ESG Briefs: CN/CP, CSX, OmniTRAX

Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
CSX and subsidiary Quality Carriers employees recently assembled 5,000 care packages for U.S. troops stationed in Eastern Europe, who have been mobilized in response to the conflict in Ukraine. (Photograph Courtesy of CSX)

CSX and subsidiary Quality Carriers employees recently assembled 5,000 care packages for U.S. troops stationed in Eastern Europe, who have been mobilized in response to the conflict in Ukraine. (Photograph Courtesy of CSX)

CN and Canadian Pacific (CP) have earned spots on the Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada list for 2022. Also, care packages from CSX, in partnership with Operation Gratitude, are headed to U.S. active-duty service members in Eastern Europe; and Newburgh & South Shore Railroad (NSR), a managed affiliate of OmniTRAX, presented a community donation to a Cleveland, Ohio-area fire department in honor of Charter Steel.

CN and CP have ranked on the Corporate Knights Best 50 Corporate Citizens list. They came in at No. 35 and No. 17, respectively. Both Class I railroads were part of the “Freight Transport, All Modes” category, one of 18 included. Other industry groups ranked were: WSP Global Inc., No. 6 (“Engineering Construction”); Societe de Transport de Montreal, No. 10 (“Transit and Ground Transportation”); and Aecon Group Inc., No. 46 (“Engineering Construction”).

To determine the rankings, Corporate Knights magazine analyzed 332 large Canadian organizations against Canadian and global industry peers. It assessed companies’ performance using 24 quantitative key performance indicators (KPIs) related to resource management, employee management, financial management, clean revenue, clean investment and supplier performance. The magazine has produced the annual list since 2002.

“Large Canadian companies now earn almost a quarter (24%, up from 18% in 2021) of their total revenues ($113.6 billion) from products and services that have a beneficial environmental or social impact, as determined by the Corporate Knights Clean Taxonomy, which is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” Corporate Knights reported. “Best 50 companies continue to lead the way, earning 37% of their revenues in line with the clean economy. That’s six times more than the 6.2% clean revenue earned by other big Canadian companies (excluding the Best 50).”

“Almost no companies had net-zero commitments five years ago, but the tides are changing,” Corporate Knights noted. “Today, 40% of large companies around the world have net-zero commitments (by market capitalization). Even among Canada’s corporate sustainability leaders, just 13 of this year’s Best 50 companies have made net-zero commitments. However, 25 (50%) achieved year-over-year emissions-intensity reductions of at least 7.6%, the rough global benchmark to be aligned with a net-zero trajectory.” Additionally, the magazine found that among Best 50 companies, 9% of Board members are non-white.

“We are pleased to have made the top 50 Best Corporate Citizens list,” said Tracy Robinson, President and CEO of CN, which has earned a place on the list for 14 consecutive years. “CN believes in ‘Delivering Responsibly.’ This means moving our customers’ goods safely and efficiently, ensuring we deliver in an environmentally responsible manner; attracting, developing, and retaining top diverse talent; helping to make the communities we serve safer and stronger; and adhering to the highest ethical standards. This is the way we approach our job.”

“CP is proud to be recognized by Corporate Knights as one of Canada’s ‘Best 50 Corporate Citizens’ for 2022 as an industry leader in sustainability,” CP reported via Twitter.

(Photograph Courtesy of CSX)

More than 150 employees of CSX and its subsidiary Quality Carriers assembled 5,000 care packages for U.S. military service members, who have been mobilized to Eastern Europe in response to the Ukraine conflict.

The effort was part of “Pride in Service,” CSX’s ongoing community investment initiative, which it says is “focused on delivering resources and support to military members and their families, when and where they need it.” Care packages are slated to arrive in time for “Christmas in July, a military tradition that started in 1944 as a way for Americans to support deployed service members outside of the crowded shipping timeframe surrounding year-end holidays,” the railroad reported.

Care package assembly took place at the Tampa, Fla. headquarters of Quality Carriers, a provider of bulk liquid chemicals truck transportation. Employees and their family members filled packages with snacks, games, supplies, and handwritten letters from Americans across the country.

Assembly days like this “are a big part of Operation Gratitude[’s] overarching mission to express deep appreciation for those who step forward to serve and sacrifice on behalf of the American people,” CSX said.

The Cuyahoga Heights Fire Department in Ohio recently received a $1,000 donation from Newburgh & South Shore Railroad (NSR) in honor of Charter Steel, the railroad’s 2021 safe shipper award winner.

NSR presented a $1,000 donation to the Cuyahoga Heights Fire Department at a recent ceremony honoring Charter Steel of Cleveland, Ohio, NSR’s recipient of the 2021 OmniTRAX Safe Shipper Award. The award recognizes “companies that model exemplary shipping safety by shipping or receiving loaded cars with no accidental releases during the previous year,” according to Denver, Colo.-based OmniTRAX, the transportation affiliate of The Broe Group. Charter Steel also received the award in 2020.

“Community safety is a shared effort with our partners, and we applaud the shared commitment to safety modeled by OmniTRAX and Charter Steel,” Cuyahoga Heights Fire Department Fire Chief Michael Suhy said. “We are also grateful for this donation to help maintain community safety throughout Cuyahoga Heights.”

“OmniTRAX network-wide safety milestones reflect a relentless team commitment and true collaboration with our shipping partners,” OmniTRAX Senior Vice President of Operations John Bradley said. “We are proud to recognize a two-time NSR award winner that models a consistent commitment to safety.”

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