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Drug Retailers
Drug Retailers industry entities operate retail pharmacies and distribution centres that supply retail stores. Stores may be entity-owned or franchised. Large entities source drugs and other merchandise through wholesalers and distributors. Consumer sales of prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical products generate a majority of the industry’s revenue; other goods sold include household goods, personal care products and a limited selection of groceries. Additionally, the pharmacy retailer segment is expanding its health-focused services by offering clinics at various retail locations, which may add to the industry’s shifting sustainability landscape.
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Education
The Education industry includes education institutions that are profit-seeking and generate revenue from student fees. At the primary and secondary levels, this includes mostly education management organisations (EMOs) and some businesses. At the tertiary (or higher) level, services are delivered on a full-time, part-time, distance-learning, and occasional basis across establishments such as junior colleges, business and secretarial schools, colleges, universities, and professional schools including medical, pharmaceutical, and veterinary programs. An increasing number of students in for-profit universities take courses online.
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Relevant Issues for both Industries (5 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
  The category addresses environmental impacts associated with energy consumption. It addresses the company’s management of energy in manufacturing and/or for provision of products and services derived from utility providers (grid energy) not owned or controlled by the company. More specifically, it includes management of energy efficiency and intensity, energy mix, as well as grid reliance. Upstream (e.g., suppliers) and downstream (e.g., product use) energy use is not included in the scope.
- Water & Wastewater Management
- Waste & Hazardous Materials Management
- Ecological Impacts
Social Capital
- Human Rights & Community Relations
- Customer Privacy
- Data Security
  The category addresses management of risks related to collection, retention, and use of sensitive, confidential, and/or proprietary customer or user data. It includes social issues that may arise from incidents such as data breaches in which personally identifiable information (PII) and other user or customer data may be exposed. It addresses a company’s strategy, policies, and practices related to IT infrastructure, staff training, record keeping, cooperation with law enforcement, and other mechanisms used to ensure security of customer or user data.
- Access & Affordability
- 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
- 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.

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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 in Retail
    Chain drug retailers operate thousands of locations that consume large quantities of energy. Electricity is used primarily for lighting and refrigeration. Many retail locations may operate 24 hours a day, thereby increasing energy demand. Operational energy efficiency and diversification among a range of energy supply sources may mitigate exposure to rising energy costs and limit an entity’s indirect greenhouse gas emissions.
- 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 & Privacy
    Drug Retailers, as distributors of prescription medication and operators of retail health clinics, access and manage protected health information. The legal obligation to safeguard customer information includes the proper handling of sensitive information by staff in pharmacies and clinics, as well as the safe storage of information on physical and electronic media. Cyber attacks may compromise health information stored electronically, along with customers’ financial and personal data. Drug retailers that prevent major data breaches, including point-of-sales breaches and cyber attacks, can preserve brand value, reduce contingent liabilities and maintain market share.
- 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 Supply Chain Integrity
    The Drug Retailers industry supply chain is long and complex, consisting of distribution networks between manufacturers and retailers. Ensuring the quality and safety of pharmaceutical and healthcare products is critical to preserving brand value. The industry faces risks associated with counterfeit drugs, and effective supply chain management is essential in mitigating these challenges. Drug Retailers that effectively manage their supply chains may avoid costs related to recalls, and such incidents may present significant risks to customers. The prevalence of store-brand products, which constitute a growing portion of sales, increases the importance of this issue.
- 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.
  - Management of Controlled Substances
    Drug Retailers are distributors and sellers of a wide variety of controlled substances. Within this industry, the high volume of drugs processed and dispensed, along with the extensive retail and distribution networks of larger entities, increase the risk of theft, loss and illegal drug dispensing. These actions may result in adverse social externalities, including public health consequences related to drug abuse and the illicit drug trade. Drug Retailers may participate in jurisdictional drug monitoring programmes to mitigate some of the social issues associated with dispensing controlled substances. Furthermore, regulatory enforcement may result in fines and licence suspensions. Strong internal management of controlled substances may mitigate these risks and protect shareholder value in the long term.
  - Patient Health Outcomes
    Drug Retailers and pharmacists play an important role in the health care system, since they provide patients with medications and are often the last health care professionals to interact with patients before medications are consumed. Drug Retailers may enhance patient outcomes by improving communication, avoiding dispensing errors and raising patients’ drug-adherence rates. Pharmacies may engage and educate patients regarding the importance of adhering to prescriptions, which provides beneficial outcomes for patients as well as for businesses. Entities that effectively manage these interactions while avoiding dispensing errors may better protect shareholder value.
- 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
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- Energy Management
  The category addresses environmental impacts associated with energy consumption. It addresses the company’s management of energy in manufacturing and/or for provision of products and services derived from utility providers (grid energy) not owned or controlled by the company. More specifically, it includes management of energy efficiency and intensity, energy mix, as well as grid reliance. Upstream (e.g., suppliers) and downstream (e.g., product use) energy use is not included in the scope.
  
