PRESS RELEASES

April 22, 2025, Toronto, ON – Your Toronto Zoo is proud to be named as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for 2025, our 5th year in a row receiving this honour!

This national recognition highlights our unwavering commitment to climate leadership, wildlife conservation, and building a greener future through our TZNet0 Environmental Sustainability Plan. Our thanks go out to the dedicated staff, volunteers and partners who make this possible every day. From electrifying our fleet to restoring native habitats and reducing waste across the site, we’re proud to lead by example in conservation and sustainability.

Here are some of the reasons why Toronto Zoo was selected as one of Canada's Greenest Employers (2025):

• In partnership with Network of Nature, Toronto Zoo planted its first on-site "Mini Forest," with over 2,100 trees planted -- the Zoo has also committed to planting at least one mini forest each year over the next decade
• Toronto Zoo hosts a range of public awareness initiatives, such as the "PhoneApes" program, to collect cellphones and e-waste to raise funds and awareness about the environmental impact of electronics -- since 2006, the program has collected over 65,400 cellphones and 54 tonnes of e-waste, with all revenue directed to gorilla habitat restoration projects, veterinary services, and rehabilitation centres in Africa
• Toronto Zoo manages a variety of waste reduction initiatives, including 31 separate waste diversion streams -- 13 streams are implemented through the TerraCycle program (covering items like plastic bags, gloves, personal safety equipment and coffee pods, while 18 streams are implemented internally (capturing materials such as fluorescent lightbulbs and hazardous waste) -- the Zoo has also recently expanded its zero-waste programs to public and guest areas

Canada’s Greenest Employers is an editorial competition organized by the Canada’s Top 100 Employers project. This special designation recognizes employers that have developed exceptional sustainability initiatives and directly involve employees in their efforts to mitigate adverse environmental impacts of their operations. Key areas of review include employee-led initiatives and programs to engage employees in creating a culture of environmental awareness. The editors also review in-house efforts for waste reduction and recycling, green procurement policies, and green building initiatives.

Any employer that has its head office or principal place of business in Canada may apply for this competition through the Canada’s Top 100 Employers application process. Organizations of any size may participate, whether private or public sector. Employers complete a single application for the national, regional, and special-interest competitions, including Canada’s Greenest Employers.

More detailed reasons for selection, explaining why each of the winners was chosen, are published on the competition’s website, Canada’s Greenest Employers.