Tag: 3BL

BETHESDA, Md., December 18, 2025 /3BL/ – Representatives from the U.S. Department of State, through tandem Global and its partners: the Núcleo de Biotecnología de Caurauma (NBC), Baastel, IncubatecUFRO, and La Redde Innovación eImpacto (La RED), launch the Empower Innovation Challenge (EIC) 2026, an online competition aimed at selecting innovative solutions in Central America that strengthen MSMEs to scale their businesses. 

The Empower Innovation Challenge (EIC), funded by the U.S. Department of State (DoS) and implemented by the Assistance Coordination Office of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA/AC) is a unique innovation competition designed for non-profit organizations, focusing on strengthening micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to enhance their competitiveness and promote regional economic growth. 

Through this competition, the EIC will award 15 grants of USD 80,000 each in non-reimbursable funds per organization to strengthen innovative projects that empower micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, helping them expand their reach through training, access to networks, and partnership opportunities with local and international companies. Additionally, the 15 awardees will be granted membership in La RED de Innovación e Impacto. 

Applicant organizations must propose projects in one of these six Central American countries: Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, or Panama. Participating projects may be from private non-profit organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private universities, and non-profit higher education institutions, supporting innovative solutions that promote economic growth in the following priority sectors: agriculture, livestock, agribusiness, food and beverages, fishing, tourism, creative services, technologies, light and small manufacturing, textiles, and logistics. 

The application period for the challenge will be open until January 11, 2026. 

Organizations that are open to apply can access the application form and participation criteria here: https://www.eiclared.org/. 

For more information about the initiative: https://www.eiclared.org/ and https://laredinnovacionimpacto.com/ 

• For additional inquiries, please contact us: EIC@tandemglobal.org  

About the organizers of the EIC

Tandem Global

At Tandem Global (formerly the Wildlife Habitat Council and World Environment Center), we provide the know-how and the network to move business and the environment together, in harmony. We work across sectors and at all levels of organizations to facilitate long-term and lasting impact on all aspects of our natural world. From field operations to boardrooms and beyond, corporate leaders turn to Tandem Global for impact strategies and resilient solutions that can support a better future.

https://tandemglobal.org/

The La Red de Innovación e Impacto (La RED)

La RED is an initiative that brings together both for-profit and non-profit organizations to support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with the aim of promoting economic growth and prosperity in the Latin American region. Founded in 2014, La RED emerged from a selection process of organizations that have accelerated the development of sustainable businesses and promoted economic growth in the region. Initially funded by the U.S. Department of State, the project was executed by Tandem Global in collaboration with its partners Le Groupe-conseil baastel ltée (Baastel) and RioSlum Studio until June 2021. Since July 2021, La RED has been led by its own organizations and coordinated by the Núcleo de Biotecnología Curauma (NBC) at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso in Chile. 

 https://laredinnovacionimpacto.com/ 

Núcleo Biotecnología de Curauma (NBC)

The Núcleo Biotecnología Curauma Center (NBC), part of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV), is an R+D+i center with over 15 years of experience in technological development, innovation and technology transfer. The NBC main goal is to support companies, especially MSMEs, in improving their productivity and competitiveness through technological based solutions.  

The center has pioneered projects like CompiteMAS®, which has allowed NBC to position itself as a key player in the region’s productive transformation, strengthening public-private networks and driving innovation in companies. 

NBC’s track record includes managing competitive R&D contracts, public tenders, international cooperation projects, and delivering certified training programs since its founding in 2010. NBC created a competitiveness indicator for SMEs, called CompiteMAS® indicator, which allows measuring competitiveness including economic, environmental and social areas. 

Throughout 14 years NBC has expanded its lines of work and specialization, addressing projects with innovation, and social impact, consolidating a portfolio of 500 projects executed with excellent results. Through all its activities and services, NBC seeks to make local SMEs more productive, and competitive. 

http://nbcpucv.cl

IncubatecUFRO

IncubatecUFRO is the incubator of the Universidad de La Frontera, the leading business incubator and accelerator in southern Chile, working with more than 250 companies and entrepreneurs annually. Its objective is to foster and strengthen entrepreneurial initiatives with differentiating and/or innovative factors through networking, access to networks, and access to specialized resources and services. Over the last five years, the program has focused on boosting national entrepreneurship and innovation field. Articulating collaboration with strategic support networks for entrepreneurs. Thus, IncubatecUFRO is currently supporting early-stage, expansion-, and scaling-up companies through specialized incubation services and the coordination of business boards with a focus on strengthening innovative value propositions. It also addresses gaps in areas such as business management, marketing and sales, raising private capital, and internationalization, thereby achieving a greater impact on the commercial growth and internationalization of its business portfolio. 

 https://incubatecufro.cl/

Le Groupe-conseil baastel ltée (Baastel) 

Baastel is recognized for its quality services in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), Results-based Management (RBM), strategic planning, project and program management, and building individual and institutional capacity in these areas. Baastel’s outstanding reputation in the field is built on a record of international and national successes, and expertise that is backed by attention to detail, quality, transparency and neutrality. 

https://baastel.com

Across the value chain, one theme keeps coming up in conversations with brands, manufacturers, policymakers, and verifiers alike: data quality matters more than ever.

