Industry Sector CSR Initiatives

Industry has been responding to CSR and sustainable development challenges on a collective as well as on an individual company basis. Industry associations in particular have been developing approaches for their industry sector members to advance CSR and sustainable development - albeit frequently with a focus on some specific facet of CSR. For example, many of the collectively-oriented initiatives have tended to focus on the environmental protection element of CSR. Overall, companies are recognizing the value of working collectively and cooperatively to develop voluntary solutions in forms such as voluntary codes of practice as well as voluntary action plans and accountability reports that are transparent to stakeholders.

CSR and SD-related initiatives that have been collectively developed by industry sectors include such examples as:

Responsible Care Program by the Canadian Chemical Producer’s Association (CCPC)

The Canadian Chemical Producer’s Association demonstrates a commitment to corporate responsibility and sustainability through the Responsible Care program. All member companies are required to participate in the initiative, and commit to the responsible management of chemicals, chemical products, processes and operations. The program aims to manage chemicals throughout the product life cycles. Environmental protection, health, and safety are key integral features of the Responsible Care program. All member companies commit to implementing the guiding principles and codes of practice, which include community awareness and emergency response, research and development, protection from manufacturing hazards, minimizing transportation risks, distribution codes and hazardous waste management. Stakeholder rights are addressed as member companies publicly report on environmental performance in the annual Emissions Report. For more information on the Responsible Care program please visit the CCPA website

Environmental, Health and Safety Stewardship Program by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP)

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers has established a voluntary environmental, health and safety initiative for companies in the petroleum sector. The Environment, Health and Safety Stewardship program encourages its members to improve its performance in certain areas, engage stakeholders in their reporting process, and to produce an annual Environmental, Health and Safety Stewardship Progress Report. The program addresses five key components: company commitments, public consultation, benchmarking, operating practices, and verification. For more information on this initiative and other initiatives (e.g. respecting Aboriginal communities) within the association please visit the CAPP website

Statement of Commitment and Action Regarding Environmental Protection by the Canadian Steel Producers’ Association (CSPA)

The Canadian Steel Producers’ Association has responded to environmental performance targets by developing the Statement of Commitment and Action Regarding Environmental Protection. Under this voluntary initiative, participating companies seek to reduce environmental impacts and supply appropriate information to stakeholders. The statement provides a framework for applying sound environmental management systems. Member companies pursue pollution prevention through the Accelerated Reduction/Elimination of Toxic program, Codes of Practice for emissions/effluents, a verification process, and public reporting. The Statement outlines the priorities and objectives of the association with respect to reductions in air emissions, water discharge limits, and waste management. For more information, see the Canadian Steel Producers’ Association web site

Environmental Commitment and Responsibility Program by the Canadian Electricity Association (CEA)

The Canadian Electricity Association has developed the Environmental Commitment and Responsibility (ECR) program to strengthen environmental management systems and guide progress within the electricity industry. The ECR program is a voluntary environmental initiative developed and implemented by the electric utility members of the Canadian Electricity Association (SEA). All utility members of the SEA are committed to continual improvement of environmental performance, including tracking and reporting on environmental indicators, and implementing environmental management systems equivalent to the ISO 14001 standard. For more information, please visit the CEA site

Sustainable Mining Initiative by the Mining Association of Canada (MAC)

The Mining Association of Canada incorporates sustainable development and corporate responsibility objectives into their business through the Sustainable Mining Initiative and the Guidelines for Corporate Crises Management Planning. The latter initiative is a reference guide aimed to address stakeholder concerns about potential mining accidents and incidents, and assists industry companies in developing and improving plans for responding to, and communicating, during a crises. The Sustainable Mining Initiative integrates social, economic and environmental goals of the Canadian mining industry. The initiative outlines commitments on such fronts as human rights, business ethics, community participation, and environmental, health and safety standards. For more information, visit Towards Sustainable Mining

Environmental Statement and Guiding Principles for the Management of Occupational Health and Safety by the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC)

The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) uses vehicles such as the Environmental Statement and Guiding Principals for the Management of Occupational Health and Safety to guide member companies. The Environmental Statement encourages companies to commit to sound environmental practices, including sustained yield forestry and environmental management, environmental regulation compliance, environmental protection, and environmental impact reduction, environmental awareness among employees and the public, and scientific research. Occupational health and safety is also a key priority for FPAC and health and safety performance is monitored and measured, and relevant research is supported. For more information, visit the site of  Forest Products Association of Canada.

Environmental Management Program by the Vinyl Council of Canada (VCC)

The Vinyl Council of Canada has established a voluntary Environmental Management Program (EMP), which incorporates environmental management practices and performance measures. The EMP was developed in partnership with stakeholders and representatives from the environmental and health sectors. The EMP consists of six guiding principals that call for integration, stakeholder dialogue, a corporate environmental management system, environmental protection and economic priorities, environmental compliance, and environmental performance improvements. An annual report on progress, containing relevant information on performance, waste reduction and conservation is published and made available to key stakeholders. For more information, please see the Environmental Management Program Progress Report on the site of the Vinyl Council of Canada.

Examples of Other Related Sites of Interest

• GHG Registries   (formerly VCR Inc.)
• Accelerated Reduction/Elimination of Toxic program        
• Canadian Coalition for Good Governance (please visit Ontario Teachers Pension Plan (OTPP) site for current information. The Coalition will in the near future provide information on its own future site)
• Canadian Council of Chief Executives