Industry Comparison
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Current language: English (2023)
You are viewing information about the following Industries:
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Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
The Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals industry develops, manufactures, and markets a range of brand-name and generic medications. A significant portion of the industry is driven by research and development, a high risk of product failure during clinical trials, and the need to obtain regulatory approval. Concerns over pricing practices and consolidation within the sector have created downward pricing pressures. Demand for the industry’s products is largely driving by population demographics, rates of insurance coverage, disease profiles, and economic conditions. -
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.
Relevant Issues for both Industries (15 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
- Energy Management
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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. -
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
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Human Rights & Community Relations
The category addresses management of the relationship between businesses and the communities in which they operate, including, but not limited to, management of direct and indirect impacts on core human rights and the treatment of indigenous peoples. More specifically, such management may cover socio-economic community impacts, community engagement, environmental justice, cultivation of local workforces, impact on local businesses, license to operate, and environmental/social impact assessments. The category does not include environmental impacts such as air pollution or waste which, although they may impact the health and safety of members of local communities, are addressed in separate categories. - Customer Privacy
- Data Security
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Access & Affordability
The category addresses a company’s ability to ensure broad access to its products and services, specifically in the context of underserved markets and/or population groups. It includes the management of issues related to universal needs, such as the accessibility and affordability of health care, financial services, utilities, education, and telecommunications. -
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.
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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
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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Business Model and Innovation
- Product Design & Lifecycle Management
- Business Model Resilience
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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. - Materials Sourcing & Efficiency
- 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.-
Access Standard
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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 -
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.None -
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 -
Human Rights & Community Relations
The category addresses management of the relationship between businesses and the communities in which they operate, including, but not limited to, management of direct and indirect impacts on core human rights and the treatment of indigenous peoples. More specifically, such management may cover socio-economic community impacts, community engagement, environmental justice, cultivation of local workforces, impact on local businesses, license to operate, and environmental/social impact assessments. The category does not include environmental impacts such as air pollution or waste which, although they may impact the health and safety of members of local communities, are addressed in separate categories.-
Safety of Clinical Trial Participants
Clinical trials are an essential part of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical products approval process. Clinical trial participant safety is a critical component of an entity’s ability to bring a product to market successfully. Oversight of these trials is an important factor in the industry because of the numerous clinical trials conducted by third-party contract research organisations. Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals entities that manage clinical trials effectively may enhance shareholder value through the incremental revenue associated with new products.
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Access & Affordability
The category addresses a company’s ability to ensure broad access to its products and services, specifically in the context of underserved markets and/or population groups. It includes the management of issues related to universal needs, such as the accessibility and affordability of health care, financial services, utilities, education, and telecommunications.-
Access to Medicines
Biotechnology and pharmaceuticals entities play an important role in providing access to the industry’s products around the world. Entities may develop product pricing frameworks that account for varying levels of economic development and different health care needs across various countries. Strategies related to improving access to medicines may yield growth opportunities, innovation and unique partnerships, which may enhance shareholder value. -
Affordability & Pricing
Stakeholder emphasis on health care cost containment and increased access may continue to place downward pricing pressures on the Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals industry. As a result, entities that have relied on raising drug prices, contractual advantages and reverse payments to protect profits may be challenged by efforts to reduce costs. Entities that effectively manage their global pricing practices and associated stakeholder scrutiny of pricing practices may limit their risk exposure to regulatory action or adverse reputational effects.
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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.-
Drug Safety
Important product safety information may be discovered after controlled clinical trials and regulatory approval. Subsequently, entities may be exposed to the financial implications of associate adverse events and product recalls. Product safety concerns, manufacturing defects or inadequate disclosure of product-related risks may result in significant product liability claims. Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals entities that mitigate the incidence of product recalls, safety concerns and enforcement actions may better preserve shareholder value. In addition, concern over the abuse or resale of certain medications has resulted in the development of mandated take-back programmes. Entities that successfully engage in these programmes may limit future liabilities.
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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.-
Counterfeit Drugs
Fake or substandard medication presents a significant risk to consumers in all countries. Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals entities may face added costs as jurisdictions implement drug supply chain regulations to prevent counterfeit, substandard or mislabelled drugs from entering the pharmaceutical distribution system. Entities that fail to manage this issue effectively may face material risks associated with the loss of public confidence and reduced revenue.
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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.-
Ethical Marketing
Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals entities face challenges associated with the marketing of specific products. Direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs provide opportunities for increasing market share. However, marketing off-label uses may result in significant fines and settlements. Corporate disclosure of legal and regulatory fines and the codes of ethics that govern marketing activities may allow investors to better understand performance in this area.
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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 -
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, Development & Retention
Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals entities face intense competition for recruiting and retaining employees. The industry relies on highly skilled employees to develop new products, conduct clinical trials, manage government regulations and commercialise new products. Entities that attract and retain employees despite a constrained talent pool may be better positioned to protect and enhance shareholder value.
