Industry Comparison
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Current language: English (2023)
You are viewing information about the following Industries:
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Oil & Gas – Services
Oil and gas services entities drill under contract, manufacture equipment, or provide support services. Drilling and drilling-support entities drill for oil and natural gas on-shore and off-shore on a contract basis for oil and natural gas exploration and production (E&P) entities. For on-shore exploration and production, entities in the oilfield services segment manufacture equipment used in the extraction, storage and transportation of oil and natural gas. For off-shore, entities in this segment may manufacture jack-up rigs, semisubmersible rigs, drill ships and a range of other exploration equipment. They also provide support services such as seismic surveying, equipment rental, well cementing and well monitoring. These services commonly are provided on a contractual basis, and the customer purchases or leases the materials and equipment from the service provider. Service entities also may provide personnel or subject matter expertise as part of their scope of service. The contractual relationship between oil and gas services entities and their customers plays a significant role in determining the material impacts of their sustainability performance. Besides the rates charged, entities compete based on their operational and safety performance, technology and process offerings, project management performance, and reputation. -
Aerospace & Defence
Entities in the Aerospace & Defence industry include manufacturers of commercial aircraft, aircraft parts, aerospace and defence products, as well as defence prime contractors. Commercial aircraft manufacturers represent approximately one quarter of industry revenue and sell mainly to commercial airlines and governments. Aerospace and defence parts manufacturers represent the largest segment of the industry by total revenue, selling primarily to governments. Both aerospace and defence manufacturers operate globally and serve a global customer base. Defence primes represent approximately one quarter of total industry revenue and manufacture products including military aircraft, space vehicles, missile systems, ammunition, small arms, naval ships, and other commercial and military vehicles. Their customers consist of various government agencies and related businesses with global operations. The defence prime category also includes firearms manufacturers that sell to law enforcement agencies, businesses, distributors, retailers and consumers. Important sustainability topics within the industry include the energy efficiency and emissions profile of products and management of manufacturing energy and waste.
Relevant Issues for both Industries (13 of 26)
Why are some issues greyed out?
The SASB Standards vary by industry based on the different sustainability-related risks and opportunities within an industry. The issues in grey were not identified during the standard-setting process as the most likely to be useful to investors, so they are not included in the Standard. Over time, as the ISSB continues to receive market feedback, some issues may be added or removed from the Standard. Each company determines which sustainability-related risks and opportunities are relevant to its business. The Standard is designed for the typical company in an industry, but individual companies may choose to report on different sustainability-related risks and opportunities based on their unique business model.-
Environment
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GHG Emissions
The category addresses direct (Scope 1) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that a company generates through its operations. This includes GHG emissions from stationary (e.g., factories, power plants) and mobile sources (e.g., trucks, delivery vehicles, planes), whether a result of combustion of fuel or non-combusted direct releases during activities such as natural resource extraction, power generation, land use, or biogenic processes. The category further includes management of regulatory risks, environmental compliance, and reputational risks and opportunities, as they related to direct GHG emissions. The seven GHGs covered under the Kyoto Protocol are included within the category—carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). - Air Quality
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Energy Management
The category addresses environmental impacts associated with energy consumption. It addresses the company’s management of energy in manufacturing and/or for provision of products and services derived from utility providers (grid energy) not owned or controlled by the company. More specifically, it includes management of energy efficiency and intensity, energy mix, as well as grid reliance. Upstream (e.g., suppliers) and downstream (e.g., product use) energy use is not included in the scope. -
Water & Wastewater Management
The category addresses a company’s water use, water consumption, wastewater generation, and other impacts of operations on water resources, which may be influenced by regional differences in the availability and quality of and competition for water resources. More specifically, it addresses management strategies including, but not limited to, water efficiency, intensity, and recycling. Lastly, the category also addresses management of wastewater treatment and discharge, including groundwater and aquifer pollution. -
Waste & Hazardous Materials Management
The category addresses environmental issues associated with hazardous and non-hazardous waste generated by companies. It addresses a company’s management of solid wastes in manufacturing, agriculture, and other industrial processes. It covers treatment, handling, storage, disposal, and regulatory compliance. The category does not cover emissions to air or wastewater nor does it cover waste from end-of-life of products, which are addressed in separate categories. -
Ecological Impacts
The category addresses management of the company’s impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity through activities including, but not limited to, land use for exploration, natural resource extraction, and cultivation, as well as project development, construction, and siting. The impacts include, but are not limited to, biodiversity loss, habitat destruction, and deforestation at all stages – planning, land acquisition, permitting, development, operations, and site remediation. The category does not cover impacts of climate change on ecosystems and biodiversity.
