Each week we bring you the highlights of our continuous monitoring of the global scene for news, commentary, research and other sustainability-related content that informs and educates. It's part of our mission of sharing. And we are busy - there is a lot going on in sustainability affairs! In this issue we have some news about companies and their sustainability journeys (Volkswagen, Wal-Mart, McDonald's); commentary about industries (US automotive manufacturers); views on some about key issues (water!); some advice on best practices...and so on. In our top story we focus on the critical issues surrounding supply chain management. The news out of Africa is that the top officers at 12 of the world's largest chocolate & cocoa companies reached an agreement with the Government of Ghana to help make the cocoa farming in that country more sustainable. This is the Cocoa Action program, which places emphasis on productivity and community development actions. Some 100,000 farmers in Ghana are expecting to achieve a 100% productivity increase and see their communities improve by year 2020. Hats off to the Ghana Cocoa Board and its CEO - Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni. And to the leaders of the companies voluntarily committing to the Cocoa Action program: ADM; Armajaro; Barry Callebaut; Blommer Chocolate Company; Cargill; Ecom; Ferrero; The Hershey Company; Mars Incorporated; Mondelez International; Nestle; and Olam International. Each week the Highlights newsletter has news about supply chain management - stay tuned to the newsletter coming to your email box! Top Story of the Week Ghana: Global Chocolate and Cocoa Companies Announce Unprecedented Sustainability Strategy in Ghana
(Sunday - May 25, 2014)
Source: All Africa - Accra, Ghana — Senior executives from 12 of the world's largest chocolate and cocoa companies are signing a joint agreement with the Government of Ghana as part of an unprecedented strategy to accelerate actions to make cocoa... 
G&A Partners Hank Boerner & Louis Coppola Share Sustainability Insights With Berkeley Haas Business School Alumni @ Rockefeller Centre Deloitte Offices
A very constructive panel discussion hosted in a Deloitte conference room in the Rockefeller building. Various questions were addressed such as the role of Government subsidies, finding the right balance for legislation that is effective and widely accepted by all agents, making Socially Responsible Investments with desirable returns.
Sustainability in Focus 4 steps for starting a sustainable revolution in your company
(Friday - May 23, 2014)
Source: Green Biz - The insurgent sustainability director's goal is to empower allies to link social intelligence with their job responsibilities and the company's overall sustainability strategy. This begins by encouraging functional managers to... McDonald's to Let Restaurants Buy Their Own Sustainable Beef
(Friday - May 23, 2014)
Source: Bloomberg - McDonald's plans to let restaurants in different international markets choose their own paths for achieving its recent pledge to purchase sustainable beef, one of the company's sustainability officials told Bloomberg BNA May 21. Sustainability marketing – let’s look beyond the profit line
(Sunday - May 25, 2014)
Source: Asian Correspondent - In the last decade, the responsibilities on organizations and business practitioners have grown exponentially. Stemming from the ethical dilemmas that lead into today’s economic crises, expectations of business, and their... Not much time' Here's Sustainability@Volkswagen at a glance!
(Friday - May 23, 2014)
- TMCnet.com - (3BL Media Via Acquire Media News Edge) Summary of the 2013 Sustainability Report SOURCE: Volkswagen Group DESCRIPTION: Prepared for the future. That's how we operate. As one of the world's biggest... Walmart: the corporate empire's big step for sustainability
(Thursday - May 22, 2014)
Source: The Guardian - Ten years ago, on a diving trip to Cocos Island, I got into a discussion with Rob Walton, the chairman of Walmart, about how his company could impact global conservation efforts. A few weeks later, we flew to Bentonville... GM report says auto industry not sustainable
(Wednesday - May 21, 2014) Associated Profiles : Union of Concerned Scientists
- Inautonews - GM has new partnerships with traditional rival Honda â building together fuel cell systems and technology â or nongovernmental organizations like the BlueGreen Alliance, îUnion of Concerned... Can Millennials and social networking lead us to a sustainable future?
