Tag: 3BL

As corporations around the world adopt ESG commitments publicly, there is the increasing demand from consumers, investors, regulators and the public for transparency and sustainable practices.

When entities claim that their products or services are “sustainable”, “carbon neutral” or “net-zero waste,” are their claims really substantiated? In some cases, these claims are not fully based on facts or substance.

Throughout this report, we explore the risks that unsubstantiated and misleading sustainability information can trigger for both corporates and governments.

With input from KPMG legal specialists in 24 jurisdictions around the world, this report also aims to illustrate the ways these jurisdictions tackle greenwashing, from specific regulatory measures to general regulations and jurisdictional greenwashing cases.

Greenwashing accusations may have relevant reputational and legal risks, and as international standards are being developed, the ever-evolving landscape is only adding to the challenges of greenwashing.

The Challenge of Greenwashing: An International Regulatory Overview

Download

NBCUniversal joined the 34th Annual EMA Awards, an annual celebration of sustainable production and environmental messaging in media, hosted by the Environmental Media Association. This year, NBCUniversal took home three awards for on-screen storylines:

Universal Pictures’ Twisters for Feature FilmUniversal Television’s Hacks for the Paul Junger Witt Comedy AwardBravo’s Top Chef for Reality Series

Another NBCUniversal nominee recognized for environmental messaging included E!’s Omg Fashun for Reality Series. The evening also honored Quinta Brunson, currently in development with Universal on a new comedy feature film.

The EMA Documentary Award winner Bad River from 50 Eggs Films premiered on Peacock on November 1.

In his acceptance speech for Twisters, director Lee Isaac Chung spoke about capturing the beauty of nature while navigating the challenges of shooting in Oklahoma during tornado season. Chung highlighted the efforts of Universal’s GreenerLight program and the sustainability team’s initiatives behind the scenes, including reducing the use of fossil fuels on-set and minimizing food waste.

Chung also recognized the scientists who served as advisors for the film as the “real heroes” for educating the filmmakers about tornadoes and climate science.

All of us are here because we love this place, we love this earth, and we want to be caretakers of it.

Lee Issac Chung

Director of Twisters

In addition to the awards, NBCUniversal earned 17 Green Seals and 32 Gold Seals, the latter an all-time high for the company. The EMA Green Seal program recognizes progress in sustainable production practices, including fuel reduction, reuse and recycling, sustainable building materials, LED lighting, food donations and more. EMA Gold Seals are a higher tiered recognition and demonstrate exemplary sustainable production practices.

65% of all NBCU EMA Seal recipients earned a Gold Seal, a record for the company, in part thanks to the launch of the NBCU Sustainable Production Standards aimed at moving the needle on fuel emissions and materials conservation on set by requiring minimum metrics be achieved. All film and TV productions that implemented these standards in 2024 received an EMA Gold Seal.

Below is the complete list of the NBCUniversal 2024 EMA Green and Gold Seal recipients, including our first sports production to be recognized – the NBC Olympics broadcast of the Paris 2024 Games.

2024 EMA Green Seals

*EMA Gold Seal winners, a higher tiered recognition.

Universal Pictures: Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy*, Love Hurts*, How to Train Your Dragon*, Him*, Wicked*, Atlantis*, Wolf Man* The KillerFocus Features: Downton Abbey 3*Universal Television: St. Denis Medical*, Bel-Air*, Laid*, Law & Order*, A Man on the Inside*, Loot*, The Equalizer*, Hacks*, Lopez vs Lopez*, FBI*, Mr. Throwback*, Chicago Med*, Chicago P.D.*, Chicago Fire*, Harlem*, Law & Order: Organized Crime, Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, Quantum Leap, The Irrational, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, FBI: Most Wanted, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, On Call, Saturday Night LiveUCP: Based on a True Story*, Chucky*, Hysteria!*, Teacup*Universal Television Alternative Studio: The Americas*, Scare TacticsUniversal International Studios: The Day of the Jackal*, Too Much*, Lockerbie: A Search for Truth*, Apples Never Fall*NBCUniversal Syndication Studios: The Kelly Clarkson Show, Access Hollywood, Access Daily, E! NewsNBC Sports: NBC Olympics – Paris 2024

A full list of EMA Nominees and winners can be found here.

