PRESS RELEASE | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Toronto, Ontario | September 18, 2020 | John D. Coyne joins ALUS Canada’s Board of Directors
Unilever sustainability expert John D. Coyne joins ALUS Canada’s Board of Directors.
ALUS Canada is delighted to welcome Unilever sustainability expert John D. Coyne to the Board of Directors.
“John is well known throughout North America for his leadership in corporate sustainability issues,” said Chip Pitfeld, ALUS Canada’s Board Chair. “We are looking forward to benefitting from his expertise and guidance for years to come.”
As Vice-President, External Affairs and Sustainability, at Unilever Canada Inc., John Coyne is a passionate activator of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan and ‘the Compass,’ Unilever’s strategy to grow the business while reducing its environmental footprint and increasing its positive contribution to society.
“I am very honoured to join the Board of ALUS at such a critical time for the climate, for Canada’s rural communities and for all Canadians’ understanding of the critical interconnections among the industrial, environmental and agricultural activities and livelihoods in this country,” he said.
Among his other volunteer positions, Coyne is currently the Executive Chair of the Board at both the Canadian Stewardship Services Alliance, Inc. and Recycle BC, and a Board Director at Evergreen. In addition, he is Co-Chair of the Circular Economy Leadership Coalition, launched in 2018 to accelerate Canada’s transition to a circular economy, as well as Co-Chair of the Partners in Project Green steering committee, a collaborative environmental initiative of the Toronto Region Conservation Authority. Coyne is also a director of the Look Good Feel Better Foundation, Chair of the board of Cosmetics Alliance Canada, and a member of the Advisory Committee of the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University.
He has been recognized for his leadership in corporate sustainability, receiving the Canadian General Counsel Award for Environmental, Social and Governance Leadership in 2018, the same year he was named a Clean 16 honouree, after becoming a Clean 50 honouree in 2013.
Coyne also serves in several important advisory roles. He was appointed to The Council of Canadian Academies Expert Panel on the Circular Economy in Canada, sponsored by Environment and Climate Change Canada, in April 2020, while in 2018, he was appointed to the federal Plastics Advisory group, advising Canada’s Minister of the Environment and Climate Change on issues relating to plastics and the implementation of the Ocean Plastics Charter. He also served as a member of the Ontario Government’s Climate Action Group advising the Ontario Minister of the Environment on effective climate change actions from 2015 to 2017.
And now, Coyne is looking forward to working with ALUS Canada on many issues, such as how its corporate sponsorship program, the New Acre Project, can best mesh with current corporate sustainability goals.
Why did Coyne choose to join ALUS?
“ALUS provides leadership and guidance on the methods, adaptations and resources needed to help rural communities improve their resilience to climate change, acting at a community level and leveraging local knowledge and resources to make an effective difference,” he said. “This work is essential to Canada’s future and for all Canadians.”
“This work is essential to Canada’s future and for all Canadians.” -John Coyne
ABOUT ALUS CANADA
ALUS Canada, A Weston Family Initiative, is a national program helping farmers and ranchers produce cleaner air, cleaner water, more biodiversity and other ecosystem services in their communities. Through the New Acre™ Project, ALUS Canada empowers caring Canadian corporations to produce lasting benefits for the regions and communities they serve. ALUS Canada has disbursed more than $10M in funding to 27 ALUS communities, an investment that is multiplied by farmers, ranchers and communities on the ground. There are now more than 27,000 acres enrolled in the ALUS program, thanks to 900 participants in six provinces. For more information, visit ALUS.ca.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Bridget Wayland, Director of Communications, ALUS Canada: 514-770-3001 [email protected]
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