Tag: 3BL

60% of the global population hand wash their clothing in rivers, streams, and buckets. While living and volunteering in a remote village in India, Nav Sawhney witnessed firsthand the immense burden this chore placed on women like his neighbor Divya. Determined to find a solution, Nav returned to the UK, founded The Washing Machine Project (TWMP), and created the manual “Divya” washing machine. However, TWMP faced challenges scaling its impact to reach more people who desperately needed it.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the Whirlpool Foundation had developed a similar off-grid manual washing machine, recognizing that this same laborious task deepens social inequities and stunts personal advancement. With the vast resources of Whirlpool engineers, the Foundation was well-equipped to produce these machines yet struggled to find an effective distribution method.

The subsequent, serendipitous collaboration between TWMP and the Whirlpool Foundation is yielding incredible impact at scale. We invited Nav Sawhney, Founder of TWMP, and Deb O’Connor, Managing Director of the Whirlpool Foundation, to speak about the origin of their “one plus one equals three” relationship, their human-centric approach to Whirlpool employee engagement, and the significant “unlock” their work together will have on women and girls worldwide, including Nav’s friend Divya and her family.

Listen for insights on:

The “Washing Divide” and its impact on inhibiting economic growth and social inequalityIntroducing employees to a social issue and inviting them to be part of the solutionBalancing empathy and action when working directly with beneficiaries

Listen to this and other episodes of Purpose 360 Podcast here.

Purpose 360 Podcast is a masterclass in unlocking the potential of purpose to ignite business and social impact. Hosted by Carol Cone, CEO of Carol Cone ON PURPOSE, Purpose 360 illuminates the impact of purpose, from engaging employees and fostering deeper consumer loyalty to inspiring product innovation and increasing market share.

Carol Cone ON PURPOSE (CCOP) is a pioneering social impact consultancy helping companies, brands, and nonprofits harness the power of purpose to advance their business and societal impact. CCOP’s proven approach, developed over decades and hundreds of purpose assignments, meets clients at any point on their purpose journey to unlock opportunities to build reputation, inspire and engage employees, ignite organizational culture for innovation and growth, while supporting the greater good.

Originally published on U.S. Bank company blog

When Donte Turnage started as a client relationship consultant at the Hyde Park Branch in Cincinnati two years ago, he was nervous and shy, he said.

On a teammate’s recommendation, Turnage joined a Thrive Thursday session, a virtual space for U.S. Bank team members to gather weekly to network, learn about company culture and strategy, and understand how they fit into the bigger picture.

“I felt like less of a newcomer after that first session, and attending helped me get rid of those nerves,” Turnage said. “Ever since then, Thrive Thursday has been an important part of my week. Regardless of what else is going on, I make it a point to attend.”

Each session begins with a subject matter expert sharing a presentation on topics from wellbeing and professional growth to spotlights on various parts of the business.

But the featured speaker isn’t the only contributor.

“The speakers are knowledgeable and passionate about their topics, and attendees are encouraged to participate in the chat throughout the sessions,” Turnage said. “If you ask a question, the speaker or another participant may jump in to answer. It’s a great way for team members from across the company to connect. We have a great sense of community.”

This sense of community has helped drive program growth. More than 1,000 team members attend virtually each week and frequent participants asked for more events and ways to connect with each other.

Thrive Thursday program leaders have set up in-person watch parties for team members to gather and experience sessions together. Sessions are followed by a Q&A and networking, allowing attendees to meet new teammates from areas around the company.

While the name calls for sessions to be held on Thursdays, program managers have received an outpouring of requests for more topics and opportunities to learn. On select weeks, multiple topics are shared on different days.

The off-day sessions haven’t decreased the attendance during regularly scheduled Thursday events, program managers said. Instead, the additional presentations are attracting as many as an additional 1,000 attendees.

Thrive Thursday host Sam Gonsalves said Thrive Thursday has been successful because she asks participants what they want to see next, as well as when and how they want to engage.

“We give team members the opportunity to lead their own development,” Gonsalves said. “More than anything, we want them to feel a sense of belonging and connect to our company strategy, culture and each other.”

