A new ranking of the top 50 companies in the U.S. that the public distinguishes for their corporate social responsibility was released recently by the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship and Reputation Institute.

BMO Financial Group has been named as one of two Canadian banks in the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index for 2008. The Index, created by the Carbon Disclosure Project, is comprised of companies based worldwide that show distinction on their reporting of greenhouse gas emissions.

AbitibiBowater announced in September that its Thorold, Ontario newsprint mill has been certified to the Forest Stewardship Council chain-of-custody standard (FSC CoC).  This certification tracks FSC certified material through the production process - from the fiber sources  to the consumer, including all successive stages of processing, transformation, manufacturing and distribution.

 

Earlier this month, the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), an independent body set up by the advertising industry to police the rules laid down in the country’s advertising codes, took Shell to task for an advertisement that touted the sustainability of its business practices. The ASA was responding to a challenge by World Wildlife Fund UK., eventually requesting that Shell cease to run the ad in its current form.

According to a study conducted by brand strategy and design consultancy Lippincott in conjunction with The Climate Group, businesses are not being recognized for the role they play in tackling climate change, despite increasingly committed consumers who look to them for leadership. This research, carried out across the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany also found that despite substantial corporate effort and "green" advertising spend, an alarming 76 per cent of U.S. respondents could not name a single brand that is taking a lead on climate change.

Ceres and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) announced last week the shortlist of candidate reports for the Ceres-ACCA North American Sustainability Reporting Awards for 2007. Of the 87 sustainability reports received, 21 were selected for further consideration by the judges’ panel that meets next month. 

In 1995, Parliament amended the Auditor General Act to require the majority of federal departments to prepare formal accountability documents, known as sustainable development strategies. These strategies, which let Parliament know how the departments intend to consider the social, economic, and environmental effects of their policies and programs, have been produced every three years since 1997. In her October 2007 report, however, Auditor General Sheila Fraser calls them "a major disappointment."

Many businesses today are talking up their environmental image, and some take great pride in the way they are greening their supply chains. Yet, few would be willing to put that supply chain online for all to see. Clothing manufacturer Patagonia decided to take a chance and do just that. The Footprint Chronicles website allows you to track the impact of several Patagonia products from design to delivery.