Tag: 3BL

AEG’s Dignity Health Sports Park welcomed South Bay families for its 19th annual Treats-N-Suites Halloween Bash on October 16, continuing a long-standing tradition that provides children and families with a safe, welcoming place to celebrate Halloween and connect with their community.

Designed for children ages 2 to 11 and their families, the event transformed the venue into a family-friendly destination featuring trick-or-treating, a Halloween hayride, a costume parade and carnival games presented by the City of Carson. LA Galaxy players Robert Taylor and Hirving “Chucky” Lozano made appearances to celebrate with families. Held from 4 to 7 p.m., the celebration brought together hundreds of families for an evening of fun, creativity and community engagement.

The event was supported by a broad coalition of sports teams, businesses and community organizations, including the LA Galaxy, LA Kings, LA Sparks, Dignity Health, Melissa’s Produce, SouthBay Pavilion Mall, Boys & Girls Club of Carson, YMCA Gardena-Carson, 102.3 KJLH Radio, NORMS, Masada Community Mental Health Services, the Wildlife Learning Center and the City of Carson. Together, the partners created interactive activities and experiences for participating families while strengthening connections across the community.

For nearly two decades, Treats-N-Suites has served as a gathering place for local families and community organizations. Building on the success of last year’s event, which welcomed more than 1,000 children and family members, the annual celebration has become a cherished tradition for families throughout Carson and neighboring communities.

Beyond Halloween festivities, the event reflects Dignity Health Sports Park’s broader commitment to serving as a community hub year-round. By bringing together organizations across sports, healthcare, youth development, local business and community services, Treats-N-Suites demonstrates how sports and entertainment venues can create meaningful opportunities for families to connect, engage and celebrate together.

BOZEMAN, Mont., October 20, 2026 /3BL/ – A new World Wildlife Fund (WWF) analysis finds that an estimated 1.8 million acres of North America’s grasslands and other open lands were converted to row crop agriculture in 2023—the most recent year with available data. That’s nearly 5,000 acres of North America’s remaining wildlife habitat plowed over each day. Corn and soybeans drive most new conversion in the United States, and wheat dominates in the Canadian Prairies.

“Grasslands don’t always get the attention that forests or oceans do, but they’re every bit as extraordinary. They support wildlife, store enormous amounts of carbon, sustain working ranches, and are deeply connected to Native Nation cultures and livelihoods,” said Alexis Bonogofsky, vice president of WWF’s Great Plains program. “These are landscapes worth paying attention to and fighting for, and the Plowprint helps us recognize what we’re losing.”

Grasslands are vital habitats for migratory birds, wild ungulates like bison and pronghorn, black-footed ferrets, swift foxes, and countless other species. They also underpin global food systems, fostering native pollinators and offering grazing land for domestic livestock like cattle and sheep. In addition, grasslands help sustain clean water while storing large amounts of carbon.

Beyond their ecological and economic value, grasslands are rich cultural landscapes, including for many Native Nations and rural communities, and important spaces for recreation, including hiking, birdwatching, and hunting.

The report identifies five policy priorities for North American grasslands:

• Keep grasslands intact and reduce conversion risk
• Restore marginal cropland to grass and support sustainable grazing
• Strengthen conservation delivery and coordination for cattle and bison grazers
• Advance landscape-scale grassland conservation
• Strengthen Tribal leadership in grassland stewardship and food sovereignty

WWF and its partners in America’s Grasslands Coalition also recently launched the U.S. Grasslands Campaign, a na­tionwide effort to raise awareness of these often-over­looked ecosystems. By helping Americans see grasslands not as empty places, but as living landscapes that sustain both people and nature, this nationally led initiative seeks to build lasting support for their protection and restoration.

 

Download Report: Plowprint 2026

Media Contact: Lorin Hancock | Lorin.Hancock@wwfus.org

About WWF

Founded in 1961, WWF works to help people and nature thrive. As a global conservation organization, WWF operates in more than 100 countries, partnering with communities, companies, and governments to protect wildlife, conserve vital habitats, and advance sustainable solutions. Grounded in science and driven by collaboration, WWF works to help nature by conserving biodiversity, supporting resilient communities, and addressing climate change. Nearly 1 million people in the United States and more than 5 million globally are WWF members.

