PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay North America division celebrated on October 5 the success of its most ambitious environmental sustainability project to-date by announcing that its Casa Grande, Arizona, facility has reached ‘near net zero.’ The ‘near net zero’ vision was to transform an existing facility so that it would be as far ‘off the grid’ as possible and run primarily on renewable energy sources and recycled water, while producing nearly zero landfill waste.
USA
Global companies do not hesitate to share their expertise—and money—with aspiring entrepreneurs and small businesses. Among those who come out to support little companies and help lead their country out of the global financial are Facebook, Dell and Starbucks to name but a few, and this list is growing. MillerCoors is one of those who provide aspiring businessmen with a monetary support to develop their companies, diverse and promising—though its MillerCoors Urban Entrepreneurs Series (MUES) program, the alcohol manufacturer has been giving away five grants of $150,000 annually for over a decade. Now, the company is announcing a new submission round (this year, the period was extended by nearly a month), which is running through October 28 at www.MillerCoorsMUES.com.
Anthem Worldwide, the brand development division of Schawk, whose integrated global network provides innovative solutions to articulate, unify and manage brand impact to create compelling and consistent brand experiences, announced that it has been recognized with three packaging design awards recognizing creative excellence.
Starbucks proves its commitment to communities and after introducing the ‘Create jobs for USA’ initiative, it presents a new community model in the neighborhoods of Harlem, New York and Crenshaw, Los Angeles. These organizations will share in the profits of a store in each community. Each organization will receive a minimum of $100,000 from Starbucks for the first year of the partnership.
The number of American companies supporting small businesses in their country is growing—Facebook, American Express, Google and Dell to name but a few are now joined by Starbucks, which has teamed up with Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) to launch Create Jobs for USA, an initiative that encourages consumers to donate money, which will be used to strengthen community business nationwide.
Aside from producing and selling new ranges, most big global companies pay a lot attention to charity and social projects, proving that today business means not only making money but sharing it as well. Sometimes, to pursue these goals, companies create unpredicted alliances—one of them—Ford Motor Company plus General Mills—has been formed recently to support the school funding the Box Tops for Education (BTFE) initiative in the USA, running for the 15th straight year. Starting today, October 3, the automobile giant joins the food manufacturer in rolling out a two-month program to generate $1 million in support for schools across the country.
Kleenex has introduced its new innovative product—Kleenex Cool Touch, facial tissues that contain relieving ingredients to help sore noses. The ad campaign is not far off.
The Kimberly-Clark brand that invented facial tissue 87 years ago know well when to roll out its ad campaigns. For example, last January it invited Americans to ‘share softnes’ or suggested Hispanic kids to ‘catch sneeze’. The high season for facial tissues has begun and it means a monthly sales increase as much as 65 percent over the summer months, says the NewYork Times.