Business

Top 50 Socially Responsible Corporations

These companies have made doing good a big part of their business

Top 50

Click on a company name for more details:

Adidas Group
Ballard Power Systems Inc.
BCE Inc.
BMO Bank of Montreal
BMW
Brookfield Properties Corp.
Cascades Inc.
Catalyst Paper
CIBC
Dell Inc.
Direct Energy
Enbridge Inc.
Gap Inc.
General Mills Inc.
Gildan Activewear Inc.
H.J. Heinz Company
Honda
Hewlett-Packard Company
HSBC
IBM Corp.
ING Group
Intel Corp.
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Kinross Gold Corp.
Loblaw Companies Ltd.
L’Oreal
Manulife Financial.
McDonald’s Corp.
Nexen Inc. .
Nike Inc.
Nokia
Oracle Corp.
Puma
RBC
Rio Tinto-Alcan
Scotiabank
Sony Corp.
Stantec Inc.
Starbucks Corp.
State Street Corp.
Sun Life Financial
Suncor Energy Inc.
Talisman Energy Inc.
TELUS Corp,
TD Bank Financial Group
TransAlta Corp.
Transcontinental Inc.
Volkswagen
Westport Innovations Inc.
Xerox Corp.

For the related article and methodology, The Jantzi-Maclean’s Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2010 click here.

Adidas Group

  • Promotes a fair wage-setting mechanism based on local cost of living, as well as input from workers and other key stakeholders.
  • Best practices in transparency include posting a global supplier and licensee factory list on its website. As an official sponsor and outfitter of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Adidas published a separate list of suppliers for its World Cup products, including the level of union representation at each facility.
  • A comprehensive work-life balance program provides flex-time schedules and services for families, including elder care, after-school programs and extensive support for expectant mothers.


Ballard Power Systems Inc.

  • Engaged in the development of clean energy hydrogen fuel cells and listed on the new S&P/TSX Clean Technology Index.
  • During the 2010 Winter Olympics, Ballard was part of a consortium that provided zero-emission fuel-cell buses in Whistler, B.C., the world’s largest deployment of green buses
  • Awarded more than $4 million by Sustainable Development Technology Canada to further develop fuel-cell technology for the transit bus market.


BCE Inc.

  • The only Canadian telecom company that is a signatory to the UN Global Compact, an initiative committed to 10 universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.
  • Established board-level and executive-level oversight of its corporate responsibility strategy.
  • Working with suppliers to recycle its telephone poles into reusable lumber and small wood chips to eventually be used to fuel alternative energy.


BMO Bank of Montreal

  • Launched the Clear Blue Skies Initiative, a company-wide strategy aimed at protecting and improving air quality through energy reduction and efficiency, waste management, and sustainable transport, materials and procurement.
  • Introduced BMO SmartSteps, a program designed to teach customers to save, and a support program to help those most severely affected by the economic downturn.
  • Provides basic banking services in remote northern and Aboriginal communities, and has implemented on-reserve housing loan programs.


BMW

  • Last year, it introduced the ActiveHybrid X6 and the ActiveHybrid 7, which consume 20 per cent less fuel than conventionally powered models.
  • The company’s first fully electric car, the Megacity, will be available in 2013.
  • Vehicles are 85 per cent recyclable and 95 per cent reusable. And 15 per cent of the plastic components in BMWs are made from recycled material.
  • The number of female managers has increased by 66 per cent over the past six years.


Brookfield Properties Corp.

  • Achieved Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification at nine of its properties. All of its office buildings in Canada have achieved BOMA BESt (Building Environmental Standards) certifications.
  • At least one employee in each of Brookfield’s major operating regions has achieved personal LEED accreditation.
  • Implemented a green procurement policy that includes green cleaning and low-impact landscaping.


Cascades Inc.

  • In 2009, Cascades’ Norampac division launched the “no-wax” box as an alternative to traditional waxed food packaging. The box is 100 per cent recyclable.
  • To enhance transparency and sustainability, the company launched an online public survey and direct consultations with employees, managers, communities, investors, suppliers and NGOs on issues such as responsible procurement, governance and impact on communities and the environment.


Catalyst Paper

  • The first company to manufacture mass-market carbon-neutral paper—Catalyst Cooled papers are produced with no net greenhouse gas emissions.
  • In 2009, absolute emissions were 85 per cent below 1990 levels at its Canadian operations, exceeding its commitment as a World Wildlife Fund Climate Saver by 15 per cent.
  • Derived 86 per cent of its power from renewable sources in 2009 at its Canadian operations—52 per cent of its total power came from carbon-neutral biomass fuels (mainly wood wastes).