Whether a facility is tracking energy use, a brand is reporting Scope 3 emissions, or a regulator is evaluating compliance, decisions depend on credible, comparable data.

This is exactly why Cascale and Worldly have made data quality a top priority for the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM), available exclusively on Worldly. Over the past several cadences, we’ve taken significant steps to strengthen the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of Higg FEM data — and in 2026, we’re going even further.

Why Data Quality Matters Now

The Higg FEM has become the industry’s foundation for environmental measurement at the facility level. Its role is broader than a single assessment: it feeds Scope 3 reporting, informs regulatory disclosures, and guides operational improvements inside factories. That means the quality of the underlying data isn’t just a technical question; it’s a credibility question.

The Higg FEM also continues to evolve. New data points, deeper quantitative detail, and alignment with reporting standards raise the bar for everyone — which is the right direction, but it also means we must continuously tune the system to support users and prevent errors.

What We’ve Improved — Why It Matters1. Better inputs: clearer content and stronger models

A major part of data quality is making sure staff at manufacturing facilities understand exactly what’s being asked and how to respond accurately. Based on feedback from Higg FEM users (yes, the manufacturers) and verifiers, we’ve:

• Rewritten and clarified questions that previously created confusion.
• Added new guidance and training materials in areas like chemical inventory management.
• Updated emissions models to align more closely with the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol.
• Introduced new validation rules to prevent impossible answers, such as inconsistent water usage or incorrect chemical data.
• “Get to Know the Higg FEM” webinar series and live Q&A sessions offering section-by-section deep dives to help manufacturers get answers and feel confident before submitting their assessments.

By preventing errors before they enter the system, we reduce the need for corrections later — and improve the clarity of data for manufacturers, brands, and regulators.

2. Smarter technology to catch issues early

We’re working closely with Worldly, making the most of its innovative platform as a central solution to elevate data accuracy.

• Automated outlier detection now flags anomalous data during self-assessment. In Higg FEM 2024, the system identified more than 12,000 potential outliers, with facilities correcting 41 percent of them.
• Facilities can now see their previous cadence values, helping them recognize when their inputs look unusual.
• The AI-powered Worldly Assistant provides immediate access to guidance and documentation, supporting users at the moment of data entry.
• Improvements to page load times, question structures, and table-based inputs reduce friction and accidental errors.

Members are already making the most of these dynamic updates; learn more on the Cascale Connect Higg FEM Learning Hub (members only). And, our own HowtoHigg website has also been enhanced to ensure easier access to information on how to use the tools and understand the methodology behind them.

3. A stronger, more consistent verification ecosystem

Verification is a core pillar of data quality. It’s also one of the most intensive areas of work within Higg FEM — and one where we’ve made major strides.

• Cascale has 570 trained verifiers across 73 Verifier Bodies as of November 14, supported by detailed protocols, QA checks, and annual performance reviews.
• In 2024 and 2025, our QA program significantly reduced avoidable verification errors through new consistency checks and verifier guidance.
• We increased the number of desktop reviews, counter verifications, and duplicate verifications, giving us clearer insight into verifier performance.
• New Verifier Body profiles and an expanded Quality Assurance Dashboard offer more transparency than ever before.
• Our automated VPM QA Rules cut the number of verified Higg FEMs containing clear errors by more than half.

Taken together, these improvements provide stronger confidence in verified Higg FEM data — which is essential for brands using these metrics in their reporting and decision-making.

4. Preparing for the next generation of Higg FEM data quality

Looking ahead, 2026 will be an important year. We’re piloting a new approach to more frequent and timely verification of key quantitative data — such as energy use, water consumption, and shipped volumes, in cases where such frequent or timely verification is warranted (in line with our recently published Principles on the Frequency of Environmental Data Reporting). Instead of reviewing these inputs once a year, we’ll be testing quarterly verification using remote methods.

The goal is simple:

• Catch issues earlier
• Reduce year-end corrections
• Provide more timely, fully verified data
• Support manufacturers’ own internal performance management

We are also deepening technical alignment with ZDHC on verification expectations — a step toward reducing duplication and strengthening cross-industry consistency.

A Continuous Improvement Mindset

Data quality is not a destination; it’s an ongoing discipline. Every cadence teaches us something new. Every round of user feedback highlights opportunities to clarify questions or strengthen checks. And every trend in the data helps us understand where the industry is improving — and where more support is needed.

The Higg FEM is the most widely used environmental assessment for consumer goods manufacturing. That reach gives us both the responsibility and the opportunity to continuously raise the bar, and to listen to the feedback our users are giving us.

