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Sasol

InfluenceMap Score
for Climate Policy Engagement
C-
Performance Band
67%
Organization Score
58%
Relationship Score

Land-use analysis, October 2022

We have expanded the list of climate policies we assess company engagement with to incorporate land-use related policy, referring to legislative or regulatory measures to enhance and protect ecosystems and land where carbon is being stored. Assessments under this category are currently underweighted in terms of their contribution to the overall company metrics. This weighting will be progressively increased over the next 6 months.

Updated terminology, February 2021

We adjusted the terminology used to describe the queries running down the left-hand side of our scoring matrix and added additional explanatory text to the info-boxes. This has no impact on the scores and methodology. It has been done following user feedback to improve clarity.

Sector:
Chemicals
Head​quarters:
Johannesburg, South Africa
Brands and Associated Companies:
Sasol Chemicals, Southern Africa Energy, Sasol EcoFT
Official Web Site:
www.sasol.com
Wikipedia:
Sasol

Climate Lobbying Overview: Sasol appears to have mixed engagement with climate policy. The company’s top-line communications on climate change appear broadly positive. However, Sasol has also opposed South Africa’s carbon tax, advocated for changes to the country’s Climate Change Bill, and continues to support a sustained role for fossil gas in the energy mix.

Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Sasol is broadly supportive of action on climate change in its top-line communications. In its 2022 Climate Change report, published in September 2022, Sasol supported reaching net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, and supported reducing GHG emissions in line with limiting warming to 1.5°C. Sasol also supported the Paris Agreement in its 2022 Climate Change report, and supported an increase in South Africa’s NDC ambition in its 2022 CDP response.

Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Sasol shows mixed support for specific climate-related regulations. Notably, the company appears to have consistently opposed South Africa’s Carbon Tax Act. In its September 2022 Climate Change report, Sasol expressed concern about the negative impacts a carbon tax has on Sasol’s business, stating that an increased carbon tax without allowances or incentives would hinder South Africa's low-carbon transition. Sasol supported the Climate Change Bill with exceptions in a September 2022 submission to a public hearing on the Bill. In its submission, Sasol supported the Bill but expressed concerns around the economic and technological feasibility of a transition in certain sectors in which carbon budgets are allocated. Further, in a July 2022 YouTube video, CEO Fleetwood Grobler called for a revision to South Africa’s Integrated Resources Plan, but advocated for a technology-agnostic, cost-effective approach. However, Sasol does support GHG emissions legislation in South Africa. In its 2022 Climate Change report, the company appeared to support mandatory GHG emissions reporting in South Africa. In its 2021 Climate Change Report, Sasol called for a more ambitious 2030 GHG target in South Africa in line with recommendations by the newly established Presidential Climate Commission..

Positioning on Energy Transition: Sasol does not appear to fully support the energy transition, advocating for a sustained role for fossil gas in the energy mix alongside renewables and green hydrogen. While Sasol’s messaging on coal has improved, the company continues to support fossil gas. In its September 2022 Climate Change report, the company supported fossil gas as a transition fuel from coal to renewables and supported the South African Oil and Gas Draft Discussion Document and its provisions for gas as a low-carbon fuel. While the report did state that Sasol would prefer South Africa to pursue a fossil-free energy route post-2030, there were no clear timelines for an overall reduction of gas in the energy mix. Sasol has however consistently supported the development of green hydrogen in South Africa in 2022. Sasol supported the development of green hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) in South Africa in its 2022 Climate Change report, published in September 2022. However, in its 2022 Climate Change report Sasol supported the use of fossil fuel and sustainable feedstock in SAF production under the EU Renewable Energy Directive II.

Industry Association Governance: In its 2022 Climate Change Report, Sasol completed a full audit of its alignment with industry associations on climate policy. The audit disclosed some of its own climate policy positions and those of its industry associations, as well as governance processes around its management of misaligned groups. However, Sasol has failed to identify and take action on key industry associations engaged in lobbying activities misaligned with the Paris Agreement, such as the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic). In addition, Sasol sits on the board of the Minerals Council South Africa and the regional board of Verband der Chemischen Industrie (VCI), both of which appear to be engaged negatively on climate policy.

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 Q2 2023.

A detailed assessment of the company's corporate review on climate policy engagement can be found on InfluenceMap's CA100+ Investor Hub here.

QUERIES
DATA SOURCES
21NSNSNS2NS
22NSNSNS1NS
0NS21NS10
112NSNS11
1NA0NANANANS
0NS-1-1-1-2-2
NSNSNSNSNSNSNS
1NS2NSNSNSNS
NS1NS-1NSNSNS
01NS-100NS
1NS10NSNSNS
1NS1NANANANS
NSNSNSNSNSNSNS
Strength of Relationship
STRONG
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
WEAK
 
Business Unity South Africa (BUSA)
67%
 
Business Unity South Africa (BUSA)
67%
 
Energy Intensive Users Group of South Africa
49%
 
Energy Intensive Users Group of South Africa
49%
 
Industry Task Team on Climate Change
67%
 
Industry Task Team on Climate Change
67%
 
South African Petroleum Industry Association (SAPIA)
50%
 
South African Petroleum Industry Association (SAPIA)
50%
 
National Business Initiative
78%
 
National Business Initiative
78%
 
American Chemistry Council (ACC)
59%
 
American Chemistry Council (ACC)
59%
 
Minerals Council South Africa
55%
 
Minerals Council South Africa
55%
 
German Chemical Industry Association (VCI)
48%
 
German Chemical Industry Association (VCI)
48%
 
Business Leadership South Africa
69%
 
Business Leadership South Africa
69%
 
European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic)
60%
 
European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic)
60%
 
Japan Chemical Industry Association (JCIA)
48%
 
Japan Chemical Industry Association (JCIA)
48%
 
Chemical and Allied Industries Association
55%
 
Chemical and Allied Industries Association
55%
 
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
70%
 
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
70%
 
Hydrogen Council
66%
 
Hydrogen Council
66%

How to Read our Relationship Score Map

In this section, we depict graphically the relationships the corporation has with trade associations, federations, advocacy groups and other third parties who may be acting on their behalf to influence climate change policy. Each of the columns above represents one relationship the corporation appears to have with such a third party. In these columns, the top, dark section represents the strength of the relationship the corporation has with the influencer. For example if a corporation's senior executive also held a key role in the trade association, we would deem this to be a strong relationship and it would be on the far left of the chart above, with the weaker ones to the right. Click on these grey shaded upper sections for details of these relationships. The middle section contains a link to the organization score details of the influencer concerned, so you can see the details of its climate change policy influence. Click on the middle sections for for details of the trade associations. The lower section contains the organization score of that influencer, the lower the more negatively it is influencing climate policy.