activity report 2012 - Network for Business Sustainability

activity report 

2012

Business has an 

unprecedented 

opportunity to help 

society make more 

sustainable choices. 

KAREN CLARKE-WHISTLER 

TD BANK GROUP

4 Activity Report 2012 

who we are 

The Network for Business Sustainability (NBS) is a 

not-for-profit organization that produces authoritative 

resources on important sustainability issues, with 

the goal of changing management practice. We 

unite thousands of researchers and professionals 

worldwide who believe passionately in researchbased 

practice and practice-based research. 

Our network is powered by a vibrant and engaged 

community of 1,736 managers, 863 international 

scholars and 434 university students. They engage in 

NBS events, studies, forums and webinars – putting 

research findings into practice and contributing new 

ideas based on real-life experiences. 

NBS’s main office is in London, Ontario at the 

Ivey Business School (Western University); our 

Montreal office is hosted by l’Université du Québec 

à Montréal. 

vision mission objectives 

Vision 

We envision a world where Canadian enterprises 

contribute to prosperous economies, healthy 

ecosystems and strong communities. 

Mission 

NBS enables business sustainability by fostering 

collaboration between research and practice. 

NBS is guided by our Advisory Board, a group of 

senior leaders in academia and industry who meet 

annually to provide strategic advice on NBS activities. 

NBS acknowledges the generous support and 

funding of the Social Sciences and Humanities 

Research Council of Canada, Ivey Business School 

at Western University, l’Université du Québec à 

Montréal and our business councils (see pages 9 

to 13). 

Objectives 

1. Build Community. We build relationships 

between researchers, managers, policymakers 

and students. 

2. Exchange Knowledge. We bring academic and 

industry leaders together to spark new ideas 

about sustainable business practice. We ensure 

different people bring different perspectives. 

3. Spur Innovation. Collaboration will lead to 

more innovations.

Activity Report 2012 5 

executive director’s message 

The growth that we experienced in 2012 far exceeded expectations. Nowhere was this growth more evident 

than in our communities. 

We added two new business councils to our network. Our Industry Association Council (IAC) includes 10 

of Canada’s major industry associations. They met for the first time this year to develop new resources, 

especially targeted towards SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises) and discuss how they can advance 

sustainability among their member companies. 

The Embedding Sustainability Working Group includes nine progressive companies interested in embedding 

sustainability in their organizations. These companies are working with a research team – led by Dr. Stephanie 

Bertels – to integrate sustainability more fully into their systems, structure and activities. 

In addition to growing our business councils, we also added the Sustainability Centres Community. This 

community of university-based research centres from around the world was launched after a workshop NBS 

hosted in April 2012 with more than 60 academic sustainability centres at the Ivey Business School’s London, 

Ontario campus. These research centres are now convening and collaborating to learn from each other to 

advance business sustainability and achieve their centres’ goals. 

I am also proud of the growth in the Montreal-based SME Council, which grew to 16 member companies. The 

March meeting resulted in a new report that lists the top sustainability challenges for SMEs. This list provides a 

complement to the challenges confronted by large corporations, which we publish in a report resulting from our 

annual Leadership Council meeting. 

I hope you agree that this growth is impressive. And, it is matched by growth in our online presence. This year 

we reached a milestone of 3,000 subscribers – a visible result of our exceptional team, our strong council 

members and partners, and our engaging content. 

On the staffing front, one of the most heartfelt changes was the departure of Sarah Gagnon-Turcotte, our 

Montreal office manager. Sarah spent two and a half years at NBS and played an integral role in growing the 

Montreal office and finding their niche in the SME landscape. Although we were all sad to see Sarah go, the 

team continues to grow and the group’s energy is truly inspiring. 

We have made great progress this year and I am excited to maintain our momentum in 2013. 

Dr. Tima Bansal 

“Sustainability is not just an idea, 

it’s a shift in the business paradigm.” 