By improving content, strengthening verification, and using technology more intelligently, we’re helping facilities, brands, and policymakers work with data they can trust — and ultimately enabling more credible environmental progress across the value chain.

Across the value chain, one theme keeps coming up in conversations with brands, manufacturers, policymakers, and verifiers alike: data quality matters more than ever.

Whether a facility is tracking energy use, a brand is reporting Scope 3 emissions, or a regulator is evaluating compliance, decisions depend on credible, comparable data.

This is exactly why Cascale and Worldly have made data quality a top priority for the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM), available exclusively on Worldly. Over the past several cadences, we’ve taken significant steps to strengthen the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of Higg FEM data — and in 2026, we’re going even further.

Why Data Quality Matters Now

The Higg FEM has become the industry’s foundation for environmental measurement at the facility level. Its role is broader than a single assessment: it feeds Scope 3 reporting, informs regulatory disclosures, and guides operational improvements inside factories. That means the quality of the underlying data isn’t just a technical question; it’s a credibility question.

The Higg FEM also continues to evolve. New data points, deeper quantitative detail, and alignment with reporting standards raise the bar for everyone — which is the right direction, but it also means we must continuously tune the system to support users and prevent errors.

What We’ve Improved — Why It Matters1. Better inputs: clearer content and stronger models

A major part of data quality is making sure staff at manufacturing facilities understand exactly what’s being asked and how to respond accurately. Based on feedback from Higg FEM users (yes, the manufacturers) and verifiers, we’ve:

• Rewritten and clarified questions that previously created confusion.
• Added new guidance and training materials in areas like chemical inventory management.
• Updated emissions models to align more closely with the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol.
• Introduced new validation rules to prevent impossible answers, such as inconsistent water usage or incorrect chemical data.
• “Get to Know the Higg FEM” webinar series and live Q&A sessions offering section-by-section deep dives to help manufacturers get answers and feel confident before submitting their assessments.

By preventing errors before they enter the system, we reduce the need for corrections later — and improve the clarity of data for manufacturers, brands, and regulators.

2. Smarter technology to catch issues early

We’re working closely with Worldly, making the most of its innovative platform as a central solution to elevate data accuracy.

• Automated outlier detection now flags anomalous data during self-assessment. In Higg FEM 2024, the system identified more than 12,000 potential outliers, with facilities correcting 41 percent of them.
• Facilities can now see their previous cadence values, helping them recognize when their inputs look unusual.
• The AI-powered Worldly Assistant provides immediate access to guidance and documentation, supporting users at the moment of data entry.
• Improvements to page load times, question structures, and table-based inputs reduce friction and accidental errors.

Members are already making the most of these dynamic updates; learn more on the Cascale Connect Higg FEM Learning Hub (members only). And, our own HowtoHigg website has also been enhanced to ensure easier access to information on how to use the tools and understand the methodology behind them.

3. A stronger, more consistent verification ecosystem

Verification is a core pillar of data quality. It’s also one of the most intensive areas of work within Higg FEM — and one where we’ve made major strides.

• Cascale has 570 trained verifiers across 73 Verifier Bodies as of November 14, supported by detailed protocols, QA checks, and annual performance reviews.
• In 2024 and 2025, our QA program significantly reduced avoidable verification errors through new consistency checks and verifier guidance.
• We increased the number of desktop reviews, counter verifications, and duplicate verifications, giving us clearer insight into verifier performance.
• New Verifier Body profiles and an expanded Quality Assurance Dashboard offer more transparency than ever before.
• Our automated VPM QA Rules cut the number of verified Higg FEMs containing clear errors by more than half.

Taken together, these improvements provide stronger confidence in verified Higg FEM data — which is essential for brands using these metrics in their reporting and decision-making.

4. Preparing for the next generation of Higg FEM data quality

Looking ahead, 2026 will be an important year. We’re piloting a new approach to more frequent and timely verification of key quantitative data — such as energy use, water consumption, and shipped volumes, in cases where such frequent or timely verification is warranted (in line with our recently published Principles on the Frequency of Environmental Data Reporting). Instead of reviewing these inputs once a year, we’ll be testing quarterly verification using remote methods.

The goal is simple:

• Catch issues earlier
• Reduce year-end corrections
• Provide more timely, fully verified data
• Support manufacturers’ own internal performance management

We are also deepening technical alignment with ZDHC on verification expectations — a step toward reducing duplication and strengthening cross-industry consistency.

A Continuous Improvement Mindset

Data quality is not a destination; it’s an ongoing discipline. Every cadence teaches us something new. Every round of user feedback highlights opportunities to clarify questions or strengthen checks. And every trend in the data helps us understand where the industry is improving — and where more support is needed.

The Higg FEM is the most widely used environmental assessment for consumer goods manufacturing. That reach gives us both the responsibility and the opportunity to continuously raise the bar, and to listen to the feedback our users are giving us.

