Climate Lobbying Overview: Woolworths Group appears to be engaging positively on climate change policy, but with limited transparent engagement. The company has shown top-line support for climate action and a number of key climate policies in Australia, however, the company has had limited detailed engagement with specific climate-related policy or the energy transition.

Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Woolworths Group supports action on climate change in its top-line communications. In its 2021 Sustainability Report, published in December 2021, the company clearly endorsed the IPCC science on climate change and supported emissions reductions in line with 1.5°C. Woolworths Group has consistently stated support for Australia's participation in the UN Paris Agreement, including in its 2020 Sustainability Report.

The company’s top-line messaging on climate change and land-use is limited. In its 2021 Sustainability Report, Woolworths acknowledge the link between climate change and the agricultural sector, stating that “fifteen percent of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are livestock-related.”

Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Woolworths Group appears to take mixed positions on climate regulations. InfluenceMap has found no evidence of recent engagement with specific climate policy between 2020-2022. Previously, the company expressed basic top-line support for a number of Australian climate and energy policies including the federal carbon tax in a statement by its Chair in November 2018, the Emissions Reduction Fund and state-level energy efficiency legislation such as the NSW Energy Savings Scheme and the Victorian Energy Efficiency Targe t in its 2018 Climate Change Disclosure response.

Woolworths appears to have limited engagement with land-use policy relevant to its operations. In relation to transitioning diets, Woolworths lacks engagement with relevant legislation, although it does acknowledge the scientific basis for changing consumer habits in its 2025 Sustainability Plan. Woolworths does not appear to engage with policy relating to sustainable agriculture and production of protein, on its website, accessed in in August 2022 it appeared to be more focused on its own operations.

Regarding protecting and enhancing greenhouse gases and sinks, Woolworths Group appears to be focussed on its own operations as opposed to legislative policy. This is reflected on its corporate website in August 2022.

Positioning on Energy Transition: In its 2021 Sustainability report, Woolworths Group was clearly concerned with phasing fossil fuels out of its energy usage in its own operations, but the company does not appear to have a clear position on the broader energy transition.

Industry Association Governance: Woolworths Group does not disclose a full list of its industry association memberships and indirect climate-related lobbying activities, nor has it published a full audit disclosure of its industry links. The company retains membership to industry associations that have broadly negative engagement with climate change policy, including the Energy Users Association of Australia, and membership to the Business Council of Australia, which has mixed engagement with 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 Q3 2022.