As shown in our View on Integrating Sustainable Development in Business, published in November 2023, one in three entrepreneurs still haven’t integrated sustainable development to their business. And one of the main obstacles is the impression that sustainable development doesn’t apply to their field.
Yet, any business can take new action on sustainable development, regardless of size, region, or sector of activity.
In need of inspiration? Discover five innovative businesses we are fortunate enough to work with.
Euphorik
Region: Estrie
Adopting sustainable development practices in business is possible and desirable in every sector of activity, and the Sherbrooke hair salon Euphorik is a perfect example of an engaged business.
Opened in 2006 and bought by Camille Gendron in 2019, the salon has grown exponentially over the years. But managing that growth didn’t stop the entrepreneur from considering the impact of her business and introducing measures to mitigate that impact.
And the measures Euphorik implemented went in a number of directions.
As soon as they join the salon, new employees are paired with a mentor to ensure smooth, positive onboarding. Sustainable development means introducing working conditions that benefit everyone, and mentoring is a great example of this.
The business also has training programs for new employees, along with one-on-one sessions and duties dedicated to employee well-being.
Euphorik is also seeking to reduce its environmental impact. The beauty industry generates 400 kilos of waste every minute! To address this, Camille turned to the organization Green Circle, which supports businesses in implementing programs that optimize the industry’s environmental sustainability.
The result is that Euphorik keeps leftover hair colour, aluminium foil, and even hair out of landfills. These materials are collected by Green Circle and then recycled.
For example, close to 325 kilos in waste were collected by Euphorik in 2019.
This means that regardless of the field of activity, there is always room for improvement in work processes to make them more sustainable.
Camille and her team can bring out people’s beauty, without sacrificing the beauty of the planet.
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Solem
Region: Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean
True to the saying “Every cloud has a silver lining,” a stretch of bad weather is what inspired Marie-Hélène Doucet and Mylène Lessard to found their business selling… beach towels!
During a rainy camping trip, the two friends had had enough of their traditional cotton towels taking forever to dry.
They had always dreamed of starting their own business, and that’s when the idea of founding Solem came up.
They started by creating a microfibre beach towel and soon added other products to their collection, including dish towels, hair towels, sports towels, and more.
Solem microfibre is light and compact, while absorbing two to three times its weight, and its tight weave makes it unusually durable.
Marie-Hélène and Mylène wanted to further their mission of making a difference, socially and environmentally, by making their products as eco-friendly as possible. They use water-based inks that are biodegradable and environmentally friendly, and their products are made of 50% recycled polyester.
For instance, between 13 and 15 plastic bottles are used to make a beach towel. And to reduce waste, Solem took a look at its packaging and now uses recyclable bags and shipping boxes, made in part from recycled materials. The organization also offsets its greenhouse gas emissions through the organization Carbone boreal, enabling it to plant 766 trees in 2023.
And that’s not all! Solem’s environmental responsibility is reflected down to their delivery solutions.
The company offers the option of reusable packaging for shipping. Choose PickPack, and you can return your packaging to the store and get a discount on your next order.
Their products are soft, colourful, durable, and environmentally friendly. What more could you ask for?
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Learn more about their environmental and social commitments
Casa Das Tias
Region: Centre-du-Québec
Casa Das Tias is the taste of Portugal on your plate!
Founded by the Demelo family, the company’s objective is to create delicious, authentic gourmet products that reflect the rich culinary tradition of Portugal and that make you want to cook.
Known primarily for its piri piri sauce that has been on the St-Hubert Rotisseries menu since 2017 and more recently on Costco shelves, Casa Das Tias began a sustainable development effort in 2022.
When asked to join a cohort that would receive a sustainable development coaching service, Denis Demelo initially hesitated, but soon realized the potential benefits resulting from this shift.
Since then, the company has introduced a number of sustainability efforts, and they’re not done yet!
For example, Casa Das Tias now sends part of its lemon scraps — the company presses around 50,000 annually — to a microbrewer that uses it to make its own products.
