Environmental and social risk specialists

How we embed sustainability in our projects

When we plan or develop new facilities, or make changes to existing ones, we apply a staged project development process (see coloured arrows below) that is consistent around the world. We embed sustainability across our projects by:

• conducting integrated assessment on the potential environmental, social and health impacts;
• conducting specific risk assessments or specialist studies in areas that may affect the project, such as water, cultural heritage or security; and
• engaging with and assessing concerns from communities.

These assessments help us to manage and reduce impacts at all stages of the project. The results are made publicly available where we are legally permitted to do so.

Our process

At each review stage in the project development process, we decide if and how we move forward with the project. This includes balancing the short- and long-term interests, and integrating economic, environmental and social considerations when taking business decisions.

The results of these assessments are documented in an integrated project management plan which is signed off by the business manager who has overall accountability for the project. The plan is monitored and reviewed throughout the life cycle of the project.

Our people

We train teams to help them understand how to embed sustainability into our projects. They are supported in the project development process by specialists in the areas of environmental management (see “Environment”) and social performance (see “Communities”) including:

• biodiversity, waste management, energy management and water management specialists;
• indigenous peoples’ rights, cultural heritage and resettlement specialists.

The specialists work with the project team to ensure that potential impacts on local communities and the environment are considered in project design, construction and during operations.

	Identify & assess				Select			Define			Execute			Operate			Decommission & restore
At each stage of the project, risks and opportunities are identified and reviewed. These inform our final investment decision.
Identify people who may be affected by the project.
Engage with stakeholders (e.g. communities, host governments and NGOs) and feed responses into our risk analyses and decision making process.
Include outcomes from the environmental and community assessments in the project plan.
			Conduct baseline studies e.g. on local biodiversity or water, to understand the interdependence between our activities and the environment.
						Develop specific action plans that support the project e.g. measures to minimise fresh water use or to reduce noise from equipment.
												Implement action plans e.g. set up waste recycling process.
												Action plans are handed over from the project development team to the installation’s facility manager for implementation.