Thursday 29 April 2021
On April 13, BloombergNEF published its first study on the alignment of corporate strategies with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With a score of 97/100, Total ranked third worldwide in the survey, among the four business sectors studied (Oil and Gas, Utilities, Metals & Mining, Consumer Goods), and first in its sector.
The study, entitled “UN Sustainable Development Goals for Companies: Primer” assesses companies on the basis of an analysis of 10 categories of criteria, in terms of integration of the SDGs into their strategy, identification of their priority impacts and improvement targets. The assessment also takes into account the transparency of the associated reporting.
Since 2016, Total made a commitment to contribute to the SDGs’ achievement and uses them as a benchmark for measuring and prioritising its impacts. The Group also played a pioneering role in SDG-related reporting by contributing to the work of the platform created in 2017 by the UN Global Compact and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
“Total is resolutely engaged in a transformation that addresses the challenges of the sustainable development agenda: fighting global warming, delivering tangible solutions and actively promoting a just transition. Total wants to be a benchmark for corporate commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, and I am delighted that our teams’ engagement has been recognised with this first ranking,” said Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Total.
The Bloomberg study recognises the alignment of Total’s business strategy with clearly stated climate objectives (SDG 13), its transformation into a broad energy company with tangible low-carbon energy projects (SDG 7), and the use of its economic and social clout, notably within its supply chain (SDG 8). The study also highlights Total’s work on transparent disclosure, with the publication of detailed SDG reporting.
Total believes that transparency is essential for building relationships of trust with its stakeholders and for putting the Group on a continuous improvement path. Total reports on its performance on the basis of the various commonly used ESG disclosure frameworks. In addition to the SDGs, Total refers to the standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), the Core metrics proposed by the World Economic Forum, and the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) for its climate reporting.