We all have a role to play in fostering a sustainable and ethical future. Many organizations, including ours, integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into business practices. EfficiencyOne was incorporated with, in part, a purpose to “contribute to economic prosperity, environmental sustainability and societal well-being”. While we have been considering and integrating ESG based practices into our activities for years, we formally established an ESG framework and policy in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Annually, we set specific environmental, social, and governance metrics and targets. These are to align with our purpose, mission, and strategic priorities, and are the focal point of our ESG efforts.
Each year we report on progress against these ESG metrics. Some of our targets are intentionally ambitious and we realize it will take years to hit those targets. That is by design – we realize that making big changes can take a lot of effort and a lot of time. With the support of our staff, the ESG Steering Committee, the Governance Committee, and ultimately our Board of Directors, we aim to meet our targets and inspire others along the way.
Our purpose is to transform the way people use energy, and in doing so, leads to significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions. We also realize that our own activities have an environmental impact. Both of our environmental ESG metrics and targets are based on greenhouse gas emissions reductions:
Our social category consists of two themes. First, is our people – the staff at EfficiencyOne and our subsidiaries. We are committed to building and maintaining a talented, high-performing workforce to lead the industry transformation. An engaged and productive staff, representative of the customers we serve, is considered through the following ESG metrics:
The second theme of the social category is our involvement in the community. Here, we have a variety of ESG metrics related to our program participants, the industry, and students.
We have a variety of internal policies, procedures, and systems in place to govern our organization. Effective governance includes considering accountability, making effective decisions, and complying with the law. This includes governance of environmental and social factors and how ESG is considered, monitored, and reported upon. Our governance ESG metrics fall under three themes: safety, data security, and governance.
Behind the scenes a lot of work has gone into updating policies, strategies, and work plans to help us make progress on our annual ESG targets. We are proud of our results over the past few years and are committed to making further progress this year.