TIMA BANSAL 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

community 

Sustainability encourages businesses to thrive in harmony with the 

economic, social and ecological systems upon which they rely. To make 

businesses sustainable, we must move beyond disciplinary, industry and 

professional silos. Through NBS, we unite a community of individuals 

and organizations from both research and industry, who use knowledge 

to advance business sustainability. By working together we will unlock a 

sustainable future. 

our community includes: 

17 Advisory Board Members 

14 Staff Members 

17 Leadership Council Members 

10 Industry Association Council Members 

9 Embedding Sustainability Working Group Members 

16 SME Council Members 

60 Sustainability Centres 

7 Topic Editors 

2006 

150 

2007 

162 

2008 

310 

2009

550 

1,367 

1,614 

2,166 

2,464 

2010 2011 2012 

2,649 

3,033 

NBS has more than 3,000 subscribers 

who share in our vision of using knowledge 

to change business practice. 

Our subscribers include 863 academics, 1,736 

industry leaders and 434 students representing 

more than 60 countries on 6 continents. 

To become a subscriber visit: 

nbs.net/subscribe 

End 2012


staff 

NBS’s team consists of many dedicated and passionate individuals in London, Toronto and Montreal. NBS 

recognizes all the individuals who were a part of the NBS team in 2012. 

Tima Bansal 

Executive Director 

Pamela Carpio 

Coordinator, Montreal Office 

Alexandra Cooperman 

Research Assistant, 

Embedding Sustainability 

Working Group 

Céline Fiorucci 

Manager, Montreal Office 

Gordon Lambert (Chair) 

Vice President, Sustainable 

Development, Suncor Energy Inc. 

Tima Bansal (Ex Officio) 

Executive Director, Network 

for Business Sustainability 

Karen Clarke-Whistler 

Chief Environment Officer, 

TD Bank Group 

Peggy Cunningham 

Dean, Faculty of Management, 

Dalhousie University 

Stuart L. Hart 

S.C. Johnson Chair in 

Sustainable Global Enterprise, 

Johnson School of Management, 

Cornell University 

Maya Fischhoff 

Knowledge Manager 

Sarah Gagnon-Turcotte 

Manager, Montreal Office 

Chelsea Hicks 

Sustainability Project 

Coordinator 

Carol Kehoe 

Communications Manager 

advisory board 

NBS’s advisory board is composed of academic leaders and industry visionaries who provide strategic 

guidance on all aspects of NBS. 

Michael Jantzi 

Chief Executive Officer, 

Jantzi-Sustainalytics 

Avrim Lazar 

Consultant, Exco 2 

David McLaughlin 

Past President and CEO, 

National Round Table on the 

Environment and the Economy 

Marc Paquin 

Co-Founder and CEO, 

Unisféra International Centre 

Jessica Kilcoyne 

Communications Coordinator 

Pamela Laughland 

Managing Director 

Anthea Rowe 

Manager, Content Development 

Nicholas Parker 

Chairman, Cleantech Group LLC 

and Parker Venture Management 

Rick Petersen 

President, BLU Responsibility 

Communications 

Sanjay Sharma 

Dean, School of Business 

Administration, 

University of Vermont 

Carol Stephenson 

Dean, Ivey Business School, 

Western University 

Barb Steele 

Director, Strategic Partnerships 

Bushra Tobah 

Business Sustainability 

Research Specialist 

Marie-France Turcotte 

Director, Montreal Office 


(Ex Officio) 

Director, Montreal Office, 

Network for Business 

Sustainability 

James P. Walsh 

Gerald and Esther Carey 

Professor of Business 

Administration, Stephen M. 

Ross School of Business, 

University of Michigan 

Ed Whittingham 

Executive Director, 

Pembina Institute 

Michael Wood 

PhD Candidate, 

Ivey Business School, 

Western University


leadership council 

A progressive group of non-competing organizations, 

NBS’s Leadership Council meets annually to identify 

the top sustainability challenges for Canadian 

business. Those challenges define our research 

priorities each year. 

The council met in September for a one-day 

roundtable in Toronto. Facilitated by Tima Bansal, 

the council shared their sustainability successes 

and challenges. 

Following the meeting, NBS published the report 

“Changing the System: The Top 10 Sustainability 

Challenges for Canadian Business in 2013” in 

partnership with Deloitte. 

BC Hydro 

Brenda Goehring 

Manager, Regulatory & 

Relationship Management 

BlackBerry 

Dave Dougall 

Director, Accessibility 

and Sustainability 

Canadian Pacific Railway 

Grete Bridgewater 

Director, Environmental Programs 

Environment Canada 

Paula Brand 

Director, Integrated Decision 

Making Division 

Holcim (Canada) Inc. 

