Invest
2022 Sustainability Report
2022 TCFD Report

Continuously improving our strategies and processes to enhance sustainability of our own business and our customers.

Our commitment to strong ESG performance goes beyond what we do every day as a company – it is woven into the fibers of our culture. Our remarkable employees are essential in building a sustainable organization and helping us reach our goal of being a trusted energy and environmental waste management infrastructure leader with strong ESG performance.

Climate Change Action

To fulfill our climate change commitment, SECURE is formalizing a Climate Action Plan to direct our efforts on energy efficiency and emissions reduction.

SECURE commits to addressing climate considerations in our overall business strategy, corporate development, risk management and business models. Reducing GHG emission intensity by 15% by the end of 2024 means action starts today as we strive for net-zero by 2050. SECURE is considering multiple options to improve energy efficiency and reduce our carbon footprint as we take action towards achieving our reduction targets and assisting our customers with meeting theirs. SECURE is pursuing process efficiencies, investment in technology, formalizing fleet management systems, the use of GHG offsets, increased GHG monitoring and more robust emission tracking on our path to achieving net-zero.

Learn more about our Climate Strategy.

path-to-net-zero-2x3-large-file

Emissions

Absolute Emissions

From an absolute basis, overall emissions increased by 6% compared to 2021 due to increased activity. In 2022, our Waste Processing Facilities business line handled 15% more fluids, our Metals Recycling business line shipped out 30% more scrap metal, and our Landfill business line received 26% more waste.

    • Absolute Scope 1 emissions in 2022 were 120,726 tonnes of CO2e

    • Absolute Scope 2 emissions in 2022 were 117,470 tonnes of CO2e

 

Emissions by Source

The majority of SECURE’s Scope 1 emissions are from the combustion of natural gas to power processes and heat facilities. A few sites, primarily our United States operations, utilize propane to run stationary fuel combustion equipment. Diesel and gasoline are used for transportation and are combusted in our vehicles and heavy equipment fleets. Our Scope 2 emissions are from purchased electricity to power facilities and offices.

In 2022, SECURE had the following emissions breakdown by source:

  • Electricity 49%
  • Natural Gas 36%
  • Diesel 10%
  • Gasoline 4%
  • Propane 2%


Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity

SECURE saw decreases in emission intensities across the following business lines:

  • Waste Processing Facilities
    • 2 kg CO2e/m3 of fluid received, down 10% from 2021
  • Landfills
    • 8 kg CO2e/tonne of waste landfilled, down 12% from 2021
  • Metals Recycling
    • 3 kg CO2e/tonne of scrap shipped out, down 4% from 2021

These decreases in intensity reinforce that initiatives taken in 2022 contributed to reduced emissions and improved performance.

 

Fugitive Emissions

Access to data required for emissions reporting has improved along with our quantification, which enabled us to include tonnes of CO2e from fugitive emissions and venting that were not previously included in our Scope 1 emissions. Adjustments were made starting with 2022 data, resulting in a more comprehensive and meaningful inventory.

In 2021, we increased Optical Gas Imaging (OGI) assessments by 22% with 20 sites increasing their assessment frequency from annual to tri-annual. The streamlined system ensures greater consistency in how monitoring data is tracked, managed, and reported to regulatory agencies.

 

Regulatory Driven Emission Reduction Programs

As governments and regulators strengthen their climate plans, SECURE monitors the evolving landscape and updates our calculation protocols to adapt to the new regulations.

Voluntary participation in the governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Regulation (TIER) and Output-Based Performance Standard (OBPS) regulations has allowed SECURE’s waste processing facilities to be exempt from the federal fuel charge and to generate carbon credits by reducing GHG emissions below reduction targets. SECURE’s Alberta aggregate generated 982 emission performance credits in 2022. Independent verification of SECURE’s emissions return submission for 2021 for the OBPS program determined we expect 1,725 emission performance credits in 2023.

 

Fleet Management

To meet some of the objectives outlined in our Path to Net-Zero, we have started to explore options for reducing emissions generated from our vehicle, heavy equipment, and mobile equipment fleets. Some initiatives taken in 2022 include:

  • Working with two companies offering new technology that utilizes hydrogen to improve engine combustion efficiency. Additional testing with one of the companies will progress into 2023 and the other will not go forward because the technology provider decided not to proceed with testing the technology.
  • Our Fleet Management Team began installing onboard monitoring technology in some of our commercial vehicles and heavy equipment fleets to enable better data capture.
  • SECURE sought lower emission equipment, where possible, to replace equipment that has reached the end of its useful life.

