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Aflac Releases 2012 Corporate Citizenship Report

05.23.2012 - 08:57AM

/PRNewswire/ - Aflac, the number one provider of supplemental insurance in the United States, and the number one life insurance company in Japan, in terms of policies in force, released its 2012 Corporate Citizenship Report today. The report, which covers 2011 up to March 31, 2012, represents the activities and events that demonstrate Aflac's strong commitment to its community, the environment and its employees.

"Like any company, Aflac survives on profits, but we thrive on principles," Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. "Our reputation as a good citizen and a company that cares is an important part of who we are, so I am pleased to share the accomplishments highlighted in this report that represent our commitment to customers, shareholders and our community."

Aflac's Corporate Citizenship Report focuses primarily on the company's commitment to diversity, sustainability and philanthropy in both the United States and Japan, where combined, the company serves more than 50 million people. Aflac believes that being a socially responsible company contributes to its continued strong performance as a business.

Highlights of the report include:

Aflac's strong commitment to diversity, including a workforce that includes 39 percent minorities, 67 percent women and 49 percent women at supervisor level or above,
Aflac's history of financial and human resource support for the Aflac Cancer Center ($70 million contributed as of Dec. 31, 2011),
Aflac's progress as a sustainable company, including entry to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America for the first time in 2011, and
Aflac Japan's commitment to children, the environment and their community.

ABOUT AFLAC
When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For more than 55 years, Aflac insurance policies have helped provide a safety net and given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance. In Japan, Aflac is the number one life insurance company in terms of individual policies in force. Aflac insurance provides protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For six consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2012, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For for the 14th consecutive year. Also, Fortune magazine included Aflac on its list of Most Admired Companies for the 11th time in 2012. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac, visit aflac.com or aflacenespanol.com.

Aflac, the number one provider of supplemental insurance in the United States, and the number one life insurance company in Japan, in terms of policies in force, released its 2012 Corporate Citizenship Report today. The report, which covers 2011 up to March 31, 2012, represents the activities and events that demonstrate Aflac's strong commitment to its community, the environment and its employees.

Highlights of the report include:

Aflac's strong commitment to diversity, including a workforce that includes 39 percent minorities, 67 percent women and 49 percent women at supervisor level or above,
Aflac's history of financial and human resource support for the Aflac Cancer Center ($70 million contributed as of Dec. 31, 2011),
Aflac's progress as a sustainable company, including entry to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America for the first time in 2011, and
Aflac Japan's commitment to children, the environment and their community.

ABOUT AFLAC
When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For more than 55 years, Aflac insurance policies have helped provide a safety net and given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance. In Japan, Aflac is the number one life insurance company in terms of individual policies in force. Aflac insurance provides protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For six consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2012, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For for the 14th consecutive year. Also, Fortune magazine included Aflac on its list of Most Admired Companies for the 11th time in 2012. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac, visit aflac.com or aflacenespanol.com.

Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1czF0)

BSR, Hilton Worldwide Launch Center to Help Business Make Sustainable Purchasing Decisions

05.15.2012 - 08:00AM

BSR and Hilton Worldwide launched the Center for Sustainable Procurement today to help global business procurement managers integrate sustainability into their purchasing decisions—providing a unique set of research and information that will help make sense of the increasingly available product sustainability data.

“Thanks to the important efforts of the Sustainability Consortium and a large number of industry and product-level programs, buyers now have access to more information on products’ sustainability attributes,” said Eric Olson, Senior Vice President, Advisory Services, BSR. “But they still lack the knowledge and guidance to use this new information alongside existing priorities like price, quality, and delivery. The Center will work to address these needs.”

Funded in full by Hilton Worldwide with day-to-day management by BSR, the Center will develop:

Research, case studies, and surveys on topics such as incentives for category managers, key issues for buyers to consider at the product level, the efficacy of third-party labels and certification, and more
Metrics analyses that focus on integrating sustainability into existing approaches such as “total cost of ownership”
Educational guidelines, webinars, and web content for companies to share with internal sourcing teams
One-on-one and collaborative consulting projects for a small group of BSR members to examine current purchasing processes, develop solutions for integrating sustainability into decisions, and share lessons collectively

The idea for the Center originated with the procurement and supply chain work BSR supported over a two-year period with Hilton Worldwide. Within its proprietary LightStay™ platform, the company developed an analysis and comparison tool focused on quantifying product sustainability to help inform buying decisions. The criteria looked at nearly 100 different measures, including core lifecycle-assessment components such as inputs, manufacturing, packaging, logistics, use, and end-of-life. In total, the company collected and assessed nearly 1,700 SKUs across multiple product categories such as food and beverage, property operations, and rooms, representing more than US$165 million in spend.

“Hotels purchase a range of products to support a great guest experience, and our work is focused on getting past product scoring and marketing labels to help our buyers quantify sustainability as part of overall product quality and cost,” said Bill Kornegay, Senior Vice President, Hilton Supply Management, Hilton Worldwide. “Taking mattresses as an example, costs notwithstanding, our buyers must make a decision regarding sustainability in the procurement process, which currently includes metrics for quality, services, delivery, and costs. We see the Center as an incredible opportunity to help us develop robust sustainability metrics to aid the buyer in making the best decision possible.”

Having worked for two decades with companies on a range of sustainability challenges and opportunities, BSR views the Center as a chance to increase the scale of its work on sustainable supply chains. “The Center for Sustainable Procurement gets to the heart of what we do at BSR: We work with companies to catalyze sustainability solutions that make a difference across multiple industries globally—and we’re doing this with very practical, easy-to-use resources,” said BSR’s Olson.

About BSR

BSR works with its global network of nearly 300 member companies to build a just and sustainable world. From its offices in Asia, Europe, and North and South America, BSR develops sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration. Visit www.bsr.org for more information about BSR’s more than 20 years of leadership in sustainability.

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide is the leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. For 93 years, Hilton Worldwide has offered business and leisure travelers the finest in accommodations, service, amenities and value. The company is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences across its global brands. Its brands are comprised of more than 3,800 hotels and timeshare properties, with 630,000 rooms in 88 countries and include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages the world-class guest reward program Hilton HHonors®. Visit www.hiltonworldwide.com for more information and connect with Hilton Worldwide at www.facebook.com/hiltonworldwide, www.twitter.com/hiltonworldwide, www.youtube.com/hiltonworldwide, www.flickr.com/hiltonworldwide and www.linkedin.com/company/hilton-worldwide.

New Report: Wireless Products and Services Help Drive Socioeconomic Change

05.10.2012 - 06:37PM

Wireless products and services are a powerful agent of social change that provide billions of people around the world with anytime, anywhere access, according to a report released today by BSR and commissioned by CTIA-The Wireless Association. The “Socioeconomic Impacts of Wireless Technology” report cites a variety of case studies and uses on the adoption of, and trends in, wireless-enabled applications for finance, healthcare, education, and community engagement.

Mobile Finance: Around the world, there are billions of “underbanked” or “unbanked” people, but thanks to wireless technology, they have access to market information and banking services so they receive a fair price for their goods and services and protect their money.
Mobile Health (mHealth): From remote monitoring to disease management, wireless technology is helping improve healthcare outcomes and address the healthcare worker shortage. In the United States, chronic disease treatment costs more than US$1.4 trillion each year, but using mHealth could mean a savings of more than US$21.1 billion per year.
Mobile Education: By using mobile technology, interactive learning may happen at any time and virtually anywhere. Technology-based instruction can reduce the time it takes students to reach learning objectives by 30 to 80 percent.
Community Empowerment: Wireless technology empowers citizens around the world to create and interact with their communities and the world, hold their political leaders accountable, and organize for social, political, and economic change.

The report also highlights the role that licensed spectrum availability and the world’s 6 billion mobile connections have played in encouraging innovators to develop a range of applications.

“The wireless industry has already revolutionized the way we communicate, and we’re now seeing how it’s improving almost every other industry by making them more productive and efficient, and it’s changing peoples’ lives for the better all over the world,” said Steve Largent, president and CEO of CTIA. “In order to continue the great innovations that Americans and the rest of the world have come to expect from the U.S. wireless industry, our members must have access to spectrum so they may continue to create new products and services that will benefit individuals in developing and developed countries.”

“This report highlights just some of the exciting possibilities to meet urgent social needs,” said Marshall Chase, Manager, Advisory Services, BSR. “There are rapidly growing opportunities for people to create vibrant new communities, connect with critical services, and improve their quality of life using wireless technology. To ensure these benefits, the industry will have a critical role to play in providing access at an affordable price.”

The “Socioeconomic Impacts of Wireless Technology” report builds on BSR and CTIA’s 2011 report, “Wireless and the Environment.”

About CTIA-The Wireless Association
CTIA-The Wireless Association (www.ctia.org) is an international organization representing the wireless communications industry. Membership in the association includes wireless carriers and their suppliers, as well as providers and manufacturers of wireless data services and products. CTIA advocates on behalf of its members at all levels of government. The association also coordinates the industry’s voluntary best practices and initiatives, and sponsors the industry’s leading wireless tradeshows. CTIA was founded in 1984 and is based in Washington, D.C.

About BSR
BSR works with its global network of nearly 300 member companies to build a just and sustainable world. From its offices in Asia, Europe, and North and South America, BSR develops sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration. Visit www.bsr.org for more information about BSR’s more than 20 years of leadership in sustainability.

Bombardier Publishes its 2011 CSR Report-All Aboard

05.09.2012 - 11:00AM

(Marketwire) - Today Bombardier Inc. (TSX:BBD.A)(TSX:BBD.B) published its 2011 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, entitled All Aboard, presenting the Company's CSR activities over the past year.

All Aboard represents the fifth annual CSR Report Bombardier has published.

"While 2011 marked the fifth year of CSR reporting at Bombardier, we've always engaged in best CSR practices as part of our daily activities. We're determined to build on our five-year legacy of complying with the highest international CSR reporting requirements and to continue embedding CSR in everything we do," said Pierre Beaudoin, President and Chief Executive Officer, Bombardier Inc.

In addition to its 2011 CSR Report, Bombardier's dedicated website, www.csr.bombardier.com, has been fully updated, completing its CSR reporting and featuring the latest comprehensive information on performance, as well as photos, videos and a new look and feel.