Luc Robitaille 

Corporate Director, Environment 

Industry Canada 

Mona Frendo 

Director, Policy Co-ordination 

and Regulatory Affairs 

LANXESS Inc. 

Jane Sadler Richards 

Butyls Global Specialist, 

Sustainable Development 

LoyaltyOne 

Debbie Baxter 

Chief Sustainability Officer 

Pembina Institute 

Matthew McCulloch 

Director, Consulting Services 

Research is underway on two of the top challenges: 

multi-stakeholder collaboration and civic 

engagement. This work will be guided by NBS and 

members of the Leadership Council. Look for the 

completed research projects in fall/winter 2013. 

This year, we were also pleased to welcome leading 

specialty chemicals company LANXESS Inc. to the 

Leadership Council. 

SAP Canada Inc. 

Deborah Kaplan 

Sustainability Principal 

Suncor Energy Inc. 

Peter MacConnachie 

Senior Sustainability Issues 

Management Specialist 

TD Bank Group 


Chief Environment Officer 

Teck Resources 

Carmen Turner 

Leader, Sustainability and 

Community Engagement 

Tembec Inc. 

Chris McDonell 

Manager, Aboriginal and 

Environmental Relations 

The Home Depot Canada Inc. 

Paul Berto 

Director, Corporate 

Communications and 

External Affairs 

Tim Hortons Inc. 

Tim Faveri 

Director, Sustainability and 

Responsibility 

Unilever Canada Inc. 

John Coyne 

Vice President, Legal & External 

Affairs and General Counsel 

“NBS’s Leadership Council provides a critical linkage 

between sustainability professionals and a world of 

academic excellence – an indispensable feature for 

making real progress on climate change, social and 

economic sustainability for the longer term.” 

JOHN COYNE 

UNILEVER


industry association council 

The Industry Association Council (IAC) is an inititative 

established by NBS to advance the sustainability 

agenda in Canada. The IAC is composed of business 

leaders dedicated to supporting the sustainable 

business practices of their association’s members. 

Recruited in 2011, the IAC met for the first time in 

March 2012. During this meeting and subsequent 

conference calls, the group identified their 

sustainability priorities. 

Working collaboratively with the IAC members, NBS 

developed resources to help address the group’s 

priorities, which included: 

Automotive Industries 

Association of Canada 

Marc Brazeau 

President 

Canadian Association of 

Petroleum Producers 

Brenda Jones 

Manager, Member 

Communication and 

Special Events 

Cement Association of 

Canada 

Adam Auer 

Director, Sustainability and 

Stakeholder Relations 

Chemistry Industry 


Bob Masterson 

Vice President, 

Responsible Care ® 

Federation of Plastics and 

Alliances Composites 

Pierre G. Fillion 

President & CEO 

Food & Consumer 

Products of Canada 

Derek Nighbor 

Senior Vice President, 

Public & Regulatory Affairs 

Rachel Kagan 

Vice President, 

Environment & Sustainability 

1. A Guide to Industry-Level Sustainability Programs 

to support industry associations in advancing 

sustainability 

2. Three industry-specific guides to help small- and 

medium-sized businesses engage employees in going 

green 

• A Guide for Retailers: Engaging Employees in 

Going “Green” 

• A Guide for Service Providers: Engaging 

Employees in Going “Green” 

• A Guide for Manufacturers: Engaging Employees in 

Going “Green” 

3. Improving Community Relations: A Guide for Small 

Business 

Exciting work is underway to build the IAC and continue to 

advance association sustainability efforts in 2013. 

Hotel Association of Canada 

Andrea Myers 

Director, Member Programs 

Industry Canada 

Georgina Wainwright-Kemdirim 

Manager, Sustainability Policy and 

CSR Strategic Policy Branch 

Purchasing Management 


Cheryl Paradowski 


Retail Council of Canada 

Diane J. Brisebois 


“NBS’s Industry Association Council is an 

invaluable opportunity that allows me to connect 

and collaborate with other industry associations on 

developing research-based resources to support 

the sustainability needs of our members.” 

