Company and Product Sustainability Analysis: Air Canada

Assignment #3: Company and Product Sustainability Analysis Fall 2022 OVERVIEW  The assignment should be completed in full-sentence prose, approximately 5-6 pages in length (singlespaced, 2500-3000 words of text, not including illustrations or references). This is intended to be a coherent, well-edited, well-organized document – not just a series of answers to the suggested questions. You should support your conclusions with outside sources, including references to marketing, reporting, or other materials from the company itself. Peer-reviewed academic sources would be a very good thing to include. Please document your sources appropriately, using APA-style citations and referencing. Information about how to use APA style will be provided on Quercus. The assignment will be submitted automatically for a textual similarity analysis. You won't have to make a separate submission; it is integrated with Quercus. See the Syllabus and Academic & Writing Resources on our Quercus site for more information about this. OBJECTIVES In completing this assignment, you will: • apply an understanding of the dimensions of sustainability to a critique of a company, program, or product; • critically analyse and deconstruct advertising claims in the context of sustainability; • consider various ways in which a company or product might be considered “sustainable” (or otherwise) along its entire production or supply chain, and in the broader context of the sector; • make recommendations regarding possible improvements to a company’s or product’s sustainability. INSTRUCTIONS & STEPS 1. Identify a company, program, or product that highlights “sustainability” or one of its aspects (environment, social equity, etc.) as a core part of their brand. What does the company do (and/or) what is the nature of the product or program that you have chosen to investigate? You can find some ideas by looking at the list of GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) Community Members: https://www.globalreporting.org/reporting-support/member-and-commercial-partner-directory/# 2. What is the company, program, or product’s claim to sustainability? Does the company use the term “sustainability” or “sustainable”? In what ways? Summarize this, with examples from the company’s website or other advertising (Facebook, print, etc.). Note that a product could be interpreted as sustainable, even if that term is not used to describe the product; on the contrary, a product that is described as “sustainable” might not be. 3. Find out whether the company issues an annual sustainability report; if so, read some of them. Alternatively, does the company’s annual financial report to shareholders mention any aspects of sustainability? How is their sustainability report structured? Does the company report according to GRI or another standard sustainability-reporting framework? If not, should they? You could look at the UN Global Compact, which now has the largest database of sustainability reports: https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/participants 4. Is this company or product ranked on any recognized international sustainability standards (or does it have any other related rankings or certifications, such as environmental certifications)? You could look at You might also be interested in checking out the IFRS International Sustainability Standards Board at https://www.ifrs.org/groups/international-sustainability-standards-board/, which is aiming to establish internationally accepted standards for corporate sustainability reporting. 5. Does the company’s sustainability claim have an environmental basis, such as decreased packaging or carbon neutrality? Or a social basis, such as ensuring good working conditions? Or an economic basis, such as a fair trade agreement with suppliers? Or a political/institutional basis, such as joining with other companies for more effective monitoring within the sector? Or is it a combination of these? Or none of them? (If you don’t see any evidence that the claim is based on any real positive actions, then is it a bogus or over-stated claim? An example of “greenwashing”…?) 6. Do you think this company (or program or product) has built an honest brand around sustainability? Examine this from three perspectives: a. Do you see evidence that they are actually doing what they claim to be doing? b. Do you think it’s working, and having a positive impact? c. Can these efforts really be termed “sustainability”? (For example, if the claim to sustainability is based on reduced packaging, would you consider that to constitute “sustainability” on its own?) Support your position with a written discussion. 7. What else do you think this company could (or should) be doing to become more sustainable, to better support or validate their claim to sustainability, or to be a sustainability leader in their sector? What types of things are being done towards sustainability goals by other companies in the same sector? If this company hired you to advise them on how to improve their sustainability performance, what steps would you recommend?