7. Actioning sustainability targets throughout an organization with Marie-Hélène Labrie

Welcome to another episode of The Circular Future podcast. In this episode, we dive into the challenges of turning ambitious sustainability goals into actionable results within large organizations. Hosted by Stephanie McLarty, head of sustainability at Quantum Lifecycle Partners, we explore the importance of aligning plans, actions, and people to achieve a circular future. From board members and top management to employees at all levels and external partners, fostering a culture of sustainability is crucial. However, obstacles like limited resources, lack of awareness, and resistance to change can impede progress. Our guest in this podcast is Marie-Hélène Labrie, Senior Vice President at Cogeco. 

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Transcript

7. Actioning sustainability targets throughout an organization with Marie-Hélène Labrie

Stephanie: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Circular Future. In today's fast-paced world, it's becoming clear that businesses and organizations of all shapes and sizes need to prioritize sustainability. It's about taking care of our planet. But it's also key to ensuring long-term success and resilience for businesses. As a result, we're seeing companies set ambitious sustainability targets, whether it's being carbon neutral or net zero by a certain date. 

The easy part though, is often setting the targets. The harder part is actioning them within a large, complex organization, and yet it's necessary for a circular future. My name is Stephanie McLarty, head of sustainability at Quantam Lifecycle Partners, and today we're talking about taking these big, beautiful sustainability goals and actually making them happen, [00:01:00] whether we're talking E S G or business in general.

A common principle is this success is 1% vision. 99% alignment. It's critical to know where you want to go, but realizing those goals is all about aligning to them, ensuring your plans, your actions, your people are working coherently towards that vision. Those people could include board members, top management, employees at all levels, and even external partners such as suppliers and customers.

And by fostering a culture of sustainability throughout the organization, a unified vision and a shared commitment to making lasting change can be created. But let's be real. It's not always smooth sailing. When it comes to achieving these goals, organizations can run into obstacles like. Limited resources or lack of [00:02:00] awareness or pushback against change.

So how do we action our sustainability goals effectively? Both for those who plan the work and those who work the plan. Our guest today has great insight on that. Maria Lari is Senior Vice President and Chief Public Affairs, communications and strategy officer at Cogeco, Inc. A role she has held at the telecom and media company since 2018.

She has more than 20 years of broad experience in government relations, public communications, and marketing. And prior to joining Cogeco, Maria Lynn was at Anar Chem starting in 2008, where she built the company's corporate image and reputation positioning the organization as a global in the field of biofuels.

So welcome to the podcast, Maria. 

Marie: Thank you, Stephanie. Thank you for an invitation. 

Stephanie: Absolutely. And I've worked for a long time with Coco. I know you're a leader in [00:03:00] sustainability, and please tell us what are the goals and targets at Coco when it comes to E S G? 

Marie: So first of all, , I should say that COGIC O started, its e s g journey over 10 years ago.

So we've been diligently and progressively, , making progress in terms of our commitments to E S G. We're really driven by, , the importance of, , ensuring inclusive growth and, , sustainable growth and also ensuring. That our business is resilient, so we have that long-term view, approach. , and also that comes also from our, , I would say, , founders who always had this vision of long-term growth.

And, we also have a long tradition of, stakeholder commitment, community involvement, as well as philanthropy. , leadership. So I would say the S of E S G has always been an important part [00:04:00] of, our priorities and commitments. So it became quite natural for us to start from that position and really evolve.

Our E S g, approach and strategy. So today, , of course environmental commitments, climate action is becoming, , I would say, Even stronger, and we're putting more focus on that. And on the governance side, of course, this has always been, , something very important, , for the company. And we've been very, we've taken a very transparent approach in terms of our commitments as well.

, we've been recognized by leading, , E S G voices and, in terms of our commitments, environmental transparency, et cetera. So we, we are continuing on this journey and, , as you're saying, , you know, we have to establish , the targets, and we have to take actions to achieve those targets.

So in terms of targets, we have, , environmental. Related, targets that are [00:05:00] associated with our greenhouse gas emissions. So, emission reductions, targets, also feminine environmental standpoint. We also have, we're also focusing on ensuring we can, also, ensure we have a sustainable way of managing our waste.