Reducing the amount of cardboard used, promoting more responsible purchasing, using recyclable labels, and controlling its energy consumption are a few of Casa Das Tias’s sustainability efforts.
Human resources have not been left behind in this initiative. An employee guide and an occupational health and safety program will soon be introduced. A group RRSP is also being offered.
The company, founded in 2012 originally with two people, now has nine employees, and Denis Demelo is planning to hire more soon. But it is very important for the co-founder and the entire team to subscribe to the vision, values, and orientations of the business. Family spirit is well rooted in Casa Das Tias’s culture.
When it was founded, the company had no sustainability measures in place, but Denis Demelo has since realized that the time for hesitation has passed and that implementing sustainable development in the business is essential to development.
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Merci la vie
Region: Laurentians
When you have a name as gentle and full of gratitude as Merci la vie – Thank you, life – you have to bring that spirit alive for the clientele. And that’s exactly what Merci la vie does.
Its motto is to nourish both body and soul by offering service steeped in humanity.
Located in Piedmont, in the Laurentians, this business is a bakery and restaurant, and its welcomes clients as if they were members of the family.
In establishing the business, Johanne Martineau Elbilia and Albert Elbilia, partners in business and life, made sure they were doing it as responsibly as possible. So the Merci la vie team prepares its food using local or organic products, free of hormones, pesticides, and GMOs. Even the flour they use comes from sustainable and organic agriculture.
The entrepreneurs also use products from their own garden, which grows on the bakery’s land. Plus, at Merci la vie, food waste is not tolerated. All food must be completely used. So citrus scraps are candied and made into marmalade, and strawberry tops are turned into strawberry water for drinking. All the vegetables grown in the garden are processed, canned, or offered in the form of delicious meals.
The business even started offering honey collected from its own hives, recently set up on the property.
But it would take even more for Johanne and Albert to feel completely satisfied with their practices. Mutual aid is also important to the couple and its team. This is why their transactional website offers the option to donate bread. When customers buy bread to donate to local food banks, the company matches the donation. That’s twice as much bread donated!
Merci la vie is a warm, friendly place where healthy food is made and served with love. One visit will convince you.
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BULLE Bijouterie
Region: Capitale-Nationale
Becoming a parent is life changing. Just ask Valérie Doran, who brought BULLE into the world, a business based on her experience with motherhood.
After becoming a mother for the first time, Valérie soon realized that babies and jewellery are not compatible. This is when the idea began to germinate to create jewellery that is safe and resistant, while being attractive for babies and mothers.
Her plans took shape, and the entrepreneur launched BULLE in 2013, after she had her second child.
BULLE was an immediate success, which is why Valérie Doran was able to expand her offer; she now makes pacifier clips, teethers, meal accessories, and much more, every one of them practical and innovative.
Attracting the interest of Danièle Henkel on the show Dans l’oeil du dragon in 2015, the two entered into a beneficial partnership agreement that propelled her business even further.
With her strong social values, the entrepreneur partners with two social economy organizations in her region and since 2015 has been offering manufacturing and product packing jobs to people living with functional limitations.
The business also has partnerships with many other organizations, including Leucan and the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation.
Did you know that that is also sustainable development? Fostering inclusion by providing decent jobs and giving back to the community to reduce inequalities are examples of sustainable practices that we want to see implemented more in Quebec.
Discover the world of BULLE
These five companies operate in different sectors, and each one in their own way is having a positive impact. Inspiring, wouldn’t you say? Like them, your business can adopt environmentally responsible practices or improve on existing ones.
Do you need a hand to get going?
To find out more about sustainable development and the different opportunities for integrating it to your business, you can consult our interactive videos on the topic.
To take your thinking further, feel free to request a consultation with one of the sustainable development experts on our Brigade-conseil.
Enjoy the food for thought!
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Thanks to the engagement of invaluable partners: Économie Québec, through its agent Investissement Québec, the Government of Canada, National Bank, the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, and Fondaction, Evol has a large envelope to support, through conventional loans, businesses with inclusive, diversified ownership that generate positive social and environmental impacts in line with the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDG).
