Industry Comparison

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Current language: English (2023)

You are viewing information about the following Industries:

  • Alcoholic Beverages Alcoholic Beverages industry entities brew, distil and manufacture various alcoholic beverages including beer, wine and liquor. Entities in this industry transform agricultural products including sugar, barley and corn, into finished alcoholic beverages. The largest entities have global operations with portfolios of man branded products. Levels of vertical integration within the industry vary because of regulation in different markets. Breweries generally have multiple manufacturing facilities to provide access to different markets, while vintners and distillers typically are located where they have a history of production.
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  • Internet Media & Services The Internet Media & Services industry consists of two main segments. Entities in the Internet Media segment provide search engines and internet advertising channels, online gaming, and online communities such as social networks, as well as content, which is usually easily searchable, such as educational, medical, health, sports or news content. Entities in the internet-based Services segment sell services mainly through the internet. The industry generates revenue primarily from online advertising, usually on free content, with other revenue sources being subscription fees, content sales or the sale of user information to third parties.
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Relevant Issues for both Industries (10 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.

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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    • 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 Entities in the Alcoholic Beverages industry rely on both fuel and purchased electricity as critical inputs. Fossil fuel and electrical energy consumption can contribute to negative environmental impacts, including climate change and pollution. These impacts have the potential to affect the value of entities in this industry since greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions regulations and new incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy could result in increased fossil fuels and conventional electricity price volatility, while making alternative sources more cost-competitive. Entities that manage for increased energy efficiency and use alternative energy sources may increase profitability by reducing both expenses and risks.
    • 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 Water management includes an entity’s direct water use, exposure to water scarcity and management of wastewater. Entities in the Alcoholic Beverages industry use a large amount of water in their operations, since water is a key input for their finished products. Given alcoholic beverage entities’ heavy reliance on large volumes of clean water and water scarcity is increasing in different regions globally, entities may be exposed to supply disruptions that could significantly impact operations and increase costs. Entities operating in water-stressed regions that fail to address local water concerns may risk losing their social license to operate. Improving water management through increased efficiency and recycling, particularly in regions with baseline water stress, can result in lower operating costs, reduced risks and higher intangible asset value.
    • Customer Privacy The category addresses management of risks related to the use of personally identifiable information (PII) and other customer or user data for secondary purposes including but not limited to marketing through affiliates and non-affiliates. The scope of the category includes social issues that may arise from a company’s approach to collecting data, obtaining consent (e.g., opt-in policies), managing user and customer expectations regarding how their data is used, and managing evolving regulation. It excludes social issues arising from cybersecurity risks, which are covered in a separate category.
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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.
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    • Selling Practices & Product Labeling The category addresses social issues that may arise from a failure to manage the transparency, accuracy, and comprehensibility of marketing statements, advertising, and labeling of products and services. It includes, but is not limited to, advertising standards and regulations, ethical and responsible marketing practices, misleading or deceptive labeling, as well as discriminatory or predatory selling and lending practices. This may include deceptive or aggressive selling practices in which incentive structures for employees could encourage the sale of products or services that are not in the best interest of customers or clients.
      • Responsible Drinking & Marketing The irresponsible consumption of alcoholic beverages can lead to negative social externalities such as drunk driving, addiction, underage drinking, death and many other public health issues. Every year, alcohol consumption contributes to millions of deaths worldwide, including a sizeable proportion of underage youth and young adults. The harmful use of alcohol presents an acute concern in countries that lack strong laws to protect against alcohol’s detrimental effects. Entities may be required to internalise the costs of these social externalities through taxes, lawsuits, or reputational harm, which can have substantial financial consequences. Failing to effectively manage social externalities may result in unfavourable regulation and impair the entity’s social licence to operate. Through education, engagement, community partnerships and responsible marketing, particularly to underage individuals, entities can address and mitigate many of the social externalities associated with alcohol misuse. Entities that effectively manage this issue can reduce the likelihood of extraordinary expenses, improve market share and decrease liabilities.
    • Employee Engagement, Diversity & Inclusion The category addresses a company’s ability to ensure that its culture and hiring and promotion practices embrace the building of a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the makeup of local talent pools and its customer base. It addresses the issues of discriminatory practices on the bases of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and other factors.
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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.
