In This Issue:

President's Message

CBSR News

CBSR in the News

Member News

Trends & Issues

Upcoming CSR Events

______________

Engage, Mobilize, Advance...

Find out how membership in CBSR can support your company. Contact us at 416.703.7435.

_______________

CBSR is a non-profit CSR consultancy and peer-to-peer learning organization with over 13 years of CSR experience.

GoodCompany 
A Quarterly CSR Newsletter                                                   September 2008

President's Message

What is at the heart of a successful corporate social and environmental program? Strong community investment and employee engagement? Fantastic reporting? Carbon footprint reduction throughout the operation?

The answer is all of the above. What these practices have in common is stakeholder engagement. Through holistic, dynamic relationships built over time, a business can hone its activity to balance both its own and its primary stakeholders' priorities. Recently we've seen this in action, as CBSR's Advisory Services team was engaged to help a large retailer conduct a formal stakeholder engagement process.

I invite you to join us at the 6^th Annual CBSR Summit on October 20 in Toronto to learn more about how stakeholder engagement links directly to the bottom line - what's new, what's innovative and what's current in leading practices. The speaking roster is stellar again this year, and I know you will come away with inspiration and practical tools for your organization.

Reporting is also an important part of the engagement process. This year, CBSR has joined forces with Craib Design & Communication to publish CSR Trends, a global survey of reporting best practices and trends. Coming soon, this report will become a reference I trust you will revisit regularly as you build your own upcoming reports.

It's all about linkages this Fall: between companies and stakeholders, and between members within the CBSR network. Looking forward to the conversation.

Adine Mees
President and CEO

CBSR News

CBSR and Craib Partner on 2008 Survey of CSR Reporting Trends
CSR Trends, a global survey of CSR reporting best practices, will be released on September 17, 2008 by Craib Design & Communications and CBSR. The report will highlight trends in the reporting practices of Canadian and international companies, as well as put the spotlight on best practices, with useful visual examples. Look for a link to the report at cbsr.ca after September 17, 2008.

Linking Stakeholders to the Bottom Line
Early Bird Deadline September 5, 2008
How are Canada's top companies adapting to the changing needs of key stakeholders and how are these parties changing the face of corporate responsibility? Join more than 200 senior executives and practitioners on October 20, 2008 in Toronto at CBSR's 6th Annual Summit on Corporate Social Responsibility.

• Hear Keynote Speaker Galen Weston Jr., Executive Chair of Loblaw Companies Limited, Martha McIvor, Vice President of Human Resources at HP Canada, Marc Theriault, Chair of the Aboriginal Steering Committee at Syncrude Canada, Tony Piggott, President and CEO of JWT Canada, and many more.
• View detailed descriptions of the post-Summit workshops on CSR Reporting and Stakeholder Mapping and Engagement--now available here.
• Register online and view updated sessions, workshops, speakers and sponsors here.

Thank you to the 2008 Summit sponsors: EDC, Loblaw Companies Limited, Nexen Inc. Syncrude Canada, Cameco Corporation, Coca-Cola Canada, DFAIT, Honda Canada, Hunter Dickinson, Talisman Energy Inc., Jacques Whitford and Hill & Knowlton Canada

Seeing is Believing Tour Focused on Solutions to Homelessness
On June 26, 2008, Kevin Bent, President and Publisher, Pacific Newspaper Group and Geoff Plant, Commissioner, Project Civil City co-led a Seeing is Believing Tour in Vancouver focused on finding solutions to homelessness. The tour visited four community organizations: Potluck Cafe Society, United We Can, Coast Mental Health and Urban Native Youth Association. Their projects showcased the success of social enterprise, supportive housing, and skills training programs in bringing people off the streets. Participants spoke at length with organization staff and clientele and concluded the day with a roundtable discussion on business' role in addressing the issue.

To learn more about the Seeing is Believing Program, click here. Or contact annastasia@cbsr.ca if your company is interested in sponsoring, or your CEO is interested in leading, a tour.