The climate crisis grows more dire by the day. On our current path, it’s estimated that by 2041:

Climate change will cut all crop yields in half, impacting crops like rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, and more.3.9 billion people will face deathly heat waves,400 million people will be unable to work700 million more people will be exposed to drought risk10 million more people will die every year, including from natural disasters like droughtOver 525 million people could face climate-induced hunger.

This year, global leaders are gathering at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) to discuss new and innovative ways to tackle climate change and prevent global temperatures from further rising. From Nov. 11 through Nov. 22 in Baku, Azerbaijan, representatives from around the world will have the opportunity to take part in a critical movement to end the climate crisis.

“Marginalized communities are disproportionately affected by the crisis — but they have contributed least to greenhouse gas emissions,” said Alvin Munyasia, Action Against Hunger’s Advocacy and Communication Specialist. “Action Against Hunger is calling on the global community to ‘pay the climate debt’ by implementing justice and making sure every community has equal and fair access to climate mitigation and adaptation efforts, through publicly sourcing climate finance in the form of grants that don’t add to countries’ unsustainable debt.”

Munyasia said this is a crucial first step to ensure equitable support for vulnerable communities, especially those on the frontline of conflict and hunger. But it cannot be the only step.

A hotter world means a food-insecure world. By investing in a climate-smart future, moving away from fossil fuels, and recognizing the importance of gender equity, attendees and conscious citizens around the world can prevent hunger for generations to come.

This is especially important in Central America, where the livelihoods of countless families depend on substantial harvests. Agriculture is their primary source of income. Devastating floods, torrential downpours, dry spells, hurricanes, fires, and other natural disasters have become all too common. Extreme weather destroys entire fields, kills livestock, wipes out irrigation systems, and threatens rural towns and cities alike.

Central America’s Dry Corridor, which encapsulates Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, is especially at risk. Prolonged drought has drastically cut the grain reserves of smallholder farmers. Data from Action Against Hunger’s own Food Security Monitoring and Prediction System (PREDISAN) shows that 7 million people across Central America do not have enough food, and up to 25 million people resort to eating less to reserve their food.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) committee, an independent group of food security and nutrition experts from the United Nations, governments, and NGOs (including Action Against Hunger), have also sought to analyze hunger levels in the region. Their data suggests that up to 1.25 million people across El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua even face “crisis” levels of food insecurity, as well as 2 million in Guatemala. These individuals need urgent action to prevent deadly malnutrition. (See this graphic for further explanations of IPC levels of hunger).

Climate-resilient solutions are key to safeguarding future food security. Action Against Hunger is supporting communities across the region and launching innovative solutions to save lives. Here are stories from some of the inspiring men and women we support.

Environmental Initiatives in Honduras

In Trojes, Honduras, Action Against Hungers supports a women-led cooperative that was funded in 1990. All members work in sustainable, environmentally friendly agriculture initiatives. One of their main products is honey, and they work on its full production cycle — from sewing the beekeepers’ overalls to making beeswax to bottling honey and marketing it.

Sara Cerrato is the Cooperative’s Vice-President. In the last few years, she witnessed firsthand how climate change has impacted her community.

“I think that climate change does affect us to a great extent, especially in beekeeping,” she said, adding that the erratic weather patterns prevent the bees from pollinating.

One of her projects aims to reforest the communities to benefit the beehives. “We have planted fruit trees, we have cedar and mahogany on our personal farm, and we also have the cardamom area, which also helps a lot for the bees on the farms,” she said. “All of this is part of the reforestation… the cooperative plants to give to the people so that they can reforest and thus mitigate climate change.”

Santos Argentina Rodriguez is a cooperative member who specializes in making wax. She’s originally from the rural community of Los Milagros.

“The reality is that since I was very young, from the age of 11, I had to work by myself to support myself,” she said. “I didn’t even study because my father didn’t want to support us. I barely got past first grade, but thanks to God I got ahead.”

She said she helped her two daughters get through school as well, and now has a 13-year-old boy about to start ninth grade. “Thanks to God, the support of the cooperative, and the support of friends, I am where I am.”

Conservation Projects in Guatemala

Action Against Hunger is also working with communities in Guatemala’s Eastern Dry Corridor, where 50-year-old Alicia participates in the Arbol de Lluvia (Rain Tree) project. Developed by Action Against Hunger and the University of Jaen, this innovative system is remarkably simple in its design. The Rain Tree accumulates water from rainfall and gives it to soil when the ground grows dry. It hydrates the plant when the roots are desperate for water. In the first year of the project, the Rain Tree project facilitated a 16% increase in cassava production in five communities’ harvests.

