British Columbia Lottery Corporation is reporting “progress” toward their lofty 2030 environment, social, and governance (ESG) goals with a release of a report to stakeholders.
The report, titled “Winning With Purpose: BCLC’s Annual Report,” detailed that in addition to the $1.6 billion in net income that the corporation has returned to the province, progress has also been made to further embed social purpose into business operations, as well as expand its social and environmental commitments.
“Guided by our social purpose, we’ve focused on engaging and collaborating with stakeholders over the past year to integrate our ESG framework toward ambitious 2030 goals,” said Jim Gudjonson, manager of sustainability innovation at BCLC, in a statement. “This report tells the story of our purpose in action and, more important, the multiple ways we create value for our players and communities while generating net positive impacts on the planet.”
The report is the first to meld reporting on BCLC’s financial reporting with the ESG performance. The organization has set goals for 2030, a “roadmap” as Gudjonson said, on how BCLC can be more sustainable as an organization, such as becoming a leader in addressing climate change and creative positive social impact and governing in the public interest. ESG was set not to be a plan, but a framework, he added, so its elements are embedded at strategic, divisional, and departmental levels in the organization.
Gudjonson stated that BCLC has set about achieving goals set under all three categories of the framework (environment, social, and governance) by various metrics.
More specifically, this past year, BCLC pointed to the hiring of a senior manager of Indigenous relations to lead a relationship-building strategy, the Enhance Game Break voluntary self-exclusion program, hosting the inaugural all-Crowns Accessibility, Diversity and Inclusion conference, implementing a more inclusive approach to statutory holidays, laying the groundwork for a decarbonization road map, and the Adopt a Stakeholder Governance Framework that sets out BCLC’s approach to fostering strong relationships with stakeholders.