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Social Capital
- Human Rights & Community Relations
- Customer Privacy
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Data Security
The category addresses management of risks related to collection, retention, and use of sensitive, confidential, and/or proprietary customer or user data. It includes social issues that may arise from incidents such as data breaches in which personally identifiable information (PII) and other user or customer data may be exposed. It addresses a company’s strategy, policies, and practices related to IT infrastructure, staff training, record keeping, cooperation with law enforcement, and other mechanisms used to ensure security of customer or user data. - Access & Affordability
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Product Quality & Safety
The category addresses issues involving unintended characteristics of products sold or services provided that may create health or safety risks to end-users. It addresses a company’s ability to offer manufactured products and/or services that meet customer expectations with respect to their health and safety characteristics. It includes, but is not limited to, issues involving liability, management of recalls and market withdrawals, product testing, and chemicals/content/ingredient management in products. - Customer Welfare
- Selling Practices & Product Labeling
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Human Capital
- Labour Practices
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Employee Health & Safety
The category addresses a company’s ability to create and maintain a safe and healthy workplace environment that is free of injuries, fatalities, and illness (both chronic and acute). It is traditionally accomplished through implementing safety management plans, developing training requirements for employees and contractors, and conducting regular audits of their own practices as well as those of their subcontractors. The category further captures how companies ensure physical and mental health of workforce through technology, training, corporate culture, regulatory compliance, monitoring and testing, and personal protective equipment. - Employee Engagement, Diversity & Inclusion
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Business Model and Innovation
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Product Design & Lifecycle Management
The category addresses incorporation of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations in characteristics of products and services provided or sold by the company. It includes, but is not limited to, managing the lifecycle impacts of products and services, such as those related to packaging, distribution, use-phase resource intensity, and other environmental and social externalities that may occur during their use-phase or at the end of life. The category captures a company’s ability to address customer and societal demand for more sustainable products and services as well as to meet evolving environmental and social regulation. It does not address direct environmental or social impacts of the company’s operations nor does it address health and safety risks to consumers from product use, which are covered in other categories. - Business Model Resilience
- Supply Chain Management
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Materials Sourcing & Efficiency
The category addresses issues related to the resilience of materials supply chains to impacts of climate change and other external environmental and social factors. It captures the impacts of such external factors on operational activity of suppliers, which can further affect availability and pricing of key resources. It addresses a company’s ability to manage these risks through product design, manufacturing, and end-of-life management, such as by using of recycled and renewable materials, reducing the use of key materials (dematerialization), maximizing resource efficiency in manufacturing, and making R&D investments in substitute materials. Additionally, companies can manage these issues by screening, selection, monitoring, and engagement with suppliers to ensure their resilience to external risks. It does not address issues associated with environmental and social externalities created by operational activity of individual suppliers, which is covered in a separate category. - Physical Impacts of Climate Change
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Leadership and Governance
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Business Ethics
The category addresses the company’s approach to managing risks and opportunities surrounding ethical conduct of business, including fraud, corruption, bribery and facilitation payments, fiduciary responsibilities, and other behaviour that may have an ethical component. This includes sensitivity to business norms and standards as they shift over time, jurisdiction, and culture. It addresses the company’s ability to provide services that satisfy the highest professional and ethical standards of the industry, which means to avoid conflicts of interest, misrepresentation, bias, and negligence through training employees adequately and implementing policies and procedures to ensure employees provide services free from bias and error. - Competitive Behaviour
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Management of the Legal & Regulatory Environment
The category addresses a company’s approach to engaging with regulators in cases where conflicting corporate and public interests may have the potential for long-term adverse direct or indirect environmental and social impacts. The category addresses a company’s level of reliance upon regulatory policy or monetary incentives (such as subsidies and taxes), actions to influence industry policy (such as through lobbying), overall reliance on a favorable regulatory environment for business competitiveness, and ability to comply with relevant regulations. It may relate to the alignment of management and investor views of regulatory engagement and compliance at large. -
Critical Incident Risk Management
The category addresses the company’s use of management systems and scenario planning to identify, understand, and prevent or minimize the occurrence of low-probability, high-impact accidents and emergencies with significant potential environmental and social externalities. It relates to the culture of safety at a company, its relevant safety management systems and technological controls, the potential human, environmental, and social implications of such events occurring, and the long-term effects to an organization, its workers, and society should these events occur. - Systemic Risk Management
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Disclosure Topics
What is the relationship between General Issue Category and Disclosure Topics?
The General Issue Category is an industry-agnostic version of the Disclosure Topics that appear in each SASB Standard. Disclosure topics represent the industry-specific impacts of General Issue Categories. The industry-specific Disclosure Topics ensure each SASB Standard is tailored to the industry, while the General Issue Categories enable comparability across industries. For example, Health & Nutrition is a disclosure topic in the Non-Alcoholic Beverages industry, representing an industry-specific measure of the general issue of Customer Welfare. The issue of Customer Welfare, however, manifests as the Counterfeit Drugs disclosure topic in the Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals industry.-
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GHG Emissions
The category addresses direct (Scope 1) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that a company generates through its operations. This includes GHG emissions from stationary (e.g., factories, power plants) and mobile sources (e.g., trucks, delivery vehicles, planes), whether a result of combustion of fuel or non-combusted direct releases during activities such as natural resource extraction, power generation, land use, or biogenic processes. The category further includes management of regulatory risks, environmental compliance, and reputational risks and opportunities, as they related to direct GHG emissions. The seven GHGs covered under the Kyoto Protocol are included within the category—carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3).-
Emissions Reduction Services & Fuels Management
Although direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and associated regulatory risks are relatively low for Oil & Gas - Services providers relative to other industries, emissions from the operations of their customers—the Exploration & Production (E&P) entities—can be significant. Emissions include GHGs that can contribute to climate change as well as other air pollutants that can have significant localised human health and environmental impacts. Increasing regulation and high costs of fuels associated with these emissions present substantial risk to E&P entities. Entities are seeking ways to lower their emissions, including converting pumps and engines to run on natural gas and electricity instead of diesel fuel. Oil & Gas - Services entities compete for contracts partly based on providing innovative, efficient technologies that can help E&P entities reduce operating costs and improve process efficiencies. Services entities can gain a competitive advantage, grow revenue and secure market share by providing customers with services and equipment to reduce GHG, fugitive and flared emissions and fuel consumption.
