NSBA Network Series – Breakfast “Sustainability for Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises : A Saskatoon Case Study” with Jacqueline Gorman (February 24, 2023)

Sustainability for Small – and Medium-Sized Enterprises – A Saskatoon Case Study

A Presentation by :
Jacqueline Gorman – Trace Associates

Sustainability programs are commonly developed within large, publicly traded corporations. Recently, there has been increasing pressure from these organizations on their suppliers, along with their customers, to demonstrate sustainable practices. Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are less likely to have sustainability programs in place due to the required investment and lack of internal expertise for program development.

Interactive Tracking Systems Inc. (itracks), a Saskatoon software company that develops online market research software, is presented as a case study for how SMEs can successfully participate in the sustainable economy. Itracks effectively overcame challenges and obtained external expertise to establish their first Sustainability Program in response to global customer demands.

itracks’ baseline sustainability state was documented, and areas of weakness were identified via a gap assessment. A study was undertaken to identify sustainability topics important to itracks’ staff, clients, competitors, and leadership.

itracks planned a vision setting process to guide sustainability actions and metrics. Additionally, a sustainability road map was created to document the important topics, targets, metrics, and schedules to guide the change management process through the early stages.