Tag: 3BL

Download The Commercial & Cultural Evolution of Women & Sports report

Sports fandom is growing, and women are driving it, in women’s leagues and men’s alike. Our new report shows brands where the audiences are and how to win them.

• 46B minutes of women’s sports viewed in 2025
• +71% viewing growth since 2022
• 122.5M U.S. fans of women’s sports

The new majority

Women’s sports have hit the mainstream, with record ratings, sold-out arenas and fans engaging across every platform.

• 28.3B minutes viewed in 1H 2026, on record pace
• “No interest” in women’s sports fell nearly 20% in three years
• 52% of the U.S. population is interested in women’s sports

The crossover

Female fans are among the fastest-growing audiences in men’s sports, and they bring serious buying power.

• 48% of U.S. women are very interested in at least one sport
• +107% female viewership growth for the 2026 Men’s College World Series
• 56% of recent U.S. sports fans are women

The commercial play

Fans of women’s sports notice sponsors, act on values and buy. Investment here converts.

• +120% ad spend in women’s sports since 2022
• 30%+ of NWSL fans bought a brand after seeing an in-game sponsorship
• 60% of women’s sports fans have switched brands over a company’s values

Elevate your women’s sports strategy now. Download the report.

LINCOLN, Neb., October 19, 2026 /3BL/ – Dr. Cassie Rauser, CEO of TreePeople, joins the Arbor Day Foundation in episode 10 of its podcast, “Unearthing Optimism.” TreePeople is an environmental nonprofit based in Southern California working at the intersection of science, policy, and community.

In a conversation with CEO and host Dan Lambe, Dr. Cassie Rauser shares what it takes to foster environmental resilience across the diverse landscapes of Los Angeles and how trees can help.

“Cassie’s scientific expertise and deep knowledge of Los Angeles made for a compelling conversation about how trees can help people and communities thrive,” said Lambe. “In a time when it’s easy to feel overcome by challenges, this podcast is a way for people to embrace hope. We’re grateful for the many listeners who are joining us on this journey.”

“Unearthing Optimism” is a new kind of climate conversation, featuring a series of influential and trusted voices shaping culture, science, and how we understand our changing world. It’s available to stream or download on all major podcasting platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.

The podcast is produced in part by the Arbor Day Foundation, the world’s largest tree planting nonprofit. Since its founding in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation has helped to plant more than 500 million trees.

About the Arbor Day Foundation 

The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. They foster a growing community of more than 1 million leaders, innovators, planters, and supporters united by their bold belief that a more hopeful future can be shaped through the power of trees. For more than 50 years, they’ve answered critical need with action, planting more than half a billion trees alongside their partners.

And this is only the beginning.  

The Arbor Day Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit pursuing a future where all life flourishes through the power of trees. Learn more at arborday.org.

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Why it matters

• Rare-disease research needs larger, richer historical datasets
• Digitized archives make decades of evidence searchable
• Historical tissue can reveal patterns previously missed

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Pathology archives often contain decades of clinically valuable information that is difficult to access in its original format. Glass slides may reveal evidence of disease patterns and support diagnostic decisions and tissue characteristics that were essential at the time of creation, but as scientific research data they are difficult to search, share and study at scale.

As digital pathology matures, those archives are increasingly being viewed differently: not simply as storage, but as valuable research assets.

Archives hold more than history

This shift is significant because some of the most important questions in medicine cannot be answered with a small sample set. Rare diseases, unusual presentations and long-term retrospective analysis often require access to large collections of historical material. When slides are digitized, they become easier to review, compare, and organize for broader scientific use. Most importantly, not all slides need to be collocated for research as the data can be shared digitally. What was once a physical archive can begin to function as a structured digital dataset.

This is where ScanVan^™ excels.

ScanVan is Leidos’ high-throughput whole-slide digitization platform, designed to bring scanning capability directly to the archive and help convert large volumes of glass slides into digital assets without requiring the collection to be moved off-site. In that sense, ScanVan is not the story itself; it is the operational example of how large-scale archive digitization can happen in practice.

The opportunity is impactful for hospital systems and pharmaceutical organizations that are interested in retrospective research, biomarker discovery and future AI-enabled analysis. Digital pathology makes it easier to examine archived tissue in a consistent format, identify patterns across cases and connect specimen-level information to the larger research environment. The larger and more organized the archive, the more useful it becomes for research teams trying to understand rare conditions, compare historical samples or generate hypotheses for future studies.