Bombardier's 2011 CSR Report, in conjunction with www.csr.bombardier.com, has been developed in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) 3.1 standards of reporting. Bombardier self-declares its report to GRI Application Level B. The 2011 GRI content index is available at www.csr.bombardier.com/gri

Highlights from 2011 include:

implementing the Global Talent Roadmap to address changes in the talent landscape
investing in products like the CSeries commercial aircraft and ECO4 rail technologies, setting new standards of energy efficiency
ensuring that environmental concerns are addressed from the earliest stages of product development with the Design for Environment program
implementing the Bombardier Green Fund to elicit and leverage the best site-submitted initiatives to improve energy efficiency and overall environmental performance
developing supply chain compliance programs and establishing new supplier recognition programs
enhancing the Bombardier 3E approach: Education, Environment and Entrepreneurship, focusing the organization's community involvement around its core values and competencies
following Sustainable Asset Management's (SAM) Corporate Sustainability Assessment, listing on both the Dow Jones Sustainability North America and World Indexes, benchmark indicators of sustainability, for the fifth consecutive year
recognized as the SAM 2011 Sector Mover in the SAM Sustainability Yearbook 2012, ranking within the top 15% of the Aerospace & Defence sector and achieving the largest proportional year-over-year improvement in sustainability performance; received the SAM Gold Class award, ranking within 1% of the Sector Leader's score

Bombardier Inc.

A world-leading manufacturer of innovative transportation solutions, from commercial aircraft and business jets to rail transportation equipment, systems and services, Bombardier Inc. is a global corporation headquartered in Canada. Its revenues for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, were $18.3 billion, and its shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). Bombardier is listed as an index component to the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America indexes. News and information are available at www.bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.

Notes to Editors

The CSeries aircraft are in the design phase. All data and specifications are estimates, subject to change in family strategy, branding, capacity and performance during the design, manufacture and certification process. Performance has been estimated based on a 500-nm North American operating environment.

Bombardier, CSeries and ECO4 are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.

Northern Trust Publishes 2011 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

05.08.2012 - 12:33PM

Northern Trust Corporation (NASDAQ: NTRS), a leading provider of financial services for institutions, affluent individuals and families, released its second annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report today, detailing 2011 global initiatives and setting CSR goals for 2012.

“Being a socially responsible corporation can manifest itself in many ways – all of which ultimately help make life better for our clients, shareholders, partners and the communities we serve,” Northern Trust Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Frederick H. Waddell said. “Whether promoting environmental stewardship, creating innovative initiatives to serve communities and people at risk, or improving client and partner satisfaction, a rigorous CSR program ensures that we set priorities to best reflect our principles of service, expertise and integrity.”

Highlights from the report during 2011 include:

187,000 volunteer hours donated to organizations by Northern Trust staff globally.
$48 million spent with minority and women-owned firms in the U.S., a 6 percent increase from 2010.
$13.9 million cash contributions to charities and civic organizations worldwide.
a 3.75 percent reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions per full-time-employee.

Northern Trust also announced CSR goals for 2012, including efforts to:

Reduce paper consumption by 25 percent.
Achieve emissions reductions of 3 percent per full-time-employee, based on 2011 baseline.
Introduce a broader array of responsible investing investment solutions. Currently, Northern Trust manages approximately $17 billion in socially screened strategies.
Conduct review of Human Rights standards for critical and key suppliers.

“Corporate social responsibility – combined with strategic stakeholder engagement – is smart business,” said Connie Lindsey, executive vice president and head of Corporate Responsibility. “We believe CSR creates measurable growth and value as a fully integrated part of our business strategy.”

As part of Northern Trust’s 2011 efforts, a Global Productivity Council developed a sustainable corporate-wide process to identify, drive and measure efficiency-improvement ideas. Local councils were organized around business units, functions and regions to ensure integration into the ongoing management of the business. Staff worldwide generated more than 1,100 ideas for review and possible execution.

Northern Trust is widely recognized for corporate excellence. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency, “CEO commitment is the single most important component in establishing a successful corporate diversity strategy.” In 2011, Waddell was named to the “CEO Leadership Circle of Excellence” by the Minority Business Development Agency of the United States Department of Commerce.

Other Northern Trust rankings include:

One of the World's Most Admired Companies, Fortune magazine
Best Private Bank – U.S., Financial Times Group
Top 50 Companies for Executive Women for Third Consecutive Year, National Association for Female Executives (NAFE)
100 Best Companies for Working Mothers, Working Mother magazine, 20th Year on the List
One of the Top 50 Companies for Latinas to Work for in the United States, Latina Style magazine, Fifth Consecutive Year
Ranked No. 11 in the 50 Out Front Companies for Diversity Leadership: Best Places for Diverse Managers to Work and Top 10 Best in Class Category for: Representation, Diversity MBA Magazine
Top 5 Overall Companies for Asian American Professionals, Best Places for Asians to Work, National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP)
Henry Betts, M.D. Employment Advocacy Champion Award, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
2011 Top Corporate Citizens of Metropolitan Chicago, United Way Chicago
Named to the World and North American Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) based on corporate sustainability performance.

Northern Trust was one of just two large U.S. banking institutions that did not cut shareholders’ dividends during the financial crisis and maintained its dividend for the 115^th consecutive year in 2011, which also was Northern Trust’s 24^th year of consecutive annual profits. Northern Trust strives to invest 1.5 percent of pre-tax profits in social initiatives. In the last five years, Northern Trust corporate philanthropy has contributed more than $72.6 million in support of nonprofit organizations worldwide.

Northern Trust’s CSR report complies with reporting standards of the Global Reporting Initiative™, an organization that pioneered the world’s most widely used sustainability reporting framework. Northern Trust also worked with Deloitte & Touche LLP to validate the report’s factual accuracy in an external assurance report. Northern Trust's adherence to GRI’s framework, its numerous disclosures, and third-party review earned it a B+ reporting level from GRI.

To view the full 2011 CSR report, a condensed highlights report or customized report for Northern Trust, visit here.

About Northern Trust

Northern Trust Corporation (Nasdaq: NTRS) is a leading provider of investment management, asset and fund administration, banking solutions and fiduciary services for corporations, institutions and affluent individuals worldwide. Northern Trust, a financial holding company based in Chicago, has offices in 18 U.S. states and 16 international locations in North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. As of March 31, 2012, Northern Trust had assets under custody of US$4.6 trillion, and assets under investment management of US$716.5 billion. For more than 120 years, Northern Trust has earned distinction as an industry leader in combining exceptional service and expertise with innovative products and technology. For more information, visit www.northerntrust.com or follow us on Twitter @NorthernTrust.

Nike, Inc. Introduces New Targets Elevating Sustainable Innovation Within Business Strategy

05.03.2012 - 09:17AM

NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) today released its FY10-11 Sustainable Business Performance Summary which introduces its new targets and outlines its progress against key business, labor and environmental goals. The company also discusses the key challenges and its strategy for its work ahead, demonstrating its commitment to a more transparent and sustainable future.

Nike’s long-term strategic vision – to decouple profitable growth from constrained resources – is underscored by new targets and commitments, including a company-wide commitment to further integrate sustainability principles into its innovation processes, governance and portfolios. The work ahead is structured in two levels: continuous improvement targets against key impact areas to “make today better” and broader innovation commitments to “design the future” that establish how Nike is approaching longer-term change.

“Nike is known globally for our innovative performance products and sustainability has now increasingly become core to our business approach,” said NIKE, Inc. President & CEO Mark Parker. “We have continuously invested in reducing our environmental and social impacts within our own business and supply chain and have made substantial gains over the last decade. We know we cannot achieve our bold sustainability goals simply by delivering incremental improvements. We need to deliver innovations that rapidly evolve the way things are done at Nike, in our industry and throughout business.”

Nike also unveiled its new factory rating system, the Manufacturing Index, which looks comprehensively at a contract factory’s total performance and includes a deeper look at how a factory approaches sustainability. This Index elevates labor and environmental performance alongside traditional supply chain measures of quality, cost and on-time delivery.

Within the overall Manufacturing Index, the company has developed an innovative Sourcing & Manufacturing Sustainability Index (SMSI) which assesses contract factory performance on sustainability measures including measures of lean, environmental performance (including water, energy and carbon, and waste), health and safety, and labor management factors. After more than two years of development work and concluding a successful pilot program, the SMSI is currently being rolled out across NIKE, Inc.’s global supply chain.

Nike’s report focuses heavily on the role of innovation, transparency and collaboration in addressing sustainability issues. The Summary shows that Nike achieved or made significant progress against most of its previous targets, including waste reduction in footwear manufacturing, utilizing its Considered Design Index guidelines in product design and implementing Human Resource Management training programs in contracted factories.

In some areas, including the reduction of excessive overtime at contract factories, progress was slower than targeted. Nike also changed its approach to some targets, including carbon emissions, based on deeper understanding of the challenges and to improve alignment with business strategy. Incremental progress against several targets was a key driver for Nike to redesign its factory evaluation and sourcing criteria to improve performance in the long-term.

Nike worked with Business for Social Responsibility to engage a panel of external reviewers with expertise across broad areas, including representatives from Non Governmental Organizations and academia to business, students and open data advocates, to assess its reporting and engage in discussion on its new set of sustainability targets. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Richard Locke, whose current research is focused on improving labor and environmental conditions in global supply chains, was one of the reviewers and said the process had been well-organized, rigorous and transparent.

“I have been impressed by Nike’s willingness to engage in constructive debate over what is feasible and what is aspirational,” Locke said. “This is a company that takes a leadership position and has clearly learned the value of partnership and that collaboration is a business opportunity, not a risk.”

Some of the key results against the last goals Nike set include:

The number of factory audits showing serious, repeated violations has remained low, at about 5 percent over the past five years. The number of contract factories with unknown conditions has decreased from 48 percent in FY09 to 8 percent in FY11, due in large part to increased monitoring against NIKE, Inc.’s Affiliate base.
Human Resource Management training was conducted in 79 percent of focus contract factories (76 of 98) which covered 94 percent of footwear volume, 43 percent of apparel volume.
CO₂ emissions from contract footwear factories used to source NIKE Brand product were down 6 percent from FY08-FY11, despite a 20 percent increase in production.
97 percent of NIKE brand footwear achieved a baseline level or better on Nike’s Considered Index.

“Since we began setting targets years ago, we’ve learned the greatest opportunity to drive change is in the areas where we have the most impact,” said NIKE, Inc. Vice President of Sustainable Business & Innovation, Hannah Jones. “We know our materials create our greatest environmental impact. We control the design so this is where we began to focus when we rolled out our Considered Design ethos in 2009. We are now applying this same discipline and rigor in designing sustainability into the way we source and manufacture our products.”

Nike first began reporting its environmental and social performance around key impact areas including waste, water, energy, toxics, climate and labor in 2001. With improvements in measurement and data, and achievement of some targets, the company continues to reexamine its targets and approach as it has learned more about root causes of issues and where it can bring about the greatest change.

