Environmental initiatives, impact on the local community, treatment of employees, supply chain management, etc. Based on various indicators, Sustainalytics, a global agency for research and analysis of sustainable development, has just published the ranking of the 50 best-performing companies on social responsibility in Canada.
Banks, agri-food, telecommunication, textile, transportation and logistics, etc. Sustainalytics has ranked 50 Canadian companies that in their field of activity are considered as leaders in social responsibility. According to the methodology used by the agency, the winning companies create a healthy and dynamic workplace environment, reduce their environmental impact as much as possible and demonstrate commitment to the principles of good governance. Michael Jantzi, CEO of Sustainalytics, says that Canadians are becoming increasingly sensitive to the impact companies have on sustainable development. They are more concerned about the way in which they attempt to meet this challenge. With this ranking, they can learn about the efforts made by businesses in Canada.
Sectoral partnerships rewarded
Programs and policies being highlighted this year gives a preview of sectoral collaboration and cooperation. Working groups and other types of partnerships are all positive initiatives in the field of sustainable development. It is a particularly notable trend among consumer-oriented industries such as textiles and clothing, agri-food and electronics. Together, they work to meet the challenges of the supply chain, in particular improving working conditions and safety in factories.
Using clean energy
In addition to large groups such as PepsiCo, Danone, Starbucks, SAP and Nike, several companies appear in the ranking this year such as Manitoba Telecom Services, Siemens AG or Oracle Corporation. Others continue to fare well with their environment friendly initiatives. The Co-operators company was able to convince the jury with its partnership with Bullfrog Power, which let it incorporate green energy for some of its offices. Some financial institutions are also in the ranking such as TD Bank, acclaimed for its overall energy efficiency strategy as well as its initiative of issuing 500 million dollars of green bonds to finance low greenhouse gas emitting projects. Finally, RBC has got attention with its promise of donating 100 million dollars over five years, entitled: “Believe in Kids Pledge”. The goal of this ambitious project is to improve the well-being of one million children and young people by financing programs across Canada.