Collaboration and engagement

The low-carbon energy expansion requires technological advancement and significant collaboration. We are founding and/or long-standing partners in several organizations, working collectively to advance knowledge-sharing and innovation in our industry and across society.

Pathways Alliance

In 2021, Suncor and five other oil sands producers launched the Oil Sands Pathways to Net Zero Alliance, a globally unprecedented collaboration responsible for 95% of Canada’s oil sands production, with an objective of net-zero emissions from production by 2050. The initiative incorporates a number of parallel pathways to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including a carbon sequestration hub through a CO2 transportation line in northern Alberta and deploying existing and emerging GHG reduction technologies. The initiative is a crucial enabler to meeting Canada’s climate commitments and requires unprecedented collaboration, shared investment, and research and development on new and emerging technologies between industry and government.

In June 2022, the Oil Sands Pathways to Net Zero Alliance merged with Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) and the Oil Sands Community Alliance (OSCA) into a single organization called the Pathways Alliance.

Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance

We are a founding member of Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), an alliance of oil sands producers focused on accelerating the pace of improvement in environmental performance in Canada’s oil sands.

By focusing on the environmental areas of greenhouse gases, land, tailings, water and monitoring, COSIA brings resources and people together to address specific environmental challenges and shorten innovation timelines across the oil sands industry. We participate in many technology studies and joint industry projects.

To date, COSIA’s combined efforts have resulted in more than 1,100 environmental innovations valued at approximately $1.8 billion. Further, as a sponsor of the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE, a global competition for funding technologies that can transform CO2 into valuable and useful products helping other sectors and industries – the prize was awarded in April 2021 to two companies that are aiming to decarbonize concrete production.

Clean Resource Innovation Network

We are a leading member of the Clean Resource Innovation Network (CRIN), a pan-Canadian network focused on ensuring Canada’s energy resources can be sustainably developed and integrated into the global energy supply.

The network unites oil and gas industry professionals, innovators, investors, startups, policy makers, incubators and accelerators, researchers and students to advance technologies aimed at improving our economic and environmental performance and with the potential for export to global markets.

This emphasizes the potential impact our country can contribute to help address global challenges. 

Canadian Council for Sustainable Aviation Fuels

The Canadian Council for Sustainable Aviation Fuels organization was launched in February 2022 to bring together key industry and government stakeholders to accelerate the commercial deployment of low-carbon sustainable aviation fuels in Canada.

Evok Innovations

Launched in 2016 through a partnership between Suncor, Cenovus Energy and the BC Cleantech CEO Alliance, Evok’s inaugural $100 million fund aimed to accelerate the development of critical energy-transition technologies across North America. Through the partnership, Evok invests in a global portfolio of innovative companies to address the most pressing and environmental challenges of the oil and gas industry.

An important feature of Evok is the access provided to the end customers (Suncor and Cenovus) at an early stage in the life of the startup companies.

The fund has made 16 investments in critical decarbonization technologies ranging from clean hydrogen and carbon-to-value to long-duration energy storage.

Energy Futures Lab

Energy Futures Lab is a multi-stakeholder, collaborative forum focused on solving complex challenges at the intersection of social and energy systems.

Avatar Innovations

Avatar innovations is an industry-led collaboration with academia focused on energy sector innovation and entrepreneurship in the energy transition, which we have sponsored since 2021.