How Canadian-owned brands strengthen our communities and care for our environment
Canadian businesses play a vital role in promoting sustainability, strengthening community ties, and contributing to the national economy. We asked some of our fellow Canadian-owned brands to share their perspectives on supporting local businesses from coast to coast.
Sourcing locally: a path to sustainability
Chickpeace, a B Corp-certified zero-waste refill store in Kelowna, B.C., champions the importance of sourcing local products. Allisha Heidt, CEO and Founder of Chickpeace, says that "Being a Canadian-owned brand means supporting as many Canadian suppliers, producers, and businesses as possible." By prioritizing local sourcing, Chickpeace reduces the carbon footprint and plastic waste associated with transportation and packaging, fostering a more sustainable future.
"We’re grateful to live in one of the most beautiful parts of this country,” Allisha says, “so helping preserve our forests, waterways, and animals from plastic pollution is very important to us.” By supporting local, sustainable brands like Chickpeace, consumers can actively contribute to minimizing waste and preserving the environment.
Giving back: a way to strengthen community ties
Eagle Wing Tours, an award-winning ecotourism and conservation company in Victoria, B.C., recognizes the important role that Canadian brands play in their communities. Captain and Co-Owner Brett Soberg explains, "When you support local Canadian companies, you empower them to give back to their communities." Through their whale and wildlife watching tours, they’ve raised more than $1 million for local research, conservation, and their Explore the Salish Sea program for students.
Sally's Brook Wilderness Cabins, a sustainable vacation rental and retreat provider on Cape Breton Island, N.S., echoes the sentiment of community collaboration. Glenn Rubinoff, Owner and Operator, notes that one of the pillars that guides his business is treating his community with respect by contributing to charitable organizations, collaborating with other local businesses, and ensuring fair wages and working conditions for employees. “Supporting Canadian brands aligns with our pillars of purpose,” Glenn adds.
Symcor, an organization that enables secure data exchanges for many of Canada’s largest organizations, shares the importance of strengthening communities by reinforcing sustainable processes and practices. Amr Soliman, Facility Manager at Symcor, says that “Symcor is very proud of being a Canadian-owned entity. It is our organizational purpose to connect for common good and enrich the communities we operate in.” Recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for 13 consecutive years, Symcor takes a collaborative approach to making an impact in the communities in which it resides. By working to minimize their ecological footprint through proactive implementation of eco-friendly practices in their locations across Canada, Symcor is focused on contributing to a more sustainable future.
Environmental stewardship: a core value of Canadian brands
Many bullfrogpowered organizations spoke about how important their sense of place is to their brand. Brett says that Eagle Wing Tours “is incredibly lucky to have the Salish Sea as our big blue backyard, and we consider it our duty to share the magic of this special place and use the power of ecotourism to turn our guests into passionate advocates for the health of the Salish Sea and beyond.”
Glenn also speaks of the magic in the Canadian wilderness, and how it inspired his vacation rental and retreat centre: “We had a dream of sharing the magic, peacefulness and spirit of the mountains and ocean that we felt so deeply here.”
Jazz Cabbage Gardens Inc., a cannabis producer founded in Halifax, N.S., exemplifies how Canadian-owned businesses can act as environmental stewards. Sam Harrison, President and Co-Founder, emphasizes their commitment to following their values of sustainability, innovation, and leading by example in an industry notorious for its waste.
Sam shares some of the sustainability initiatives that help preserve Canada’s natural resources: “Starting with our own custom-designed, liquid-cooled LEDs, to using the most easily recyclable packaging we can find and partnering with Bullfrog Power to address our carbon footprint, we’ve shown that being a Canadian cannabis company doesn’t mean you have to eschew our shared environmental responsibility.”
Boosting local economies: buy local or bye local
Beyond environmental benefits, Canadian-owned brands play a crucial role in boosting local economies. Chickpeace's Allisha Heidt highlights this aspect, saying, “We’ve all heard the saying ‘buy local or bye local.’ Supporting local businesses helps strengthen our local economy and make our communities more resilient.” By choosing local products, consumers contribute to job creation, economic growth, and the vitality of their communities.
