We support the work of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
The index below and the information it points to constitute
a report that qualifies for GRI's G3 Application Level C.
| GRI # |
Indicator |
RBC information |
1. Strategy and analysis
|
| 1.1 |
Statement from the most
senior decision maker of the
organization (e.g., CEO, chair, or equivalent senior position)
about the relevance of sustainability to the organization
and its strategy. |
Message
from the CEO |
2. Organization profile
|
| 2.1 |
Name of the organization |
Royal Bank of Canada |
| 2.2 |
Primary brands, products, and/or services |
See our 2008 Annual
Report |
| 2.3 |
Operational structure of the organization, including main divisions, operating
companies, subsidiaries, and joint ventures. (2.4) |
See our 2008 Annual
Report |
| 2.4 |
Location of organization’s headquarters |
See our 2008 Annual
Report |
| 2.5 |
Number of countries where the organization operates, and names of countries with
either major operations or that are specifically relevant
to the sustainability issues covered in the report |
We operate in 50 countries.
For details, see Corporate
Profile |
| 2.6 |
Nature of ownership and legal form |
See our 2008 Annual
Report and
2008 Annual Information Form. |
| 2.7 |
Markets served (including geographic breakdown, sectors served, and types of
customers/beneficiaries) |
See our 2008 Annual
Report and
2008 Annual Information Form, or visit our Corporate
Profile at rbc.com/aboutus |
| 2.8 |
Scale of the reporting organization |
See our 2008 Annual
Report and
2008 Annual Information Form |
| 2.9 |
Significant changes during the reporting period regarding size, structure, or
ownership |
See our 2008 Annual
Report |
| 2.10 |
Awards received in the reporting period |
Recognition |
3. Report parameters
|
| Report profile |
| 3.1 |
Reporting period |
The information on this page is intended as an index to all of RBC's publicly
available current sustainability reporting as of our fiscal
year-end 2008. Our Corporate
Responsibility website also includes additional information
not published elsewhere and information that has become
newly available for 2009. See rbc.com/responsibility. |
| 3.2 |
Date of most recent previous report (if any) |
At present, RBC does not issue a one-stop sustainability report: rather, we report
various measures in existing communication pieces, such
as our Annual Report, Proxy Statements, annual Corporate
Responsibility Report. We produce these on an annual basis
and update this index on a regular basis. |
| 3.3 |
Reporting cycle (annual, biennial, etc.) |
Annual |
| 3.4 |
Contact point for questions regarding the report or
its contents |
corporateresponsibility@rbc.com
|
| Report scope and boundary |
| 3.5 |
Process for defining report content |
Reporting
Stakeholders |
| 3.6 |
Boundary of the report |
This report covers activities for RBC as a whole – our operations around
the world, including all our subsidiaries, unless otherwise
noted. |
| 3.7 |
State any specific limitations on the scope or boundary of the report |
Scope
See page 3 of our 2008
Corporate Responsibility Report |
| 3.10 |
Explanation of the effect of any re-statements of information provided in earlier
reports, and the reasons for such re-statement |
Effective 2008, we have excluded statutory holiday pay for part-time employees
from our full-time equivalent (FTE) calculation consistent
with our management reporting framework. All comparative
amounts reflect the change to the FTE calculation. |
| 3.11 |
Significant changes from previous reporting periods in the scope, boundary, or
measurement methods applied in the report |
Effective 2008, we have excluded statutory holiday pay for part-time employees
from our full-time equivalent (FTE) calculation consistent
with our management reporting framework. All comparative
amounts reflect the change to the FTE calculation. In
2008, we expanded our energy data coverage to 65% of our
global floor area, compared to 35% in 2007. We are now
able to report energy data for properties in Canada, the
U.S. and the British Isles, data not fully available in
prior years. For 2008, we have included data for some
of our more emission intensive areas, such as major leased
premises in Canada, the U.S. and the British Isles and
(such as data centres) and branches in the U.S. Due to
this more comprehensive reporting in 2008, our reported
CO2e emissions are higher than those in 2007. |
| 3.12 |
Table identifying the location of the Standard Disclosures in the report |
GRI Index |
| Assurance |
| 3.13 |
Policy and current practice with regard to seeking external assurance for the
report. If not included in the assurance report accompanying
the sustainability report, explain the scope and basis
of any external assurance provided. Also explain the relationship
between the reporting organization and the assurance provider(s). |
At present, RBC does not have third-party verification or auditing of our non-financial
reporting. Our annual Corporate Responsibility Report
and Public Accountability Statement are reviewed by our
internal Compliance department (Risk Management), by Legal
department and internal subject matter experts. |
4. Governance, commitments, and engagement
|
| Governance |
| 4.1 |
Governance structure of the organization, including committees under the highest
governance body responsible for specific tasks, such as
setting strategy or organizational oversight |
See our 2008 Annual
Report |
| 4.2 |
Indicate whether the Chair of the highest governance body is also an executive
officer (and, if so, their function within the organization’s
management and the reasons for this arrangement) |
See our 2008 Annual
Report
Leadership, page 13 |
| 4.3 |
For organizations that have a unitary board structure, state the number of members
of the highest governance body that are independent and/or
non-executive members |
See our 2008 Annual
Report
Practices, leadership and disclosure, page 12 |
| 4.4 |
Mechanisms for shareholders and employees to provide recommendations or direction
to the highest governance body |
See our Management
Proxy Circular |
| 4.5 |
Linkage between compensation for members of the highest governance body, senior