BOB MASTERSON 

CHEMISTRY INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF CANADA


embedding sustainability 

working group 

Since the launch of NBS’s systematic review 

“Embedding Sustainability in Organizational Culture” 

in 2010, the report has received positive feedback 

from industry and academia, and its momentum 

continues to grow. 

In 2012, NBS leveraged this report to create a new 

working group of progressive companies interested 

in embedding sustainability in organizational culture. 

This three-year project examines what companies 

are doing to embed sustainability throughout their 

organizations. The process involves: 

• Collecting baseline data 

• Providing a culture assessment for each firm 

• Supporting the development and implementation 

of action plans 

• Reassessing company culture at the end of the 

three-year project period 

Bentall Kennedy 

(Canada) LP 

James Gray-Donald 

Vice President, Sustainability 

Cenovus Energy Inc. 

Karla Anderson 

Environment Strategy Advisor 

ConocoPhillips Canada 

Roxanne Pettipas 

Manager, Sustainable 

Development 

Farm Credit Canada 

Brenda Stasuik 

Director, Corporate Social 

Responsibility 

LANXESS Inc. 

Tim Knapp 

Manager, Health, Safety, 

Environment, Quality 

The research team is led by Stephanie Bertels of 

the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser 

University, author of “Embedding Sustainability in 

Organization Culture,” and Jennifer Howard-Grenville 

of the Lundquist College of Business at the University 

of Oregon. 

This work creates an important bridge between 

research and practice by providing much needed 

“on the ground” data collection and new knowledge 

on how to implement sustainability programs. NBS 

anticipates that this initiative will make significant 

contributions to sustainability knowledge. Publicly 

available tools and resources are planned for release 

at various stages in the project. 

NBS is grateful to the participating organizations 

for their commitment to the research, and to the 

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of 

Canada for their continued support. 

Suncor Energy Inc. 

Sheila Innes 

Director, Sustainbility Integration 

Sustainalytics 

Alexander Rengers 

Director, Advisory Services 

TD Bank Group 


Chief Environment Officer 

Teck Resources 

Carmen Turner 

Leader, Sustainability 

“By bringing together leading firms in a working 

group, we can not only accelerate their own 

learnings but also share this knowledge with 

other firms to inform their journeys.” 

STEPHANIE BERTELS 

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY


sme council 

NBS’s Small- and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) 

Council is a unique initiative driven by NBS’s 

Montreal office. Given the strong base of small and 

medium-sized companies in the Montreal region, 

and close ties between the academic and business 

communities, management professor Marie-France 

Turcotte sought to bring SMEs into the sustainability 

conversation. NBS’s Montreal office established the 

council and convened its first meeting in 2012. 

The council is modeled after NBS’s Leadership 

Council and consists of 16 small- and mediumsized 

organizations along with representatives of 

non-profits and government ministries from across 

Quebec. Each organization represents a distinct 

sector and is recognized for its leadership in 

environmental and social responsibility. 

Artopex 

Jean Barbeau 

Product Specialist, 

Sustainability Advisor 

CarrXpert St-Jean 

Collision Centre 

Benoît Godin 

Vice President 

Enerkem 

Marie-Hélène Labrie 

Vice President, Communications 

and Governmental Affairs 

GEOS Spa Sacacomie 

Marie-Rachel Charlebois 


IGA Cookshire 

Maude Genest-Denis 

Environmental Advisor 

Insertech 

Luc Bélair 

Production Coordinator, 

Environmental Advisor 

J.S. David Consultant Inc. 

Jean-Sébastien David 

President 

JAS Filtration 

Yvon Léveillé 

President 

In March 2012, 13 representatives met for the first 

time to discuss the top sustainability challenges 

facing SMEs in 2012. NBS plans to convene the 

SME Council annually to present and discuss their 

business challenges. 

This inaugural list of SME challenges, which was 

published in the first annual SME Challenges Report, 

shows SMEs are interested in developing in-house 

expertise in sustainability. They want to introduce 

sustainability into their organizational culture and 

identify and implement sustainability initiatives that 

are both responsible and profitable. The council 

wants to build consensus with both internal and 

external stakeholders on sustainability issues and to 

integrate sustainability into their long-term business 

strategies. 