Supporting Canadian brands means supporting Canadian people
The Grizzly Paw Pub & Brewing Company, located in Canmore, Alberta, highlights the interconnectedness between supporting Canadian businesses and supporting a diversity of Canadian people. Spencer Duquette, Marketing Coordinator, notes that Canmore’s natural beauty attracts workers from around the world. “You can’t paint a picture of what a typical Canadian looks like because as a country, we’re larger than that,” Spencer says.
Whether someone is starting their journey to permanent residency or working in Canmore for a summer, they’re welcomed at Grizzly Paw. “I appreciate working with a Canadian brand because it’s all about supporting Canadian people and those experiencing Canada,” Spencer affirms. “I believe that can have a compounding positive effect on our nation and beyond.”
What encourages you to support Canadian-owned businesses? Let us know in the comments!
Celebrating Indigenous History Month with Cheekbone Beauty
We thank Cheekbone Beauty, an Indigenous-owned and sustainable beauty brand, for contributing this guest post. As part of their sustainability strategy, Cheekbone Beauty bullfrogpowers their headquarters and operations with green electricity and green natural gas.
June is National Indigenous History Month. At Cheekbone Beauty, we encourage you to take time to honour and reflect on Indigenous history by listening, learning, and amplifying Indigenous voices. We also encourage you to amplify Indigenous voices year-round, and some of the easiest ways to get involved are by reading books by Indigenous authors or following Indigenous artists and creators.
Representation is at the heart of everything we do, as our Founder & CEO, Jenn Harper's Anishinaabe culture is at the core of our brand, guiding all that we do and create at Cheekbone Beauty.
This June, we are celebrating Indigenous History and culture through our new campaign inspired by the memengwaa, the word for “butterfly” in Ojibwe.
The inspiration for this campaign comes from the bold, vibrant colours and patterns of butterflies, as well as the importance of sharing oral histories and traditions. Many Indigenous communities have their own butterfly story, passed down through generations, sharing stories of togetherness, courage, and resilience. We have taken this important story and related it to our journey as a brand: bold, vibrant colour, and bringing a sense of hope and community to Indigenous people across Turtle Island. Stories like these deeply resonate with us at Cheekbone Beauty, as we hope to provide a platform for Indigenous representation.
When deciding what angle to take for our National Indigenous History Month campaign, we knew that storytelling would be incredibly important. In 2014, Jenn got sober, and things changed for her. Shortly after, she had a lifechanging dream of little Indigenous girls playing in lip gloss – they had made a huge mess, but she still remembers the joy to this day. This life-changing dream was Jenn’s memengwaa: her symbol of hope, resilience, and change. At Cheekbone Beauty, we hope to help every Indigenous person on the planet see and feel their value in the world while we craft sustainable colour cosmetics that don’t end up in a landfill. In doing so, we hope to encourage our customers and followers to believe that their uniqueness is their power – it should be celebrated, and like the butterfly, we should all live colourfully.
So, with that, the Cheekbone Beauty origin story is:
“Before the world knew color, there lived a people who longed for something to brighten their lives. Dreaming about a sign – a symbol of hope and beauty. And one day, their dreams came true, in the form of a butterfly. This butterfly was unlike any other – its wings were ablaze with vivid colors and bold patterns, each one telling a story of its own. The people were entranced and quickly came to see it as a symbol of their own strength and beauty. From that day forward, the people embraced bold colors and intricate designs as a way to honor their heritage and connect with the land.”
Much like the butterfly bringing colour back to the world, Cheekbone Beauty has brought colour back into our founder Jenn’s life, which in turn has made a large impact on the Indigenous community. To date, Cheekbone Beauty has contributed over $200,000 in project-focused, monetary, and in-kind donations to various organizations that support Indigenous youth and environmental causes. We have also started our own Scholarship Fund which has allowed the support of Indigenous post-secondary students who are pursuing their various interests.
At our core, we also believe in respect for the land and resources we have been provided and exercise great care in respect for our planet today and for generations to come.
This Indigenous History Month, join us in spreading bold colour and let the Butterfly, memengwaa, guide your way.