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Energy Management
The category addresses environmental impacts associated with energy consumption. It addresses the company’s management of energy in manufacturing and/or for provision of products and services derived from utility providers (grid energy) not owned or controlled by the company. More specifically, it includes management of energy efficiency and intensity, energy mix, as well as grid reliance. Upstream (e.g., suppliers) and downstream (e.g., product use) energy use is not included in the scope.None -
Water & Wastewater Management
The category addresses a company’s water use, water consumption, wastewater generation, and other impacts of operations on water resources, which may be influenced by regional differences in the availability and quality of and competition for water resources. More specifically, it addresses management strategies including, but not limited to, water efficiency, intensity, and recycling. Lastly, the category also addresses management of wastewater treatment and discharge, including groundwater and aquifer pollution.-
Water Management Services
Oil and gas development often requires large quantities of water, exposing producers to the risks of water scarcity, water use regulations and related cost increases, particularly in water-stressed regions. Producers also must manage wastewater disposal risks and costs. As such, service entities that develop superior technologies and processes, such as closed-loop water recycling systems to reduce customers’ water consumption and disposal costs, may gain market share and increase revenue, because drilling and wastewater management can be a significant competitive factor for their customers.
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Waste & Hazardous Materials Management
The category addresses environmental issues associated with hazardous and non-hazardous waste generated by companies. It addresses a company’s management of solid wastes in manufacturing, agriculture, and other industrial processes. It covers treatment, handling, storage, disposal, and regulatory compliance. The category does not cover emissions to air or wastewater nor does it cover waste from end-of-life of products, which are addressed in separate categories.-
Chemicals Management
Oil & Gas – Services entities produce oilfield chemicals as well as drilling and hydraulic fracturing fluids based on demand from Exploration & Production (E&P) entities. Although leaks from a properly drilled and completed well are rare, contamination of local water resources can result from contact with hydraulic fracturing fluids and produced water. Contamination may arise from issues related to poor well integrity. Public concerns about some chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing fluids have, in some regions, resulted in fracturing bans, legislative proposals and other regulations to mandate disclosure of chemicals used. The precise chemical composition of hydraulic fracturing fluids is often proprietary, and entities compete to create the most effective formulas. Because of public and regulatory attention to the potential hazards of drilling fluids, entities that effectively manage well development and asset integrity issues, the production and use of non-hazardous fracking fluids, and the per well reduction of drilling fluid volumes, may increase their market share, grow revenues and reduce the regulatory risk affecting their products.
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Ecological Impacts
The category addresses management of the company’s impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity through activities including, but not limited to, land use for exploration, natural resource extraction, and cultivation, as well as project development, construction, and siting. The impacts include, but are not limited to, biodiversity loss, habitat destruction, and deforestation at all stages – planning, land acquisition, permitting, development, operations, and site remediation. The category does not cover impacts of climate change on ecosystems and biodiversity.-
Ecological Impact Management
Oil and gas exploration and development activities and associated services and support activities can have significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems. Entities operating sites in ecologically sensitive areas or that are resource-intensive operations must effectively manage the disposal of drilling and associated wastes, well decommissioning, land use, and potential fuel spills. Producers face regulatory risks and permitting barriers to protect ecosystems from potential issues related to site development, drilling, underground waste injection, well decommissioning and site remediation. Entities that offer cost-effective, efficient production and decommissioning technologies that mitigate biodiversity impacts by reducing land use, drilling wastes and spills can decrease the associated risks for their customers and gain a competitive advantage.