The next phase of sustainability performance targets released in its latest report include:

Product Design – All product improves environmental profile as measured on Sustainability indexes evolved from our Considered Design ethos and indexes. By end of FY15, all new NIKE Brand global footwear will achieve silver rating and all new NIKE Brand global apparel will achieve bronze rating.
Climate/Energy - Achieve 20 percent reduction in CO₂ emissions per unit from FY11 levels through FY15 (from assessed footprint in built environment, inbound transportation and footwear manufacturing).

Labor – Source by end FY20 only from contracted factories that demonstrate their commitment to workers and sustainability by achieving minimum Bronze on our Sourcing & Manufacturing Sustainability Index, which includes measures of worker rights and protections, including health and safety, and progressive movement toward the Fair Labor Association’s definition of a “fair wage” approach.

Chemistry - Achieve zero discharge of hazardous chemicals* for all products across all pathways in our supply chain by 2020.

Water - Improve efficiency by 15 percent per unit in apparel materials dyeing and finishing, and footwear manufacturing (from FY11 through FY15).

Waste - Achieve 10 percent reduction in waste from manufacturing across NIKE, Inc. and shoebox weight per unit (from FY11 baseline through FY15), building on waste reduction in footwear manufacturing of more than 35 percent per pair in first 10 years of program.

Community - Invest a minimum of 1.5 percent of pre‐tax income in communities annually.

In conjunction with the release of its report, Nike has launched an interactive web experience at www.nikeinc.com enabling users to explore Nike’s value chain and learn more about its progress and commitments against each impact area. It also provides tools where users can design footwear and clothing, check the environmental impact of various material selections and explore the company’s global contracted manufacturing base with an interactive map.

* Hazardous chemicals are those that show intrinsically hazardous properties (persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic; very persistent and very bio-accumulative; carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic for reproduction; endocrine disruptors; or equivalent concern), not just those that have been regulated or restricted in other regions.

About NIKE, Inc.

NIKE, Inc. based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly-owned NIKE subsidiaries include Cole Haan, which designs, markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories; and Umbro International Limited, which designs, distributes and licenses athletic and casual footwear, apparel and equipment, primarily for global football (soccer).

Video: Sales, Profit, Consumer Cost Impacts of New 54.5 MPG Standards

05.02.2012 - 03:41PM

A new video explains the profits, sales and consumer cost impacts of the proposed 54.5-MPG federal fuel economy standards, which are set to be finalized this summer. Under the proposed standards, the average new vehicle in 2025 will achieve roughly twice the fuel economy than the average vehicle on sale today.

In the new video, top automotive experts explain:

Why the automotive industry will likely earn an extra $4.76 billion in 2020 under the standards and see a four percent uptick in sales
Why American automakers will likely enjoy the biggest percentage increase in profits (six percent), pulling in an extra $2.44 billion dollars in 2020 under the standards
How the standards will impact consumers
What technologies will be used to meet the standards

These findings are contained in a new report, “Fuel Economy Focus: Perspectives on 2020 Industry Implications” - produced by Citi Investment Research in partnership with Ceres.

Link to video: https://vimeo.com/40543772

The video, which is available for uplink on websites and blogs, features:

Walter McManus, research professor in the School of Business Administration at Oakland University, co-author of the Citi Investment Research report, “Fuel Economy Focus: Perspectives on 2020 Industry Implications”
Alan Baum, principal for Baum and Associates, co-author of the Citi Investment Research report
Dan Meszler, principal researcher for Meszler Engineering Services, co-author of the Citi Investment Research report
Carol Lee Rawn, Ceres Transportation Program director, co-author of the Citi Investment Research report

For technical assistance in uploading the video revealing the findings of Fuel Economy Focus: Perspectives on 2020 Industry Implications, please contact Brian Sant at sant@ceres.org.

New BSR Report: Companies Roll up Their Sleeves on Ecosystem Services

05.02.2012 - 08:00AM

With an increasing number of companies and public agencies evaluating their impacts on ecosystem services—the flows from natural systems that provide raw materials for business—BSR’s new report outlines trends and emerging activities to help companies understand why and where they can begin to integrate this concept into their strategic decisions.

“Based on our tracking of this issue across academic, NGO, and public and private sectors since 2007, it is clear that the concept of ecosystem services has finally come of age,” said Linda Hwang, BSR’s Research Manager and co-lead of BSR’s Ecosystem Services Working Group.

Business exploration of ecosystem services is occurring because of questions from government agencies, scrutiny from investors, and a desire by companies to maintain a leadership position within their sector. BSR’s interviews with corporate managers—the first in-depth, corporate interviews ever conducted on ecosystem services—revealed that companies are exploring the importance of this concept as never before. More specifically, executives from the oil and gas, mining, chemicals, entertainment, and tourism industries believe an ecosystem services perspective offers new insights that existing approaches to managing environmental and social impact do not address.

BSR’s report, “The Quiet (R)Evolution in Expectations of Corporate Environmental Performance,” shows that companies are applying ecosystem services concepts using two approaches:

Decision-making approach: Risks and dependencies on ecosystem services are incorporated into processes tied to corporate strategy, corporate finance, supply chain and real estate management, and product-lifecycle assessments.
Business-activities approach: Ecosystem services are integrated within specific activities that effectively expand their environmental and social assessment processes.

Once a company has determined that ecosystem services warrant additional focus, the question shifts to how to apply ecosystem services concepts and decision-making aids to business activities. At this stage, companies ask: Can we make better capital decisions, enable more efficient operations, manage risk, and address customer needs through the application of ecosystem services analytical approaches and tools?

The set of corporate experiences to date highlights many unanswered questions. For instance, there are not yet widely agreed-upon, coherent guidelines on specific indicators to track, measure, and assess findings—ideally in a way that maps to existing corporate environmental assessment processes and protocols. In addition, companies lack direction on how to prioritize some ecosystem services over others, particularly when key stakeholders disagree about priorities.

Ultimately, the key to integrating ecosystem services into environmental management will be companies’ success in demonstrating how this work will help managers deliver projects on time and within budget.

Given this context, the report identifies three priorities to achieve progress more quickly:

Document corporate applications of ecosystem services concepts in decision-making processes.
Synthesize lessons learned from corporate applications.
Update, maintain, and manage knowledge related to corporate applications of ecosystem services concepts.

This report follows BSR’s 2011 report summarizing the findings of the world’s first comparison of multiple ecosystem services assessment tools within one pilot application. For more information on how the concept of ecosystem services is gaining traction among public agencies, see BSR’s report “Global Public Sector Trends in Ecosystem Services, 2009-2011 Summary.”

BSR’s Ecosystem Services Working Group tracks environmental performance expectations associated with ecosystem services, new decision-making aids, and policy uptake of ecosystem services concepts. For information about the working group, contact Linda Hwang.

Abbott Releases 2011 Global Citizenship Report

04.30.2012 - 06:39PM

The global health care company Abbott today released its 2011 Global Citizenship report. The content-rich online report features videos, photos and examples of how Abbott continues to redefine corporate and social responsibility across its four citizenship priorities: Innovating for the Future, Enhancing Access, Supporting Patients and Consumers, and Safeguarding the Environment.

Abbott’s citizenship efforts are focused on applying the company’s scientific and management expertise to solve critical unmet needs in areas that directly align with our business. By leveraging its core capabilities, Abbott is making a long-term sustainable impact in improving people’s lives in countries around the world. Key highlights include:

Innovating for the Future: Abbott invested more than $4.1 billion in research and development in 2011, and also initiated a scientific partnership with the non-profit Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) to advance R&D and formulation work to address neglected tropical diseases. A new video captures both the scientific challenges and the new ways that Abbott and DNDi are combining their expertise to deliver new answers – click here to find out more.
Enhancing Access: Helping people around the world gain access to health care innovation is a key focus of Abbott’s core business, and our citizenship partnerships. In 2011, Abbott and its foundation the Abbott Fund invested $730 million to expand access to care and advance innovation. See key examples of Abbott scientists and other experts working through partnerships with PATH in India and Partners In Health in Haiti to combat malnutrition and advance economic development.
Supporting Patients and Consumers: Abbott’s responsibility efforts begin with a strong focus on ensuring product quality and safety for the patients and customers we serve. Beyond our products, we also partner with patient organizations, governments and other stakeholders, listening to understand their challenges, and working together to find answers. See videos and examples here.

Safeguarding the Environment: Abbott met its multi-year environmental goals to reduce emissions, water use and waste ahead of schedule in 2011. See an example of this work through a video of an Abbott facility in Ireland that is conserving water and energy throughout site operations.

"We advanced efforts to research and provide treatments for neglected tropical diseases, used our nutrition expertise to advance food fortification programs in developing countries and expanded our support for patient education groups, among numerous other partnerships," said Miles D. White, chairman and chief executive officer, Abbott. "These and other initiatives allow us to serve more people in more places than ever before."

Visit Abbott’s Global Citizenship site to see the company’s complete 2011 Report. You also can download a brief summary report of 2011 Highlights, or order a print copy by sending an email to globalcitizenship@abbott.com.

Anheuser-Busch InBev Releases 2011 Global Citizenship Report

04.25.2012 - 08:00AM

Anheuser-Busch InBev (Euronext: ABI) (NYSE: BUD) today released its 2011 Global Citizenship Report, titled “Connecting for a Better World.” The publication details AB InBev’s 2011 progress toward its Better World commitment and global goals, which focus on responsible drinking, environment and community. The report is available to view and download on AB InBev’s website at www.ab-inbev.com/go/social_responsibility.cfm.

“At AB InBev, we constantly challenge ourselves to dream bigger and achieve more. It is a fundamental part of our culture – and it explains why we are not satisfied with just striving to be the world’s best beer company. Our dream is to be the Best Beer Company in a Better World,” said Carlos Brito, Chief Executive Officer of AB InBev. “This 2011 Global Citizenship Report is a testament to our progress and our colleagues, as the people of AB InBev continue to drive us toward our dream.”