Las Vegas Sands

In July, Sands Team Members completed the fifth annual Sands Cares Global Food Kit Build, which yielded more than 50,000 food and meal kits for distribution to community organizations that work to alleviate hunger. The series encompassed assembly and packing events held in Singapore, Macao and Las Vegas.

Most recently, Team Members at corporate headquarters completed the event series with a build on July 21. Nearly 100 participants packed 40,000 meal kits in just two hours, working with The Pack Shack and Three Square Food Bank, the area’s largest hunger relief organization, to prepare food supplies for people facing hardships in the Las Vegas area.

Marina Bay Sands had kicked off the 2026 Sands Cares Global Food Kit Build series earlier this year in February as part of the resort’s Lunar New Year festivities. Approximately 300 Team Members produced 6,000 food kits containing biscuits, milo, rice and traditional holiday treats for long-time partner and Sands Cares Accelerator member, The Food Bank Singapore.

Kits were distributed to beneficiaries through The Food Bank Singapore’s network of more than 300 organizations, including family centers, residential care homes and welfare organizations throughout Singapore.

Marina Bay Sands’ partner Metta Welfare Association supported the build by providing 3D-printed keychains for attachment to each food kit. The keychains were inspired by Singapore’s heritage and created by artists with special needs from the social service organization.

Sands China held its build at The Venetian^® Macao’s Cotai Expo on July 8. Nearly 450 Sands Cares Ambassadors, Sands China Team Members and community volunteers assembled 5,000 food kits that are being distributed to 34 care homes and centers operated by social service organization Caritas Macau. In July and August, Sands Cares Ambassadors are making deliveries to these sites for dissemination to elderly residents and underprivileged groups in the community.

Each food kit contained 11 items such as rice, cooking oil, egg noodles and biscuits that were procured from local small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as soup packs from Tung Sin Tong Charitable Society. Volunteers also added healthy and nutritious recipe cards that included guidance from Macao Health Bureau nutritionists and were designed by Caritas Macau and Sands China’s food and beverage team.

A common thread at each of the builds was participation by Sands’ CEO and Chairman Patrick Dumont, reflecting the company’s culture of service and commitment to local communities. Dumont addressed volunteers at all three events, noting the important place the series of builds has in the company.

“The Sands Cares Global Food Kit Build has grown into a meaningful tradition that unites our regions in providing relief to communities experiencing hardship,” Dumont said in kicking off the first build at Marina Bay Sands.

At the Sands China build in July, he pointed to the volunteer event as representative of the company’s long-standing commitment to the region: “For more than two decades, we have proudly called Macao home, making sustained investments to support the city’s diversified development, while helping build a stronger, more resilient community through our Sands Cares corporate citizenship program,” Dumont said. “The Sands Cares Global Food Kit Build is a meaningful reflection of that long-standing commitment.”

The food kit build is one of three global Sands Cares initiatives in which the company unites under a common banner to address critical needs in its local communities. Other global programs include the Sands Cares Global Hygiene Kit Build with Clean the World and the Sands Cares Accelerator, the company’s exclusive three-year capacity-building program for nonprofits.

Tackling food insecurity is also a global Sands Cares priority, and other efforts include donating usable food from resort restaurants and catering operations to social service organizations, making financial contributions to organizations that provide hunger relief, and conducting food drives and volunteer events with hunger relief partners.

To learn about other Sands Cares programs that address hardship relief and support disadvantaged populations, read the company’s latest ESG report: https://www.sands.com/resources/reports/.

