- Corporate Knights
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Corporate Knights 
Corporate Knights cover, Winter 2009 (Responsible Investment Issue)Editor Toby A.A. Heaps Categories Responsible business Frequency Quarterly Circulation 101 000+ First issue June 2002 Country Canada Language Canadian English Website corporateknights.ca ISSN 1703-2016 Corporate Knights is a quarterly Canadian magazine dedicated to the promotion of responsible business practices within Canada and the advancement of social and environmental sustainability worldwide.
Launched in 2002, the magazine’s mission is “to humanize the marketplace by informing people of the impacts of their decisions, showcasing leaders and innovators, and connecting the dots – bringing together all sectors to identify ways to make the market work better for the environment, society, and the economy”.[1] To this end, the publication champions positive corporate practices and highlights responsible consumer products.
Corporate Knights is best known for its annual rankings, particularly the Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada and Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations.
Corporate Knights Research Group has formally adopted the Principles for Responsible Investment.
Contents
History
Corporate Knights Inc. was co-founded in 2002 by Toby A. A. Heaps and Paul Fengler. Fengler was an International Relations and Russian Language graduate, and Heaps majored in Economics and International Development.[2] The pair were friends at McGill University and envisaged the magazine as a “halfway house between Adbusters and Forbes," according to Heaps.
Launched in the wake of the accounting scandals at Enron and WorldCom, the magazine started because “power is where the money is, and if you want to make social change, it’s through business.” Heaps also stated that "every one of the corporate citizens has black underwear, and we're not going to pretend that they're saints. There are no Mother Teresas here. But these are the best we've got.”[3]
Beyond holding companies accountable, Heaps found that "85% of Canadians want to know more about the socially responsible things that companies are doing."[4] As such, one of the magazine's major goals has been to publicize positive business practices.
Heaps remains the Editor-in-Chief, while Fengler is now Editor Emeritus. Karen Kun became Publisher in 2005. Since 2002, the magazine has expanded its coverage internationally, reporting from Mongolia, the Congo, Sudan, and India.
The publication has undergone three major redesigns to reflect its evolving content and scope.
Reports and rankings
Corporate Knights evaluates corporate citizenship and the performance of particular sectors each issue. Annual rankings of the Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada and the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations, announced each year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, are trademarks of the publication.
Knight School rankings, established in 2004, evaluate the social and environmental characteristics of university degree programs including law, engineering, business, public policy, journalism, urban planning, and architecture.
Other rankings include: The Most Sustainable Cities in Canada; Cleantech 10 and Next 10; Responsible Investing Guide; and Carbon 50.
Public policy
Corporate Knights also undertakes initiatives to influence public policy, including a 2006 $100 billion carbon pricing plan for Canada to reach its Kyoto target,[5] convening the first Energy Ministers' meeting on building a transcanadian grid for transporting green electricity from where it generated to where it is needed,[6] and the Option 13 initiative to make trade implications a central consideration of the Copenhagen meeting in November–December 2009.[7]
Greenest Prime Minister
In 2006, Corporate Knights solicited the input of prominent Canadians, including Elizabeth May, Maude Barlow, Sheila Copps and Monte Hummel, to rank the environmental impact of Canadian Prime Ministers.
Selected as having accomplished the most to improve Canada's environment, Brian Mulroney was honoured at an Earth Week Gala dinner in Ottawa as the 'Greenest PM in Canadian History'. The event brought together current Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Quebec Premier Jean Charest, television host Ben Mulroney, US Ambassador David Wilkins and other dignitaries to recognize Mulroney's positive environmental impact. His government established the Acid Rain Accord, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, the Great Lakes Action Plan, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and ratified the Montreal Protocol.
Canadian comedian Rick Mercer provided commentary throughout the evening, which was broadcast live on national television.[8][9][10]
Key people
Current editorial staff
- Toby Heaps, editor-in-chief
- Karen Kun, publisher
- Jon-Erik Lappano, managing editor
Notable contributors
- Steven Guilbeault
- Craig Kielburger
- Eric Reguly
- David Suzuki
- Shelley Willson-Cross
- Ken Wiwa
- Konrad Yakabuski [1]
References
- ^ Corporate Knights - About Us
- ^ The McGill Daily - McGill Alumni Launch Business Ethics Magazine
- ^ The Globe and Mail - Glossy offers new spin on business ethics
- ^ McGill News New Publications Aim to Beat the Odds
- ^ The Globe and Mail - Opposition MPs mull carbon-tax proposal
- ^ The Globe and Mail - Ministers call for national grid
- ^ The Wall Street Journal - We Need a Global Carbon Tax
- ^ Canuck Politics - The Greenest Prime Minister
- ^ CTV News - Mulroney praised for his green record as PM
- ^ CBC News - Mulroney honoured for environmental record
External links
Categories:- Canadian business magazines
- Media companies of Canada
- Magazines published in Toronto
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