REDUCING OUR GHG EMISSIONS

We take concrete steps, based on robust and detailed data, in order to significantly reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the source.

Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions

Building energy management

BOMA BEST certification recognizes excellence in environmental practices. Since 2005, the BOMA BEST national certification program has sought to improve upon conventional North American building standards by recognizing excellence in environmental practices and encouraging the adoption of responsible behaviour in areas such as:

Certified buildings

La certification BOMA BEST souligne l’excellence des pratiques environnementales. Depuis 2005, le programme national de certification BOMA BEST vise à améliorer les normes de construction nord-américaines classiques en soulignant l’excellence des pratiques environnementales et en encourageant l’adoption de comportements responsables, comme:

  • Energy efficiency
  • Water savings
  • Multi-material recycling
  • Sound construction waste and hazardous materials management
  • Use of safe and recycled products
  • Indoor air quality

LEED® certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building, home or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health:

  • Location and transportation
  • Sustainable site development
  • Water savings
  • Energy efficiency
  • Materials selection
  • Indoor environmental quality

The complementarity of these two certifications ensures that we implement the best possible practices to reduce our environmental impact.

Calculation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

Since 2007, iA Financial Group has taken part in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), which asks companies to measure and disclose their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The CDP asks companies to disclose direct GHG emissions (Scope 1) and indirect emissions from electricity consumption (Scope 2) as a priority.

Index – 2021 GHG emissions (by source of emissions)

CO2 equivalent (in CO2e tons)

2019 2020 2021
Scope 1: Direct GHG emissions 63% of total estimated emissions for 2021 4 322 4 199 6 317
Scope 2: Indirect emissions related to electricity consumption 33% of total estimated emissions for 2021 68 2 219 3 287

Impact of new workplace model on material resources

The workplace is constantly evolving, and this is especially true with the rise of telework. At iA Financial Group, we’re proud to be building a flexible and adaptive new model with our Work From Anywhere (WFA) program. Through this program, employees have the choice to telework or come to the office. In light of this major change, the organization is reviewing its real estate occupancy, which has a direct impact on material resources and procurement.

The implementation of the program allows for better management of our sites, including:

  • Choice of workplace (at home or at the office)
  • Unassigned workspaces for all employees
  • Complementary areas away from open areas
  • Standardization of design concepts for each site
  • Deployment of Workplace Services (WS) consolidating imaging, mailroom services, document management, etc.
  • Reduction in floor space, number of addresses and annual rental costs

At this time, we estimate that the new working model will result in a 25-30% reduction in square footage requirements in major urban centres. In 2021 alone, our address pool decreased by 48 addresses, from 177 to 129 properties. We anticipate a future decrease of 24 addresses between 2022 and 2023.

Our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions come entirely from our occupied buildings and vehicle fleet. The WFA program will therefore directly influence our emissions.