About
Small- and Medium-Size Enterprises (SMEs) employ nearly 90% of private-sector workers in Canada positioning them well to become hubs of social, cultural and economic change. The Sustainability Transitions theme is building strong and innovative research in close collaboration with SMEs and with agencies and organizations that support them. The theme is solutions-oriented, hinging on the recognition that sustainability will create economic opportunities.
The research theme focuses on two main streams: understanding and sharing stories of SMEs’ sustainability decision-making processes; motivations for change; obstacles and opportunities for a sustainable transition; and studying and promoting the development of metrics such as goals, indicators, and standards that could stimulate transitions to sustainability and permit the measurement of progress.
Theme co-Leads
Jaye Ellis
Faculty of Law
Dror Etzion
Desautels Faculty of Management
Catherine Potvin
Department of Biology
Research Projects
Pivot
Pivot, a collaboration with the National Film Board of Canada, is a movement to amplify the actions of SMEs to halt carbon pollution. By bringing together the SME community with a team of scientists and communicators, the theme and its external collaborators connect leaders, promote their actions and amplify their impact. Lead researchers: Catherine Potvin, Dror Etzion.
- Learn more on the PIVOT website
- Watch: COVID-19: The Future of Food
Sustainability Metrics
This project studies and promotes the development of metrics such as goals, indicators, and standards that could stimulate transitions and measure progress of SMEs. It also examines the broader implications of sustainability metrics, such as the processes through which they are designed and the outcomes for sustainability. Lead researcher: Jaye Ellis.
