Corporate Sustainability Claims Versus Lived Realities: Sarnia’s Chemical Valley

Abstract

In April 2024, the Aamjiwnaang First Nation declared a state of emergency as benzene levels soared to twenty times above provincial safety standards, prompting school closures and federal intervention. This crisis highlights the disconnect between corporate sustainability claims and the realities of environmental justice in Canada’s Chemical Valley. My research investigates how Imperial Oil’s sustainability frameworks impact environmental justice outcomes for affected communities, concentrating on the period from 2015 to 2024, which saw a surge in environmental social and governance (ESG) and sustainable development goals (SDG) adoption. Using a mixed-methods gap analysis, this study examines the disconnects between corporate claims and material impacts through a systematic document analysis of sustainability reports, environmental monitoring data, community health studies, and media coverage. The analysis employs Schlosberg’s tripartite environmental justice framework, critical corporate sustainability and sustainable development theory, as well as Indigenous environmental rights perspectives. Findings reveal profound gaps: despite Imperial Oil’s reported 27% reduction in volatile organic compounds, benzene concentrations at Aamjiwnaang fence-line monitors exceeded Ontario’s standards by 300-2000% (2017-2023). The analysis demonstrates systematic failures across distributive justice (disproportionate toxic exposure), procedural justice (consultation without authority), and recognition justice (exclusion of Indigenous epistemologies). These findings suggest that ESG frameworks operate as enablers for fragmented sustainability, obscuring localized impacts through aggregated metrics. My research proposes an integrated environmental justice-ESG framework comprising four pillars: governance for justice; environmental performance through an environmental justice lens; social performance centered on equity; and disclosure for accountability. This framework mandates community co-governance, hyperlocal monitoring with community authority, culturally appropriate grievance mechanisms, and impact-focused materiality assessments. The study contributes to critical sustainability scholarship by demonstrating how standardized ESG frameworks can perpetuate rather than remedy environmental inequities, while offering pathways towards more just corporate accountability.