Unlocking value that’s already there

A platform like ScanVan supports high-volume digitization in a way that is practical for large, complex archives. The work still has to be done carefully—with strong attention to image quality, chain of custody and operational control—but once the archive is digitized, it becomes a resource that can be used in new ways.

In that sense, legacy pathology archives represent an untapped source of scientific value. They are already rich with information. Digitization simply makes that information easier to see, study and apply.

For health systems, the question is no longer whether the archive has value. The question is how to unlock it.

ScanVan by the numbers

Developed in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh’s Computational Pathology and AI Center of Excellence, ScanVan is designed for collections ranging from thousands to millions of slides. Based on 12-hour scanning days, Monday through Friday, the platform can digitize:

• More than 16,000 slides per week
• More than 67,000 slides per month
• More than 800,000 slides per year

These figures demonstrate the operational scale required to turn a legacy archive into a usable research resource.

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Three things to remember

1. Digitized slides can be shared and studied without physically collocating pathology collections
2. Archive digitization requires strong image quality, chain-of-custody and operational controls
3. ScanVan enables high-volume slide digitization while keeping pathology archives on-site
    

LEARN MORE ABOUT SCANVAN

Originally published on CVS Health Company Newsroom

Key points

• 87% of employers say improving cost transparency is one of the biggest opportunities for PBMs
• CVS Caremark offers tools and solutions that provide greater visibility into pharmacy spending and cost drivers

Understanding what drives health care costs has become increasingly important across the health care system. Employers, patients, providers and policymakers are looking for clearer insights into spending, treatment options and strategies that can help make medications and care more affordable and accessible.

Key findings from the CVS Caremark-Employee Benefit News study on PBM transparency

Recent research conducted by CVS Caremark and Employee Benefit News (EBN) highlights the growing importance of transparency in pharmacy benefits management. In The State of Pharmacy Management survey, 87% of employers said improving cost transparency represents one of the biggest opportunities for pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), reflecting growing demand for clearer information and greater predictability when managing pharmacy benefits.

For many employers, transparency is about making more informed decisions. While most employers report concerns about medication costs, only a minority believe they have significant influence over pharmacy spending. The survey also found that only 24% believe medication costs are fully transparent, highlighting the need for clearer information across the health care system.

As health care becomes more complex, employers increasingly want partners that can help them understand not only what they are spending, but what is driving those costs. In the survey, employers identified visibility into pharmacy spending, benefit navigation support and access to affordable medications as key areas where PBMs can provide additional value.

How CVS Caremark is bringing greater transparency to pharmacy benefits

CVS Caremark is addressing these needs through tools designed to provide more informed benefit decisions. One example is CVS Caremark TrueCost™, which offers a pricing model focused on predictability, accountability, and greater understanding of how pharmacy benefit dollars are spent.

Transparency also means giving employers better access to information. CVS Caremark’s myPBM platform helps clients monitor pharmacy benefit trends, plan performance and cost drivers, helping identify opportunities for savings and optimize benefit strategies.

Transparency can also make health care easier to navigate for patients and providers. When prescribers and pharmacists have access to Real-Time Benefits information and lower-cost alternatives, they can help patients better understand their options before arriving at the pharmacy counter. CVS Caremark has also expanded reporting capabilities that provide clients with greater visibility into drug pricing, rebates, and member costs.

CVS CostVantage® and CVS Health’s broader approach to transparency

Across CVS Health, similar efforts are helping bring greater simplicity to the broader health care system. CVS CostVantage®, for example, is designed to align pharmacy reimbursement more closely with the underlying cost of medications and the services pharmacists provide. CVS Health describes the model as an important step toward greater transparency and sustainability across the pharmacy ecosystem.

The CVS Caremark-EBN survey findings point to a broader trend across health care: employers are seeking more than cost management alone. They want clearer information, practical tools and greater confidence that they understand where health care dollars are going and how benefit decisions affect affordability, access and employee health.

As health care continues to evolve, transparency will remain an important part of helping employers navigate change. By combining data-driven insights, enhanced reporting, point-of-care cost information and solutions such as TrueCost™, CVS Caremark is helping bring greater transparency to pharmacy benefits and support more informed health care decisions.

The rotating dishwasher rack, an employee resource group challenge that was informed by the disability community, is recognized in the Accessible Design and Home categories

Whirlpool Corporation is proud to announce that the Whirlpool^® brand Spin&Load Dishwasher Rack has been named a Finalist in the Accessible Design category and received an Honorable Mention in the Home category of the Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards for 2026.

