In addition to reduced profits in 2013 — when profits dropped to $1 billion compared with $1.8 billion the year prior — Vancouver’s Teck Resources (TSX:TCK) also managed to reduce its environmental impact last year.
According to a sustainability report released June 27, Teck dramatically increased the amount of hazardous waste it recycled in 2013.
In 2012, just 22,418 tonnes of hazardous waste emanating from the company’s worldwide operations were recycled.
That number jumped 98.8% in 2013 when 44,559 tonnes of hazardous waste were recycled.
The company also saw the total amount of its energy-use drop by 3% from 46,993 terajoules (TJ) in 2012 to 45,556 TJ in 2013.
Meanwhile, greenhouse gas emissions also fell 3% from 3,183 kilotons (kt) in 2012 to 3,089 kt in 2013.
“These performance improvements show how our focus on sustainability can drive us to innovate and find solutions that contribute to both business and sustainability performance,” Teck Resources CEO Donald Lindsay said in the report.
The sustainability report also showed the frequency of reported workplace injuries fell 5.6%, while days lost to injury were reduced by 26% compared with the year before.
While there were no fatalities at any of Teck’s worksites in 2013, the company will have to adjust that figure in next year’s report following the March 2014 death of a worker at its Coal Mountain operations in B.C.
“We are learning all that we can from this occurrence and are increasing our focus on identifying and addressing the root causes of serious incidents,” Lindsay said.
Deloitte professional service firm verified all figures provided in the report.
