In collaboration with leaders and experts from industry, government and civil society our teams are working on ‘Five Big Bets’ that have enormous potential to contribute to a clean and prosperous economy, as we collectively develop effective and scalable solutions to climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

We live in a time of great uncertainty, complexity, and unprecedented systemic challenges. Addressing complex sustainability challenges requires unprecedented collaboration and new ways of working across sectors and across scales.

The Canada Plastics Pact (CPP) is creating a circular economy in Canada in which plastic waste is kept in the economy and out of the environment. Canada Plastics Pact Partners are united, working together on achieving clear, actionable targets by the year 2025. 

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Exploring a Flawed Paradigm: Why Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is not enough

The following editorial by Chad Park, Executive Director of The Natural Step Canada, appeared in the Corporate Citizens Mediaplanet Special Report in the National Post on December 28, 2011.

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Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is outdated and counterproductive to successful enterprise and the global sustainability imperative.

CSR encourages us to incorporate environmental and social considerations into a business-as-usual scenario. This is the triple-bottom-line approach and is often depicted with three overlapping circles representing economy, society, and environment.

This is a flawed paradigm.

Where the MBA Oath Fails: Why sustainability demands more from our business leaders

There has been a lot of conversation over the past couple of years around bringing sustainability and accountability into business schools. The MBA Oath for responsible value creation is a good attempt at this – the movement was started by Harvard students in 2009 and has since been adopted by over 250 schools internationally and had been broadly lauded. The oath itself underlines the responsibility of business leaders to act in an ethically responsible fashion that goes beyond compliance and speaks to future generations and building trust within their own organizations and throughout society. I would prefer more specifics on some of the definitions (specifically around sustainability and healthy planet), but I would otherwise happily jump on the bandwagon.

You can be a sustainability leader - Applications now open for innovative MSLS program

There are signs all around us that our society is out of balance. Our institutions are failing us, we are riddled with debt, we are lacking social cohesion and trust, and we are consuming at an ever-increasing rate – all the while becoming less happy. These patterns are wreaking havoc on the habitat that sustains us - the Earth - and the social systems on which we rely. If we draw these patterns out to their logical conclusion, the story does not unfold happily.

To address a series of massive and interconnected challenges that includes poverty, pollution and toxicity, species extinction, and climate change, we require a) a unifying strategic planning approach that will allow us to thrive within the planet's limits, and b) leadership that inspires systemic change across sectors, borders and disciplines. The Master’s programme in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability (MSLS) offers these two things in spades

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