Now in its 15th year, the Innovation by Design Awards celebrate the designers and businesses addressing today’s most urgent challenges while anticipating tomorrow’s problems. The program is one of the industry’s most prestigious design competitions, spotlighting work that exemplifies originality, beauty, sustainability, user insight, cultural significance, and measurable business impact.

The Spin&Load Dishwasher Rack is a lower dishwasher rack that rotates 360 degrees, bringing dishes to the user instead of requiring them to reach across the rack, a common barrier for wheelchair users and anyone with limited mobility. The concept came from an intern challenge led by Whirlpool Corporation’s AVID (Awareness of Visible and Invisible Disabilities) employee resource group and was developed with members of the United Spinal Association.

“Inclusive design isn’t a separate product line for us. It’s a better way to design for everyone, and this honor from Fast Company tells us the approach is working.”

“Spin&Load started with our own employees, was shaped by people who live with mobility disabilities every day, and was engineered to look like any other rack in the kitchen. That’s why recognition in Accessible Design means so much to our team,” said Rob Moser, Vice President, Global Consumer Design, Whirlpool Corporation. “Inclusive design isn’t a separate product line for us. It’s a better way to design for everyone, and this honor from Fast Company tells us the approach is working.”

The rack fits all 24-inch Whirlpool Corporation dishwashers manufactured after 2018 and comes standard on the Whirlpool® 24-inch Stainless Steel Dishwasher with Spin&Load Dishwasher Rack.

“AVID’s challenge to our interns was simple: design something that people in the disability community would actually want to use. Seeing Spin&Load go from that challenge to a product in homes, and now to a Fast Company finalist, shows what’s possible when employees with lived experience help inform how our products are designed,” said Monica Cederstrom, Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Executive Sponsor of Whirlpool Corporation’s AVID employee resource group.

Honorees were selected by a panel of top designers, business executives from leading organizations, and Fast Company editors.

To see the complete list, go to fastcompany.com/innovation-by-design/list, and read about the honorees in the Fall issue of Fast Company magazine, on newsstands now.

View original content here.

At Covia, we recognize that our mining operations require a wide range of roles and technical skills. Understanding how it all works means seeing how teams across safety, production, quality, maintenance, supply chain, engineering, and other functions work together to keep the operation running efficiently, safely, and successfully.

Recognizing the value of cultivating well-rounded future leaders, Covia launched the Structured Training & Experience Program (STEP) in early 2026. The program gives recent graduates an opportunity to gain firsthand experience. The 18-month program combines hands-on operations experience with cross-functional exposure throughout Covia to help develop the next generation of plant supervisors, engineers, technical specialists, and other professionals who can support the company’s future.

According to Talent Acquisition Manager Adrianna Ateh, STEP is the natural expansion of Covia’s approach to early-career development. The company started by relaunching its internship program in 2023 to provide college students with meaningful work experience. As that program developed, Covia began looking at what could come next for employees beginning their careers after graduation.“The idea was to create a pathway to opportunities for people who are just graduating from college,” Ateh explained. “This way we can develop internal talent for open positions across Covia and give that talent the opportunity to learn what they like and where they excel.”Ateh and Coleman Rojahn, Talent Acquisition Associate, worked with hiring managers, company leaders, and people familiar with similar graduate programs to rethink what a program could look like at Covia. The result was STEP, with an initial cohort of three trainees:

• Gavin Antonini, Marston plant
• Nolan Joynt, Hephzibah plant
• Favour Ordim, Roff plant

“This year we decided to start with three people when we launched the program and see what works, and what doesn’t work,” Ateh said. “Then we hope to be able to grow it each year and make it better, just like the internship program.”

Learning Covia One Experience at a Time

The objective behind STEP is straightforward: provide recent graduates with immersive, hands-on experience across the plant functions that keep Covia’s operations moving forward. To accomplish that, these graduates needed time to truly experience each aspect of a real mining organization.Over 18 months, trainees progress through a structured series of phases that expose them to both plant operations and the teams that support them. These phases include:

• Health, Safety, and Environmental
• Operations and Supply Chain
• Mine and Quality Control
• Maintenance, Parts, and Inventory
• Cross-Functional Capstone Project

This structure gives each trainee an opportunity to spend meaningful time with a wide range of functions. Instead of asking someone at the beginning of their career to immediately choose a narrow path, STEP provides opportunities to understand how different functions operate and how they connect. Trainees work with different people and departments throughout the program, gaining technical experience while developing a broader understanding of Covia.
The result is a program designed to be mutually beneficial for Covia and the trainees. Immersive, hands-on experience across core functions helps Covia develop talent across plant operations, while also exposing trainees to different roles so they gain firsthand knowledge of that helps them discover where they can excel and the types of work they enjoy.