L’Empreinte 

Luc Janson 

Vice President, Sales 

and Marketing 

Ministry of Finance 

& Economy 

Marie-Julie Laperrière 

Sustainability Advisor 

Montreal Alouettes 

Rémy Paré 

Director of Game Operations 

Savons Prolav Inc. 

Sophie Hénault 


S.É.R.I.C. 

Muryel Paquin 


S.O.D.E.R 

Philippe Anquez 

Sustainability Consultant 

Quartz Nature 

Alexandre Favreau 

Director of Sales 

Victor Innovatex 

Martin Bourque 

Director of Product 

Development 

“The SME Council creates a space to share 

experiences with like-minded peers. It is also 

a centre of expertise, providing practical 

guidelines to help us improve our 

own business practices and become 

more sustainable.” 

MARIE-HÉLÈNE LABRIE 

ENERKEM


topic editors 

NBS has seven Topic Editors, each of whom is an academic leader in his or her field. Our Topic Editors play 

an integral role in the development of NBS’s knowledge resources as they continually review the world’s top 

scholarly journals to identify the most significant and rigorous sustainability research. 

Tima Bansal 



Stephanie Bertels 

Beedie School of Business, 

Simon Fraser University 

Robert Klassen 



John Peloza 

College of Business, 

Florida State University 

sustainability centres community 

From April 16 to 18, 2012, NBS convened more than 

60 academic leaders, centre directors and students 

from institutions from around the world in London, 

Ontario to participate in the first Global Sustainability 

Centres Workshop. 

This unique workshop assembled representatives 

of business school sustainability research centres 

from across the globe to share their successes, 

challenges and best practices. 

One outcome of the workshop was the Sustainability 

Centres Community launched on nbs.net in July. 

This online community enables centres to find 

one another to share ideas and solve common 

challenges. It also provides an easy access point for 

Laura Spence 

Royal Holloway, 

University of London 

Remi Trudel 

Boston University School 

of Management 


School of Management, 

Université du Québec à Montréal 

businesses and other academic institutions looking to 

source leading sustainability research. By the end of 

2012, 60 centres representing more than 20 countries 

had joined the community. 

In 2013, we look forward to not only growing the 

community, but taking it to the next level by allowing 

centres to collborate and solve common challenges 

through quarterly webinars on various topics. 

NBS thanks Great-West Life, London Life and 

Canada Life for their financial support of the 

workshop and our online community. 

The Sustainability Centres Community includes 60 centres from more than 20 countries 

5 or more Centres 

2-4 Centres 

1 Centre

activities 

NBS believes in the value of community and collaboration to advance 

business sustainability. And it’s through our spectrum of activities 

that we interact and inspire one another to advance the sustainability 

movement. Working with leading academic experts, we have 

developed a knowledge portfolio rich with resources to address the 

most pressing issues facing sustainability leaders. By hosting and 

participating in key events, we enable sustainability researchers and 

professionals to exchange research insights and best practices.

knowledge produced in 2012 

Primers 

Brief overviews 

of the systematic 

review topics. 

Helpful for 

educating 

customers, 

employees and 

senior leaders. 

1 

PRIMER 

Systematic 

Reviews 

Comprehensive 

reviews of the 

best research to 

date on topics 

that matter to 

business. 

2 

SYSTEMATIC 

REVIEWS 

Executive 

Reports 

Condensed 

versions of 

the systematic 

reviews, 

designed 

for business 

leaders. 

2 

EXECUTIVE 

REPORTS 

Guides 

and tools 

Practical tools 

based on the 

systematic 

reviews to help 

business leaders 

plan or assess 


programs. 

17 

GUIDES 

AND TOOLS 

Thought 

Leadership 

Blogs 

Opinion 

pieces written 

by leading 

academics 

and executives 

on a variety of 


issues. 

19 

THOUGHT 

LEADERSHIP 

BLOG POSTS 

Research 

Insights 

One-page 

summaries 

of important 

research articles 

chosen by our 

Topic Editors. 

30 

RESEARCH 

INSIGHTS


building knowledge 

NBS expanded its resource database in 2012 with 71 new resources. Of the 10 Challenges identified by 

NBS’s Leadership Council in 2011, two were selected to be systematically reviewed by leading academics in 

the field. NBS also adapted both systematic reviews into executive reports. 

Innovating for Sustainability 

How can innovation drive sustainability 

within companies? 

