PCL Construction has released its inaugural Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report. Officials at the company noted the report is intended to demonstrate the company’s commitment to CSR and the environment. The goal is also to help progress the industry by sharing the company’s insights.
“We chose to do this and share our progress through the report because we are proud of what we have achieved so far, but also realize we are on a journey of learning,” said Scott Beckman PCL’s director of sustainability. “We want to share with others and learn from others so we can raise standards across the industry.”
The annual report highlights how the company incorporates sustainability into its day-to-day operations as well as how it is working to develop innovative ways to become more efficient for clients.
“At this point the intent is for it to be an annual report,” said Beckman. “We want to learn from the response to the report and that will guide the next steps. We do have a culture and a long history of giving and community investment. A lot of that is founded on the notion that when we give, everyone benefits.”
The report goes through the company’s 5P Model of Sustainability which covers people, projects, partners, practices, and places. Beckman explained that the model was first developed by PCL executives around 2011.
“Projects” gives the company the ability to look at how sustainability touches all phases of a project’s life. “Places” focuses on how PCL is contributing to and collaborating with the places people live and work. This gets into community investments and charitable giving. “Partners” includes looking at how sustainability can deliver client-focused solutions and how PCL can improve the way it works with others in the industry. “Practices” involves turning the lens inward and evaluating how the company can improve its own operations. “People” looks at ways the company can continually engage its employees around sustainability and support them so they can implement strategy.
The report highlighted $10 million the company gave to charity, the establishment of a Solar Center of Excellence, a partnership with Microsoft to develop jobsite monitoring technology, work with the city of Edmonton’s Corporate Climate Leaders program and much more.
“CSR is important for construction companies because our industry is not often seen as being innovative or progressive,” said Beckman. “By focusing on improving performance through a multitude of competencies, it allows us to develop as companies and as an industry. We see that the world is changing rapidly, and construction companies will have to invest in improving our practices even more to meet demands. We are seeing that more and more in terms of selection processes, and sustainability is a significant factor clients are looking for.”
Wow PCL sounds like it’s done an amazing job linking CSR with their core values… what a great company to have in Edmonton!