By improving content, strengthening verification, and using technology more intelligently, we’re helping facilities, brands, and policymakers work with data they can trust — and ultimately enabling more credible environmental progress across the value chain.

Across the value chain, one theme keeps coming up in conversations with brands, manufacturers, policymakers, and verifiers alike: data quality matters more than ever.

Whether a facility is tracking energy use, a brand is reporting Scope 3 emissions, or a regulator is evaluating compliance, decisions depend on credible, comparable data.

This is exactly why Cascale and Worldly have made data quality a top priority for the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM), available exclusively on Worldly. Over the past several cadences, we’ve taken significant steps to strengthen the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of Higg FEM data — and in 2026, we’re going even further.

Why Data Quality Matters Now

The Higg FEM has become the industry’s foundation for environmental measurement at the facility level. Its role is broader than a single assessment: it feeds Scope 3 reporting, informs regulatory disclosures, and guides operational improvements inside factories. That means the quality of the underlying data isn’t just a technical question; it’s a credibility question.

The Higg FEM also continues to evolve. New data points, deeper quantitative detail, and alignment with reporting standards raise the bar for everyone — which is the right direction, but it also means we must continuously tune the system to support users and prevent errors.

What We’ve Improved — Why It Matters1. Better inputs: clearer content and stronger models

A major part of data quality is making sure staff at manufacturing facilities understand exactly what’s being asked and how to respond accurately. Based on feedback from Higg FEM users (yes, the manufacturers) and verifiers, we’ve:

• Rewritten and clarified questions that previously created confusion.
• Added new guidance and training materials in areas like chemical inventory management.
• Updated emissions models to align more closely with the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol.
• Introduced new validation rules to prevent impossible answers, such as inconsistent water usage or incorrect chemical data.
• “Get to Know the Higg FEM” webinar series and live Q&A sessions offering section-by-section deep dives to help manufacturers get answers and feel confident before submitting their assessments.

By preventing errors before they enter the system, we reduce the need for corrections later — and improve the clarity of data for manufacturers, brands, and regulators.

2. Smarter technology to catch issues early

We’re working closely with Worldly, making the most of its innovative platform as a central solution to elevate data accuracy.

• Automated outlier detection now flags anomalous data during self-assessment. In Higg FEM 2024, the system identified more than 12,000 potential outliers, with facilities correcting 41 percent of them.
• Facilities can now see their previous cadence values, helping them recognize when their inputs look unusual.
• The AI-powered Worldly Assistant provides immediate access to guidance and documentation, supporting users at the moment of data entry.
• Improvements to page load times, question structures, and table-based inputs reduce friction and accidental errors.

Members are already making the most of these dynamic updates; learn more on the Cascale Connect Higg FEM Learning Hub (members only). And, our own HowtoHigg website has also been enhanced to ensure easier access to information on how to use the tools and understand the methodology behind them.

3. A stronger, more consistent verification ecosystem

Verification is a core pillar of data quality. It’s also one of the most intensive areas of work within Higg FEM — and one where we’ve made major strides.

• Cascale has 570 trained verifiers across 73 Verifier Bodies as of November 14, supported by detailed protocols, QA checks, and annual performance reviews.
• In 2024 and 2025, our QA program significantly reduced avoidable verification errors through new consistency checks and verifier guidance.
• We increased the number of desktop reviews, counter verifications, and duplicate verifications, giving us clearer insight into verifier performance.
• New Verifier Body profiles and an expanded Quality Assurance Dashboard offer more transparency than ever before.
• Our automated VPM QA Rules cut the number of verified Higg FEMs containing clear errors by more than half.

Taken together, these improvements provide stronger confidence in verified Higg FEM data — which is essential for brands using these metrics in their reporting and decision-making.

4. Preparing for the next generation of Higg FEM data quality

Looking ahead, 2026 will be an important year. We’re piloting a new approach to more frequent and timely verification of key quantitative data — such as energy use, water consumption, and shipped volumes, in cases where such frequent or timely verification is warranted (in line with our recently published Principles on the Frequency of Environmental Data Reporting). Instead of reviewing these inputs once a year, we’ll be testing quarterly verification using remote methods.

The goal is simple:

• Catch issues earlier
• Reduce year-end corrections
• Provide more timely, fully verified data
• Support manufacturers’ own internal performance management

We are also deepening technical alignment with ZDHC on verification expectations — a step toward reducing duplication and strengthening cross-industry consistency.

A Continuous Improvement Mindset

Data quality is not a destination; it’s an ongoing discipline. Every cadence teaches us something new. Every round of user feedback highlights opportunities to clarify questions or strengthen checks. And every trend in the data helps us understand where the industry is improving — and where more support is needed.

The Higg FEM is the most widely used environmental assessment for consumer goods manufacturing. That reach gives us both the responsibility and the opportunity to continuously raise the bar, and to listen to the feedback our users are giving us.

