Achieve Sustainability Inc.

🌍We had the pleasure Friday morning of attending the 2024 Small Business Forum hosted by MBOT in Mississauga in honour of #SmallBusinessWeek. We particularly appreciated the presentation by BDC's Chief Economist Pierre Cleroux, who provided key insights into several trends that will influence the business environment over the next 5 years and strategies business leaders can use to manage them successfully. The four key trends influencing the growth of Canadian SMEs mentioned were: ➡️High costs will continue to weigh on businesses. ➡️Customer preferences are shifting. ➡️ Labour shortages will come back. ➡️Technology adoption is more important 💡Many of these trends can be addressed through sustainability! ✅ Businesses will need to be more more efficient with their operations to offset increased costs. [This could include minimizing energy, water, materials and waste and sourcing materials locally.] ✅Customers continue to seek the lowest possible price BUT *50%* were prepared to pay extra for "environmentally-friendly" products and services. ✅Also there are opportunities to attract new clients as BDC's research indicates that *92%* of major buyers require their suppliers to disclose at least one ESG criterion (top ESG criteria include [reduced] energy consumption levels, having DEI policies and practices, and governance in place to manage environmental risks.) ✅ While it was not discussed, having a strong sustainability strategy can also be effective in retaining and recruiting staff, especially Gen Z and Millenial talent, which helps your company compete in a difficult labour market. Need help with your sustainability strategy? Reach out to Achieve Sustainability for a complimentary consultation. #sustainablebusiness #sustainbility #SMEs

Having electrified our own operations a few years ago, we are delighted to now be working with the Green Building Initiative in supporting them with their new Journey to Net Zero program for commercial real estate clients. #greenbuildings #netzero

The SME Climate Hub has great resources for SMEs to decarbonize their operations. Sign up for their webinar tomorrow!

🌍Another step towards mandatory climate disclosures - this time for large federally incorporated private companies in Canada ➡️Federal government plans to amend the Canada Business Corporations Act to make climate disclosures mandatory for large private companies ➡️climate disclosures allow investors to understand how businesses are managing climate-related risks, encouraging capital to be allocated towards climate-aligned activities ➡️ specific regulations are under development ➡️ small and medium sized businesses are exempt, but will be encouraged to voluntarily adopt similar climate disclosures (they may face pressure from their large customers as well) ➡️also announced was Canada's new sustainable finance guidelines (taxonomy) which will provide a classification system for "green" and "transition" investments. #climatedisclsoures #climaterisk

🌍Have you subscribed to our monthly newsletter yet? Don't miss the latest sustainability, ESG, and climate risk news, access to workshops, and dates for upcoming sustainability networking events and conferences. In the next edition, we highlight: 🌍Keurig's 1.5M greenwashing fine 🌍85% of Canadian execs deeply worried about climate change 🌍Data center emissions > 600% higher than claims ➡️To see past editions and to subscribe, click the l$nk in the comments, Our October newsletter comes out October 1! #sustainability #sustainablebusiness #climaterisk #ESG

🌍Are you worried about greenwashing? Concerned about potential reputational and legal risk? Want to avoid the stiff penalties? Join Katie Elder from Good Principles Consulting and Carol Aziz, P.Eng., SCR® 🌍from Achieve Sustainability Inc. for a workshop on the implications of Bill C-59 and its new anti-greenwashing provisions on October 3 from noon to 1:30pm. We'll be covering: ➡️What Bill C-59 means for sustainability communication in Canada ➡️Practical steps to avoid greenwashing while maintaining communication effectiveness ➡️How to ensure your environmental claims are transparent and effective moving forward To secure your ticket, click the link below: https://lnkd.in/gdYx-GUW #greenwashing #BillC-59 #sustainability

🌍Are you a marketer or small business owner concerned about greenwashing and its risk to your business? ➡️Join our upcoming webinar designed to support organizations like yours that may not have the resources to navigate new legislation and its associated stiff penalties. ➡️We've done the research and crafted practical case studies, examples, and resources to guide you in making sustainable claims with confidence. ➡️Don't miss out on this opportunity to ensure you're on the right track! Secure your ticket by clicking the link in the comments. Good Principles Consulting Katie Elder #Greenwashing #Sustainability #BillC59 #sustainabilitymarketing #sustainabilitycomms #communications

🌍 The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) recently introduced a new framework to  decarbonize the buildings sector and align it with net-zero targets using 1.5C aligned global pathways.  The SBTI Buildings Sector Science Based Target Setting Criteria are intended for companies that own, develop, manage, or finance real estate. The criteria call for four key actions:  ➡️no new fossil fuel equipment installations by 2030,  ➡️retrofitting of inefficient buildings,  ➡️a reduction in in-use operational emissions, including fugitive emissions, and ➡️cuts to upfront embodied emissions (i.e. those associated with raw material extraction, assembly, transportation, and construction of new buildings). CRREM pathways have been developed for specific building typologies and geographies, allowing for emissions targets that align with global climate goals while also accounting for variations in local power grids and how buildings are used. The criteria can be accessed through a link in the comments.

🌍Are you confident you are avoiding greenwashing in your communications? New provisions to the Competition Act recently enacted by Parliament (Bill C-59) specifically target greenwashing and bring with them stiff penalties for false or misleading claims (e.g., $10 million or 3% of gross revenues). These provisions require that claims about a product's environmental or social benefits be based on adequate and proper testing and that environmental benefits of a business or business activity be substantiated using internationally recognized methodology. The Bureau will be issuing further guidance on these amendments in the coming months. In the meantime, the Bureau issued an interim bulletin with tips on how to avoid greenwashing - shown below. Want to learn more? Join Good Principles Consulting and us on Oct. 3 at noon for a workshop on how to avoid greenwashing and ensure your environmental claims are substantiated. #greenwashing

Achieve Sustainability is delighted to welcome Sariya Asad as a Sustainability Intern!  Sariya  is a fourth year student at the University of Toronto. She is majoring in environmental science and minoring in sustainability and environmental management. Her interests span carbon accounting, carbon removal strategies and natural resources management. She will be working with us over the next 6 months in the areas of environmental policy development, anti-greenwashing training, and greenhouse gas inventories. Welcome Sariya!