Today, Alicia and her husband live next to one of the Rain Tree plots. Her daughter and grandchildren live nearby. The project has allowed them to produce a much better harvest. Action Against Hunger has also assisted Alicia by providing cash transfers; constructing a cooker, grinder, benches, and chicken coop for her house; and whitewashing her walls to insulate the house and prevent bugs and scorpions from hiding in the cracks.

“In these communities, the availability of water is very scarce, especially in community gardens,” said Gloria Coy, Action Against Hunger’s Project Manager of the Rain Tree Project. “This is an alternative to facilitate access to water for the crops we have in community gardens. Looking for production alternatives helps us to be resilient and combat climate change’s effects.”

Alberto Giovanni Martinez Salazar lives slightly farther south in Talquezal, Guatemala. He participates in Action Against Hunger’s reforestation initiatives with sheer dedication and determination. After excessive logging to plant other crops eroded the soil, Alberto and Action Against Hunger’s staff members are restoring the environment and teaching the community about conservation.

“The reforestation was an initiative of Action Against Hunger saw the need for reforestation because of the landslide. We wanted to stop it because it is a large area, more than three blocks had collapsed,” he said. “We saw the reforestation project as an opportunity.”

Alberto expressed gratitude for how the project not only protects the soil but safeguards nature for years to come. “It is important because forests are being lost and we are becoming aware of climate change,” he said. “It is affecting us too much, so I hope these initiatives continue to be taken and that we can, in this way, have a better planet — a greener planet.”

About Action Against Hunger’s Climate-Smart Initiatives in Central America

Action Against Hunger has been working in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua since 1996.

In Central America, Action Against Hunger supports local farmers and helps communities build resilience to climate change. We support families with coffee cultivation, growing and protecting crops like maize, beans, and even loofah, safeguarding against pests, climate-smart home and garden improvement, reforestation, conservation, beekeeping, honey-bottling, nursery maintenance, income-generating activities, and so much more.

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 21 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 59 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.

**

Photos by Gonzalo Hohr

Story by Ana Mora Seguara, International Communication Specialist and Kenneal Patterson, Senior Communications Associate

Originally published in Northern Trust 2023 Sustainability Report

Our Employee Volunteering Program

In 2023, Northern Trust employees set a record for volunteering. Year-round volunteering returned to pre-pandemic levels with our employees donating 106,000 hours of service. During the month of October alone, Northern Trust’s global month of service known as Achieving Greater Together, employees volunteered nearly 53,000 hours, supporting more than 1,700 organizations.

As part of our Achieving Greater Together program, we coordinated a wide variety of planned events for teams to volunteer together, while also allowing employees to do charitable work of their own choosing. Employees from Northern Trust locations around the world participated in events such as painting a shelter in India, beach clean-ups in Australia, caring for shelter dogs throughout the U.S. and delivering food to the elderly in the U.K.

Northern Trust also provides each employee with two paid days off to pursue volunteering efforts, and further donates 50 meals to those in need for every hour of each employee’s volunteerism in the month of October through The Global FoodBanking Network, European Food Banks Federation and Feeding America.

This year, thanks to the generosity of employees, Northern Trust contributed more than 2.6 million meals.

“Our employees logged a record-breaking level of volunteerism in 2023, which shows one measure of how important our communities are to our company,” said Northern Trust Chief Social Impact Officer Shana Hayes. “I’m also thrilled that in the city of Chicago, where we are headquartered, we launched our first annual Northern Trust Anchor Award, which aims to build the capacity of highly effective nonprofit organizations.”

These metrics and more details about our inaugural Northern Trust Anchor Award can be found in Northern Trust’s 2023 Philanthropic Impact Report.

Our Contribution to UMOM’s Mission

UMOM provides shelter, housing and services for people experiencing homelessness in Arizona, serving nearly 700 individuals every night. UMOM believes that every human being, no matter their status, deserves dignity, respect and a home, and they spend every day working to make that vision a reality. Employees from Northern Trust’s Phoenix and Tempe offices volunteered with UMOM several times in 2023, collecting supplies and creating hygiene kits and snack packs to support those experiencing homelessness in the Valley. “UMOM’s mission of ending housing insecurity and the way the organization goes about helping those in need is so compassionate,” Ladonna Corn, a Northern Trust project manager, said. “Volunteering with UMOM has had a valuable impact on my life.”

