Sustainable workplaces and local champions: 'Canada's Greenest Employers' for 2024 are announced

TORONTO, April 16, 2024 /CNW/ - If your organization wants to become more sustainable, start by listening to the employees who are most passionate about taking care of the planet. That's the message from this year's Canada's Greenest Employers, announced this morning by Mediacorp Canada Inc., organizers of the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers project.

"The common thread that runs through this year's winners is that they listen to the employees who care most about implementing green initiatives and encourage them to lead the conversation," says Chantel Watkins, assistant editor at Mediacorp. "By giving a voice to local champions, the staff members who are most passionate about the environment get the ball rolling on workplace initiatives that can make a significant difference."

The Canada's Greenest Employers competition is unique in that sustainability initiatives often cause a ripple effect far beyond the winners' workplaces. At most employers, these initiatives are launched by employees who are highly engaged with green practices and policies.  A new program might start from a simple suggestion, such as instituting a 'reuse first' policy in the workplace to ensure as many items as possible are upcycled or sourced from recycled materials. From there, ripples from the policy bring similar changes to suppliers and customers, who discover that a more sustainable solution is possible. Employees also discuss the new green policies with one another and family members, which inspires employers in other industries and regions to implement similar initiatives.

"There are always questions when it comes to sustainability and the adoption of greener practices and policies" adds Richard Yerema, executive editor of the project. "By tapping into their most valuable resource, their people, employers can easily identify the areas most in need of attention. Whether they're brewing beer, manufacturing automobiles, or managing a nationwide accounting firm, local champions often lead the way by recommending and implementing the small incremental steps that create greener workplaces."

Now in its 17^th year, Canada's Greenest Employers is an editorial competition that recognizes the employers that lead the nation in creating a culture of environmental awareness. Winning employers, selected by editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers, are evaluated using four main criteria: (1) unique environmental initiatives or programs they have developed; (2) whether they have been successful in reducing their own environmental footprint; (3) whether their employees are involved in these programs and contribute unique skills; and (4) whether the environmental initiatives have become part of an employer's public identity, attracting new employees and customers.

Founded in 1992, Mediacorp Canada Inc. is the nation's largest publisher of employment periodicals. Since 1999, the Toronto-based publisher has managed the Canada's Top 100 Employers project, which includes 19 regional and special-interest editorial competitions that reach millions of Canadians annually through a variety of magazine and newspaper partners, including The Globe and Mail. Mediacorp sites reach over 2.6 million Canadians each year, including its Eluta.ca job search engine that lets job-seekers find new job postings and learn what the nation's best employers are offering. 

The full list of Canada's Greenest Employers (2024) was announced today in a special magazine published by Mediacorp Canada Inc. and distributed online in The Globe and Mail. Detailed 'reasons for selection' for each of this year's winners, as well as stories and photos of their initiatives, were released today by the editors and are accessible via the competition homepage.

Join the discussion about today's announcement on social media:
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3a11Fkf 
Instagram & Facebook: @topemployers
Twitter/X: @top_employers
Hashtags: #GreenEmployers  #topemployers2024

SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.

Stephanie Leung, Editor, [email protected]