Global achievements for the 2011 reporting period include:

Responsible Drinking Highlights

In 2011, AB InBev established a set of six ambitious Global Responsible Drinking Goals to help promote responsible drinking and discourage the harmful use of alcohol. The company aims to achieve these goals by the end of 2014 and progress will be independently audited:

Reach at least 100 million adults with programs developed by subject matter experts to help parents talk with their children about underage drinking;
Provide ID-checking materials and other education information to at least half-a-million bars, clubs, restaurants and grocery stores to help them prevent sales to minors;
Provide training on responsible alcohol beverage sales to at least 1 million bartenders, waiters, grocery store clerks and others who serve and sell alcohol;
Reach at least half-a-billion legal-age consumers to increase awareness of the importance of using a designated driver or safe-ride home;
Invest at least 300 million USD in advertising and programs to help remind and educate consumers about the importance of responsible drinking; and
Celebrate Global Be(er) Responsible Day annually to promote the importance of responsible drinking among our employees, retail customers and consumers.

The company celebrated its second annual Global Be(er) Responsible Day on September 23, 2011 to focus worldwide attention on responsible drinking. More than 27,000 employees in over 20 countries participated, a 60% increase from 2010. The day’s activities ranged from efforts with retailers to prevent sales of alcohol beverages to minors to partnerships that expand the use of designated drivers in markets around the world.

Since its inception in 1990, the Family Talk About Drinking program has reached millions of parents and educators. The program is available in seven languages and is tailored for parents of children of different ages. In 2011, AB InBev expanded the program’s reach to new markets including Russia and Ukraine and also brought the program to Facebook in the UK and U.S.

Environment Highlights

In 2011, the company advanced toward its global environmental goals, which it aims to meet by end-2012. These are:

Reaching a leading-edge water-usage target of 3.5 hectoliters of water for each hectoliter of product at beer and soft drink facilities. In 2011, the company’s average water use was 3.71 hectoliters per hectoliter of product, which represents an 8.2% reduction versus 2010, and a 13.7% reduction against its 2009 baseline.
Reducing energy use per hectoliter of product by 10%. In 2011, the company achieved a 5.2% decrease on a per hectoliter basis (megajoules per hectoliter), representing an 8.7% overall decrease compared to 2009.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions per hectoliter of product by 10%. AB InBev reduced its CO2 emissions by 5% in 2011, which represents a reduction of 11.5% per hectoliter of product since 2009.
Reaching a 99% recycling rate of waste and byproducts. In 2011, AB InBev reached a rate of 98.2%.

Community Highlights

In 2011, AB InBev issued its global volunteer policy and began tracking employees’ volunteer efforts. More than 18,000 employees took part in community volunteerism activities in 2011.

With operations in 23 countries, AB InBev has a far-reaching economic impact on the communities where it does business through the jobs it creates and the taxes it pays. In 2011, it paid 3.2 billion USD in wages and salaries to approximately 116,000 employees; 3.3 billion USD in capital investments in its facilities, distribution network and systems – an investment that generates jobs and local economic growth; and 12 billion USD in excise and income taxes.

People

AB InBev focuses on attracting and retaining the best talent and aims to enhance its people’s skills and potential through education and training, competitive compensation and a culture of ownership that rewards people for taking responsibility and producing results.

In 2011, 100,237 employees across all Zones participated in a combined total of more than 1.3 million hours of training, which was an average of about 13 hours per employee. All training and development programs are designed to provide strategic direction, structure and consistency across the company as part of AB InBev University.

Although safety is a permanent concern, AB InBev takes extra time to celebrate safety during its Supply plant safety days and during World Safety Day on April 28. In 2011, the company focused the celebration around internal transport and commuting safety with the theme “Drive Safely at Home and at Work.” The emphasis on commuting safety extended throughout the year as part of its regular safety excellence programs and special defensive driving courses offered to its employees in several Zones.

AB InBev consults the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Guidelines and is self-reporting at Level B. The company was the No. 1 ranked brewer in Social Responsibility in the beverage industry in the 2012 FORTUNE “World’s Most Admired Companies” list.

About Anheuser-Busch InBev
Anheuser-Busch InBev is a publicly traded company (Euronext: ABI) based in Leuven, Belgium, with an American Depositary Receipt secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUD). It is the leading global brewer and one of the world's top five consumer products companies. Beer, the original social network, has been bringing people together for thousands of years and our portfolio of well over 200 beer brands continues to forge strong connections with consumers. We invest the majority of our brand-building resources on our Focus Brands - those with the greatest growth potential such as global brands Budweiser®, Stella Artois® and Beck’s®, alongside Leffe®, Hoegaarden®, Bud Light®, Skol®, Brahma®, Antarctica®, Quilmes®, Michelob Ultra®, Harbin®, Sedrin®, Klinskoye®, Sibirskaya Korona®, Chernigivske®, Hasseröder® and Jupiler®. In addition, the company owns a 50% equity interest in the operating subsidiary of Grupo Modelo, Mexico's leading brewer and owner of the global Corona® brand. AB InBev’s dedication to heritage and quality originates from the Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven, Belgium dating back to 1366 and the pioneering spirit of the Anheuser & Co brewery, with origins in St. Louis, USA since 1852. Geographically diversified with a balanced exposure to developed and developing markets, AB InBev leverages the collective strengths of its approximately 116,000 employees based in operations in 23 countries worldwide. In 2011, AB InBev realized 39.0 billion US dollar revenue. The company strives to be the Best Beer Company in a Better World. For more information, please visit: www.ab-inbev.com.

About Better World
Through our commitment to be the Best Beer Company in a Better World, Anheuser-Busch InBev is the beer industry leader in social responsibility initiatives, ranking as the No. 1 brewer in social responsibility in FORTUNE Magazine’s “World’s Most Admired” beverage companies’ list. Our Better World efforts focus on three pillars: promoting responsible drinking; protecting the environment; and giving back to the communities in which we live and work. Around the world, we develop and implement social responsibility programs and campaigns in partnership with parents, government officials, community organizations, retailers and others. From promoting responsible drinking messages on some of the world’s most watched television programming, to turning coconut husks into renewable energy to fuel our breweries, to volunteering in the community, Anheuser-Busch InBev and its employees are committed to making a difference.

Science-based, Practice-driven Resources Advance Dairy Industry Sustainability

04.23.2012 - 10:29AM

Since the launch of the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Commitment in 2008, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy — established under the leadership of America’s dairy producers — has united the dairy value chain in a collective effort to measure and improve the environmental, social and economic sustainability of U.S. dairy from farm to table. Using a research-based approach, the Innovation Center is establishing benchmark measures of industry-level dairy sustainability, while putting tools in the hands of decision-makers to drive innovation at individual businesses.

In celebration of Earth Day, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy announced three resources available to the industry, its partners and consumers that will help the dairy value chain measure, improve and communicate about sustainability. The 2011 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Report provides an update on progress toward the industry’s sustainability goals. Two measurement Web resources — Dairy Plant Smart^™ and Dairy Fleet Smart^™ — provide milk processors and transporters with the tools to calculate their carbon footprints and identify opportunities to save energy and money.

In addition to these new resources, USDairy.com/Sustainability provides access to more decision-making tools like the SaveEnergy resource, which connects dairy farmers with financial assistance opportunities for farm energy audits and equipment upgrades.

“We’ve spent three years in the field gathering research to support our science- and practice-based approach to improving sustainability across the value chain — from growing crops to feed our dairy cows; to processing and manufacturing real, fresh, nutrient-rich dairy foods and beverages; through consumption and packaging disposal,” said Barbara O’Brien, president of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. “The key learning we identified about dairy’s impacts and opportunities for improvement made these new resources possible.”

The 2011 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Report serves as a comprehensive resource on dairy sustainability for the dairy industry, as well as its partners and consumers. The 2011 report expands beyond the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fluid milk focus of the 2010 report to include broader discussions on the environmental, social and economic aspects of U.S. dairy. Highlights of the 2011 industrywide efforts include:

Engaging more than 830 stakeholders who invested approximately 6,700 working days, valued at more than $6.2 million, to support dairy sustainability efforts throughout the year.
Launching a new industrywide initiative to establish the Sustainability Measurement and Reporting Framework for U.S. Dairy.
Partnering with stakeholders in the inaugural U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards program, which recognizes efforts that deliver outstanding benefit to business, community and the environment.

“Sustainability has become a key business strategy for the industry and its future development,” O’Brien said. “In addition to industry-level work, the Innovation Center built upon the findings of the GHG Life Cycle Assessment for Fluid Milk to develop and test a suite of measurement tools, two of which we are excited to launch today. These tools help dairy farms and businesses adopt sustainable practices that improve their environmental performance and positively impact their bottom line.”

Dairy Plant Smart enables fluid milk processing plants to evaluate overall energy use — including production, transport, refrigerant losses and packaging — to identify opportunities to conserve energy use. In addition to reducing GHG emissions and lowering utility bills, energy efficient practices can help milk processing plants improve system reliability, prevent maintenance and shutdown costs, increase productivity and introduce new revenue streams.

Featured video: Learn about ways processors can improve energy use

Dairy Fleet Smart helps transportation managers identify ways to more efficiently deliver milk from the production facility to storage or retail by completing a 360-degree evaluation of fuel used. Adopting fuel-efficient best practices can save trucking companies a substantial amount in fuel costs, while also reducing emissions.

Featured video: Discover ways transporters can reduce fuel use

The Dairy Plant Smart and Dairy Fleet Smart tools feature case studies highlighting proven best practices and the associated cost and energy savings. The respective calculator tools also allow dairy plants and transport fleets to benchmark their energy efficiency performance against the U.S. average to identify areas for greatest improvement. As part of the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Commitment, Dairy Plant Smart and Dairy Fleet Smart aim to help the industry achieve a combined reduction of 705,457 metric tons of emissions and $108 million in annual business savings toward the voluntary industrywide reduction goal.

“Resources like Dairy Plant Smart, Dairy Fleet Smart and the 2011 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Report provide verified information, common measures and best practices to help producers, processors, manufacturers, transporters and brands improve their economic, social and environmental sustainability,” said Jed Davis, director of sustainability at Cabot Creamery Cooperative.

Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy^® is a forum for the dairy industry to work together pre-competitively to address barriers and opportunities to foster innovation and increase sales. The Innovation Center aligns the collective resources of the industry against common priorities to offer consumers nutritious dairy products and ingredients, and promote the health of people, communities, the planet and the industry. The Board of Directors for the Innovation Center includes dairy industry leaders representing key producer organizations, dairy cooperatives, processors, manufacturers and brands. The Innovation Center is staffed by Dairy Management Inc^™. Visit USDairy.com for more information about the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.

RSC Equipment Rental Releases Third Annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report

04.20.2012 - 01:35PM

RSC Equipment Rental, Inc., the operating company of RSC Holdings Inc. (NYSE:RRR), today announced the release of its 2011 Corporate Social Responsibility report, The Right Way, Every Day, available at www.RSCrental.com/csr. The report outlines the evolution and maturation of RSC’s sustainability management strategy and the competitive advantage RSC has realized through specific environmental, social, and governance initiatives. The report also highlights the close alignment between RSC’s financial goals and its core values of safety, integrity, passion for people, continuous improvement, and customer focus.