Innovation is a key driver of competitiveness. It helps 

firms develop new products and processes while 

improving environmental and social impacts. 

Prepared by Richard Adams, Sally Jeanrenaud, 

John Bessant, Patrick Overy and Hannah Metcalfe 

from the University of Exeter and David Denyer from 

Cranfield School of Management, NBS’s report was 

guided by Stuart Hart from Cornell University and a 

committee of industry leaders. 

The research team reviewed 127 studies from the 

last 20 years to reveal how sustainability innovation 

is different from conventional innovation. The report 

also identifies the stages of innovation companies 

move through on their journey toward sustainability 

and pinpoints the specific practices that will enhance 

firms’ sustainability performance. 

Business-Driven Social Change 

How can companies help change people’s 

behaviour in order to benefit society? 

Organizations have the resources and market influence 

to effect positive change. Through product labeling, 

supply chain management, cause marketing, corporate 

philanthropy, employee volunteerism and NGO (nongovernmental 

organization) partnerships, companies 

are helping society get active, eat healthy, use less 

energy and live more sustainable lives. 

Prepared by Ute Stephan, Malcolm Patterson and Ciara 

Kelly from the University of Sheffield, NBS’s report was 

guided by Johanna Mair from Stanford University and a 

committee of industry leaders. 

The research team reviewed 123 studies from the 

last 20 years to reveal the three conditions necessary 

for changing people’s behaviour to benefit society. 

The report also points to 19 mechanisms companies 

can use to motivate people and create opportunities 

for change. 

NBS will continue producing resources in 2013 on 

these two topics.


Thought Leadership Blog 

NBS added a new online feature in 2012 to 

showcase topical, thought-provoking pieces 

by world experts on sustainability issues. In 

this forum, leading academics and business 

professionals offer guidance on sustainable 

business models for the 21st century. With 

authors like Stuart Hart and Michael Jantzi writing 

on topics as “Why Companies, Not Governments, 

Will Solve the World’s Biggest Problems” and 

“How Investors Changed Microsoft’s Reporting, 

and Why All Companies Should Care” our 

Thought Leadership Blog has become one of 

the most popular sections of nbs.net. 

Feature Articles 

While two of the challenges identified by 

NBS’s Leadership Council were selected to be 

systematically reviewed, NBS also introduced less 

formal research publications in 2012 to address 

the remaining challenges. Written by leading 

academics on such topics as sustainability 

reporting, and corporate budgeting and planning, 

these feature articles have become a popular 

resource on nbs.net. 

SME Resources 

With the addition of the SME and IAC Councils, 

NBS added a new SME knowledge topic to its 

editorial line in 2012. With a dedicated topic editor 

and SME page on nbs.net, NBS collaborated 

with both councils on developing this new line 

of knowledge. Sixteen SME-focused resources 

were developed in 2012 including: six Research 

Insights, four guides, three blogs, one case study, 

a primer and the 2012 SME Challenges Report. 

Top 10 Research Insights 

Published in 2012 

1. Burned-Out Employees? Reduce 

Absenteeism with Workplace Interventions 

Michael Leiter (Acadia University) 

2. Just Do It: How Nike Turned Disclosure into 

an Opportunity David Dorrey (York University) 

3. Driving Green Practice Adoption in the 

Logistics Industry Chieh-Yu Lin and Yi-Hui 

Ho (Chang Jung Christian University) 

4. Small but Mighty Firms Make Proactive 

CSR Pay Off Nuttaneeya (Ann) Torugsa and 

colleagues (University of Tasmania) 

5. Are Luxury and CSR Compatible? Carlos 

Torelli and colleagues (University of Minnesota) 

6. Employee Commitment Can Turn Ethics 

into Dollars Jinseok Chun and colleagues 

(Seoul National University) 

7. 3 Ways to Reap Value from CSR Initiatives 

Brian Husted (York University) and David Allan 

(IE Business School) 

8. Loyal Employees Can Make More Unethical 

Choices Elizabeth Umphress and colleagues 

(Texas A&M University) 

9. Making Money and Sustainable Progress 

with Ecopreneurship Sarah Dixon and Anne 

Clifford (Kingston Business School) 

10. Build CSR Metrics into Your Balanced 

Scorecard François Meyssonnier (Université 

de Nantes) and Fana Rasolofo-Distler 

(Université Paul Verlaine)


events 

Global Sustainability 

Centres Workshop 

April 16-18, 2012 

NBS was pleased to host an inaugural workshop for 

more than 60 business school sustainability centres 

from around the world to discuss the need for greater 

centre collaboration. 