CIBC

  • First major Canadian bank to form an investment team focused on green energy and clean-technology markets. The team plans to explore opportunities in the emerging carbon and water markets, as well as the future of the forest industry.
  • Members of CIBC’s senior executive team have a target in their performance scorecard to maintain or improve diversity representation at the bank.


Dell Inc.

  • As part of its Smarter Packaging plan, Dell enhanced its bamboo computer packaging this year, making it compostable. The packaging is now in the process of being certified for recycling.
  • The first major computer manufacturer to ban the export of any e-waste to developing countries.
  • Worked with 11 U.S. state governments to pass legislation that requires technology companies take back old and used products from consumers and recycle them.


Direct Energy

  • The company initiated the Direct Energy 2010 Volunteer Challenge, encouraging employees to volunteer in the community. Direct Energy is hoping to amass 10,000 ­volunteer hours.
  • Its parent company, Centrica, was ranked by the Carbon Disclosure Project as one of the top 25 companies in the world for carbon emissions disclosure.
  • Invests in smart-meter technology and interactive home-energy management solutions to help customers understand and reduce household energy consumption.


Enbridge Inc.

  • Generates power for 1,750 homes from an innovative hybrid fuel cell that converts otherwise wasted pipeline energy into electricity.
  • Involved in four Canadian wind power projects with a capacity of more than 260 megawatts—that’s enough electricity to power 100,000 homes for a year.

Gap Inc.

  • Has a Clean Water Program that monitors waste-water treatment and discharge practices of its denim laundries.
  • The company’s employee engagement program, Money for Time, encourages volunteerism by donating $150 to a non-profit organization for every 15 hours an employee spends volunteering.
  • Donates half the profits from Gap (Product) Red products to the Global Fund, an international initiative to help those affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.


General Mills Inc.

  • There are five women on the company’s 14-member board of directors, which is rare in the food industry.
  • GM is a member of the AIM-PROGRESS Responsible Sourcing group, an industry task force that collaborates to ensure best practices throughout the packaged-goods supply chain. To verify compliance with its own supplier code of conduct, General Mills utilizes independent audit firms to monitor working conditions in its supply chain.
  • Stimulates sustainable agriculture by developing best-in-class agricultural practices, using conventional hybrid crop varieties to gain greater yields, and improving the environmental performance of production-scale farming practices.


Gildan Activewear Inc.

  • Donated more than $570,000 through the Gildan Haiti Relief and Reconstruction Fund. The money helped fund food deliveries, medicine, diapers, tents and financial support to Gildan’s employees, their families, and contractors of the company’s Haitian manufacturing facility.
  • Employee policies—including freedom of association, working conditions and elimination of discrimination—are based on International Labour Organization conventions.
  • All Gildan-branded products are certified Oeko-Tex Standard 100, which tests for harmful substances in textiles.


H.J. Heinz Company

  • Introduces farmers in developing countries to sustainable agriculture through the use of non-GMO hybrid tomato seeds that will help to improve crop yields, resource conservation, as well as food and worker safety.
  • To improve food safety, Heinz’s Global Quality Risk Management Process utilizes a scoring system that evaluates 40 quality and safety categories. The assessments are completed by third-party auditors.
  • Aims to obtain 15 per cent of its energy from renewable sources—wind, solar, biomass and biogas—by 2015.


Honda

  • Collaborates with Climate Energy, a home energy company, to produce a micro-combined heat and power system that supports natural gas heating systems and reduces emissions by 30 per cent.
  • The company uses “Intelligent Paint Booth” technology that reduces CO2 emissions from body painting by roughly 15 per cent.
  • The Honda Civic GX is the only natural-gas powered vehicle available in North America. And the Insight, a five-passenger hybrid, has the lowest retail price of any hybrid automobile in North America.


Hewlett-Packard Company

  • The first electronics company to publish its list of suppliers online. HP updates the list annually and includes audit findings from its supplier facilities worldwide.
  • The company’s Central Nervous System for the Earth (CeNSE) initiative gathers real-time data on environmental, biological and structural shifts, which allows for improved infrastructure planning and advanced warning of natural disasters.
  • Through the Graduate Entrepreneurship Training IT program (GET-IT), HP helps unemployed youth and new graduates gain technical and entrepreneurial skills.