“These guiding principles have served us well in delivering tangible results—in safety, ethics, environmental performance, customer service, and employee engagement—and in creating significant value for our Company and its stakeholders,” stated Erik Olsson, President and CEO of RSC Equipment Rental. Neil Sparks, who leads our CSR effort, added “Our CSR report again demonstrates our commitment to continuously improve our corporate social responsibility efforts and we are proud of what RSC has accomplished.”

The 2011 CSR report details RSC’s progress on a number of long term sustainability priorities and highlights performance achievements in 2011:

RSC’s efforts to embed a culture of safety throughout the organization resulted in a 38% drop in safety incidents during 2011, and yielded the lowest TRIR, 1.14, ever recorded at the company.
In 2011, RSC saved more than $26 million through environmental and continuous improvement initiatives such as its equipment refurbishment program, fleet management and routing technologies, and Rapid Improvement Process (RIP) events.
80% of RSC’s top 20 customers now use the industry-leading E₂T^TM Equipment Emissions Tracking tool on a monthly basis to measure and manage the CO₂impacts of their projects.
RSC has maintained its exceptional record of customer satisfaction. Based on more than 23,000 customer survey responses received in 2011, RSC’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) stands at an impressive 67%.

To read the report and learn more about CSR efforts at RSC Equipment Rental, please visit http://www.rscrental.com/csr

About RSC Holdings Inc.

RSC Holdings Inc., based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is the holding company for the operating entity RSC Equipment Rental, Inc. (“RSC”), which is a premier provider of rental equipment in North America, servicing the industrial, maintenance and non-residential construction markets with $2.7 billion of equipment at original cost. RSC offers superior equipment availability, reliability and 24x7 service to customers through an integrated network of 434 branch locations across 42 states in the United States and three provinces in Western Canada. Customer solutions to improve efficiency and reduce cost include the proprietary Total Control® rental management software, Mobile Tool Rooms™ and on-site rental locations. With over 4,600 employees committed to safety and sustainability, RSC delivers the best value and industry leading customer service. All information is as of March 31, 2012. Additional information about RSC is available at www.RSCrental.com.

Nestlé’s 2011 Creating Shared Value Report receives GRI A+ rating

04.12.2012 - 03:00AM

Nestle believes that for a business to be successful over the long-term it must create value for society alongside value for shareholders. The company calls this Creating Shared Value. Through Nestlé’s Creating Shared Value reporting, it aims to share information transparently about its long-term positive impact on society and how this is intrinsically linked to the creation of Nestlé’s long-term business success.

Nestlé has just released its Global Creating Shared Value Report, outlining progress and challenges in the company’s key focus areas of nutrition, water and rural development, as well as performance in environmental sustainability and compliance.

This year Nestlé has reported to GRI A+ level and are pleased to be the first global food company to do so for its global report.

Nestlé’s reporting covers not only the CSV target areas of water, nutrition and rural development but also the newly included areas of human rights, diversity, climate change, biodiversity and corruption.

To read the full report, please visit:

http://www.nestle.com/Common/NestleDocuments/Documents/Library/Documents/Corporate_Social_Responsibility/2011-CSV-Report.pdf

The summary report this year focuses on Nestlé’s response to the water challenge. The UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate has informed the structure of the Water section of the Report, as Nestlé details its efforts against the Mandate’s key elements (public policy, collective action, direct operations, supply chain and community engagement).

To read the summary report, please visit: http://www.nestle.com/Media_Center/Interactive_CSV_2011/index.html

All Creating Shared Value materials including photos, videos and case studies are available on Nestlé’s website: http://www.nestle.com/csv

In Medical Equipment Industry, Waste Management is Focus of Sustainability Goals and New Revenue Opportunities

04.11.2012 - 08:30AM

Green Research, a New York-based corporate sustainability research and advisory firm, today released its latest benchmark of corporate environmental sustainability goals, analyzing the medical equipment and supplies industry, a large and profitable industry where the top 10 companies generate over $100 billion in revenue annually.

Sustainability or Waste Management?

The study found that the industry tends to focus on sustainability mostly as waste management. While only a minority of firms in the industry set public, quantitative sustainability goals, more of those goals are focused on waste management than on any other objective, more even than reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which tops the list in most other industries.

“Reducing waste and diverting waste from landfills is a key imperative in this industry,” said David Schatsky, principal analyst and founder of Green Research. “It has even emerged as a new revenue opportunity.”

The report highlights two companies, Stryker and BD, that have created businesses that reclaim, reprocess, recycle or remanufacture used medical products, helping hospitals reduce their own waste burden and creating a new revenue stream in the process. But companies are still missing significant opportunities.

Complete Commitment but Limited Disclosure

The study found that just four of the 10 largest manufacturers of medical equipment and supplies have announced any public environmental sustainability goals at all. It also found that while these companies’ sustainability, citizenship or social responsibility programs are generally concerned not only with environmental issues but also social, ethical and other issues as well, when it comes to setting and disclosing specific, time-bound, quantitative goals, they tend to limit themselves to environmental goals.

In the environmental dimension as well as the social dimensions, companies in this industry could go further in setting and declaring specific goals for themselves. The companies covered in the study include:

Baxter International
BD
Boston Scientific
Covidien
Medtronic
Smith & Nephew
St. Jude Medical
Stryker
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Zimmer Holdings

Among other findings: As in many industries, significant environmental impacts in this industry occur outside a company’s four walls, in its supply chain or in customer use or product end of life. Eight-seven percent of the sustainability goals companies have set, however, are focused on internal operations. Setting supply chain sustainability goals is a missed opportunity in this industry.

Green Research also benchmarked how medical equipment makers present information about their sustainability programs on their corporate websites, focusing on six communication elements including:

Use of the corporate website homepage,
Sustainability contact information, and
Reporting of key data.

Of the measures tracked, Baxter and Medtronic provided the most comprehensive information. Baxter provided all six elements, while Medtronic provided all but one: it did not engage a third-party assurance provider.

Download the research at greenresearch.com. To learn more about the research, contact David Schatsky at 646-783-8337 or info@greenresearch.com.

HEINEKEN Publishes 2011 Sustainability Report

04.05.2012 - 12:18PM

Today Heineken N.V. published its 2011 sustainability report. The report summarises HEINEKEN’s delivery against its public commitments, as well as overall progress on its global sustainability strategy ‘Brewing a Better Future’.

The report provides detailed updates on the Company’s 23 integrated programmes, built around its three strategic imperatives:

Continuously improve the environmental impact of HEINEKEN’s brands and business
Empower the Company’s people and the communities in which it operates
Positively impact the role of beer in society

Jean-François van Boxmeer, Chairman of the Executive Board/CEO, said: “By living our values each and every day we have the opportunity to create a sustainable business that we will be able to pass on to future generations of employees.”

Highlights from the HEINEKEN 2011 sustainability report:

In December 2011, HEINEKEN launched the latest phase of Enjoy Heineken Responsibly, its global responsible consumption platform. For the first time, the message and the advert itself were completely integrated within the brand’s overall ‘Open your World’ campaign. ‘Sunrise belongs to moderate drinkers’, the name of the advert celebrates and encourages aspirational behaviour among adult consumers. This campaign is a natural next step in HEINEKEN’s long-term commitment to encouraging responsible consumption. The approach breaks from the norm of traditional responsible consumption messages and takes a progressive stance by showing that drinking responsibly is aspirational.
In 2011, the Company reduced its CO₂ emissions by 5% and water consumption by 4% compared with 2010. In addition, HEINEKEN made significant progress in adding renewables to the energy mix, with three solar energy projects in Spain, Portugal and Austria supported by grants from the EU. Wind energy will be used for a significant part of the Company’s energy consumption in Mexico.
In 2011, HEINEKEN continued to expand its local sourcing projects in sub-Saharan Africa, aiming to reach 60% of locally sourced raw materials in Africa by 2020. The Company now has projects covering eight countries and involving tens of thousands of farmers and their families. These include sorghum projects in Nigeria and rice projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo. HEINEKEN strengthens these activities through expanded farm training, which includes the distribution of rice to the food market. To date more than 30,000 households have received project support and more than 20,000 hectares are under improved management.
In 2011, the Company approved new or improved global policies relating to Fridges, Packaging, Distribution, Employees’ and Human Rights, and Occupational Health and Safety. The Supplier Code was implemented globally to ensure all suppliers are aligned with HEINEKEN’s principles.

HEINEKEN’s 2011 sustainability report reflects feedback that the Company received by reaching out to numerous stakeholders throughout the year and the report is based on the disclosure guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

This year the full sustainability report will only be available in online format (at www.sustainabilityreport.heineken.com), making communication greener, more flexible and highly interactive. A short printed high-level summary of the report will be available on request as of 19 April.

The sustainability section on the Company website, www.heinekeninternational.com/sustainability, includes downloadable information about HEINEKEN’s sustainability performance and links to the 27 local market reports. HEINEKEN encourages dialogue around sustainability issues and encourages feedback from its stakeholders. Comments on the report may be sent to: responsibility@heineken.com

Press enquiries:

Anoeska van Leeuwen

Corporate Communications Manager

Tel: +31 20 5239 355

E-mail: anoeska.vanleeuwen@heineken.com

John-Paul Schuirink

Financial Communications Manager

Tel: +31 20 5239 355

E-mail: john-paul.schuirink@heineken.com

Note to editors:

HEINEKEN is a proud, independent global brewer committed to surprise and excite consumers with its brands and products everywhere. The brand that bears the founder’s family name - Heineken® - is available in almost every country on the globe and is the world’s most valuable international premium beer brand. The Company’s aim is to be a leading brewer in each of the markets in which it operates and to have the world’s most valuable brand portfolio. HEINEKEN wants to win in all markets with Heineken® and with a full brand portfolio in markets of choice. The Company is present in over 70 countries and operates more than 140 breweries with volume of 214 million hectolitres of group beer sold. HEINEKEN is Europe’s largest brewer and the world’s second largest by revenue. HEINEKEN is committed to the responsible marketing and consumption of its more than 250 international premium, regional, local and specialty beers and ciders. These include Amstel, Birra Moretti, Cruzcampo, Desperados, Dos Equis, Foster’s, Heineken, Newcastle Brown Ale, Ochota, Primus, Sagres, Sol, Star, Strongbow, Tecate, and Zywiec. Our leading joint venture brands include Cristal, Kingfisher, Tiger and Anchor. In 2011, revenue totaled €17.1 billion and EBIT (beia) was €2.7 billion. The number of people employed is around 70,000. Heineken N.V. and Heineken Holding N.V. shares are listed on the Amsterdam stock exchange. Prices for the ordinary shares may be accessed on Bloomberg under the symbols HEIA NA and HEIO NA and on the Reuter Equities 2000 Service under HEIN.AS and HEIO.AS. Most recent information is available on HEINEKEN's website: www.theHEINEKENcompany.com.