      • Packaging Lifecycle Management Packaging materials represent a significant cost to entities in the Alcoholic Beverages industry. Although many alcoholic beverage entities do not manufacture their own bottles and packaging, they face reputational risks associated with the negative externalities that their products’ containers are associated with over their lifecycle. Entities are also directly affected by legislation regarding end-of-life management of beverage containers. Alcoholic beverage entities can work with packaging manufacturers on packaging design to generate cost savings, improve brand reputation and reduce the environmental impact of packaging. Efforts to reduce the amount of material used in packaging can reduce transportation costs, exposure to supply and price volatility and the amount of virgin material extracted for manufacturing. In the end-of-life phase, take-back and recycling programmes and partnerships can meet regulations, help achieve cost savings and reduce environmental impacts. Entities that effectively manage this issue can improve profitability and reduce the cost of capital.
    • Supply Chain Management The category addresses management of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks within a company’s supply chain. It addresses issues associated with environmental and social externalities created by suppliers through their operational activities. Such issues include, but are not limited to, environmental responsibility, human rights, labour practices, and ethics and corruption. Management may involve screening, selection, monitoring, and engagement with suppliers on their environmental and social impacts. The category does not address the impacts of external factors – such as climate change and other environmental and social factors – on suppliers’ operations and/or on the availability and pricing of key resources, which is covered in a separate category.
      • Environmental & Social Impacts of Ingredient Supply Chain Entities in the Alcoholic Beverages industry manage global supply chains to source a wide range of ingredient inputs. How entities screen, monitor and engage with suppliers on environmental and social topics affects entities’ ability to secure supply and manage price fluctuations. Supply chain interruption can cause loss of revenue and negatively impact market share if entities are unable to find alternatives for key suppliers or must source ingredients at a higher cost. Supply chain management issues related to labour practices, environmental responsibility, ethics or corruption may also result in regulatory fines or increased long-term operational costs. The consumer-facing nature of the industry increases the reputational risks associated with supplier actions. Managing an entity’s exposure to environmental and social risks may improve supply chain resiliency and enhance an entity’s reputation. Entities can engage with key suppliers to manage environmental and social risks to improve supply chain resiliency, mitigate reputational risks and potentially increase consumer demand or capture new market opportunities.
    • 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.
      • Ingredient Sourcing Entities in the Alcoholic Beverages industry source a wide range of ingredients, largely agricultural inputs, from suppliers worldwide. The industry’s ability to source ingredients fluctuates with supply availability, which may be affected by climate change, water scarcity, land management and other resource scarcity considerations. This exposure can result in price volatility and can affect entity profitability. Ultimately, climate change, water scarcity and land-use restriction present risks to an entity’s long-term ability to source key materials and ingredients. Entities that source ingredients that are more productive, effectively cultivated and less resource-intensive, or those that work closely with suppliers to increase their adaptability to climate change and manage exposure to other resource scarcity risks may reduce price volatility or supply disruptions.
    • Competitive Behaviour The category covers social issues associated with existence of monopolies, which may include, but are not limited to, excessive prices, poor quality of service, and inefficiencies. It addresses a company’s management of legal and social expectation around monopolistic and anti-competitive practices, including issues related to bargaining power, collusion, price fixing or manipulation, and protection of patents and intellectual property (IP).
      None
  • Internet Media & Services Remove
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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.
      • Environmental Footprint of Hardware Infrastructure With the Internet & Media Services industry providing a growing amount of content and service offerings, entities in this industry increasingly own, operate or rent more data centres and other hardware. Thus, managing the energy and water use associated with IT hardware infrastructure is relevant to value creation. Data centres must be powered continuously. Energy supply disruptions may have a material impact on operations depending on the disruption magnitude and timing. Entities face a trade-off between energy and water consumption because of data centre cooling needs. Cooling data centres with water instead of chillers improves energy efficiency, but this method may create dependence on significant local water resources. Data centre specification decisions are important for managing costs, obtaining a reliable energy and water supply, and reducing reputational risks, particularly with the increasing global regulatory focus on climate change and the opportunities arising from energy efficiency and renewable energy innovations.
    • 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
    • Customer Privacy The category addresses management of risks related to the use of personally identifiable information (PII) and other customer or user data for secondary purposes including but not limited to marketing through affiliates and non-affiliates. The scope of the category includes social issues that may arise from a company’s approach to collecting data, obtaining consent (e.g., opt-in policies), managing user and customer expectations regarding how their data is used, and managing evolving regulation. It excludes social issues arising from cybersecurity risks, which are covered in a separate category.
