Bell has been recognized as a leader in corporate responsibility by Corporate Knights. It has also achieved an important milestone for its greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategy, furthering its commitment to the most ambitious environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards.
Corporate Knights has named Bell the number one telecommunications company in the world, and fourth in Canada among the 50 best corporate citizens. This annual ranking assesses 332 of Canada’s largest companies against a set of 24 ESG criteria to determine the top 50.
Furthermore, Bell announced that its science-based targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). This confirms the company’s alignment with the most ambitious temperature goal of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
Bell’s science-based targets are:
- Reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 57 per cent by 2030, from a 2020 base year;
- Reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from capital goods, fuel-and energy-related activities, upstream transportation and distribution, waste generated in operations, business travel, employee commuting, downstream transportation and distribution, use of sold products, end-of-life treatment of sold products, franchises and investments by 42 per cent within the same timeframe;
- Reach 64 per cent of their suppliers by spend, covering purchased goods and services, having science-based targets by 2026.
“We are proud to build on our environmental leadership by setting science-based targets, positioning us as a corporate leader in the transition to the low-carbon economy. We’re committed to building a sustainable future and contributing to a better world. By reducing greenhouse gas emissions across our operations, we are continuing to take action to help fight climate change and improve our energy performance”, said Mirko Bibic, president and chief executive officer of BCE and Bell Canada in a press release.