(C12.3) Does your organization engage in activities that could either directly or indirectly influence policy, law, or regulation that may impact the climate?
Change from last year
Modified question
Rationale
Data users wish to understand how companies’ policy engagement on climate change relate to other stances taken. It is important that companies maintain a consistent approach to issues -engaging in some activities whose purpose is to discredit climate science, for instance, while also working with other groups to advance solutions and adaptations to climate change sends conflicting messages to data users about that company’s priorities and stance. This question provides data users with insight into the different types of activities that organizations engage in, and enables companies to disclose the processes they use to make sure that their position on climate change is compatible with both the activities in which they partake, and the global temperature goals of the Paris Agreement.
Connection other frameworks
NZAM (FS only)
Commitment 9
Response options
Please complete the following table.
| Direct or indirect engagement that could influence policy, law, or regulation that may impact the climate | Does your organization have a public commitment or position statement to conduct your engagement activities in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement? | Attach commitment or position statement(s) | Describe the process(es) your organization has in place to ensure that your engagement activities are consistent with your overall climate change strategy | Primary reason for not engaging in activities that could directly or indirectly influence policy, law, or regulation that may impact the climate | Explain why your organization does not engage in activities that could directly or indirectly influence policy, law, or regulation that may impact the climate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Select all that apply:
|
Select from:
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[Attachments(s)] | Text field [maximum 2,500 characters] | Select from:
|
Text field [maximum 2,500 characters] |
Requested content
General
- This question is focused on external engagement with policy makers, government departments, or regulatory bodies on a regional, local, national, or international level.
- Responses should be relevant to the reporting year only (as defined by your answer to C0.2).
- There will be a wide range of activities that could be considered as each of these options. In response to this question, please select all that apply regardless of your role and how significant those activities are for your company or a third party.
- For trade associations and funding other organizations, you should identify any relationships where the other party takes an active role in climate change, even if your own relationship with them is not climate change-focused. You will be given an opportunity to describe the engagement in subsequent questions.
- Only select “No” if you do not engage in any activities that could influence policy, law, or regulation that may impact the climate, directly or indirectly. Do not select “No” as well as one of the other options, as this would be a non-logical response.
- Your selections for this question will determine which other questions will appear in this section.
Does your organization have a public commitment or position statement to conduct your engagement activities in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement? (column 2)
- This column only appears if any “Yes” is selected in “Direct or indirect engagement that could influence policy, law, or regulation that may impact the climate” (column 1).
- This should take the form of a clear, public statement that your organization will ensure its direct and indirect engagement activities are aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
- Alignment with the goals of the Paris Agreement: refers to the Paris Agreement long-term temperature goal, as expressed in relevant IPCC reports, in particular the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) and the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR1.5).
- The statement should specifically refer to the Paris Agreement, rather than e.g. your organizations climate change policy or targets.
Attach commitment or position statement(s) (column 3)
- This column only appears if “Yes” is selected in “Does your organization have a public commitment or position statement to conduct your engagement activities in line with the goals of the Paris agreement?” (column 2).
- Even where the relevant information is web-based (e.g. an item on your website), you must produce a static document to attach, due to the need to maintain a fixed response over time that can be accessed in full at any time in the future; a URL is inherently dynamic and therefore cannot fulfill this requirement.
Describe the process(es) your organization has in place to ensure that your engagement activities are consistent with your overall climate change strategy (column 4)
- The intention of this column is to understand how your organization manages the multiple engagement activities around climate change across business divisions and geographies to ensure that you have a common approach that is also consistent with your strategy on climate change.
- Explain the processes that you have in place, or if you do not have any in place, how you plan to address this potential for conflict in the future.
Primary reason for not engaging in activities that could directly or indirectly influence policy, law, or regulation that may impact the climate (column 5)
- This column only appears if “No” is selected in “Direct or indirect engagement that could influence policy, law, or regulation that may impact the climate” (column 1).
- If more than one reason applies to your organization, select the reason which is most relevant and elaborate on the other reason(s) in column 5.
Explain why your organization does not engage in activities that could directly or indirectly influence policy, law, or regulation that may impact the climate (column 6)
- This column only appears if “No” is selected in “Direct or indirect engagement that could influence policy, law, or regulation that may impact the climate” (column 1).
- Provide a company-specific explanation as to why your organization does not engage in activities which could directly or indirectly influence policy, law, or regulation that may impact the climate, and outline any plans to engage in such activities in the future.
Additional information
Examples of engagement activity
- Direct engagement - This includes all activity where companies (or their representatives such as law firms or public affairs agencies engaged directly by the company) engage with policy makers or regulators on the development of law or regulation. Examples of such activities include responding to a consultation, sitting on a working group or lobbying activities directed at individuals or groups that are part of the process of developing, reviewing or amending a law or regulation. Direct engagement can include any stage in the policy or regulation development process, from the selection of options to final consultation comments, but does not include compliance with a new or updated requirement once it has come into force.
- Trade associations - Trade associations (sometimes also referred to as industry associations, trade groups, trade bodies, or industry trade groups) are an association of people or companies in a particular business or trade, organized to promote their common interests. Trade associations are relevant here as they present an “industry voice” to governments to influence their policy development. The majority of organizations are members of multiple trade associations, many of which take a position on climate change and actively engage with policy makers on the development of policy and legislation on behalf of their members. If you are a member of a trade association that engages on climate change, regardless of your own involvement, you should select “trade associations” in question C12.3.
- Funding other organizations - In this context, other organizations can include research institutions, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), trusts, universities, and other organizations whose activities could influence policy, law, or regulation that may impact the climate. Funding may take the form of membership fees, sponsorship, donations etc. offered to organizations. The financial support that you give them may or may not be climate change-related, however if they do engage in work that may impact climate change then you should select this option.
- For more information please see the 'Guide for Responsible Corporate Engagement in Climate Policy' produced in 2013 by CDP alongside UN Global Compact, Ceres, The Climate Group, WWF and the World Resources Institute.
