January 11, 2024
NSI’s Journey Towards BCorp Certification: A Story of Commitment and Evolution
In the dynamic landscape of business, NSI has always stood out with a clear vision: to create a company that deeply respects its employees, clients, community, and the environment. This vision has guided us for the past 16 years, leading us on a natural journey toward a significant milestone – becoming a BCorp certified company.
At NSI, we’ve realized that driving performance in businesses goes beyond financial gains. In a world with limited resources, seeking infinite growth is unsustainable. Consequently, the adoption of BCorp certification was a logical step in our journey, also allowing us to be a reference in our actions and a source of inspiration for others who, like us, want to take action.
What is BCorp, and Why It Matters?
BCorp certification isn’t just a badge; it’s a testament to a company’s commitment to broader societal and environmental goals. To be certified, businesses must meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. BCorp shines a light on areas needing improvement, even in companies that believe they are doing well. It provides a standardized way to measure progress and enables companies to become better employers, aligned with their vision. This certification isn’t just about being better; it’s about inspiring a movement towards more sustainable and responsible business practices.
NSI’s Impact on Community and Environment
Our commitment to the community and the environment has always been integral to our operations, even before our BCorp journey began. Here are some ways we’ve made a difference:
- Promote teleworking;
- Using appropriate technologies and practices, we minimize the need to travel to customers to carry out our projects;
- Position the various offices in common areas with access by public and active transport;
- Offer each employee the opportunity to volunteer two days a year to support organizations of their choice;
- Support local artisans and suppliers for all our product and service sourcing needs;
- Maintaining transparent leadership through our “Voice of Employees” program;
- Involve employees in strategic developments;
- Make employees benefit from the company’s success;
- Selecting our customers to avoid involvement in controversial industries;
- Invest 2% to 4% of our revenues in social and environmental causes;
- Contribute to shoreline protection by planting a tree for each project completed, specifically in the Magdalen Islands, QC, Canada;
- Be an active climate partner for Montreal, reinforcing our commitment to sustainable development;
- Make use of Zoho’s new data servers in Canada.
The Journey to Certification
Although our thinking and actions began long before, our journey towards BCorp certification officially began in November 2022 and was confirmed in October 2023. We’re talking about a 12-month process with a score of almost 90. The BCorp impact assessment covers the following topics:
- Governance (18.7 / 25)
- Employee relations (34.1 / 50)
- Customer interaction (3.8 / 5)
- Environmental impact (8.2 / 20)
- Community involvement (23.5 / 42)
Feedback
The process is exhaustive, rigorous and requires full documentation to confirm our assertions. For example, our legal status has been adapted to include our commitment to environmental and social impact. The fact remains, however, that:
- The effort is collective;
- There is common sense and logic in what, how and why a company exists;
- Our corporate management is transparent, sound and sustainable;
- Our interaction with our ecosystem is in perfect balance.
Looking Ahead
As we celebrate our BCorp certification, we confirm our commitment to maintain it, to improve in order to progress, to influence our network and ultimately to help those who wish to embark on this process with us.
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