WBCSD has its counterparts in Canada, namely the EXCEL Partnership, a coalition of leading Canadian Corporations and senior executives that have committed themselves to developing, integrating and improving sustainable development principles into their corporate strategies and practices. Established in 1996 the EXCEL Partnership is an initiative of the GLOBE Foundation of Canada.

EXCEL’s influence has reached beyond the corporate world and members regularly work closely with governments on sustainability and competitiveness issues.

Are Things Changing?

Most of the reports cited earlier note that sustainability concerns are unlikely to diminish. And certainly the work of the EXCEL Partnership is based on the premise that the hallmarks of business success in the future will include a transparent and sincere commitment to sustainability principles in all aspects of corporate behavior.

Therefore, recognizing and understanding this trend allows an organization to gain a strategic advantage in the marketplace, according to the NMI report. The idea may be taking hold -- at least in Canada.

In an April 2008 report released by Stratos Inc., a business consulting firm, it would appear that a growing number of Canadian companies are finally getting the message. The report found that over the past 15 years there are signs of growth and improvement in sustainability reporting. Today, corporate sustainability reporting is a core element in the business strategies of 47 of the 265 companies on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) Composite Index.

Similar to both the Ipsos poll and the NMI report, the Stratos study speculates that as sustainability reporting gets more strategic and sustainability issues become more frequently addressed in corporate reporting, stakeholder and consumer confidence in the numbers, procedures and practices being reported on will grow.

"Disclosure of information on sustainability performance is routine now among large Canadian corporations. We expect the next few years to see dynamic improvements with companies looking hard at how they can differentiate themselves through their sustainability reporting," said George Greene, Chair of Stratos.

What Does it All Mean?

Volumes have been written on corporate sustainability, but to reduce it to its core elements what is at stake is defining and adopting a strategic framework that makes sustainability the core of the company’s vision and embedding those values in every part of the business. It’s a concept that lives through actions, not words. Walking the talk is more than a trite expression. It is the essence of the strategy.

To make it work, sustainability requires leadership from the top, board level support, firm rules and guidelines to shape management decision making at all levels, empowering people and rewarding success.

Leadership counts. If the occupants of the corner offices or the attendees at board meetings don’t see the connection, it is highly unlikely that those beneath them will see it either.

Most of all, corporate sustainability is all about ensuring survival is an increasingly uncertain world.