David Wheeler, CFA | Portfolio Manager—Sustainable Climate Solutions; Senior Research Analyst—Sustainable Thematic Equities
Ian McNaugher, CFA | Research Coordinator (US) and Senior Research Analyst—Strategic Core Equities
Jayme Lisiewski| Senior Research Analyst—Strategic Core
Patrick O’Connell, CFA| Director—Responsible Investing Portfolio Solutions and Research

While opportunities abound across the energy value chain, renewables may come onstream the fastest. 

As economies become increasingly electrified and power demand grows, the transmission, storage and infrastructure needed to support reliable electricity delivery are evolving. In our view, these trends are creating attractive opportunities across the technologies and infrastructure that underpin the energy transition.

Power Needs Are Growing

Power needs across the world are growing at a pace and scale that will require multiple sources of generation. Renewable energy projects are set to become a much larger part of the energy mix because of two key advantages: low costs and speed to market. While market and policy conditions may influence deployment in some regions, we believe renewable energy’s long-term growth trajectory remains intact (Display).

Energy Transition Investment Continues to Scale, Led by Clean Power and Grids
Global Energy Investment (US Dollars, Trillion)
 

The Need for Speed

Speed to market is an important consideration. In the US, for instance, AI is substantially increasing power demand even as older, higher-cost coal-fired power plants are being retired.

Rising power needs have been driving demand not only for renewable energy but also for gas-fired generation, reciprocating gas engines and nuclear power. 

Even so, wind and solar are often the most viable additions to the power mix for two reasons. They can come online quickly and, when paired with battery storage, remain cost-competitive with fossil-fuel alternatives even without subsidies. 

For instance, because order books for natural gas turbines are sold out for many years, adding fossil-fuel power often takes longer. And while adding battery storage increases the cost per megawatt-hour, it helps make renewable power more reliable.  As a result, regulators may allow data-center projects faster grid connections if they include on-site battery storage. In addition, equipment costs have fallen to historic lows, and the cost of producing clean power continues to decline globally (Display). 

Wind and Solar Have Some of the Lowest Costs of Production Levelized Cost of Electricity (USA): US Dollar per Megawatt-Hour

All else equal, a loss of US government subsidies for renewables would make gas relatively more attractive. But in our analysis, wind and solar remain viable based solely on economics, and continued robust state and utility spending further supports utility-scale, commercial, industrial and community projects. 

Of course, the path to renewable profits and returns hasn’t been smooth. Some renewable-energy developers have been badly hurt by post-COVID interest-rate rises and cost inflation, and even at current share price levels we believe investors should be highly selective in this subsector. 

Energy Infrastructure Needs Upgrading

Grid upgrades and reinforcement will be critical to meeting rising power demand (Display). In the US and much of the developed world, grids are approaching or have exceeded their planned life. Yet these aging grids must carry massively increased loads, driven by AI-related power demand and the growing need for resilience against climate, geopolitical and other risks. 

We Believe that Electrification and Grid Resiliency Spend Will Continue to Grow

Companies such as Prysmian (copper and fiber cables, systems and accessories), Hitachi (cables and transformers), Hubbell (cable distribution) and Schneider (smart-grid solutions that improve grid reliability and flexibility) have benefited from increased grid spending. In many cases, demand remains strong and order backlogs extend several years into the future. In China, Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL: battery manufacturing) also has a substantial order backlog. Investors will need to be selective, however, as not all component suppliers benefit from the same competitive advantages.

Watch Points for Investors 

Investors should pay particular attention to companies’ operational efficiency metrics and to the regulatory, competitive and market factors that could materially affect potential investments. 

Given the global nature of many of these businesses, it’s important to ensure that companies across the supply chain provide adequate data disclosures. Countries outside the US may have stringent sustainability requirements that require companies with supply chains in their jurisdictions to comply with local sustainability regulations. Offenders may face fines and greater difficulty raising capital. 

Selectivity Is Key

Some of the early optimism around clean energy companies has dissipated, and certain segments of the market continue to face challenges, including input cost fluctuations. That said, the power transition remains underway and continues to create a wide range of opportunities, in our view.

For investors, the keys to success will be thorough analysis and continued vigilance. That means focusing not only on business models and company fundamentals but also on competitive positioning, execution and the long-term trends shaping the energy transition.

