Climate‌ ‌Lobbying‌ ‌Overview‌: LyondellBasell appears to take mixed positions on climate change policy in the EU and US. The company appears to be supportive of top-line action on climate change and the energy transition, but remains actively and negatively engaged on several key policy streams, such as a Dutch carbon tax and energy efficiency legislation.

Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: LyondellBasell appears to broadly support action on climate change in its top-line messaging, becoming more positive in 2021-22. In a 2021 position paper, the company supported limiting warming to well below 2°C. The CEO Bob Patel stated support for “firm commitments, collective action and a sense of urgency” to respond to the recent IPCC report in September 2021. In a 2021 position paper, LyondellBasell supported the need for climate policy, but stated that it must preserve the international competitiveness of industry and eliminate overlapping requirements, suggesting a less ambitious policy response. It also supported a global price on carbon and stressed the risk of carbon leakage from regional policies. In a Q3 2021 lobbying disclosure in the US, the company stated it had been lobbying for “transparent, predictable, technology and revenue neutral market-based, economy wide carbon price signals.” LyondellBasell supported the goals of the UN Paris Agreement, as stated by its CEO in the 2021 Sustainability Report.

Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: LyondellBasell appears to take mixed positions on specific climate regulation, broadly stating support for policies although with major exceptions and caveats. In a 2021 position paper, the company supported regional emissions trading systems and regional carbon taxes in the absence of a global price on carbon, but stressed that they must have carbon leakage protection measures. In an email to EU Vice President Timmermans in February 2021, LyondellBasell opposed a national carbon tax in the Netherlands, stressing job losses. In its 2021 CDP Climate Change Disclosure, the company supported a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism in the EU, but on the condition that it should not subject the company to costs or obligations that would put it at a competitive disadvantage.

LyondellBasell broadly supported energy efficiency policies on its corporate website, accessed in August 2022. However, in its 2021 CDP disclosure it supported energy efficiency targets only if they do not impose caps on production or growth, or overlap with other regulations. Similarly, on its corporate website, accessed in January 2022, the company supported renewable energy policy such as incentives, but in its 2020 CDP disclosure LyondellBasell communicated preference for a technology neutral approach and supported limitations to renewable energy policies. The company stated support for methane regulations in its 2021 CDP disclosure, but on the condition that they are non-repetitive and have benefits that exceed their costs.

Positioning on Energy Transition: LyondellBasell appears to have a mixed engagement with the energy transition. In a 2021 position paper, the company supported policies to transition to renewable and ‘clean’ energy sources, such as green hydrogen, but also including Carbon Capture and Storage and ‘carbon-to-fuel’. In a Q3 2021 US lobbying disclosure, LyondellBasell stated that it had lobbied in support of increased government investment to develop low-emissions technologies in the manufacturing sector.

Industry Association Governance: LyondellBasell disclosed a list of its industry association membership in its 2021 Sustainability Report, but with no further details regarding the policy positions of the groups, nor how it is attempting to influence these. The company is a member of industry associations which are lobbying negatively on climate change policy, such as the National Association of Manufacturers, and senior executives from the company hold positions on the boards of groups such as the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers and the American Chemistry Council. A senior executive is Chair of the Climate Change and Energy Committee of Cefic which has mixed engagement on climate policy in the EU. The company has not published a dedicated review of alignment with industry associations.

InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q4 2022.