  None
- 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
    Colleges and universities are frequent and compelling targets for cyber criminals. The industry may face data security risks because of the large number of personal records processed and stored, the mix of intellectual property and personally identifiable information held (for example, national identification numbers, vaccination records or other information required for admission), and the open, collabourative environment of many campuses. The exposure of sensitive information through cybersecurity breaches, other malicious activities or student negligence may result in significant social externalities such as identity fraud and theft. Data breaches may compromise public perception of the effectiveness of a school’s security measures, which may result in reputational damage and difficulty in attracting and retaining students, as well as significant costs to fix the consequences of a breach and prevent future breaches. Enhanced disclosure regarding the number and nature of security breaches, management strategies to address these risks, and policies and procedures to protect student information may allow investors to understand the effectiveness of management strategies that schools employ regarding this issue.
- 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.
  - Quality of Education & Gainful Employment
    Increasing tuition payments require more students to finance their education with government and private loans. Rapid growth in student debt creates significant economic and social negative externalities if student loans go into default. Many programmes at for-profit colleges prepare students for gainful employment in recognised occupations. Entities that provide high-quality education and facilitate completion of programmes increase the chances of graduates obtaining employment and paying their loans. In the absence of sufficient educational and career management support, students may graduate with high debt and few skills valued by employers. Entities that perform poorly on accountability metrics such as graduation rates, default rates and job placement rates may jeopardise important governmental funding sources. At the same time, transparent disclosure of these metrics to prospective students is related directly to institutions’ ability to attract and retain students.
- 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 & Recruiting Practices
    For-profit education entities that grow the number of students that they admit and enrol will increase revenue. Therefore, entities may adopt aggressive recruitment strategies, such as spending significant amounts of money on marketing rather than on instruction and student services. Such aggressive recruiting practices have resulted in additional public and regulatory scrutiny of for-profit education entities. Using false or misleading advertisements to recruit prospective students may result in significant fines for entities and loss of eligibility for government-funded student loans. Limited funding sources may create incentives for entities to mislead students into taking private loans they are unable to repay, presenting a significant reputational risk to entities in the industry. Enhanced disclosure may allow investors to understand entity policies and practices for marketing and recruiting to attract students.

General Issue Category

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Energy Management

Energy Management in Retail
Chain drug retailers operate thousands of locations that consume large quantities of energy. Electricity is used primarily for lighting and refrigeration. Many retail locations may operate 24 hours a day, thereby increasing energy demand. Operational energy efficiency and diversification among a range of energy supply sources may mitigate exposure to rising energy costs and limit an entity’s indirect greenhouse gas emissions.

Data Security

Data Security & Privacy
Drug Retailers, as distributors of prescription medication and operators of retail health clinics, access and manage protected health information. The legal obligation to safeguard customer information includes the proper handling of sensitive information by staff in pharmacies and clinics, as well as the safe storage of information on physical and electronic media. Cyber attacks may compromise health information stored electronically, along with customers’ financial and personal data. Drug retailers that prevent major data breaches, including point-of-sales breaches and cyber attacks, can preserve brand value, reduce contingent liabilities and maintain market share.

