Golder Associates releases 2013 Sustainable Development Report

Golder Associates issued its third annual Sustainable Development Report. Golder said the theme of the 2013 Sustainable Development Report, “Navigating Rugged Terrain”, reflects its experience in advancing its sustainable development mandate at a time when challenging market conditions compelled it to streamline the scope of plans and activities across many areas of its business.

For the 2013 Sustainable Development Report, Golder shifted its approach to GRI reporting, adopting the G4 standard, which focuses on those sustainable development (SD) aspects that stakeholders identify as most ‘material’ to its business and stakeholders. To that end, Golder conducted a materiality survey targeted at key internal stakeholder. The results validated the issues originally identified as material in the comprehensive analysis conducted in 2011.

The report describes financial performance, work environment, governance model, and contributions to the community. In particular, it considers progress in embedding sustainability into operations as well as in the work done for clients. It continues to be organized around the six areas of Golder's Sustainable Development Commitment — organization, people, governance, operations, clients, and communities.

The report has been conceived mainly for the Web (https://sustainabledevelopment.golder.com/#), and it has been designed to ensure an optimal experience from various electronic devices. A summary of highlights from the online report is available as a downloadable PDF (https://sustainabledevelopment.golder.com/SDR2013_HilightsPDF.pdf). In addition, Golder has prepared a scorecard that tracks the organization’s progress towards our 2015 sustainable development goals.

“The slowing and, in some cases, contraction in several of the markets we serve required us to shift some priorities and postpone pursuing some of our sustainable development goals as vigorously as we would have liked,” says Brian Conlin, President and CEO. “But where there are valleys, there are also peaks. In this report, we showcase some of the areas in which we’ve made substantial strides in our sustainable development journey.”

Established in 1960, Golder said it helps clients overcome challenges related to many of the issues being faced by society today, including extraction of finite resources, energy and water supply and management, waste management, urbanization, and climate change.

Golder embraces the Brundtland Commission’s definition of sustainable development: meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Within this context, the company encourages employees to embed sustainable development principles and practices into their work and specialized services, leading to more innovative, environmentally sound and socially acceptable solutions for clients and the company itself.