Sustainability

Bird’s approach to sustainability reflects our commitment to the core company values of safety, people, teamwork, professionalism, integrity, and stewardship. These values guide us in all we do and ensure that Bird provides sustainable value and accretive contributions to our clients, employees, shareholders, and the communities in which we live and work.

Bird’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Program and the manner in which sustainability best practices are embedded across the organization is based on in-depth research, industry best practices, materiality to the business and stakeholders, the experience of specialized teams, and expert external guidance. We strive to maximize our positive social and environmental impact, utilizing a strong corporate governance framework that ensures accountability and stewardship across all our operations.

View our 2021 Sustainability Overview

A message from Teri McKibbon

President and CEO

"Bird’s long-term ESG vision is rooted in the belief that our industry plays an important role in providing sustainable, innovative, and lasting solutions for all stakeholders."

A message from Paul Raboud

Chairman of the Board

"The Board recognizes the exceptional team of talented people who are dedicated to finding new ways to innovate and advance the way Bird builds and works. Their leadership, passion, and integrity are evident. We are invested in supporting the strategic evolution and growth of Bird’s ESG Program and look forward to working together on this journey to a more sustainable future."

Our Approach to Sustainability

BUILD GREEN

Sustainable Construction
Future Energy
Stack Modular
Prefabrication

WORK GREEN

Digital Construction
Centre for Building Performance
Supply Chain Management

LIVE GREEN

Health and Safety
Indigenous Relations
Community Connections
People & Culture
Stakeholder Engagement

COMMITMENT TO GOVERNANCE

Risk Management
Oversight
Board Independence & Diversity

A message from Wayne Gingrich (CFO) & Paul Pastirik (SVP Strategic Development)

"Establishing effective ESG governance structures, clarifying goals and responsibilities, and improving communication about the many innovative practices and technologies currently being employed across the business has been a rewarding process. It has been a reminder of our strengths in building a company that will continue to evolve and thrive over the next 100 years as we focus on sustainable business practices that truly make a positive impact to the companies, communities, and people with whom we engage and work."

BUILD GREEN

Pursuing opportunities to utilize sustainable building materials and minimize resource waste

Bird is committed to sustainable construction. We have partnered with our clients to deliver complex and innovative building systems that meet LEED®, Green Globes, Passive House, and Zero Carbon building requirements. By using sustainable building materials and minimizing resource use and waste, we can realize both environmental and cost benefits. Over the last decade, Bird has delivered over 200 projects that are built to LEED® requirements or have acquired LEED® certification.

Focusing on Net Zero

A key element of Bird’s focus on sustainable construction is supporting the transition to a net zero carbon economy. Zero carbon buildings are highly energy efficient and produce onsite (or procure) carbon-free renewable energy to counterbalance the annual carbon emissions from building materials and operations. Zero carbon building standards can be applied to a range of buildings, including high-rise towers, arenas, warehouses, multi-unit residential buildings, and schools. Retrofits also provide tremendous opportunities to reduce the carbon footprint of existing facilities.

There are many technologies, processes, and materials that can contribute to the achievement of net zero buildings, both in terms of energy and carbon reductions. We are passionate about continuing to find ways to optimize the performance of buildings and minimize impacts on the environment.

Barret Centre for Technology outdoor image

Mass Timber

Mass Timber is a renewable and sustainable low carbon building solution. Through sustainable forestry, wood-based materials capture carbon and offset total CO2e emissions over the lifespan of the asset.

Bird is a North American leader in wood construction with the in-house expertise to develop Cross Laminated Timber, Nailed Laminated Timber, wood-frame, and hybrid projects from concept to substantial completion. From high-rise wood frame housing developments to large-scale institutional buildings, the Bird team brings an in-depth understanding of the benefits and limitations of different Mass Timber and engineered wood products, and delivers efficient design strategies to maximize structural efficiencies.

