Sustainability Performance
Risk Management

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Our Sustainability Performance: 5 Strategic Pillars

Industry Environmental Risk Rating

Our Industry Environmental Risk Rating methodology defines an environmental risk rating for over 43 global industries. The tool evaluates environmental risk at the sector level, providing valuable insights to our business teams on the environmental risks facing each industry, along with various transition strategies being adopted by each sector.

Industry Environmental Risk Rating: Approach & Benefits
The benefits
  • Evaluates environmental risk at the portfolio and sector level.
  • Detailed sector understanding.
  • Provide sector data for the business teams.
  • Supports regulatory requirements.
Environmental risk rating applied to each industry
  • Proprietary  top-down approach that provides an environmental risk rating for 43 industries.
  • Based on qualitative and quantitative evaluation.
  • Overall rating includes 3rd party ratings and analysis.
  • Sectors rated Low, Moderate, High or  Very High.
Industry Environmental Risk Rating (ERR) calculated by combining the ERR of 6 environmental factors:
  • Greenhouse gas emissions
  • Transition risk
  • Toxic emissions
  • Water
  • Waste
  • Ecological impacts

The approach awards each sector an environmental risk rating of Low, Moderate, High or Very High based on their overall environmental score between one and four - one being positive and four being negative.  It uses a combination of our own quantitative and qualitative analysis in combination with third-party ratings from leading global data providers and NGOs. All sectors are rated across six criteria covering climate, water, waste, toxic emissions, ecological impacts and transition risks, with a double weighting given to climate risk given its interconnection with others and the ability to exacerbate all other risks. The method has been benchmarked against leading industry peers to ensure integrity of approach.

Industry ratings are provided in a standard three slide format per sector, along with examples of leading practice or notable risks within given sectors. These insights are shared across the business and complemented by globally deployed training to upskill relationships managers. They also serve as a practical reference, highlighting key sector considerations to support effective client engagement.

Click to view video of Thomas Patience, Deputy Head of Sustainability, discussing the Bank’s ESG Risk framework.