Research & Stakeholder Engagement

At RBC, we engage stakeholders, attend conferences, and sponsor and conduct collaborative and independent research projects on emerging environmental issues.  We believe that this deepens our understanding of environmental issues and as a result, we are better able to achieve a sustainable balance between environmental stewardship and economic prosperity. Some examples are cited below.

Research and thought leadership

Staying informed of the latest scientific research on environmental issues and environmental best practices is an important element of the RBC Environmental Blueprint. In 2008, RBC prepared the following in-house research reports on:

• Opportunities for RBC to Support Safe Drinking Water for First Nations in Canada, March 2008
• Golf and the Environment, to support our commitment to the RBC Canadian Open, July 2008
• Water supplies in the Caribbean, to support RBC Blue Water Project grants to charities in the Caribbean
• Impacts of Water Scarcity on Sectors and Geographical Regions, to better understand the risks and opportunities associated with changing water availability, August 2008

As part of the UNEP FI North American Task Force, we also commissioned a report, If You Ask Us... Understanding Corporate Sustainability Disclosure Requests, to review sustainability indices and disclosure initiatives in North America and Europe, January 2009

Stakeholder Engagement

RBC liaised with a number of stakeholder groups in 2008 to discuss environmental issues related to policy development, transaction review, portfolio management, operational impacts and business development
opportunities. In 2008, we:

• Collaborated with non-governmental organizations including the Canadian Boreal Initiative, Durrell Wildlife Preservation Trust, Forest Ethics, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Rainforest Action Network, David Suzuki Foundation and Tides Canada Foundation
• Participated in industry associations including: Conference Board of Canada’s Business Council for Sustainability, UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative – North American Task Force (co-chair), the US Environmental Bankers Association and the EXCEL Partnership
• Established and supported RBC environmental committees, working groups and networks including: RBC Global Environment Committee; Banking and Insurance Green Opportunities Working Group; Business Financial Services Green Strategy Team; Green IT Working Group; SRI Working Group; RBC Wealth Management USA Environmental Committee and Liberty Insurance Green Team
• Was a platinum sponsor of the 2008 Globe Conference, a biennial trade fair and conference on business and the environment. RBC also planned and moderated a session at Globe 2008 on Financial Institutions: Mainstreaming Sustainability into the Decision Making Process
• Gave presentations on finance and sustainability at conferences and to university classes; and discussed finance and environmental issues with federal and provincial government agencies.