OCE-B.07.B - Air Pollutant Reduction Target
Does the company set a target to reduce its air pollutants?
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
Air pollutants, such as nitrogen and sulphur oxides, introduced through companies’
operations and business activities, have adverse impacts on air and water quality, climate, habitats,
biodiversity, agriculture and both animal and human health (GRI, 2021). Moreover, certain air
pollutants can disrupt the provision of critical ecosystem services, such as nutrient cycling, carbon
cycling and water supply, which are essential for planetary and human life. Air pollutants can also
cause water quality degradation through atmospheric deposition.
This indicator measures a company's approach to monitoring and reducing harmful air pollutants
throughout its value chain, going beyond national and international regulations. One major
consequence of atmospheric pollution on the ocean is ‘ocean acidification’, which occurs when
airborne carbon dioxide (CO2) is absorbed by seawater, creating chemical processes that reduce
seawater pH and may affect many marine organisms. Air pollutants such as nitrogen, mercury,
combustion emissions, pesticides and heavy metals can decrease water quality by settling into
waterbodies and harming aquatic ecosystems. Given all these threats, companies should comply with
international air pollution regulations and commit to decarbonisation efforts.
Research Guidance:
To meet this element, the company must disclose at least one target to reduce the absolute emission reduction of one of its most materialair pollutants for all of the company's operations.
Targets that are applied to a one-off or isolated project are only accepted if the company provides explicit reasoning and evidence that location/project specific targets are more impactful. E.g. Pollutant X in Location Y is particularly harmful or close to communities and must be targeted at that location specifically.
If the company states that they have already reached optimal levels of air pollutants, or levels that are consistent with best practice, they will meet this element as long as their standards are clearly stated and widely recognized (for example, in accordance with WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines).
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 generally not accepted, 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.
operations and business activities, have adverse impacts on air and water quality, climate, habitats,
biodiversity, agriculture and both animal and human health (GRI, 2021). Moreover, certain air
pollutants can disrupt the provision of critical ecosystem services, such as nutrient cycling, carbon
cycling and water supply, which are essential for planetary and human life. Air pollutants can also
cause water quality degradation through atmospheric deposition.
This indicator measures a company's approach to monitoring and reducing harmful air pollutants
throughout its value chain, going beyond national and international regulations. One major
consequence of atmospheric pollution on the ocean is ‘ocean acidification’, which occurs when
airborne carbon dioxide (CO2) is absorbed by seawater, creating chemical processes that reduce
seawater pH and may affect many marine organisms. Air pollutants such as nitrogen, mercury,
combustion emissions, pesticides and heavy metals can decrease water quality by settling into
waterbodies and harming aquatic ecosystems. Given all these threats, companies should comply with
international air pollution regulations and commit to decarbonisation efforts.
Research Guidance:
To meet this element, the company must disclose at least one target to reduce the absolute emission reduction of one of its most materialair pollutants for all of the company's operations.
Targets that are applied to a one-off or isolated project are only accepted if the company provides explicit reasoning and evidence that location/project specific targets are more impactful. E.g. Pollutant X in Location Y is particularly harmful or close to communities and must be targeted at that location specifically.
If the company states that they have already reached optimal levels of air pollutants, or levels that are consistent with best practice, they will meet this element as long as their standards are clearly stated and widely recognized (for example, in accordance with WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines).
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 generally not accepted, 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