Throughout this course, we have pursued the different ways in which companies can enact sustainability. Porter’s Creating Shared Value showcased to importance of redefining your company’s values and vision. By reworking your mission statement and clearly defining company values, CSV and CSR will be easier to measure. There are, however, other ways to carry out company goals.

Olivia Sprinkle defines embedding sustainability as: “a dynamic process of generating environmental health and social values which is at the heart of the company’s purpose and how it does business. It is about enacting your values and living with integrity and generosity.” Sustainability cannot be embedded into an organization if that company is focusing solely on their own operations. It requires the engagement of discourse with stakeholders and partners, both up and down the value chain.

Our meeting with Junxion showcased the value of branding and how corporations can communicate their values to consumers and customers (customers in the sense of supply chain, wholesalers, etc.). Junxion works a lot with B-Corps and is one them self. Certification is an effective method in embedding values of sustainability within the company due to the education of employees and analysis of operations.

Northwest & Ethical Investments (NEI) Investments uses a criteria of values to evaluate investment opportunities with corporations to create portfolios for responsible investments. In a presentation by them last term, we learnt about their ethical portfolio management techniques that uphold the values of the company. Having a large stake in a company enables NEI to influence that company’s decision-making to certain extents. NEI was invested in Enbridge and helped them work through their operations mandate. NEI pulled out of Enbridge due to its pursuit of the Northern Gateway Pipeline.

In the Model Behaviour: 20 Business Model Innovations for Sustainability article by SustainAbility, the importance of the value chain is highlighted in: each exchange that a company engages in… presents an opportunity for a potential shift in model, and potentially also social or environmental outcomes.”

The success and impact of a business relies on and has the opportunity to change much more than just its single entity.