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Data Security
The category addresses management of risks related to collection, retention, and use of sensitive, confidential, and/or proprietary customer or user data. It includes social issues that may arise from incidents such as data breaches in which personally identifiable information (PII) and other user or customer data may be exposed. It addresses a company’s strategy, policies, and practices related to IT infrastructure, staff training, record keeping, cooperation with law enforcement, and other mechanisms used to ensure security of customer or user data.None -
Product Quality & Safety
The category addresses issues involving unintended characteristics of products sold or services provided that may create health or safety risks to end-users. It addresses a company’s ability to offer manufactured products and/or services that meet customer expectations with respect to their health and safety characteristics. It includes, but is not limited to, issues involving liability, management of recalls and market withdrawals, product testing, and chemicals/content/ingredient management in products.None -
Employee Health & Safety
The category addresses a company’s ability to create and maintain a safe and healthy workplace environment that is free of injuries, fatalities, and illness (both chronic and acute). It is traditionally accomplished through implementing safety management plans, developing training requirements for employees and contractors, and conducting regular audits of their own practices as well as those of their subcontractors. The category further captures how companies ensure physical and mental health of workforce through technology, training, corporate culture, regulatory compliance, monitoring and testing, and personal protective equipment.-
Workforce Health & Safety
Workers in the Oil & Gas – Services industry may face significant health and safety risks related to the harsh working environments and handling potentially volatile hydrocarbons and hazardous wastes. In addition to acute impacts resulting from accidents, workers may develop chronic health conditions, such as those caused by silica or dust inhalation, as well as mental health problems. A significant proportion of the workforce at oil and gas drilling sites consists of temporary workers and employees of entities in the Oil & Gas – Services industry. Health impacts on, and the safety performance of, such workers can affect entities directly by adversely affecting worker productivity and increasing costs. Entities compete based on their reputation and ability to perform activities consistently and safely. Customers evaluate accidents, spills, injuries and fatalities as important factors in awarding contracts to entities.
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Product Design & Lifecycle Management
The category addresses incorporation of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations in characteristics of products and services provided or sold by the company. It includes, but is not limited to, managing the lifecycle impacts of products and services, such as those related to packaging, distribution, use-phase resource intensity, and other environmental and social externalities that may occur during their use-phase or at the end of life. The category captures a company’s ability to address customer and societal demand for more sustainable products and services as well as to meet evolving environmental and social regulation. It does not address direct environmental or social impacts of the company’s operations nor does it address health and safety risks to consumers from product use, which are covered in other categories.None -
Materials Sourcing & Efficiency
The category addresses issues related to the resilience of materials supply chains to impacts of climate change and other external environmental and social factors. It captures the impacts of such external factors on operational activity of suppliers, which can further affect availability and pricing of key resources. It addresses a company’s ability to manage these risks through product design, manufacturing, and end-of-life management, such as by using of recycled and renewable materials, reducing the use of key materials (dematerialization), maximizing resource efficiency in manufacturing, and making R&D investments in substitute materials. Additionally, companies can manage these issues by screening, selection, monitoring, and engagement with suppliers to ensure their resilience to external risks. It does not address issues associated with environmental and social externalities created by operational activity of individual suppliers, which is covered in a separate category.None -
Business Ethics
The category addresses the company’s approach to managing risks and opportunities surrounding ethical conduct of business, including fraud, corruption, bribery and facilitation payments, fiduciary responsibilities, and other behaviour that may have an ethical component. This includes sensitivity to business norms and standards as they shift over time, jurisdiction, and culture. It addresses the company’s ability to provide services that satisfy the highest professional and ethical standards of the industry, which means to avoid conflicts of interest, misrepresentation, bias, and negligence through training employees adequately and implementing policies and procedures to ensure employees provide services free from bias and error.-
Business Ethics & Payments Transparency
With operations around the world, entities in the Oil & Gas – Services industry interact with many government and local officials, either directly or through agents, to secure contracts with state-owned oil entities and multinational corporations. Bribery, corruption and the transparency of payments to governments may be significant issues, depending on the region and jurisdiction. Anti-corruption, anti-bribery, and payments transparency laws and initiatives create regulatory mechanisms to reduce the risk of misconduct. Violations of these could result in significant one-time costs or higher compliance costs, whereas successful compliance with such regulations could avoid adverse outcomes. Entities are under pressure to ensure their governance structures and practices can monitor and manage the risks associated with corruption, wilful or unintentional participation in illegal or unethical payments, or with gifts to government officials or private individuals.
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Management of the Legal & Regulatory Environment
The category addresses a company’s approach to engaging with regulators in cases where conflicting corporate and public interests may have the potential for long-term adverse direct or indirect environmental and social impacts. The category addresses a company’s level of reliance upon regulatory policy or monetary incentives (such as subsidies and taxes), actions to influence industry policy (such as through lobbying), overall reliance on a favorable regulatory environment for business competitiveness, and ability to comply with relevant regulations. It may relate to the alignment of management and investor views of regulatory engagement and compliance at large.-
Management of the Legal & Regulatory Environment
The Oil & Gas – Services industry is subject to numerous sustainability-related regulations and a rapidly changing regulatory environment. Entities in the industry regularly participate in the regulatory and legislative process on a wide variety of environmental and societal issues, and they may do so directly or through representation by an industry association. Entities may participate in these processes to ensure industry views are represented in the development of regulations affecting the industry, as well as to represent shareholder interests. However, such attempts to influence environmental laws and regulations may have an adverse effect on entities’ reputations with stakeholders and ultimately affect the entity’s social licence to operate. Entities that can balance these tensions may be better positioned to respond to medium-to-long-term regulatory developments.
