Last reviewed: August 11, 2026
1. Purpose
Expertise AI is a Toronto-based software company that builds AI agents for business websites. We believe that a technology company of any size shares responsibility for the environmental, social, and economic well-being of the communities in which it operates. This Sustainable Development Policy states the principles and commitments that guide how we run our business, develop our products, and work with our suppliers and partners.
2. Scope
This policy applies to all Expertise AI employees and contractors, and to all of our operations, including product development, cloud infrastructure, procurement, travel, and workplace practices. It also informs how we select and evaluate the vendors and service providers we work with.
3. Guiding Frameworks
Our approach is informed by, and aligned with, the following frameworks:
- The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
- Canada’s Federal Sustainable Development Strategy, established under the Federal Sustainable Development Act, which sets out Canada’s national sustainable development goals and targets.
- Canada’s commitment to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, as set out in the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act. We support this national ambition and are committed to reducing the emissions associated with our own operations over time.
We do not currently hold third-party sustainability certifications. Our commitments below reflect practices that are realistic and meaningful for a company of our size, and we intend to strengthen them as we grow.
4. Our Commitments
4.1 Environmental Stewardship
- Greenhouse gas reduction. We commit to understanding and progressively reducing the emissions associated with our operations, prioritizing the areas where a cloud-based software company has the greatest footprint: computing infrastructure, purchased hardware, and business travel.
- Energy-efficient cloud infrastructure. Our products run on cloud infrastructure rather than company-owned data centres. We favour cloud providers with public carbon-reduction commitments and, where technically feasible, select hosting regions with cleaner energy profiles.
- Remote-first operations and minimized travel. We operate as a largely remote and hybrid team, which substantially reduces commuting and office-related emissions. We treat business air travel as an exception, defaulting to video conferencing for internal and most external meetings.
- Device lifecycle and e-waste. We extend the useful life of laptops and other equipment, repair before replacing, and commit to routing end-of-life electronics through certified e-waste recycling channels.
- Paperless operations. Our administrative processes (contracts, invoicing, HR documentation) are digital by default.
4.2 Social Responsibility
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are committed to fair, bias-aware hiring and to maintaining an inclusive workplace where people of all backgrounds can do their best work.
- Employee well-being. We support flexible working arrangements, reasonable working hours, and access to health benefits, and we treat the mental health of our team as a management responsibility, not an afterthought.
- Accessibility. We work to make our products usable by people with disabilities and to improve the accessibility of our software on an ongoing basis.
- Community and skills development. We support the development of technology skills in our community, including mentorship, internships, and knowledge sharing with the broader developer ecosystem.
4.3 Economic Responsibility and Governance
- Responsible procurement. We favour suppliers and service providers who demonstrate sound environmental and social practices, and we take sustainability into account alongside cost and quality in purchasing decisions.
- Business ethics. We conduct business honestly and transparently, comply with applicable laws, and do not tolerate bribery, corruption, or anti-competitive conduct.
- Responsible AI development. As an AI company, we are committed to developing and deploying AI systems responsibly: being transparent with end users that they are interacting with an AI agent, avoiding deceptive design, and building safeguards against harmful or misleading outputs.
- Data privacy and security. We protect the personal information entrusted to us by customers and their website visitors, in accordance with applicable privacy legislation and our published privacy policy.
5. Communication
This policy is communicated to all employees and contractors as part of onboarding, and is reviewed with the team annually. It is published on this page so that customers, suppliers, partners, and other stakeholders can review our commitments at any time.
6. Accountability and Review
Executive leadership owns this policy and is accountable for its implementation. The policy is reviewed at least annually and updated as our operations, obligations, and capabilities evolve. The date of the most recent review appears at the top of this page.
Our specific objectives, responsibilities, timelines, and performance indicators are set out in our Sustainability Action Plan.