 

Energy Optimization PI Program

In 2020, SECURE launched an Energy Optimization PI Program focused on the collection of operational data to optimize our electricity-intensive processes. Through real-time analytics, the Business Intelligence team provided actionable insights and best practices for field operations to implement. One outcome of this program was an optimized approach to determine when to increase or decrease equipment usage given market demands to minimize electricity use and intensity.

Deployment of technology to the acquired facilities to collect operational data is ongoing and will continue in 2023. Sites with data analytics in place realized an incremental 2.2% energy intensity savings in 2022, with a combined 14% energy intensity savings realized since 2020.

2022 Sustainability Report

Social

It all starts where we live and work

Having good relationships with the communities we live and work in is critical and SECURE does so by supporting the enrichment and improvement of community well-being.

People

Investing in the growth and development of our people

We believe there is Energy in Together. We're part of a dynamic, growing company with an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion to do the right thing. It is our innovative workforce who drives us towards achieving our sustainability objectives in the 1,000 little things we do everyday.

Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace

At SECURE, we appreciate the importance of creating an environment in which all our employees feel valued, included, and empowered to be key contributors to our success. All team members have a role to play in helping to create an accessible workplace where everyone feels that they belong.

Our diversity and inclusion initiatives and actions are focused on:

  • Fostering awareness, understanding, and skills among all employees, to support a respectful and inclusive workplace.
  • Aiming to create a workplace that reflects the diversity of the communities in which we work.
  • Building inclusive leadership skills as a core competency for all leaders.
  • Supporting involvement in diverse employee networks and other related initiatives.
  • Collaborating with industry and community partners to foster inclusion and reduce employment barriers

Board of Directors Diversity 

SECURE is focused on promoting diversity and inclusion on the Board and throughout the organization. In 2021, SECURE approved a Diversity and Inclusion Policy to outline the company’s commitment to diverse attributes in recruiting, hiring and promoting employees, and to the measurement of and reporting on SECURE’s progress in implementing diversity and inclusion throughout the workforce. We are confident that the implementation of this policy and the diversity that currently exists throughout the organization will lead to greater diversity at the executive level over time. The Diversity and Inclusion Policy further provides that SECURE has adopted a target of maintaining a Board comprised of at least 25% women. In 2021, SECURE achieved this target as women comprised 25% of the Board.

Safety

Everyone Goes Home Safe

Our number one goal every day is to go home safe. Like our values state, Working the SECURE way starts with Working Safely. From operators at our various field locations to employees who work at our Calgary head office and regional offices, safety is a cornerstone of our culture, because if we’re not safe, nothing else matters. Our track record of safe operations demonstrates our commitment to the highest standards and attests to our vision of striving for an injury-free workplace. SECURE is focused on building a sustainable, values-driven safety culture.

Community Investment

Reinvesting time and money in communities

Giving back in the communities where we live and work is being a good neighbour. In the last five years alone, SECURE has reinvested over $5.9 million back into communities throughout Western Canada and the US, supporting organizations such as the United Way, STARS Air Ambulance and KidSport.

Regardless of commodity cycles or economic factors out of our control, SECURE remains committed to responsibly reinvest time and money back into the communities that welcome and continue to support our business.

Indigenous Engagement

Advancing relationships with Indigenous communities and providing opportunities for increased economic participation

We are committed to building lasting relationships with Indigenous peoples through respectful engagement and providing opportunities for increased economic participation. We strive to maintain positive relationships that contribute to the sustainable economic and social development in the communities where we do business. We are guided by the framework set out in our Indigenous Relations Policy.

Supply Chain

The success of our business relies heavily on the relationships that we have built with our suppliers

We strive to work with organizations who share our core values, sustainability objectives and environmental and social practices. SECURE’s Supplier Code of Conduct was launched in 2020 to establish standards and principles with respect to labour and human rights, business ethics, health and safety, environmental sustainability and stakeholder engagement. We prequalify our contractors and suppliers prior to supplying goods or services to the organization and expect our suppliers to adhere to this Code.

Governance

Our Board of Directors has thoughtfully chosen opportunities and provided insight and advisement for long-term sustainable growth at SECURE. The Board is responsible for supervision of our business affairs with the objective of enhancing shareholder value. The Board manages several committees:

  • Environment, Social and Governance
  • Audit 
  • Compensation
  • Corporate Governance and Nominating

Sustainability Governance

The Board’s ESG Committee continues to actively participate in the oversight of SECURE’s matters, including advancing the integration of ESG within the organization and overseeing the implementation of SECURE’s ESG strategy. Management reports to the Board on SECURE’s sustainability performance on a quarterly basis.