MONTREAL, Sept. 25, 2023 /CNW/ - AtkinsRéalis [SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.] (TSX: ATRL), a fully integrated professional services and project management company with offices around the world, today released its annual ESG report. The report lays out the Company's progress toward achieving its ESG targets, as well as detailing additional information on commitments made in 2022.

"The last year was one in which AtkinsRéalis demonstrated its ability to deliver on its strategic ESG plan, even in the face of global challenges," said Ian L. Edwards, President and Chief Executive Officer, AtkinsRéalis. "Approximately half of our total revenues in 2022 were derived from projects contributing to a sustainable future and carbon free economy. Whether it's decarbonizing aging buildings, or transitioning to clean energy including nuclear power, we are helping clients and countries to deliver on their carbon Net Zero and sustainability priorities. In doing so, we are ultimately living up to our purpose: to engineer a better future for our planet and its people."  

The report details how the Company has delivered across a range of areas, from new projects that support a Net Zero and social value agenda, to making progress towards gender diversity targets.

Important wins in the year saw AtkinsRéalis add to a growing roster of projects with the UK government that were focused on helping them achieve their Net Zero commitments. The Company also signed an agreement to develop North America's first grid-scale Small Modular Reactor, to produce reliable, decarbonized power in Canada in support of its Net Zero and energy security objectives, while creating high-quality jobs. AtkinsRéalis was also proud to join groups and initiatives committed to advancing gender equality, nature loss prevention, and Indigenous People advancement and prosperity.

"The last year saw us take a number of measures to enhance accountability and introduce rigour to our ESG processes," said Hentie Dirker, Chief ESG and Integrity Officer, AtkinsRéalis. "This includes linking our executive compensation to achievement of ESG targets, incorporating a sustainability-linked loan framework into our credit facilities, and committing to the United Nations' Science-Based Targets Initiative which set emissions reduction targets in line with the Paris Agreement. We also undertook a comprehensive materiality assessment to realign our ESG priorities with our vision and purpose so that our work continues to shape the built and natural environments — a differentiating factor among many large-cap public companies."

Highlights of the latest ESG report include:

Environmental

• Derived approximately half of total revenues from projects contributing to a sustainable future and carbon free economy, according to a management estimation.
• Joined a campaign urging governments around the world to require all large businesses and financial institutions to assess and disclose their impacts and dependencies on nature by 2030.
• Committed to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). The SBTi drives ambitious climate action with over 2,000 companies globally, to set science-based emissions reduction targets in line with the targets of the Paris Agreement.
• Reduced combined Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 87%, compared to the Company's 2019 baseline.

Social

• Announced the launch of Indigenous E3, a special purpose limited partnership formed between AtkinsRéalis and Indigenous Community and Engagement, to identify and deliver projects that support Indigenous advancement and long-term prosperity.
• Contributed $50,000 to the Canadian Red Cross' Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal.
• Became an Aboriginal Procurement Champion in partnership with the CCAB (Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business).

Governance

• Incorporated sustainability-linked metrics as part of a new credit facility, reducing borrowing costs contingent upon the achievement of ESG targets linked to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2025 and achieving 25% of women representation in managerial and senior professional roles by 2025.
• Conducted a materiality assessment and realigned the Company's ESG priorities with its new purpose: "Engineering a better future for our planet and its people".
• Expanded ESG links within employee compensation to include Integrity, Health and Safety, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion and Sustainability measures constituting 10% of the AIP for all participants.
• Delivered in class/webinar sessions to over 25,415 staff, and a further 468,309 online/e-learning modules, totalling almost 250,000 hours of training.
• Awarded the Compliance Leader Verification Certification from Ethisphere for 2023-2024.

Key Project Wins

• Undertook pre-project work to conduct design and engineering services for the Unit 1 CANDU® reactor at the Cernavoda Nuclear Generating Station in Romania.
• Awarded three new contracts by the UK Atomic Energy Authority to continue work on Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP), a flagship program to design and build a commercial-scale fusion energy plant. STEP is attempting to be the world's first commercial fusion power station, with an aim to produce a concept design by 2024, leading to a prototype plant in the UK, targeting completion by 2040.
• Selected by the UK Government Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to develop industrial decarbonization roadmaps for sites across the UK as part of the "Industry of Future Programme". As Engineering Delivery Partner, AtkinsRéalis will work with up to 16 industrial sites to develop roadmaps to accelerate their progress towards Net Zero emissions.
• Won an Owners Engineering mandate from Transmission Developers Inc. for the Champlain Hudson Power Express project, a high voltage direct transmission line that will be deployed from Canada to the United States. The project is planned to reduce GHG emissions by 37 million metric tons through New York State, the equivalent of taking over half a million cars off the road.
• Provided consulting and advisory services for the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) first-ever building codes strategy. The strategy defines the goals and objectives FEMA will use to create a more resilient nation through superior building performance.
• Chosen to provide engineering services enhancing North Carolina's preparedness and resiliency against water-related hazards.
• Picked to support Abu Dhabi National Energy Company to cut the carbon footprint of its offshore UAE operations by 30%.

Find out how AtkinsRéalis is engineering a better future for our planet and its people through the full report here. 

Created by the integration of long-standing organizations dating back to 1911, AtkinsRéalis is a world-leading professional services and project management company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. We create sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. We deploy global capabilities locally to our clients and deliver unique end-to-end services across the whole life cycle of an asset including consulting, advisory & environmental services, intelligent networks & cybersecurity, design & engineering, procurement, project & construction management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and capital. The breadth and depth of our capabilities are delivered to clients in key strategic sectors such as Engineering Services, Nuclear, Operations & Maintenance and Capital. Engineering Services, Nuclear, Operations & Maintenance and Capital. News and information are available at www.atkinsrealis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.  

SOURCE AtkinsRéalis

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