Industry Comparison

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You are viewing information about the following Industries:

Tobacco
The Tobacco industry is comprised of entities that manufacture tobacco products including cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco products. Many large tobacco entities operate globally. Entities may obtain or sell exclusive rights to sell certain brands of cigarettes in diverse markets. Most tobacco is grown by independent tobacco farmers, who typically sell their crops to tobacco merchants or to manufacturers under contract.
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Appliance Manufacturing
Appliance Manufacturing industry entities design and manufacture household appliances and hand tools. Entities in this industry sell and manufacture products all over the world, primarily selling products to consumers through retailers.
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Relevant Issues for both Industries (4 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
- GHG Emissions
- Air Quality
- Energy Management
- Water & Wastewater Management
- Waste & Hazardous Materials Management
- Ecological Impacts
Social Capital
- Human Rights & Community Relations
- Customer Privacy
- Data Security
- Access & Affordability
- 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
  The category addresses customer welfare concerns over issues including, but not limited to, health and nutrition of foods and beverages, antibiotic use in animal production, and management of controlled substances. The category addresses the company’s ability to provide consumers with manufactured products and services that are aligned with societal expectations. It does not include issues directly related to quality and safety malfunctions of manufactured products and services, but instead addresses qualities inherent to the design and delivery of products and services where customer welfare may be in question. The scope of the category also captures companies’ ability to prevent counterfeit products.
- 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.
Human Capital
- Labour Practices
- Employee Health & Safety
- Employee Engagement, Diversity & Inclusion
Business Model and Innovation
- 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
- Materials Sourcing & Efficiency
- Physical Impacts of Climate Change
Leadership and Governance
- Business Ethics
- Competitive Behaviour
- Management of the Legal & Regulatory Environment
- Critical Incident Risk Management
- Systemic Risk Management

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.

Tobacco Remove
Access Standard
- 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
- Customer Welfare
  The category addresses customer welfare concerns over issues including, but not limited to, health and nutrition of foods and beverages, antibiotic use in animal production, and management of controlled substances. The category addresses the company’s ability to provide consumers with manufactured products and services that are aligned with societal expectations. It does not include issues directly related to quality and safety malfunctions of manufactured products and services, but instead addresses qualities inherent to the design and delivery of products and services where customer welfare may be in question. The scope of the category also captures companies’ ability to prevent counterfeit products.
  - Public Health
    Tobacco use can create serious health risks as established by many scientific studies over the past several decades. Health problems associated with tobacco include lung disease, cancer and heart disease. Tobacco product manufacturers have faced lawsuits from individuals, governments, corporations and other groups. In some cases, these lawsuits resulted in significant settlements. A growing public awareness of the associated health risks has driven down tobacco use dramatically in many countries. Tobacco product manufacturers are introducing an array of ‘harm reduction’ products, such as non-tobacco nicotine products and heated tobacco products, seeking to minimise the health impacts of tobacco use while accessing new markets. Scientific studies questioning these assertions of harm reduction may emerge, with continuing effects on entity revenue and growth potential.
- 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.
  - Marketing Practices
    Tobacco product labelling and marketing is regulated heavily internationally. The World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) has encouraged many countries to introduce new, stricter regulatory approaches to prevent people from using tobacco at an early age through transparent advertising about tobacco’s health risks. The industry has faced costly legal battles related to the marketing and advertising of its products. Marketing for combustible and new non-combustible products must balance regulatory requirements with the need to reach new markets. Failing to effectively manage negative social externalities may result in further unfavourable regulation and may impair the industry’s social licence to operate. Entities that effectively manage this issue may avoid extraordinary expenses, preserve market share and decrease contingent liabilities.
- 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
Appliance Manufacturing Remove
Access Standard
- 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 of utmost importance to appliance and tool manufacturers. When an appliance malfunctions, fires or other resulting hazards may damage property, cause injury or even result in death. The potential for product malfunction and consequences exposes firms to litigation and negative consumer sentiment risks, which can affect brand value, revenue growth or market share. Entities issuing product recalls face upfront costs for logistics and customer reimbursement, reputational risks and lost sales. Failure to report known product safety hazards to relevant authorities can result in civil penalties. Entities that effectively manage quality control and testing can minimise the possibility of a product malfunction or recall, capture additional market share, and limit exposure to regulatory and litigation risks.
- Customer Welfare
  The category addresses customer welfare concerns over issues including, but not limited to, health and nutrition of foods and beverages, antibiotic use in animal production, and management of controlled substances. The category addresses the company’s ability to provide consumers with manufactured products and services that are aligned with societal expectations. It does not include issues directly related to quality and safety malfunctions of manufactured products and services, but instead addresses qualities inherent to the design and delivery of products and services where customer welfare may be in question. The scope of the category also captures companies’ ability to prevent counterfeit products.
  