Goodfood, good for the planet
If wasted food were a country, its carbon footprint would rank third worldwide – smaller than the U.S. and China, but bigger than every other nation. The National Zero Waste Council shares that in Canada alone, we waste 2.2 million tonnes of food each year, leading to 9.8 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Goodfood, a Canadian meal kit provider, was born in 2014 with the goal of challenging the traditional food supply chain, helping Canadians reconnect with their food, and ultimately healing the earth.
We spoke with Raffi Krikorian, EVP of Ready-to-Cook & Supply Chain, to learn more about Goodfood's sustainability initiatives and their efforts to offset emissions, reduce food waste, minimize packaging waste, and source locally.
Better than good: offsetting emissions for a sustainable future
Goodfood was founded from a deep-seated passion for food and technology, coupled with a desire to challenge the status quo. Recognizing that the conventional food supply chain wasn’t healthy for Canadians or good for the earth, founders Jonathan Ferrari and Neil Cuggy established Goodfood to help Canadians rediscover the joy of home-cooked meals while lessening their environmental impact.
While meal kit delivery already generates 33% fewer carbon emissions than traditional grocery shopping, Goodfood aims to go further. “Over the past nine years, Jonathan and Neil realized that ‘good’ simply wasn’t good enough, so the company is taking additional steps to become a leader in the pursuit of a sustainable food future,” Raffi said.
Goodfood recently partnered with Less Emissions, Bullfrog Power’s sister brand, to offset carbon emissions associated with their meal kit deliveries. According to Raffi, "Offsetting the carbon emissions related to our meal kit deliveries reduces our impact on the planet, supports Canadian carbon offset projects, and plays an important role in our endeavor to leave the planet better than we found it for future generations."
Reducing food waste from farm to table
An alarming 58% of the food produced in Canada is wasted, much of it by grocery stores. One of the advantages of meal kits is their ability to reduce food waste at home and throughout the supply chain.
On the supply chain side, Goodfood reduces waste by prioritizing partnerships with local suppliers who farm and fish responsibly and sustainably. With a just-in-time ordering system, Goodfood ensures that produce is harvested three to four days before it reaches the customer's doorstep, making it seven days fresher than grocery store counterparts. “Much of the produce at grocery stores is thrown out because it’s gone bad, or because it doesn’t look visually appealing and isn’t purchased,” Raffi said.
To eliminate food waste at home, Goodfood pre-portions its meal kit ingredients so that customers receive only what they need to prepare their meals. In contrast, traditional grocery shopping often results in leftover ingredients that go unused and are eventually thrown out.
Balancing plastic reductions and performance
Although meal kits tend to have more packaging than traditional grocery store meals, Goodfood is continuously working on sustainable solutions. Raffi acknowledges that achieving great packaging performance and eco-friendliness is a challenge for the meal kit industry, saying, “Customers aren't always home to receive their orders immediately, so our packaging has to ensure that ingredients arrive at their freshest and stay that way for as long as possible."
The company is continuously working to ensure that its packaging, made primarily from recycled materials, is recyclable or compostable. Goodfood's shorter supply chain also reduces the need for excessive packaging, as their produce doesn't get packaged and repackaged at multiple distribution centres and warehouses.
Local, seasonal food is sustainable food
By sourcing food locally, Goodfood significantly reduces the carbon footprint of its meal kits. With a shorter supply chain compared to traditional grocery stores, Goodfood's produce travels shorter distances, resulting in fewer emissions.
Sourcing local food outside the growing season in Canada presents challenges, but Goodfood has partnered with technologically advanced Canadian suppliers to ensure year-round availability of fresh produce. By using energy-efficient greenhouses and sophisticated storage systems, Goodfood's suppliers can provide local cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and more, regardless of the season. These innovative approaches not only support local farmers but also contribute to a more sustainable food system.
Sustainability is a key ingredient
By offsetting emissions, reducing food waste, and sourcing locally, Goodfood is making tangible progress towards a more environmentally conscious future. By disrupting the way that Canadians shop and cook, the company has shown that convenience and sustainability can go hand in hand.
Have you thought about eating more sustainably with a meal kit? Goodfood is offering our readers up to $366 off their first four orders! Click here or enter code BULLFROG at checkout.
