Sustainability at BDC

Canada’s path to a sustainable future must include small and medium-sized businesses. Our job is to make it as easy as possible, and empower entrepreneurs to build greener, more inclusive, prosperous businesses.

In 2022, we launched our first sustainability framework which outlines the Bank’s actions and targets across its workforce, workplace, marketplace, and community in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It has four pillars:

Canada’s Entrepreneurs

Creating economic, social, and environmental value

Economic Impact

Help Canadians create strong resilient businesses

Social Impact

Ensure no one is left behind

Environmental Impact

Enable a clean, low carbon, circular economy

Collective Impact

Work collectively with clients, employees and partners

Sustainability Report for fiscal 2025

Learn about BDC’s commitment, targets and actions toward sustainability, plus how we are helping entrepreneurs towards a more sustainable future.

Learn more

Economic Impact

Help people across Canada create strong, resilient businesses.

Behind every business is a human story – a unique entrepreneur with aspirations and plans. We help them create economic value by providing financing and expert advice that enables them to succeed and grow in a quickly changing business landscape.

We are committed to supporting entrepreneurs by:

Offering entrepreneurs various financing options for every stage of growth.
Acting as a strategic partner for the country’s most innovative and high-growth companies through BDC Capital.
Offering non-financial support and training through BDC Advisory Services.

100,000+

clients across Canada

1.4 million

estimated jobs created

$572B

revenues

Social Impact

Ensure no one is left behind.

We strive for an equitable economy. Working through our dedicated employees, and with partners, to deliver products and services, and offer advice develop to ensure no one is left behind.

We champion diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) – inside and outside our organization. Our commitment starts internally with a measurable action plan, informed by feedback from our employees and employee resource groups. They help shape our policies, and play a critical role in the success of our DEI initiatives. This engagement is one of the reasons we are consistently recognized as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers.

We are working to empower entrepreneurs from equity deserving communities through our Client Diversity strategy. Our approach is to listen to what entrepreneurs need, learn by working with organizations that serve these communities, and then act to provide tangible solutions.

We are committed to respectful relations with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities and within our employee workforce. We are passionate about advancing the success of Indigenous entrepreneurs and acknowledge the unique challenges they face. To advance our reconciliation efforts, BDC is pursuing PAIR (Partnership Accreditation in Indigenous Relations) certification.

Where we are making a difference

Women entrepreneurs

Champion women's entrepreneurship through financing, venture capital investments, partnerships and mentorship.
Delivering $500 million through the Thrive Venture Fund and Lab for Women, to ensure innovative women-led businesses have access to the capital they need to grow and have a lasting impact on the economy.

Indigenous entrepreneurs and Reconciliation

Offer the Indigenous Entrepreneur Loan with preferred rates and flexible terms, and gives back to charity.
Work with partners to provide capital, advice and resources to the Indigenous business community, including $150M Indigenous Growth Fund.
$100-million Indigenous Business Acquisition Initiative, in partnership with First Nations Bank of Canada.
4 Seasons of Reconciliation training offered for free to all Canadians.

Black entrepreneurs

Invested more than $135 million in dedicated financing and capital solutions to support Black entrepreneurs.
Work with national and regional partners, we are developing free resources like the Better Together webinar series, completing research and sponsoring events and workshops.

Supplier diversity

Developing a more inclusive supply chain through our Supplier Diversity Program.

Venture capital

BDC Capital is a founding signatory of the ILPA Diversity in Action Initiative.
Launched a DEI & ESG reporting template for Canadian fund managers and their portfolios to report on consistent diversity and inclusion metrics.

Mental health

Regularly survey entrepreneurs about their mental health and wellbeing to guide our offering of free tools and resources.

BDC’s Commitment to Indigenous Reconciliation

Vision Statement:

At BDC, we envision a future where First Nations, Métis and Inuit entrepreneurs and employees thrive, and where inclusive growth and economic Reconciliation are embedded in our work.

Our approach is anchored in our core values: to be united in the success of Indigenous entrepreneurs, guided by the perspectives, priorities, and prosperity of our Indigenous colleagues and partners, and courageous in how we learn and act to advance Truth and Reconciliation.

Leadership Commitment Statement:

At BDC, we are committed to genuinely listening to and learning about the priorities, opportunities and issues that affect First Nations, Métis and Inuit entrepreneurs, communities and colleagues.

As a Crown Corporation and Canada’s only Business Development Bank, we commit to responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Call to Action 92, now and into the future.

BDC employees are supported in learning, taking action, and nurturing respectful and long-lasting relationships with Indigenous Rightsholders, communities, organizations and colleagues across Turtle Island.

We prioritize meaningful contributions to the Indigenous economy and, recognizing Indigenous nations' right to self-determination, will engage respectfully to support tailored business solutions.

Our progress towards advancing Truth and Reconciliation will be reported transparently and evidenced by the stories shared by community members.

Environmental Impact

Help build a clean, low carbon, circular economy.

We are helping Canada build a greener future. We are reducing our impact, and supporting the entrepreneurs creating and implementing solutions on the path to a clean, low-carbon, circular economy. Our efforts include:

Committing $1.6 billion to innovative climate and cleantech companies across all sectors of the economy.
Providing information, advice, and tools to support companies in reducing their environmental impact on our Sustainability Page
Helping entrepreneurs reduce their carbon footprint in our Climate Action Centre
Offering the B Corp Impact Assessment tool which measures a company’s environmental and social impact.
Reducing our own operational footprint to net zero by 2028. Full details are available in our latest Sustainability Report.

Collective Impact

Work collectively with clients, employees and partners because we are stronger together.

At BDC, we recognize that we are all in this together. Examples of our partnerships include:

BDC is a founding member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Platform on Financing SMEs for Sustainability
BDC joined the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) in December 2021 and will measure and disclose the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with our loans and investments by December 2024.
Collaborate with organizations that share our sustainability goals and mandate to support Canadian entrepreneurs

Read about our actions

Sustainability