Upcoming Seeing is Believing Tours:  
Homelessness and Employability
Hemlock Printers and Burnaby Board of Trade - Burnaby, October 10, 2008
Coast Capital Savings - Victoria, October 2008
Telus - Edmonton, October 2008

Opportunities for Children and Youth:
Electronic Arts - Vancouver, October 8, 2008

Saying Goodbye and Hello to CBSR Staff
With regret, we say goodbye to Kathrin Bohr, VP of Member Development in Toronto. Kathrin launched CBSR's Toronto office in 2003 and has made an invaluable contribution to the growth of CSR in Canada. Kathrin will be pursuing her career in San Francisco, while remaining a Senior Associate of CBSR. We wish her all the best!

We also say hello to new CBSR staff Alison Chafe, Manager of Member Engagement, and Andrea Baldwin, Director of Advisory Services, both located in CBSR's Toronto office. Alison comes to CBSR from a national retailer and holds an MBA in Sustainable Business from the Schulich School of Business. Prior to joining CBSR, Andrea was a Senior Project Leader for Boston Consulting Group and brings expertise in strategy development, project management and government relations.

CBSR in the News

CEOs get a view from street level
The most recent Seeing is Believing tour focussed on homelessness was covered extensively in the Vancouver Sun. Click here or here for details.

6 Steps to Cut the Greenwash
Alternatives Journal's August edition features tips for consumers to understand a company's environmental performance, contributed by Robyn Hall of CBSR. This includes how to find and read CSR reports, as well other indicators such as the Jantzi Social Index and Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

How do you measure up?
Jenna Feldman, CSR Advisor as CBSR, was quoted in Greenspace BC, a sustainable business publication, in an article about CSR reporting. She said, "The point is really for the information [in CSR reports] to be read and for the company to focus on continuous improvement. Reporting is a management tool...What's most important is that a company is continually improving and setting targets."

Member News

CBSR Members Among Best 50 Corporate Citizens
Congratulations to the following CBSR members who appeared on the 7th annual Corporate Knights magazine list of Canada's Best 50 Corporate Citizens: Petro-Canada, Rio Tinto Alcan, Loblaw Companies Limited, BC Hydro and Power Authority, Westport Innovations, Nexen, Hydro Quebec, Mountain Equipment Co-op, The VanCity Group, Shoppers Drug Mart, Direct Energy, RBC, Catalyst Paper, BMO Financial Group, PotashCorp, Tim Hortons, BCE, Canadian Tire Corporation, Hewlett Packard (Canada) Co. and Enbridge.

Scotiabank Launches New Environmental Paper Policy
In July, Scotiabank launched a series of initiatives designed to help support sustainable forestry practices and reduce the bank's environmental footprint. The initiatives include further integrating environmental considerations into its purchasing decisions, setting a reduction target for paper use and expanding recycling programs in its international operations.

"Scotiabank is actively promoting paperless banking options to customers where appropriate," said Kaz Flinn, VP, CSR. For example, 18,000 employee bank accounts have been switched to paperless accounts, contributing to a 109 per cent increase in the number of paperless accounts since 2006." The new paper policy also further expands Scotiabank's conversion to the use of products certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC).

Learning Series Continues to Support Member Performance
CBSR's CSR Expert Series for member companies has been active over the Summer of 2008. Real Tools for Carbon Management, on July 30, supported by Bell and Cisco, presented ways companies can reduce and manage their carbon footprint. 

Greg Priest of IKEA presented on August 13 at Supply Chain Management: Lessons Learned by IKEA, supported by Hewitt Associates. Greg's presentation highlighted challenges and opportunities around IKEA's new Code of Conduct and on-going social and environmental compliance.

The Summer series wraps up on September 9 with Know Your Ingredients with Lorraine Smith, Senior Associate of CBSR. Lorraine will look at supply chain management in terms of raw materials and communications.

Trends & Issues

Getting the most out of assurance

"Stakeholders are demanding more transparency, and companies themselves are under increasing competitive and regulatory pressure to demonstrate a commitment to corporate responsibility. Yet, with this increase in sustainability reporting, the vast majority of these reports are not being independently reviewed or assured...." says Rebecca Bowens in Assure View, a new report from Corporateregister.com. The report looks at the value of assurance statements, making them a meaningful part of CSR reports, and trends in assurance by region, sector etc. Good reading as you determine whether to make assurance a part of your CSR process. To obtain the report, click here.

