Sustainability

Syncrude is guided by a belief that it can deliver meaningful social and economic benefits to Canadians, while at the same time balancing the needs of the environment, and respecting the needs of the people and communities in the region.

Syncrude is committed to building a sustainable operation by making substantial investments in research, development and new technologies. The aim is to support Syncrude’s business activities as sustainable from a social, economic and environmental perspective.

A few highlights of Synrude’s progress in these areas are provided below. Syncrude also publishes a comprehensive sustainability report.

Economic sustainability

• Syncrude made a total economic contribution of $4.9 billion in 2007.
• Syncrude has contributed over $9 billion in royalties and taxes since 1978.
• Syncrude has a total permanent workforce of about 4,700 and indirectly employs many thousands of other people.
• Syncrude is one of the largest industrial employers of Aboriginal people in Canada and, since 1992, has spent $1.1 billion in supplier contracts with First Nations and Métis owned companies.

Social sustainability

• Syncrude was named by Maclean’s Magazine as among the most socially responsible companies doing business in Canada in 2007 for its focus on Aboriginal development and its strong safety record.
• Syncrude received the John T. Ryan Safety Trophy for achieving the lowest reportable injury rate among Alberta surface mines not producing metal or coal for 2006. It was the third time in five years Syncrude received this recognition.
• Syncrude’s safety record improved in all main categories in 2007 compared to 2006. The lost-time injury frequency rate for both Syncrude employees and contractors declined, for example, by 70% to 0.05 per hundred person years worked, matching Syncrude’s previous best performance, in 2005.
• Syncrude received the 2007 Premier’s Award of Merit for Healthy Workplaces for its overall commitment to a healthy workplace.
• Syncrude regularly invites stakeholders to participate in a consultation process to help Syncrude understand and act on their ideas and concerns.
• Syncrude invested $4.2 million in the Wood Buffalo community in 2007.

Environmental sustainability

• Syncrude’s Emission Reduction Project is expected to reduce stack emissions, most notably sulphur dioxide, by 60% once the project is completed in 2011.
• Syncrude has reclaimed 22% of the land it has disturbed and has planted millions of trees. They are the first in the oil sands industry to receive certification for a parcel of reclaimed land.
• Syncrude met 90% of its reduction target for carbon dioxide emissions under the Alberta government’s new regulation to reduce greenhouse gases
• Syncrude is a member of the Integrated CO2 Network (ICON), which was formed to explore the viability of a large-scale Canadian carbon dioxide capture, transportation, and storage network. A successful system is believed by many to be a key technology for reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
• Syncrude is the most efficient user of fresh water in the oil sands – 88% of all water used at Syncrude now comes from a continuous recycle loop. In 2007, Syncrude reduced its water intensity per barrel by 10% over 2006.