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Critical Incident Risk Management
The category addresses the company’s use of management systems and scenario planning to identify, understand, and prevent or minimize the occurrence of low-probability, high-impact accidents and emergencies with significant potential environmental and social externalities. It relates to the culture of safety at a company, its relevant safety management systems and technological controls, the potential human, environmental, and social implications of such events occurring, and the long-term effects to an organization, its workers, and society should these events occur.-
Critical Incident Risk Management
Entities in the Oil & Gas – Services industry are subject to significant risks associated with low-probability, high-consequence events associated with oil and gas exploration, development and production activities. Such events may result in multiple fatalities, significant property damage or significant adverse effects on the environment. Entities may be affected indirectly through safety incidents or emergencies affecting their Exploration & Production (E&P) industry clients. Significant incidents can have wide-ranging negative social and environmental consequences, for which both E&P and Services entities may be held liable. Entities compete based on their reputation and ability to perform activities on a consistently safe basis. In addition to effective process safety management practices, many entities prioritise developing a strong culture of safety to reduce the probability of accidents and other health and safety incidents. If accidents and other emergencies do occur, entities with a strong safety culture are often able to detect and respond to such incidents more effectively. A culture that engages and empowers employees and contractors to work with management and entities in the E&P industry to safeguard their own health, safety and well-being, and to prevent accidents, is likely to help entities reduce risks to their financial value.
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GHG Emissions
The category addresses direct (Scope 1) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that a company generates through its operations. This includes GHG emissions from stationary (e.g., factories, power plants) and mobile sources (e.g., trucks, delivery vehicles, planes), whether a result of combustion of fuel or non-combusted direct releases during activities such as natural resource extraction, power generation, land use, or biogenic processes. The category further includes management of regulatory risks, environmental compliance, and reputational risks and opportunities, as they related to direct GHG emissions. The seven GHGs covered under the Kyoto Protocol are included within the category—carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3).None -
Energy Management
The category addresses environmental impacts associated with energy consumption. It addresses the company’s management of energy in manufacturing and/or for provision of products and services derived from utility providers (grid energy) not owned or controlled by the company. More specifically, it includes management of energy efficiency and intensity, energy mix, as well as grid reliance. Upstream (e.g., suppliers) and downstream (e.g., product use) energy use is not included in the scope.-
Energy Management
Energy is a critical input to aerospace and defence manufacturing processes. Purchased electricity is the largest share of the industry’s energy expenditures, followed by purchased fuels. The type of energy used, magnitude of consumption and energy management strategies depend on the type of products manufactured. An entity’s energy mix, including electricity generated on-site, grid-sourced electricity and alternative energy, may influence the cost and reliability of energy supply and, ultimately, affect the entity’s cost structure and regulatory risk.
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Water & Wastewater Management
The category addresses a company’s water use, water consumption, wastewater generation, and other impacts of operations on water resources, which may be influenced by regional differences in the availability and quality of and competition for water resources. More specifically, it addresses management strategies including, but not limited to, water efficiency, intensity, and recycling. Lastly, the category also addresses management of wastewater treatment and discharge, including groundwater and aquifer pollution.None -
Waste & Hazardous Materials Management
The category addresses environmental issues associated with hazardous and non-hazardous waste generated by companies. It addresses a company’s management of solid wastes in manufacturing, agriculture, and other industrial processes. It covers treatment, handling, storage, disposal, and regulatory compliance. The category does not cover emissions to air or wastewater nor does it cover waste from end-of-life of products, which are addressed in separate categories.-
Hazardous Waste Management
Aerospace and defence product manufacturing may generate hazardous process waste, which may include heavy metals and wastewater treatment sludge. Entities face regulatory and operational challenges in managing waste, since some wastes are subject to regulations pertaining to their transport, treatment, storage and disposal. Waste management strategies include reduced generation, effective treatment and disposal, and recycling and recovery, when possible. Such activities, although requiring initial investment or operating costs, may reduce an entity’s long-term cost structure and mitigate remediation liabilities or regulatory penalties.
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Ecological Impacts
The category addresses management of the company’s impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity through activities including, but not limited to, land use for exploration, natural resource extraction, and cultivation, as well as project development, construction, and siting. The impacts include, but are not limited to, biodiversity loss, habitat destruction, and deforestation at all stages – planning, land acquisition, permitting, development, operations, and site remediation. The category does not cover impacts of climate change on ecosystems and biodiversity.None -
Data Security
The category addresses management of risks related to collection, retention, and use of sensitive, confidential, and/or proprietary customer or user data. It includes social issues that may arise from incidents such as data breaches in which personally identifiable information (PII) and other user or customer data may be exposed. It addresses a company’s strategy, policies, and practices related to IT infrastructure, staff training, record keeping, cooperation with law enforcement, and other mechanisms used to ensure security of customer or user data.-
Data Security
Entities in the Aerospace & Defence industry may develop sensitive military and advanced aviation products, and entities in this industry therefore may be at risk for cyber-attacks. A data security breach may be costly for an entity and its clients when information systems are compromised. Ensuring data security may require aerospace and defence entities to invest in research and development and increase capital expenditures in the short to medium term to improve the security of systems and products. Significant or frequent disruptions or security breaches may result in regulatory action, legal action, or adversely affect revenues and brand value.
