Industry Comparison

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Current language: English (2023)

You are viewing information about the following Industries:

  • Telecommunication Services Telecommunication Services industry entities provide a range of services from wireless and wireline telecommunications to cable and satellite services. The wireless services segment provides direct communication through radio-based cellular networks and operates and maintains the associated switching and transmission facilities. The wireline segment provides local and long-distance voice communication via the Public Switched Telephone Network. Wireline carriers also offer voice over internet protocol (VoIP) telephone, television and broadband internet services over an expanding network of fibre optic cables. Cable providers distribute television programming from cable networks to subscribers. They typically also provide consumers with video services, high-speed internet service and VoIP. Traditionally, these services are bundled into packages that charge subscribers a single payment. Satellite entities distribute TV programming through broadcasting satellites orbiting the earth or through ground stations. Entities serve customers primarily in their domestic markets, although some entities operate in more than one country.
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  • Alcoholic Beverages Alcoholic Beverages industry entities brew, distil and manufacture various alcoholic beverages including beer, wine and liquor. Entities in this industry transform agricultural products including sugar, barley and corn, into finished alcoholic beverages. The largest entities have global operations with portfolios of man branded products. Levels of vertical integration within the industry vary because of regulation in different markets. Breweries generally have multiple manufacturing facilities to provide access to different markets, while vintners and distillers typically are located where they have a history of production.
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Relevant Issues for both Industries (10 of 26)

Why are some issues greyed out? The SASB Standards vary by industry based on the different sustainability-related risks and opportunities within an industry. The issues in grey were not identified during the standard-setting process as the most likely to be useful to investors, so they are not included in the Standard. Over time, as the ISSB continues to receive market feedback, some issues may be added or removed from the Standard. Each company determines which sustainability-related risks and opportunities are relevant to its business. The Standard is designed for the typical company in an industry, but individual companies may choose to report on different sustainability-related risks and opportunities based on their unique business model.

