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RBC releases 2009 Corporate Responsibility Report and Public
Accountability Statement
TORONTO, February 26, 2010 — RBC has released
its 2009 Corporate Responsibility
Report and Public Accountability Statement. This 84-page
publication is exclusively available in electronic format,
as part of the company's move towards environmental sustainability.
It contains an overview of RBC's economic impact, business
and workplace practices, and its impact on society and the
environment. A short summary of the report, the Corporate
Responsibility Review, is available in print.
RBC highlights from 2009 include:
- provided employment to approximately 80,000 people worldwide
in full- and part-time positions;
- paid $9.0 billion in employee compensation and benefits
and $2.34 billion in taxes;
- expanded branch and ATM network in Canada, the United
States and the Caribbean;
- named one of Canada's Top 10 Employers;
- opened 27 new green-powered branches in Canada, traded
over 121 million tonnes of carbon credits through RBC Capital
Markets and provided financing to clean energy sector for
hydroelectric, wind, biomass and solar projects;
- committed $4.6 million in RBC Blue Water Project grants
globally to support watershed protection and access to clean
drinking water;
- sponsored the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, which
visited more than 1000 communities;
- contributed $105 million to community causes worldwide,
through donations of $52.6 million, and an additional $52.5
million in sponsorship of community events and national
organizations.
The Corporate Responsibility Review, Annual Report to Shareholders
and Proxy Circular are all "carbon neutral." This
is one of 44 commitments from the RBC Environmental Blueprint,
launched in 2007 to help the company become more sustainable
and reduce its environmental impact. RBC used South Pole to
calculate the greenhouse gas emissions and natural resources
used to produce and transport these publications, and then
acquired certified emissions reductions from the RBC Capital
Markets' emissions trading group.
The 2009 Corporate Responsibility Report is available online
at rbc.com. The 2009 Corporate
Responsibility Review is available in print at RBC branches,
and online at rbc.com.
Both publications are available in audio format on request.
RBC is listed on the 2009-2010 Dow Jones Sustainability Index,
recognizing the world's financial, social and environmental
corporate leaders, as well as the Jantzi Social Index, the
FTSE4Good Index and the Carbon Disclosure Canadian Leadership
Index 2009. The company was recently named to the "Global
100: Most Sustainable Corporations in the World" 2009
list.
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For further information: please contact:
Geoff Owen, Director, Media Relations, (416) 974-5506
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