Significant achievements in sustainability
QUEBEC
CITY, April 3, 2024 /CNW/ - iA Financial
Group is pleased to present its Sustainability Report for the year
2023. Centred around the theme "Proven Values, Looking to the
Future", it highlights the company's progress and achievements in
the area of sustainability.
A materiality assessment to
consult with stakeholders
iA Financial Group kicked off the year 2023 by conducting its
first materiality assessment. The company's Sustainability team met
with various stakeholders to gain a clear understanding of which
sustainability issues iA is impacting and which will contribute to
the company's sustainable growth in the years ahead. This
insightful, relevant exercise has informed iA's new strategic plan
and its new sustainability priorities.
"With each passing year, we strive to honour the commitments we
make so that the long-term performance of iA Financial Group
also contributes in the transition towards a better world," says
Marie-Annick Bonneau, Senior
Vice-President, Investor Relations, Capital Management,
Sustainability and Public Affairs. "That is why we aim to
continually refer to sustainability principles to guide our
decisions and fully incorporate sustainability into our future
actions."
New greenhouse gas ("GHG")
reduction targets
On the environmental front, the company updated its climate
strategy, announcing two new, more precise targets for reducing its
GHG.
By 2035, iA Financial Group aims to reduce:
- the GHG emission intensity of its Canadian real estate holdings
by 60%
- the carbon intensity of its public corporate bond portfolio by
40% (relative to its investments totalling $13.5 billion as of January 16, 2023).
For the third consecutive year, iA Financial Group has published
its 2023 TCFD Report.
Initiatives to foster a culture of
inclusion and diversity
iA Financial Group also continued its efforts to promote
diversity, equity and inclusion. The company conducted a first
voluntary self-identification survey of the majority of its
employees in Canada, with the aim
of getting to know them better in order to better equip them. It
also revitalized its various employee resource groups and launched
a new group for Indigenous communities.
Furthermore, iA completed the first phase of the Canadian
Council for Aboriginal Business's Progressive Aboriginal
Relations™ (PAR) certification process. Finally, the company
continued to pursue its philanthropic endeavours, with
contributions totalling $9.4 million
to various charitable organizations in Canada and the
United States.
Successful employee and client
experiences
iA Financial Group has also stayed the course when it comes to
supporting the development of its employees, notably through its
employee experience program. iA Financial Group has been ranked
48th best employer in Canada in
2024 by Forbes.
For clients, the company has deployed its global client
experience (CX) model to bring the organization into alignment with
clients' needs and to help deliver a client experience that is even
more streamlined and consistent, while meeting its growth
targets.
Sound, robust governance
iA Financial Group has always placed a high priority on
establishing and maintaining sound and prudent corporate
governance, in the interest of its stakeholders. The company's
performance was particularly noteworthy in the ranking published by
The Globe and Mail (Board Games) in 2023, ranked 7th out of
219 Canadian companies, with a score of 94%.
Click here to access the 2023 Sustainability
Report.
Our approach to
sustainability
To be a company that contributes to sustainable growth and the
well-being of its clients, employees, partners, investors and
communities, iA Financial Group makes sustainability a
priority.
Caution regarding forward-looking
statements
This press release may contain statements relating to strategies
used by iA Financial Group or statements that are predictive in
nature, that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions,
or that include words such as "may," "could," "should," "would,"
"suspect," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "believe,"
"estimate," and "continue" (or the negative thereof), as well as
words such as "objective" or "goal" "guidance", "outlook" and
"forecast", or other similar words or expressions. Such statements
constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of
securities laws. In this document, forward-looking statements
include, but are not limited to, information concerning iA
Financial Group's strategies, initiatives and goals with regard to
sustainability, governance, environmental matters, social
engagement and climate change mitigation and adaptation, including
the reduction of GHGs. These statements are not historical facts;
they represent only expectations, estimates and projections
regarding future events and are subject to change. Although iA
Financial Group believes that the expectations reflected in such
forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve
risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on
such statements. In addition, certain material factors or
assumptions are applied in making forward-looking statements, and
actual results may differ materially from the predictions,
forecasts, projections, objectives, expectations, conclusions and
other forward-looking statements expressed or implied in such
statements. Moreover, many of the assumptions, standards, metrics
and measures used in preparing this report continue to evolve and
are based on assumptions considered reasonable at the time of
writing but their accuracy should not be considered guaranteed.
Material factors and risks which could cause actual results to
differ materially from those projected, many of which are beyond
the control of iA Financial Group and the effects of which may
be difficult to predict, include: the need for more and
higher-quality climate data and for standardization in climate
measurement methods, climate conditions and weather events, the
need for the active and constant stakeholder participation
(including governmental and non-governmental organizations, other
financial institutions, businesses and individuals), technological
advancements, changing consumer behaviour, variable decarbonization
efforts across economies, the need for relevant climate policy on a
global scale, challenges of balancing emissions with an orderly and
inclusive transition, geopolitical factors that influence global
energy needs, our ability to collect and verify data, our ability
to implement various initiatives across the business within the set
time limits, the risk of not completing the initiatives within the
set time limits or at all, or without the results intended or
anticipated by iA Financial Group, the compliance of third parties
with our policies and procedures and their commitment to us,
financial market conditions, our commercial activities, our
financial results, our situation and goals, the legal and
regulatory environment and regulatory compliance (which may expose
us to legal proceedings and regulatory action, the consequences of
which could include regulatory restrictions, penalties and fines),
and strategic, reputational, legal and regulatory, systemic,
competitive and other risks.
About iA Financial
Group
iA Financial Group is one of the largest insurance and wealth
management groups in Canada, with
operations in the United States.
Founded in 1892, it is one of the largest publicly traded companies
in the country. is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the
ticker symbols IAG (common shares) and IAF (preferred
shares).
ia.ca
iA Financial Group is a business name and trademark of iA
Financial Corporation Inc. and Industrial Alliance Insurance
and Financial Services Inc.
SOURCE iA Financial Group