Sustainability professionals help organizations achieve concrete results

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Many companies promote themselves as being "green." However, there's a big difference between scratching the surface and talking about sustainability compared to taking real action that both helps support a low-carbon economy and drives financial rewards for the organization, says Gavin Pitchford, chief talent officer at Delta Management Group.

"The key is having experienced sustainability professionals leading the effort to bake sustainability into the operation: this not only reduces a company's carbon footprint, but also helps it to reduce costs and attract and retain both employees and customers," says Mr. Pitchford, who is also the founder of Canada's Clean50 Awards program.

"The companies that are seeing sustainability as a strategic megatrend have discovered, in the process, all sorts of opportunities for cost savings, cost avoidance and improving what they are delivering to their customers and their employees."

He points to members of the Clean50, which again this year include companies and leaders across a wide range of sectors – from banking, transportation, technology, real estate and retail to government and First Nations.

One of this year's Clean50 honourees is Compugen Finance's Green4Good director Steve Byrne, who has led the effort that has helped to divert more than 580,000 different information technology assets from landfill. Another example is Eric Chisholm, leader of WSP Canada's sustainability team, who has helped the company implement conservation measures at its buildings across Canada that have saved the company $20-million annually in utility costs.

"If you have the right people on the team and are taking action, at the end of the day pursuing sustainability improvements doesn't cost you money, it saves you money," says Mr. Pitchford. "Companies that don't have sustainability professionals overlook opportunities and can make bad decisions."

More governments are also getting the message, Mr. Pitchford says, pointing to Ontario and Quebec, whose premiers also made the Clean50 list this year.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne was cited for positioning Ontario "as an environmental leader" through measures such as the recently introduced cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions, while Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard was recognized for his taking "concrete steps" to help mobilize governments ahead of the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.

"Governments are starting to grasp the urgency," says Mr. Pitchford, who hopes new carbon policies will inspire more corporations to bulk up their sustainability staffing and programs.

"The smart companies have been doing it all along, recognizing that it's more than skin deep and requires a true change in strategy, led by professionals."

That includes TD Bank Group, which hired Karen Clarke-Whistler as its chief environment officer back in 2008. TD says it has invested more than $7-billion in the low-carbon economy between 2006 and 2014, across a wide range of initiatives from green building energy reduction initiatives, to loans for small-scale renewables and energy.

Ms. Clarke-Whistler says the bank provides loans for clean energy projects to businesses and organizations of all sizes and across various industries.

"In almost every single sector of the economy, from the very traditional to the emerging sectors of clean tech, there is a focus on how to do more with less," Ms. Clarke-Whistler says. "There are no good and bad sectors in this, and that is what I think is really exciting."

Another sustainability leader is HP Canada Co., which has received widespread recognition for its initiatives and leadership. An example is its Eco Advocates program, which tackles HP's largest carbon footprint area: customer use of its products. The program prepares HP employees to talk with customers and colleagues about environmental stewardship and solutions.

"Sustainability is a team sport," says Frances Edmonds, director of environmental programs for HP Canada. "You have to educate, because generally people aren't taught this in school."

The company is also behind the WWF Living Planet @ Work Championed by HP: an employee engagement program that offers free guidance to hundreds of businesses on how to deliver environmental sustainability initiatives within their organizations.

Ms. Edmonds says more people are seeking out employers that are environmentally and socially responsible, which in turn helps to increase the results of the sustainability programs.

CLEAN50 LEADERS
Canada’s Clean50 Honourees gathered for a group picture after a day of working in cross-sectoral teams to develop solutions to fight climate change at the Clean50 Summit in September. (AMY JIN)
Some of the results recognized in this year’s Clean50 Awards acknowledge specific individuals who have led efforts resulting in: saving the Experimental Lakes Area in Ontario, providing startup expertise to clean-tech companies that now employ 1,456 people and generate annual revenues of more than $245-million, bringing together 64 academics from across Canada to create a blueprint for Canada’s sustainability, discovering a new way to mine the oil sands using no water and producing 80 per cent less greenhouse gases, providing clean renewable energy to 45,000 homes, conserving 410 gigawatts of electricity, diverting 580,000 computer and other IT assets from landfills, installing over 400 EV (electric vehicle) charging stations on the Trans-Canada Highway, announcing and imposing a price on carbon pollution, and creating four promising clean-tech companies.

This content was produced by Randall Anthony Communications, in partnership with The Globe and Mail's advertising department. The Globe's editorial department was not involved in its creation.