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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.-
Supply Chain Management
For the Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals industry, managing supply chain quality is essential for protecting consumer health and corporate value. Biotechnology and pharmaceuticals entities that fail to ensure quality throughout their supply chains may be susceptible to lost revenue, supply disruptions and reputational damage. Disclosure of supply chain audit programmes may provide investors with an understanding of how entities in this industry are protecting shareholder value.
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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
Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals entities are subject to various jurisdictional laws and regulations pertaining to bribery, corruption and health care fraud and abuse. The ability of entities to ensure compliance throughout their global and domestic operational footprint may have material implications. Corporate disclosure of legal and regulatory fines and the codes of ethics that govern their interactions with health care professionals may allow investors to monitor performance in this area.
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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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Access Standard
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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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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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Human Rights & Community Relations
The category addresses management of the relationship between businesses and the communities in which they operate, including, but not limited to, management of direct and indirect impacts on core human rights and the treatment of indigenous peoples. More specifically, such management may cover socio-economic community impacts, community engagement, environmental justice, cultivation of local workforces, impact on local businesses, license to operate, and environmental/social impact assessments. The category does not include environmental impacts such as air pollution or waste which, although they may impact the health and safety of members of local communities, are addressed in separate categories.None -
Access & Affordability
The category addresses a company’s ability to ensure broad access to its products and services, specifically in the context of underserved markets and/or population groups. It includes the management of issues related to universal needs, such as the accessibility and affordability of health care, financial services, utilities, education, and telecommunications.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 -
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 -
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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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.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 -
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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General Issue Category
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Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
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Oil & Gas – Services
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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.
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.
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.
Human Rights & Community Relations
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Safety of Clinical Trial Participants
Clinical trials are an essential part of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical products approval process. Clinical trial participant safety is a critical component of an entity’s ability to bring a product to market successfully. Oversight of these trials is an important factor in the industry because of the numerous clinical trials conducted by third-party contract research organisations. Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals entities that manage clinical trials effectively may enhance shareholder value through the incremental revenue associated with new products.
Access & Affordability
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Access to Medicines
Biotechnology and pharmaceuticals entities play an important role in providing access to the industry’s products around the world. Entities may develop product pricing frameworks that account for varying levels of economic development and different health care needs across various countries. Strategies related to improving access to medicines may yield growth opportunities, innovation and unique partnerships, which may enhance shareholder value. -
Affordability & Pricing
Stakeholder emphasis on health care cost containment and increased access may continue to place downward pricing pressures on the Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals industry. As a result, entities that have relied on raising drug prices, contractual advantages and reverse payments to protect profits may be challenged by efforts to reduce costs. Entities that effectively manage their global pricing practices and associated stakeholder scrutiny of pricing practices may limit their risk exposure to regulatory action or adverse reputational effects.
Product Quality & Safety
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Drug Safety
Important product safety information may be discovered after controlled clinical trials and regulatory approval. Subsequently, entities may be exposed to the financial implications of associate adverse events and product recalls. Product safety concerns, manufacturing defects or inadequate disclosure of product-related risks may result in significant product liability claims. Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals entities that mitigate the incidence of product recalls, safety concerns and enforcement actions may better preserve shareholder value. In addition, concern over the abuse or resale of certain medications has resulted in the development of mandated take-back programmes. Entities that successfully engage in these programmes may limit future liabilities.
Customer Welfare
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Counterfeit Drugs
Fake or substandard medication presents a significant risk to consumers in all countries. Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals entities may face added costs as jurisdictions implement drug supply chain regulations to prevent counterfeit, substandard or mislabelled drugs from entering the pharmaceutical distribution system. Entities that fail to manage this issue effectively may face material risks associated with the loss of public confidence and reduced revenue.
Selling Practices & Product Labeling
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Ethical Marketing
Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals entities face challenges associated with the marketing of specific products. Direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs provide opportunities for increasing market share. However, marketing off-label uses may result in significant fines and settlements. Corporate disclosure of legal and regulatory fines and the codes of ethics that govern marketing activities may allow investors to better understand performance in this area.
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.
Employee Engagement, Diversity & Inclusion
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Employee Recruitment, Development & Retention
Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals entities face intense competition for recruiting and retaining employees. The industry relies on highly skilled employees to develop new products, conduct clinical trials, manage government regulations and commercialise new products. Entities that attract and retain employees despite a constrained talent pool may be better positioned to protect and enhance shareholder value.
Supply Chain Management
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Supply Chain Management
For the Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals industry, managing supply chain quality is essential for protecting consumer health and corporate value. Biotechnology and pharmaceuticals entities that fail to ensure quality throughout their supply chains may be susceptible to lost revenue, supply disruptions and reputational damage. Disclosure of supply chain audit programmes may provide investors with an understanding of how entities in this industry are protecting shareholder value.
Business Ethics
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Business Ethics
Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals entities are subject to various jurisdictional laws and regulations pertaining to bribery, corruption and health care fraud and abuse. The ability of entities to ensure compliance throughout their global and domestic operational footprint may have material implications. Corporate disclosure of legal and regulatory fines and the codes of ethics that govern their interactions with health care professionals may allow investors to monitor performance in this area.
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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.
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.