managers, and executives (including departure arrangements),
and the organization’s performance (including social
and environmental performance) |
See our Management
Proxy Circular |
| 4.6 |
Processes in place for the highest governance body to ensure conflicts of interest
are avoided |
See our Management
Proxy Circular |
| 4.8 |
Internally developed statements of mission or values, codes of conduct, and principles
relevant to economic, environmental, and social performance
and the status of their implementation |
Principles,
codes and policies |
| 4.9 |
Procedures of the highest governance body for overseeing the organization’s
identification and management of economic, environmental,
and social performance, including relevant risks and opportunities,
and adherence or compliance with internationally agreed
standards, codes of conduct, and principles |
See our Management
Proxy Circular |
| Commitments to external initiatives |
| 4.12 |
Externally developed economic, environmental, and social charters, principles,
or other initiatives to which the organization subscribes
or endorses |
External
principles, charters and initiatives |
| 4.13 |
Memberships in associations (such as industry associations) and/or national/international
advocacy organizations |
Affiliations |
| Stakeholder engagement |
| 4.14 |
List of stakeholder groups engaged by the organization |
Stakeholders |
| 4.15 |
Basis for identification and selection of stakeholders with whom to engage |
Stakeholders |
| 4.16 |
Approaches to stakeholder engagement, including frequency of engagement by type
and by stakeholder group |
Stakeholders |
| 4.17 |
Key topics and concerns that have been raised through stakeholder engagement,
and how the organization has responded to those key topics
and concerns, including through its reporting |
Stakeholders |
5. Management approach and performance indicators
|
Economic performance indicators
Economic performance |
| EC2 |
Financial implications and other risks
and opportunities for the organization’s activities
due to climate change |
Our
Priority Issues |
| Market presence |
| EC6 |
Policy, practices, and proportion of spending on locally based suppliers at
significant locations of operation |
Purchasing |
| Indirect economic impacts |
| EC8 |
Development and impact of infrastructure investments and services provided primarily
for public benefit through commercial, in-kind, or pro
bono engagement |
Partnerships |
| EC9 |
Understanding and describing significant indirect economic impacts, including
the extent of impacts |
Economic impact |
Environmental performance indicators
Materials |
| EN1 |
Materials used by weight
or volume |
SOFT
footprint |
| EN2 |
Percentage of materials used that are recycled input materials |
SOFT
footprint |
| Energy |
| EN3 |
Direct energy consumption by primary energy source |
SOFT
footprint |
| EN4 |
Indirect energy consumption by primary source |
SOFT
footprint |
| EN5 |
Energy saved due to conservation and efficiency improvements |
Reduce
the intensity of our environmental footprint |
| EN6 |
Initiatives to provide energy-efficient or renewable-energy- based products and
services, and reductions in energy requirements as a result
of these initiatives |
Reduce
the intensity of our environmental footprint |
| EN7 |
Initiatives to reduce indirect energy consumption and reductions achieved |
Reduce
the intensity of our environmental footprint |
| Biodiversity |
| EN12 |
Description of significant impacts of activities, products, and services on
biodiversity in protected areas and areas of high biodiversity
value outside protected areas |
Biodiversity |
| EN13 |
Strategies, current actions, and future plans for managing impacts on biodiversity
|
Our
Environmental Objectives |
| Emissions, effluents and waste |
| EN16 |
Total direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions by weight |
SOFT
footprint |
| EN18 |
Initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reductions achieved |
Reduce
the intensity of our environmental footprint |
| EN22 |
Total weight of waste by type and disposal method |
See our 2008
Corporate Responsibility Report, Responsible waste
management, page 42 |
| Products and services |
| EN26 |
Initiatives to mitigate environmental impacts of products and services, and extent
of impact mitigation |
Offer
environmental products and services |
| Transport |
| EN29 |
Significant environmental impacts of transporting products and other goods and
materials used for the organization’s operations
and transporting members of the workforce |
SOFT
footprint |
Social performance indicators
Labour practices and decent work
Employment |
| LA1 |
Total workforce by employment type, employment contract, and region |
RBC employment worldwide |
| LA3 |
Benefits provided to full-time employees that are not provided to temporary or
part-time employees, by major operations |
Benefits |
| Labour/management relations |
| LA4 |
Percentage of employees covered by collective bargaining agreements |
RBC has two bargaining units in the Caribbean, with about 80 employees represented
by two trade unions. |
| Occupational health and safety |
| LA6 |
Percentage of total workforce represented in formal joint management-worker
health and safety committees that help monitor and advise
on occupational health and safety programs |
Health, safety and wellness |
| LA7 |
Rates of injury, occupational diseases, lost days, and absenteeism, and number
of work-related fatalities by region |
Due to the nature of our workplace, incidents are rare and number of lost working
hours is insignificant. An online Vacation and Absence
Management System was introduced in October 2003 to capture
absenteeism data. The data is not robust enough to report
at this time. Information about accidents and injuries
is collected centrally for federally regulated employees
only. |
| LA8 |
Education, training, counseling, prevention, and risk-control programs in place
to assist workforce members, their families, or community
members regarding serious diseases |
Health, safety and wellness |
| Training and education |
| LA10 |
Average hours of training per year per employee by employee category |
Career development and learning.