References to specific securities discussed are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be considered recommendations by AllianceBernstein L.P.

The views expressed herein do not constitute research, investment advice or trade recommendations, do not necessarily represent the views of all AB portfolio-management teams and are subject to change over time.

Learn more about AB’s approach to responsibility here.

 

Originally published on Aflac Newsroom

Former Major League Baseball and NFL standout Brian Jordan recently returned to St. Louis to support children facing some of life’s toughest challenges. Joined by Virgil Miller, president of Aflac Inc., Jordan spent time with patients and families at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, reading from his children’s book and helping distribute My Special Aflac Duck® companions to children diagnosed with cancer and sickle cell disease.

Jordan, who spent seven seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals before retiring from professional sports, now focuses much of his time on youth outreach and literacy efforts through the Brian Jordan Foundation. During the visit, he read from his autobiographical children’s book, I Told You I Can Play, a story about perseverance inspired by his childhood experiences overcoming obstacles and self-doubt. Each child attending received a copy of the book.

“The children at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital and those across the nation go through so much more than any child should have to deal with,” Jordan said. “As St. Louis has always been a second home to me, coming back here and spending time with the children and families is something I cherish.”

The event also marked the delivery of My Special Aflac Duck, a robotic companion designed to help pediatric cancer and sickle cell disease patients cope with treatment through interactive play and emotional expression tools. Since its introduction in 2018, nearly 50,000 companions have been distributed to eligible children in the United States, Japan and Northern Ireland, according to Aflac.

The visit reflected Aflac’s broader commitment to supporting children and families. The company has invested more than $200 million over three decades in pediatric cancer and blood disorders research, treatment and care initiatives.

“Visiting the children, families and staff at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital was inspiring on so many levels,” Miller said. “Brian and My Special Aflac Duck brought smiles and laughter to children who could use some additional attention, while also helping provide comfort that can last long after the visit ends.”

Hospital leaders said visits like these can have a meaningful impact on young patients navigating difficult medical journeys.

“We see every day what is possible when people choose to give back and rally around children and families who need them,” said Sandy Koller, president of the SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation. “Aflac and Brian Jordan are wonderful examples of using their resources, platform and generosity to make a meaningful difference.”

For the children gathered around Jordan during the reading, the event provided more than books and gifts. It offered encouragement from someone whose story is built on determination, resilience and the belief that obstacles can be overcome.

Aflac WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999

Z2600859 EXP 10/27

Why it matters

• Long-term evidence strengthens military health and readiness
• Research turns service members’ experiences into better care
• Findings have informed policy, prevention and screening

For more than three decades, Leidos has helped federal military leaders turn health questions into evidence that improves care and readiness. The Millennium Cohort Study shows that work in action, helping agencies better understand health challenges and strengthen programs as needs evolve.

Launched in 2001, the Millennium Cohort Study is the largest prospective health study of U.S. service members and veterans. To date, more than 260,000 participants have contributed to a growing body of evidence on how military service affects health over time. The study surveys participants every three to five years and links survey data with administrative records. These data linkages create a longitudinal view of health, throughout military service, including deployment experiences, and through the transition into veteran life and beyond.

As the study marks its 25th anniversary, its findings continue to inform military health research, care and policy. For Leidos, the milestone also reflects a sustained partnership in research that helps federal agencies make decisions grounded in the lived experience of service members and their families.

Leidos’ role in military deployment health research

Leidos’ connection to this work began before the Millennium Cohort Study itself. In 1994, SAIC, now Leidos, was the original contractor supporting deployment health research at the Naval Health Research Center. That work helped establish a foundation for understanding the long-term health effects of service at a time when leaders needed better evidence to answer questions raised after the Gulf War.

In 1999, Leidos helped stand up the Deployment Health Research Department when it was designated as the Department of War’s premier Deployment Health Research Center. Two years later, Leidos supported the inception of the Millennium Cohort Study, helping launch a program designed to follow service members over time and separate assumption from evidence.