Disclosure Topics

What is the relationship between General Issue Category and Disclosure Topics? The General Issue Category is an industry-agnostic version of the Disclosure Topics that appear in each SASB Standard. Disclosure topics represent the industry-specific impacts of General Issue Categories. The industry-specific Disclosure Topics ensure each SASB Standard is tailored to the industry, while the General Issue Categories enable comparability across industries. For example, Health & Nutrition is a disclosure topic in the Non-Alcoholic Beverages industry, representing an industry-specific measure of the general issue of Customer Welfare. The issue of Customer Welfare, however, manifests as the Counterfeit Drugs disclosure topic in the Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals industry.
  • Telecommunication Services Remove
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    • Energy Management The category addresses environmental impacts associated with energy consumption. It addresses the company’s management of energy in manufacturing and/or for provision of products and services derived from utility providers (grid energy) not owned or controlled by the company. More specifically, it includes management of energy efficiency and intensity, energy mix, as well as grid reliance. Upstream (e.g., suppliers) and downstream (e.g., product use) energy use is not included in the scope.
      • Environmental Footprint of Operations Individual Telecommunication Services entities consume substantial amounts of energy. Depending on the source of energy and generation efficiency, electricity consumption by telecom network infrastructure can contribute significantly to environmental externalities, such as climate change, creating sustainability risks for the industry. Although network equipment and data centres are becoming more energy efficient, their overall energy consumption is increasing with the expansion in telecommunications infrastructure and data traffic. How Telecommunication Services entities manage their overall energy efficiency or intensity, reliance on different types of energy, and how they access alternative sources of energy may become increasingly material as the global regulatory focus on climate change increases, creating incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy as well as pricing of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Because energy expenditures may be significant in the industry, entities that improve operational energy efficiency may increase cost savings and profit margins.
    • 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.
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    • Customer Privacy The category addresses management of risks related to the use of personally identifiable information (PII) and other customer or user data for secondary purposes including but not limited to marketing through affiliates and non-affiliates. The scope of the category includes social issues that may arise from a company’s approach to collecting data, obtaining consent (e.g., opt-in policies), managing user and customer expectations regarding how their data is used, and managing evolving regulation. It excludes social issues arising from cybersecurity risks, which are covered in a separate category.
      • Data Privacy As customers increasingly pay attention to privacy issues associated with cell phone, internet and email services, Telecommunication Services entities must implement strong management practices and guidelines related to their use of customer data. Telecommunication Services entities use growing volumes of customer location, web browsing and demographic data to improve their services as well as generate revenue by selling such data to third parties. Growing public concern about privacy may result in increased regulatory scrutiny over the use, collection and sale of consumer data. These trends increase the importance of Telecommunication Services entities adopting and communicating policies about providing customer data to third parties transparently, including the amount and type of data provided and the nature of its use (for example, use for commercial purposes). Additionally, Telecommunication Services entities receive, and must determine whether to comply with, government requests for customer information. Entities in the industry that fail to manage data privacy may be susceptible to decreased revenues because of lost consumer confidence and churn, as well as to financial effects stemming from legal exposures.
    • 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 The Telecommunication Services industry is particularly vulnerable to data security threats because entities manage an increasing volume of customer data, including personally identifiable information, as well as demographic, behavioural and location data. Inadequate prevention, detection and remediation of data security threats may influence customer acquisition and retention and result in decreased market share and lower demand for the entity’s products. In addition to reputational damage and increased customer turnover, data breaches also may result in increased expenses, commonly associated with remediation efforts such as identity protection offerings and employee training on data protection. As the providers of critical infrastructure, the ability of entities to combat cyber-attacks may affect reputation and brand value, with a long-term effect on market share and revenue growth potential. Therefore, entities that identify and manage data security risks in a timely manner may be in a better position to protect market share and brand value while also reducing risk exposure to cyber-attacks. Additionally, new and emerging data security standards and regulations may affect the operating expenses of entities through increased costs of compliance.
    • 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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    • 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.
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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.
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    • Materials Sourcing & Efficiency The category addresses issues related to the resilience of materials supply chains to impacts of climate change and other external environmental and social factors. It captures the impacts of such external factors on operational activity of suppliers, which can further affect availability and pricing of key resources. It addresses a company’s ability to manage these risks through product design, manufacturing, and end-of-life management, such as by using of recycled and renewable materials, reducing the use of key materials (dematerialization), maximizing resource efficiency in manufacturing, and making R&D investments in substitute materials. Additionally, companies can manage these issues by screening, selection, monitoring, and engagement with suppliers to ensure their resilience to external risks. It does not address issues associated with environmental and social externalities created by operational activity of individual suppliers, which is covered in a separate category.
      • Product End-of-life Management Because of the rapid obsolescence of communications devices, particularly mobile phones, they represent an increasing proportion of electronic waste (e-waste) going to landfills, driven in part by a low recycling rate. Telecommunication Services entities face growing regulatory risks related to this issue. Numerous jurisdictions have implemented e-waste recycling laws mandating that electronics retailers and manufacturers create a system for recycling, reuse or proper disposal of electronic devices. Although in their early days many of these laws covered a limited scope of products, recent laws extend to mobile devices, requiring entities to finance the collection, treatment, recycling or proper disposal of e-waste, as concerns around e-waste from communications devices increase. E-waste laws often require vendors or manufacturers to pay for waste recycling or product take-back and recycling programmes. Penalties or costs, because of such laws, together with potential revenues generated from refurbishing and re-selling products, increasingly are providing incentives for entities in the industry to manage end-of-life impacts. Many Telecommunication Services entities work in partnership with phone manufacturers to bundle telecom services and mobile devices, and therefore have a shared responsibility for end-of-life management of such devices. Their relationship with customers provides an opportunity for effective management of product recycling, reuse and disposal. Establishing take-back programmes to recover end-of-life materials for further reuse, recycling or remanufacturing may increase cost savings and develop a more resilient supply of manufacturing materials.