OUR COMMUNITY INVESTMENT AND PHILANTHROPY 2023 HIGHLIGHTS

Maintained an “Outstanding” Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) rating for the 28th consecutive yearCommunity investment portfolio exceeded $4.6 billionParticipated in a $6 million investment with GoodwillEmployees volunteered more than 106,000 hours

Read the full report here

Cummins

The industries Cummins Inc. powers play a critical role in impacting climate change. We have the opportunity and responsibility to leverage our expertise to develop sustainable solutions that enable our customers’ success, positively impact our communities and protect our planet for future generations.

The greatest opportunity Cummins has to meet our environmental goals is by continuing to execute Destination Zero, our commitment to sustainability and helping our customers navigate the energy transition while growing our business.

Unlike passenger cars, there is not a single solution that will work to decarbonize commercial and industrial applications. That’s why at Cummins, we are investing in a broad portfolio of technologies – not only as part of our environmental strategy – but also as a key component of our business growth strategy. We believe tech neutrality is the growth path into the next era of smarter, cleaner power, for three key reasons:

Markets in the commercial and industrial industries have diverse and unique challenges, needs and goals in decarbonizationWe can make a stronger impact by starting today with tech neutrality and a broad portfolio of solutionsThere is space to advance “current” technologies, such as fuel-agnostic internal combustion engines (ICE), to remain part of the solution in the future alongside new technologies

Serving diverse markets in this energy transition

We serve customers in some of the world’s most demanding and economically vital applications with a variety of use cases, duty cycles and power needs. The majority of these applications are vastly different from passenger cars in how they are used, the environments in which they operate and what drives buying decisions.

In addition, external factors beyond our control impact our customers’ journeys of reducing emissions while meeting their varied requirements. Some of these factors include the adoption of new technologies, stronger emission regulations and availability of lower-and-zero carbon fuels and infrastructure.

For example, the bus market has been one of the first to start the transition to battery electric solutions. This makes sense for a few key reasons:

many buses run on fixed, shorter routes, requiring a shorter range of chargebuses typically return to a central base every night, making charging more feasible without broad infrastructure buildoutthough the initial cost is higher for battery electric, customers in this space are motivated by municipal environmental goals, available incentives and lower maintenance and operating costs

Alternatively, a mine truck operates long hours carrying heavy loads under some of the most extreme conditions with temperatures ranging from +50C to -50C and altitudes exceeding 4200 meters. Operational efficiency is critical. Although most large mining companies have committed to sustainable mining and have set decarbonization goals inside the 2050 Paris Agreement targets, the path to zero in mining has very different requirements and timeline to buses.

It will take longer to advance economically viable zero-emissions technology to serve mining customer needs. We will likely see a number of potential solutions adopted over the coming decade. It will depend on the unique operational challenges and infrastructure at the mine location. These could include hybrid systems, alternative fuels, fuel cells and battery electric technology.

Finally, a heavy-duty truck in the long-haul trucking market often travels 300 miles per day – and will generally go over one million miles in its lifetime – all while carrying heavy payload in often challenging driving environments. Long-haul trucks also take widely varying cross-country routes and aren’t returning to a central base daily. These fleet customers are also committed to decarbonizing effectively and the regulatory environment will drive low / zero carbon solutions to the market. As such, low carbon fuels, hybrid and electric could play a role in this but infrastructure deployment will determine rate and pace of adoption and economics of operation.

By committing to offer a broad portfolio of power solutions, Cummins is able to provide the right decarbonization solution at the right time to the right customer.

Making an impact by starting to decarbonize today

We launched our customer-driven, multi-solution approach that includes advancing the company’s core business as well as developing new, zero-emissions solutions through Accelera™ by Cummins, in Destination Zero two years ago,

Cummins leaders clearly recognize that path to zero emissions would not be linear and highly influenced by external factors. We will need to invest in a range of technical solutions to make a significant impact across the short-, medium- and long-term. We must do so while continuing to drive economic growth and inclusion. We also need policies that set emissions goals and allow our business to develop the solutions to get there, using all available technologies including advanced diesel, natural gas, hydrogen, hybrid electric, battery-electric and fuel cell electric power. Government support is crucial for infrastructure, development, and deployment of new technologies.

