Given the lack of public trust and recent notable environmental problems in the Alberta oil sands industry, I have proposed the question: ' Should the energy industry operating in the oil sands follow and commit to a more normative approach of the natural-resource-based view in their sustainable development strategies, and thereby become more responsible corporate stewards? ' Through a narrative analysis of sustainability reports for four energy companies operating in the oil sands, I have discovered that most disclosures of sustainable development are textually conceived to appear as normative motivations demonstrating moral obligations to stakeholders. However, these disclosures are disguising firm instrumental business-as-usual practices. Sustainable development is defined by companies through the natural-resource-based view, where environmental issues can be solved through eco-efficiency practices. I suggest why energy firms may have to change their strategies towards achieving sustainable development in their operations based on a more normative approach, and how to achieve it.