Our Impact

Key Terms

Climate solutions – technology, products, services or actions that help mitigate or adapt to the impacts of climate change. Solutions include those that support greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions and/or the low-carbon transition, but also those that support outcomes linked to society’s resilience to the physical impacts of climate change (e.g., adaptation of infrastructure, nature and/or biodiversity gains).

Decarbonization finance – we define decarbonization finance as including two elements: 1) the decarbonization activity and 2) the client having a sufficiently robust transition plan. Decarbonization activities are those that help reduce emissions from high-emitting, hard-to abate sectors. Refer to our sustainability reporting for a more detailed definition.

Green finance – refers to financing towards activities aligned to the categories listed in the International Capital Market Association Green Bond Principles and the Loan Market Association / Loan Syndications and Trading Association / Asia Pacific Loan Market Association Green Loan Principles. Examples of categories listed in the Principles include renewable energy, energy efficiency, environmentally sustainable management of living natural resources and land use, clean transportation and green buildings. We are currently reviewing our detailed eligibility criteria for specific activities within each category and may update our definition at the conclusion of this review.

Low-carbon – an economy with minimal output of GHG emissions.

Resilient or resilience – the capacity to anticipate, cope with, recover from, or adapt to shock, disruption, stress or changing factors in the external environment. In the context of climate, this refers to the resilience of the economy to the effects of climate change. In the context of skills, this refers to the capacity of an individual to adapt to industry shifts, technological advancements in the workplace, organizational changes, and career pivots. In the context of communities, this refers to communities being resilient to a wide range of risks while maintaining an acceptable level of functioning without compromising long-term prospects of sustainability development, peace and security, human rights, and wellbeing for all.

Transition – refers to the economic, energy, technological, and societal transformation that is required to achieve the significant GHG emissions reductions necessary for a low-carbon or net-zero world. This will impact all sectors, and is highly dependent on substantial GHG emissions reductions in high-emitting sectors.

For further details, please refer to our sustainability reporting.

Key Terms

Mobility – refers to flexibility, agility, and adaptability in talent deployment and development opportunities.

Innovation – refers to practices that enable employees at every level to use and develop their skills, knowledge, experience and creativity to the fullest possible extent.

Resilient or resilience – the capacity to anticipate, cope with, recover from, or adapt to shock, disruption, stress or changing factors in the external environment. In the context of climate, this refers to the resilience of the economy to the effects of climate change. In the context of skills, this refers to the capacity of an individual to adapt to industry shifts, technological advancements in the workplace, organizational changes and career pivots. In the context of communities, this refers to communities being resilient to a wide range of risks while maintaining an acceptable level of functioning without compromising long-term prospects of sustainability development, peace and security, human rights, and wellbeing for all.

In-demand skills – refers to relevant technical capabilities or knowledge that enable individuals access to quality jobs and diverse career pathways (e.g., trades, artificial intelligence, technology and agriculture).

Recredentialing – refers to the process of verifying or reverifying education, licenses and certificates, including for the purposes of ensuring that the training, education and/or experience obtained in another country meets the federal, provincial or territorial standards.

For further details, please refer to our sustainability reporting.

Key Terms

Fair and inclusive opportunities – an opportunity that allows for those with the same level of talent and ability, and the same willingness to use them, to participate in ways where they have the same prospects of success. It involves removing barriers and biases that hinder one’s ability to participate and contribute.

Prosperity – consists of opportunities for wellbeing and advancement:

• Wellbeing is a positive state experienced by individuals and societies. Wellbeing includes emotional, mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing, and the ability of people and societies to contribute to the world with a sense of meaning and purpose.
• Advancement is the development or improvement of an individual’s career, economic or wellbeing status.

Under-served populations – groups who have been denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social and civic life. These groups may include, but are not limited to, people who are socio-economically disadvantaged, geographically isolated, educationally disenfranchised, or those who have been historically excluded due to race, gender, sexual orientation, disability status or other identity-based factors.

Resilient or resilience – the capacity to anticipate, cope with, recover from, or adapt to shock, disruption, stress or changing factors in the external environment. In the context of climate, this refers to the resilience of the economy to the effects of climate change. In the context of skills, this refers to the capacity of an individual to adapt to industry shifts, technological advancements in the workplace, organizational changes and career pivots. In the context of communities, this refers to communities being resilient to a wide range of risks while maintaining an acceptable level of functioning without compromising long-term prospects of sustainability development, peace and security, human rights, and wellbeing for all.

Meaningful career – describes a pathway composed of roles and experiences that make an individual feel fulfilled and valuable – where their job and day-to-day efforts are both appreciated and connected to something that transcends their personal interests.

For further details, please refer to our sustainability reporting.