Originally published on August 19, 2024 on sysco.com

HOUSTON, September 10, 2024 /3BL/ – Sysco Corporation (NYSE:SYY), the world’s largest food distributor, today announced its comprehensive plan to support the Food Traceability Rule, issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

The new Food Traceability Rule mandates establishing a traceability recordkeeping system for certain foods to facilitate faster identification and rapid removal of potentially harmful products from the market. Effective summer of 2024, Sysco will begin to implement advanced traceability measures to ensure its food products’ safety, quality and transparency from farm to table.

“Sysco is dedicated to leading the industry in food safety to protect our customers and our communities,” said Charles Leftwich, Sysco’s Vice President of Food Safety and Quality Assurance. “As the industry leader, we’re not just working toward our own regulatory compliance, we’re also taking steps to help our suppliers comply.”

Key Components of Sysco’s Traceability Initiative:
  
Strong Partnerships: To bolster its traceability efforts, Sysco will partner with iFoodDS, a leader in traceability, food safety and quality management solutions. This collaboration will give Sysco’s extensive supplier network flexible, interoperable and pragmatic options for sharing data required by FSMA 204.

Enhanced Digital Tracking Systems: Sysco will leverage state-of-the-art digital technologies to streamline product tracking through every stage of the supply chain to provide real-time visibility and ensure the integrity of traceability data.

Supplier Collaboration: Sysco will work closely with its vast network of suppliers to implement traceability practices. Sysco in partnership with iFoodDS will provide education and guidance to align supplier processes with Sysco’s traceability standards.

Customer Support: Sysco is committed to supporting its customers with an effective solution that provides clear and accessible information regarding the traceability of its products.

Continuous Improvement and Compliance: Sysco will establish an internal task force to monitor compliance and continuously improve traceability processes. This team will ensure that Sysco remains at the forefront of food safety and regulatory adherence.

About Sysco
Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. With more than 76,000 colleagues, the company operates 340 distribution facilities worldwide and serves approximately 730,000 customer locations. For fiscal year 2024 that ended June 29, 2024, the company generated sales of more than $78 billion. Information about our Sustainability program, including Sysco’s 2023 Sustainability Report and 2023 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Report, can be found at www.sysco.com.

For more information, visit www.sysco.com or connect with Sysco on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SyscoFoods. For important news and information regarding Sysco, visit the Investor Relations section of the company’s Internet home page at investors.sysco.com, which Sysco plans to use as a primary channel for publishing key information to its investors, some of which may contain material and previously non-public information. In addition, investors should continue to review our news releases and filings with the SEC. It is possible that the information we disclose through any of these channels of distribution could be deemed to be material information.

For more information contact:

Media Contact
Matt Stewart
Matt.Stewart@sysco.com
281-584-1390 

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Saint-Gobain North America, through its subsidiary Saint-Gobain Life Sciences, has enhanced operational practices and upgraded key equipment at its facility in Akron, Ohio, saving nearly 21,000,000 gallons of water over the past two years, the equivalent of 32 Olympic size swimming pools.

The project, which was honored as a top sustainability initiative for Saint-Gobain North America for 2023, is part of the company’s continued efforts to implement its global Grow and Impact strategy, which includes ambitious environmental sustainability goals, such as reducing the company’s consumption of energy and water and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

By taking a World Class Manufacturing approach to sustainability, the Akron plant, which began operations in 1991, was able to take a series of small steps that made a large impact on its environmental footprint. These steps included the installation of a smart water metering system to evaluate water usage, the recent addition of tools to help automate water in the extrusion department, and methods to control flow and temperature in the compounding department allowing for the cooling of products with less water.

“As we work to continuously provide high performance solutions and products that create a better life, it is vital that we consider all ways to reduce the environmental impact of our operations,” said Sung Yu, CEO of Saint-Gobain Life Sciences. “I applaud the efforts of our Akron facility on this project, which proves that small changes brought together can have a great impact. This is a true embodiment of our Purpose- “To Make the World a Better Home.’”

This project follows several other recent actions taken by the company to solidify its commitment towards sustainability:

In August, Saint-Gobain enhanced operational practices at its glass mat plant in Charleston, South Carolina, saving over 4,500 MWh of energy.In July, Saint-Gobain announced that it will save over 10 million gallons of water per year through the installation of smart water submetering systems and other equipment upgrades at its CertainTeed Siding facility in Jackson, Michigan.In April, Saint-Gobain achieved Core Living Building Ready designation from the International Living Future Institute for its CertainTeed Innovation Center in Malvern, Pennsylvania.In March, Saint-Gobain announced that its CertainTeed Siding business had reduced manufacturing related emissions by 96% at three facilities in the United States.In February, Saint-Gobain completed the installation of a heat recovery system at its gypsum facility in Vancouver, British Columbia, which will lead to a 15% reduction in Scope 1 carbon emissions.In September 2023, Saint-Gobain signed a 15-year, 100 MW power purchase agreement with TotalEnergies for the purchase of solar power, expected to offset Saint-Gobain North America’s CO2 emissions from electricity by 90,000 metric tons per year.

With over 145 manufacturing locations in the United States and Canada, every current and future member of the company’s team plays a vital role in achieving its sustainability goals. A current list of job openings at all Saint-Gobain locations, including in Akron, can be found on the company’s career website.

About Saint-Gobain Life Sciences

Saint-Gobain Life Sciences designs and manufactures high-performance components and innovative solutions across a wide range of industries, including biopharmaceuticals, medical, electronics, food and beverage, and more. Supported by deep material expertise and a global manufacturing footprint, our focus on quality and compliance makes us a trusted partner for consistent, reliable, and sustainable solutions.

About Saint-Gobain

Worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial markets. Its integrated solutions for the renovation of public and private buildings, light construction and the decarbonization of construction and industry are developed through a continuous innovation process and provide sustainability and performance. The Group’s commitment is guided by its purpose, “MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME”.

€47.9 billion in sales in 2023 
160,000 employees, locations in 76 countries 
Committed to achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050

For more information about Saint-Gobain, visit www.saint-gobain.com and follow us on Twitter @saintgobain

Originally posted by Tara Nathan, Executive Vice President and Founder, Community Pass, Mastercard

Community Pass by Mastercard is committed to driving digital transformation of the agricultural sector, critical for the small holder farmer who lacks access to basic things like real seeds, $50 of credit to buy the seeds, and a buyer who will pay her on time and at market rates. The Community Pass digital platform provides a pathway for farmers and ecosystem partners to improve their market linkages, livelihoods, and overall food security in the face of global and climate challenges.

In recognition of this work and the contribution Community Pass is making to transform food systems worldwide, I am happy to share that we made the Top Agri-food Pioneers (TAP) List from the World Food Prize Foundation. Our team will continue to put our best efforts in each day to maximize our positive impact on the ground.

About Mastercard

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.

Originally published by Tara Nathan, Executive Vice President and Founder, Community Pass, Mastercard

Follow along Mastercard’s journey to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere.

Tammy Pearson, director of operations at our corrugated sheets plant in Denton, Texas, has been with Georgia-Pacific for more than two decades. Tammy attributes her success as a leader to being curious and frequently asking questions. Hear more about her journey and how she is inspired to motivate other women in their careers.

Georgia-Pacific

Based in Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific and its subsidiaries are among the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of bath tissue, paper towels and napkins, tableware, paper-based packaging, cellulose, specialty fibers, nonwoven fabrics, building products and related chemicals. Our familiar consumer brands include Quilted Northern®, Angel Soft®, Brawny®, Dixie®, enMotion®, Sparkle® and Vanity Fair®. Georgia-Pacific has long been a leading supplier of building products to lumber and building materials dealers and large do-it-yourself warehouse retailers. Its Georgia-Pacific Recycling subsidiary is among the world’s largest traders of paper, metal and plastics. The company operates more than 150 facilities and employs more than 30,000 people directly and creates approximately 89,000 jobs indirectly. For more information, visit: gp.com/about-us . For news, visit: gp.com/news

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This year, we’re among 42 organizations being recognized by Seramount as a Leading Inclusion Index Company. The recognition highlights the connections we foster, the opportunities we create for underrepresented groups and the sense of belonging we cultivate.

Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a research-based biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes innovative medicines in areas of unmet medical need. The company strives to transform and simplify care for people with life-threatening illnesses around the world. Gilead has operations in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California.

Originally published by Gilead Sciences

Whirlpool Corporation recently was named to the 2024 Seramount 100 Best Companies for Working Parents list. Seramount, a strategic professional services and research firm, rates companies for programs in categories such as paid time off and leaves; benefits and work-life programs; and workplace best practices.

“For more than 100 years our success as a company can be attributed to one factor, our people,” said Carey Martin, executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Whirlpool Corporation. “To ensure we have a talented, dedicated and diverse workforce, we must constantly evolve our programs to help improve the lives of our employees in and out of the office. We are honored to be recognized by Seramount as an organization leading the charge towards a more inclusive workplace, and we will continue to implement programs that support our organization’s working parents.”

The 2024 Seramount 100 Best Companies application includes more than 200 questions related to leave policies, benefits, childcare, advancement, flexibility, and more. It surveys the availability and usage of these programs, as well as the accountability of the many managers who oversee them. Company profiles and data come from submitted applications and reflect 2023 data.

To view the full list of Seramount’s 100 Best Companies winners, visit here.

About Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is a leading kitchen and laundry appliance company, in constant pursuit of improving life at home and inspiring generations with our brands. The company is driving meaningful innovation to meet the evolving needs of consumers through its iconic brand portfolio, including Whirlpool, KitchenAid, JennAir, Maytag, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, and InSinkErator. In 2023, the company reported approximately $19 billion in annual sales, 59,000 employees, and 55 manufacturing and technology research centers. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com.

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AllianceBernstein is honored to be recognized as a Best Place To Work 24 for Disability Inclusion! We are proud to have earned high scores on the Disability Equality Index in both the U.S and the U.K.

Learn more about the Disability Equality Index via Disability:IN at https://disabilityin.org/what-we-do/disability-equality-index/

AllianceBernstein

AllianceBernstein (AB) is a leading global investment management firm that offers diversified investment services to institutional investors, individuals, and private wealth clients in major world markets. We believe corporate responsibility, responsible investing and stewardship are intertwined. To be effective stewards of our clients’ assets, we strive to invest responsibly—assessing, engaging on and integrating material issues, including environmental, social and governance (ESG), and climate change considerations in most of our actively managed strategies (approximately 70% of AB’s total assets under management as of March 31, 2024). We also strive to hold ourselves as a firm to similar practices that we ask of issues. Our stewardship practices, investment strategy and decision-making are guided by our purpose, mission and values.

Our purpose—pursue insight that unlocks opportunity—inspires our firm to act responsibly. While opportunity means something different to each of our stakeholders; it always means considering the unique goals of each stakeholder. AB’s mission is to help our clients define and achieve their investment goals, explicitly stating what we do to unlock opportunity for our clients. We became a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) in 2011. This began our journey to formalize our approach to identifying responsible ways to unlock opportunities for our clients through integrating material ESG factors throughout most of our actively managed equity and fixed-income client accounts, funds and strategies. AB also engages issuers when it believes the engagement is in the best financial interest of its clients.

Because we are an active manager, our differentiated insights drive our ability to deliver alpha and design innovative investment solutions. Material ESG and climate issues are important elements in forming insights and in presenting potential risks and opportunities that can affect the performance of the companies and issuers that we invest in and the portfolios that we build.

Our values provide a framework for the behaviors and actions that deliver on our purpose and mission. Values align our actions. Each value emerges from the firm’s collective character—yet is also aspirational.

Invest in One Another means that we have a strong organizational culture where diversity is celebrated and mentorship is critical to our success. When we invest in one another, we empower our employees to reach their potential, so that they can help our clients realize theirs. This enables us to partner with clients to design and deliver improved investment outcomes.Strive for Distinctive Knowledge means that we collaboratively identify creative solutions to clients’ economic, ESG and climate- related investment challenges through our expertise in a wide range of investment disciplines, close collaboration among our investment experts and creative solutions.Speak with Courage and Conviction informs how we engage our AB colleagues and issuers. We seek to learn from other parts of our business to strengthen our own views. And we engage issuers for insight and action by sharing ideas and best practices.Act with Integrity—Always is the bedrock of our relationships and has specific meaning for our business. Unlike many other asset managers, we’re singularly focused on providing asset management and research to our clients. We don’t engage in activities that could be distracting, or create conflicts—such as investment banking, insurance writing, commercial banking or proprietary trading for our own account. We are unconflicted and fully accountable.