Innovating lower-emissions advanced diesel and natural gas engine solutions together with efficient transmission systems, rather than waiting to go to market with fully zero-emissions solutions, will allow us to further cumulative carbon reduction by an estimated 1.4 gigatons – the equivalent of removing all trucks globally from the road for three years.

Cummins’ diesel and natural gas engines are among the most efficient products on the market and have significantly reduced emissions compared to predecessors from the 1980s. Combining this with integrated drivetrains and telematics data further improves the fuel economy of the vehicle. We continue to make remarkable strides in improving fuel economy and reducing the carbon footprint of our products.

Space for all technologies to fit in the energy transition journey

People usually refer to internal combustion engines as “old” or “current technologies”, while batteries and fuel cells are known as “new” technologies. Thinking about this challenge as a choice between “old” and “new” technologies is too binary to solve this issue over the coming decades.

External factors beyond our control impact our journey of reducing emissions, such as customer adoption or availability of lower-to-zero carbon fuels and infrastructure. That’s why Cummins is confident in our business strategy to continue offering a broad range of technology solutions to meet our customers’ needs.

Commercial vehicle markets are complex and require solutions to serve operational demands of customers and deliver on future sustainability goals. We are innovating across a range of products, and we believe there is considerable growth opportunity for both our core business technologies and those developed by Accelera throughout the energy transition and for many years to come.

Nasdaq

Review the results from a survey that gathered data from over 870 board members, executives, and governance professionals across organizations and industries globally. The diverse respondents offer a comprehensive view of corporate governance trends and practices and anticipated 2025 board priorities.

The goal of this report is to provide data and insights on corporate governance matters to help boards assess and improve their quality of governance and overall effectiveness across five key areas:

Board composition and cultureBoard evaluationsCEO evaluations and management oversightGovernance practices, processes, and toolsStrategic and risk topics on the horizon

Key Findings

Effective boards are premised upon prioritizing competencies that enable decision-making and oversight of important areas.

35% of survey respondents emphasize focus on AI and machine learning to enhance board composition and alignment with the organization’s strategy, along with cybersecurity and data privacy (34%) and technology and innovation (28%).

Regular board evaluations help drive continuous board improvement and good governance.

72% of survey respondents who conduct a board evaluation report the reason stems from the desire to increase the board’s effectiveness and only 8% of respondents report that shareholders, owners, or stakeholders require the board to conduct an evaluation.

Organizations benefit when CEO evaluations are designed to provide accountability and guidance for growth and long-term success.

Although 78% of survey respondents review the CEO’s achievement of performance goals defined in the compensation plan, only 50% regularly discuss the CEO’s performance.

Boards are implementing new meeting structures and tools that lead to greater efficiencies and deepen engagement.

73% of respondents indicate their board utilizes a hybrid meeting structure (in-person and virtual) and 47% report executive sessions occur at every board meeting.

The board can provide value to management in establishing strategic direction and overseeing execution of the strategic plan.

94% of survey respondents report their board monitors strategy execution, with 51% doing so through a defined framework with KPIs and 43% reviewing informal or periodic reports from management.

Download the report

AMSTERDAM, HONG KONG, and OAKLAND, Calif., November 13, 2024 /3BL/ – Cascale (formerly the Sustainable Apparel Coalition), the global nonprofit alliance for the consumer goods industry, and Worldly, the planet’s most comprehensive sustainability data insights platform, have published an analysis of California’s new climate laws, which are set to reshape corporate environmental reporting in the United States. The paper examines the implications of two key laws—the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (SB 253) and the Climate-Related Financial Risk Act (SB 261)—which will require businesses operating in California to disclose greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and assess climate-related financial risks.

This timely analysis provides critical insights for companies, especially in the consumer goods industry, as they navigate the increasing demands for transparency and environmental accountability. The paper offers a view into how Cascale’s Higg Index tools, exclusively available on Worldly, and the Product Impact Calculator can help businesses prepare for the regulations.

Why California’s Climate Laws Matter

California’s climate laws represent a major shift in corporate environmental responsibility, going beyond current federal standards and establishing new benchmarks for GHG emissions reporting in the United States. As California leads the way, businesses across the U.S. must prepare for these changes, which could influence future national and global reporting requirements.

