Toronto, ON
Oxford Properties has been named to Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2021.
The list honors the businesses that have not only found a way to be resilient in the past year, but also turned those challenges into impact-making processes. These companies did more than survive, they thrived—making an impact on their industries and culture as a whole.
“We’re proud to be ranked number eight in this year’s list for our approach to carbon reduction. Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time and private enterprises have a crucial role to play in addressing it,” commented Dean Hopkins, COO of Oxford Properties.
“There is no silver bullet to address this challenge. The way we address our commitment to tackling climate change is through the aggregation of multiple opportunities to take a bold, innovative and industry-leading positions where we put sustainability at the forefront of our decisions. We have made a promise to pay the pensions of approximately 500,000 members in Ontario – , firefighters, public health employees and municipal workers – and if we fail to address climate change, we will have ultimately broken that promise.”
Oxford is addressing climate change by innovating in three major ways: Developing groundbreaking new buildings that push sustainability to unthought of levels, the integration of leading-edge technology to create energy efficiency, and human solutions that promote change in our customers and suppliers’ behavior.
Oxford has a global commitment to reduce its carbon emissions by 30% by 2025. Last year Oxford reduced its carbon by 9% from its 2015 benchmark. This year has taken a quantum leap and this reduction in carbon emissions has rapidly improved to 23%. This marks a 155% year over year improvement. Over the past 18 months, it has started construction on The Stack, the first zero carbon skyscraper in North America. It has deployed smart building technology and ‘digital twins’ which means its buildings are continually learning how to become ever more energy efficient. Oxford continues to promote healthy and sustainable choices around active transportation by over-indexing on bicycles stalls at the expense of private car parking. To make cycling or running to work as easy as possible at several new developments, Oxford provides cycling facilities at grade, meaning cyclists can bike straight into the storage area without having to carry bicycles up or down stairs. To create an excellent end-of-trip experience, it provides health-club quality shower and changing rooms with features such as a free towel service and personal grooming products.
Fast Company’s editors and writers sought out the most groundbreaking businesses on the planet and across myriad industries. They also judged nominations received through their application process.
The World’s Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company’s signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy.
“In a year of unprecedented challenges, the companies on this list exhibit fearlessness, ingenuity, and creativity in the face of crisis,” said Fast Company Deputy Editor David Lidsky, who oversaw the issue with Senior Editor Amy Farley.