Meeting Higher MPG Standard Likely To Bring Higher Profits For All Automakers, nearly $2.5 Billion In Extra Profits For Detroit Three

04.04.2012 - 02:44PM

Automakers will likely make billions more dollars in profits - under proposed new national gas mileage and emissions standards that will be finalized later this summer. A new report - produced by Citi Investment Research and Analysis in collaboration with Ceres - shows that American automakers will likely enjoy the biggest percentage increase in profits (6.3 percent), pulling in an extra $2.44 billion dollars in 2020 under the standards. The industry as a whole will also likely see big profits, earning a 5.3 percent increase in profits of $4.76 billion in 2020.

“Automakers who invest in more efficient vehicles are investing wisely. Given the volatility of gas prices - and the likelihood that they’ll head through the roof again - it’s clear that customers want better fuel economy and delivering it means a better bottom line for the industry,” said Carol Lee Rawn, Transportation Director of Ceres, which leads a national coalition of investors and public interest groups working with companies to address global sustainability challenges.

The new report, “Fuel Economy Focus: Perspectives on 2020 Industry Implications,” evaluates the impact that meeting the proposed fuel economy/GHG standards would have on the car industry in the year 2020.

The report finds that meeting the proposed standards will likely boost total vehicle sales for the automotive industry as a whole by about four percent or around 600,000 vehicles. As a group Ford, Chrysler, and GM would also likely see an improvement over baseline vehicle sales by about four percent or 300,000 vehicles. Foreign automakers would likely record a three percent uptick in sales representing around 300,000 vehicles. Sales would increase because with increased fuel economy the overall cost of operating a car will go down and, consequently, consumers will have more spending power to buy more vehicles or more expensive vehicles.

“Although the automotive industry as a whole will benefit by meeting the new standards, the Detroit Three will enjoy the highest relative profits boost,” said Walter McManus, School of Business Administration at Oakland University, who conducted the sales and profits analysis. “The reason we see these increased benefits for American automakers is because compared to foreign automakers they are currently more heavily invested in lower mileage trucks and cars. Under these standards the Detroit Three would have a greater potential to add customer value to those vehicles with improved fuel economy.”

According to the report, the new standards could largely be met by using existing technologies that improve the performance of cars powered by traditional internal combustion engines.

“Automakers today are already working on the improvements to the internal combustion engine and overall vehicle design to get us to 54.5 mpg. Turbocharged direct injection, advanced transmissions, electric power steering, low-rolling-resistance tires, turbo charging, variable valve lift and timing are available now and they continue to improve,” said Alan Baum, founder of Baum and Associates, who conducted the sector analysis. “These technologies are not only cost-effective, but also make for better performing vehicles than those currently on the market.”

The report finds that the added technologies required to meet the proposed fuel economy improvements are cost-effective for consumers. “Even if gasoline prices dropped to as low as $1.50 per gallon in 2020, money saved during vehicle use would fully offset the cost of added fuel economy technology,” said Dan Meszler of Meszler Engineering Services, who conducted the cost analysis. “Since gasoline prices are over twice that right now, it’s likely that consumer savings on fuel purchases will far outweigh the additional money consumers will spend on a new car.”

About Ceres

Ceres is an advocate for sustainability leadership. Ceres mobilizes a powerful coalition of investors, companies and public interest groups to accelerate and expand the adoption of sustainable business practices and solutions to build a healthy global economy. Ceres also directs the Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), a network of 100 institutional investors with collective assets totaling more than $10 trillion. For details, visit http://www.ceres.org.

Johnson Controls Releases Annual GRI Sustainability Report

04.02.2012 - 10:50AM

Johnson Controls, a global diversified company in the building and automotive industries, today announced the release of its latest Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) online sustainability report. The online matrix provides a detailed review of the company’s environmental, social and governance performance over the past year.

The matrix complements the company’s 2011 Business and Sustainability Report, which was released in January. The GRI reporting framework provides companies with a uniform and transparent set of metrics to systematically report on sustainability initiatives and results.

“For more than 125 years, Johnson Controls has offered products and services to help make our customers’ businesses and operations more sustainable,” said Charles A. Harvey, vice president of diversity and public affairs at Johnson Controls. “We focus on our own environmental performance and community programs with the same discipline we apply to working with customers. The GRI matrix clearly communicates our current initiatives in all these areas, as well as our long-term commitment to sustainability.”

Over the past year, Johnson Controls was recognized with the following distinctions in sustainability and corporate citizenship:

Corporate Responsibility Magazine ranked Johnson Controls #1 among the “100 Best Corporate Citizens.”
SAM, a sustainability investment asset management firm, rated the company with its Silver Class sustainability rating in the auto parts and tires category in their annual Sustainability Yearbook.
Ethisphere, a think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability, listed Johnson Controls for the sixth consecutive year as one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies”.
Corporate Knights ranked Johnson Controls as one of the “Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World” for the third consecutive year.
Corporate Research Foundation Institute named Johnson Controls as a “China 2012 Top Employer” for excellence in human relations management.

The company’s commitment to sustainability has earned it industry and community recognition around the world. It is listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index and World Index, the Domini 400 Social Index, KLD Global Climate 100 Index, the FTSE4Good Index Series, the Calvert Social Index and the Maplecroft Climate Innovation Index.

To view the GRI matrix and the 2011 Business and Sustainability Report, please visit www.johnsoncontrols.com/sustainability.

About Johnson Controls

Johnson Controls is a global diversified technology and industrial leader serving customers in more than 150 countries. Our 162,000 employees create quality products, services and solutions to optimize energy and operational efficiencies of buildings; lead-acid automotive batteries and advanced batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles; and interior systems for automobiles. Our commitment to sustainability dates back to our roots in 1885, with the invention of the first electric room thermostat. Through our growth strategies and by increasing market share we are committed to delivering value to shareholders and making our customers successful. In 2011, Corporate Responsibility Magazine recognized Johnson Controls as the #1 company in its annual “100 Best Corporate Citizens” list. For additional information, please visit http://www.johnsoncontrols.com.

The New Sustainability Advantage: Seven Business Case Benefits of a Triple Bottom Line

04.02.2012 - 08:00AM

Beyond the impressive data and logic of the business case for sustainability, the real lessons lie in the humility, creativity, persistence and passion for which Bob has become internationally renowned.—

Dr. James Gray-Donald, Associate Vice-President, Sustainability Leader, Sears Canada Inc.

The New Sustainability Advantage

Seven Case Benefits of a Triple Bottom Line – Tenth Anniversary Edition

Bob Willard has a lot to celebrate. In November 2011, he was inducted into the inaugural International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) Hall of Fame, along with four fellow sustainability gurus: Ray Anderson, Gil Friend, Amory Lovins, and Karl-Henrik Robèrt. He became a certified B Corporation in 2011, and in March 2012 he was honored to be in B Lab's "Best for the World" Overall Impact list of the top 10% of worldwide B Corps with fewer than 10 employees. B Lab, a nonprofit organization, has certified over 500 B Corps, similar to the way TransFair certifies Fair Trade coffee or USGBC certifies LEED buildings. In 2011, Bob delivered 96 impactful talks to worldwide audiences, while completing his fourth book.

In the newly released, The New Sustainability Advantage, Bob shares his secrets of success. Fully revised and updated, this 10^th anniversary edition clearly demonstrates that, by focusing on seven powerful yet easy to grasp sustainability strategies, businesses can:

increase revenue
improve productivity
reduce expenses
decrease risks.

Expressed in clear business language and presented in an appealing, graphically rich format, this practical guide outlines how smart companies can improve their profits by at least 31% to 51% in the next three to five years if they implement best practices proven by leading sustainability companies. Two free business case simulators on Bob’s web site accompany his book. The Sustainability Advantage Dashboard enables executives to enter their company’s data and use interactive sliders to quickly identify high-leverage benefit areas for their organization. The more detailed, open source, downloadable Sustainability Advantage Worksheets help them drill down into specific areas of interest and fine-tune the assumptions to their specific situation.

Bob Willard gave up an award-winning, successful career in senior management at IBM to devote himself full-time to building corporate commitment to sustainability. Widely in demand as a speaker, he has delivered hundreds of presentations demonstrating the business case for sustainability to companies, consultants, academics and NGOs world-wide. Bob is the author of The Sustainability Champion’s Guidebook, The Next Sustainability Wave, and the original edition of The Sustainability Advantage. More information about Bob and his resources for sustainability champions can be found at sustainabilityadvantage.com.

6 x 9”/224 pages Charts & Tables Throughout
Pb ISBN 978-0-86571-712-1
Ebook ISBN 978-1-55092-507-4
Conscientious Commerce US/Can $19.95

Disney Publishes Targets To Track Citizenship Performance

03.29.2012 - 01:00PM

Disney today published a series of time-bound, measurable targets to track its citizenship performance.

The targets, available online at http://www.disney.com/citizenship cover all aspects of citizenship within Disney, including efforts to:

Minimize Disney’s environmental footprint
Foster safe, respectful and inclusive workplaces, wherever Disney does business
Create opportunities for kids and families to help people and the planet
Utilize strategic philanthropy to make a lasting, positive change in communities around the world
Partner with parents in their quest to raise healthy kids

To ensure that its citizenship targets reflect the perspective of external stakeholders, Disney engaged in a series of conversations convened and facilitated by Ceres.

The targets are an extension of Disney’s citizenship commitments and goals, which were defined and published in 2010. Disney will release annual updates on its performance against these targets via its Citizenship Report.

The State of the Corporate Responsibility Profession Report

03.28.2012 - 01:09PM

As More Companies Develop Corporate Responsibility Strategies, Gaps in the Profession Remain

03.28.2012 - 12:34PM

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) and the Corporate Responsibility Officers Association (CROA) today released a breakthrough business report called The State of the Corporate Responsibility Profession. Among the nine different key findings from the research, BCLC and CROA found that the characteristics that define a mature profession, such as an educational curriculum and a career pipeline, currently are lacking in the corporate responsibility (CR) profession. BCLC and CROA also found that while few of the CR leaders in companies today entered the field deliberately, they have paved the way for “generation 2.0” CR practitioners.

