farming, impeding their ability to breastfeed their children.

2. Lack of Access to Healthcare

Poor coverage of health facilities across Afghanistan contributes to issues in treating babies when they are suffering malnutrition. In fact, 10 million people in Afghanistan live more than a one-hour walking distance away from the nearest health facility. Walking for one hour or more may be impossible for those who are ill or weak. This is made worse in the winter, when high snowfall impedes access. Without public transport or proper road conditions, health facilities can be too far out of reach for some families.

Additionally, women are only allowed travel outside of their homes when accompanied by an immediate male relative, called a “mahram”. If a mahram is not available, for example because they are working, then mothers cannot bring their children to health facilities.

3. Barriers to Women’s Education and Healthcare Professionals

Education bans on women in Afghanistan have resulted in fewer female nurses, midwives, and doctors available to counsel female patients. This hinders the spread of information about the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding and breastfeeding techniques.

With fewer public spaces are available for women, there are less opportunities for them to learn about family planning, reproductive rights, and professional childcare. Women depend on the knowledge available in their immediate family. However, some have reported not knowing anyone in their immediate community they could ask for guidance.

4. Misinformation about Breastfeeding

Misinformation about breastfeeding is prevalent. Traditional beliefs sometimes discourage mothers from exclusive breastfeeding, and older members of the community often advise mothers to feed their baby with honey or butter.

The reasoning behind this advice varies. Some communities believe that clostrum (the first form of breastmilk released after giving birth) is impure and harmful to the baby, while others believe that a mother’s milk is not sufficient for nourishing the child. Companies promoting formula milks often reiterate the latter piece of misinformation. It is a growing concern for our teams, who have observed increasing numbers of middle-class and educated families using formula milk.

Community Efforts to Fight Malnutrition

Action Against Hunger has been working with communities in Afghanistan to fight malnutrition since 1979. Our teams manage seven Therapeutic Feeding Units and support 40 health centers across the country. In each of Action Against Hunger’s clinics, teams provide screening services for all children and medical treatment for all cases found to suffer from moderate or severe acute malnutrition, providing essential, lifesaving care.

Our teams’ work also extends to community education services:

• Clinics are equipped with child-friendly spaces with painted walls, cushions to sit on, and a variety of toys for children to choose from
• Teams provide health education on optimal breastfeeding practices for caregivers
• Educational sessions cover practices such as bathing, massaging, and proper breastfeeding techniques
• A private consultation room is available for mothers to talk to nutrition and psychosocial counsellors
• Awareness is raised among community elders on the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for children, facilitating the spread of knowledge amongst the community that will be self-perpetuated in the long term.

With these services, information on the best practices to support breastfeeding and prevent malnutrition become more accessible to communities, helping ensure mothers and babies have the resources they need to thrive.

***

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.

AMSTERDAM and HONG KONG and OAKLAND, Calif., April 23, 2026 /3BL/ – Cascale today released its Higg FEM Verification 2025 Annual Report, demonstrating progress in delivering consistent, comparable, and credible environmental performance data to help inform decision making across global consumer goods supply chains.

2025 Higg FEM Verification, At A Glance

• 13,500 completed verifications
• 70+ countries
• 500+ approved verifiers
• 70+ approved Verifier Bodies

The Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM) is a core component of the Higg Index, which is stewarded and governed by Cascale and accessible through Worldly, the sustainability and supply chain intelligence platform. Verification is a critical component of the Higg FEM system. It improves the accuracy of assessments, reduces variability in how assessments are applied, and enables more consistent interpretation of results across facilities and regions.

As adoption of Higg FEM continues to scale across the consumer goods industry, data verification is increasingly important to help brands and manufacturers make more informed decisions. Cascale continues to evaluate and evolve the verification program to ensure it delivers value, supports increasing expectations on data quality, and enables more reliable performance tracking. In 2025, Cascale prioritized stabilizing operations, strengthening quality assurance systems, and reinforcing integrity mechanisms following the rollout of Higg FEM 4.0.