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Product Quality & Safety
The category addresses issues involving unintended characteristics of products sold or services provided that may create health or safety risks to end-users. It addresses a company’s ability to offer manufactured products and/or services that meet customer expectations with respect to their health and safety characteristics. It includes, but is not limited to, issues involving liability, management of recalls and market withdrawals, product testing, and chemicals/content/ingredient management in products.-
Product Safety
Product safety is an important consideration for aerospace and defence entities given the industry’s important role in commercial aviation and military operations. Product safety incidents could result in financial impacts, including increased costs, regulatory penalties or brand-value impacts that could affect market share adversely. Additionally, counterfeit components have been found in the aerospace and defence supply chain, increasing the risk of safety incidents because of low product quality. Through product design, supplier vetting and customer engagement involving maintenance and accident investigations, entities in this industry may ensure the safety of their products over the long term, mitigating potential financial consequences such as revenue loss because of repeated safety incidents or recalls.
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Employee Health & Safety
The category addresses a company’s ability to create and maintain a safe and healthy workplace environment that is free of injuries, fatalities, and illness (both chronic and acute). It is traditionally accomplished through implementing safety management plans, developing training requirements for employees and contractors, and conducting regular audits of their own practices as well as those of their subcontractors. The category further captures how companies ensure physical and mental health of workforce through technology, training, corporate culture, regulatory compliance, monitoring and testing, and personal protective equipment.None -
Product Design & Lifecycle Management
The category addresses incorporation of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations in characteristics of products and services provided or sold by the company. It includes, but is not limited to, managing the lifecycle impacts of products and services, such as those related to packaging, distribution, use-phase resource intensity, and other environmental and social externalities that may occur during their use-phase or at the end of life. The category captures a company’s ability to address customer and societal demand for more sustainable products and services as well as to meet evolving environmental and social regulation. It does not address direct environmental or social impacts of the company’s operations nor does it address health and safety risks to consumers from product use, which are covered in other categories.-
Fuel Economy & Emissions in Use-phase
Customer preferences and regulatory incentives are increasing the demand for energy-efficient and reduced-emissions products in the Aerospace & Defence industry. Many of the industry’s products are powered by fossil fuels and release greenhouse gases (GHGs) and other air emissions during use. As the designers and manufacturers of most of the global aerospace and defence transportation fleet, entities in this industry have a unique opportunity to support many industries and government agencies that are striving to meet GHG emissions and fuel-management goals and imperatives. Products with higher fuel economy and lower use-phase emissions may capture expanding market share and adapt to changing customer preferences and regulations around fuel economy and emissions more effectively.
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Materials Sourcing & Efficiency
The category addresses issues related to the resilience of materials supply chains to impacts of climate change and other external environmental and social factors. It captures the impacts of such external factors on operational activity of suppliers, which can further affect availability and pricing of key resources. It addresses a company’s ability to manage these risks through product design, manufacturing, and end-of-life management, such as by using of recycled and renewable materials, reducing the use of key materials (dematerialization), maximizing resource efficiency in manufacturing, and making R&D investments in substitute materials. Additionally, companies can manage these issues by screening, selection, monitoring, and engagement with suppliers to ensure their resilience to external risks. It does not address issues associated with environmental and social externalities created by operational activity of individual suppliers, which is covered in a separate category.-
Materials Sourcing
Aerospace and defence entities are exposed to supply chain risks when critical materials are used in products. Entities in the industry manufacture products using critical materials with few or no available substitutes, many of which are sourced from only a few countries that may be subject to geopolitical uncertainty. Entities in this industry also face increasing global demand for these materials from other sectors, which may result in price increases and supply risks. Entities that limit the use of critical materials by using alternatives and securing their supply may mitigate the financial impacts stemming from supply disruptions and volatile input prices.
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Business Ethics
The category addresses the company’s approach to managing risks and opportunities surrounding ethical conduct of business, including fraud, corruption, bribery and facilitation payments, fiduciary responsibilities, and other behaviour that may have an ethical component. This includes sensitivity to business norms and standards as they shift over time, jurisdiction, and culture. It addresses the company’s ability to provide services that satisfy the highest professional and ethical standards of the industry, which means to avoid conflicts of interest, misrepresentation, bias, and negligence through training employees adequately and implementing policies and procedures to ensure employees provide services free from bias and error.-
Business Ethics
Aerospace and defence entities based in jurisdictions with stronger business ethics laws may be vulnerable to regulatory scrutiny of their business ethics because of operations and sales in regions with weaker government enforcement of business ethics laws. Entities in this industry have been found in violation of corruption and anti-bribery laws. Unethical practices may jeopardise future revenue growth and may result in significant legal costs and higher reputational risk. As such, strong governance practices may mitigate the risk of violating business ethics laws and resulting regulatory penalties or brand-value impacts.
