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RBC releases 2007 Corporate Responsibility Report and Public
Accountability Statement
Online availability marks move from paper-based reports
TORONTO, February 21, 2008 — RBC has released
its 2007 Corporate Responsibility Report, "Blueprint
for Doing Better." For the first time, this 40-page publication
is exclusively available in electronic format, as part of
the company's move towards environmental sustainability. The
Report contains the company's annual Public Accountability
Statement, as well as 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.
Among other highlights from 2007, RBC:
- provided employment to 71,760 people worldwide in full-
and part-time positions;
- paid $7.9 billion in employee compensation and benefits
and $2.09 billion in taxes.
- became the first Canadian bank to launch its own mutual
funds for socially responsible investors, and introduced
environmentally responsible product options for retail consumers;
- purchased clean, renewable green power for all new locations
opened across Canada in 2007 and announced its intention
to do the same for 2008;
- announced the creation of the RBC Blue Water Project,
a $50 million philanthropic commitment to help solve the
global water crisis;
- contributed more than $82.8 million to community causes
worldwide, through donations of more than $47.7 million,
and an additional $35.1 million in sponsorship of community
events and national organizations.
The Corporate Responsibility Review and Annual Report to
Shareholders are both "carbon neutral." RBC worked
with a Zerofootprint, a third-party vendor, to determine the
amount of greenhouse gas emissions and natural resources used
to produce and transport these reports, and then offset those
emissions by paying a fee to conservation-focused community
organizations that will remove carbon from the atmosphere
by planting trees or investing in renewable energy projects.
This action is part of the RBC Environmental Blueprint, a
comprehensive set of actions launched in 2007 to help the
company become more sustainable and reduce its environmental
impact.
The 2007 Corporate Responsibility Report is available online
at rbc.com.
The 2007 Corporate Responsibility Review is available in print
at RBC branches and offices, online at www.rbc.com.
Both publications are available in audio format on request.
RBC is recognized among the world's financial, social and
environmental leaders. In 2007, RBC was named Canada's Best
Corporate Citizen, and is included on the Dow Jones World
and North American Sustainability Indices, the Jantzi Social
Index, the FTSE4Good Index, and the Global 100 Most Sustainable
Corporations ranking. In 2007, Newsweek magazine ranked RBC
first among large corporations worldwide for its ability to
manage environmental risks and opportunities.
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For further information: please contact:
Beja Rodeck, Director, Media Relations, (416) 974-5506
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