- Ranked in the top ten per cent globally for sustainability
performance
- A perfect score gains BMO a top spot in Customer
Relationship Management, Financial Inclusion, Environmental
Reporting and Social Reporting
- Strong performance in Corporate Governance,
Information Security, Human Capital Development, and Talent
Attraction and Retention
TORONTO, Nov. 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - BMO Financial
Group ranks in the 91st percentile of banks globally on
the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) – the highest among
Canadian peers. The DJSI is a set of best-in-class benchmarks for
investors who have recognized that sustainable business practices
are critical to generating long-term shareholder value.
The DJSI ranks companies' sustainability performance across
three dimensions – Governance & Economic, Environmental, and
Social Sustainability. BMO earned the highest possible score in the
areas of Customer Relationship Management, Financial Inclusion,
Environmental Reporting and Social Reporting. The bank was also
recognized for strong performance in Human Capital Development,
Talent Attraction and Retention, Information
Security/Cybersecurity, and Corporate Governance.
"Sustainability is a key pillar of BMO's Purpose to Boldly Grow
the Good in business and life and we are delighted to be recognized
for the achievement," said Simon
Fish, General Counsel for BMO Financial Group and Chair of
BMO's Sustainability Council. "Together with The Wall Street
Journal's recent ranking of BMO as one of the most sustainably
managed companies in the world, inclusion in the DJSI North America
Index is an honour and a strong affirmation of our commitment to
environmental and social sustainability now and in the future."
BMO Financial Group's actions on sustainability and towards a
sustainable future include:
- In 2019, BMO unveiled its Purpose to Boldly Grow the Good in
business and life, announcing commitments to double the good for a
thriving economy, sustainable future, and inclusive society
- World-class sustainability disclosure, including on
climate-related risks and opportunities in line with the Taskforce
on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and the
Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) standards
- In 2019, issued a $500 million
USD Sustainability Bond with use of proceeds tied to the UN
Sustainable Development Goals
- In October 2020, BMO reached a
key milestone in matching 100 per cent of electricity usage with
renewable electricity
- In June 2019, BMO announced it
would double the bank's mobilization of sustainable finance to
$400 billion by 2025. This includes
an impact investment fund, with $250
million in seed capital, to find and scale solutions to
sustainability
- In May 2020, signed the Operating
Principles for Impact Investment, a gold standard for impact
investment fund management, developed by the International Finance
Corporation of the World Bank
- First Canadian bank to sign the UN Women's Empowerment
Principles in 2019. In 2018, BMO committed to make $3 billion in capital available to women business
owners in Canada over three
years
- In 2020, BMO launched BMO EMpower, a $5
billion commitment over five years to address key barriers
faced by minority businesses, communities, and families in
the United States
BMO's leadership on sustainability has been recognized on
numerous rankings, including:
- Ranked 15th in The Wall Street Journal's 2020 list
of the 100 Most Sustainably Managed Companies in the World, third
overall on Social Capital
- Top ranked North American bank on Corporate Knights 2020 Global
100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World
- Recognized at the Leadership band by the CDP (formerly called
the Carbon Disclosure Project) for its strong actions and
transparency in the areas of climate change governance, climate
change risk management, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction
- Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (2020) for the fifth year in a
row
- Forbes 2020 Best Employers for Diversity (United States)
- Corporate Knights 2020 Best 50 Corporate Citizens in
Canada
- Ethisphere® Institute's list of the 2020 World's Most Ethical
Companies®
For more information on BMO's commitment to a sustainable
future, please visit the bank's most recent Sustainability
Report.
For more information on BMO's Purpose, please visit our Purpose
page.
For more information on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, go
to https://www.spglobal.com/esg/csa/indices/djsi-index-family.
About BMO Financial Group
Serving customers for
200 years and counting, BMO is a highly diversified financial
services provider - the 8th largest bank, by assets, in North
America. With total assets of $974 billion as
of July 31, 2020, and a team of diverse and highly engaged
employees, BMO provides a broad range of personal and commercial
banking, wealth management and investment banking products and
services to more than 12 million customers and conducts business
through three operating groups: Personal and Commercial Banking,
BMO Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets.
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SOURCE BMO Financial Group