One of the most well-received activities of the 

workshop was an industry panel on “Bridging the 

Research-Practice Gap” featuring four sustainability 

professionals from leading Canadian organizations 

(Automotive Industries Association of Canada, 

Holcim Canada, Suncor Energy and Tim Hortons). 

This forum allowed sustainability leaders in 

both academia and industry to sit face-to-face 

and discuss their experiences, accomplishments 

and challenges. 

NBS thanks Great-West Life, London Life and 

Canada Life for their financial support of the event. 

Webinar on Decision-Making 

for Sustainability 

April 10, 2012 

Hosted and facilitated by NBS, this webinar featured 

insights from Joe Arvai, lead author of the systematic 

review on Decision-making for Sustainability, released 

in early 2012. 

Ivey Idea Forum and 

Workshop on Innovating for 


October 30, 2012 

Hosted by NBS and the Ivey Business School, 

this two-part event featured NBS’s research on 

sustainability and innovation. The first session 

included a panel of industry experts (Laurent 

Tainturier, President, BASF Canada; Catherine 

Cobden, Executive Vice President, Forest Products 

Association of Canada (FPAC); and Rob Grand, 

Owner and CEO, GrassrootsStore.com) moderated 

by NBS’s Executive Director Tima Bansal. The panel 

engaged in a thoughtful discussion on how innovative 

practices can lead to competitiveness and resilience. 

The second part featured an NBS-led workshop 

for mid- to senior-level managers on how to embed 

innovation into their core business practice.


NBS Staff Spoke at 26 Events – Reaching More than 2,000 People 

DATE EVENT PRESENTED ATTENDEES 

January 12 Building Effective Environmental Policy Webinar Director of Strategic Partnerships and lead author of the 

Environmental Policy report presented its findings 

February 9 & 

22; March 7 

Toronto Zoo ECOexecutives: Integrating 


Director of Strategic Partnerships presented on Supply Chains 26 

March 20 Ethical Sourcing Forum Director of Strategic Partnerships presented on Supply Chains 50 

April 10 Decision-making for Sustainability Webinar Director of Strategic Partnerships and lead author of the 

Decision-making report presented its findings 

April 16-18 Putting Sustainability into Business Practice: 

Improving the Global Reach and Impact of 

Sustainability Centres, London, Ontario 

April 25-26 Unisfera's Conference on Business 

Sustainability and CSR: Creating Shared Value 

May 16 Sustainable Development in Real Estate 

Management 

NBS hosted and Managing Director presented on Translating 

and Promoting Research 

NBS's Montreal Office presented on sustainability for SMEs 150 

NBS's Montreal Office hosted and presented on SME-oriented 

NBS activites 

May 22-23 RIODD Conference, Nantes, France Director of Montreal office presented on SMEs 150 

May 23 SNC-Lavalin O&M Building Sustainability Forum Director of Strategic Partnership presented on sustainability 

leadership 

August 5 Academy of Management panel on Wicked 

Problems and the Informal Economy of Ideas 

September 

15-18 

September 

17-18 

Executive Director presented NBS examples of how bridging 

research and practice is necessary for solving problems 

International Small Business Congress 2012 Director of Montreal office presented the 2012 SME 

Challenges report 

Sustainability Conference, Quebec City Manager of Montreal office presented the Decision-Making 

report and Engagement guide for SMEs 

September 19 Pillar Community Collaboration Forum Executive Director presented NBS as a model of privateacademic 

partnership 

October 4 CICA Advisory Group on Sustainability Managing Director presented on Canadian business 

sustainability challenges 

October 4 Presentation to government Deputy Ministers 

on innovation 

October 11 Sustainable Waterloo Region Education Event: 

"Building a Sustainability Culture" 