We do not report hours of training per year, but the overall
investment. |
| LA11 |
Programs for skills management and lifelong learning that support the continued
employability of employees and assist them in managing
career endings |
Career development and learning |
| Diversity and equal opportunity |
| LA13 |
Composition of governance bodies and breakdown of employees per category according
to gender, age group, minority group membership, and other
indicators of diversity |
See our Management
Proxy Circular
Diversity
and inclusion |
Human rights
Investment And Procurement Practices |
| HR2 |
Percentage of significant suppliers and contractors that have undergone screening
on human rights and actions taken |
Purchasing |
Society
Community |
| SO1 |
Nature, scope, and effectiveness of any programs and practices that assess and
manage the impacts of operations on communities, including
entering, operating, and exiting |
Branches in local communities |
| Corruption |
| SO3 |
Percentage of employees trained in organization’s anti-corruption policies
and procedures |
Code
of conduct
Anti-money
laundering |
| Public policy |
| SO5 |
Public policy positions and participation in public policy development and lobbying |
Governments
Political
contributions and lobbying |
Product responsibility
Customer Health And Safety |
| PR1 |
Life cycle stages in which health and safety impacts of products and services
are assessed for improvement, and percentage of significant
products and services categories subject to such procedures
|
Product
responsibility |
| Product and service labeling |
| PR5 |
Practices related to customer satisfaction, including results of surveys measuring
customer satisfaction |
Stakeholders
Client
satisfaction |
| Marketing communications |
| PR6 |
Programs for adherence to laws, standards, and voluntary codes related to marketing
communications, including advertising, promotion, and
sponsorship |
Privacy
Code
of conduct
Voluntary
codes |
| Customer privacy |
| PR8 |
Total number of substantiated complaints regarding breaches of customer privacy
and losses of customer data |
See our 2008
Ombudsman's Report |
6. Financial services sector supplement
|
| CSR management |
| CSR 2 |
CSR Organization. Describe the structure and relevant CSR responsibilities,
including explanation of the installed procedures. |
Structure |
| CSR 4 |
Management of sensitive issues. Describe procedures for handling issues sensitive
to stakeholders and responsiveness. |
Stakeholders |
| CSR 6 |
Stakeholder dialogue. Describe stakeholder dialogue and involvement procedures.
|
Stakeholders |
| Internal social performance |
| INT 1 |
Internal CSR Policy. Describe social responsibility issues covered in the company’s
human resources policies. |
Principles
and policies
Code
of conduct |
| INT 3 |
Employee satisfaction |
Employee
opinion surveys |
| INT 4 |
Senior management remuneration |
See Executive compensation in our Management
Proxy Circular |
| INT 6 |
Female-male salary ratio |
See our Employment
Equity Report |
| INT 7 |
Employee profile (gender, ethnicity, disability) |
Diversity
and inclusion |
| Performance to society |
| SOC 1 |
Report on contributions to charitable causes, community investments and commercial
sponsorships |
Community |
| Suppliers |
| SUP 1 |
Screening of major suppliers |
Purchasing |
| Retail banking |
| RB 1 |
Retail banking policy (socially relevant elements) |
Access to
banking and insurance |
| RB 2 |
Report on repartition of lending business, including industrial sectors and company
sizes, with specific reference to lending related to small
and medium-sized enterprises. |
Small business
Debt financing for Canadian businesses,
page 63 of our 2008
Corporate Responsibility Report
See our 2008 Annual
Report |
| RB 3 |
Lending with high social benefit |
Responsible
lending
Microcredit |
| Investment banking |
| IB 1 |
Describe the social criteria applied by the reporting organization to its investment
banking. |
Responsible investing |
| IB 3 |
Report on provision of tailored and innovative products and services applying
special ethical/sustainability criteria. |
Product
responsibility |
| Asset management |
| AM1 |
Asset management policy
(socially relevant elements) |
Mutual
fund governance
Responsible
investing |
