OCE-B.02.A - Waste Generation Reporting
Does the company report on its waste generation?
About the data
The WBA Ocean Benchmark measures and ranks the world's most influential companies on their efforts to halt and reverse nature loss in marine ecosystems, tracking how companies manage their impacts on ocean biodiversity, marine habitats, and the communities and workers dependent on healthy seas. The 2026 edition is WBA's first Ocean Benchmark, assessing 125 companies across key sectors dependent on oceans, including seafood, maritime transport, offshore wind energy, shipbuilding, port operations, apparel, and chemicals. Companies are assessed on 47 indicators across four measurement areas: governance, ecosystems and biodiversity, social responsibility, and core social indicators. The benchmark builds on WBA's Nature Benchmark and the former Seafood Stewardship Index, and its methodology was developed with input from more than 50 stakeholders including ocean communities, companies, scientists and civil society, with human rights and social impacts kept at its core alongside nature-specific concerns. More information can be found here.
Methodology
Ocean contamination by human waste is a major global environmental issue. Marine litter,
ranging from microplastics to discarded fishing gear, threatens hundreds of marine species by posing
ingestion and entanglement risks, and damaging their habitats. Most marine debris originates from
land due to causes such as littering, inadequate waste management and natural disasters, while some
comes from marine-based sources. Implementing effective waste management systems, improving
recycling efforts and promoting sustainable practices in maritime industries are crucial steps to
mitigating the impacts of marine pollution (SDG 14.1).
Research Guidance:
This indicator encompasses multiple forms of waste.
The company must report quantitative metrics related to its total waste generation, including hazardous waste, non-hazardous waste and other material categories, where relevant, with clear categorical distinctions. The following categories are deemed potentially material for the listed industries.
Plastic waste:
Agricultural Products: Use of plastic in agriculture (e.g., plastic mulch) and packaging can be significant.
Apparel & Footwear: Use of synthetic fibers (often plastic-based) and packaging can make plastic waste material.
Chemicals: Plastics production and waste management are directly tied to this industry.
Containers & Packaging: Plastic waste is central to this industry due to packaging materials.
Food Production: Packaging waste, especially single-use plastics, is a major concern in this sector.
Food Retailers: Packaging, including plastic bags and containers, is a significant issue.
Freight & Logistics: Plastic is widely used in packaging, shipping materials, and single-use plastics.
Personal & Household Products: High reliance on plastic packaging.
Retail: Plastic packaging and consumer waste are critical concerns here.
Food waste:
Agricultural Products
Food Production
Food Retailers
Tailings:
Metals & Mining: This industry generates tailings from extraction and processing of materials.
Additionally, a company might report on other specific types of waste that it explicitly identifies as material to their operations.
Material categories other than hazardous waste will be revised on a case-by-case basis.
Reporting must cover the company's entire operations. Datapoint must be from the most recent reporting period. Intensity metrics are not accepted.
ranging from microplastics to discarded fishing gear, threatens hundreds of marine species by posing
ingestion and entanglement risks, and damaging their habitats. Most marine debris originates from
land due to causes such as littering, inadequate waste management and natural disasters, while some
comes from marine-based sources. Implementing effective waste management systems, improving
recycling efforts and promoting sustainable practices in maritime industries are crucial steps to
mitigating the impacts of marine pollution (SDG 14.1).
Research Guidance:
This indicator encompasses multiple forms of waste.
The company must report quantitative metrics related to its total waste generation, including hazardous waste, non-hazardous waste and other material categories, where relevant, with clear categorical distinctions. The following categories are deemed potentially material for the listed industries.
Plastic waste:
Agricultural Products: Use of plastic in agriculture (e.g., plastic mulch) and packaging can be significant.
Apparel & Footwear: Use of synthetic fibers (often plastic-based) and packaging can make plastic waste material.
Chemicals: Plastics production and waste management are directly tied to this industry.
Containers & Packaging: Plastic waste is central to this industry due to packaging materials.
Food Production: Packaging waste, especially single-use plastics, is a major concern in this sector.
Food Retailers: Packaging, including plastic bags and containers, is a significant issue.
Freight & Logistics: Plastic is widely used in packaging, shipping materials, and single-use plastics.
Personal & Household Products: High reliance on plastic packaging.
Retail: Plastic packaging and consumer waste are critical concerns here.
Food waste:
Agricultural Products
Food Production
Food Retailers
Tailings:
Metals & Mining: This industry generates tailings from extraction and processing of materials.
Additionally, a company might report on other specific types of waste that it explicitly identifies as material to their operations.
Material categories other than hazardous waste will be revised on a case-by-case basis.
Reporting must cover the company's entire operations. Datapoint must be from the most recent reporting period. Intensity metrics are not accepted.
License
Topics
Framework Mappings
Value Type
Category
Options
Yes
No
Assessment
Steward Assessed
Report Type
Aggregate Data Report