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10 ways to combat climate change as a community
We’re already seeing the effects of climate change, and it may seem as though one person’s efforts are insignificant compared to record-breaking temperatures, wildfires, and rising sea levels. Luckily, you’re not alone. The bullfrogpowered community is made up of 10,000+ households and 1,500+ businesses who care deeply about our planet and are taking action to protect it.
Staples Canada
As the working and learning company, Staples Canada has always believed in the importance of setting industry-leading sustainability targets. Choosing green energy with Bullfrog Power, a CDP-accredited partner, since 2013 has been a critical part in our journey towards reducing our carbon emissions and providing sustainable solutions to Canadians.
Novion: preparing our cities for a green future
Climate change is expected to put a tremendous strain on our infrastructure due in part to a rise in flooding from increasingly intense and more frequent storms. We urgently need to focus on adaptation; preparing our cities and growing the resiliency of our infrastructure to prevent climate-related damage from severe weather events.
Although still a relatively new solution, green infrastructure opportunities — like rain gardens and green roofs, filtration ponds, and permeable pavements — are becoming a more and more popular option for cities around the world to increase climate resilience, reduce flooding, and lessen the strain put on traditional infrastructure.
However, one of the major barriers cities face when looking to adopt green infrastructure, in addition to a lengthy procurement process and lack of resources to source market-ready solutions, is a lack of measured performance data. Thankfully, Novion is looking to change the game, helping cities manage their green infrastructure assets through utilizing data, sensor technologies, and business intelligence.
“What we’ve been able to do with the cities is monitor several of their green infrastructure sites and provide them with real-time performance insights that will be useful for design, operations, capital planning, and more,” said Novion CEO Refayet Siam.
Novion’s Climate Intelligence Platform helps cities and organizations manage and monitor their green infrastructure, and make informed decisions around optimization, maintenance, capital planning, and policy making. By giving municipalities the option to have an easy, all-in-one management tool, Novion is accelerating the adoption of green infrastructure by giving municipalities access to the data they need to measure its impact.
Commercial demonstrations, or ‘pilot’ projects, remain one of the biggest challenges facing cleantech ventures entering the market. Novion was able to successfully overcome this through the Foresight-supported and Vancouver Economic Commission-led Project Green Light challenge platform. Novion secured an initial partnership with the City of Vancouver, and has since worked with the City of New Westminster as well.
“These pilots are the first steps in understanding and establishing the best practices within this industry that we hope will be beneficial to other cities as well,” Siam said.
A member of Foresight’s Earth Tech 2023 Cohort, Siam and his team are working hard to turn Novion into the go-to place for municipalities to find green infrastructure management tools.
“The climate crisis is real and we’re already seeing flood warnings and other adverse weather events across the globe. We’re one of the first to help cities manage their green infrastructure. Our goal is to become the company that will help the most cities with flooding,” said Siam.
As Novion continues to develop, Siam and his team are finding more and more positive benefits of green infrastructure. Not only does it have positive effects on the climate, but it creates skilled jobs for the people who will need to construct and maintain these assets. The implementation of green infrastructure also improves property values, while offering savings for municipalities which can divert funds from upgrading the capacity of stormwater drains.
For cities looking to save money, increase climate resilience, and provide functional green spaces for residents, Novion’s solution just may be the perfect fit.
Earth Tech is a six-month accelerator delivered in partnership between SI Canada and Foresight Canada that supports the commercialization of companies led by committed teams driven by environmental impact. The program supports early-stage companies to validate their solutions and business models, advance their technologies, raise funding, and create meaningful impact.
Earth Tech is made possible with the generous support of the RBC Foundation, Peter Gilgan Foundation, and Bullfrog Power.
Read more Earth Tech stories
NanoTerraTech: creating critical minerals locally and sustainably
This startup is transforming wood waste into biographite, the second most valuable carbon-based commodity and an essential EV component.
Novion: preparing our cities for a green future
Novion is helping cities manage their green infrastructure assets with data, sensor technologies, and business intelligence.
Solv4x: preparing for the electric future
Solv4x’s co-founders are using more than 30 years of combined experience to tackle one of the biggest challenges in the green transition: preparing our grid for the shift to electric vehicles.
While working for the California ISO (CAISO) – the organization that oversees the operation of California’s power grid – co-founder and CEO Rekha Sharma realized if the U.S. were to shift from fossil fuels to electric vehicles overnight, the grid would need to produce four times its current output to keep up. Thus, the idea, and name, Solv4x was born.