By improving content, strengthening verification, and using technology more intelligently, we’re helping facilities, brands, and policymakers work with data they can trust — and ultimately enabling more credible environmental progress across the value chain.

As previously seen on the CSRHub blog.

By Bahar Gidwani

When we founded CSRHub in 2007, we imagined bringing together and harmonizing the “wisdom of the sustainability crowd.” We wanted to bring together the disparate views on corporate ESG performance from Wall Street analysts, not for profit researchers, membership organizations, government databases, and advocacy groups. We started adding data sources to our platform, one by one. We imagined that we might at some point ingest 100, 200…maybe even 500 sources?

We recently ingested expert data source number 1,000! Because of the breadth and depth of the information we uncovered, we now provide CSRHub ratings and coverage on 60,000 entities from 159 countries. We are proud of reaching these milestones. We will keep bringing in data from our existing sources and adding new ones. (We add about 20,000,000 new data items to our base of 800 million each month.)

Achieved goals feels good. But, what about the future? How best to achieve our mission of enabling transparent access to company sustainability data and linking back to all our sources?  Given the current market, what unique and meaningful contribution can we make to the success of the companies we follow?

One area that is expanding is helping companies manage their supply chains. Thanks to the growth in our coverage, we often cover more than 80% of the “spend” in a corporate supply chain. Adding data via one of our AI research partners can yield over 90% coverage. In less than a week, we can generate a report that helps supply chain managers look for sustainability-related risks and opportunities. We can improve resilience and help a company tie its supply chain goals to its overall sustainability framework.

We provide data directly—we have a RESTful API, Excel-based tools, and via support platforms such as Snowflake, Amazon Data Exchange, and FactSet. We also share our data with supply chain management software companies. These platforms combine our ratings with other signals to add our outside-in, expert perspective to the data suppliers self report.

A second area we are focusing on is support for the consultants and advisors who help companies report their ESG performance, try to improve their ratings, and comply with ESG regulations. We now offer products that help guide reporting, improve engagement with the ESG rating community, and prepare for frameworks such as CSRD, TNFD, the SDGs, SASB, and emerging California regulations.

Over a half million people around the world visited CSRHub’s website and used our top-level ratings this year. Thousands of customers bought data and tools from us directly or through our expanding list of partners. Rather than setting a new numeric goal, we’ll continue to collaborate with our sustainability community to increase corporate resilience and make the world more sustainable.

Bahar Gidwani is CTO and Co-founder of CSRHub.  He has built and run large technology-based businesses for many years. Bahar holds a CFA, worked on Wall Street with Kidder, Peabody, and with McKinsey & Co. Bahar has consulted to a number of major companies and currently serves on the board of several software and Web companies. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School and an undergraduate degree in physics and astronomy. He plays bridge, races sailboats, and is based in New York City.

About CSRHub

CSRHub offers the most comprehensive global set of expert consensus sustainability ratings, information, and tools. Clients use CSRHub’s decisive data platform for global benchmarking, supply and value chain risk assessment and compliance readiness solutions. Founded in 2007, CSRHub covers over 60,000 public and private companies, and provides ESG performance scores on 42,000 companies from 134 industries in 158 countries. Our Big Data platform uses algorithms to aggregate, normalize and weight ESG metrics from 1,000 sources to produce a strong consensus signal on corporate sustainability performance.

Interested in learning more about CSRHub?

Many people today feel disconnected; from institutions, from their neighbors, and from a sense of meaning in their work. Corporate volunteering is a practical, human-centered response to this challenge. While this widespread detachment presents a hurdle for global employers, it also creates a profound opportunity. Companies that meet this moment, through initiatives like annual days of service or skills-based volunteering projects, find the path forward is clear: when you help people do good together, the benefit ripples outward into the workplace, the community, and beyond.

At Paramount, that ripple effect is powered by a strategic approach to giving back. Rather than simply offering large volunteer days, the company is focused on matching its most valuable asset—the specialized skills of its employees—with the crucial needs of global nonprofits.

Talent for Good: Leveraging professional skills

To make this happen, Paramount partnered with Catchafire to launch Talent for Good, a program designed to help employees leverage their professional skills to support causes they’re passionate about.

Initially under Viacom in 2015, the program was focused on engaging US-based employees through volunteerism. Since then, the Talent for Good program has developed to focus on global inclusivity and connectivity, extending a wide variety of volunteer opportunities to Paramount employees around the world.

This isn’t about just showing up; it’s about showing up strategically. A VP of Digital Ads might lend expertise in optimizing online campaigns, a finance analyst could help set up better budgeting systems, or a designer might volunteer to create impactful marketing materials.

By facilitating these skills-based projects, Paramount transforms a traditional day of service into an opportunity for high-impact consulting. Employees feel valued and challenged, knowing that their specific professional knowledge—the knowledge they use every day at Paramount—is making a tangible, lasting difference in the efficiency and reach of a nonprofit organization.