    • Competitive Behaviour The category covers social issues associated with existence of monopolies, which may include, but are not limited to, excessive prices, poor quality of service, and inefficiencies. It addresses a company’s management of legal and social expectation around monopolistic and anti-competitive practices, including issues related to bargaining power, collusion, price fixing or manipulation, and protection of patents and intellectual property (IP).
      • Competitive Behaviour & Open Internet The Telecommunication Services industry contains classic examples of natural monopolies, where high capital costs allow them to offer the most efficient production. Given the concentrated nature of telecommunications, cable and satellite entities, they must manage their growth strategies within the parameters of a regulatory landscape designed to ensure competition. In addition to natural monopoly, many entities in this industry benefit from terminal access monopolies over the so-called ‘last-mile’ of their networks, given their contractual relationship with each subscriber and the barriers for subscribers to change service providers. The nature of this relationship is the basis of much of the discussion regarding an open internet, where all data on the internet is treated equally in terms of performance and access. The industry faces legislative and regulatory actions to ensure competition, which may limit the market share and growth potential of some larger players. Merger and acquisition activity by dominant market players has come under regulatory scrutiny. This has resulted in entities abandoning plans to consolidate, affecting their value. Strong reliance on market dominance also may be a source of risk if entities are vulnerable to legal challenges, increasing their risk profile and cost of capital.
    • Systemic Risk Management The category addresses the company’s contributions to or management of systemic risks resulting from large-scale weakening or collapse of systems upon which the economy and society depend. This includes financial systems, natural resource systems, and technological systems. It addresses the mechanisms a company has in place to reduce its contributions to systemic risks and to improve safeguards that may mitigate the impacts of systemic failure. For financial institutions, the category also captures the company’s ability to absorb shocks arising from financial and economic stress and meet stricter regulatory requirements related to the complexity and interconnectedness of companies in the industry.
      • Managing Systemic Risks from Technology Disruptions Given the systemic importance of telecommunications networks, systemic or economy-wide disruption may result if the Telecommunication Services network infrastructure is unreliable and prone to business continuity risks. As the frequency of extreme weather events associated with climate change increases, Telecommunication Services entities may face growing physical threats to network infrastructure, with potentially significant social or systemic impacts. In the absence of resilient and reliable infrastructure, entities may lose revenue associated with service disruptions or face unplanned capital expenditures to repair damaged or compromised equipment. Entities that successfully manage business continuity risks, including identifying critical business operations, and that enhance resilience of the system may substantially reduce their risk exposure and decrease their cost of capital. While implementation of such measures may have upfront costs, entities may gain long-term benefits in terms of lower remediation expenses in cases of high-impact disruptions.
  • Alcoholic Beverages Remove
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    • Energy Management The category addresses environmental impacts associated with energy consumption. It addresses the company’s management of energy in manufacturing and/or for provision of products and services derived from utility providers (grid energy) not owned or controlled by the company. More specifically, it includes management of energy efficiency and intensity, energy mix, as well as grid reliance. Upstream (e.g., suppliers) and downstream (e.g., product use) energy use is not included in the scope.
      • Energy Management Entities in the Alcoholic Beverages industry rely on both fuel and purchased electricity as critical inputs. Fossil fuel and electrical energy consumption can contribute to negative environmental impacts, including climate change and pollution. These impacts have the potential to affect the value of entities in this industry since greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions regulations and new incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy could result in increased fossil fuels and conventional electricity price volatility, while making alternative sources more cost-competitive. Entities that manage for increased energy efficiency and use alternative energy sources may increase profitability by reducing both expenses and risks.
    • Water & Wastewater Management The category addresses a company’s water use, water consumption, wastewater generation, and other impacts of operations on water resources, which may be influenced by regional differences in the availability and quality of and competition for water resources. More specifically, it addresses management strategies including, but not limited to, water efficiency, intensity, and recycling. Lastly, the category also addresses management of wastewater treatment and discharge, including groundwater and aquifer pollution.
      • Water Management Water management includes an entity’s direct water use, exposure to water scarcity and management of wastewater. Entities in the Alcoholic Beverages industry use a large amount of water in their operations, since water is a key input for their finished products. Given alcoholic beverage entities’ heavy reliance on large volumes of clean water and water scarcity is increasing in different regions globally, entities may be exposed to supply disruptions that could significantly impact operations and increase costs. Entities operating in water-stressed regions that fail to address local water concerns may risk losing their social license to operate. Improving water management through increased efficiency and recycling, particularly in regions with baseline water stress, can result in lower operating costs, reduced risks and higher intangible asset value.
    • Customer Privacy The category addresses management of risks related to the use of personally identifiable information (PII) and other customer or user data for secondary purposes including but not limited to marketing through affiliates and non-affiliates. The scope of the category includes social issues that may arise from a company’s approach to collecting data, obtaining consent (e.g., opt-in policies), managing user and customer expectations regarding how their data is used, and managing evolving regulation. It excludes social issues arising from cybersecurity risks, which are covered in a separate category.
      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.
      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.