“We need to make sure that the grid is clean, but also capable of handling the new assets that will consume energy,” Sharma said. “We must look at grid software solutions across all verticals. If we do not drive efficiency in charging and consumption in totality, we will not be able to be fully renewable.”
Their game-changing solution provides a B2B AI platform called Optify that simplifies and automates EV fleet charging by predicting dynamic energy prices and sources, and identifying the cheapest — and greenest — time to charge your fleet vehicles. The efficiencies created by using Solv4x’s AI platform offer fleet operators huge savings, all while reducing total emissions and lowering their carbon footprint.
But this powerful innovation was not developed overnight. Sharma spent more than a decade working in the energy space, for companies such as Siemens and ABB, where she contributed to the construction of power plants and power systems.
Near the end of 2020, Sharma began her second Master's degree after 12 years in the energy sector. By this point, she could see a crystal clear need for a platform that helped ease charging management across large fleets, which have the potential to overload the grid while driving higher consumption of non-renewable energy.
A participant in the Earth Tech 2023 cohort that Bullfrog Power supports, Solv4x continues to develop into a venture with massive potential for impact in the energy transition.
Looking ahead, Sharma hopes to see Solv4x integrated into all fleets as the standard charging platform with a focus on the United States, where there are 200,000+ fleets comprised of more than 50 million vehicles that will eventually be converted to electric. Their customer base is beginning to take notice:
“Our platform is starting to gain traction with several large partners that live in the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), retail and manufacturing, and other last-mile delivery spaces. We are incredibly excited to continue to scale Solv4x and our Optify platform,” Sharma said.
Earth Tech is a six-month accelerator delivered in partnership between SI Canada and Foresight Canada that supports the commercialization of companies led by committed teams driven by environmental impact. The program supports early-stage companies to validate their solutions and business models, advance their technologies, raise funding, and create meaningful impact.
Earth Tech is made possible with the generous support of the RBC Foundation, Peter Gilgan Foundation, and Bullfrog Power.
Read more Earth Tech stories
NanoTerraTech: creating critical minerals locally and sustainably
This startup is transforming wood waste into biographite, the second most valuable carbon-based commodity and an essential EV component.
Novion: preparing our cities for a green future
Novion is helping cities manage their green infrastructure assets with data, sensor technologies, and business intelligence.
2. Read more Earth Tech stories card pull
Read more Earth Tech stories
NanoTerraTech: creating critical minerals locally and sustainably
This startup is transforming wood waste into biographite, the second most valuable carbon-based commodity and an essential EV component.
Novion: preparing our cities for a green future
Novion is helping cities manage their green infrastructure assets with data, sensor technologies, and business intelligence.
1. Separator
Take that back! How businesses are taking responsibility for hard-to-recycle products
Recycling, at its best, is an invitation to see opportunity instead of waste. In a closed-loop system, our used products and packaging would be used to create the next generation of goods, eliminating waste and greatly reducing our need for raw materials.
Unfortunately, the reality of recycling is far from that dream. Canadians throw away more than 3 million tonnes of plastic every year, and only 9% of that is recycled. In response, some manufacturers and retailers are taking matters into their own hands by creating takeback programs for hard-to-recycle products.
We asked some of our bullfrogpowered businesses what motivated them to take action on recycling, how customers feel about their takeback programs, and where they see opportunities for the circular economy to flourish.
How conventional recycling is falling short for businesses and consumers
Recycling programs vary from city to city, making it difficult for manufacturers to choose materials that all municipalities will accept. And many common types of packaging need to be sent to specialized facilities that would be expensive and inconvenient for consumers. Faced with these issues, companies are offering takeback programs to fill the gaps left by conventional recycling.
Amy Merli, Sustainability Coordinator for Retail & Bring it Back Program Lead for Lush North America, pointed out that conventional plastic-sorting facilities use near-infrared radiation, but the black pigments in Lush’s pots throw off the technology and cause black plastics to be sorted incorrectly.