Today, Leidos supports the full lifecycle of the study in collaboration with the Naval Health Research Center, from participant recruitment and survey development to data analysis and publication.

How the Millennium Cohort Study tracks military health over time

The Millennium Cohort Study was built around a practical challenge: without long-term data, it is difficult to understand when health risks emerge and how they change over time. The study’s longitudinal design helps federal health leaders look across the full health journey of service members and veterans, rather than relying only on data collected after injuries or illnesses appear.

That approach has made the study an important resource for understanding the factors that shape military health, prevention and readiness. Related efforts, including the Millennium Cohort Family Study and the Study of Adolescent Resilience, or SOAR, extend the focus to military families.

From evidence to action: Millennium Cohort Study findings that changed policy and care

The value of a long-running study lies in the knowledge it generates and the difference it makes. By those measures, the Millennium Cohort Study has delivered, leading to more than 200 peer-reviewed publications across the broader program.

Some of its most important findings have focused on respiratory health. Research from the study helped show a link between combat deployment and new-onset asthma in previously healthy service members, deepening understanding of environmental and occupational exposures in deployment settings. Study findings also contributed to policy changes that added asthma, rhinitis and sinusitis to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ presumptive conditions for particulate matter exposure.

The study has also strengthened understanding of mental health over time. Its findings have advanced research on post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety, helping inform guidance and screening across the Department of War and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Researchers have also identified factors that can increase the risk of combat-related PTSD, including prior trauma and poorer predeployment health.

The study’s reach goes beyond deployment and health outcomes. By tracking smoking, alcohol use, fitness, obesity and sleep over time, it has helped military leaders better understand prevention and readiness across the force. Research has also examined a wide range of other issues affecting members of the military community, from injury and chronic disease to homelessness and family well-being.

Supporting military and veteran health through research

Federal health missions depend on more than technology delivery. They depend on the ability to ask the right questions, protect and manage complex data, analyze findings responsibly and translate evidence into insight that leaders can use. The Millennium Cohort Study brings those capabilities together.

Leidos’ support for the study reflects a broader commitment to helping agencies gain deeper insights into the communities they serve. Our work with the Naval Health Research Center applies mission understanding and multidisciplinary research expertise to help sustain a program with direct relevance to military readiness and veteran well-being.

The future of the Millennium Cohort Study

The Millennium Cohort Study is expected to continue enrolling and following participants through 2068. As the study enters its next quarter century, researchers are exploring additional health topics relevant to service members and veterans, including brain health and cognitive function, cancer, cardiovascular disease and environmental and occupational exposures.

At 25 years, the study stands as both a record of what long-term research can make possible and a reminder that the work is still underway. For Leidos, it is also a powerful example of how sustained federal health partnerships can improve readiness and deepen the nation’s understanding of those who serve.

Key takeaways

• The study has tracked more than 260,000 service members and veterans since 2001
• Its findings have advanced understanding of respiratory health, mental health, prevention and readiness
• Leidos supports the study’s full lifecycle, from participant recruitment through analysis and publication

LEARN MORE ABOUT LEIDOS SUPPORT FOR MILITARY AND VETERANS HEALTH

For anyone who has ever opened a bag of Doritos, poured a Pepsi or made a bowl of Quaker oats, taste is usually the first reason they come back. The crunch, flavor, fizz or comfort of a familiar product matters. That is also what makes updating those products so difficult.

Over the past decade and more, PepsiCo has been working to evolve parts of its food and drink portfolio as consumer preferences, nutrition expectations and regulations have changed. The work has included reducing added sugars in drinks, lowering sodium and saturated fat in foods, adding more diverse ingredients and developing new products that bring benefits such as whole grain, fiber, protein or hydration into everyday occasions.

What it takes to evolve a familiar product

That kind of change can be hard to see from the outside. A product may look familiar on the shelf, but behind it, teams may have spent months or years adjusting ingredients, testing taste, checking quality, making sure the product still works in everyday life and delivering on the taste and qualities people love.

