Taxing waste could help make fashion more sustainable
Reducing waste can help lower the environmental impact of any business, and Javad Nasiry believes that policy can help achieve this. The fashion industry is a major source of carbon emissions, and fast fashion retailers have made it worse with low-quality apparel designed to be worn only a few times.
CEO Éric Lachance is guiding Énergir toward a greener future
The future of energy needs to be flexible, according to Éric Lachance (BCom’96), the CEO of Énergir. The company is seeking to replace natural gas with renewable energy generated by hydro, solar and wind. But the alternatives need to fit the situation. Quebec’s short winter days could make wind a better option than solar, says Lachance.
Government of Canada Deputy Minister encourages employees to seek practical ways to encourage reconciliation
Talking about racism in the workplace can be uncomfortable, but that’s how you know that it is working, according to Gina Wilson, the Deputy Minister, Diversity and Inclusion and Youth and Senior Associate Deputy Minister, Canadian Heritage. Wilson encourages managers and employees to talk about practical things that encourage reconciliation.
Desautels alumnus is accelerating accessibility at Procter & Gamble
Thibault Trancart (BCom'15), Desautels Faculty of Management's first blind graduate, is helping make one of the world’s biggest consumer goods companies more accessible. Trancart is a Manager in Responsible Beauty for Europe Hair Care at Procter & Gamble, and has become one of its Accessibility Champions. “Originally, I didn’t want to be the blind guy working on accessibility,” he says.
Sustainable materials could help solve the fashion industry’s emissions problem
The fashion industry is responsible for about 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and most originate with the raw materials used in clothing -- like leather, cotton, and synthetic fibres. Evoco is working to reduce fashion’s emissions. Led by James Robinson, the Toronto-headquartered company provides sustainable materials to leading footwear producers like Kodiak and Timberland. The company claims to have saved 948,900 kg of carbon emissions, and in an interview with Prof.
Ď㽶ĘÓƵ launches the Sustainable Growth Initiative (SGI)
Ď㽶ĘÓƵ is proud to announce the launch of the Sustainable Growth Initiative (SGI), a new hub anchored at the Desautels Faculty of Management dedicated to providing businesses with actionable solutions for building a more sustainable economy.
Economics graduate Teresa Tolo selected as valedictorian for Black Grad 2022
As Teresa Tolo addressed Black Grad 2022 as valedictorian, she was overcome with emotion. The 4th annual edition of the event brought together a cohort of students who have excelled in a wide range of pursuits in academia and beyond.
Canada’s largest pension plans are driving green development through real estate investments
The skyscrapers of Toronto’s financial district house Canada’s largest banks, and some of its most successful companies. The buildings themselves are largely owned by Canada’s largest pension funds, which have directly developed real estate across major Canadian cities.
Dean Chan addresses 2022 graduates at 4th annual Black Grad
Black members of McGill’s Class of 2022 celebrated the completion of their degrees in-person at the fourth annual Black Grad event on Sunday, May 1 at the Omni Mont-Royal. The event, inspired by similar ones at Harvard, Yale and the University of Toronto, honours graduating students ahead of next month’s Convocation – and highlights their accomplishments despite the institutional, economic and socio-cultural barriers to accessing higher education.
Delve podcast: New Normal: How Fast Fashion Can Slow Down and Go Green, with Javad Nasiry
Fast fashion is a rapidly expanding subsection of an already environmentally problematic industry. What does a truly sustainable fashion industry model look like—and will customers buy it?
PIVOT platform shares small businesses climate action stories to inform and inspire
Small and medium-sized enterprises play a huge role in Canada’s economy but lag behind large corporations in addressing climate change. Prof. Dror Etzion wants to change that.
Desautels MBA alumna is helping corporate issuers and institutional investors on climate action
Involved in community service since as early as high school, Mariel Langlois (MBA’20) worked in advertising and media for years before enroling in the Desautels’ MBA program to pivot her career as she developed a growing interest in sustainability and social impact.
Desautels alumna advocates for low carbon energy in Washington, DC
Abigail Hunter (BCom’16) wants to usher in the clean energy revolution. She represents the Government of Quebec as an attachée in Washington, DC, where she works to help lawmakers understand the benefits of working with Québec – like how its hydroelectricity and energy storage can supplement less predictable solar and wind energy generation. While at Desautels, Hunter learned about impact investing, social enterprise and advancing ethical, social and governance standards.
Urban planner brings Indigenous worldview to architecture and developments
Regardless of who owns the land, we have a shared responsibility toward it. At Montreal’s Sid Lee Architecture, Pascal Harvey is bringing an Indigenous lens to urban planning, and believes this worldview can be reconciled with real estate development by treating land occupation with collective responsibility–even when land is privately owned. The Innu sociologist, urban planner and entrepreneur shared insights about how Indigenous world views can inform urban planning with Prof.
To get inclusion right, companies need to ask what they’re doing wrong
Inclusion isn't a warm and fuzzy feeling of belonging. Inclusion means being an integral part of an organization, and having the resources to get the job done, said Associate Professor of Organizational Behaviour Patricia Faison Hewlin in Business Insider. In order to achieve it, organizations need to listen.