A key element of the success of Talent for Good is its focus on personal choice and empowerment. By providing agency for employees to curate their volunteer experience, Paramount employees from across the globe can give back to their communities, create a culture around social impact, and support nonprofits that align with their personal values.

This structure allows service to be integrated seamlessly into the lives of a global workforce. Instead of mandatory, one-size-fits-all events, employees can choose how and when they want to contribute, whether through a few hours of remote consultation or dedicated in-person efforts. This flexibility fosters a culture of sustained engagement rather than one and done participation.

A Story of Connection: Supporting Hestia in London

The commitment to hands-on service remains vital, providing powerful moments of shared purpose and human connection. A recent example took place in London, where a team dedicated their time to supporting Hestia.Hestia is a powerful nonprofit dedicated to supporting adults and children who have experienced crisis and trauma, helping them find safety, hope, and purpose. They specialize in trauma and resilience-informed support for people in crisis or who have experienced trauma—including survivors of modern slavery, adults and children escaping domestic abuse, people needing support with their mental health, and people leaving prison.

Recently, a group of five employee volunteers in the UK, including Amil Shah, VP of Digital Ads, and Barnaby Hands, VP of EMEA Marketing, partnered directly with Hestia to support its mission. Leveraging their professional expertise, the team redesigned Hestia’s proposal presentation.

As part of this effort, the volunteers hosted an in-depth presentation strategy workshop for Hestia’s fundraising and partnerships team. They began by sharing how Paramount professionals craft and deliver high-impact presentations in their daily work, breaking down elements such as audience analysis, narrative flow, visual storytelling, and persuasive messaging. The group demonstrated real-world examples from Paramount’s campaigns, offered practical tips on tailoring a pitch to different types of decision-makers, and guided participants through exercises to refine their own messaging.

Together, they collaborated to transform Hestia’s proposal materials into a compelling, well-structured presentation that could effectively persuade corporations and other organizations to support the charity. The final deliverable was not just a refreshed deck but a strategic toolkit, enabling Hestia to confidently present opportunities for partnership, highlight the mutual value of collaboration, and secure sponsorships or funding for its upcoming initiatives.

“The Talent for Good team put the time in to ensure my group at Paramount was matched up with a nonprofit that aligned perfectly with our skills and passions. After meeting Hestia, our volunteer team focused on adjusting the marketing and brand skills that come second nature to us in our daily roles to meet the complex needs of Hestia’s partnerships team.”

Barney Hands, VP of EMEA Marketing, Paramount

Fostering a more connected and compassionate workforce

Paramount’s investment in strategic volunteering is a clear signal that the company recognizes the interdependence of employee wellness, purpose, and community health. By empowering employees to apply their talent for the greater good, the program reinforces corporate values while simultaneously addressing critical societal needs.

The result is more than just hours served; it’s about fostering a more connected, purposeful, and compassionate workforce—a valuable asset that truly does ripple outward, strengthening the foundations of both the company and the global community.

Learn more about Catchafire and the Talent for Good program.

At Lenovo, we believe inclusion drives innovation. Through our Lenovo Disability Advantage strategy, we aim to build workplaces and communities where people of all abilities can thrive. Anchored in three pillars: creating awareness and innovation, transforming workplaces through integrative accessibility, and challenging the status quo to embrace change, this global initiative turns Lenovo’s vision of Smarter Technology for All into tangible action.

As we mark the International Day of People with Disabilities, we celebrate the Lenovo employees who embody this mission, advocating for accessibility, leading by example, and proving that inclusion drives creativity, empathy, and progress.

Creating Awareness, Resources, and Innovation

Masashi Kuze, Specialist, Product Marketing – Tokyo, Japan

In Tokyo, Masashi Kuze combined empathy with action. During Environment Month, he organized a wheelchair cleanup activity, inviting colleagues to navigate city streets from the perspective of a wheelchair user.

Participants quickly discovered how small details, uneven slopes, narrow entrances, or distracted pedestrians, can create barriers to independence. Those insights inspired practical changes, from improving accessible restrooms to rethinking office layouts. The initiative also encouraged teams to share accessibility learnings across functions, sparking new ideas for how inclusive design can shape workplaces and products alike.

“Experiencing inclusion changes how we design for it.”

By linking environmental responsibility with inclusion, Masashi showed that accessibility and sustainability are deeply connected, both rooted in empathy and design thinking.

Blagica Gjorgjievska, ISG Inside Sales Support Representative – Bratislava, Slovakia

Blagica Gjorgjievska’s journey is deeply personal. Having faced her own mental health challenges, she now leads Lenovo’s Mental Health First Aiders program in EMEA creating safe, stigma-free spaces for employees to talk about anxiety, depression, and emotional wellbeing.