Executive Director presented on innovating for sustainability 7 

Manager of Content Development presented on embedding 

sustainability in organizational culture 

October 18 Sustainability Applied, Toronto Managing Director presented on embedding sustainability in 

organizational culture 

October 23 SSHRC Partnership and Partnership 

Development Grants 

Executive Director presented on NBS and corporate 

governance 

October 25 EXCEL group Managing Director presented on innovating for sustainability 15 

October 30 Ivey Idea Forum: Innovation for Sustainable 

Growth and Innovating for Sustainability: A 

Workshop for Managers 

NBS co-hosted and Executive Director presented on innovating 

for sustainability 

November 7 CBSR Summit Director of Strategic Partnerships presented on Engaging 

Employees for a Changing World 

November 20 Unisfera's Forum: Processes and Tools for 


November 22 IABC Education Series: "CSR: Relationships 

with Benefits" 

November 26 Unisfera's Forum: Integrated Management of 

Business Sustainability 

Director of the Montreal office presented NBS’s engagement 

guide to business leaders and CSR managers 

Manager of Content Development presented corporate 

communicators with an introduction to CSR and how it relates 

to communications 

Montreal office presented on embedding sustainability in 

organizational culture 

December 4 Innovation 2012 Managing Director presented on successful multi-sector 

partnerships 

50 

60 

60 

40 

25 

200 

150 

150 

250 

12 

100 

30 

50 

50 

80 

150 

60 

150 

60

impact 

NBS has made huge strides in 2012 and we look forward 

to continuing to grow in 2013. 

Website 

Our website infrastructure continues to evolve. 

In January 2012, NBS’s website was redesigned 

to allow for a better user experience. We also 

introduced a new blog section, including our 

Thought Leadership Blog, and expanded our 

community section through the addition of the 

Sustainabilty Centres Community and forum. 

Website unique visits: 73,838 or 6,153/month 

Unique page views: 298,113 or 24,842/month 

300,000 

250,000 

200,000 

150,000 

100,000 

Unique page views 

50,000 

0 

73,360 

2010 

209,746 

2011 

298,113 

2012 

Unique web visits 

80,000 

70,000 

60,000 

50,000 

40,000 

30,000 

20,000 

10,000 

0 

16,289 

2010 

Social Media 

As an integral part of outreach and engagement, 

NBS continues to evolve and grow our social 

media platforms (Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn). 

In 2012, NBS’s reach through social media 

increased exponentially as we added Frenchlanguage 

Facebook and Twitter pages. 

Twitter followers: 1,742 

Facebook likes: 2,175 

LinkedIn group members: 322 

42,919 

2011 

73,838 


4,000 

3,000 

2,000 

1,000 

0 

Subscribers 

Note: All stacked bar graphs include both French- and English-language data (blue=French, white=English). 

1,673 

2010 

2,430 

2011 

3,013 


Media 

Our reports and publications have garnered 

attention from various regional and international 

media outlets. Here are some highlights from 

2012: 

Thinking Fast and Thinking Slow: How Our Minds 

Make Us Behave Sustainably (part 1 of a 3-part 

series) - The Guardian Sustainable Business Blog 

(April 3, 2012) 

How Corporate Social Responsibility Improved 

these Companies’ Bottom Lines - Maclean’s 

(June 14, 2012) 

2,000 

1,500 

1,000 

Twitter followers 

500 

0 

630 

2010 

1,075 

2011 

1,742 


2,500 

2,000 

1,500 

1,000 

500 

0 

CSR in Canada: Who’s Who and Why They 

Matter - Justmeans 

(August 16, 2012) 

Practising Social Responsibility without 

the CSR Label - The Guardian Sustainable 

Business Blog 

(September 12, 2012) 

Facebook likes 

132 

2010 

169 

2011 

2,175 


400 

300 

200 

100 

LinkedIn members 

0 N/A 

2010 

127 

2011 

322 


Network for Business Sustainability 

c/o Ivey Business School 


1151 Richmond Street 

London, Ontario, Canada N6A 3K7 

519-661-2111 x88980 

nbs.net 

nbs.net/fr 

Réseau entreprise et développement durable 

École des Sciences de la gestion 

Université du Québec à Montréal 

1290, rue Saint-Denis, 6e étage, AB-6270 

Montréal, Québec, Canada H2X 3J7 

514-987-3000 x7898

activity report 2012 - Network for Business Sustainability

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