Bank of Montreal 2004 Annual Report Download - page 19

BMO Financial Group Annual Report 2004 15
Environment
At BMO Financial Group, we are committed to the principles
of sustainable development and, in particular,
to the belief that the quality of our lives improves when economic
growth is integrated with respect for the environment .
United Nations Environment
Program (UNEP)
BMO Financial Group is a signatory to
the United Nations’ UNEP Statement by
Financial Institutions on the Environment
and Sustainable Development. As a
signatory, we affirm globally recognized
principles of environmental protection
and sustainable development.
FTSE4Good
BMO Financial Group is included in
the FTSE4Good Index. Launched by
the Financial Times and the London
Stock Exchange, the Index recognizes
the performance of companies that
meet globally recognized corporate
responsibility standards according
to the criteria of environmental sus-
tainability, social betterment, good
stakeholder relations and the protection
of human rights.
Technology Disposal Program
As part of our Technology Disposal Pro-
gram, we first ensure that the privacy
and confidentiality of our employees and
customers are safeguarded. Machines
that are no longer usable, including com-
puters, fax machines and cellphones, are
then disposed of using environmentally
friendly methods. In 2004, we safely
disposed of 14,590 pieces of equipment.
Environmental Policy
In 2004, we updated BMO Financial
Group’s Environmental Policy,
which has been in place since 1992.
Guided by this policy, we work hard
to make sure that our commitment
to the environment is a living part
of our culture.
We take the environment into
consideration as part of our lending
practices. We also consider the impact
of our business operations on the
world’s natural resources and climate.
In this regard, we are committed to
purchasing goods and services from
and working with environmentally
responsible suppliers. Just as importantly,
we encourage a workplace that promotes
recycling, energy efficiency and mini-
mization of waste.
Energy Audit
We have started to develop processes to
formally collect, consolidate and report
information about our energy consump-
tion and recycling management.
As part of this initiative, we part-
nered with property managers and
third-party energy consultants to conduct
energy audits of 11 major office towers
and specialty buildings in Canada. These
activities will serve to identify additional
opportunities to save energy.
Our Guiding Principles
To ensure that environmental responsibility
is a real and living part of our cultural
landscape at BMO, we pledge to:
•Promote environmental stewardship
across our organization.
•Respect, protect and act to serve
the environment around us.
•Engage our employees in our
environmental management programs.
•Provide credit to borrowers in a
manner that respects the importance
of environmental protection.
•Take responsibility for our environmental
performance.
•Work with others to protect and
preserve our environment.
What’s Next?
•Continue to gather and analyse
energy consumption data to
promote greater conservation
across our organization.
•Continue to raise awareness of
sustainable development among
our employees in order to
advance our conservation and
recycling goals.
•Implement a formal framework
for reporting our organization’s
sustainability performance, such
as the Global Reporting Initiative.
For more on BMO and the Environment, see
our web site at www.bmo.com/community.
Brant Geese Migration
Each year, BMO Financial Group supports
a number of organizations dedicated to
environmental protection and sustainability.
In 2004, we contributed to The Nature Trust
of British Columbia to fund its Brant Geese
Conservation Project.
The initiative is designed
to educate members of the public so they do
not disturb the thousands of Black Brant geese
that stop to rest and feed along the B.C. coast
during their 10,000 km annual spring migration
from California to the Arctic.