Nike, Target, Twitter and more make Juneteenth a paid company holiday
A handful of corporations in the U.S. announced this year that they are making Juneteenth, the day traditionally used to commemorate the end of slavery, a companywide holiday.
Business
This archive collects stories about businesses — from startups and local enterprises to multinational corporations — taking meaningful action on social, environmental, and economic challenges. These reports highlight moments when commerce and accountability intersect in constructive ways.
Lyft vows ‘100 percent’ of its vehicles will be electric by 2030
By working with automakers and rental car companies, as well as the millions of independent contractors who drive for Lyft every day, the ride-hailing company believes it can prevent “tens of millions of metric tons” of pollutants from entering the atmosphere.
Band-Aid will now make bandages for darker skin tones
Band-Aid’s traditional soft-pink bandages have long been a point of contention among people of color who have questioned why white skin is the default shade for a range of flesh-toned products, including nude bras and other garments.
Intuit hits 100% renewable electricity goal 10 years early
The 419 MW Mesquite Star wind farm was just completed in Fisher County, Texas, and is now providing electricity for Ecolab, Lowe’s, Intuit, and Brown University. In the case of Intuit, the company has now reached its 100% renewable electricity goal.
IBM, Amazon, and Microsoft stop selling facial recognition software to police
Advocacy groups like the ACLU have long raised significant privacy concerns regarding facial recognition. Researchers like Joy Buolamwini, Timnit Gebru, and Deborah Raji have demonstrated that these technologies can come with built-in racial and gender biases.
NASCAR bans Confederate flag at all events and properties
“The presence of the confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry,” NASCAR said.
NFL condemns racism, admits ‘we were wrong’ not to listen to NFL player protests
National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell admitted the league was “wrong” for failing to listen to players who protested social injustice. Goodell said he wants players to continue to speak out through protesting, supported the Black Lives Matter movement, and offered his participation.
Twitter begins adding warning labels fact-checking Trump’s false claims
A new label prompting Twitter users to “Get the facts about mail-in ballots” appeared on a series of tweets in which the president baselessly claimed ballots received through mail-in voting methods are “fraudulent.”
IKEA put 1 million solar panels on 370 stores in 2019
In 2019, IKEA invested $2.8 billion in renewable energy infrastructure. IKEA put 1 million solar panels on 370 0f its stores and warehouses, and also built 535 wind turbines and 2 solar parks.
World’s first electric air taxi service set to launch in California by 2021
Quantum Air announced plans to launch what it’s calling a world’s first — an air taxi service using a fleet of 26 all-electric flying taxis to shuttle passengers between major points in the greater Los Angeles area.