Sustainability. It is one of those wishy washy terms that can mean different things, to different people, in different contexts. The term started out a few decades ago in the environmental context and has since expanded into the realms of community relations, human resources, and other areas. I attended the Globe conference last week in Vancouver and it was clear that most businesses have embraced the concept of sustainability, and sometimes in quite innovative ways.
A businesses impact on our natural environment is the first and most obvious way it can demonstrate sustainability. Most businesses have made a significant effort to cut their carbon emissions, often even more than mandated by government. Ikea is a good example of a company going beyond what the law stipulates; they are souring all of their electrical needs from 100% renewable sources. And at the local level too, there are great strides being made to be more sustainable on the local environment. The wood pellet industry in northern BC comes to mind as an example of maximizing the value of our local wood resource while minimizing impact on our local environment.
Many businesses, especially in the natural resource sectors, rely on strong relationships in the communities where they do business. This is another area where the concept of sustainability is being highlighted. It used to be accepted practice for companies such as mines to move into a community, extract all of the valuable resources, and leave. I learnt at the Globe conference that it is common practice now for mines to ensure the local communities share in the basic infrastructure, (water, sewage, power), that is being built anyway when a new mine comes to town. These efforts go a long way to ensuring a sustainable relationship with the community.
One issue facing companies worldwide is the need for skilled labour at both the white and blue collar level. This is of particular concern to those of us who live in northern BC and want to ensure we make the most of our natural resource opportunity. For example, access to skilled labour is proving to be the one major issue keeping LNG from reaching its full potential in Australia. If we are to ensure our LNG industry in B.C. is sustainable, we need to ensure there is a sustainable source of skilled labour to meet the challenge. I see that our local MLA and BC Jobs Minister Shirley Bond is in Ottawa this week working on this very issue with her federal counterpart, Jason Kenney. It's good to see both levels of government proactively engaging on the issue of maintaining a sustainable supply of skilled workers.
Sustainability has traditionally been thought of as a "nice-to-have" item that comes at the expense of increased profits. However, it is becoming increasingly clear to the corporate world that operating in a sustainable fashion across the spectrum of the environment, communities, and people, is a risk mitigation strategy that will ensure the sustainability of business itself.
