Corporate Responsibility

New York -- Swedish fast-fashion chain H&M was named “International Retailer of the Year” at the 8th annual World Retail Awards dinner in Paris. The awards were presented during the World Retail Congress, which is being held this week in Paris.

Fast Retailing, the Japanese parent company of Uniqlo and other brands, was named “Retailer of the Year.”

Sports Authority has partnered with the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) in honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Throughout the month of October, Sports Authority locations nationwide will be collecting point-of-sale donations with the goal of raising at least $150,000 for the NSCD.

All proceeds will go toward benefiting the lives of children and adults with disabilities.

Seattle - Starbucks Corp. opens its first community store in Korea, located in the Daehakro neighborhood of Seoul, on Oct. 1. Thirty cents from every purchase at this store will go to Green Umbrella ChildFund Korea (GUCFK) to directly support lifelong skills development for youth through the Starbucks Comprehensive Youth Leadership Program.

Belk, Discovery Education and the International Society for Technology in Education have launched the Belk Service Learning Challenge, a comprehensive standards-aligned program encouraging middle school students to facilitate positive changes in their communities by applying critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity skills to a service-learning project of their choice.

Dole reaffirmed its commitment to increase healthier food options for students by teaming up with grocery retailer Martin’s Supermarkets and wholesale foods supplier Caito Foods to donate salad bars to five public schools in Indiana.

These self-serve produce bars will feature an assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables.

New York -- It’s official: California Governor Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed legislation for the nation's first statewide ban on single-use plastic bags at supermarkets, drug stores and select other retail outlets.

"This bill is a step in the right direction — it reduces the torrent of plastic polluting our beaches, parks and even the vast ocean itself," Brown said in a signing statement. "We're the first to ban these bags, and we won't be the last."

Coty CEO Michele Scannavini has stepped down from his role at the company for personal reasons and resigned from Coty's board.

Coty's chairman, Bart Becht, will become interim CEO, working with Coty's executive committee to ensure a smooth transition and oversee major decisions at the company. The company plans to immediately begin its search for Scannavini's permanent successor. Becht will remain as chairman of the company once a permanent successor has been appointed.

The H&M Conscious Foundation, an independent nonprofit global foundation initiated by H&M to drive long-lasting positive change for people and communities, has partnered with WaterAid to bring safe water and toilets to a quarter million students in some of the world's poorest countries by 2017.

Fashion model and H&M Conscious Foundation ambassador Alek Wek was joined on stage at the Global Citizen Festival by H&M Conscious Foundation global manager Helena Thybell to present the foundation's flagship program with WaterAid.