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Management of the Legal & Regulatory Environment
The category addresses a company’s approach to engaging with regulators in cases where conflicting corporate and public interests may have the potential for long-term adverse direct or indirect environmental and social impacts. The category addresses a company’s level of reliance upon regulatory policy or monetary incentives (such as subsidies and taxes), actions to influence industry policy (such as through lobbying), overall reliance on a favorable regulatory environment for business competitiveness, and ability to comply with relevant regulations. It may relate to the alignment of management and investor views of regulatory engagement and compliance at large.None -
Critical Incident Risk Management
The category addresses the company’s use of management systems and scenario planning to identify, understand, and prevent or minimize the occurrence of low-probability, high-impact accidents and emergencies with significant potential environmental and social externalities. It relates to the culture of safety at a company, its relevant safety management systems and technological controls, the potential human, environmental, and social implications of such events occurring, and the long-term effects to an organization, its workers, and society should these events occur.None
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General Issue Category
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Oil & Gas – Services
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Aerospace & Defence
Access Standard
GHG Emissions
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Emissions Reduction Services & Fuels Management
Although direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and associated regulatory risks are relatively low for Oil & Gas - Services providers relative to other industries, emissions from the operations of their customers—the Exploration & Production (E&P) entities—can be significant. Emissions include GHGs that can contribute to climate change as well as other air pollutants that can have significant localised human health and environmental impacts. Increasing regulation and high costs of fuels associated with these emissions present substantial risk to E&P entities. Entities are seeking ways to lower their emissions, including converting pumps and engines to run on natural gas and electricity instead of diesel fuel. Oil & Gas - Services entities compete for contracts partly based on providing innovative, efficient technologies that can help E&P entities reduce operating costs and improve process efficiencies. Services entities can gain a competitive advantage, grow revenue and secure market share by providing customers with services and equipment to reduce GHG, fugitive and flared emissions and fuel consumption.
Energy Management
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Energy Management
Energy is a critical input to aerospace and defence manufacturing processes. Purchased electricity is the largest share of the industry’s energy expenditures, followed by purchased fuels. The type of energy used, magnitude of consumption and energy management strategies depend on the type of products manufactured. An entity’s energy mix, including electricity generated on-site, grid-sourced electricity and alternative energy, may influence the cost and reliability of energy supply and, ultimately, affect the entity’s cost structure and regulatory risk.
Water & Wastewater Management
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Water Management Services
Oil and gas development often requires large quantities of water, exposing producers to the risks of water scarcity, water use regulations and related cost increases, particularly in water-stressed regions. Producers also must manage wastewater disposal risks and costs. As such, service entities that develop superior technologies and processes, such as closed-loop water recycling systems to reduce customers’ water consumption and disposal costs, may gain market share and increase revenue, because drilling and wastewater management can be a significant competitive factor for their customers.
Waste & Hazardous Materials Management
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Chemicals Management
Oil & Gas – Services entities produce oilfield chemicals as well as drilling and hydraulic fracturing fluids based on demand from Exploration & Production (E&P) entities. Although leaks from a properly drilled and completed well are rare, contamination of local water resources can result from contact with hydraulic fracturing fluids and produced water. Contamination may arise from issues related to poor well integrity. Public concerns about some chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing fluids have, in some regions, resulted in fracturing bans, legislative proposals and other regulations to mandate disclosure of chemicals used. The precise chemical composition of hydraulic fracturing fluids is often proprietary, and entities compete to create the most effective formulas. Because of public and regulatory attention to the potential hazards of drilling fluids, entities that effectively manage well development and asset integrity issues, the production and use of non-hazardous fracking fluids, and the per well reduction of drilling fluid volumes, may increase their market share, grow revenues and reduce the regulatory risk affecting their products.
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Hazardous Waste Management
Aerospace and defence product manufacturing may generate hazardous process waste, which may include heavy metals and wastewater treatment sludge. Entities face regulatory and operational challenges in managing waste, since some wastes are subject to regulations pertaining to their transport, treatment, storage and disposal. Waste management strategies include reduced generation, effective treatment and disposal, and recycling and recovery, when possible. Such activities, although requiring initial investment or operating costs, may reduce an entity’s long-term cost structure and mitigate remediation liabilities or regulatory penalties.
Ecological Impacts
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Ecological Impact Management
Oil and gas exploration and development activities and associated services and support activities can have significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems. Entities operating sites in ecologically sensitive areas or that are resource-intensive operations must effectively manage the disposal of drilling and associated wastes, well decommissioning, land use, and potential fuel spills. Producers face regulatory risks and permitting barriers to protect ecosystems from potential issues related to site development, drilling, underground waste injection, well decommissioning and site remediation. Entities that offer cost-effective, efficient production and decommissioning technologies that mitigate biodiversity impacts by reducing land use, drilling wastes and spills can decrease the associated risks for their customers and gain a competitive advantage.
Data Security
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Data Security
Entities in the Aerospace & Defence industry may develop sensitive military and advanced aviation products, and entities in this industry therefore may be at risk for cyber-attacks. A data security breach may be costly for an entity and its clients when information systems are compromised. Ensuring data security may require aerospace and defence entities to invest in research and development and increase capital expenditures in the short to medium term to improve the security of systems and products. Significant or frequent disruptions or security breaches may result in regulatory action, legal action, or adversely affect revenues and brand value.
Product Quality & Safety
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Product Safety
Product safety is an important consideration for aerospace and defence entities given the industry’s important role in commercial aviation and military operations. Product safety incidents could result in financial impacts, including increased costs, regulatory penalties or brand-value impacts that could affect market share adversely. Additionally, counterfeit components have been found in the aerospace and defence supply chain, increasing the risk of safety incidents because of low product quality. Through product design, supplier vetting and customer engagement involving maintenance and accident investigations, entities in this industry may ensure the safety of their products over the long term, mitigating potential financial consequences such as revenue loss because of repeated safety incidents or recalls.
