URB-C.03.C - Air Pollutant Reduction Progress
Does the company report progress on reducing its air pollutants?
About the data
The WBA Urban Benchmark measures and ranks the world's most influential companies on their efforts to shape sustainable, inclusive and resilient urban environments, tracking how companies address essential urban needs while respecting planetary boundaries across dimensions including decent work and human rights, environmental and climate impacts, social inclusion, and sustainability leadership. The 2026 edition assessed 300 companies across four key industries shaping urban environments: real estate, construction and engineering, transport, and utilities. Companies were scored on 24 urban-specific indicators plus 18 core social indicators, spanning four measurement areas: sustainable governance, inclusive cities, healthy cities, and climate change and resilient cities. The benchmark is designed to incentivise the private sector to take adequate responsibility for its role in ensuring affordable, safe and inclusive urban environments for all. More information can be found here.
Methodology
Over 99% of the global population lives in areas where air pollution is above air quality
guidelines, resulting in 4.2 million deaths every year (World Health Organization, 2022). Air pollutants
produced through companies’ operations and business activities have adverse effects on air quality,
agriculture, biodiversity, climate, habitats and the health of both animals and humans. This becomes
especially important in urban areas, where high concentrations of air pollutants, such as carbon
monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter (PM) and sulphur dioxide (SO2), are
strongly associated with human health concerns. This indicator measures companies’ approaches to
measuring and reducing harmful air pollutants.
Research Guidance
The company must either:
report reduction progress against its targets in element (b). Progress must be reported using absolute values. Progress against a target is only accepted if the target is timebound and measurable as specified by the requirements in element (b), or
Show year-on-year, absolute reductions for all material pollutants for three consecutive years. If the company reports data on multiple air pollutants, but are only improving in one, the element is only Met if it is NOT regressing in another.
Project or location specific progress is only accepted if the company provides explicit reasoning and evidence that this is more impactful to the specific location
guidelines, resulting in 4.2 million deaths every year (World Health Organization, 2022). Air pollutants
produced through companies’ operations and business activities have adverse effects on air quality,
agriculture, biodiversity, climate, habitats and the health of both animals and humans. This becomes
especially important in urban areas, where high concentrations of air pollutants, such as carbon
monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter (PM) and sulphur dioxide (SO2), are
strongly associated with human health concerns. This indicator measures companies’ approaches to
measuring and reducing harmful air pollutants.
Research Guidance
The company must either:
report reduction progress against its targets in element (b). Progress must be reported using absolute values. Progress against a target is only accepted if the target is timebound and measurable as specified by the requirements in element (b), or
Show year-on-year, absolute reductions for all material pollutants for three consecutive years. If the company reports data on multiple air pollutants, but are only improving in one, the element is only Met if it is NOT regressing in another.
Project or location specific progress is only accepted if the company provides explicit reasoning and evidence that this is more impactful to the specific location
License
Topics
Framework Mappings
Value Type
Category
Options
Yes
No
Assessment
Steward Assessed
Report Type
Aggregate Data Report