“Due to the limitations of conventional plastic-sorting facilities we took full ownership of our packaging to prevent our plastic pots from ending up in landfills.” Amy said. "Our process is truly closed loop and we work closely with our partners to ensure full transparency recycling in every step.” Lush launched a pot return program in 2008 and created a circular system where the plastic pellets from recycled pots go directly to Lush’s manufacturers to be used as raw materials for new pots.
With many barriers to recycling, DECIEM has taken an inclusive approach to their recycling program. “To encourage maximum usage, we wanted to make sure our program was open to everyone, not just DECIEM customers, so we accept packaging waste from any beauty brand,” says Jackie Kanham, Senior Director of Sustainability and Social Impact at DECIEM. “One of the drawbacks of conventional recycling is that it’s not consistent across different countries and cities. Our program aims to fill that gap.”
Other bullfrogpowered businesses including Earnest Ice Cream and Saponetti offer their products in reusable, refundable glass jars to circumvent single-use packaging entirely. Nikki Self, Co-founder & CEO at Saponetti, noted that container deposit programs are a great way to incentivize packaging returns, which reduces waste and keeps municipal recycling costs low.
For Staples Canada, addressing recycling barriers has been at the forefront of their consumer recycling programs. From what started with recycling printer ink and toner, Staples has now expanded to recycling batteries, electronics, and writing instruments. “We’re committed to providing solutions that are easy for Canadians to participate in and make an impact.” says Leigh Pearson, Senior Director Facilities and Sustainability at Staples Canada. “It’s part of who we are and our commitment to the communities we live and work in.”
How takeback programs can change habits and attitudes
Physical barriers from governments or municipalities continue to be an obstacle for our ‘plastic problem.’ Until these barriers are broken down, change will need to come from consumer demand and their shopping habits.
“Consumer responsibility starts with how they choose to shop, and how willing they are to make extra efforts to change their habits and participate in circular economy systems.” says Nikki Self. Saponetti, among many other green businesses, encourage their customers to reuse containers to avoid any single-use plastics from ending up in our landfills.
Vancouver business Earnest Ice Cream has a $1 deposit on their reusable glass jars, incentivizing many to collect their jars and use their credit towards their next ice cream purchase. Last year alone, they received over 167,000 jar returns. “To our knowledge, we were the first ice cream company to package in reusable glass jars. Since Earnest launched there have been a few companies following suit - which is great! It's a lot of extra work, but at the end of the day, it’s worth it.” says Erica Bernardi, Co-founder & Co-owner of Earnest Ice Cream. Erica says they hope their reusable glass jar program can get customers thinking about how to reuse and reduce in other ways in their lives.
To address their issue of plastic waste and waste diversion, Lush’s pot return program offers customers a free face mask for every five clean pots returned. In 2022, Lush enhanced the program’s appeal by allowing shoppers to return one pot for $1 off their purchase, promoting responsibility for packaging and strengthening the commitment to circularity.
Ethical Bean has been addressing the end-of-life cycle for their coffee bags through their partnership with TerraCycle. Customers can mail their used coffee bags to Terracycle and in return, collect TerraCycle points that can be used towards a donation to a not-for-profit organization of their choice. Jeff Chiang, Head of Ethical Bean, says the coffee bags are upcycled to community items like park benches and playground equipment.
How industry leaders continue to pave the way for change
While we wait on the development of new packaging technologies, businesses and consumers should continue putting pressure on governments and municipalities to ban single-use plastics. In the interim, Nikki Self of Saponetti points out that manufacturers and retailers need to be proactive about trimming waste within the supply chain and implementing solutions that eliminate or repurpose single-use packaging.
Jackie Kanham of DECIEM is hopeful as a more circular economy becomes the norm that the availability of post-consumer recycled materials will become more readily available on the open market.
“By empowering consumers with choice and transparency, and advocating for legislation that strengthens local recycling infrastructure, we hope to create a more sustainable future and inspire other companies to make positive changes.” Amy Merli, Lush.
This mindset is also reflected in these companies’ choice to source renewable energy. Our bullfrogpowered businesses have committed to environmental stewardship and continue to pave the way as industry leaders for waste diversion. By purchasing renewable energy through Bullfrog Power and reflecting on their own plastic pollution, these forward-thinking businesses have taken the extra step to ensure a greener world for future generations.