At Enbridge, we are driven by our purpose: delivering the energy that fuels our quality of life.
Over decades, we’ve held ourselves to high standards of corporate social responsibility and that continues to be how we define sustainability today, as set out in our CSR Policy:
“conducting business in a socially-responsible and ethical manner; protecting the environment and the safety of people; supporting human rights; and engaging, learning from, respecting and supporting the communities and cultures with which we work.”
Our long-term vision is clear: to be the leading energy infrastructure company in North America. To us, that means we’re delivering the energy people need and want safely and reliably, and we’re making the transition with society to a lower carbon energy future. We’re the first choice of our customers and we’ve earned the trust of the people, communities and Indigenous communities touched by our operations and projects. Our team is energized and proud. Enbridge employees approach the business as owners, with genuine care for the impact we have in our communities, the environment and with each other.
While we focus on creating long-term value for our shareholders, we recognize we do that best by living up to the responsibility we have to all of our stakeholders—within and outside of our company – to ensure our strategies, decisions and actions take everyone’s interests into account.
We know our stakeholders and the general public are seeking greater transparency and accountability from us on our approach to sustainability and how we address the environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues most relevant to our business. Through our sustainability reporting, of which this report forms the core, we strive to respond to our stakeholders’ information needs and to hold ourselves accountable for our performance and commitment to continually getting better at what we do.
Our core values, along with our CSR and sustainability policies, help us integrate environmental, social and governance considerations into all aspects of our business decision making and performance.
Our value statement - Enbridge employees demonstrate Integrity, Safety and Respect in support of our communities, the environment and each other -- serves as a foundation, and a constant guide by which we make our decisions, as a company and as individual employees, every day.
Our CSR Policy, which has governed CSR and sustainability at Enbridge since 2004, covers business ethics and transparency; environment, health and safety; stakeholder, Indigenous and Native American engagement; employee relations; human rights; and community investment. This policy applies to the activities we undertake anywhere in the world by, or on behalf of, Enbridge and our subsidiaries and affiliates whose operations we manage.
Our CSR Policy is further supported by other company-wide policies and programs that strengthen our commitment to sustainability at Enbridge. These complementary policies include our Indigenous Peoples Policy, our Climate Policy, and our Community Investment Program Criteria and Guidelines.
2017 was a transformational year for Enbridge, highlighted by our combination with Spectra Energy in February which diversified our asset mix, expanded our geographic reach and increased the size of the Enbridge team. Despite significant change for our company, the legacy companies shared a common approach and deep commitment to sustainability and we continue to focus on the following six core activities:
Our strategic sustainability priorities are integrated into our decisions and activities, and our Sustainability Team provides subject matter expertise and cross-functional support to all of our business segments and functions in staying focused on these priorities. Specific strategic initiatives are reviewed regularly by our senior management team, with oversight from our Board of Directors.
Sound governance means sound business. We believe that good governance is important for our shareholders, our employees and our company. We have a comprehensive system of stewardship and accountability that meets the requirements of all rules, regulations, standards and internal and external policies that apply. We continuously assess our governance practices to build on our strengths and improve our effectiveness.
Board and management believe that integration of environmental and social risks and opportunities into our strategic and financial plans is critical to the long-term sustainability of our business, and that our performance in this area is critical to differentiating our company.
Enbridge benefits from a diverse and highly engaged board of directors who bring a range of viewpoints, deep expertise and strong energy sector knowledge that helps ensure effective oversight of our strategic priorities and operations. Our formal diversity policy highlights the importance we place on differences in skills, experience, gender, ethnicity and geographic background; three of twelve directors standing for re-election are women. We provide full details on our governance structure and practices in our 2018 Management Information Circular, available on Enbridge.com
With respect to Board-level engagement and governance of topics pertaining to CSR and sustainability, our Board has five standing committees that help it carry out its duties and responsibilities:
