Article written by Diane Bérard, for Les Affaires(Link to article)
The famous report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report published on October 8 scare the living daylights out of you? I was too. The report is crystal clear: new efforts are needed. Current commitments will not be enough to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.
Today (October 24) is the 2018 Rendez-vous des Écoleaders, organized by the Sustainable Industries Council (SIC ). Three announcements are being made:
- the launch of the Great Ecoresponsible Movement;
- the launch of the Ecodesign certificate;
-the unveiling of the third cohort of Écoleaders.
Quebec already boasts some 100 Écoleaders-certified companies.
Achieving level 1 certification (there are 4 levels), which requires the drafting of a sustainable development charter, takes around six months. Members of the 3rd cohort of Écoleaders include, among others, Avril Supermarché Santé.
The new Ecoresponsible Ecodesigned Products and Packaging certification attests that the company is on the right track, and that it is taking steps to improve the design of its products.
Ecoresponsible certification and the Ecodesign Products and Packaging attestation are part of the Ecoresponsible program, which provides a framework and support for companies wishing to implement a business model and management practices that integrate the principles of sustainable development.
I took advantage of the launch of this certification, and of the Grand Mouvement Écoresponsable, to meet Charles Duchesne and Marius André, from Cohésion RSO, a firm that supports SMEs in their Écoleader certification process.
Why Cohésion RSO and not Cohésion RSE? That's the new name," explains Charles Duchesne. It embodies a more contemporary vision of the concept. In Europe, this name is already widespread. We'll be hearing it more and more in Quebec. CSR stands for Corporate Social Responsibility. It's broader than CSR, which stands for corporate social responsibility. RSO includes economic, social, environmental and governance aspects."
Cohésion RSO supports SMEs wishing to obtain Écoleaders certification. Until now, part of this consultancy's fee was financed by local project sponsors. "Financing is a real obstacle to the implementation of sustainable development in Quebec SMEs," points out Charles Duchesne. Over the years, government support has been erratic. This explains the role played by chambers of commerce and SADCs. They have financially supported cohorts of Écoleaders from Laval, Sherbrooke, Granby, and Lanaudière so that these SMEs can benefit from coaching services.
The future could be a little easier, if the recent (August 13) tabling of the Quebec government's Action Plan for Growth and Technology, "Towards a Greener, More Prosperous Economy", is anything to go by. It includes a five-year, $147 million envelope to support Quebec companies in the development and implementation of clean technologies, as well as in their adoption of eco-responsible business practices.
"The ultimate goal is for companies' strategic planning processes to be built around the sustainable development canvas," explains Marius André of Cohésion RSO. He continues, "Every company carries out a strategic planning process every two or three years. It's in their interest to design it in a cross-functional way that touches on economic, social, environmental, and governance issues."
In Europe, we now speak of global performance. An organization is said to have a positive overall performance when its extra-financial ratios are positive. A non-financial ratio is an indicator not usually found in financial reports, even though it influences an organization's performance and sustainability.
Our indicator of success is the change in decision-making," answers Charles Duchesne. It generally takes four to six months after the start of the coaching. This is when maturity sets in. The company becomes autonomous in its choices and can influence its stakeholders." We know that the way we make decisions has changed when we ask ourselves, "If I do this, what will the consequences be for others?"
The consultant cites the case of this SME that produces plastic films. Challenged by the IPCC report, the president added sustainable development to her values. Only 10% of its production is recycled, whereas it is 100% recyclable. Charles Duchesne explains: "The reality of this SME is shared by many other organizations. They feel part of the environmental problem. But it doesn't know how to act, because it meets its customers' expectations. It needs to change its ways."
To change fashion, you need to change culture. Some call it a broadening of consciousness. Others, of moving to a higher level of maturity. There are five levels of organizational culture maturity:
1- The culture of carelessness: we feel little or nothing about ourselves. This makes the organization vulnerable to severe problems;
2- A results-driven culture: we react, we act out of constraint and legal and regulatory obligation, but we don't initiate anything. The corporate culture is dictated by the logic of short-term financial results;
3- A culture of compliance and control: accommodations are made as required. To minimize costs, little attention is paid to external stakeholders, but when one of them demands something, the organization remains accommodating and calculates everything;
4- Proactive culture: the focus is on continuous improvement and taking responsibility. This pushes the organization to go beyond minimum requirements. It's no longer a question of meeting other people's standards, but of behaving according to the values we hold dear;
5- Global performance culture: sustainable development is an integral part of the way we do business. All decisions are made with SD in mind. The organization is considered exemplary.
The higher the level of maturity, the faster the adoption of best practices.
At the end of my meeting with Cohésion RSO, I asked the consultants if the Écoleaders they work with have anything in common. Of course, there's the pressure from clients to adopt more sustainable practices," answers Marius André. But we're also seeing the emergence of two new motivations among certain managers: sensitivity to the environment and sensitivity to ecosystems. This is more personal and intimate than sensitivity to sustainable development, which is more closely tied to the organization."
