Sustainability at Energir
At the heart of our concerns
At Énergir, our ambition is to be part of the solution to climate change by gradually transforming our business model and supporting our customers. Our ambition is to become a leader in the integration of environmental, social and governance best practices. In this way, we are innovating to participate in the energy transition and to enhance the quality of life of our communities, employees and partners.
Our practices have been recognized by Corporate Knights as one of the 50 Best Corporate Citizens in Canada. The consistency between our performance, our targets and our vision has earned us an enviable place there since 2017. To find out more about our commitments in the fight against climate change, visit our Vision 2030-2050 page, which presents our strategic decarbonization orientations.
And to discover our ESG commitments, consult our ESG Policy.
List of ESG priority topics
Energir's commitment to sustainability is based on the following five priority topics:
1. Decarbonization: Increase efforts in energy efficiency and the proportion of renewable energies in our supplies
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is at the heart of the transformation of our business model and of our 2030-2050 vision, which defines our strategic orientations for decarbonization. Our vision includes concrete measures - energy efficiency, energy complementarity, renewable natural gas - that enable us to play a key role in addressing climate, economic and social issues for our customers and for Quebec. Actions to reduce direct emissions from the operation of our gas network are also underway.
2. Promoting the prevention of physical and psychological risks at work
Occupational health, safety and wellbeing are at the heart of our corporate strategy. This commitment is part of our sustainable development vision for all our employees, customers, and the communities we serve, as well as our contractors, suppliers and the general public.
3. Ensuring a distinctive employee experience that promotes the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion
We have adopted a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) approach and the actions of recent years have reaffirmed our intentions in terms of DEI, updated our objectives and improved our strategies.
4. Having a positive impact on communities
For several decades, we have supported initiatives that contribute to improving the quality of life in the communities where we operate. A community involvement policy guides the selection of the philanthropic projects we support. We focus on helping communities in precarious situations, supporting vulnerable young people and helping them adapt to climate change.
We wish to optimize and develop our operational models, by ensuring the physical and technological robustness and resilience of our facilities as well as by modernizing its business capacities in order to enable it to achieve its organizational objectives.
Responsible procurement
Procurement of goods and services
We apply the guidelines set out in the ISO 20400 standard for responsible purchasing, integrating purchasing behaviors in line with our values, as well as efficient and responsible purchasing practices focused on needs planning, effective cost management and adequate coverage of commercial risks. This commitment is reflected in the inclusion of eco-responsible criteria in our calls for tenders (e.g. environmental policy, local production site, ESG questionnaire), our supplier code of conduct, our involvement with ECPAR (Espace de concertation sur les pratiques d'approvisionnement responsable) and our commitment to the “L'économie sociale, j'achète!” movement.
Versprofiles : an inspiring case
Versaprofiles, a natural gas pipe manufacturer based in Saint-Lazare-de-Bellechasse, is our main supplier of polyethylene pipe. Rather than purchasing these pipes in Western Canada, where there are many manufacturers, we chose a local supplier, with benefits for the community such as job creation, plant expansion and enhanced local expertise. The supply chain is also greatly simplified: the pipe delivery route is shortened by 238,000 kilometers annually compared with a manufacturer located in Western Canada, which avoids the equivalent of around 190 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, reduces transportation costs and decreases supply chain waste. The wooden reels used to transport the pipe spools are reused.
Natural gas supply
In 2017, we launched a gas supply initiative to encourage credible disclosure and the use of best environmental, social and governance practices by producers. Ultimately, we believe that the use of these practices by producers who demonstrate leadership in sustainability can indirectly contribute to reducing the environmental footprint of the natural gas we distribute.
The goal is twofold:
- To source from specific producers to ensure better traceability of our gas supplies; and
- To source from producers who disclose information and demonstrate best-in-class environmental, social and governance practices.
This approach has been included in our procurement plan, approved in November 2019 by the Régie de l'énergie. We have concluded our first natural gas purchases from eligible producers who have received the EO100™ certification developed by Equitable Origin.
Equitable Origin is an independent non-profit organization that works with companies, communities and governments to develop a system of voluntary standards for the energy sector. These standards are consistent with other internationally recognized environmental, social and governance initiatives and standards. EO100TM is based on five key principles:
- Corporate governance, transparency and ethics
- Human rights, social impact and community development
- Rights of indigenous peoples
- Working conditions
- Climate change, biodiversity and environment.
The list of producers can be consulted on Énergir | Other natural gas suppliers and stakeholders page.