Retail’s Route to Net-zero Emissions: The Canadian Retail Sector and Effective Climate Governance

Climate change poses a systemic risk to Canadian retailers. The increasing frequency and intensity of acute events such as flooding and wild fires are disrupting supply chains and distribution channels, creating uncertainty in availability and pricing of raw materials, and increasing insurance costs. Yet there are also new opportunities for the retail sector in the move to circular economic activity. Join us for a lively discussion on effective climate governance. A new guide by Dr Janis Sarra, Retail’s Route to Net-zero Emissions: The Canadian Retail Sector and Effective Climate Governance, provides an accessible summary of the legal duties of retail directors and officers in the transition to a net-zero economy. It offers examples of best practices in the retail sector, with a checklist of issues the board should be considering its governance oversight and strategic planning.  The retail sector is in a state of evolution well beyond climate change governance, and effective management of the transition will be integral to a reimagining of the retail sector, given regulatory changes and changing investor and consumer preferences.

Chair:

• Diane Brisebois, President and CEO, Retail Council of Canada

Panelists:

• Dr Janis Sarra, Author and Professor of Law, University of British Columbia
• Dr Ramesh Venkat, Director, David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retailing and Services, Sobey School of Business, Saint Mary’s University
• Sophie Merritt, Manager, Sustainability, MEC