Mass Timber Diagram - Centre of Excellence

>$2.2B

Total value (2008-2021)

37 Projects

Total projects (2008-2021)

Powering the Future

Renewable and low carbon energy solutions contribute to global efforts to meet climate targets, support the energy transition, and achieve sustainable change. Bird has been supporting the construction execution on some of our country’s largest infrastructure projects, from hydroelectric infrastructure, nuclear, and renewable power, to organic waste processing and waste-energy recovery projects for over half a century. Leveraging our civil, structural, and mechanical experience in developing and executing complex major projects, combined with extensive self-perform substation and high voltage services, are among the ways in which Bird is contributing to delivering cleaner energy solutions.

OPG Otto Holden Generating Station Overhaul Program

Stack Modular

Bird’s investment in modular construction, through our 50% partnership with Stack Modular, contributes to our overall environmental sustainability focus. As an off-site manufacturer, Stack Modular builds innovatively, with less footprint and smarter resource usage through pre-planning and waste reduction methods. Stack’s goal is to challenge and reimagine steel modular design, bringing the most efficient design to the market.

Prefabrication

The prefabrication team offers assistance early in the design phase to develop specialized modular solutions and off-site fabrication assembly strategies that provide cost certainty, quality, schedule control, and reduced project risk. The offsite fabrication and assembly of specialty modular skid units mitigates site safety risks and improves overall usage and waste of consumables.

84.76 Tonnes

Ferrous metals recycled in 2021

WORK GREEN

Delivering innovative solutions for sustainable construction

Digital Construction

As sustainable construction evolves as a key focus for the industry and our clients, we continuously look for innovative solutions that can improve our capability in delivering projects that have a low-carbon footprint and use unique energy systems to reduce waste and cost. BIM and VDC allow us to use advanced construction intelligence to identify areas of opportunity, such as green solutions for projects, or options for modularization and pre-fabrication.

VDC allows for better communication of the design intent as well as the development of fully co-ordinated project documentation. VDC co-ordinates everything from early conceptual massing models to highly developed, thoroughly documented 3D models in the development of a Digital Twin of the physical project.

Centre for Building Performance

SMART SOLUTIONS FOR SMART BUILDINGS

Bird’s bespoke cutting-edge technology is paving the way for the future of smart buildings. Our Centre for Building Performance (The Centre) facilitates seamless construction delivery that minimizes environmental impacts throughout the construction process. The Centre supports the lifecycle of a building asset by integrating all building systems data to provide visibility into a building’s performance, ensuring it performs as designed. Our platform can be used following construction to manage planned and unplanned maintenance throughout the life of the building. These insights generate analytics, reports, and trends through a single customized dashboard for asset owners.

Supply Chain Management

Our supply chain practices and asset management processes are aligned to our core values. We endeavour to work with partners that share our commitment to:

Conduct business in an ethical and transparent manner
Prioritize safety at all times
Prioritize and report on sound labour practices
Stipulate that there is no forced or child labour at any point in the supply chain
Employ a diverse workforce
Seek opportunities to work with Indigenous businesses and communities
Promote, track, and report on environmental sustainability initiatives
Utilize local resources responsibly and sustainably
Minimize environmental impacts where we work
Integrate social procurement practices into buying decisions

LIVE GREEN

Providing a safe, inclusive workplace that supports physical and mental wellbeing, promotes professional development, and encourages positive community engagement.

Our employees are the drivers of our longevity and success, and we are committed to investing in their development and wellbeing. Bird pursues a holistic approach to employee health and wellbeing, striving to create an empathetic culture that goes beyond providing physical health benefits to one that considers the mental health and psychological safety of all employees. A healthy workplace promotes safety and overall wellbeing, and the essential components of supporting our people include advancing their professional development, strengthening our neighbourhoods, and creating inclusive, respectful, and equitable working environments.

Health, Safety, and Environment

Bird is recognized for best-in-class Health, Safety, and Environment Management (HSE) systems and industry-leading safety performance. Our health and safety culture is rooted in our commitment to work in a spirit of collaboration with all employees, trade partners, clients, and suppliers to foster a healthy and safe work environment that every worker deserves and that ensures everyone goes home safe every day.

We uphold our high standards through an engaged workforce and vigilant processes that create a culture of complete accountability and personal responsibility. Bird encourages everyone to offer ideas and suggestions to help continuously improve the HSE Program. In our latest employee engagement survey, 98% of respondents indicated that they believed a manager will act on safety concerns. This is an indication of how deeply safety is embedded in our culture, and the certainty that everyone is invested in exceeding safety expectations.

