Page 5 - Suncor Report on Sustainability 2014 - English

Suncor: report on sustainability 2014 03

“There is no room for villains or heroes when

we are looking at our collective energy future.”

Among other things:
Five years ago, we set an industry precedent have a responsibility to do whatever we can

– making safety our top priority
by adopting performance goals on water to reduce our carbon footprint. But to make a
– working toward continuous improvements
consumption, reclamation of disturbed lands, signiicant global impact on GHG emissions, we

in our economic, social and environmental
energy eficiency and air emissions. As we will all need to have a much bigger discussion
performance
continue to focus on achieving our 2015 about how we plan our cities, heat our homes,

– being bold about setting goals and
objectives, we are looking to our business grow our food and access transportation.
transparently reporting on our successes
and stakeholders in an effort to draw up

and failures
ambitious sustainability goals for beyond Similarly, while I’m very proud of the investments
– investing in technology and innovation
2015 that will address our environmental we make every year in the communities where

– collaborating on solutions.
and social performance.
we operate, I can’t help thinking how much
more could be achieved if industry, policymakers

Our aspirations are rooted in our values, one
The reason for broadening our targets is and stakeholders could come together and use
of which stands above the rest: if a job can’t
simple: we believe companies like Suncor their collective talents and skills to tackle some

be done safely, don’t do it. Five separate have a unique opportunity – and obligation – of our social challenges, whether it’s building
fatalities (three employee and two contractor) to advance the well-being of the communities capacity in the non-proit sector or improving

near our Oil Sands site earlier this year were a where we operate and to try to address educational outcomes for Aboriginal youth.
sad reminder that we can never let up on our complex social problems.

commitment to ensure every worker goes home Collaboration isn’t easy, and neither are the
safely. Incidents like these are unprecedented But we also recognize we can do so much challenges we face. To get to solutions, we’ll

and not acceptable. We have assembled a more on all of these fronts when we need to check our personal agendas at the
major task force to intensify safety efforts and collaborate on solutions.
door, realize our way is not always the best

ensure tragedies like these never happen again.
way – and focus on the common good.
One example is Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation

Nearly two decades ago, as part of our Alliance (COSIA), a network of 13 companies I believe there’s reason for optimism. If we
sustainability journey, we launched a corporate- focused on improving industry-wide can start to imagine a better energy future,

wide plan to manage our greenhouse gas environmental performance. In its irst year we can begin to work together to make it a
(GHG) emissions. Guided by that plan, we alone, COSIA shared more than 560 reality. As we do so, we need to recognize

continue to invest in technology and innovation technologies worth nearly $1 billion.
that not everything we attempt will lead
to reduce our emissions intensity and ultimately directly to success.

‘bend the curve’ on absolute emissions growth. Another kind of collaboration is the work Suncor
Our aim is for the emissions from our product and seven other companies have done to launch However, here’s another certainty: if we

to be on par with, or lower than, other sources a United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Local don’t try, we will fail. And that will be on us –
of oil. We’ve also made investments in renewable Network in Canada. This is part of our continuing all of us – to explain to future generations.

energy sources, primarily wind power and support for the UNGC and its 10 Principles,

biofuels. These investments relect our belief which guide our approach to human rights, The next conversation on our energy future
that all energy sources will be part of the energy labour, environment and anti-corruption – begins today. Let’s strive to make it a

mix going forward, and our commitment to wherever in the world we operate.
constructive and respectful discussion
producing energy that has less impact on
about both the beneits and risks of energy

the environment.
We need to take collaboration to the next level. development. Together, we can begin to
We need to start having open and honest build a more sustainable society.

Technology and innovation are also allowing conversations across the stakeholder spectrum
us to signiicantly lower our freshwater draw about the kind of society we all want to create

and look at ways to recycle and reuse this – and the energy choices that will get us there.
water across our operations. By sharing many

of these advances with industry peers, we Consider the climate change challenge. As an Steve Williams
expect to have an even greater impact.
energy producer, our starting point is that we
president and chief executive oficer