  None
- 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
- 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.
  - Product Lifecycle Environmental Impacts
    Entities in the Appliance Manufacturing industry seek to differentiate their products from those of competitors. One important differentiating factor is the lifecycle environmental impact of products and an entity’s ability to design products with the entire lifecycle in mind, from creation and use to disposal. This includes appliance energy and water efficiency, which account for a significant proportion of a home’s energy and water use, as well as designing for and facilitating safe end-of-life disposal and recycling. Entities designing and manufacturing products to decrease lifecycle environmental impacts are more likely to increase market share owing to a lower cost of ownership, and they may better manage increased regulation related to issues such as extended producer responsibility.

General Issue Category

Remove Tobacco Access Standard

Remove Appliance Manufacturing Access Standard

Product Quality & Safety

Product Safety
Product safety is of utmost importance to appliance and tool manufacturers. When an appliance malfunctions, fires or other resulting hazards may damage property, cause injury or even result in death. The potential for product malfunction and consequences exposes firms to litigation and negative consumer sentiment risks, which can affect brand value, revenue growth or market share. Entities issuing product recalls face upfront costs for logistics and customer reimbursement, reputational risks and lost sales. Failure to report known product safety hazards to relevant authorities can result in civil penalties. Entities that effectively manage quality control and testing can minimise the possibility of a product malfunction or recall, capture additional market share, and limit exposure to regulatory and litigation risks.

Customer Welfare

Public Health
Tobacco use can create serious health risks as established by many scientific studies over the past several decades. Health problems associated with tobacco include lung disease, cancer and heart disease. Tobacco product manufacturers have faced lawsuits from individuals, governments, corporations and other groups. In some cases, these lawsuits resulted in significant settlements. A growing public awareness of the associated health risks has driven down tobacco use dramatically in many countries. Tobacco product manufacturers are introducing an array of ‘harm reduction’ products, such as non-tobacco nicotine products and heated tobacco products, seeking to minimise the health impacts of tobacco use while accessing new markets. Scientific studies questioning these assertions of harm reduction may emerge, with continuing effects on entity revenue and growth potential.

Selling Practices & Product Labeling

Marketing Practices
Tobacco product labelling and marketing is regulated heavily internationally. The World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) has encouraged many countries to introduce new, stricter regulatory approaches to prevent people from using tobacco at an early age through transparent advertising about tobacco’s health risks. The industry has faced costly legal battles related to the marketing and advertising of its products. Marketing for combustible and new non-combustible products must balance regulatory requirements with the need to reach new markets. Failing to effectively manage negative social externalities may result in further unfavourable regulation and may impair the industry’s social licence to operate. Entities that effectively manage this issue may avoid extraordinary expenses, preserve market share and decrease contingent liabilities.

Product Design & Lifecycle Management

Product Lifecycle Environmental Impacts
Entities in the Appliance Manufacturing industry seek to differentiate their products from those of competitors. One important differentiating factor is the lifecycle environmental impact of products and an entity’s ability to design products with the entire lifecycle in mind, from creation and use to disposal. This includes appliance energy and water efficiency, which account for a significant proportion of a home’s energy and water use, as well as designing for and facilitating safe end-of-life disposal and recycling. Entities designing and manufacturing products to decrease lifecycle environmental impacts are more likely to increase market share owing to a lower cost of ownership, and they may better manage increased regulation related to issues such as extended producer responsibility.

Relevant Issues for both Industries (4 of 26)

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