HSBC

  • One of only six global financial institutions to adopt the Climate Principles, a voluntary framework to help financial institutions manage the opportunities and risks of climate change.
  • The bank has a board of directors committee that oversees targets, strategy, policies and performance on sustainability issues.
  • The company provides some of the most comprehensive reporting on its implementation of the Equator Principles, the financial standard for socially and environmentally responsible project financing.


IBM Corp.

  • Incorporates life-cycle analysis into its product stewardship program—this includes reuse or recyclability, responsible end-of-life disposal, energy efficiency and material selection.
  • Participates in supply-chain initiatives of the Carbon Disclosure Project and the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition, which focuses on methodologies for suppliers to measure, report and reduce carbon emissions.
  • IBM’s “World Community Grid” connects people who donate their idle computer time to create a global research grid. The network is used to compute biological, environmental and health-related data on behalf of organizations that are unable to access large-scale research infrastructure.


ING Group

  • As of 2010, executive compensation will be explicitly tied to environmental, social and governance performance targets.
  • One of few financial institutions with a policy that explicitly restricts financing the production, maintenance or trade of controversial weapons.
  • Has restrictive policies on gambling and pornography, and refrains from financing organizations directly involved in animal testing for cosmetic purposes or manufacturing of fur products.


Intel Corp.

  • Governance and nominating committee charter acknowledges a fiduciary duty to corporate responsibility and sustainability performance, while executive and non-executive employee cash bonuses are linked to the achievement of environmental, social and governance goals.
  • The technology firm has a company-wide water policy that explicitly recognizes the human right to water and seeks to engage communities on their usage and conservation of water.
  • Its World Ahead Program improves access to technology—including mobile telemedicine centres, PC purchase programs, and multi-language teacher-training resources—for those in need.


JPMorgan Chase & Co.

  • Publicly disclosed an investment exclusion list that includes extractive projects or commercial logging in World Heritage sites and primary tropical moist forests.
  • One of the only U.S. banks that integrates the Universal Declaration on Human Rights into its investment, employee and supplier policies.


Kinross Gold Corp.

  • To provide company-wide standards and guidelines for its environmental, health and safety management system, Kinross models its system on the global ISO 140001 standard for environment, and the OHSAS 18001 standard for occupational health and safety.
  • The company’s strong reclamation practices includes a business unit specifically charged with returning land disturbed by mining activities to stable and productive land uses.
  • Strong community engagement mechanisms, including a system to identify key stakeholders and active community consultation groups at most operations.


Loblaw Companies Ltd.

  • Four stores are involved in a solar-panel pilot project. If successful, the company will increase rooftop installations at stores across Ontario. Energy generated will power surrounding communities, as part of the province’s Feed-in Tariff Program of the Green Energy Act.
  • Is committed to sourcing 100 per cent of seafood sold in its stores from sustainable suppliers by the end of 2013. That includes all canned, frozen, fresh, wild and farmed products, for both private label and national brands.


L’Oreal

  • As a member itself, L’Oreal is committed to sourcing all of its palm oil from suppliers connected with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) by the end of this year.
  • Has a Green Chemistry program that uses renewable raw materials, green manufacturing and environmentally friendly ingredients in the production of its cosmetics.
  • Half of the company’s international brands are headed by women.


Manulife Financial

  • Has set up low-cost micro-insurance programs to support families in rural areas of Vietnam, and micro-finance loans to help entrepreneurs in parts of Indonesia that are still suffering from the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami.
  • Will donate 75,000 trees to be planted around the world to celebrate 10 years as a public company.
  • Since 2008, the company has reduced its air-travel-related CO2 emissions by 22 per cent.

McDonald’s Corp.

  • Published a “2010 Best of Sustainable Supply” compendium featuring 50 case studies highlighting best practices across its supply chain. By featuring the most innovative solutions to environmental, labour and animal welfare issues among its suppliers, McDonald’s hopes to drive progress within its industry.
  • Is a signatory to the Canadian Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, which requires all advertisements aimed at children be devoted to the promotion of healthy dietary choices.


Nexen Inc.

  • Released a comprehensive integrity guide for everyone from the board of directors to employees and contractors.
  • Sponsored a local water delivery system near the company’s operations in Ressib, Yemen, resulting in safe drinking water for 5,000 people. The project is being expanded to include a local sanitation system.
  • Recently launched its ReachOut volunteer program that provides up to $1,000 for charities supported by its employees, in addition to paid volunteer days.


Nike Inc.