As of March 31, 2024, AB had $759B in assets under management, $528B of which were ESG-integrated. Additional information about AB may be found on our website, www.alliancebernstein.com.

Learn more about AB’s approach to responsibility here.

ST. PETERSBURG and TAMPA, Fla., September 10, 2024 /3BL/ – While restoration is a critical part of Duke Energy Florida’s and Tampa Electric’s everyday work and hurricane response plans, this is the first time the two local utilities have combined resources to protect Tampa Bay’s ecosystems and increase environmental resilience within the region.

Today, more than 40 volunteers, employees and environmental experts from Duke Energy Florida, Tampa Electric, Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) Florida, Hillsborough County’s Conservation and Land Management and Pinellas County’s Environmental Management Division, led a unique restoration project by simultaneously planting nearly 700 red and black mangroves at two locations impacted by tidal influence.

“Teaming up with our neighboring utilities, governmental leaders and key community organizations to prepare, protect and power our communities is not something new for our company and industry,” said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. “As we’ve learned from decades of storm response and service, collaboration is essential to addressing our communities’ most pressing needs. Today’s event is no different. We thank Tampa Electric, CCA Florida, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, among the many others, who are dedicated to keeping our communities safe, resilient and thriving.”

The two locations, EG Simmons Regional Park and Keystone/Carlton Road in Northern Pinellas County, were selected based on need, environmental factors and consultation with Hillsborough County’s Conservation and Land Management and Pinellas County’s Environmental Management Division.

“This project is a win for the shoreline, a win for our partners, and it reflects our continued commitment to environmental stewardship,” said Archie Collins, president and chief executive officer of Tampa Electric. “We are delighted to collaborate with like-minded neighbors – including Duke Energy Florida – to complete this important coastal resilience project.”

Florida’s mangrove ecosystems serve a vital role in the overall health of the state’s coastal estuaries. Mangroves reduce coastal erosion caused by storm surges and improve water quality by absorbing excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. Mangrove soils and roots also sequester carbon dioxide while providing habitat and refuge to a wide variety of fish and wildlife.

The mangroves are grown and donated by CCA Florida and the Duke Energy Crystal River Mariculture Center, a company-owned-and-operated environmental restoration and conservation center dedicated to rebuilding and maintaining Florida’s fish populations and habitats.

More than 30 years ago, the Duke Energy Crystal River Mariculture Center started as an environmental compliance requirement to operate nearby power plants and has since grown into one of Florida’s most successful fish hatcheries and conservation allies.

Instead of shutting down the operation when the power plants closed and the environmental requirement was no longer necessary, Eric Latimer, Duke Energy Florida’s manager of the Mariculture Center, found ways to work with nonprofits, universities and state agencies, like CCA Florida, among others, to rebuild and maintain Florida’s fish populations and habitats that were being impacted by declining water quality and disasters such as red tide and hurricanes.

To date, the Mariculture Center, with help from CCA Florida, has released nearly 5 million fish and crustaceans along Florida’s coasts and has donated approximately $200,000 worth of submerged aquatic vegetation for habitat restoration projects in lakes, springs and shorelines across the state.

For more information about the Duke Energy Crystal River Mariculture Center, click here.

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 12,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.

Tampa Electric

Tampa Electric, one of Florida’s largest investor-owned electric utilities, serves more than 840,000 customers in West Central Florida. Tampa Electric is a subsidiary of Emera Inc., a geographically diverse energy and services company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

CCA Florida

The Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) was founded in 1977 after drastic commercial overfishing along the Texas coast decimated redfish and speckled trout populations. One of 19 state chapters, CCA Florida became the fifth state chapter in 1985. A 501(c)3 non-profit, the purpose of CCA is to advise and educate the public on conservation of marine resources. Through habitat restoration projects, water quality initiatives and fisheries advocacy, CCA Florida works with its over 18,000 members including recreational anglers and outdoor enthusiasts to conserve and enhance marine resources and coastal environments. Join the conversation on Facebook or learn more at ccaflorida.org.

Duke Energy Media Contact: Audrey Stasko 
Media line: 800.559.3853 
Twitter: @DE_AudreyS

Tampa Electric Media Contact: Cherie Jacobs 
Cell: 813.334.7779 
Email: CLJacobs@TECOEnergy.com

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