It’s not always an easy fit, but valuable opportunities exist for both companies and non-governmental organizations when they choose to work together.

Determining how to account for the business impacts of climate change is a challenge for many companies. A new publication may provide the help that companies need to manage their Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) disclosures.

Canada’s largest companies are providing more and better information about their greenhouse gas emissions and their management strategies to deal with them according to the results of this year’s Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) report, released last week in Toronto.

Having a corporate sustainability plan or a sustainable development report is good business. Embedding those principles within your organization can be a challenge, but participants in the recent Green Business / PricewaterhouseCoopers Executive Roundtable on Sustainability insist that it’s one of the most important goals that they work towards.

By Robert Colman

OSC Staff Notice 51-716 suggests that a lot of company reports don’t measure up in this area in respect to environmental matters. Participants in the recent Green Business / PricewaterhouseCoopers Executive Roundtable on Sustainability also had some advice on how best to determine what is material for your industry.

New environmental marketing guidelines set the stage for the next chapter in sustainability marketing

By Susan Sheehan

In an effort to minimize consumer eco-confusion, on June 28, 2008, Canadian guidelines were released to help companies and advertisers avoid the sins of greenwash.

Do you want your sustainability story to resonate with an audience of analysts, investors, employees, rating agencies, banks, governments and other stakeholders? Put some substance into it. This will strengthen the reputation of your brand, help you better attract investments, encourage innovation and improve internal operations.

The regulation and codification of corporate social responsibility has taken many forms across many different industries over the past 10 or more years. Codes, standards and frameworks like the AA1000 Series, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the Forest Stewardship Council and the OECD Guidelines (among others) have created a standards environment that is spoiled for choice, but at the same time lacking a vision of social responsibility that is universally recognized.
    
The creation of ISO 26 000, a guidance on social responsibility, should change this. The target of the new standard is that it be applicable to all types of organizations - private, public and non-profit.
 

The UN climate change conference, held in Bali from December 3rd to 14th, ended in dramatic fashion when delegates adopted a new plan after marathon negotiations. The Bali road map sets out a timetable for negotiating a new global warming pact by 2009, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol in 2012.

Scenario planning for effective carbon risk management is becoming essential for energy industry executives.