Product development requires teams to carefully balance multiple attributes, including shelf life, texture, stability and flavor, to safely deliver the experience consumers expect. That’s why PepsiCo’s approach combines recipe changes with an interconnected way of working. Research, design, food safety, nutrition science, culinary expertise, regulatory review, brand insight and local market teams all play a role in ensuring familiar products retain the qualities people value.

“Progress in this space is rarely about a single breakthrough,” said Tara Glasgow, PepsiCo’s chief science officer and executive vice president of research and development. “It is the result of thousands of decisions informed by science, consumer understanding and rigorous testing. Every improvement, whether it is reducing sodium, incorporating more positive nutrition or advancing new ingredients and technologies, builds on what we have learned over time. Our goal is to continue evolving our products in ways that consumers value, while delivering solutions that are practical, scalable and rooted in science.”

Since 2015, PepsiCo has tracked progress against strategic nutrition goals across added sugars, sodium and saturated fat. The company has achieved its 2025 targets in those areas. The work has delivered lower- and no-sugar drink options, recipes for brands including 7UP, Mountain Dew and Mirinda, sodium reductions in selected Walkers, Lay’s and Doritos products, and oils with lower saturated fat across some markets in brands such as Lay’s, Doritos and Cheetos.

Reinventing Doritos in Europe without losing its boldness

Some changes have been built into the familiar look, taste and texture of products people already know. Doritos, one of PepsiCo Europe’s biggest brands, shows how much work can sit behind a much-loved product. The brand faced a complex challenge: improve its nutritional profile while protecting the bold flavor, crunch and appeal that make Doritos distinctive.

Teams started with a market test. There, they introduced a renovated product that reduced fat and salt while increasing crunch. The consumer proposition did not lead with nutrition. It stayed rooted in Doritos’ promise of boldness, focusing on a better eating experience.

“The complexity was that we were not trying to create a different Doritos,” said Karen Scott, vice president of marketing innovation for PepsiCo Europe. “We had to improve the product’s nutritional profile and respond to a changing regulatory environment, which led to a crunchier texture. Ultimately, local consumer acceptance dictates the success of any proposition, so we leaned into our most important attributes: bold taste and crunch. We worked across brand, innovation, R&D and local markets, testing carefully and making sure the new Bolder Crunch was clearly communicated and celebrated as a key brand asset.”

After the test-market success, the renovated product rolled out across Europe. After two years in those markets, Doritos achieved 20% growth, attracted 2.1 million new customers and earned industry recognition, including Grocer of the Year in the U.K. and Brand of the Year honors.

The next evolution: Expanding positive nutrition

The next phase is broader. PepsiCo’s recent goals still include sodium reduction by 2030, but the company is looking more intentionally at what consumers want from their food choices and how to make products more nutrient-dense. This includes an ambition to deliver 145 billion portions of diverse ingredients annually in PepsiCo’s global convenient foods portfolio by 2030. Examples already in market include Tostitos with 8 grams of whole grain per serving, Quaker Fiber Instant Oatmeal, Quaker Chia & Flaxseed Instant Oats and Simply Doritos with whole grain in the U.S.

PepsiCo’s network of more than 2,500 R&D associates across 19 R&D centers helps bring that work to life. Nutrition scientists, seasoning specialists, chefs, regulatory experts and product developers each play a role in translating science and insight into food and drinks that can work in everyday routines.

“Our focus is on bringing together science, technology and consumer insights to create more choices that are functional, nutrient-dense and relevant to people’s daily lives,” said Glasgow. “By building on the foods and beverages people know and enjoy, we can continue to expand choice and advance positive nutrition in ways that are meaningful to consumers, grounded in science and scalable.”

Building on a decade of learning

And the work isn’t finished. Expectations will continue to change. But the past decade has helped PepsiCo build a clearer understanding of what it takes to adapt familiar products: start with the consumer, follow the science, test carefully, adapt locally and keep taste at the center.