“Corporate responsibility as we know it today has only existed for the past few decades,” said BCLC Founder and Executive Director Stephen Jordan. “While the CR field is more intertwined than ever in smart business strategy, it stands at a critical crossroads in its development into a mature profession.”

BCLC and CROA surveyed various stakeholders, including academics, practitioners and recognized thought leaders for the study. The results serve as a benchmark for where the CR profession stands in 2012 as well as provides recommendations on how to mature the field’s set of knowledge, skills and attributes. The majority of survey respondents agreed on the following:

CR remains a nascent profession lacking the distinct set of professional characteristics;
The CR field lacks a deliberate career path; and
The progress of the corporate responsibility officer (CRO) is continuously evolving.

“Dealing with the tough issues -- creating sustained economic growth, preserving resources for future generations, increasing respect for human dignity -- requires complex decision making,” says Richard Crespin, executive director of the CROA. “This report lays out a roadmap for embedding that kind of critical thinking into the leadership curriculum for business people everywhere.”

The study is available on BCLC’s website here: The State of the Corporate Responsibility Profession

The study results will be the topic of the upcoming event Conversations with Stephen: The State of the CSR Profession with BCLC Executive Director Stephen Jordan and CROA Executive Director Richard Crespin. The event will be webcast live on March 30, 2012 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EST. To attend the webcast or coinciding tweetchat, please visit BCLC’s website.

About the Corporate Responsibility Officers Association (CROA)

The CROA and its members transform ideas into action, advancing corporate responsibility (CR), the profession, and their careers. As the single largest independent CR professional society, CROA supports the concept that to excel, organizations need to embrace all CR disciplines: sustainability, governance, social responsibility, and philanthropy. Our mission is to promote the practice and profession of corporate responsibility in service of good business.

About the Business Civic Leadership Center

BCLC is the U.S. Chamber’s resource and voice for businesses’ social and philanthropic interests. Its mission is to advance the positive role of business in society. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

www.uschamber.com @USChamber

www.freeenterprise.com bclc.uschamber.com

AccountAbility Names New Head of Global Research and Development

03.27.2012 - 09:00AM

Ted Grant, a respected leader in the business and not-for-profit sectors joins AccountAbility as Director of Global Research and Development, AccountAbility CEO Sunny Misser announced today. In his new role, Grant will be responsible for growing the portfolio of research products and services, while working closely with Advisory Services and Standards to provide tailored research and intelligence that further enhance those offerings.

“We are delighted to have Ted join AccountAbility to enhance the insight and solutions we provide to clients and stakeholders around the world," said Misser. "His deep understanding of global issues and emerging trends are well suited to leading the firm’s Research and Development agenda at a time of significant change in the world."

With more than 25 years of experience in business and philanthropy, Grant’s career placed him as a trusted advisor to CEOs and senior executives. Prior to joining AccountAbility, Grant was Special Assistant to the President of the Rockefeller Foundation. His responsibilities included strategic advisory and planning activities, executive communications, governance matters, relationship management and strategic partner development.

Prior to joining The Rockefeller Foundation in 2009, Grant spent 25 years at JPMorgan Chase, where he held a variety of positions which included over a decade working with CEOs and members of the senior executive team on a broad range of strategic, governance and operational matters during a period of transformational change in the industry. In the sustainability field, Grant has served as a member of the Interim Standards Board for the AA1000 Standards, a position he has relinquished as part of his transition to AccountAbility.

“AccountAbility has a long history of thought leadership and innovative solutions in the areas of governance, sustainability and corporate social responsibility," Grant said. "This is a unique opportunity for me to help further enhance the firm’s leadership as these issues take on even greater importance around the world.”

Since 1995, AccountAbility has been working with corporations, non-profits and governments to embed responsible and sustainable policies and practices into their organizations through leading-edge research, widely-recognized standards and strategic advisory services. It maintains a global presence with offices in London, New York, Washington, D.C., Sao Paulo, Johannesburg, Zurich, Dubai, and Riyadh.

SAP Releases New Sustainability Report

03.26.2012 - 08:00AM

SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today released its 2011 sustainability report, targeted at customers, partners, employees, shareholders and the public. The new report covers the company’s innovations in the areas of software for energy management and sustainable operations, its own transformation into a more sustainable company and its social investment strategy. Available at www.SAPSustainabilityReport.com, the report is linked and published concurrently with the 2011 Annual Report. Most importantly, it features enhanced capabilities for engaging with readers, from interactive charts and exciting stories of business transformation to a mechanism that allows readers to communicate what matters to them.

The 2011 sustainability report:

Shows the impact SAP® software has on the world, including solutions for energy and environmental management, sustainable supply chain, operational risk management, sustainable workforce and sustainability reporting and analytics.
Explains how SAP increased its own carbon efficiency for the fifth consecutive year, avoiding cost of EUR 190 million since 2008.
Highlights how SAP increased employee engagement by nine percent in just one year.
Introduces a global target to increase the ratio of women in management positions to 25 percent by 2017.
Includes both financial and non-financial information as SAP moves towards more integrated reporting.
Details how SAP’s social investment strategy impacted 1 million lives in 2011.
Is backed up by rigorous standards of data collection and transparency, specifically the enhanced scope 3 GHG emissions protocol.
Achieved a GRI A+ rating by the Global Reporting Initiative.
Allows people to share feedback, ideas and inspirations both in the report and through social media.

“Our new report marks an important milestone on our journey to helping the world run better and improving people’s lives,” said Peter Graf, chief sustainability officer, SAP.

“As a company founded and thriving on the concept of innovation, we are excited about helping more and more companies run more profitably and sustainably around the world — including our own. We are proud of the positive recognition we have received for our efforts from the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, Carbon Disclosure Project, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and others, and look forward to the ideas and inspiration from the readers of our new report.”

For more information, visit www.SAPSustainabilityReport.com and the SAP Newsroom. Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews and @sustainableSAP, and join the conversation with the hashtag #sustainableSAP.

About SAP
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 183,000 customers (includes customers from the acquisition of Sybase) to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “predict,” “should” and “will” and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

SAP and the SAP logo are registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and other countries. Business Objects and the Business Objects logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects Software Ltd. Business Objects is an SAP company. Sybase and the Sybase logo are registered trademarks of Sybase Inc. Sybase is an SAP company. Crossgate is a registered trademark of Crossgate AG in Germany and other countries. Crossgate is an SAP company.

Note to editors:
To preview and download broadcast-standard stock footage and press photos digitally, please visit www.sap.com/photos. On this platform, you can find high resolution material for your media channels. To view video stories on diverse topics, visit www.sap-tv.com. From this site, you can embed videos into your own Web pages, share video via email links, and subscribe to RSS feeds from SAP TV.

Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews.

For customers interested in learning more about SAP products:

Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24
United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727)

SAP Press Office, +49 (6227) 7-46315, CET; +1 (610) 661-3200, EDT; press@sap.com

SVN Launches Story Initiative

03.22.2012 - 04:25PM

The Social Venture Network (SVN) is partnering with Axiom News to launch a stakeholder news program that engages and shares the stories of its members, some of the world's most innovative social entrepreneurs, impact investors and business leaders.

SVN executive director Deb Nelson says the partnership will create a news network that gives voice to a diverse movement of changemakers who are using business in new and important ways. The partnership leverages Axiom's content creation and storytelling expertise with SVN's world class, vetted network of socially-responsible business leaders.

“We, like Axiom, believe storytelling can be a catalyst for change,” says Nelson.

“Through our stories about social ventures that are changing the world we want to demonstrate what is possible when market forces are used for social change and demonstrate that a better way exists for doing business, one that leads to a sustainable future of economic and social justice.”

Telling stories of the social venture movement is essential to the healthy evolution of society, which is why Axiom News is thrilled to join SVN in launching its story initiative, says Peter Pula, Axiom’s founder and CEO.

“Partnering with SVN to cultivate a narrative of possibility is an important work. Social-mission ventures, in all their variety, are a pathway to meaningful work and thriving society. Their stories are writing a future worth living into.”

Called Sustainable Solutions, the news program will publish stories every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on SVN’s website. The stories will also be spread using social media and distribution channels like CSRwire, another SVN member.

Nelson says SVN has a number of story themes it’s looking forward to exploring. The program is launching during SVN’s 25-year anniversary and will feature articles celebrating socially-responsible business pioneers like Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

Collaboration and innovation are two hallmarks of the network, and Nelson says the news will share successful initiatives ranging from two SVN members helping California adopt Benefit Corporation legislation to 25-year old entrepreneurs creating food from waste.

It’s these types of stories and practical approaches that Nelson hopes will inspire more changemakers to join SVN and become part of the solution.

“The best thing that could happen (as a result of the stories) is the socially-responsible business movement will spread. People will see a plethora of viable business models that are creating far-reaching social and environmental change,” says Nelson.

Pula adds Axiom News will work “steadfastly” to grow the reach and richness of the socially-responsible business story.

“Our hope is to see a federated news network form around the social-venture story,” says Pula.

About SVN

Since 1987, Social Venture Network (www.svn.org), has been at the forefront of the socially responsible business movement, connecting, leveraging, and promoting a world-class community of more than 500 innovative entrepreneurs working to change the way the world does business and the way that business affects the world. SVN connects the leaders of socially responsible enterprises to share lessons and resources, form strategic alliances, and explore new solutions that build a more just and sustainable economy.

About Axiom News

Axiom News is called to do everything we can to share stories that lift socially generative organizations to higher heights. The Canada-based news agency provides organizations with their own strengths-based media services to discover, celebrate and promote their stakeholders’ strengths. Find out more at www.AxiomNews.ca.

2011 Results Confirm Carlsberg's Position As The Most Efficient Global Brewer

03.19.2012 - 02:00PM

Highlights:

Energy consumption fell by 9.3%
Water consumption reduced by 5.6%
CO2 emissions decreased by 8.3%
Introduction of new null-LOX barley helps speed up production and save energy
3.3hl water required to produce 1hl beer (2010: 3.5hl water required)

2011 was a defining year for the Carlsberg Group in terms of driving, accelerating and embedding its eight CSR areas* across its operations around the world. This was recognised by the fact that Carlsberg was included in the top five of the 2011 Newsweek Green ranking for its respective category, scoring highest among global brewers in terms of environmental management and footprint.

Commenting on this performance, Janda Campos, VP Corporate Social Responsibility and Public Affairs, Carlsberg Group, says:

"We are pleased with the progress we are making in terms of integrating CSR throughout the value chain. We understand that our long term success depends not only on growing, but growing responsibly.