      • Responsible Drinking & Marketing The irresponsible consumption of alcoholic beverages can lead to negative social externalities such as drunk driving, addiction, underage drinking, death and many other public health issues. Every year, alcohol consumption contributes to millions of deaths worldwide, including a sizeable proportion of underage youth and young adults. The harmful use of alcohol presents an acute concern in countries that lack strong laws to protect against alcohol’s detrimental effects. Entities may be required to internalise the costs of these social externalities through taxes, lawsuits, or reputational harm, which can have substantial financial consequences. Failing to effectively manage social externalities may result in unfavourable regulation and impair the entity’s social licence to operate. Through education, engagement, community partnerships and responsible marketing, particularly to underage individuals, entities can address and mitigate many of the social externalities associated with alcohol misuse. Entities that effectively manage this issue can reduce the likelihood of extraordinary expenses, improve market share and decrease liabilities.
    • Product Design & Lifecycle Management The category addresses incorporation of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations in characteristics of products and services provided or sold by the company. It includes, but is not limited to, managing the lifecycle impacts of products and services, such as those related to packaging, distribution, use-phase resource intensity, and other environmental and social externalities that may occur during their use-phase or at the end of life. The category captures a company’s ability to address customer and societal demand for more sustainable products and services as well as to meet evolving environmental and social regulation. It does not address direct environmental or social impacts of the company’s operations nor does it address health and safety risks to consumers from product use, which are covered in other categories.
      • Packaging Lifecycle Management Packaging materials represent a significant cost to entities in the Alcoholic Beverages industry. Although many alcoholic beverage entities do not manufacture their own bottles and packaging, they face reputational risks associated with the negative externalities that their products’ containers are associated with over their lifecycle. Entities are also directly affected by legislation regarding end-of-life management of beverage containers. Alcoholic beverage entities can work with packaging manufacturers on packaging design to generate cost savings, improve brand reputation and reduce the environmental impact of packaging. Efforts to reduce the amount of material used in packaging can reduce transportation costs, exposure to supply and price volatility and the amount of virgin material extracted for manufacturing. In the end-of-life phase, take-back and recycling programmes and partnerships can meet regulations, help achieve cost savings and reduce environmental impacts. Entities that effectively manage this issue can improve profitability and reduce the cost of capital.
    • Supply Chain Management The category addresses management of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks within a company’s supply chain. It addresses issues associated with environmental and social externalities created by suppliers through their operational activities. Such issues include, but are not limited to, environmental responsibility, human rights, labour practices, and ethics and corruption. Management may involve screening, selection, monitoring, and engagement with suppliers on their environmental and social impacts. The category does not address the impacts of external factors – such as climate change and other environmental and social factors – on suppliers’ operations and/or on the availability and pricing of key resources, which is covered in a separate category.
      • Environmental & Social Impacts of Ingredient Supply Chain Entities in the Alcoholic Beverages industry manage global supply chains to source a wide range of ingredient inputs. How entities screen, monitor and engage with suppliers on environmental and social topics affects entities’ ability to secure supply and manage price fluctuations. Supply chain interruption can cause loss of revenue and negatively impact market share if entities are unable to find alternatives for key suppliers or must source ingredients at a higher cost. Supply chain management issues related to labour practices, environmental responsibility, ethics or corruption may also result in regulatory fines or increased long-term operational costs. The consumer-facing nature of the industry increases the reputational risks associated with supplier actions. Managing an entity’s exposure to environmental and social risks may improve supply chain resiliency and enhance an entity’s reputation. Entities can engage with key suppliers to manage environmental and social risks to improve supply chain resiliency, mitigate reputational risks and potentially increase consumer demand or capture new market opportunities.
    • Materials Sourcing & Efficiency The category addresses issues related to the resilience of materials supply chains to impacts of climate change and other external environmental and social factors. It captures the impacts of such external factors on operational activity of suppliers, which can further affect availability and pricing of key resources. It addresses a company’s ability to manage these risks through product design, manufacturing, and end-of-life management, such as by using of recycled and renewable materials, reducing the use of key materials (dematerialization), maximizing resource efficiency in manufacturing, and making R&D investments in substitute materials. Additionally, companies can manage these issues by screening, selection, monitoring, and engagement with suppliers to ensure their resilience to external risks. It does not address issues associated with environmental and social externalities created by operational activity of individual suppliers, which is covered in a separate category.
      • Ingredient Sourcing Entities in the Alcoholic Beverages industry source a wide range of ingredients, largely agricultural inputs, from suppliers worldwide. The industry’s ability to source ingredients fluctuates with supply availability, which may be affected by climate change, water scarcity, land management and other resource scarcity considerations. This exposure can result in price volatility and can affect entity profitability. Ultimately, climate change, water scarcity and land-use restriction present risks to an entity’s long-term ability to source key materials and ingredients. Entities that source ingredients that are more productive, effectively cultivated and less resource-intensive, or those that work closely with suppliers to increase their adaptability to climate change and manage exposure to other resource scarcity risks may reduce price volatility or supply disruptions.
    • Competitive Behaviour The category covers social issues associated with existence of monopolies, which may include, but are not limited to, excessive prices, poor quality of service, and inefficiencies. It addresses a company’s management of legal and social expectation around monopolistic and anti-competitive practices, including issues related to bargaining power, collusion, price fixing or manipulation, and protection of patents and intellectual property (IP).
      None
    • Systemic Risk Management The category addresses the company’s contributions to or management of systemic risks resulting from large-scale weakening or collapse of systems upon which the economy and society depend. This includes financial systems, natural resource systems, and technological systems. It addresses the mechanisms a company has in place to reduce its contributions to systemic risks and to improve safeguards that may mitigate the impacts of systemic failure. For financial institutions, the category also captures the company’s ability to absorb shocks arising from financial and economic stress and meet stricter regulatory requirements related to the complexity and interconnectedness of companies in the industry.
      None

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