Through confidential conversations, walks in nature, and open dialogues, Blagica helps colleagues find balance and resilience. Her work addresses a global challenge: mental health issues that contribute to billions of lost workdays each year and transforms it into a foundation for inclusion. Today, her efforts are part of a growing network of wellbeing advocates across Lenovo, supporting a culture where empathy and care are central to belonging.

“Inclusion starts with empathy for every part of a person’s life.”

Blagica’s message for International Day of People with Disability is clear: inclusion must extend beyond physical accessibility to embrace emotional wellbeing and human connection.

Transforming Workplaces with Integrative Accessibility

John Lee, Accessibility Design & Research, Group Operations – Morrisville, United States

John Lee’s journey began with breaking barriers: as the first blind student in North Carolina to attend school full time, he learned early how persistence and advocacy can shape opportunity. Today, John channels that same spirit at Lenovo, by helping to ensure that HR documents, digital tools, and internal platforms meet the needs of all employees.

From testing alt text and color contrast to optimizing screen reader compatibility, John’s work transforms potential barriers into efficiencies helping everyone, not just those with disabilities, access information more easily. As part of Lenovo’s Inclusive Product Design Office (IPDO), John collaborates closely with designers and engineers to embed accessibility into new product concepts from the very start, ensuring every innovation reflects the needs of diverse users. His efforts remind teams that accessibility isn’t a feature, it’s the foundation of truly inclusive design.

“Accessibility isn’t a checklist. It’s a shared responsibility.”

His team’s influence extends far beyond compliance, fostering a company-wide culture where designing for the edges improves experiences for everyone in the middle.

Challenging the Status Quo and Embracing Change

Elcimar Bertrame, Manufacturing Manager – Indaiatuba, Brazil

When Elcimar noticed communication challenges between hearing and deaf colleagues at Lenovo’s Indaiatuba site, he saw an opportunity for change. He introduced LIBRAS (Brazilian Sign Language) courses, which quickly gained momentum, over 100 employees have now learned to sign.

The impact was immediate: smoother communication, stronger teamwork, and a workplace where every employee feels heard and included.

“Inclusion is when everyone has a voice and a way to be heard.”

Sandy (Xuan Xuan) Wang, GM, SSG China ESG – Beijing, China

For Sandy Wang, inclusion begins with listening. She launched Lenovo’s PwD Listening Salons—a pioneering series of workshops that brought people with disabilities, NGOs, and Lenovo designers together to co-create inclusive technologies.

Through ten sessions, participants brainstormed new solutions and shared lived experiences that were brought into consideration Lenovo’s design roadmap, such as one idea from a student with a hearing-impaired to integrate charging functions into tablet stands. The program also inspired a shift in mindset among Lenovo’s designers, showing that inclusive design starts with empathy, not assumptions.  

“True inclusion means listening, learning, and co-creating.”

Sandy’s team also partnered with Beijing Union University’s Special Education College for three years, designing ESG-themed calendars and offering sign language classes to employees. The result: inclusion that’s not just policy, but creativity in action that continues to influence Lenovo’s ESG work across China and beyond.

For Elcimar, seeing colleagues sign naturally to one another, without interpretation, was the moment inclusion truly became part of daily life, woven into Lenovo’s culture on the factory floor.

Building a Culture of Accessibility and Belonging

These stories, from accessibility design in the U.S. to sign language training in Brazil and co-creation workshops in China, reflect Lenovo’s global commitment to ensuring that disability inclusion is woven into everything we do.

Through the Lenovo Disability Advantage strategy, our teams are not only removing barriers but reimagining what’s possible when technology, empathy, and innovation come together. Creating accessibility and belonging isn’t a one-time effort—it’s an ongoing journey powered by people.

As we celebrate the International Day of People with Disabilities, we honor these employees for leading the way toward a smarter and more inclusive future for all.
 

TOKYO, December 18, 2025 /3BL/ – Federal Express Corporation (FedEx), one of the world’s largest express transportation companies, has completed a series of employee-led community cleanups, collectively removing approximately 360 kilograms of litter. As part of the company’s ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship and giving back to local communities, 113 FedEx employees collected trash from parks, roadsides, and beaches in multiple locations, in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Osaka.

“Working locally to protect the environment reflects a shared commitment to future generations,” said Kei Alan Kubota, managing director of FedEx Japan. “At FedEx, we are dedicated to making a meaningful difference in the communities we serve. This cleanup initiative embodies how we can actively support local areas by fostering cleaner, safer environments for everyone.”

It is important to stop pollution at the source. Marine debris including plastic waste often begins on land. The total amount of plastic waste discharged from Japan into the ocean in Japan’s FY2024 was estimated to reach approximately 13,000～31,000 tons. Plastic waste in the ocean remains an urgent environmental challenge, threatening marine life and ecosystems.¹

This clean-up campaign reflects FedEx’s culture of giving back, where team members are encouraged to volunteer through its global community engagement program, FedEx Cares.

For more information about FedEx sustainability efforts and its commitment to a more environmentally responsible future, please click here.