"2011 saw us reach some significant milestones across many of our local markets. One that stands out is in Russia, where our largest operation, Baltika Breweries, achieved an 18% reduction in specific energy in the St. Petersburg brewery as a result of us introducing a programme targeting reduction of losses in steam supply lines and heat recovery."

Other important developments for the Carlsberg Group in 2011 included the investment in a waste water recovery plant for its Hyderabad Brewery in India where the expected annual savings on water from the plant is expected to be 585,000hl. Improved performance was also achieved in Carlsberg's Brewery in Huizhou (Guangdong province), China where we reduced CO2 emissions by around 35% by the introduction of steam from boilers that are powered by biomass.

Although investing in new assets to assist with improving its environmental management and training its workforce appropriately are necessary prerequisites for success, Campos is quick to point out that environmental responsibility does not stop when you go beyond the front gates of Carlsberg's breweries:

"While Carlsberg can take certain steps to reduce its carbon footprint, it is clear that a large proportion of our products’ carbon footprint is related to the production of products bought from suppliers such as packaging. In early 2011, in order to get better visibility on how to reduce the overall carbon footprint, our UK business introduced the Carlsberg Environmental Community and invited some of its biggest suppliers to join the Community, and work in partnership on ways to reduce carbon in the supply chain. The results are already impressive with Carlsberg UK achieving a 22% reduction in carbon emissions in 2011, compared to the previous year. The Carlsberg Environmental Community is a pilot programme for the Carlsberg Group."

Carlsberg's Swiss business, market leader Feldschlösschen, now offers its customers the option of a CO2-neutral delivery. If a customer decides to go for the new service, the customer and Feldschlösschen's logistics department co-operate to identify the CO2 emissions linked to the delivery process. The emissions calculated this way will subsequently be offset with CO2 credits. The income from these credits is then invested in climate protection projects.

Carlsberg is committed to producing the best beer possible and is involved in the entire process from barley to beer, from both a quality and environmental perspective. Birgitte Skadhauge, Carlsberg's Research Director for Raw Materials and Yeast, adds:

"Our extensive research and development facilities allow us to improve the raw materials that are at the heart of the brewing process and work closely with our farming partners to ensure that we produce crops that are high yielding, require less water and are disease resistant. These improved raw materials, such as the new null-LOX malting barley we launched in 2011, combined with newly-developed yeasts, speed up the brewing process, save us energy and improve the quality and life of our products."

As regards environmental management, Carlsberg focuses on three key areas - water, energy and emissions, and packaging – where it believes it can make a real difference. The focus on packaging is a reasonably recent development and while the company has previously targeted waste management, particularly around all the sporting and musical events it sponsors, Carlsberg is now committed to reducing the amount of packaging it uses in the production and distribution of its products, while promoting the reuse and recycling of packaging material.

Campos concludes:

"There are actions behind our words. To give you an example, a thorough water risk assessment was carried out at all our production sites during 2011 and while the overall results are very reassuring, action plans have been drawn up where necessary.

2011 was a turning point for us and we are well on track to achieve our 2013 targets."

Images can be downloaded from our website at: http://www.carlsberggroup.com/investor/news/Pages/MostEfficientGlobalBrewer.aspx

Note to Editors:

Carlsberg Group's Approach to CSR

A central element of the Carlsberg Group's CSR strategy is the integration of corporate responsibility throughout the value chain. Embedding CSR in existing business processes, developing policies to ensure standards and setting global and local targets to improve CSR performance form the cornerstone of this strategic process.

The Carlsberg Group publishes annual CSR progress data online on www.carlsberggroup.com/csr.

*Our eight CSR areas are: Environment, Health & Safety, Labour & Human Rights, Business Ethics, Marketing Communication, Community Engagement, Responsible Drinking and Responsible Sourcing.

As a member of the UN Global Compact, the Carlsberg Group is committed to supporting and advancing the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact within our sphere of influence. Our newest Communication on Progress is available at the UN Global Compacts website: http://www.unglobalcompact.org/COPs/detail/15379.

About Carlsberg Group

The Carlsberg Group is one of the leading brewery groups in the world, with a large portfolio of beer and other beverage brands. Our flagship brand – Carlsberg – is one of the best-known beer brands in the world and the Baltika, Carlsberg, and Tuborg brands are among the eight biggest brands in Europe. More than 41,000 people work for the Carlsberg Group, and our products are sold in more than 150 markets. In 2011, the Carlsberg Group sold more than 115 million hectolitres of beer, which is about 34 billion bottles of beer.

BRANDfog Survey Reveals that CEO Engagement on Social Media Positively Impacts Brand Image, Trust and Purchase Intent

03.12.2012 - 05:30PM

BRANDfog, a Social Media Branding Firm that makes CEOs and senior executives more visible, powerful and influential across the Web, released the results of its BRANDfog 2012 CEO, Social Media and Leadership Survey. The purpose of the survey was to better understand the connection between C-Suite engagement on social media, and the attitudes of customers and employees toward the brand. The survey revealed that executive engagement on social media channels raises the brand profile, instills confidence in a company’s leadership team, and builds greater trust, brand loyalty and purchase intent for its customers.

BRANDfog’s survey findings overwhelmingly confirmed that C-Suite executives who engage in social media are viewed as better equipped to lead a company, communicate values and shape a company’s reputation in today’s changing world. Specifically, the survey found that more than 80% of respondents believe that CEOs who engage on social media are better equipped than their peers to lead companies in a Web 2.0 world. What’s more, 93% of respondents believe that CEO engagement on social media helps communicate company values, and grow and evolve corporate leadership in times of crisis.

“The most effective leaders throughout history have been great communicators, yet the vast majority of modern day C-Suite executives are conspicuously absent from social media channels,” said Ann Charles, CEO of BRANDfog.

“We are now at a tipping point, where business leaders must begin to communicate their vision through social media. As consumers begin to seek out brands that serve a broader social purpose, the best way to articulate company values is through the voice of the executive leadership team. This bolsters confidence in business leadership and provides a halo effect for the entire brand.”

Aman Singh, Editorial Director of CSRwire, Forbes.com contributor, and CSR journalist stated:

“Transparency, vision and open communication are the key to great leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy today. It’s not surprising that the BRANDfog Survey reaffirms that social media plays an influential role in shaping a company’s brand image. CSR strategy must include the engagement piece for effective dialogue to occur, and to start to move the needle. Social media provides the means to communicate CSR strategy, and companies must begin to see that this channel will improve engagement with constituents on many levels.”

"We’ve always believed that trust and transparency have become more important in today's volatile business marketplace and our survey findings made that connection very clear," Ann Charles said. When asked about the connection between trust in a brand and its executives, 82% of survey respondents said they were more likely to trust a company whose CEO and leadership team engage in social media.

Charles concludes, “The next generation of business leaders will require a new set of talents and skills to be successful. We’ve been talking about this for some time, and wrote about it in the Fast Company article: The Making of the Modern CEO. The simple truth that the survey confirms is that CEO social media interactions will build lasting relationships between brands, customers and investors, which will lead to a corporate culture with a foundation in transparency and openness. This will be the genesis of better business leadership in the future. ”

The full results of the survey may be found at: http://www.brandfog.com/CEOSocialMediaSurvey

About BRANDfog

BRANDfog believes in the power of social media to create better business leaders through social engagement, communications, and transparency. Leveraging technology, BRANDfog shapes, monitors and enhances the brand sentiment of C-suite leaders and brands, and grows their influence across the Web. BRANDfog helps clients become influential thought leaders, creating a company culture that attracts new talent and creates business opportunities.

Visit BRANDfog at: www.brandfog.com

Coca-Cola Enterprises Committed to 2020: Shaping a Sustainable Future in Europe

06.28.2011 - 10:31AM

GlaxoSmithKline 2010 Corporate Responsibility Report

03.29.2011 - 10:00AM

Novo Nordisk Annual Report 2010

02.10.2011 - 09:04AM

Frontier Markets. Global Partnerships. Local Solutions.

02.04.2011 - 03:39PM

GRI Sustainability Reporting Certification Course

09.30.2010 - 03:19PM

Earn your GRI Certification with Triple Pundit and ISOS Group.

Through presentations and interactive learning, participants will firmly grasp GRI's sustainability reporting methodology and devise a sustainability reporting process that meets their company's needs and the GRI guidelines. Instructors will provide participants with a hands-on instruction by utilizing GRI's third generation (G3) sustainability reporting framework, other GRI reporting publications, sustainability reports from internationally recognized corporations headquartered in California as case studies, and trends specific to the region.

ISOS Group is 1 of only 3 GRI Certified Sustainability Reporting Trainers in North America and Triple Pundit is a leading sustainable business media company.

The event will be held at one of California's finest boutique hotels, the Galleria Park, a Joie de Vivre property, certified San Francisco Green Business, and participant in the California Green Lodging Program.

Seats are limited. The first certification course event sold out.

Baxter Highlights Progress Toward Sustainability Priorities, Including First and Only Carbon Trust Certification for Medical Product, in New Report

06.24.2010 - 09:15AM

Corporate Responsibility 2008 Report

09.30.2009 - 09:01AM

Resetting Responsibilities

07.21.2009 - 08:01AM

Baxter Highlights Progress Toward Sustainability Priorities in 10th Annual Sustainability Report

06.18.2009 - 04:31PM

Ford’s 10th Annual Sustainability Report Details Progress on Blueprint for Sustainability

06.15.2009 - 02:16PM

ICMM Annual Review 2008 - Embracing Change

02.25.2009 - 12:00AM

Global CR Reporting Summit and Awards

03.02.2008 - 11:00PM

Europe's biggest and most interactive CSR reporting summit.

Hear from an expert panel of speakers from the likes of: Gap, West LB, Henkel, Vodafone, Standard Life, BAT, National Grid, Czech Coal and more!

With an ever more vociferous demand for solid CR information from stakeholders, accurate and efficient reporting is becoming integral to a successful CR agenda throughout the corporate world. It has grown to the extent that we are now able to celebrate best practice in reporting as is evidenced by Corporate Registers CR Reporting Awards 07. Tying in with this landmark event is this in depth study of CR reporting around the globe.

This informative and interactive experience will raise a number of key issues. Listen to views from some of the leading experts in reporting and draw your own conclusions based on groundbreaking debate on areas such as the value of assurance and the pro's and con's of box ticking when creating your report.

Learn from best practice examples how to produce a strong report and perhaps most importantly how to use it to ensure your company maximises its potential for positive long term effect.