Employee Health & Safety
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Workforce Health & Safety
Workers in the Oil & Gas – Services industry may face significant health and safety risks related to the harsh working environments and handling potentially volatile hydrocarbons and hazardous wastes. In addition to acute impacts resulting from accidents, workers may develop chronic health conditions, such as those caused by silica or dust inhalation, as well as mental health problems. A significant proportion of the workforce at oil and gas drilling sites consists of temporary workers and employees of entities in the Oil & Gas – Services industry. Health impacts on, and the safety performance of, such workers can affect entities directly by adversely affecting worker productivity and increasing costs. Entities compete based on their reputation and ability to perform activities consistently and safely. Customers evaluate accidents, spills, injuries and fatalities as important factors in awarding contracts to entities.
Product Design & Lifecycle Management
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Fuel Economy & Emissions in Use-phase
Customer preferences and regulatory incentives are increasing the demand for energy-efficient and reduced-emissions products in the Aerospace & Defence industry. Many of the industry’s products are powered by fossil fuels and release greenhouse gases (GHGs) and other air emissions during use. As the designers and manufacturers of most of the global aerospace and defence transportation fleet, entities in this industry have a unique opportunity to support many industries and government agencies that are striving to meet GHG emissions and fuel-management goals and imperatives. Products with higher fuel economy and lower use-phase emissions may capture expanding market share and adapt to changing customer preferences and regulations around fuel economy and emissions more effectively.
Materials Sourcing & Efficiency
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Materials Sourcing
Aerospace and defence entities are exposed to supply chain risks when critical materials are used in products. Entities in the industry manufacture products using critical materials with few or no available substitutes, many of which are sourced from only a few countries that may be subject to geopolitical uncertainty. Entities in this industry also face increasing global demand for these materials from other sectors, which may result in price increases and supply risks. Entities that limit the use of critical materials by using alternatives and securing their supply may mitigate the financial impacts stemming from supply disruptions and volatile input prices.
Business Ethics
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Business Ethics & Payments Transparency
With operations around the world, entities in the Oil & Gas – Services industry interact with many government and local officials, either directly or through agents, to secure contracts with state-owned oil entities and multinational corporations. Bribery, corruption and the transparency of payments to governments may be significant issues, depending on the region and jurisdiction. Anti-corruption, anti-bribery, and payments transparency laws and initiatives create regulatory mechanisms to reduce the risk of misconduct. Violations of these could result in significant one-time costs or higher compliance costs, whereas successful compliance with such regulations could avoid adverse outcomes. Entities are under pressure to ensure their governance structures and practices can monitor and manage the risks associated with corruption, wilful or unintentional participation in illegal or unethical payments, or with gifts to government officials or private individuals.
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Business Ethics
Aerospace and defence entities based in jurisdictions with stronger business ethics laws may be vulnerable to regulatory scrutiny of their business ethics because of operations and sales in regions with weaker government enforcement of business ethics laws. Entities in this industry have been found in violation of corruption and anti-bribery laws. Unethical practices may jeopardise future revenue growth and may result in significant legal costs and higher reputational risk. As such, strong governance practices may mitigate the risk of violating business ethics laws and resulting regulatory penalties or brand-value impacts.
Management of the Legal & Regulatory Environment
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Management of the Legal & Regulatory Environment
The Oil & Gas – Services industry is subject to numerous sustainability-related regulations and a rapidly changing regulatory environment. Entities in the industry regularly participate in the regulatory and legislative process on a wide variety of environmental and societal issues, and they may do so directly or through representation by an industry association. Entities may participate in these processes to ensure industry views are represented in the development of regulations affecting the industry, as well as to represent shareholder interests. However, such attempts to influence environmental laws and regulations may have an adverse effect on entities’ reputations with stakeholders and ultimately affect the entity’s social licence to operate. Entities that can balance these tensions may be better positioned to respond to medium-to-long-term regulatory developments.
Critical Incident Risk Management
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Critical Incident Risk Management
Entities in the Oil & Gas – Services industry are subject to significant risks associated with low-probability, high-consequence events associated with oil and gas exploration, development and production activities. Such events may result in multiple fatalities, significant property damage or significant adverse effects on the environment. Entities may be affected indirectly through safety incidents or emergencies affecting their Exploration & Production (E&P) industry clients. Significant incidents can have wide-ranging negative social and environmental consequences, for which both E&P and Services entities may be held liable. Entities compete based on their reputation and ability to perform activities on a consistently safe basis. In addition to effective process safety management practices, many entities prioritise developing a strong culture of safety to reduce the probability of accidents and other health and safety incidents. If accidents and other emergencies do occur, entities with a strong safety culture are often able to detect and respond to such incidents more effectively. A culture that engages and empowers employees and contractors to work with management and entities in the E&P industry to safeguard their own health, safety and well-being, and to prevent accidents, is likely to help entities reduce risks to their financial value.