“These laws are a critical step forward for addressing climate impacts, not just for the U.S. but globally,” said Elisabeth von Reitzenstein, senior director of policy and public affairs at Cascale. “California’s Climate Accountability Package arrives at a pivotal time, as businesses worldwide face growing pressure to demonstrate their climate commitments. By requiring companies to disclose GHG emissions across their entire supply chain, California is setting a new benchmark for transparency and accountability. While global harmonization remains our ultimate goal, we acknowledge national and regional specifics to ensure progress. Strengthening enforcement at the national level, while drawing on established global standards and industry initiatives, will therefore be key to driving meaningful progress on combating climate change.”

The analysis breaks down the core components of the legislation. SB 253 applies to companies with over $1 billion in revenue and mandates disclosure of Scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions, while SB 261 requires companies with at least $500 million in revenue to submit biennial climate risk assessments. These laws pose challenges for businesses with complex supply chains, such as those in the apparel, footwear, textiles, and wider consumer goods industries, as businesses must now track emissions data across their entire value chain. The report also explores the legal challenges to the laws and examines how the outcome of the U.S. Presidential election may impact broader climate regulations at the federal level.

The Time to Prepare Is Now

With key deadlines for compliance quickly approaching, businesses must take proactive steps to prepare. Cascale and Worldly are committed to supporting companies in understanding and meeting new requirements through practical solutions, industry expertise, and strategic guidance. The Higg Product Tools, the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM), and the Product Impact Calculator, exclusively available on Worldly, can help businesses prepare for the regulations as they understand where their supply chain emissions are coming from and identify opportunities for improvement.

“The California climate laws are part of the growing global pattern of holding businesses accountable for their environmental impacts,” said JR Siegel, VP of Sustainability at Worldly. “To understand their impact reduction opportunities and report Scope 3 emissions more accurately, businesses need primary data from across their entire supply chains.”

Download the Full Report Today

To support businesses in navigating these new regulations, Cascale and Worldly have made the full deep dive analysis available for download. This report details the Climate Accountability Package, including SB 253 and SB 261, and explores the impact of both laws on the apparel and footwear industry. It also offers guidance on how companies can begin preparing for these reporting requirements.

Button: Download the full publication.

ABOUT CASCALE

Cascale is the global nonprofit alliance empowering collaboration to drive equitable and restorative business practices in the consumer goods industry. Formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Cascale owns and develops the Higg Index, which is exclusively available on Worldly, the most comprehensive sustainability data and insights platform. Cascale unites over 300 retailers, brands, manufacturers, governments, academics, and NGO/nonprofit affiliates around the globe through one singular vision: To catalyze impact at scale and give back more than we take to the planet and its people. LinkedIn | X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

ABOUT WORLDLY

Worldly is the planet’s most comprehensive sustainability data insights platform, trusted by 40,000+ major brands, retailers, and manufacturers in fashion, outdoor, home goods, toys, and more. Worldly uniquely collects high-resolution primary data specific to companies’ value chains, operations, and products, providing insight into true impacts across carbon, water, chemistry, and labor. Featuring the most comprehensive source of ESG data for global manufacturers and the largest library of materials and product impacts, Worldly empowers businesses to scale responsibility into their global operations, faster and more accurately. Hosting, connecting with, and supporting the leading industry solutions and methodologies, including ZDHC, Bluesign, and the Higg Index — developed and owned by the global nonprofit alliance Cascale — Worldly delivers the insights businesses need to reduce their impact, comply with emerging regulatory and financial disclosure requirements, and meet the expectations of a new generation of customers. www.worldly.io

Sports have long served as a catalyst for inspiration, unity, and community empowerment. The influence of Latino leaders in this arena is more significant than ever, reshaping the landscape and redefining what it means to lead in sports.

This year, AEG’s Urel Martinez, Chief Revenue Officer of LA Galaxy, was recognized in Hispanic Executive’s prestigious 2024 Latinos in Sports annual series. Martinez was celebrated alongside 30 other distinguished sports executives, for his pivotal role in driving change and innovation within the industry.

“Being recognized among fellow Latinos in the sports industry is a testament to the power of diversity in driving success,” said Martinez. “Together, we can inspire the next generation of leaders and elevate our communities through business and sport.”

Under Martinez’s leadership, AEG’s LA Galaxy is coming off its highest grossing revenue season in club history.

