Welcome back to ESG Insights! We're glad to be back with you after our hiatus to explore more of the critical environmental, social, and governance issues that are impacting business and the world around us.

Today's topic: the release of Canada's first sustainability standards, and what they mean for Canadian businesses.

The Canadian Sustainability Disclosure Standards (or CSDS for short), released in December 2024, were designed to:

- Address growing demand for a consistent, credible sustainability framework in Canada

- Drive transparency and accountability within Canada's business ecosystem

- Enable high-quality sustainability reporting that investors, suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders are looking for from Canadian companies

The CSDS align with the global standards issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) in June 2023, since adopted in dozens of jurisdictions around the world—meaning that Canadian businesses reporting under the CSDS will now more readily meet the expectations of capital markets and decision-makers globally, better attract capital from global markets, and increase their international competitiveness.

As Canada moves forward with the implementation of these disclosure standards, businesses, investors, and policymakers alike are looking for clarity on what these new requirements mean and how they align with global frameworks.

To help us break this down for our listeners, we are delighted to welcome a very special guest—Bruce Marchand.

Bruce is currently Chair of the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board (or the CSSB for short), the independent body established in June 2022 to develop the CSDS. The Board, like its "sister" standard-setting boards in accounting, audit and assurance, and the public sector, serves the public interest by setting standards for sustainability reporting in Canada.

Prior to assuming the role of Chair of the CSSB, Bruce served as Chief Risk and Sustainability Officer with Emera Inc.—a company that serves approximately 2.5 million utility customers in Canada, the U.S., and the Caribbean.

Bruce is a lawyer by trade, and has practiced in a broad range of corporate, commercial, and finance areas, and has been nationally recognized as a leading practitioner in corporate commercial law.

In this episode, we'll break down the key elements of the standards, explore the role of the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board, and discuss the impact these standards will have on corporate transparency, investor confidence, and Canada's transition to a sustainable economy.

So, whether you're a business leader, an investor, or just someone passionate about sustainability, this episode is for you. Let's get started!

ESG Insights explores the environmental, social and governance issues shaping business and the world around us.

In each episode, Nancy Foran, President and Founder of ESG Partners, engages with business leaders and knowledge experts to examine the challenges, risks and opportunities impacting organizational priorities and value creation.

To listen to past episodes of ESG Insights, or to learn more about ESG Partners, please visit us at www.esgpartners.ca or follow us on LinkedIn.

There is a growing awareness around the critical need for companies to adopt sustainable business practices, and ESG has been gaining momentum as a way to connect financial performance with social and environmental outcomes. Future-focused organizations are moving beyond incremental change, to strategic and operational shifts that can be measured, tracked and communicated.

In this episode of ESG Insights, we're joined by Trista Bridges, co-founder of the Japanese based coalition, Read the Air (Business, Sustainability & the SDGs | Read the Air | Japan) and author of Leading Sustainably: The path to sustainable business and how the SDGs changed everything.

An accomplished strategist and sustainable business leader, Trista is passionate about sustainable business as smart business. Her career began in the United States and now spans from Europe to the Americas and Asia, and includes a variety of sectors such as consumer products, media and tech, healthcare and financial services.

Join us for this episode as we explore the differences between sustainability and ESG (and how one supports the other), discuss how businesses at all stages can integrate ESG factors, and consider the role of global frameworks – such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – in supporting this vital shift.

Daily headlines remind us of the disruption in global supply chains all over the world, impacting virtually every industry and each one of us in some way.

Businesses are responding with innovative solutions to address these challenges.

In this episode of ESG Insights, I am joined by Cassandra Dorrington, President & CEO of the Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council (CAMSC). CAMSC helps address supply chain challenges by facilitating the growth of Aboriginal and minority owned businesses, by connecting them to procurement opportunities with companies and governments committed to a diverse and inclusive supply chain.

A long-time advocate for supplier diversity, Cassandra Dorrington brings her expertise and experience working in the corporate environment, as an international consultant and an entrepreneur, to her role at CAMSC. As a co-founder of Supplier Diversity Alliance Canada (SDAC) and Global Supplier Diversity Alliance (GSDA), Cassandra believes in the power of the collective to drive economic inclusion across Canada and beyond.

Join us for this episode of ESG Insights as we discuss diversity, inclusive supply chains and ESG, and explore how these factors are supporting organizations in their quest for innovative solutions to their supply chain challenges, cost savings, improved employee retention, local job creation, brand loyalty and more.

Venture capital is a vital part of the financial ecosystem and a significant engine for job creation and innovation. It is extremely influential in how we will all live in the future, plays a critical role by supporting the next generation of business leaders and companies, and it funds innovation to advance technological solutions that may help solve some of society's greatest challenges.

While ESG has become increasingly mainstream for investors as part of a broader wave to embrace purpose and stakeholder capitalism, ESG adoption has tended to lag in venture capital. This is starting to change, however, with ESG moving from being a "nice to have" into a deeper understanding of the true value created by ESG integration, creating a sustainable culture that attracts investors, employees, and customers.

In this episode of ESG Insights, I am joined by Rhiannon Davies, Founding and Managing Partner of the seed-stage venture capital fund, Sandpiper Ventures. Rhiannon has over 20 years of experience as a leader in international business and holds/has held a number of executive and board director roles in private, public, and non-profit organizations. Rhiannon is an active volunteer and community leader working to promote diversity and sustainability in the early-stage technology ecosystem through her work with Sandpiper Ventures and more.

Sandpiper Ventures (Home - Sandpiper Ventures) unlocks capital and innovation through greater diversity of investors and strong connections to global markets, contributing to a stronger ecosystem, stronger economy, and an approach to investing with better businesses, deals and higher investment returns.

Welcome as we discuss ESG in venture capital, to understand the drive to incorporate ESG, the challenges, and the progress being made.

COP26 assembled our global leaders in Glasgow to tackle the climate crisis. On Saturday, November 6, nature and sustainable land use take center-stage as critical components in our global action toward climate change.

Research in 2020 by the World Economic Forum found that US$44 trillion of economic value – more than half of the world's total GDP – is dependent on nature and the services it provides. The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) is calling nature loss "a planetary emergency".

In this episode of ESG Insights, I am joined by Gary Zed, Founder and CEO of Canada's Forest Trust. Gary is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, corporate director, and advisor.

Canada's Forest Trust (www.canadasforesttrust.ca) was created to take bold action in the face of climate change. It has committed to reforest millions of acres of Canadian land — and protect it forever. Through its turnkey Smart Forests program, CFT engages corporations, schools, Indigenous communities and individuals to build, track, and manage forests on deforested land across the country. This investment will reap dividends for Canada as it captures millions of tonnes of CO2, rehabilitates ecosystems, and boosts our economy.

Welcome as we discuss the role of nature in addressing our climate crisis and explore how a nature-based approach can support our communities, enhance engagement with First Nations and other stakeholders, and drive the involvement of businesses and governments in this solution.

ESG Insights is a podcast from ESG Partners that explores the environmental, social and governance issues shaping business and the world around us. In each episode, host Nancy Foran, President and Founder of ESG Partners, will engage with business leaders and knowledge experts to examine the challenges, risks and opportunities impacting organizational priorities and value creation. For more information on ESG Partners, please visit www.esgpartners.ca or LinkedIn/ESG Partners.