“Verification is fundamental to ensuring sustainability data can be trusted and used to drive meaningful decisions,” said Dhawall Mane, director of verification, training & insights at Cascale. “In 2025, we focused on strengthening the systems, processes, and oversight that underpin the Higg FEM verification program. These improvements deliver more consistent, reliable data at scale, supporting greater transparency and accountability across global supply chains.”

The report details significant advancements supported by enhanced quality assurance controls, introduced on the Worldly platform in 2025, which strengthened both error prevention and real-time issue detection. Strengthened monitoring infrastructure, paired with greater stakeholder engagement through integrity reporting channels, supported the timely identification and resolution of issues throughout the year. Protecting the credibility of the verification system remains a foundational priority.

Driving Continuous Improvement

Operational enhancements in 2025 included clearer verification requirements, expanded calibration support, improved data correction processes, and strengthened categorization standards. Together, these efforts are helping reduce variability and improve consistency across verification outcomes.

Cascale also advanced several initiatives to ensure evolution of the verification program remains fit for purpose, including introducing a multi-phase initiative to better align verification timing with how data is generated and used, as well as pausing expansion of verification of Level 2 and 3 questions in order to ensure the quality and practicality of the program by focusing on Level 1 questions. As the verification program continues to scale, Cascale remains committed to strengthening governance, enhancing transparency, and supporting stakeholders across the value chain.

Cascale members are invited to learn more and dive deeper into key report insights by registering for an exclusive member-only webinar on May 6.

Media Contact: Forster Communications, cascaleforster@forster.co.uk

ABOUT CASCALE

Cascale is the global nonprofit alliance empowering collaboration to combat climate change and support decent work in the consumer goods industry. Formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Cascale stewards and governs the Higg Index frameworks, modules, and methodologies, while Worldly delivers the technology platform through which they are implemented globally. Cascale also recently acquired the Better Buying and Sustainable Furnishings Council tools. Cascale unites over 300 retailers, brands, manufacturers, governments, academics, and NGO/nonprofit affiliates around the globe through one singular vision: To catalyze impact at scale and give back more than we take to the planet and its people.

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Representatives from the Greater Holyoke YMCA and Comcast were joined by State Representative Patricia Duffy to celebrate the opening of the organization’s STEAM tech center along with a recently awarded $15,000 grant from Comcast.

Through this support, the Greater Holyoke YMCA’s STEAM tech center provides access to devices, digital literacy training, coding, digital arts and online safety. YMCA programs serve over 500 youth annually and will integrate platforms such as ST Math, VR & AI programming, Cricut design and e-gaming embedded with healthy screentime habits and teamwork.

Additionally, the Greater Holyoke YMCA is a Comcast Lift Zone, which enables it to provide complimentary high-capacity WiFi to its patrons throughout its community center.

“Comcast has been an incredibly generous and dedicated partner of the Greater Holyoke YMCA, and their continued support has been instrumental in helping us open the tech center,” said Conor Bevan, Chief Executive Officer of Greater Holyoke YMCA.

Comcast’s support is part of Project UP, the company’s $1 billion initiative to connect people to the Internet, create digital opportunity, and build a future of unlimited possibilities. This includes digital programs such as Internet Essentials, Lift Zones, and Digital Navigators.

“Comcast is proud of its longstanding commitment to Holyoke and the relationships we’ve built with local organizations like Greater Holyoke YMCA, which are opening doors to transformative digital skills building and workforce development opportunities,” said Carolyne Hannan, Senior Vice President of Comcast’s New England Region. “We recognize the critical role that the Internet plays in achieving economic mobility and personal growth, which is why we’re investing in partnerships that empower residents to shape their own futures.”

Internet Essentials provides high-speed Internet to qualifying low-income households for as low as $14.95/month. Since 2015, Comcast’s Internet Essentials has connected more than 801,000 low-income Massachusetts residents to broadband service at home.