Data Security
Colleges and universities are frequent and compelling targets for cyber criminals. The industry may face data security risks because of the large number of personal records processed and stored, the mix of intellectual property and personally identifiable information held (for example, national identification numbers, vaccination records or other information required for admission), and the open, collabourative environment of many campuses. The exposure of sensitive information through cybersecurity breaches, other malicious activities or student negligence may result in significant social externalities such as identity fraud and theft. Data breaches may compromise public perception of the effectiveness of a school’s security measures, which may result in reputational damage and difficulty in attracting and retaining students, as well as significant costs to fix the consequences of a breach and prevent future breaches. Enhanced disclosure regarding the number and nature of security breaches, management strategies to address these risks, and policies and procedures to protect student information may allow investors to understand the effectiveness of management strategies that schools employ regarding this issue.

Product Quality & Safety

Drug Supply Chain Integrity
The Drug Retailers industry supply chain is long and complex, consisting of distribution networks between manufacturers and retailers. Ensuring the quality and safety of pharmaceutical and healthcare products is critical to preserving brand value. The industry faces risks associated with counterfeit drugs, and effective supply chain management is essential in mitigating these challenges. Drug Retailers that effectively manage their supply chains may avoid costs related to recalls, and such incidents may present significant risks to customers. The prevalence of store-brand products, which constitute a growing portion of sales, increases the importance of this issue.

Customer Welfare

Management of Controlled Substances
Drug Retailers are distributors and sellers of a wide variety of controlled substances. Within this industry, the high volume of drugs processed and dispensed, along with the extensive retail and distribution networks of larger entities, increase the risk of theft, loss and illegal drug dispensing. These actions may result in adverse social externalities, including public health consequences related to drug abuse and the illicit drug trade. Drug Retailers may participate in jurisdictional drug monitoring programmes to mitigate some of the social issues associated with dispensing controlled substances. Furthermore, regulatory enforcement may result in fines and licence suspensions. Strong internal management of controlled substances may mitigate these risks and protect shareholder value in the long term.
Patient Health Outcomes
Drug Retailers and pharmacists play an important role in the health care system, since they provide patients with medications and are often the last health care professionals to interact with patients before medications are consumed. Drug Retailers may enhance patient outcomes by improving communication, avoiding dispensing errors and raising patients’ drug-adherence rates. Pharmacies may engage and educate patients regarding the importance of adhering to prescriptions, which provides beneficial outcomes for patients as well as for businesses. Entities that effectively manage these interactions while avoiding dispensing errors may better protect shareholder value.

Quality of Education & Gainful Employment
Increasing tuition payments require more students to finance their education with government and private loans. Rapid growth in student debt creates significant economic and social negative externalities if student loans go into default. Many programmes at for-profit colleges prepare students for gainful employment in recognised occupations. Entities that provide high-quality education and facilitate completion of programmes increase the chances of graduates obtaining employment and paying their loans. In the absence of sufficient educational and career management support, students may graduate with high debt and few skills valued by employers. Entities that perform poorly on accountability metrics such as graduation rates, default rates and job placement rates may jeopardise important governmental funding sources. At the same time, transparent disclosure of these metrics to prospective students is related directly to institutions’ ability to attract and retain students.

Selling Practices & Product Labeling

Marketing & Recruiting Practices
For-profit education entities that grow the number of students that they admit and enrol will increase revenue. Therefore, entities may adopt aggressive recruitment strategies, such as spending significant amounts of money on marketing rather than on instruction and student services. Such aggressive recruiting practices have resulted in additional public and regulatory scrutiny of for-profit education entities. Using false or misleading advertisements to recruit prospective students may result in significant fines for entities and loss of eligibility for government-funded student loans. Limited funding sources may create incentives for entities to mislead students into taking private loans they are unable to repay, presenting a significant reputational risk to entities in the industry. Enhanced disclosure may allow investors to understand entity policies and practices for marketing and recruiting to attract students.

Relevant Issues for both Industries (5 of 26)

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