OCE-B.07.D - Societal Impact Air Pollution Risk Assessment
Does the company identify societal impacts in its air pollution risk assessment?
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:
This element can be met either by:
having a policy stating that the company has conducted social impact assessments associated its air pollution risks across substantial operations, or
providing a high-level summary of a social risk or impact assessment for its most material operations or value chain impacts.
Evidence of having conducted a risk or impact assessment for their most material sites can include:
disclosing the actual or potential negative impact on air quality associated with its operations, products or services, contractual or business relationships, or value chain.
disclosing tools, approaches, or external standards followed to conduct the self-assessment, or external audits or inspections they engage in.
disclosing affected stakeholders (customers, local communities, tenants, etc.)
disclosing frequency, timing, or factors that trigger the company to conduct risk assessments (or reassessment) on air pollution (e.g. proposed business activity, in response to or in anticipation of changes in the operating environment, periodically throughout the life of an activity or relationship, etc.)
Companies may refer to the following as evidence of having conducted a risk assessment:
the first two steps of the SBTN guidance, or equivalent (ie. Assessment/Prioritization).
FERA: [Air: Fate, Exposure, and Risk Analysis (FERA) | US EPA](https://www.epa.gov/fera)
Air Quality Health Index
Health impact assessments (HIA)
Examples of impacts to society that the company can measure include impacts to:
human health
the wellbeing of local communities
marginalized populations, such as Indigenous Peoples
access to land or areas
This is unmet if:
Company assessments are ongoing, or will be conducted in the future
The risk assessment does not specifically disclose risks to society
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:
This element can be met either by:
having a policy stating that the company has conducted social impact assessments associated its air pollution risks across substantial operations, or
providing a high-level summary of a social risk or impact assessment for its most material operations or value chain impacts.
Evidence of having conducted a risk or impact assessment for their most material sites can include:
disclosing the actual or potential negative impact on air quality associated with its operations, products or services, contractual or business relationships, or value chain.
disclosing tools, approaches, or external standards followed to conduct the self-assessment, or external audits or inspections they engage in.
disclosing affected stakeholders (customers, local communities, tenants, etc.)
disclosing frequency, timing, or factors that trigger the company to conduct risk assessments (or reassessment) on air pollution (e.g. proposed business activity, in response to or in anticipation of changes in the operating environment, periodically throughout the life of an activity or relationship, etc.)
Companies may refer to the following as evidence of having conducted a risk assessment:
the first two steps of the SBTN guidance, or equivalent (ie. Assessment/Prioritization).
FERA: [Air: Fate, Exposure, and Risk Analysis (FERA) | US EPA](https://www.epa.gov/fera)
Air Quality Health Index
Health impact assessments (HIA)
Examples of impacts to society that the company can measure include impacts to:
human health
the wellbeing of local communities
marginalized populations, such as Indigenous Peoples
access to land or areas
This is unmet if:
Company assessments are ongoing, or will be conducted in the future
The risk assessment does not specifically disclose risks to society
License
Topics
Framework Mappings
Value Type
Category
Options
Yes
No
Assessment
Steward Assessed
Report Type
Aggregate Data Report