OCE-B.02.B - Waste Reduction Target
Does the company set a target to reduce 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:
The company must disclose at least one target to reduce its general waste production, or at least one of its most material categories of waste (e.g. hazardous waste).
The target must cover all of the company's operations. Targets that are applied to a one-off or isolated project are not accepted.
Targets must be timebound, with a defined baseline value and year, and include clear, quantitative, and measurable metrics. They should focus on short-term progress up to 2030, with any longer-term goals broken down into interim targets no more than five years apart. Intensity targets are not accepted unless stated otherwise, as they do not ensure absolute improvements. Year-on-year targets and qualitative targets may be accepted on a case-by-case basis, depending on their ambition and measurability. Any changes to targets or their underlying assumptions must be explained, particularly in terms of impact on comparability. Additionally, targets aimed solely at maintaining current performance 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:
The company must disclose at least one target to reduce its general waste production, or at least one of its most material categories of waste (e.g. hazardous waste).
The target must cover all of the company's operations. Targets that are applied to a one-off or isolated project are not accepted.
Targets must be timebound, with a defined baseline value and year, and include clear, quantitative, and measurable metrics. They should focus on short-term progress up to 2030, with any longer-term goals broken down into interim targets no more than five years apart. Intensity targets are not accepted unless stated otherwise, as they do not ensure absolute improvements. Year-on-year targets and qualitative targets may be accepted on a case-by-case basis, depending on their ambition and measurability. Any changes to targets or their underlying assumptions must be explained, particularly in terms of impact on comparability. Additionally, targets aimed solely at maintaining current performance are not accepted.
License
Topics
Framework Mappings
Value Type
Category
Options
Yes
No
Assessment
Steward Assessed
Report Type
Aggregate Data Report