Building Relationships Along the Way

STEP is designed to help trainees develop technical knowledge, but that’s just one goal for the program. Covia has also made relationship-building an intentional part of the experience.Bringing STEP participants together gives them peers who are navigating a similar experience, while their rotations allow them to develop relationships with employees across disciplines and locations.“We want them to enjoy the experience and feel that they really are a part of the community,” Ateh said.

With trainees working at different locations and moving through numerous functions, it is important to build a sense of camaraderie despite the distance. The inaugural trainees recently attended a safety boot camp together and regularly participate in monthly meetings as a group to share their experience and identify other areas they may want to explore.

Those connections are already extending beyond scheduled meetings. According to Ateh, the trainees actively connect with each other between meetings. For example, Gavin recently reached out to Favour to learn more about drone applications at the plant level. Favour, who recently earned her drone certification to support operations at the Roff Plant, was able to share her experiences and insights as she begins using the technology in her role. Despite the distance between plants, trainees can create bonds that last.

Developing the Next Generation of Covia Talent

For Covia, STEP is an investment in long-term talent development. For trainees, the program provides a broader view of Covia’s operations and where technical knowledge and leadership are paramount. Discovering those best fits takes time, which is why the program emphasizes experience rather than simply training for a particular position. The current cohort is scheduled to complete their program in June 2027, at which point they’ll each have gained experience that prepares them to be part of the next generation of Covia talent across operations.

For Gavin, Nolan, and Favour, the next several months will continue to expose them to new teams, responsibilities, and experiences. Where those experiences ultimately lead will be different for each of them. And while the current group continues to learn, Covia is actively recruiting for the next cohort, continuing the cycle of professional development that will help shape Covia for years to come.

MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has been named the winner of the Transformation Project of the Year award at the 2026 Global Sustainability Awards, hosted by Sustainability Magazine and BizClik.

The award recognizes MilliporeSigma’s bio-based solvent portfolio for High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The winners were announced in early September during a ceremony held as part of Sustainability LIVE: The London Summit, which brought together more than 1,000 sustainability professionals to celebrate innovation, leadership and measurable progress in climate action, ESG and business transformation.

Launched in April 2026, the award-winning portfolio is a first-of-its-kind, patent-pending line of bio-based HPLC solvents. The portfolio includes solvents made with renewable, biomass-based feedstocks while maintaining the ultra-high purity required for scientific research and manufacturing.

Compared with conventional fossil-fuel-based HPLC-grade solvents, the portfolio helps laboratories deliver up to 28% reduction in carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. Designed as true drop-in replacements, the solvents enable customers to advance their sustainability goals without changing validated methods, modifying instruments or disrupting laboratory workflows.

This combination of sustainability and performance was built into the portfolio from the beginning. MilliporeSigma’s research and development team used an internal product development framework to center sustainability, performance and quality at the earliest stages. This approach helped shape the bio-based solvents as purpose-built alternatives rather than retrofitted solutions, engineered to meet both environmental and technical criteria.

By enabling customers to reduce emissions through their purchasing decisions, the bio-based solvent portfolio can help address Scope 3 emissions, which include indirect greenhouse gas emissions generated across the upstream and downstream value chain, while transforming how sustainability is embedded into everyday laboratory operations. 

The recognition follows another recent honor for the portfolio: the 2026 Sustainability Product of the Year Award (Physical Category) from the Business Intelligence Group.

Together, these awards underscore MilliporeSigma’s commitment to embedding sustainability into product innovation and developing solutions that help customers reduce their environmental impact while maintaining the quality, precision and reliability essential to their work.

Learn more about the 2026 Global Sustainability Awards.

Learn more about MilliporeSigma’s Sustainability and Social Business Innovation initiatives.

LONDON, October 16, 2026 /3BL/ - Antea Group, whose global operations include Antea Group UK, has been ranked #16 in the latest Global Environmental & Sustainability Consulting Market Assessment.

This report, curated by Environment Analyst, a leading provider of business intelligence for the global environmental services sector, identified the top global consultancies in environmental and sustainability (E&S) consulting based on revenue from the 2025 financial year. 

The rankings are based on financial data submitted through Environment Analyst’s annual survey and verification process or estimated from publicly available sources. The study offers valuable insights into industry trends, revenue breakdowns, M&A activity, and growth opportunities.