¹ Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan

Click here to learn about FedEx Cares, our global community engagement program.

Originally published on December 16, 2025 on Sysco.com

HOUSTON, December 18, 2025 /3BL/ -Sysco Corporation, the leading global foodservice distribution company, is excited to share that nearly 10,000 colleagues around the world volunteered every day in November, making the company’s 3rd annual Purpose Month its most successful yet.

Thousands of colleagues from 339 sites in 9 countries participated in Sysco’s Purpose Month, impacting over 1,700 individual charities in an annual quest to ease global food insecurity.

“Sysco’s Purpose Month is further evidence of our commitment to helping to ease food insecurity, to supporting the communities we serve and to living our Purpose of Connecting the World to Share Food and Care for One Another,” said Devin Graves, Sysco’s director of community impact.

Sysco’s Purpose Month originated in Canada in November 2022, when colleagues from across that country’s 16 sites rallied together against a common goal to combat hunger in local communities and to boost their volunteering and donation efforts ahead of the holiday season.

That effort was so successful that Sysco decided to expand that program globally in 2023. Since then, Sysco colleagues have donated more of their time and product each year, for a total of over 80,000 volunteer hours in three years.

“I know this is only the beginning of what we can do to make a global impact in the communities where we work and live,” Graves said. “Our colleagues across the world are passionate about helping our communities and will continue to step up to show their support.” About Sysco

About Sysco

Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food and related products to customers who prepare meals away from home. This includes restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments, entertainment venues, and more. Sysco operates 339 distribution centers, in 10 countries, with 75,000 colleagues serving approximately 730,000 customer locations. The company generated sales of more than $81 billion in fiscal year 2025 that ended June 28, 2025.

As the world’s largest food-away-from-home distributor, Sysco offers customized supply chain solutions, bespoke specialty product offerings, and culinary support to drive customers to innovate and optimize their operations. We act as a trusted business partner to our customers, helping them grow through our industry-leading portfolio that includes fresh produce, premium proteins, specialty products, sustainably focused items, equipment and supplies, and innovative culinary solutions.   

For more information, visit www.sysco.com. For important news and key information for Sysco investors, visit the Investor Relations section of the company’s website at investors.sysco.com.

Follow us:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/sysco/
https://www.instagram.com/syscofoodie/
https://www.facebook.com/SyscoFoods
https://x.com/Sysco

SYY-NEWS

For more information contact:

Media Contact
Ramit Masti
Ramit.Masti@sysco.com
713-703-4898

View original content here.

Originally published on December 16, 2025 on Sysco.com

HOUSTON, December 18, 2025 /3BL/ -Sysco Corporation, the leading global foodservice distribution company, is excited to share that nearly 10,000 colleagues around the world volunteered every day in November, making the company’s 3rd annual Purpose Month its most successful yet.

Thousands of colleagues from 339 sites in 9 countries participated in Sysco’s Purpose Month, impacting over 1,700 individual charities in an annual quest to ease global food insecurity.

“Sysco’s Purpose Month is further evidence of our commitment to helping to ease food insecurity, to supporting the communities we serve and to living our Purpose of Connecting the World to Share Food and Care for One Another,” said Devin Graves, Sysco’s director of community impact.

Sysco’s Purpose Month originated in Canada in November 2022, when colleagues from across that country’s 16 sites rallied together against a common goal to combat hunger in local communities and to boost their volunteering and donation efforts ahead of the holiday season.

That effort was so successful that Sysco decided to expand that program globally in 2023. Since then, Sysco colleagues have donated more of their time and product each year, for a total of over 80,000 volunteer hours in three years.

“I know this is only the beginning of what we can do to make a global impact in the communities where we work and live,” Graves said. “Our colleagues across the world are passionate about helping our communities and will continue to step up to show their support.” About Sysco

About Sysco

Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food and related products to customers who prepare meals away from home. This includes restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments, entertainment venues, and more. Sysco operates 339 distribution centers, in 10 countries, with 75,000 colleagues serving approximately 730,000 customer locations. The company generated sales of more than $81 billion in fiscal year 2025 that ended June 28, 2025.

As the world’s largest food-away-from-home distributor, Sysco offers customized supply chain solutions, bespoke specialty product offerings, and culinary support to drive customers to innovate and optimize their operations. We act as a trusted business partner to our customers, helping them grow through our industry-leading portfolio that includes fresh produce, premium proteins, specialty products, sustainably focused items, equipment and supplies, and innovative culinary solutions.   

For more information, visit www.sysco.com. For important news and key information for Sysco investors, visit the Investor Relations section of the company’s website at investors.sysco.com.

Follow us:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/sysco/
https://www.instagram.com/syscofoodie/
https://www.facebook.com/SyscoFoods
https://x.com/Sysco

SYY-NEWS

For more information contact:

Media Contact
Ramit Masti
Ramit.Masti@sysco.com
713-703-4898

View original content here.