Without a doubt, 2010 was a year to remember. It began with the earthquake in Haiti, an event that has left millions homeless; included an immense oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico; and was bracketed on the far end by Wikileaks. We saw massive flooding in Australia; Canada’s most expensive hailstorm in Calgary; and here in British Columbia, spring weather for the Winter Olympics. These are all representative of the sustainability challenge.

At The Natural Step, we use the metaphor of the funnel to talk about the growing constraints— environmental, social, and economic—imposed on businesses, communities, and organizations. Essentially, the funnel describes how, in an increasingly sustainability-constrained world, businesses are faced with a multiplicity of pressures: rising resource costs, tougher war for talent, an increasingly demanding public, changing legislation and technology, the challenge of aligning employees throughout an organization, and the pressure to continuously innovate, to name just a few. In short, faced with the sustainability challenge, the capacity of businesses to operate conventionally is getting more and more difficult. 

In our experience, the best companies are no longer trying to address sustainability as a standalone issue addressed by a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy—an approach that focuses solely on risk mitigation and often, philanthropy. While valid, it does not capture the opportunities that sustainability presents which include (among myriad others) capturing a leadership position and new market share, driving innovation, staying ahead of emerging legislation, and providing cost savings.

The best companies are not asking, “What should our CSR policy be?” but rather, “In light of sustainability, what should our business strategy be?”

In 2010, we at The Natural Step Canada were privileged to work with a number of leading businesses who are answering this question.

The Co-operators continued down their sustainability path, building out their sustainability vision, partnering with The David Suzuki Foundation, and building employee engagement and capacity for the sustainability journey. Their efforts were recognized publicly as well: The Co-operators were named one of Canada’s Green 30 businesses in Maclean’s, and honoured as #2 among the 50 Best Corporate Citizens in Canada by Corporate Knights Magazine.

ISL Engineering and Land Services made huge strides, making a senior-level commitment to sustainability as a driving force in the organization; developing an internal Sustainability Champions Team; establishing long-term strategic sustainability goals that are driving company policy and services; and adopting a series of key performance indicators to measure success along its journey. They have already caught the eye of the media, also landing on the Canada’s Green 30 list, as well as coming in at #2 on the 50 Best Small and Medium Sized Employers in Canada list in PROFIT Magazine. 

The Landmark Group of Builders has renewed their already robust commitment to sustainability, building out an internal Sustainability Champions Team and developing a strong sustainability road map to lead them through 2011.

SMART Technologies explored what a sustainability road map looks like for them and RBC introduced The Natural Step perspective to its account managers and customers in the Greater Toronto Area through engagements with Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt, an Ashoka Globalizer Fellow and Founder of The Natural Step. 

All in all, a busy year!

Looking forward to 2011, we will be engaging the new leaders of sustainable business in Canada, as well as those who wish to become these leaders. We’ll be working with our partners to help them move further and faster along their sustainability journey. And, we at The Natural Step Canada will continue to innovate, developing new and relevant services and tools that will allow our partners to flourish.

We have high expectations for our existing partners as well as those new companies joining us along our Service Path for Sustainable Business. If your business wants to be a sustainability leader in your sector and you're looking to make a strategic commitment to sustainability, contact The Natural Step’s Sustainable Business Program today to learn about how we can translate the fundamentals of sustainability into innovation and value creation, inspiring lasting change in your business.

We look forward to working with you!