Corporate Environmental Innovation (CEI): a government initiative to support corporate sustainability leadership

Environment Canada's1 Corporate Environmental Innovation (CEI) initiative is a partnership-based governmental initiative designed to help accelerate innovation and to improve the environmental performance of companies. Specifically, CEI brings together industry, the finance sector, academics, non-governmental organizations and other government departments in three areas of engagement, each of which is described in this paper. Through discussion of the practical projects being implemented in each of these areas, this paper considers the role that targeted strategies to support environmental leadership and innovation can play in advancing adaptive, efficient and effective environmental management. In particular, this paper describes how partnerships and open dialogue are fostering greater alignment of the full spectrum of stakeholders with the goals of sustainable development, to leverage environmental results that go beyond the traditional boundaries of institutional roles.