Connecting global products with local markets requires reliable logistics, efficient port operations and strong partnerships.

Through its collaboration with Inchcape, a leading global automotive distributor, DP World helps facilitate the import of vehicles from around the world into Peru, supporting the seamless movement of products through the country’s supply chain.

Built on a shared commitment to efficiency, transparency and people, the partnership highlights how effective port operations and close collaboration help strengthen Peru’s connectivity to global markets.

Transforming trade means bringing the world closer to Peru.

Watch the video to discover how DP World and Inchcape are working together to keep trade moving.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZOhQPIBVaEU?feature=share

Yum! Brands

When people hear the words “sustainable palm oil,” they often think about rainforests, wildlife and the climate. Those issues are important, and they were certainly on my mind as I joined Yum’s global oils category lead and traveled to Ecuador with the global nonprofit environmental organization Conservation International, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and other industry partners to visit a supplier, palm oil farms, and producers.

But there’s another factor in making palm oil sustainable, and it’s one that’s central to Yum! Brands’ culture: people. After spending time with farmers, suppliers and local partners, I was fully reminded that sustainability isn’t just about protecting forests. It’s also about the people growing our food, the partnerships that further responsible sourcing efforts and the choices we make today to build a stronger supply chain for the future.

Responsible sourcing has been a priority at Yum! for years. Through our work on commodities like palm oil and soy, we help further the protection of forests, respect for human rights and a better understanding of where our ingredients come from, helping to ensure we have resilient supply chains needed to support our restaurants and business in the long term.

In late 2025, Yum! and KFC launched a collaboration with Conservation International to strengthen agricultural supply chains for palm oil and soy in Ecuador and Brazil. In critical places like the Amazon rainforest and Cerrado grasslands, we are supporting farming communities and helping protect the landscapes they depend on. Visiting Ecuador gave me the opportunity to see what that work looks like on the ground.

How palm oil is produced sustainably

One of the highlights of the trip was visiting a RSPO-certified palm farm and processing mill. Walking through the farm and seeing the mill in action gave me greater appreciation for everything that happens before an ingredient like palm oil ever reaches one of our restaurants.

Palm oil is one of the world’s most widely used cooking oils because it’s incredibly efficient, producing more oil on less land than crops like soy, canola or sunflower. Plus, oil palm trees produce fruit three to four years after planting and can remain productive for 30 years. But like many agricultural products, how it’s produced matters. Poorly managed production can contribute to deforestation and biodiversity loss, making responsible farming practices essential.

What stood out to me about this particular Ecuadorian farm was its people and processes. Workers hand-harvest ripe fresh fruit bunches with sickle-shaped blades to handpick the fruit from trees. They’d cut down heavy fruit bunches weighing as much as 50 lbs.! The fruit was then transported to a mill within 24 hours to ensure the quality of the oil. Once in the mill, the fruit was steam sterilized to stop enzymes from degrading the oil and then machinery took over from there – stripping the fruit, pressing them to release crude oil (eventually refined and used by KFC for cooking) and cracking the remaining nuts to obtain kernel oil (typically used for cosmetics).

RSPO guidelines have outlined agricultural practices to help farms like this Ecuadorian one, produce profitable crops while protecting forests and critical habitat.

Farmers, suppliers, certification organizations, procurement teams and companies like Yum! all have a part to play in this production. The more we understand where our ingredients come from and how they’re produced, the better decisions we can make together that ultimately strengthen our supply chain and broader business.

Supporting farmers strengthens sustainability

The most meaningful part of my visit was meeting the smallholder farmers who own palm farms. Listening to their stories gave me a deeper appreciation for the challenges they face every day. The average smallholder, which is a farmer who owns or rents a small plot of land, in Ecuador grows nearly 100 acres of oil palm trees. They’re working to provide for their families while managing small businesses and adapting to changing expectations around sustainability like evolving farming practices or required government certifications. Many don’t have the same resources or technical expertise as larger organizations, yet they’re committed to improving their practices.