  • At the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Nike teams will be wearing jerseys made from 100 per cent discarded bottles sourced from landfills. Each recycled polyester jersey is produced from up to eight recycled plastic bottles.
  • he Nike N7 program provides Aboriginal organizations, centres and communities greater access to health care through grants, donations and athletic opportunities. The 15 participating Canadian Aboriginal communities receive Nike products at a reduced cost, with proceeds benefiting the Nike N7 Fund.
  • The Nike Foundation started the Girl Effect, providing adolescent girls in developing countries with educational, health, entrepreneurial and skills-training programs.


Nokia

  • The “Progress Project” provides technology to address the digital divide in emerging markets. “Nokia Life Tools,” developed with the Indian government and local enterprises, uses mobile phones to facilitate access to information and education for Indians without Internet access.
  • Excludes conflict minerals (e.g., tantalum, cobalt, tin) from its products, and requires suppliers to source tantalum, a rare metallic element, from socially and environmentally responsible suppliers.
  • Is a member of the Global e-Sustainability Initiative and participates in the Supply Chain Working Group.


Oracle Corp.

  • Collaborates with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) to develop technological solutions—screen magnifying software, for instance—to improve employment and educational opportunities for the visually impaired.
  • The Oracle Education Foundation sponsors ThinkQuest, a free, online, multi-subject learning platform that reaches more than 400,000 students in 43 countries every year.
  • Upgraded its transportation logistics software to include a “green dashboard,” which will incorporate the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay emission targets, helping freight companies reduce their environmental impacts.


Puma

  • Aims to produce 50 per cent of its products using sustainable materials by 2015. Puma’s new packaging and distribution system will reduce the amount of paper used for shoeboxes by 65 per cent and carbon emissions by 10,000 tonnes per year.
  • First company to join the Global Action Network for Transparency in the Supply Chain to improve the social and environmental performance and disclosure of its suppliers. To promote the greening of its supply chain, Puma aims to have a 25 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions, energy, water and waste in all its company-owned facilities and first-tier supplier factories by 2015.


RBC

  • One of few banks with a policy to avoid direct and indirect financing of companies that manufacture or trade equipment or material for nuclear, chemical or biological warfare, land mines or cluster bombs.
  • Actively recruits new immigrants, Aboriginals, gays and lesbians, and people with disabilities. Has clear goals for increasing workforce diversity, especially among senior executives.


Rio Tinto-Alcan

  • Has adopted water management plans and reduction targets, employing skilled water personnel at each site. Operations are audited against its parent company’s water standards every two years.
  • A leader in the use of clean energy sources—hydroelectric power—Alcan further reduced its greenhouse gas emission intensity by almost 10 per cent in 2009, thanks to a strong company-wide climate change policy, closure of old operations and increased operational efficiency.


Scotiabank

  • Launched a comprehensive employee policy on HIV/AIDS in the workplace. Employee health and safety and zero-tolerance for discrimination are addressed.
  • As Canada’s most international bank, it has globalized its corporate responsibility strategy and created a five-year plan to incorporate global sustainability performance data in its CSR reporting.
  • Leads micro-finance initiatives through its operations in Chile, Peru, Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Guatemala.


Sony Corp.

  • Developed programs to support and promote work-life balance, including flexible working hours for employees with children.
  • Established an environmental program called the “Road to Zero” Global Environmental Plan, which strives to achieve a zero environmental footprint throughout the life cycle of its products and activities by 2050.
  • Sony’s green procurement policy states that it will only acquire products and materials from suppliers that meet the requirements of the company’s Green Partner Environmental Quality Approval Program.


Stantec Inc.

  • Develops building designs with energy and resource efficiencies that exceed the standards of those outlined in the Model National Energy Code of Canada by including features such as grey-water recycling and extensive green rooftops.
  • Offers emergency spill response planning and services, including ecosystem restoration.
  • Incorporating sustainable strategies in its design of the Winnipeg International Airport’s new terminal—which aims to be the first LEED-certified terminal on the continent when it opens later this year.


Starbucks Corporation

  • Increased Fair Trade Certified coffee purchases from 19 million to 39 million pounds between 2008 and 2009, making it the largest purchaser of Fair Trade Certified coffee in the world.
  • In partnership with Conservation International, Starbucks piloted a forest conservation program where it engaged with 29 coffee-growing communities in Indonesia and Mexico to promote farming practices that reduce carbon emissions.
  • Is on track this year to achieve its goal of purchasing 50 per cent of the electricity used in stores from renewable energy sources.

State Street Corp.

  • Reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 37 per cent for its North American operations by purchasing Green-e certified renewable energy. In 2009, the company purchased additional renewable energy to cover 50 per cent of its electric load in Massachusetts, where the majority of its employees work.
  • In 2009, five per cent of its $98 billion in total assets managed was categorized as socially responsible investments, a significant proportion compared to its peers.


