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Equitable Origin certification
ARC’s EO100™ Standard for Responsible Energy Development certification demonstrates our ongoing commitment towards transparency and meaningful disclosure on environmental, social, and governance performance.
EO100™ Standard for Responsible Energy Development
Equitable Origin (EO) created the world’s first stakeholder-based, independent, voluntary standards system to help drive higher social and environmental performance, greater transparency, and more accountability in energy development. The organization works with stakeholders and Indigenous communities to foster dialogue, benchmark performance, and promote best practices through the EO100™ Standard for Responsible Energy Development.
The EO100™ standard is awarded following a comprehensive assessment across five principles:
- Principle 1: corporate governance, transparency and ethics
- Principle 2: human rights, social impact and community development
- Principle 3: Indigenous Peoples’ rights
- Principle 4: fair labour and working conditions
- Principle 5: climate change, biodiversity and environment
To obtain certification, companies must participate in an extensive independent assurance process that includes site-level assessments and ongoing engagement with key stakeholders and Indigenous communities.
ARC was the first natural gas producer to achieve EO100™ certification and holds the largest certified production base out of Canadian E&Ps.
“Responsible development has long been a core focus for our company. Top-decile environmental and social performance, transparency, and Indigenous and stakeholder engagement will be imperative as the energy transition continues. Our certification validates our leadership in these areas and commitment to continuous improvement of our sustainability practices.”
“ARC’s commitment to responsible energy development and continuous improvement is outstanding and having them in our program is an honour. We would like to congratulate them on having achieved a second EO100™ certification to our rigorous standard.”
Equitable Origin frequently asked questions
Why pursue the EO100™ Standard for Responsible Energy Development certification?
Equitable Origin (EO) is an innovative stakeholder-based certification system for the energy industry that promotes higher social and environmental standards, greater transparency, and more accountability in energy development projects.
EO100™ is the most comprehensive certification currently available and includes an independent assurance process that involves site-level assessments and ongoing engagement with stakeholders and Indigenous communities to ensure alignment with industry best practices across key environmental, social, and governance criteria.
What does the certification process involve?
To achieve EO100™ certification, key stakeholders and Indigenous communities are interviewed, corporate policies and procedures are reviewed, operational facilities are visited and assessed by independent subject matter experts, internal personnel are consulted, and peer reviews are completed to determine if a company’s operations meet the performance target metrics for energy development projects.
Following the evaluation process, Equitable Origin provides a comprehensive assessment of performance targets across the five principles. The company uses this assessment to develop continuous improvement plans that outline how process improvements will be pursued in each area going forward.
How long does the certification last?
As part of the certification process, continuous improvement plans must be submitted to address how the company plans to advance their performance across key operational areas and annual check-ins are conducted to gauge progress. After three years, participating companies must undergo the entire certification process again to ensure they still meet the requirements based on independent evaluation.
What does certified production mean?
Certification is awarded at a site level if it achieves a minimum score of 70 per cent under each of the five principles included in the performance targets. Once an asset is certified, all production from this asset can be classified as having met the stringent ESG standards outlined by the EO100™ certification.
What does the recertification process involve?
Recertification occurs every three years. To recertify, a company must complete the entire evaluation process to demonstrate performance across the five key areas of: corporate governance and ethics; social impacts, human rights and community engagement; Indigenous Peoples’ rights; occupational health and safety and fair labour standards; and environmental impacts, biodiversity and climate change.
