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Our GHG Targets


In April 2021, Aecon announced a target to reach net-zero (scopes 1, 2 & 3) by 2050, with an initial interim target to achieve a 30 per cent reduction in direct CO2 emissions (scopes 1 and 2) by 2030 as compared to 2020. Aecon achieved a 15 per cent year-over-year CO2 emissions reduction on an intensity basis in 2021, and completed a comprehensive GHG inventory, which now includes a scan of indirect (Scope 3) emissions.

Type of Targets


Aecon has chosen to set intensity-based targets. An intensity-based target is relative to economic output, for instance, tonnes of CO2 per million dollars of revenue. We are in a dynamic business environment where the composition of our business fluctuates year-to-year and intensity-based targets will enable us to provide consistent, comparable, and meaningful reporting.

How we set the targets

Climate Change
In 2019, Aecon became the first Canadian construction company to publish a comprehensive inventory of our GHG emissions. The inventory was prepared in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. This data enables us to make better energy decisions, set targets, and identify promising areas for emissions reduction efforts.

The 2019 inventory included emissions associated with our corporate activities (regional headquarters, fleet vehicles and business air travel). We reported those findings in our 2019 Sustainability Report, released in August 2020. In 2020, we took the significant step of expanding our GHG inventory to include our construction projects and production facilities. The findings are included in our 2020 Sustainability Report. The insight we now have into our direct emissions from all sources, corporate and operational, enabled us to set meaningful targets and manage and improve the activities that impact climate change the most.

Aecon's GHG Inventory

Aecon's GHG Inventory

Our inventory is prepared by an independent third-party consultant in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.  It includes corporate and construction project activities over which we have direct and indirect operational control:

Scope 1: Emissions generated directly from our operations, including the operation of vehicles and equipment at our project sites and heating at Aecon’s four regional headquarters.

Scope 2: Emissions indirectly associated with electricity consumption at our offices and project sites.

Scope 3: Emissions indirectly associated with our corporate business activities and construction materials (steel, concrete and bitumen).

How we plan on meeting the targets

We plan to meet GHG Emissions targets by Vehicle Conversion, Equipment Conversion, Operational Efficiency, Regulatory Changes

We plan to meet our targets by driving operational efficiency and accelerating the adoption of new technology. This diagram provides an overview of the areas we will focus on to achieve our interim target of a 30 per cent reduction by 2030.

What we are already doing


We continue to maintain a strong focus on making tactical adjustments to cut our GHG output in the near term. These are examples of some of the initiatives we have put into place:

  • Optimizing the management of our fleet
    Vehicles and equipment, powered by diesel and other fossil fuels, are the most significant sources of our GHG emissions. To optimize their use, this year we adopted a new fleet telematics system, technology to help us monitor and optimize the coordination and operation of our vehicles.
  • Moderating the fuel demands of heavy equipment
    In our highway and other civil works, we use crushers to break down stone and other hard materials, often for recycling. In 2020, we pilot-tested a new technology to reduce the fuel consumption of these heavy, generator-powered machines. By retrofitting our existing crushers with an electric capacitor bank, we were able to harness unused energy from low-demand periods and store it for use during spikes, an adaptation that resulted in fuel savings of 15 to 20 per cent — meaning lower emissions and lower costs.

How we will report progress


We will be reporting our progress on the reduction targets in our annual sustainability reports.