CSR In Canada: Who's Who and Why They Matter (Part 1)

Leadership in Canadian CSR is important. Without leaders, we lack inspiration and the experience of a practical way to capture what works and what doesn't in corporate sustainability. But progress in CSR is not just about the innovative companies and their leaders. I've also come to recognize the importance of recognizing the "background enablers." Those include think tanks, research support, and networking organizations that exist to provide growth in corporate sustainability. Mission-based, these organizations help drive the CSR conversation further, faster, and deeper. Canadian companies are better for it.

In an ongoing series, I will present a profile of an organization that has established its place in the Canadian CSR network.

Network for Business Sustainability (NBS)

The Network for Business Sustainability (NBS) is a unique hybrid that brings business and academia together with other interested stakeholders. A non-profit organization, NBS aims to tackle issues of corporate sustainability through research and collaborative work. Specifically, the organization commissions research on business sustainability challenges and disseminates the information free of charge. With a large and growing network that includes academic researchers, NBS is able to tap into this resource to find the best person or team for each study. "We translate the academic studies into practical planning resources for business and disseminate them at no cost worldwide." [1]

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Meirav Even-Har is a Justmeans staff blogger. She reports on Canadian CSR issues. Meirav is an independent sustainability consultant and writer working in Toronto, Canada.