      • Data Privacy, Advertising Standards & Freedom of Expression Entities in the Internet & Media Services industry rely on customer data to innovate new tools and services, generate revenues through advertising sales, and track and prevent criminal behaviour, such as hacking and online predators targeting children. However, the use and storage of a wide range of customer data, such as personal, demographic, content and behavioural data, raises privacy concerns, resulting in increased regulatory scrutiny in many countries. Entities face reputational risks from providing access to user data to governments, which may raise concerns that governments may use the data to limit citizens’ freedoms. Entities may also face increased costs of compliance associated with the varying local laws or government demands related to censorship of culturally or politically sensitive material on websites. This issue may affect entity profitability through the loss of users and may influence entity decisions to enter, operate in, or exit specific markets.
    • 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 Internet Media & Services entities are targets of growing data security threats from cyber-attacks, which may put customer information and an entity’s own data at risk. Inadequate data security threat prevention, detection and remediation may influence customer acquisition and retention and result in decreased market share or lower demand for the entity’s products or services. By identifying and addressing data security threats in a timely manner, entities may protect brand value and improve customer acquisition and retention. Furthermore, effective management may avoid significant expenses associated with data breaches, which are most commonly directed at recapturing users following a breach.
    • Selling Practices & Product Labeling The category addresses social issues that may arise from a failure to manage the transparency, accuracy, and comprehensibility of marketing statements, advertising, and labeling of products and services. It includes, but is not limited to, advertising standards and regulations, ethical and responsible marketing practices, misleading or deceptive labeling, as well as discriminatory or predatory selling and lending practices. This may include deceptive or aggressive selling practices in which incentive structures for employees could encourage the sale of products or services that are not in the best interest of customers or clients.
      None
    • Employee Engagement, Diversity & Inclusion The category addresses a company’s ability to ensure that its culture and hiring and promotion practices embrace the building of a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the makeup of local talent pools and its customer base. It addresses the issues of discriminatory practices on the bases of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and other factors.
      • Employee Recruitment, Inclusion & Performance Employees are important contributors to value creation in the Internet Media & Services industry. Recruiting qualified employees to fill these positions may be difficult. A shortage of technically skilled employees can create intense competition to acquire highly skilled employees globally, contributing to high employee turnover rates. Entities offer significant monetary and non-monetary benefits to improve employee engagement, retention and productivity. Initiatives to improve employee engagement and work-life balance might influence the recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce. Efforts to recruit and develop globally diverse talent pools may mitigate the talent shortage and improve the value of entity offerings. Greater workforce diversity is important for innovation, and it helps entities understand the needs of a diverse and global customer base.
    • 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
    • Supply Chain Management The category addresses management of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks within a company’s supply chain. It addresses issues associated with environmental and social externalities created by suppliers through their operational activities. Such issues include, but are not limited to, environmental responsibility, human rights, labour practices, and ethics and corruption. Management may involve screening, selection, monitoring, and engagement with suppliers on their environmental and social impacts. The category does not address the impacts of external factors – such as climate change and other environmental and social factors – on suppliers’ operations and/or on the availability and pricing of key resources, which is covered in a separate category.
      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
    • Competitive Behaviour The category covers social issues associated with existence of monopolies, which may include, but are not limited to, excessive prices, poor quality of service, and inefficiencies. It addresses a company’s management of legal and social expectation around monopolistic and anti-competitive practices, including issues related to bargaining power, collusion, price fixing or manipulation, and protection of patents and intellectual property (IP).
      • Intellectual Property Protection & Competitive Behaviour Despite the openness of the Internet, entities in the Internet Media & Services industry spend a significant proportion of revenue on intellectual property (IP) protection, including acquiring patents and copyrights. Although IP protection is inherent to some entity business models and an important driver of innovation, entity IP practices may be a contentious social issue. Entities sometimes may acquire patents and other IP protection to restrict competition and innovation, particularly if they are dominant market players. Because of software complexity, its abstract nature, and increasing IP rights protection related to software, Internet Media & Services entities must navigate overlapping patent claims. As a result, entities in the industry with alleged patent violations may be subject to frequent litigation or increased regulatory scrutiny. Adverse legal or regulatory rulings related to antitrust and IP may expose Internet Media & Services entities to costly and lengthy litigations and potential monetary losses as a result. Such rulings also may affect an entity’s market share and pricing power if its patents or dominant position in important markets are challenged legally, with significant financial consequences. Therefore, entities that balance IP protection and its use to spur innovation while ensuring their IP management and other business practices do not unfairly restrict competition may reduce regulatory scrutiny and legal actions while protecting market value.

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