Boards will increase CSR leadership role over next decade
A recently released Conference Board of Canada report asserts that Boards of Directors will play a greater leadership role around social and environmental performance in future. The integration of CSR into performance management and strategic planning will also bring CSR into the boards purview and speed the integration of CSR into all aspects of operations. To access a copy of the report click here. 

Upcoming CSR Events

Tremblant Forum on Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability
September 16 and 17, 2008, Mont Tremblant, Quebec

This year's theme, Looking forward, giving back, focuses on the latest issues, drivers and trends in community investment. It will highlight the hard won successes of individuals and organizations committed to building a sustainable global society through strategic philanthropy and social entrepreneurship. The Tremblant Forum will welcome community investment experts from organizations in Canada, the United States and Europe, including Peter Swinburn, President and CEO of MolsonCoors (United States) and Ms. Monique Villa, CEO of Thomson Reuters Foundation (United Kingdom) as our two keynote speakers. There will also be a special event to launch the Imagine Canada Survey of Business Contributions to Community.  To reserve your tickets for the event, click here or for more information, please contact Mohamed Shuriye at 514-843-2334 or info@tremblantforum.org.

Intertek
4th Annual Ethical Sourcing Forum Europe 2008
October 2, 2008, Paris

Interested in strengthening your ability to reach organizational supply chain goals? Mark your calendars for 2 October to attend the 4th Annual ESF Europe. Presenters from Marks & Spencer, The Gap Europe, LVMH, L-Oreal, Alcan, MeadWestvaco, The China Center, FLA, SNCF, WWF, FSC, CIES, Acona Ltd., CBSR, Open SRI (and many more) will take delegates "behind the scenes" to demonstrate effective "Models and Tools of Practice" presently used for Sustainable Purchasing, Carbon Foot Print, Remediation, Supply Chain Rating/Reporting, Capacity Development and other practices. Discover practical solutions to systemic challenges and exchange ideas to bring your demands into focus. For more information, click here.

Hydro-Quebec 
Electricity and Climate Change: Carbon Markets and Adaption Measures 
October 7, 2008, Montreal 

Hydro-Québec is pleased to invite you to the "Electricity and Climate Change: Carbon Markets and Adaptation Measures" International Symposium held as part of the 21st Entretiens du Centre Jacques Cartier. This event will take place on October 7, 2008, at the Holiday Inn Montréal-Midtown. Mr. Thierry Vandal, Hydro-Québec's President and Chief Executive Officer, will be the keynote speaker for the luncheon. For more information and to register, click here.
 

Responsible Travel & Tourism Forum
October 14 and 15, 2008, Toronto

The second annual RTTF is Canada's only industry-led forum that brings travel and tourism professionals together to learn and discuss a wide range of issues relating to responsible business practices. The forum also aims to facilitate networking among peers, both domestically and internationally, across all sectors of the travel and tourism industry as well as with government authorities and NGOs. In 2008, RTTF will include case-study based plenary sessions, and new this year are 6 highly interactive workshops which include topics such as green commissions, environmentally sound meetings and events, demystifying carbon offsets, corporate social responsibility 101 and others. CBSR representatives will be speaking at the event. For complete information, click here. 

Canadian Institute
The Canadian Pricing Forum
November 25-26, Toronto

Ensure that you are making the best possible pricing decisions in Canada's current economic climate. Get best practice guidance on setting price point in testing times; understand the value proposition of sustainable goods and services and how best to accommodate that value in price; hear directly from the Competition Bureau on how to keep your pricing strategies within the law; determine which software application is right for your business from our panel of leading software vendors; and exploit critical, forward thinking pricing techniques and strategies that will help ensure that your pricing function remains as profitable as possible. Lorraine Smith of CBSR will be speaking at the event, and CBSR members are eligible for a 15% discount (quote priority service code 219K09.S). For more information, click here.