Additionally, Inogen Alliance, co-founded by Antea Group in 2001 to support multinational clients, is on the list ranked at #19. Together, these rankings highlight the international reach and collaborative networks that support Antea Group UK’s work across markets.

“Being part of a globally recognised organisation gives our team the opportunity to draw on a wealth of international knowledge and experience while maintaining the local working relationships and flexibility our clients value,” said Alex Ferguson, CEO of Antea Group UK. “As we continue to grow our presence in the UK, we look forward to building on these strengths, expanding our capabilities, and finding new ways to support our clients as their needs evolve.”

Download the Report

About Antea Group UK 

Antea® Group is an environment, health, safety and sustainability consultancy. By combining strategic thinking with technical expertise, we do more than effectively solve client challenges; we deliver sustainable results for a better future. We work in partnership with and advise many of the world’s most sustainable companies to address ESG business challenges in a way that fits their pace and unique objectives. Our consultants equip organisations to better understand threats, capture opportunities, and find their position of strength. We maintain a global perspective on ESG issues not only through our work with multinational clients, but also through our sister organisations in Europe, Asia, and Latin America and as a founding member of the Inogen Alliance.  Learn more at anteagroup.uk.

About Environment Analyst

Environment Analyst is the trusted intelligence hub for the environmental and sustainability consulting sector, with a global membership community of over 40,000 environmental professionals. Market Intelligence Membership includes access to their entire market intelligence library, featuring bespoke market intelligence reports, data sets, competitor profiles, business news and insights.

A champion of botanical craftsmanship and innovation, Alessandro Garneri, Bacardi Master of Botanicals for BOMBAY SAPPHIRE®, MARTINI®, and ST-GERMAIN®, has been welcomed into The Gin Guild. The prestigious appointment recognizes his expertise and leadership within the global gin community while celebrating the vital role botanicals play at the heart of the company’s iconic BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin. 

Through education, advocacy and stewardship, The Gin Guild works to champion the people, traditions and expertise that shape the future of gin. 

Held on October 9, the ceremony brought together gin professionals from around the world to celebrate achievement and strengthen connections across the global gin community. This year’s installation welcomed 23 new members representing eight countries and a broad spectrum of expertise spanning distillation, botanical sciences, production, advocacy and brand development. 

Part of Bacardi family since 2006, appointed as Global Master of Botanicals in 2023, Alessandro plays a key role in advancing the knowledge, quality and craftsmanship behind the ten sustainably sourced botanicals that give Bombay Sapphire its distinctive character. Garneri’s appointment also recognizes his position as the most senior representative of Bacardi Global Brands within The Gin Guild’s membership and the company’s representative ‘Founder Rectifier’.

Speaking of the induction ceremony, Garneri called it “a truly special moment” and added “[it is] a privilege to be part of a community that shares a passion for gin, its rich heritage, the craftsmanship behind it, and the botanicals that make it so unique.”

Congratulations to Alessandro on this well-deserved honor.

Read more from The Gin Guild on this year’s induction ceremony. 

World Food Day shines a light on the importance of ensuring everyone has access to the food they need to live healthy, active lives. In recognition of the day, WK Kellogg Co is highlighting its ongoing partnership with No Kid Hungry and a recent $100,000 donation that supports the organization’s efforts to help end childhood hunger across the United States.

For more than a decade, WK Kellogg Co has partnered with No Kid Hungry to help connect children and families with nutritious meals. The $100,000 donation is part of the company’s broader commitment to helping address food insecurity and create stronger, healthier communities.

According to No Kid Hungry, 1 in 5 children in the United States faces hunger, impacting an estimated 14 million kids. While significant progress has been made, the need remains substantial, making continued investment and collaboration critical.

“WK Kellogg Co’s commitment to ending childhood hunger goes far beyond a single investment — it reflects more than a decade of showing up for kids and families. Their partnership with No Kid Hungry and support of the Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger means more communities reached, and more kids with access to the meals they need to thrive,” said George Kelemen, Senior Vice President, Program Partnerships, Campaigns & Advocacy, No Kid Hungry.

“At WK Kellogg Co, we believe every child deserves access to nourishing meals,” said Stacy Flathau, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, WK Kellogg Co. “Supporting No Kid Hungry is one of the many ways we bring Feeding Happiness, our sustainable business strategy, to life. Together, we’re helping more families access the food they need while creating stronger, healthier communities where children can reach their full potential.”

This contribution builds on WK Kellogg Co’s longstanding efforts to support programs and partnerships that help more children access the resources they need to succeed.

Click here to join us in supporting No Kid Hungry’s efforts to help end childhood hunger across the United States.