These awards recognize members who have best met our criteria for effective sustainability reporting, or best implementation of an initiative based on innovation and impact, as decided by our third-party judging panel (see acknowledgments to learn more about the panel).
Submissions
Investment in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education
Dofasco invests in STEM education because we know that it is not only critical to the operation of our business, but also to the communities in which we operate. In order for advanced manufacturing companies to compete in a highly competitive global marketplace, the industry needs an educated workforce with the knowledge and skills required to adapt and change as new technologies are developed in this fast-moving industry.
We make investments at the elementary, secondary and post-secondary levels to develop a STEM-literate society with strong fundamental skills. This action may be an important step towards improving Canada’s poor innovation record.
As a result, Dofasco invests in a continuum along the STEM education spectrum to ensure that students in our communities have access to STEM opportunities. Our goal is to increase student STEM skills, while simultaneously fostering a lifelong love of STEM. We accomplish this through programmatic-based grant-making, employee volunteerism, and mentoring and advocacy at the local and national levels.
Submissions
Utilizing waste wood for blast furnace fuel Research and Development team is exploring the use of biochar as a fuel replacement for coal in blast furnaces in order to curb global GHG emissions.
In Hamilton, we have a local CO2 reduction roadmap where we are working on fuel rate improvement at our Blast Furnaces and are also planning for a trial of up to 40,000 tonnes per year of biochar from wood as a fuel in the Blast Furnaces. The biochar project was launched in 2015 in partnership with CanmetENERGY and the Canadian Biocarbon for Steel Working Group along with several suppliers and government agencies.
Biochar is produced through torrefaction where waste wood (think old pallets) is slowly heated to between 300 and 500 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes to an hour. This process drives off volatile matter, like hydrogen and oxygen, producing a carbon substitute fuel with a similar chemical composition, energy potential and ash profile as coal. Biochar utilizes bio-based carbon that is already part of the carbon cycle and reuses it, which avoids introducing new fossil-based carbon into the environment.
Nerva Delivers 30% Heating Savings for Drewlo Apartments – With a Path Forward to 56%.
Nerva Energy, with our partner Drewlo Apartments, utilized Nerva Controls to deliver significant heating energy usage savings at 433 King St. in London, directly reducing gas usage and hence GHG emissions.
Submissions
Conservation Halton is in the midst of implementing a 10-year forestry program to remove ash trees killed by the Emerald Ash Borer insect. The loss of these trees impacts both the biodiversity of our area and the carbon sequestration potential of our forests.
Through a mutual contact at Halton Region, Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School in Burlington contacted us to inquire about securing logs for use in their woodworking program. Students produce and sell wood items such as charcuterie boards and planter boxes, with proceeds helping to support students who otherwise would not be able to afford some of the school activities. This initiative embodies the triple bottom line of sustainability, with 1) carbon in the wood remaining stored in finished products as opposed to decomposing and releasing GHGs, 2) saving money for the school by not having to purchase wood and 3) redistributing those savings to students in financial need to allow them to access the same opportunities as their peers.
This past holiday season LURA staff members were excited to participate in a charity gift-giving game, which allowed staff to donate to a charity of their choice on behalf of another staff member. Our team supported over 15 local charities such as: McMaster Children’s Hospital, Environment Hamilton, City Kidz, Second Harvest, and the Daily Bread Food Bank. Staff members had the chance to share why certain charities were near and dear to them. The staff at LURA helped to raise over $350 for local charities and hopes to continue this tradition in the coming years. This practice also cut down on the waste and “stuff” we all accumulate during the holiday gift-giving season.
Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) implemented a program called The Working Mind in the Fall of 2018 to embed mental health support into our organization. This evidence-based program developed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada reduces the stigma of mental illness and helps increase resiliency among employees and leaders.
This program is delivered by HHS trainers recruited from various departments and levels of the organization. We believe the program will help to support mental health and wellbeing, enable full productivity of employees, and help to change our culture to one of greater support and compassion. This program is setting the foundation for open dialogue on mental health within our organization, encouraging our people to discuss issues, seek the support they need, and better support one another.
To date, have trained over 2400 people in our organization. In 2019, we conducted 227 TWM sessions with 2140 participants (combined staff and leaders).
Human Rights and Inclusion has rolled out a Trans Inclusive Service and Care program across all of our sites. Comprehensive consultations were undertaken with various community stakeholders, which were vital to the development and subsequent implementation of the program. Equity-seeking communities were sought out in 2018 to inform the decision-making process and engaged with a number of trans and gender diverse staff and community members. We reached out to and worked with various other community leaders including the Hamilton Trans Health Coalition and Rainbow Health Ontario.
The program addresses gaps for trans and gender-diverse staff and patients by ensuring that our environment is inclusive for everyone.
The coveted Best Sustainability Report award recognises the sustainability report that best meets the criteria set out by the Global Reporting Initiative for effective sustainability reporting, including factors such as balance, reliability, comparability, sustainability, and context.
This framework creates a consistent experience for readers to understand what is being reported, why those topics were chosen and how they were measured. It also tells the story of what happened – both positive and negative — where a business currently stands and how they plan to address the impacts going forward.
Submissions
“Historically, our approach towards employee wellness, safety and environmental performance has been based on legislative requirements. However, there is a demand for a broader approach through the inclusion of social and cultural aspects present both inside and outside the organization.”
“The primary areas of focus for our 2019 report are our greenhouse gas emissions and energy use, our water consumption, and our waste diversion & generation. This report also provides performance indicators across the environmental, social and governance sectors of RBG…”
“While major progress has been made there are still some gap areas to address in 2020.”
This new award recognizes members who have incorporated a holistic, triple bottom-line approach to their overall business – from overall strategy to day-to-day implementation.
Criteria:
Submissions
Alectra uses a holistic approach to its overall business – from strategy to day-to-day implementation. AlectraCARES is the umbrella program under which all sustainability elements at Alectra are connected according to the three pillars – People, Planet and Performance.
Alectra’s Corporate Sustainability Commitment reinforces these principles: “As a sustainable company, we are committed to meeting the needs of today and of future generations by empowering our employees, our customers and our communities to protect the environment while embracing innovation”.
Sustainability guides Alectra’s corporate strategy, decision making and policy development, and it is embedded in our culture and daily operations. This includes our community support program, through which Alectra contributed over $1.12 M in 2019 to local charities and not-for-profit organizations in four focus areas: local economic support, innovation, environment, and culture and healthy communities. We continue to work with all stakeholders to collaborate and drive sustainability throughout our communities.
Our Annual Sustainable Development Reporting is a key part of our commitment to transparency and open dialogue with our stakeholders and is a complement to ArcelorMittal’s global Annual Review. Six years of performance data, which reflect all of our Canadian operations, are available on our Canadian hub. The data measures everything from our Health and Safety performance to how many hours of training employees receive on average, and the carbon intensity per tonne of steel and iron ore pellets to the amount of water discharge our sites produce. Our performance is measured against our 10 Sustainable Development outcomes. These outcomes define the kind of company we want to be and year over year we are creating value as we progress against these outcomes. Our Sustainable Development framework also helps us secure the commercial success of our business in the medium term, while contributing to solving the world’s sustainable development challenges in the long term.