By ensuring that everyone remains motivated and meaningfully engaged in safety through practical, standardized, and effective HSE programs, we can maintain a healthy safety culture that is supported by fair, accurate, and timely decision-making.

Health, safety and environment statistics from 2021

Indigenous Relations

Bird strives to be a positive contributor to the overall well-being of Indigenous Peoples and groups with whom we interact across Canada. We demonstrate this commitment by building respectful relationships founded on open communication and seeking collaborative business opportunities with Indigenous partners. We invest in skills development initiatives and scholarships that support the aspirations of Indigenous Peoples pursuing careers in the construction industry. Our national Indigenous Engagement Policy aims to ensure a consistent and culturally appropriate approach that respects the diversity of the Indigenous landscape in Canada, while supporting the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action #92.

Total Spend, Indigenous owned businesses supported, total scholarship spend, community investment spend

Soaring Indigenous sculpture in Okanagan College's new Health Sciences Centre

Community Connections

Bird is committed to contributing to the communities in which we live, work, and build in a manner that is socially responsible, mindful of human rights, and respectful of local residents. Through donations, scholarships, fundraising activities, and volunteer work, Bird employees consistently demonstrate a passion for giving back. Bird supports national charities, health care foundation initiatives, food and clothing banks, community festivals and events, youth and community sports, and much more.

People and Culture

We foster a safe, inclusive, and respectful workplace where our employees grow and thrive. With innovative tools, continuous learning, and industry-leading employee experiences, our team of high-performing and highly engaged individuals is prepared to deliver the best.

Bird’s open and transparent learning culture promotes continuous improvement and shared accountability. We believe that commitment to our employees’ success leads to collective success, and our goal is to provide quality training that is beneficial, accessible, affordable, and timely.

Stakeholder Engagement

Bird regularly communicates with internal and external stakeholders on a range of issues, endeavoring to deliver clear and informative messages about the company and its operations. Bird’s communication policy emphasizes transparency, inclusivity, and integrity, in keeping with the company’s core values and mission statement. Bird is continually seeking new ways to engage with stakeholders, utilizing a range of methods and media to reach the widest possible audience.

Total Audience, Impressions, Engagements, Post Link Clicks

COMMITMENT TO GOVERNANCE

Bird endeavors to be at the forefront of industry efforts to be responsible, responsive, and innovative corporate citizens. A strong culture of ethical conduct is central to good governance at Bird, and our core values inform the behaviour of our team members: with each other, with the communities and stakeholders we engage with every day, with clients, and with investors. Our collaborative culture is based on courtesy towards each other, openness to new ideas and perspectives, and an ethos of honesty and fairness. The company and its Board are committed to conducting their activities in accordance with the highest standards of business ethics. These standards are intended to provide guidance regarding ethical issues, to assist in recognizing and dealing with ethical issues, to provide mechanisms to report unethical conduct, and to help foster a culture of honesty and accountability.

(1) Board composition as of May 2022

The Bird Board of Directors strongly supports the principle of boardroom diversity and has adopted a written Board Diversity Policy. As part of a robust director recruitment process, and in accordance with the Board Diversity Policy, the Human Resources and Governance Committee and Board are committed to identifying nominees who, in addition to meeting the skills and experience sought by the Board, have a broad range of perspectives. Diverse perspectives contribute to innovation and growth opportunities, and the Board believes that diversity may be achieved through a range of factors including business experience, geography, age, gender, visible minorities, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, sexual orientation and other personal characteristics.

Meet the Board

Living Our Values: Ethics and Conduct at Bird

Bird requires that all employees, direct service providers, and agents of the company observe the highest levels of personal and professional ethics.

All people must be treated with respect and dignity, and Bird strives to provide a healthy and open work environment free from harassment and violence.

Risk Management

Bird recognizes that the management of risk through Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) is an integral part of sound corporate governance. The company’s ERM Policy affirms our commitment to the management of risk as an important component to the delivery of the company’s strategic plan, and the effective implementation of our ESG Program.

View our 2021 Sustainability Overview