On April 20, Mediacorp unveiled the names of fifty five Canadian companies recognized this year for their efforts in sustainable development.
Developing unique initiatives, reducing the environmental footprint inherent in the company's activities, involving employees in developing a sustainable management policy, contributing to the "green" identity at the core of the company's brand image… Faced with these four criteria studied closely by the publishers of Canada's Top 100 Employers, fifty five Canadian companies have been able to hold their own ahead of the others in the competition.
Among them, Bayer, flagship of the pharmaceutical industry, has for example distinguished itself by developing some 10,000 square feet of green space on the roof of its headquarters. The same goes for Compass Group Canada, food service specialist, which has become a major importer of fair trade coffee; or again for the Enbridge company, a major player in distribution of natural gas, which has chosen to invest in alternative energy by initiating no less than six wind power projects in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Some other examples: Hewlett-Packard, which encourages its employees to leave their cars in favour of telecommuting; and Ikea Canada, which has installed recycling depots at each of its retail stores, where clients are invited to come to dispose of their out-of-service bulbs and batteries.
Building on the exemplary levels of the most involved companies
While there is a diverse range among the winning initiatives, they each act as an undeniable beacon of greater corporate responsibility for sustainable development. More than just recognition and honours, there is also the goal, targeted by Mediacorp since 2006 in setting up this competition, of the race to be the greenest enterprise.