(Wednesday - May 21, 2014)
Source: GreenBiz - If you had to bet on the future, would you bet on a dystopia of competing self-interest or a world mobilized and capable of staving off the great challenges of our time by proactively investing in a better future? Open data can help plug the gaps in our understanding of sustainability
(Wednesday - May 21, 2014)
Source: The Guardian - The list of existing reporting frameworks and initiatives to drive transparency on corporate sustainability is long. There are millions of companies of all shapes and sizes operating around the world, but while larger companies... 3 tactics that make product sustainability leaders stand out
(Tuesday - May 20, 2014)
Source: GreenBiz - Companies committed to product sustainability enjoy the benefits of manufacturing cost savings, brand enhancement, employee engagement and other important financial and organizational value. A study released by Pure Strategies... Accelerating Sustainability: Energy and Water in Your Operations and Supply Chains
(Tuesday - May 20, 2014) Associated Profiles : World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
- Ecosystem Marketplace - At the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's Accelerating Sustainability Forum, in partnership with the US Business Council for Sustainable Development, the îWorld Business Council for Sustainable... Food, Agriculture Sustainable Business Principles Launched
(Monday - May 19, 2014) Associated Profiles : UN - Global Compact
- The Pig Site - The UN Global Compact today introduced the Food and Agriculture Business (FAB) Principles in Rome. As the first set of global voluntary business principles for the whole food and agriculture sector, the FAB... ESG Issues & Players California Shale Oil Bonanza Suffers Major Setback
(Friday - May 23, 2014)
Source: ABC News - If you were celebrating U.S. energy independence, you can blow the candles out, for now. If you were a Californian clicking your heels at having two-thirds of all the shale oil in the lower 48 states, you can stop clicking. Why?... Chevron Management Hit with Protests on Five Continents over Environmental Abuses
(Thursday - May 22, 2014) Associated Profiles : CSRwire
- CSR Wire - In a global protest event spanning five continents, several communities affected by Chevron's sloppy operational practices call on consumers and governments to not do business with oil giant until the... Solutions to the Global Water Crisis: 10 Takeaways From The World Water Forum
(Tuesday - May 20, 2014)
Source: Huff Post - We cannot exist without water. Water is literally "a vital nutrient to the life of every cell," according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) website. The body weight of some organisms is as much as 90 percent water. The human... Portland Is First US City to Divest Funds From Walmart
(Monday - May 19, 2014)
Source: TruthOut .org - On May 15, the city of Portland got rid of $9 million, or 25 percent, of its investments in Walmart. This marks the beginning of a divestment program that will purge Portland's investment portfolio of $36 million in... Asset Managers, US Pension Funds, Sovereign Wealth Funds Former treasury secretary reflects on ‘deeply unfair’ nature of financial crisis recovery - text/video
(Friday - May 23, 2014)
Source: PBS News Hour - Timothy Geithner, key architect of the government’s response the financial crisis, joins Gwen Ifill to discuss his new book, "Stress Test: Reflections on Financial Crises." As the former treasury secretary, Geithner offers... Norwegian oil fund may be granted standalone energy mandate
(Monday - May 19, 2014) Associated Profiles : Oekom - Germany, Norwegian Government Pension Fund – Global (Statens pensjonsfond – Utland) , Norwegian Government Pension Fund - Norway, Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
- Investment Pensions Europe - The Norwegian government has firm plans to broaden the mandate of the Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) the former oil fund to let it increase the number of environmentally-targeted investments.... As a Responsible Investor, Oregon is Taking a Strong Stance Against Excessive CEO Compensation
(Friday - May 23, 2014) Associated Profiles : Oregon Public Employee Retirement System (PERS)
- TMCnet.com - The vote is the latest by the Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund to highlight excessive compensation for executives at public corporations, by opposing "Say on Pay" referendums at annual meetings.... Watching the Watchers  Millennium Project
Headquarters: New York, NY
Established: a finite project: spans 2002-2006
KEY PARTNERS
United Nations interests.
The Project is referred to by many in the ESG/Sustainability field. This profile is "as information" – the project closed in 2006.
OVERVIEW/MISSION
According to the Millennium Project Web site: "The Millennium Project was commissioned by the United Nations Secretary-General in 2002 to develop a concrete action plan for the world to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and to reverse the grinding poverty, hunger and disease affecting billions of people." The action plan looks at ways to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
BACKGROUND
The United Nations Secretary-General commissioned the Millennium Project in 2002 to develop a plan for achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015; the Millennium Development Goals themselves were created in 2000.
News Sweeps Cameco withdraws application for new uranium mine in Saskatchewan
(Monday - May 26, 2014) Associated Profiles : Millennium Project
- Finance Yahoo - The lawsuit was filed in 2008 against the Saskatchewan government over land the band claimed under the 1992 Treaty Land Entitlement Framework â lands which the deal said included those on which Cameco hopes... Peaceful Transitions From The Nuclear To The Solar Age
(Sunday - May 25, 2014) Associated Profiles : Millennium Project
- Common Dreams - Fast forward to 2014, and Iâm still a card-carrying futurist and on the Planning Committee of the Millennium Project which tracks our human family’s 15 Global Challenges. Our latest State... Sculptor Thompson to receive Lenawee Arts Award
(Sunday - May 25, 2014) Associated Profiles : Millennium Project
- Lenconnect - Locally, in 1999 he along with John Wittersheim, Dick and Denise Keeley, Pi Benio and Mike Jacobitz spearheaded the Lenawee Council for the Visual Arts îMillennium Projectî, which created a collective... | Check It Out...
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Insights & perspectives for your sustainable journey... _______________________________ Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility Reporting G&A Institute is the Global Reporting
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Your corporate sustainability journey may have begun. Or, the journey may be far along, maturing – and the story being told through the GRI sustainability report. Who is taking notice? Who is recognizing the company's reporting effort (the progress report for corporate achievements), and bestowing recognition? Which of the many “best of” lists, and ratings, rankings, scores ,and other third party judgments is your company being included in – where are you positioned in the race to the top? Learn more About G&A's Awards & Recognitions Program _______________________________ Governance & Accountability Institute Research Reports  
 
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_______________________________ Corporate ESG Performance Factors & SustainabilityHQ Corporate ESG Performance Factors are important to financial analysts, asset owners and managers, and many stakeholders. The ESG framework or approach considers environmental issues and impacts, the company’s positioning and actions on social/societal issues, and important aspects of corporate governance. ESG key performance indicators are considered by investors as proxies for effective governance and management. Increasing numbers of of independent research and financial analysis firms monitor and measure these and advisie investors. The Sustainability HQ™ platform is an important profiling and monitoring resource for the G&A team, and for our clients and subscribers. ESG market players and corporate reputation influencers are profiled and monitored by G&A Institute. In these Highlights we provide some results of our continuous global scanning for ESG, sustainability and corporate responsibility news. The Associated Profiles indicated are in our platforms. For more information, please email us at info@sustainabilityhq.com
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