We also have, targets with regard, with regards to, social objectives including, diversity and inclusion, for example, and on the governance side of things as well. So, and the way we develop those targets is, we do on a biannual basis. In materiality assessment, to identify those key, , material topics for our stakeholders.

And we survey, , our customers, our employees, our investors, our suppliers, et cetera. And we identified those, , those material topics. And , this year we also. Did a, double materiality assessment, so looking at both sides of things, [00:06:00] the impact we have, but also. We can have on, on, our, stakeholders, but also how, , how, for example, climate change has an impact on us as well.

So the inward and outward approach. So we have, , we usually, identify 10 material topics and we have very specific, targets associated with those targets. That we keep track of and we have, , those commitments with specific KPIs and we keep track of those on a quarterly basis to see how we're progressing.

Some are longer term like our environmental, , targets, , and others can, , are more annual. 

Stephanie: And you've set some big targets. You've set a net zero target, you've also set some targets around your suppliers. Can you tell us a little bit more about those specific targets? 

Marie: Yes, for sure. Yeah. So, , so we had, we renewed, , we updated our, , Environmental [00:07:00] targets two, three years ago.

, and, , we basically established short-term, medium term, and longer term targets in terms of, , and we established those for scope one, two, and three. So if I look at scope one and two, our, , emission reduction targets, , We want to reduce those targets by 65% by 2030. , this is versus 2019. , and, , in terms of our scope three, we have two parts.

One of them is a short term objective of having 50% of our suppliers, , by span covering, , , Goods and services and capital goods that will set their own scope. One and two, , emission reduction target by 2025. We also have, for scope three, , the objective of reducing emission from, , sold products as well as employee commuting by 30% by [00:08:00] 2030.

So that's a lot of numbers and , and, , And it's it, and we have the 25, 20 25, and we have 2030s. We, we have short term and medium term. And the longer term is our net zero, , emissions by, , 2050, , covering all our scopes. And the final one from a climate change mitigation and. Adaptation standpoint is also from a renewable energy standpoint.

, our target is to have a hundred percent of our energy consumed from electricity use, , from re renew renewable sources by 2030. So those are ambitious targets, , which we agreed on as an executive team, , which we, , documented and. The, the way we established those was really doing some kind of a bottom up, , what can be done and kind of a, a top down to see what is, , what is feasible.

We are not in a, in an industry that [00:09:00] is, , A large emitter industry. So telecom industry is also even enabling the digital economy, which can really, really reduce transportation emissions, for example, by allowing all of us to do, , remote, , work and things like this. So, So somehow we know that, , key elements, , for us, key levers for us to achieve those, , will go through the electrification of our fleet, for example, but also the purchase of renewable energy.

, and, , we used to, we have used renewable, , energy credits, , wrecks, , in the past and will continue to do so, but we're moving. Into, , an approach where we will be, , more proactively, , Promoting renewable energy and the use of, , renewable energy by investing in renewable energy projects through virtual power producing agreement, for example.

, so this allows really to have the added additionality [00:10:00] in terms of the production of energy. , so this is also an important piece and working with our suppliers, , we already started that. We already have a. About, , more than 25% of our suppliers who have committed to have also their scope one and scope three, , scope one and two, , as well.

So this is going well. , but on scope three, we also need to think it take into account the fact that, , we started the work with our large suppliers. And maybe that's the easy part. But when you work with your. With small, medium, , enterprises, SMEs, it may be a little bit more difficult for them to also have the same types of commitments.

So we're, we're really approaching them and , really we wanna share our own experiences and really support them with maybe, , you know, workshops and maybe join forces with our peers in the industry. So we've engaged with other. Industry with our peers and, , to work together with [00:11:00] our, , suppliers.

Stephanie: That's amazing. And, and just to, folks aren't aware, scope one emissions would be your direct emissions from natural gas or the burning of fuel in your fleet. Scope two being the emissions from electricity and scope three being your supply chain emissions, which is a, a big. Broad topic. And that leads me to a question, which is when you have mapped this out, I know you have a climate action roadmap, how did you decide as an organization what to focus on first?

Because I noticed that you've, you've got targets basically every five years or or so of working on different aspects. How did you prioritize what to work on? 

