Environmental Reporting

Scope
Reporting on environmental performance is an important means for industry to demonstrate the sustainability of their activities. Environmental Reporting (ER) could therefore play an important role in external (and internal) communication. Integration of Environmental Reporting (ER) into environmental management systems is possible through ISO 14031, for example. Status and priorities in establishing global or regional environmental performance indicators will be presented and discussed.

Topics for Discussions

· What is the appropriate scope of Environmental Reporting of offshore oil and gas activities: key performance indicators, relevant parameters, information detail, and report format.

· Is the Oil Sector Report published in 1999 a suitable guideline for Environmental Reporting of offshore oil and gas activities? Is there a need for the development of more practical guidelines? Can generic guidelines (e.g., UNEP, etc.) be applied in this sector?

· How should the performance of suppliers and contractors be included in the Environmental Reporting.

Presentations in the Workshop/Questions/Answers

Results from the Workshop on Environmental Reporting

Scope of Environmental Reporting
· Initial discussion on why global reporting makes sense
· We endorse continued dialogue between shareholders to develop performance indicators of sustainability and targets for improvements..
· Need strategic indicators for the global environmental issues and national indicators for the regional ones that feed into the global.
· Basic issues are flaring, emissions and aqueous discharges; muds, cuttings, synthetic products discharges; oil spills; energy consumption.
· Start looking forward and collect info on sustainable targets and progress towards them. Need to develop leading indicators.

Suitable Reporting Guidelines
· The Oil Sector Report is consistent with OGP initiatives, but it is a survey and does not supply 'guidelines'.
· Generic guidelines form a useful starting point. · Efforts should be focused on regional reporting.
· We recommend that any follow-on to the Oil Sector Report include a broader array of companies.

Contractor Performance
· If on the worksite, facility, project or sphere of influence, then the operators are responsible.
· Operator responsibility on a project-specific basis. Can tie part of contract to safety and environmental performance.
· OGP has a long history of looking at safety reporting. Can be a lag indicator or an upfront indicator. Encourage contractors to work to the same standards and reporting as operators' management systems. This has paid huge dividends.