To learn more about the Latinos in Sports annual series, please click here.

Sports have long served as a catalyst for inspiration, unity, and community empowerment. The influence of Latino leaders in this arena is more significant than ever, reshaping the landscape and redefining what it means to lead in sports.

This year, AEG’s Urel Martinez, Chief Revenue Officer of LA Galaxy, was recognized in Hispanic Executive’s prestigious 2024 Latinos in Sports annual series. Martinez was celebrated alongside 30 other distinguished sports executives, for his pivotal role in driving change and innovation within the industry.

“Being recognized among fellow Latinos in the sports industry is a testament to the power of diversity in driving success,” said Martinez. “Together, we can inspire the next generation of leaders and elevate our communities through business and sport.”

Under Martinez’s leadership, AEG’s LA Galaxy is coming off its highest grossing revenue season in club history.

To learn more about the Latinos in Sports annual series, please click here.

Alzheimer’s Intelligence project demonstrates how smarter AI can empower people and give different communities a voice around future innovation

November 13, 2024 /3BL/ – At Lenovo Tech World, Lenovo™ in collaboration with Innovations in Dementia, launched Alzheimer’s Intelligence, a photorealistic 3D avatar with custom AI based on the lived experiences of people with dementia and Alzheimer’s. This proof-of-concept project gives people and families navigating a diagnosis of dementia 24-hour access to a conversational avatar that offers curated advice that prioritizes accuracy, privacy, and compassion.

“Globally there are around 55 million people living with dementia, and that number is expected to reach 139 million by 2050,” said Dr. David Llewellyn, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology and Digital Health at the University of Exeter. “The AI advancements in Lenovo’s ‘Alzheimer’s Intelligence’ initiative demonstrate how technology has the potential to enhance human interaction, offering a valuable tool to support individuals living with dementia, both in the present and future.”

In this first-of-its-kind application, Lenovo pioneered the use of AI made possible by its comprehensive portfolio of technology solutions, from individual to enterprise. The combined technology aggregates firsthand experience and advice from hundreds of real people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s into a responsive, photoreal 3D avatar capable of having an unscripted, natural conversation. With this proof of concept, a person diagnosed with dementia is just a click away from a real-time conversational resource and aid.

“With recent and ever-growing advancements in AI, we must harness this technology purposefully and responsibly for communities that may be overlooked by innovative technology,” said Doug Fisher, Chief Security and AI Officer at Lenovo. “This is part of our commitment to delivering Smarter AI for All—developing and deploying technology that can empower everyone at every scale.”

The avatar was created from a composite of images of 10 people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s. From the initial pose of each image, generative AI extrapolated faces for several thousand other expressions and angles inspired by the subject. These were then aggregated into one dataset, which blends with the face of a filmed performer to create the image of “Liv,” the AI avatar.

A large language model (LLM) dataset of the advice Liv can impart was created using data that came directly from experiences of people living with dementia, including entries from Innovations in Dementia’s Dementia Diaries project and in-depth panel interviews. Each time a user asks a question (via Speech-to-text), the LLM queries the dataset to provide text-based answers to the user’s question, expressed using the language of the “persona” created for Liv, and based on the knowledge base built for Liv. The replies are then voiced using a vocal synth created for the project. “Sentiment analysis” is used to analyse the underlying feeling of the reply, which is reflected in the facial expression of the AI when it speaks. Finally, real time 4k visual AI is used to allow the speech generated by the vocal synth to appear to be spoken in real time.

Alzheimer’s Intelligence will allow people who have recently been diagnosed with dementia to ask the questions that only someone who has lived with the disease can answer, including understanding day-to-day challenges, discussing the disease with family, and exploring new hobbies. Crucially, the entire experience was designed to be accessible, requiring minimal tech expertise and prioritizing natural, familiar interaction.

The avatar is currently being trialled by people with dementia in a controlled environment with the goal of making it more publicly available in the future. The making of the project and initial interactions have been captured in the films linked below.

The Alzheimer’s Intelligence project offers a new way to easily access valuable insight sourced from data based on real people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s. While the information is wide-ranging, the development team took great care to apply clear guardrails to the AI and ensure no medical advice is offered by the avatar. This included working closely with Dr. Llewellyn and Innovations in Dementia, who both advised and consulted on the avatar build and testing.

