When it comes to asset repurposing and in-kind donations, Suncor teams are taking the concept of reduce, reuse, recycle and recover to a whole new level.
Suncor’s IT Operations team, in co-operation with CGI and Compugen, has partnered with Green4Good, an initiative that securely and responsibly disposes of IT assets while generating value that can be donated to charities. In 2017, 13,790 IT assets such as computers, laptops and printers were salvaged from Suncor sites, translating to 250,100 lbs of equipment avoiding the landfill. As a result, $116,744 was raised for charity. So far, Beakerhead, Bridges Social Development and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation have received $30,000 each.
ABOVE: Members of Suncor’s IT Operations team. From left: Andrew De Angelis, Derek Burgess, Sareno Hang, Sean Parkinson, Lisa Canning, and Marc Slater.
“It is rewarding to be part of something that is both environmentally responsible, and at the same time gives back to the communities Suncor is a part of. I am very proud of our ongoing relationship with Green4Good,” says Sean Parkinson, Manager IT Asset Management & Ready for Operations (RFO), Suncor.
Outdated IT assets are not the only materials being repurposed. In 2017, throughout Suncor, nearly $300,000-worth of materials were contributed to community organizations through in-kind donations. Items such as furniture, bottles and event supplies were donated to about 85 community organizations. Even outdated SunCares T-shirts found new life. To avoid textile waste, the shirts were repurposed into yarn through the Calgary-based social enterprise Unravelled.
“In our research we discovered there was a significant amount of corporate shirts that couldn’t be used,” says Diana Grant-Richmond, Unravelled co-creator. “Even if they could be donated, most donation centres can only use about 10% of what is given. The rest is recycled, exported or sent to landfills. We wanted to change that by creating a zero-waste yarn company made out of 100% recycled T-shirts.”
While in-kind donations and asset repurposing is encouraged, Suncor employees take important steps to ensure donations do not become a burden to the recipients.
“We work with community organizations to ensure they have the capacity to manage the donations they receive,” says Kim Nordbye, Manager Suncor Energy Foundation & Community Innovation. “Ultimately, this process is about keeping our surplus assets out of landfills, while serving the communities where we operate.”