Marie: So, that's a good question. I guess the, my team, the E S G team is really kind of our center of excellence and so they, they do all the thinking and , and, but they do work with our, , business units.

To, to identify, , how much energy we're [00:12:00] using in certain areas. You have to realize that we operate in both Canada and the us. We operate in 13 states in the US and in Quebec and Ontario. So the reality in Quebec where we have hydroelectricity and maybe Ohio, where the electricity mix and the energy basket is not as green, , is quite different.

So, , so we had to identify those. , at the, at the, at the beginning of this process, , and, , integrate kind of the growth profile of the company. So doing all that modeling using, , the the G H D protocols that are in place so that we can really quantify and project where the business as usual would take us and really identify the levers that would allow us to reduce.

Our emissions and then identify what is feasible. , I think that the most difficult part for me, for example, if I look at the fleet electrification, , , initiative, for [00:13:00] example, , The most difficult part is the timing of those vehicles being available for us from a procurement standpoint. So when we started working on that few years ago, we were expecting those models to be, , available quicker.

So we had to adjust and focus more on fuel efficiency. , rather than fleet electrification in the short term because, , so we had to kind of, , even though we had fuel efficiency initiatives, we had that for many years, , we had to double down on these and look at what we could do further. Given that, , in terms of electrifying the fleet, some of the models we need, were not available until, , a year or two.

So, so we need to, to. Be, , to be agile, we need also to work with con consultants. So we did work with external consultant consultants to really help us, , with our fleet electrification strategy as well, given that we [00:14:00] have technicians that are on the road. We are, we operate in rural areas as well. How can we optimize this understanding that, , The autonomy of some of the electric cars will be different than, , the cars we use today.

So how do we optimize this? , so it's a team effort and relying also on external expertise. And at the end of the day, having an executive team that is, , Committed and set the tone, you know, from the top is, is important. , yeah, so I think that's important and, and maybe, , An important decision we made as well is to, , include, , those targets as part of our, , financing as well.

, so we, , established a, , sustainability linked loan, , over a year ago. So basically, , the money we are bur borrowing is, , , is based on, , us achieving our targets [00:15:00] over three years for, , our emission reduction, , as well as other, , digital inclusion objectives. So, and this shows that, , we're, we're, you know, Putting our, , putting concrete actions and, , demonstrating that we're very serious about it because we are going to be impacted on the interest rates if we don't achieve those targets.

, so, and, and this is another, , way to, to really demonstrate externally, but also internally that we're serious about it. We also included in the executive compensation. , targets that are related to, , us achieving some of our initiatives that are key to achieve our mission reduction targets. , so, so this is really, all these actions are really, , all interrelated.

, but they're not easy at the same time because there's a lot of unknowns, there's a lot of things we do not control. , so we have to make [00:16:00] sure when we establish those, that we can link to things that they're, that are more under our control. Sure. , for example, electricity, , intensity. , The carbon intensity of electricity in certain states, , will vary from one year to another.

So if we start the year with a certain assumption based on the published data, and during the year, if those change and they're not as good, well this is out of our control. So we should not, for example, maybe base our executive, , compensation. , Factoring in those, , numbers that would be, , that could change over the years.

So we had to kind of adjust our approach when it comes to, for example, executive compensation linked to our environmental, , actions so that , they can be fair and they can be really driving actions and not like something that is totally out of your control. So we're learning as we go. I think we're not looking for [00:17:00] perfe.

Perfection. And I think that's, I think, a message we're sending internally. , I think at the end of the day, we, , we need to remain focused on our ultimate objective, but the path to get there will not be, will not be a straight line. I know, but as long as we're going in the right direction, I think, , that's, that's what's important.

Yeah. 

Stephanie: Yeah. So that. Do what you can. Don't worry about being perfect. I think that's an important message. As you say, we've dealt with so many variables and change in these last few years, and I'm really curious about how you have really gotten all of your employees on board. It sounds like there's been some incentives perhaps for, for certain employees and, and messaging.

