Conducting business in a responsible manner is integral to EDC, and something we take seriously. We look for opportunities to enable sustainable and responsible business practices. Our due diligence process allows us to identify risk, work with companies to help mitigate that risk, and then actively monitor progress.
Our due diligence processes are aligned with international best practices and consider financial risks as well as risks related to business ethics, financial crime, the environment, human rights and other social factors. If we are uncomfortable with the risk profile of the transaction or if it does not meet our requirements, we do not proceed with providing support.
If we identify specific issues during due diligence—whether at the start of the process or after the transaction is signed—we take steps to understand the issue and take appropriate action.
Consideration and assessment of environmental, human rights and other social factors are core to our review process. The Q&A below is designed to provide more information about our process
Trade involves environmental and social risk, making it critical that we have strong procedures to identify and manage them. Our Environmental and Social Risk Management (ESRM) framework guides our approach and is aligned to international agreements and standards, including the OECD Common Approaches, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the Equator Principles. It consists of:
Every three years, we invite our stakeholders to offer input and constructive feedback on the framework’s policies. The review process enables us to identify opportunities to better align the policies with our ESG practices, business activities, customer needs, and emerging environmental and social risk management best practices.
Business integrity is strongly linked to our risk management practices. With a mandate to help Canadian companies do business in some of the most challenging markets in the world, it’s critical for EDC to have strong policies, guidelines and controls related to business integrity and to live up to them in every instance.
Some of the ways we support business integrity include:
Explore our policies, reports and other reference materials related to ESG risk management at EDC.
EDC’s overarching policy that sets out our commitments and approaches for environmental and social risk management.
Supports the application of the ESRM Policy.
Outlines the environmental and social review processes we undertake for project financing transactions.
Provides the strategic foundation of our commitments to address climate-related risks and opportunities through measurement, engagement, green financing, risk management systems and reporting.
Outlines how our climate commitments are integrated into our risk assessment processes.
Drives our approach to human rights, including decision-making for the transactions we support and the actions we take.
Outlines how our human rights commitments are integrated into our risk assessment processes.
Continue browsing