What happened at Vancouver’s most recent GLOBE Conference? NBS shares key highlights.
Every two years, Vancouver’s GLOBE Conference brings together thousands of sustainability business leaders, to engage in dynamic conversation about environmental solutions, and identify the top sustainability challenges facing corporations and society. Among those industry leaders in attendance were:
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David Labistour, CEO of Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC)
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Gord Lambert, Executive Advisor for Sustainability and Innovation at Suncor Energy
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Patrick Daniel, former CEO of Enbridge
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Warren Allen, President of the International Federation of Accountants
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Dayna Baumeister, co-founder of Biomimicry 3.8
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Beverly Briscoe, Chair of the audit committee for Goldcorp
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Henry Stoch, partner at Deloitte Canada
NBS summarizes the top ideas and trends that emerged from the 2014 conference:
Companies Must Connect with Society
Canada needs “consensus on how to develop socially, environmentally, economically,” said David Labistour of MEC. Gord Lambert of Suncor, echoed him: “As a society, we are struggling on how to have dialogue on complex, systems-type problems.”
Without a shared view of sustainability issues, progress becomes difficult and can only be achieved piecemeal. “MEC isn’t talking to government because we don’t believe government can move the dial,” Labistour said. Patrick Daniel, formerly of Enbridge, added: “If the general public wants to drive around in their Hummers and buy large screen TVs, how can they expect corporations to solve the problems of the world?”
How can companies and society connect? Listen and engage, said conference speakers. “We need to grow ears and reduce the size of our tongue,” suggested Warren Allen, president of the International Federation of Accountants. Dayna Baumeister of Biomimicry 3.8, suggested that business “quiet our cleverness.”
For more on connecting with society, see these NBS’s resources:
Change is Inevitable
Expectations of business will inevitably increase, as consumers and stakeholders put pressure on firms to green their products and operations. Business actions that “used to be great 20 years ago [are] not even acceptable today,” said Goldcorp’s Beverly Briscoe.
Such an environment means uncertainty for business. Anthony Hodge of the International Council for Mining and Metals, weighed in on the changing landscape: “Industry says, ‘tell us what the rules are.’ But the rules will change. Environmental regulations will ramp up.”
How can business adjust? Connections with society can keep industry attuned to trends and shifts, but firms must also take a longer-term perspective.
For more on how business can adopt a long-term perspective, view the NBS report, Long-Term Thinking in a Short-Term World.
Long-Term Thinking in a Short-Term World
This report provides a three-step process to balance short and long-term actions, cases, common obstacles to long-term action, and ways to overcome them.
Employees Care
Sustainability actions lead to a better, more committed workforce. Patrick Daniel recalled that when Enbridge expanded from traditional energy into renewables, “the biggest benefit is that we could hire people we could never hire before. They are the most passionate, engaged employees in the organization. They wouldn’t come to work for us on hydrocarbons….Though sometimes they will transition to hydrocarbons after joining the business.”
Beverly Briscoe saw similar impact when Goldcorp increased its community development activities: “In the mining industry, it’s hard to attract talent. When you [talk about] changing the lives of communities, it does attract new talent.” For more on how sustainability affects employee recruitment and retention, see “Three Reasons Job Seekers Prefer Sustainable Companies.”Three Reasons Job Seekers Prefer Sustainable Companies
Discover how good corporate citizenship and sustainable business practices attract and help retain top-notch talent for your firm.
Leadership is Needed — at all Levels of Companies
“There is an environmental literacy gap in the C-suite. Until that’s overcome, you’ll always have a spotty response in parts of the business,” said Henry Stoch of Deloitte Canada. Quantifying sustainability issues can make them more relevant and accessible to senior management, he said.
Some at the conference described younger employees as more progressive in their views on sustainability, calling for them to have greater input in corporate strategy. Patrick Daniel had even hoped to initiate a “reverse mentorship” program at Enbridge, that would have involved employees under 30 advising senior staff. “I couldn’t get it going: old people think they should be telling young people what to do.”
NBS’s project on embedding sustainability in organizational cultureprovides a template for building sustainability into the organization. NBS is evolving this knowledge through the Embedding Sustainability Working Group (ESWG), a collaboration of researchers and companies. The ESWG presented at GLOBE, and we’ll feature highlights in the next newsletter.
Spinning the GLOBE
“GLOBE provides an important lens on current sustainability thinking,” says Pam Laughland, managing director of NBS. “Our role at NBS is to contribute to that picture and build on it — bringing insights that bridge both public and private sectors.”
We welcome your thoughts. If you attended GLOBE, what did you find meaningful? What should be on the agenda at meetings like GLOBE? Please share your comments below.
Executive Report: Organizational Culture
NBS presents a framework of best practices and tools to help managers embed sustainability into corporate culture and incite meaningful change.
Embedding Sustainability Working Group
The Embedding Sustainability Working Group was launched to provide companies with research and guidance on how to embed sustainability. The Embedding...
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