How have you really communicated the message? Throughout coic co. Knowing that it's a large company operating in two countries, how did you get that buy-in 

Marie: from everyone? So I think it was progressive. , and I think there's a lot of [00:18:00] education internally, but there's also the ambassadors from, you know, from the business unit, , and building that group of ambassadors and, and key leaders and champions for those initiatives.

, And, and a lot of those in initiatives just make sense. They will help us be more cost efficient as well. So it's, you know, having the business cases also presented, having the champions internally, , having their buy-in and, , and as we, as we go, having those, , structured approach to support, , everyone and work together, for example, our procurement team, , plays an important role as well.

, in, in this, , the presidents of our business units and we have a steering committee, , , which meets, , every, , quarter to really review that. We review our progress. And our commitments and actions. , if we see that maybe on, , for certain initiatives, , we may be a little bit behind. We're trying to kind of [00:19:00] adjust and see how can we help, how can we maybe adjust a little bit our approach, for example.

So the monitoring ongoing, the support, , , ensuring that we can, , The momentum. We also have a, , the board which plays also an important role. Board members, , are also kind of, , are involved in our annual review of the strategy, but also on a quarterly basis, , reviewing our progress. , so it's a collective effort, , and.

You know, I think education, , support from, , identifying the key leaders and ambassadors and champions and ensuring that we have those, , the opportunity. The opportunities to meet on a regular basis and, and, , to identify as we monitor progress, identify how we need to adjust, , and work jointly together.

Yeah. Yeah. 

Stephanie: We're noticing. An uptick in the number of questions we get from our customers and [00:20:00] our suppliers, from folks in departments that are not sustainability, but they're asking us what we would consider to be traditional sustainability questions such as Scope three emissions, asking for our data or, , information around scope three.

And we, we think this is really interesting. Do you think it's the evolution where it doesn't really matter what role you're in, this will be part of your role. Is is somehow like linked to sustainability in these broader goals like scope one, two, or 

Marie: three emissions? Yeah, absolutely. I think, , an E s G team will be, , the catalyst, will be the center of excellence and will have the expertise to really support the vision and the strategy, the buy-in from the executive.

And then really the key champions can be procurement, can be, , the, the, the teams in the field, , supporting our customers, , the way we manage our waste, for example. [00:21:00] So you have, , Champions across the organization that play an important role. , so, and I think as people understand more and more the implications, , I think it becomes really the accountability is now across the organization rather than really within the, , Really within the SG team.

So that's what we've been working on as well. , and I think that's, that's really key. , diversity and inclusion is also a key limit of E S G when you look at the s Absolutely. And that's, that's really, , across the organization. You may have a group that will lead this, , in our case it's our HR group, , but it can sit.

You know, different place in the organization, but the accountability and, , the, the responsibility is across the organization to make sure we, we continue fostering an inclusive, , workplace and that we stimulate diversity. So that's an example as well. So sustainability at large. , so leaders.[00:22:00] 

Understand their role, I think more and more. And, , I think that's, that's really important In the future, , our leaders will all be sustainable leaders as well. 

Stephanie: And what would you say, what advice would you give to, you know, business managers, leaders, or frankly even frontline employees as. They're working with this new realm.

For them, it's perhaps out of their traditional area of expertise. How should they position themselves for success? Is it about educating themselves on this? 

Marie: Well, I think first of all, when we look at sustainability, sustainability is about taking an approach where, , I would call it, it's the stakeholder capitalism.

So it's really looking at what's. Important not only for my, our shareholders, but really for all our stakeholders. , so when you look at your customer's, data privacy, for example, is becoming really top of mind for customers [00:23:00] from an HD standpoint, , and the impact that those can have on the reputation.

So I think, , leaders of Tomorrow, Need to be more and more aware of, , the importance of, , a very holistic approach when it comes to managing and taking decision and that, , the environmental impact of our decision, , today, , or for tomorrow as well. So we need to be, , To, to realize the importance of, , the impact we have today in our decision, but I think it requires education as well.

We all need to educate ourself. And I think, , working with others and , and e established commitments, I think forces us to measure progress. So if you have targets, you will have to measure your progress and, , you'll have, keep certain KPIs because you've established targets. I think that makes a difference as well for leaders when they know their.

