As we build more and more renewable energy projects around the world, we engage with an increasing number of communities. For it to be a just transition, these communities need to play a part in shaping it, and to share in the benefits it can generate.
Why do we need a just transition where local communities thrive?
We can only be successful in accelerating the green transition if we have the support and trust of the communities where we work – communities in which we’ll be present for decades to come.
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We aspire to build green energy projects that live up to the demand from customers and communities to shape the build-out together with communities and use it to deliver benefits to them.
We want to be a trusted partner to our communities. We’re building large infrastructure projects near their homes. Our projects can bring socio-economic opportunities to communities and a positive impact on wellbeing, and we’re keen to make this happen together with our communities.
What are we doing?
To help communities realise the opportunities our projects bring, we’re exploring initiatives within action areas such as:
- Growing industrial ecosystems. We’re committed to creating local jobs and supply chain opportunities. But beyond this, we want to support the growth of whole industrial ecosystems that can develop local talent, grow local businesses, and promote local innovation.
- Including disadvantaged groups. We want the opportunities renewable energy brings to be accessible to marginalised groups in the places where we work.
- Designing for coexistence. We want to strengthen communities’ participation and engagement throughout the design of our projects, so that the build-out not only delivers a positive impact for people, but is done in collaboration with people.
How are we doing?
We’re still in the process of developing indicators and targets for this sustainability area that go beyond inputs (e.g. spend) and outputs (e.g. how many jobs we create). We want to find ways to measure and track our socio-economic impact and will be running pilot measurements in 2024.
In addition, in 2023 we partnered with the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, on how to measure the positive impact of renewable energy projects on people. With this partnership we aim to lay the foundations for a common industry approach as we believe we all need to be advancing the social sustainability of renewables together.
Latest updates from 2023
- We’re consolidating how we assess and address human rights risks and social impacts in local communities throughout the lifespan of a renewable energy project. We’re developing:
- Global guidance for the social and human rights impact assessments we carry out before building a new project.
- Global standards for handling community feedback and grievances.
- Corporate level guidelines for community engagement, emphasising principles such as free, prior, and informed consent and boosting our commitment to ethical and respectful engagement, especially with Indigenous Peoples.
- In the UK we partnered with Stemettes to show the next generation that Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) are for everyone, including girls, young women, and young non-binary people. The partnership includes providing activity packs to 90 primary schools.
- In Poland we concluded the first round of funding for community projects via the Choczewo community fund.
- In Korea we’re developing co-prosperity programmes for the Incheon and Ongjin County communities. This includes commitments to create a profit-sharing scheme with the local communities and to improve island community wellbeing by creating new business opportunities and promoting wind farm tourism as a livelihood source.
Key information
Partnerships
In each of our markets, we engage with the organisations that can best support us in ensuring that our projects benefit communities, including:
- Trade unions (e.g. North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU))
- NGOs (e.g. Teach First, Stemettes in the UK; Centre for Civic Initiatives in Poland)
- Universities (e.g. Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley in the US; National Changhua University of Education (NCUE) in Taiwan
- Other non-profits (e.g. GrantScape, an independent non-profit organisation managing our community benefit funds in the UK)
International frameworks
- International Finance Corporation Performance Standards on Social and Environmental Sustainability
- UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
Governance
Accountability lies with our Head of Global Stakeholder Relations and heads of regions.
Policies
These efforts contribute towards the following Sustainable Development Goals:
