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Sustainability

Our Approach

As a progressive energy and solutions partner, we strive to build trusted relationships with our stakeholders, and to create a positive impact on society and the environment.

  • Company Message
  • Approach
  • Our Material Topics
  • Memberships and Associations
  • Sustainability Disclosure

Sustainability at PETRONAS

 

PETRONAS is committed to delivering energy for the growing needs of today and to developing solutions that will move us closer to a lower carbon future.

As part of that commitment, we aim to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. We are intensifying our efforts to reduce emissions from our operations and products while at the same time investing in new lower carbon business growth opportunities.

We acknowledge that we have an important role to play in the energy transition, both in Malaysia and the other countries we operate in. In navigating this transition, we aim to get the balance right, ensuring that we are addressing our emissions, conserving and protecting nature and biodiversity as well as promoting a just transition that ensures equitable social and economic opportunities that can benefit more people.

Sustainable Value Creation

We deliver long-term value through robust financial performance, a resilient business portfolio, and sustainable growth while making a positive contribution to society and the environment. This is underpinned by our Statement of Purpose: “A progressive energy and solutions partner enriching lives for a sustainable future.”

Sustainability Approach

At our core, we believe that sustainable business practices are essential for the long-term success of our company, our stakeholders, and the planet. Our actions are framed by our Sustainability Approach.

Sustainability Approach

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United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals

Our activities aim to contribute towards the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). PETRONAS embraces all 17 SDGs and prioritises that we believe we can contribute most effectively towards as part of our sustainability efforts. It is important to recognise that the goals are interconnected to one another.

 

7 prioritized Sustainable Development Goals

 

 

 

 

 

Materiality Assessment

In 2022, we undertook a rigorous reassessment and revalidation of our material topics to ensure that they remain relevant and integral to our sustainability strategy and reporting. We use a non-financial materiality assessment to inform our sustainability priorities and disclosures that identifies topics that are most important to our stakeholders and have the most impact on our business.

 

sustainability diagram

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In 2022, our materiality matrix has seen a few movements of topics, signaling changes in the importance to our stakeholders and the impact to our business.

Further details can be obtained through our Integrated Report here.

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our-materiality-matrix-2

Double Materiality

Through our double materiality approach, we consider both the financial and sustainability impact of our material topics. This approach allows us to understand the financial implications of sustainability risks and opportunities and how they may impact our long-term financial performance.

Further details can be obtained from our PIR2022 Report here.

diagram-3

 

Material Topics

Description

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

Our approach to realising our Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050 Pathway is guided by our four main decarbonisation levers – zero routine flaring and venting, energy efficiency, electrification and carbon capture and storage. Additionally, we are continuously improving measurement quantification to mitigate methane emissions from our operations to limit the impact of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions over a more immediate period. We are focusing on gaining a clearer understanding of energy consumption within the company and throughout our value chain to support our emissions mitigation efforts. We also pursue collaborative initiatives with industry peers.

Climate Change Risks

Our aim is to strengthen PETRONAS’ resilience to physical and transition climate change risks, while seizing the opportunities presented in the transition to a lower carbon economy. We are actively looking into adaptation and resilience measures, as well as the relevant governance systems to manage climate-related risks and opportunities, as per the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).

Environmental Management

Protecting and conserving the environment will minimise the impact of our operations on the environment. This will also ensure the long-term health of our business and the communities around us. We identify and assess the environmental impact of our operations and focus on managing our resources sustainably. This includes (but is not limited to) decreasing the impact of emissions, creating responsible waste and water management strategies, preventing spills, and decommissioning our assets in a safe and sustainable manner.

Nature and Biodiversity

We must conserve and protect nature and biodiversity in order to deliver on our business goals and Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050 Pathway. As climate change is significantly driving biodiversity loss and may cause irreversible damage, we aim to further understand our relationship and dependency on nature and biodiversity in order to improve our impact on them.

Safety Management

Managing the safety of our people continues to remain a top priority as this ensures we protect our employees and contractors from any harm or injuries. In striving towards operational excellence, we conduct proactive risk management practices across our business and operations to provide the safest possible work conditions while ensuring our assets are continuously well maintained.

Human Rights

We aim to respect human rights across our suppliers, contractors, partners and communities where we operate with the establishment and implementation of a Human Rights Policy and supporting practices. We periodically review our policies and practices to ensure we have a robust approach to addressing human rights issues on forced labour, human trafficking, modern slavery, fair working conditions and non-discrimination. We have also started to embed human rights due diligence practices in systems and functions across our value chain, including remediation actions.

Employee Attraction, Retention and Development

Given the dynamically evolving energy landscape, we require future-ready talent with the right knowledge and skills to realise our strategy and drive business resilience over the long term. Investment in high-performing talents is crucial, especially in an environment of increasing competition for skills. Our aim is to continuously attract and retain the best talent by providing flexible work arrangements, creating opportunities to foster individual potential and implementing fair and equitable compensation that is consistent with a rewards-based performance. We also strive to create a fair and inclusive workplace by supporting equal treatment of all employees regardless of gender, age, cultural background, skills, race and religion.

Health and Well-Being

We place great emphasis on protecting all employees and contractors from work-related hazards and promoting good health and well-being among our workforce and the wider community. It is imperative to create a safe and conducive work culture, as our employees’ health and well-being directly impact our long-term performance. We conduct risk assessments, introduce adequate controls and implement a wide range of health and wellness initiatives that help address the physical and mental health of our employees and their families.

Corporate Governance

It is important that we practice and uphold the highest standards in corporate governance, a key factor in determining business resilience and long-term growth. This also covers our strategies and roadmap in delivering our Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050 Pathway.

Anti-Bribery and Corruption

We believe that creating a strong foundation based on ethics and integrity will drive shared and equitable values among stakeholders. We need to protect our operations and business from any form of corruption and unethical behaviour. Throughout the value chain, we strongly encourage ethical and responsible business practices and compliance with standards and guidelines among employees, business partners, suppliers, contractors and other intermediaries. We do this by upholding PETRONAS’ Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy and the PETRONAS Code of Conduct and Business Ethics.

Lower Carbon and Energy Transition Business

In combatting the climate challenge, we continue to strengthen our efforts in lower carbon and energy transition business as this allows us to step out beyond our core and develop new businesses to realise our Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050 Pathway. This includes our focus on natural gas as a fuel with lower carbon intensity than other more polluting fossil fuels; and other business growth opportunities such as renewable energy, hydrogen, green mobility, specialty chemicals and biofuels. Our efforts are channelled towards achieving a balance of energy security, affordability and sustainability, taking into consideration the latest policies, goals, accounting instruments and technologies that facilitate the energy transition.

Economic Contribution

Our ability to drive long-term business growth goes hand-in-hand with the prosperity of the markets and communities in which we operate. Our goal is to contribute to economic development that benefits all segments of society by generating economic value through our products and services, servicing capital payouts, and paying wages and taxes while generating social, commercial and working opportunities for citizens. We also provide assistance especially in times of crisis through funds, volunteering efforts and in-kind products or services. We strive to ensure that PETRONAS is responsible and transparent in tax practices in our obligation to comply with applicable tax regulations.

Sustainable Supply Chain

We pay close attention to our overall supply chain management, product stewardship and procurement as this mitigates risks that impact the environment, society and economy. To improve supply chain resilience, we continuously strengthen our efforts to nurture and support local suppliers where possible and applicable. We also share global work practices with regional and local entities to support the local economy.

Innovation and Technology

We embrace innovation through the implementation of internal frameworks and measures that promote the practice of challenging the status quo in product design and operations to generate new solutions that enhance our competitive advantage and brand reputation. This includes developing and using advanced technologies and digital innovations to generate new business processes, including improving customer and other stakeholders' experiences. In terms of approach, we leverage innovation and technology across all operations and services to accelerate our business growth and offerings.

Circular Economy

Our long-term ambition is to minimise or eliminate the negative environmental impact of a product by addressing waste and reducing materials consumption. We also aim to decrease plastic pollution by engaging in recycling and reusing, as this also creates opportunities for innovation and lower waste generation. The circular economy model encourages the creation of closed-loop systems where waste from one process becomes an input for another. Our aspiration is to work towards a low-waste future, steward natural resources and minimise our carbon footprint while creating value.

 

 

Our Materiality Assessment Process

Process

2021 – Full Materiality Assessment

2022 – Revalidation of Materiality Assessment

Identification

 

In-house desktop analysis that includes a range of internal and external sources:

  • Reporting frameworks and standards
  • Internal strategies, policies, processes and documentation
  • Relevant legislations in the countries we operate
  • National industry-specific trends and survey outcomes
  • ESG ratings and benchmarks
  • Peer benchmarking

Data-driven tool to include new sources:

  • Existing and emerging regulations
  • Media
  • Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Standards

Stakeholder Engagement

 

Validation process via interviews and surveys with stakeholders:

  • Employee representatives including union leaders
  • Government and regulatory bodies
  • Embassies, high commissions and foreign representatives
  • Communities and customers
  • Media
  • Investors, credit rating agencies and financial institutions
  • Industry partners, alliances and business councils
  • Non-government organisations (NGOs) and special interest groups
  • Learning institutions

In-depth feedback from external stakeholders, including:

  • Investors, banks, and rating agencies
  • Reputation Strength Index survey

Prioritisation

 

We prioritised the identified topics based on two key areas – their importance to stakeholders and their impact on our business. Prioritisation criteria include:

  • Occurrence in grievances
  • Topics highlighted by investors and rating agencies’ assessments
  • Discussions at Board and Executive Leadership Team meetings
  • Alignment with risk elements in Corporate Risk Profile

Priorisation criteria include:

  • Alignment with strategy and focus areas
  • Discussions at Board and Executive Leadership Team meetings
  • Alignment with risk elements in Corporate Risk Profile

Data-driven tool to assess and prioritise financial materiality and impact materiality.


Endorsement and Approval

 

Endorsed by Sustainability Committee and approved by Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer

 

 

 

 

 

 

Materiality Assessment

Committed to sustainable practices, we champion purposeful and informed value creation that adapts to stakeholder needs and environmental changes beyond routine checklists. For 2023, we conducted a revalidation exercise for our material topics. We applied a dual perspective, combining an inside-out assessment with an outside-in evaluation. This approach is pivotal in informing a holistic and integrated strategy to effectively manage both risks and opportunities that lie at the centre of our operations.

 

 

 

For 2023, the revalidation exercise based on 15 material topics in 2022 resulted in a total of 16 material topics. The impact to our business and the importance to our stakeholders were mapped according to the priority of the issues.

Our Materiality Matrix Legends

Our Materiality Matrix

Our Double Materiality

As the demand for transparent and comprehensive reporting continues to grow, the double materiality concept served as one of the methods to communicate on our sustainability performance with the broader concept of interconnectedness of financial and sustainability matters.

Further details can be obtained from our PIR2023 Report here.

diagram-3

 

Material Topics

Description

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

We consistently enhance our measurement and quantification methods to effectively address GHG emissions from our operations, thereby reducing the impact on the environment. We also intensify collaboration with actors within the ecosystem to gain a deeper comprehension of energy utilisation within our company and across our value chain.

Climate Change Risks

We acknowledge the challenges posed due to climate change, both in terms of its physical impacts and the transition to a lower-carbon economy. We are actively exploring measures to adapt and strengthen resilience, while also implementing governance systems in line with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures recommendations to effectively identify and manage climate-related risks and opportunities.

Environmental Management

Environmental management is essential in addressing our impact on the physical environment. The environmental effects of our operations, emphasising sustainable resource management, emissions reduction, responsible waste and water practices and responsible asset decommissioning.

Nature and Biodiversity

As climate and nature issues are intertwined, it is important that our GHG emissions abatement and growth of cleaner energy solutions are in unison with the conservation and protection of nature and biodiversity. The PETRONAS Nature and Biodiversity position guides our plans on Nature and Biodiversity Centre of Excellence (CoE) and plan to assess our readiness to align with TNFD recommendations

Safety Management

Prioritising safe operations, means providing a secure and productive working environment for our employees and contractors, free of incidents and accidents.

Human Rights

We are committed to respecting human rights in all our business activities and relationships. Issues such as forced labour, human trafficking, modern slavery, fair working conditions and non-discrimination are monitored to ensure that we are operating responsibly wherever we are. In April 2024, we launched our Human Rights Policy formalising and thereby, strengthening our commitment to human rights.

Employee Attraction, Retention and Development

Investing in skilled talent is vital for long-term business resilience in a rapidly changing energy landscape and ensuring a just transition. We aim to attract and retain top talent through flexible work arrangements, opportunities for growth and market-based compensation based on capability, experience and performance. We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone is treated equally.

Health and Well-Being

Ensuring the safety and well-being of all employees and contractors is paramount to us, extending our commitment to fostering a culture of health and safety within our workforce and the broader community. Through comprehensive risk assessments, robust controls and a variety of health and wellness programmes, we proactively address overall well-being of our employees.

Corporate Governance

We uphold our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of corporate governance, recognising its crucial role in enhancing business resilience and fostering long-term growth. Ensuring the highest level of governance across structures, policies and strategies relating to sustainability remains one of our top priorities.

Ethics and Integrity

We stand resolute against any form of corruption or unethical conduct. This commitment extends throughout the entire value chain, encompassing employees, partners, suppliers, contractors and all intermediaries. We actively promote responsible business practices and strict adherence to established standards and guidelines. The PETRONAS Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy and the PETRONAS Code of Conduct and Business Ethics (CoBE) serve as our guiding principles, and sets the bar for ethical business conduct.

Lower Carbon and Energy Transition Business

Our Net Zero Carbon Emissions pathway informs our lower carbon and energy transition activities and ventures. This includes prioritising natural gas and exploring opportunities in renewable energy, hydrogen, green mobility, specialty chemicals and biofuels. Our aim is to strike a balance between energy security, affordability and sustainability, leveraging on the latest policies, goals, measurement tools and technologies to facilitate this transition.

Economic Contribution

Our commitment lies in fostering both business growth and community prosperity. We achieve this by creating economic value through our offerings, paying taxes and wages and providing opportunities for society. During crises, we extend assistance through financial aid, volunteer work and efforts. Our tax practices adhere strictly to local regulations, ensuring transparency and responsibility.

Sustainable Supply Chain

We pay close attention to our overall supply chain management, product stewardship and procurement as these mitigate risks that impact the environment, society and economy. This ensures the sustainability and safety of our products throughout the entire life cycle. To improve supply chain resilience, we continuously strengthen our efforts to nurture and support local suppliers where possible and applicable. We also share global work practices with regional and local entities to enrich the local economy.

Innovation and Technology

We acknowledge the importance of innovation and technology in delivering our commitment. We promote an innovative culture that encourages creative thinking in both product design and operations. This boosts our competitive edge and enhances our brand reputation. Through advanced technologies and digital innovations, we develop new business processes that elevate customer and stakeholder experiences. Our approach integrates innovation and technology across all operations and services to fuel our business growth and expand our offerings.

Cybersecurity and Data Protection

Cybersecurity and data protection play pivotal roles in safeguarding organisations against a myriad of cyber threats and ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive information.

Circular Economy

Our goal is to minimise the environmental footprint of our product by minimising waste and cutting down material usage. We are committed to combating plastic pollution through recycling and reusing, fostering innovation and reducing waste. Embracing the circular economy model, we aim to establish a closed-loop system where waste serves as input for new processes. Our focus is on building a sustainable future, preserving natural resources and lowering our carbon footprint while generating value.

 

 

Process

2022 – Full Materiality Assessment

2023 – Revalidation of Materiality Assessment

Identification

Data-driven tool to include new sources:

  • Existing and emerging regulations
  • Media
  • Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Standards

We studied regulatory changes, media reports and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) to helped to identify material sustainability topic. SASB was particularly valuable as it aligns with upcoming International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB).

Stakeholder Engagement

In-depth feedback from external stakeholders, including:

  • Investors, banks, and rating agencies
  • Reputation Strength Index survey

We obtained detailed feedback from a variety of external stakeholders, including investors, financial institutions and rating agencies to assess the impact of material topics on our business conducted throughout the year provided valuable insights, guiding our materiality assessment. Stakeholders’ concerns, queries and responses were documented as inputs for the assessment.

Prioritisation

Priorisation criteria include:

  • Alignment with strategy and focus areas
  • Discussions at Board and Executive Leadership Team meetings
  • Alignment with risk elements in Corporate Risk Profile

Data-driven tool to assess and prioritise financial materiality and impact materiality.

We prioritised strategies and focus areas through initiatives, commitments and discussions at the Executive Leadership Team and Board levels. Material topics were ranked based on alignment with risk elements in PETRONAS Corporate Risk Profile


Endorsement and Approval

Endorsed by Sustainability Committee and approved by Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer

We submitted revalidation results to the Sustainability Committee, formerly known as the Sustainability Council, for approval by the Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer.

 

 

Memberships & Associations

We actively participate in professional associations, events and memberships with the aim to strengthen our sustainability efforts. Through these various platforms, we are able to exchange knowledge on best practices to drive the sustainability agenda within and outside of our operations. This is part of our commitment to Malaysia's nation-building efforts and to create positive impact across industries and society.

Through our network of international and national organisations and industry partners we can collectively enhance and generate knowledge, share best practices, and support decarbonisation initiatives that create value for the company and our stakeholders.