The AI was trained and tested for this specific use case, and the project was designed and brought to life with Lenovo devices, services, software, servers, and cloud solutions. This is the first time ever that Lenovo AI-ready solutions have come together to develop an avatar of this kind. Devices and solutions include:

Lenovo’s tech partner Kaleida, who led the development of the avatar and underlying AI, leveraged Lenovo’s AI professional services to support the processes and securityThinkStation P7server, ThinkPad T14s Gen 6, and ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 AIPC laptops, as well as Lenovo Legion and ThinkVision monitors and accessories.

“When people are first diagnosed with dementia, they can feel lost, with so many questions about what is happening. This AI doesn’t replace human contact but what it does do is offer a knowledgeable and compassionate source of assurance and advice based directly on the experiences and wisdom of other people with dementia.” said Steve Milton, Director, Innovations in Dementia. “It’s great to see tech leaders like Lenovo prioritising such an innovative use of AI in a way that not only recognises and the expertise of people with dementia but harnesses it in such a unique way to support others when they need it most.”

Innovations in Dementia state that around 20% of people who come to them are under 65 and may live for many years with the condition. The NGO promotes a positive but realistic view of dementia: although it is life changing, it does not have to be life ending.

“We recognize the importance of giving everyone a voice in innovation,” said Doug Fisher at Lenovo. “With huge advancements in AI and smarter technologies, now is the time to explore and pilot creative new ways to use technology like AI thoughtfully and responsibly, for the greater good. Ultimately, it’s about re-imagining a future where technology is for—and from—all, giving everyone a voice in what they want from the most transformative technology of our generation.”

Gail Gregory and Ahmad Krayem, focus group participants comment:

“It’s so important to have real people involved in the creation of the avatar. Because the people with dementia are the experts. We’re the ones living with it. You can’t just grab things from a textbook because it’s not real. It must be real. And the more realistic it is the more relatable it is. I think it is going to be a very useful tool, especially for people living on their own because they’ve got nobody to ask,” Gail Gregory.“I want to help other people who have been recently diagnosed with dementia and reassure them that it is not something to be afraid of. A doctor can tell you what medication to take. But only people living with dementia, can tell you what they are exactly going through,” Ahmad Krayem.

The participants in this film include:

Gail Gregory: Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at age 55, Gail also subverts the commonly-held stereotypes of a person living with dementia. She can broach serious topics with humour, and is candid in her opinions and struggles.Ahmad Krayem: Ahmad was only diagnosed with early onset in his early 60s after insistence from his wife, who was a pharmacist, that he should go for a check-up. Ahmad found stopping work a big challenge and has been through a journey of denial and acceptance. He talks passionately about helping others who’ve gone through this.

Alzheimer’s Intelligence is a proof-of-concept tool and is not publicly available, but for anyone looking to hear from people living with Alzheimer’s or dementia diagnosis, can contact Innovations in Dementia (UK) or Alzheimer’s Association (US).

Examples of interactions with the avatar:

Q: I keep forgetting to take my pills. How can I remember?

A: It’s quite common to forget things like taking medication. Perhaps setting a routine could help, like taking your pills with a meal or at the same time each day. You could also try setting an alarm or reminder on your phone. There are pill organisers, too, which can be useful. Would one of those options suit you, do you think?

Q: How do I talk about my diagnosis with friends and family?

A: Talking about your diagnosis with friends and family can be a daunting task, but it can also help to bring support and understanding. Start by sharing how you feel today and maybe a bit about what you’ve learned about your condition. Encourage them to ask any questions, as this can help them understand what you’re going through. It’s okay to be honest about any fears or concerns you have, as well. Do you think that might be helpful?

About Lenovo

Lenovo is a US$57 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, ranked #248 in the Fortune Global 500, and serving millions of customers every day in 180 markets. Focused on a bold vision to deliver Smarter Technology for All, Lenovo has built on its success as the world’s largest PC company with a pocket-to cloud portfolio of AI-enabled, AI-ready, and AI-optimized devices (PCs, workstations, smartphones, tablets), infrastructure (server, storage, edge, high performance computing and software defined infrastructure), software, solutions, and services. Lenovo’s continued investment in world-changing innovation is building a more equitable, trustworthy, and smarter future for everyone, everywhere. Lenovo is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange under Lenovo Group Limited (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY). To find out more visit https://www.lenovo.com, and read about the latest news via our StoryHub.