There are these, you [00:24:00] know, targets. They need to be achievable, realistic, , but at the same time, they need to be, , ambitious. Yeah, 

Stephanie: yeah, absolutely. Now you've mentioned that you're also working with suppliers in terms of, , measuring, even reducing scope one and two emissions. How have you gotten the buy-in from your suppliers or vendors?

Marie: So the way we approach that, , is we first work with the largest ones and, , engaging with them, we sent them, , a letter informing them of our commitment and that we wanted to work with them. So several of the large suppliers we have, We're already, , engaged and about to also submit their emission target with the science-based target initiative because we were the first, , telecommunication company in Canada to have its emission reduction, , approved by science-based target initiative.

So we kind of, , we could also offer our support as we had gone [00:25:00] through. The work and we could share our experience. So we really took that approach of collaboration, working together and informing them of our objective. So, , the second step was really to look at, you know, other, , suppliers and, , also work with them.

So we really. Are taking, taking one step at a time. And now we're getting into smaller and smaller suppliers. And this is where, , working with other, , , With our peers in the industry can be, , interesting joint forces to really, , educate and support all our supplier base. , we believe can be, can be very important.

We can also work with associations and others who are supporting SMEs, , to, , to achieve. Their own objectives and set their own targets. , so I think that creates some kind of a movement, , as well, , to, to really, , , establish targets and, , move, , forward altogether. 

Stephanie: , yeah. Yeah, [00:26:00] that makes sense.

What have some of the challenges been regarding working with suppliers? I would imagine some are, you know, they might have the data, others do not. It's new for them. How, how has the challenges been? 

Marie: So, , the, the, yeah, the smaller ones, , yeah, it's, it's a bit more challenging. And, , so I think providing support and, , with, you know, we have, we said our object objective is 50%, , by.

2026. , so, and we've, we are over 25 right now, so we're kind of halfway. , so, but I think, yeah, for these, , suppliers, I think it it a little bit, it'll take a little bit more time. , but at the end of the day, I think, , We're making, you know, progress, , and, , small steps at a time. , we're in 2023 now, so we still have a few years ahead 

Stephanie: of us.

Yeah. Well progress not perfection, right? Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. And to finish this [00:27:00] off, what would one piece of advice be that you would give to business managers or leaders who are. Fairly new to sustainability and trying to understand this and, and their role in it. What would you say to them? Well, 

Marie: I think first of all, , it makes business sense to, to engage in, in a, a process to, , build a sustainable business.

, and from an environmental standpoint, if you look at, , our objective, I think more and more customers are looking for companies that are, , environmentally responsible, that are taking actions. , we know we all have to take actions, so I think it will become more and more important for our customers as well, our partners.

And when you own, , Suppliers also, , are starting to ask questions and people from a sustainable procurement standpoint. , so I think it, it creates those movement and more and more I [00:28:00] think, , governments will also request. From their own suppliers that they, , have, , established some, , you know, targets.

, we're starting to see that also from a human rights standpoint, , that, , you know, there will be more and more, , pressure from everyone to ensure that the whole supply chain takes into account, , human rights, , So I think, , , it's a movement and I think for businesses, , it makes sense, , to, to, , start on this journey, , and ensure that, , they can be sustainable And, , the environmental impact climate change is, , Is there and there are risks and opportunities that need to be, , evaluated.

And , and I think the opportunities are, , quite interesting as well from a cost standpoint because energy costs will increase. , Carbon offset carbon, , renewable energy credits, , everything will get more and more expensive. , so, , companies need to get on board and have a, develop a vision and identify their levers so [00:29:00] that they can really take actions.

Stephanie: Yeah, absolutely. And now is the best time to start because it is a journey, and I've heard that throughout this podcast is, you know, get started on the journey. Progress over perfection. You know, educate, set yourself up for success. And I, I know Koko is definitely doing that. So thank you so much, Maria Ellen, for being here today.

Marie: Thank you very much for the invitation. 

Stephanie: That was such an interesting conversation. Join us next time and head on over to quantam lifecycle.com/podcast for more podcasts and follow us wherever you get your podcast from. This is a Quantam Lifecycle podcast. The producers are to Sanjay Trivedi and Faiza govani.

That's it for today. We'll see you next time.