Sun Life Financial

  • Real estate properties in its Canadian investment portfolio are targeted to meet sustainability criteria, which include environmental certifications, fair employment principles and responsible contracting.
  • Donated $9.8 million in 2009 to various causes in Canada and abroad, including research into Parkinson’s disease, humanitarian aid and scholarships in developing countries.
  • To educate the public on the recent meltdown, Sun Life set up a blog about the economy and the global financial crisis on its ­Canadian website.


Suncor Energy Inc.

  • Has developed a process to accelerate the reclamation of its unsightly oil sands tailings ponds, and is expected to be the only oil sands mining company to meet Alberta’s new requirements for the regulation of tailings operations.
  • Financially supported Fort McMurray, Alta.’s state-of-the-art Suncor Community Leisure Centre, the largest recreational facility of its kind in Western Canada.
  • Leadership on policy, social and environmental issues is a key performance indicator used to determine the CEO’s annual bonus package.


Talisman Energy Inc.

  • Supports the full disclosure of chemicals used by its contractors during the process of hydraulic fracturing, a highly controversial shale gas drilling practice.
  • Is implementing 360-degree feedback reviews for mid-managers in 2010, a process already in place for executives and senior leaders.
  • Represents the only Canadian company participating in the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights Plenary Group, which provides guidance to extractives companies on maintaining the safety and security of their operations, while ensuring respect for human rights.


TELUS Corp.

  • First telecommunications company to voluntarily extend a “say on pay” vote, a provision that allows shareholders to vote on how companies pay their top executives.
  • Donated $24 million to charitable causes in 2009. The company encourages charitable participation by matching donations, dollar for dollar, given by any employee or retiree to over 50,000 Canadian charities.
  • Contracts include an environmental liability clause, requiring suppliers to include environmental aspects into staff training and to comply with environmental regulations.


TD Bank Financial Group

  • Became carbon neutral by 2010 by improving building efficiencies and by purchasing renewable energy and carbon offsets.
  • TD Asset Management division is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI). Its sustainable investment policy for its Canadian and U.S. operations states that the company will incorporate environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) factors into its broader investment analysis.
  • TD is aiming to have women make up 35 per cent of its executive team by the end of 2011.

TransAlta Corp.

  • As Canada’s largest publicly traded provider of renewable energy, Transalta already has 950 MW of wind power capacity and another 123 MW in development.
  • Is implementing state-of-the-art emission reduction technologies at its Centralia power plant to voluntarily reduce mercury emissions by 50 per cent by 2012.
  • Following the 2010 Haitian earthquake, TransAlta supported recovery efforts through cash donations and employee and retiree gift-matching.


Transcontinental Inc.

  • Established a Sustainable Development Steering Committee so employees can offer feedback and ideas to management.
  • Its San Francisco Chronicle building was one of the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certified printing facilities in North America.
  • Obtained the “triple chain-of-custody” for sustainably sourced paper for all its American and Canadian operations, which includes certifications from the Forest Stewardship Council, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certifications and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.


Volkswagen

  • Implemented a “CO2 registry,” whereby emissions are examined at every stage of the vehicle-creation process. Findings are submitted to the board of management, which decides if a project will move forward given its environmental footprint.
  • Introduced “BlueMotionTechnologies,” which reduce the fuel consumption and emissions in all its car models.
  • At its South Africa plant, the company provides HIV/AIDS education and treatment facilities for its 5,000 employees, and ensures discrimination-free reintegration of infected employees.


Westport Innovations Inc.

  • Its “Westport-Cycle” technology enables diesel engines to run on natural gas, propane, and other gaseous fuels such as hydrogen, while retaining power and efficiency.
  • Launched the Westport Carbon Project (WCP) to monetize emission reductions associated with its Cummins Westport (CWI) and Westport HD natural gas engines. Through this initiative, Westport and CWI natural-gas-powered vehicles sold since January 2009 are eligible for carbon credits.


Xerox Corp.

  • Many of the company’s board and executive positions are filled by women, including Ursula Burns, the company’s chief executive officer and chairperson.
  • A life-cycle assessment of the new ColorQube high-speed solid ink printer shows that the device generates 90 per cent less waste, uses nine per cent less energy and produces 10 per cent fewer greenhouse gases than comparable laser devices.
  • Engaged in a three-year partnership with the Nature Conservancy, focused on sustainable forest management in Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, and the U.S.