 

 

PETRONAS supports the aims of the organisations below with the intent to strengthen our overall sustainability governance, raise awareness, deliver education programmes and define our positions on various climate and sustainability-related aspects that are aligned with our NCZE 2050 Pathway:

PETRONAS continues to lead and be visible in advocating our sustainability-related values through national and international platforms, initiatives and organisations, such as:

 

 

Our Approach to Sustainability Reporting and Publications

We view Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) as an integral part of delivering long-term stakeholder value. We are guided by the following national and international guidance, frameworks and standards to ensure that our report is accurate, reliable and comprehensive:

  • The International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) Framework
  • Ipieca reporting guidance for the oil and gas industry
  • American Petroleum Institute (API) Standards
  • International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) Standards
  • Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards
  • World Economic Forum’s Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics
  • Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)

PETRONAS will continue to improve data integrity through assurance and verification exercises to build trust among stakeholders, both internal and external. Click here to view our GHG verification statements.

Ensuring we remain committed to maintaining our standards in managing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, we continue strengthening our reporting practices to be aligned with internationally recognised principles, frameworks, and standards, including the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework recommendations. Since 2022, we also report through the CDP disclosure platform.

 

Adopting TCFD

 

We aspire to proactively strengthen transparency in reporting while shaping the national climate-related risk disclosure practice in Malaysia. We apply the framework recommendations put forward by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) to our assessment of climate risk. By aligning our strategic assessment of risk with TCFD, we strive to effectively manage and capitalise on climate-related risks and opportunities and accelerate progress towards our path to net zero.

Read more here.

 

Governance

We recognise that climate change is a critical business issue, contributing to a set of risks and opportunities. We are taking more deliberate actions to elevate sustainability, especially climate-related discussions at the Board, to shape the long-term strategic direction of the company. The role of the Board in climate-related matters can be referred to in the Sustainability Statement section.

Strategy

We defined our Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050 Pathway to accelerate and advance groupwide actions and commitment. The Pathway — with its short-, medium-and long-term targets - will steer the group towards realising our climate goals. The Pathway is two-pronged, reducing operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increasing investments in business growth opportunities in the lower carbon economy.

Risk & Opportunities

We apply a group-wide approach to the management of risk through the establishment of the PETRONAS Risk Policy and complemented by the PETRONAS Resiliency Model, which the Enterprise Risk Management Framework is part of. These policies and frameworks provide an integrated and holistic view of the overall strategy towards effective risk management. We have adopted TCFD's categorisation of climate-related risks into two major categories which are transition risks and physical risks.

Metrics and Targets

PETRONAS has adopted the equity share approach to account for our emissions inventory and performance. We have revised our carbon emissions accounting method to adhere to international frameworks and sector specific guidance to give us a robust basis for Scope 1 and Scope 2, and a better understanding of Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions.

Read more for details description on our adoption of TCFD in www.petronas.com/integrated-report-2022/

 

 

 

Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)

 

In 2022, we participated in a CDP survey by responding to the minimum version of the survey. This response is not rated as it is not a full questionnaire. In July 2023, we submitted our response to the full version of the Climate Change questionnaire.

Read more on our submission below.

 

 

 

Methane Guiding Principle (MGP)

 

As part of our efforts to reduce methane emissions, we have joined other industry and non-industry members under the Methane Guiding Principles (MGP) initiative as a signatory member. The MGP was developed collaboratively by a coalition of industry, international institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and academia. It is a voluntary, international multi-stakeholder partnership between industry and non-industry organisations with a focus on actions along the natural gas value chain, from production to the final consumer.

 

In 2020, PETRONAS became a signatory member of Methane Guiding Principles (MGP). In 2023, PETRONAS publicly reported our progress in accordance with the five MGP principles on our approach to effective methane management.

 

 

 

 

Oil & Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0)

 

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)’s Oil & Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP2.0) is an industry-specific initiative and internationally recognized framework for effective methane emissions management. OGMP2.0 provides a mechanism for companies to address and report methane emissions systematically.

Member companies report on methane emissions along five levels of reporting, increasing the accuracy of reporting with each level with the aim to achieve the Gold Standard – the highest reporting level under OGMP 2.0. Companies must achieve Level 4/5 reporting for operated assets within three years and for non-operated assets within five years. In 2023, PETRONAS achieved OGMP2.0 Gold Standard for its methane pathway.

 

PETRONAS became a signatory member to the OGMP2.0 in 2022. Efforts are being taken to systematically enhance PETRONAS’ approach in accordance with the framework on methane emissions measurement, quantification, reporting, and implementation of our decarbonisation levers particularly zero routine flaring and venting, and energy efficiency.

 

 


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