Exelon’s early commitment to responsible, low-carbon energy investment has enabled us to create advantages for our stakeholders while minimizing our impact on the environment. We have been able to meet energy needs while:
- Maintaining the quality of our air, land and water resources
- Minimizing our impacts on diverse species and habitats
Committed to the environment
Our commitment to the environment is integral to Exelon’s corporate strategy. We understand that to be successful, we must constantly improve our environmental performance by managing our environmental impact on the air, land, water, climate and biodiversity.
- Air. Low-emission technologies enable us to keep our generation portfolio air emission rates well below industry averages.
- Land. We are identifying additional opportunities to reduce waste streams, increase recycling, safely manage spent nuclear fuel and properly address legacy issues.
- Water. We continue to review water use at company facilities and to explore opportunities to use water resources more efficiently and effectively.
- Biodiversity. We will continue to establish plans and projects identify and protect rare, threatened and endangered species and sensitive habitats around our facilities.
Focus on Continuous Improvement
Sound governance plays an integral role in our ability to achieve progress. Exelon maintains a policy for the environment that provides direction for improving the company’s environmental performance and sets the expectations for those who work for us. We closely monitor regulatory compliance across our sites, and seek to enhance operations through pro-active initiatives. Below is a summary of Exelon and Constellation's compliance performance by media for 2011.
Sustainability Reflection and Reporting
Ceres.
Beginning in 2008, Exelon engaged with Ceres to convene an independent stakeholder team with expertise in environmental, social and governance issues. The team provides extensive feedback on the adequacy of our sustainability reporting—including performance, goals, targets, systems, impacts, data and initiatives.
Global Reporting Initiative.
Exelon uses the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Index to measure and report our economic, environmental, and social performance. The GRI framework is the world's most widely used framework of internationally accepted guidelines and principles for sustainability reporting. Exelon's 2011 Sustainability Report includes a GRI Index of the report's content. A full GRI Index of the combined companies is under development. In the interim, our respective, individual indexes remain available.
Sustainability Recognition
Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
For the sixth consecutive year, Exelon has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI) in 2011. The DJSI North America index recognizes the sustainability efforts of companies that are in the leading 20% of their sector among the 600 largest North American companies. Constellation has also been named to the North American Index six times.
SAM Sustainability Yearbook.
In February 2011, Exelon Corporation was named to the “Bronze Class” level in SAM’s “The Sustainability Yearbook 2011” and was one of only five U.S.-based electric utilities to make the Sustainability Leaders 2010/2011 listings. SAM is an investment group focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing and has partnered with Dow Jones Indexes for the publication and licensing of the globally recognized Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI). Each year, the world’s largest 2,500 companies, as reflected in the Dow Jones Global Total Stock Market Index, are invited to participate in the SAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment. Only the top-scoring 15% of companies in each of the 58 sectors assessed are eligible for inclusion in SAM’s "Sustainability Yearbook".
Newsweek Green Ranking.
Exelon ranked No. 4 among utilities and No. 320 overall in the Newsweek magazine “2011 Green Rankings". The annual listing ranks the nation’s 500 largest publicly traded U.S. companies in terms of environmental impact, management and disclosure. Companies do not apply to be included in these rankings.