Syncrude 2016 Sustainability Report

Up to the Challenge

Leader's Letter

Committed to Responsible Development

Leader’s Letter

During a year when the entire sector was faced with economic uncertainties, Syncrude stayed on track toward addressing our sustainability challenges while protecting jobs and ensuring benefits from our operations.

Strategy & Progress

Toward continued progress

Our Sustainability Path

Our sustainability path reflects our commitment to responsible development of the oil sands resource and a principled approach toward achieving our goals.

Sustainability Management

We are commited to responsible and sustainable development of the Syncrude Joint Venture's oil sands leases.

Environment

Maintaining healthy ecosystems

Biodiversity

Through wildlife monitoring and reclamation programs, our commitment to responsible environmental stewardship reflects an awareness of the importance and value of biodiversity in the region.

Land

Our long-term vision is to create a landscape which has capability equivalent to that which existed prior to disturbance, supports a healthy diversity of plants and animals, and sustains a range of land uses of interest to communities of interest.

Tailings

Our strategy to reclaim tailings combines the innovation of new technologies with the search for emerging solutions through collaboration with industry, academia and the broader scientific community.

Our Environment Stories

Discover the numerous ways we are up to the challenge in meeting stakeholder expectations regarding environmental performance.

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Water

Water is a resource we must manage responsibly. Toward this, we aim to minimize the withdrawal of fresh water from the watershed, maximize reuse of process-affected water, and safely manage its storage.

Climate Change

Recognizing that addressing climate change is important to the future of our industry and country, we aim to minimize GHGs through improvements in energy efficiency, process reliability, and reduced flaring and venting.

Air

We will responsibly manage our operations and implement new processes and technologies to help maintain the region’s good air quality.

Social

Strengthening relationships

Aboriginal Relations

Local First Nations and Métis people are among the most significant communities of interest impacted by our business and, since our earliest days, we have worked to accommodate their interests. Today, we are one of the largest employers of Aboriginal people in Canada.

Community and Stakeholder Relations

Syncrude aims to earn and maintain public confidence through effective engagement with stakeholders and communities of interest. We seek ideas, input and feedback on our plans in a manner that fosters cooperation and trust.

Employment

As Canada’s oil and gas sector faces a period of low commodity prices and economic slowdown, we recognize our organization needs to respond quickly and resourcefully to achieve our sustainability objectives.

Our Social Story

Learn how we are up to the challenge in engaging our stakeholders and sharing the opportunities generated by our operations.

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Labour and Supply Chain Relations

We rely on a large contingent of skilled tradespeople who are hired through our contractors and suppliers to contribute to sustainable maintenance turnarounds and the construction of new projects.

Safety and Health

Toward a safe workplace, we engage all employees in the awareness, understanding and adoption of safety rules, procedures and standards, and enable them to identify and remove hazards and risks that could cause injuries.

Economic Value

Growth and shared opportunity

Operations and Economic Value

We aim to create sustained economic value from the oil sands resource. This is achieved through ongoing performance improvements and ensuring continued opportunities for stakeholders to share in the benefits of our operations.

Our Economic Value Story

Hear from two employees who were among the last to shut down our operations and evacuate our site due to the regional wildfire.

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About Syncrude

Innovation in the Oil Sands

Syncrude At A Glance

Syncrude is one of the largest operators in Canada's oil sands industry, with a 50-year history of innovation and responsible operations.

KPIs

A summary of 2016 key performance indicators in environment, social and economic sustainability.

Governance

Solid leadership

Corporate Governance

Syncrude Canada Ltd. is a private company incorporated under the Business Corporations Act of Alberta. The company is the operator of the Syncrude Project on behalf of the Joint Venture Participants.