One key way to encourage responsible farming and better protect natural resources is through certification programs. But earning and maintaining those certifications takes time, investment and detailed documentation. While certifications play a key role in setting expectations and protecting the environment, farmers need support to meet them.

That’s one reason KFC’s partnership with Conservation International focuses on working alongside producers, suppliers and local communities. Through knowledge sharing and stronger local partnerships, farmers can succeed while supporting healthier landscapes for the future.

Why responsible sourcing matters

One lesson became clear throughout the trip. By helping farmers adopt more responsible agricultural practices, we can support greater productivity on existing farmland, help protect habitats and strengthen the resilience of our supply chain.

With a greater output, we’re better equipped to withstand challenges like changing weather, shifting markets and growing demand. Those benefits extend well beyond palm oil and include soy and other commodities to promote more sustainable sourcing across commodities.

I’ve always believed that businesses and the environment have a symbiotic relationship, and I left Ecuador with an even stronger opinion that sustainability is about protecting the planet and its people. It’s about supporting farmers, protecting natural resources and building partnerships that strengthen communities while creating a more resilient supply chain. Those are investments that benefit everyone, from the people growing our food to the customers we serve.

Hope to see you at a KFC soon, enjoying delicious fried chicken and knowing that we’re taking steps to source ingredients more responsibly.

NEW YORK, October 20, 2026 /3BL/ – SCS Global Services, an international leader in third-party environmental and sustainability verification, is unveiling its enhanced EPD Verification Service powered by its proprietary AI-assisted platform Proveriti™. The company will present two Innovation Hub sessions and demonstrate the platform at Greenbuild 2026.

Verification has become a bottleneck, with third-party verification of an EPD typically taking up to two months. Proveriti helps optimize workflows to maximize verifier efficiency.

SCS Global Services operates one of the most established EPD programs in North America and has more than 30 years of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) experience. Leveraging this experience, SCS Global developed Proveriti in-house, and is using it today for LCA and EPD verification engagements. The platform drafts checklists from applicable standards and Product Category Rules (PCRs), organizes project documents, surfaces the evidence that matches each requirement, and tracks every round of review.

“We built Proveriti around one rule: verifiers define the framework, and verifiers make the call,” said Scott Harlow, Chief Information Officer of SCS Global Services. “Nothing becomes final until an experienced verifier approves it. Proveriti optimizes workflow so verifiers can spend their time on judgment. That is how we scale verification while maintaining rigor.”

At Greenbuild, Scott Harlow will lead two sessions at the Innovation Hub titled “The Future of EPD Verification – Scaling Verification Without Sacrificing Rigor.” He will be joined by William Paddock, Co-Founder and CEO of WAP Sustainability, and Brent Trenga, Director of Sustainability at Kingspan North America. The sessions run Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 9:05 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and Thursday, Oct. 22, from 12:10 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. Attendees can see Proveriti in action at the Enhanced EPD Verification booth, number 1754.

To learn more or speak with a verifier, visit info.scsglobalservices.com/greenbuild-2026-proveriti.

About SCS Global Services

SCS Global Services is an international leader in third-party environmental and sustainability verification, certification, auditing, testing, and standards development. Its programs span a cross-section of industries, recognizing achievements in climate mitigation, green building, product manufacturing, food and agriculture, forestry, consumer products, and more. Headquartered in San Francisco, California and celebrating over 40 years in business, SCS Global Services has representatives and affiliate offices throughout the Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and Africa. Its broad network of auditors are experts in their fields, and the company is a trusted partner to companies, agencies, and advocacy organizations due to its dedication to quality and professionalism. SCS Global Services is a chartered Benefit Corporation, reflecting its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices. SCS Global Services is also a Participant of the United Nations Global Compact and adheres to its principles-based approach to responsible business. For more information, visit www.SCSGlobalServices.com.

Media Contact

Rachel Barnhart 
Director, Corporate Communications and Public Relations 
SCS Global Services 
Email: rbarnhart@scsglobalservices.com