Bluescope Steel
Performance Band
Performance Band (A+ to F) is a full measure of a company’s climate policy engagement, combing the assessment of both its direct engagement (Organisation Score) and that of its industry associations (Relationship Score). Grades from A+ to B indicate broad support for Paris-aligned climate policy, with grades from D to F indicating increasingly obstructive climate policy engagement. Where InfluenceMap's analysis detects both limited direct and indirect engagement with climate policy, a Performance Band is not computed and, in this case, it is indicated as N/A. Further details can be found here.
Organisation Score
The Organisation Score (expressed as a percentage from 0 to 100) is a measure of how supportive or obstructive the company’s direct policy engagement is towards Paris-Agreement aligned climate policy, with 0 being fully opposed and 100 being fully supportive. If the company's Engagement Intensity is below 5% (that is, limited direct policy engagement from the entity being scored) InfluenceMap does not compute an Organisational Score and, in this case, it is indicated as N/A. Further details can be found here.
Relationship Score
The Relationship Score (expressed as a percentage score from 0 to 100) is a measure of how supportive or obstructive the company’s industry associations are towards climate policy aligned with the Paris Agreement, with 0 being fully opposed and 100 being fully supportive. If there is limited evidence of a company's links to industry associations engaging on climate policy, InfluenceMap does not compute a Relationship Score and, in this case, it is indicated as N/A. Further details can be found here.
Engagement Intensity
The engagement intensity (EI) is a metric of the extent to which the company is engaging on climate change policy matters, whether positively or negatively. It is a number from 0 (no engagement at all) to 100 (full engagement on all queries/data points). EI scores over 13 indicate some active engagement on climate policy streams, EI scores over 25 indicate increasingly strategic engagement.
Relationship Score, December 2020
A new batch of industry associations has been uploaded onto the InfluenceMap system and the relationship scores recalculated accordingly.
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.
- Details of Organization Score
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What do the 0,1,2 and NSs, NAs mean?
Each cell in the organization's matrix presents a chance for us to assess each data source against our column of climate change policy queries. We score from -2 to 2, with negative scores representing evidence of obstructive influence. "NA" means "not applicable" and "NS" means "not scored" - that is we did not find any evidence either way. In both cases, the cell's weighting is re-distributed over others. Red and blue cells represent highly interesting negative or positive influence respectively. Full details can be found here.
- Details of Relationship Score
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What is the Relationship Score
A corporation, as well as its organizational score will have a relationship score. It is computed by aggregating the organizational scores of the Influencers (trade bodies etc.) it has relationships with, weighted by both the strength of these relationships and the relative importance of the Influencers towards climate change policy. Full details can be found here.
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QUERIES
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DATA SOURCES | ||||||
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Main Web Site
The main organizational Web site of the company and its direct links to major affiliates and attached documents. |
Social Media
We search other media and sites funded or controlled by the organization, such as social media (Twitter, Facebook) and direct advertising campaigns of the organization. |
CDP Responses
We assess and score responses to two questions from CDP's climate change information request (12.3 a & 12.3c) related to political influence questions (currently these are not numerically scored by the CDP process). |
Legislative Consultations
Comments from the entity being scored on governmental regulatory consultation processes, including those obtained by InfluenceMap through Freedom of Information requests. |
Media Reports
Here we search in a consistent manner (the organization name and relevant query search terms) a set of web sites of representing reputable news or data aggregations. Supported by targeted searches of proprietary databases. |
CEO Messaging
Here we search in a consistent manner (the CEO/Chairman, organization name and relevant query search terms) a set of web sites of representing reputable news or data aggregations. Supported by targeted searches of proprietary databases. |
Financial Disclosures
We search 10-K and 20-F SEC filings where available, and non US equivalents where not. . |
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Communication of Climate Science
Is the organization transparent and clear about its position on climate change science? |
1
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NS | NA | NS | NS |
1
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1
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Alignment with IPCC on Climate Action
Is the organization supporting the science-based response to climate change as set out by the IPCC? (the IPCC) |
1
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1
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NA |
0
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NS |
0
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1
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Supporting the Need for Regulations
To what extent does the organization express the need for regulatory intervention to resolve the climate crisis? |
-1
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NS | NA |
0
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NS |
0
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0
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Support of UN Climate Process
Is the organization supporting the UN FCCC process on climate change? |
1
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NS | NA |
1
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NS |
1
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1
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Transparency on Legislation
Is the organisation transparent about its positions on climate change legislation/policy and its activities to influence it? |
1
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NA |
-2
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NA | NA | NA | NS |
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Carbon Tax
Is the organisation supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: carbon tax. |
NS | NS | NS | NS | NS | NS | NS |
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Emissions Trading
Is the organisation supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: emissions trading. |
-2
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NS | NS |
-1
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NS | NS | NS |
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Energy and Resource Efficiency
Is the organization supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: energy efficiency policy, standards, and targets |
NS | NS | NS |
2
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NS | NS | NS |
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Renewable Energy
Is the organization supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: Renewable energy legislation, targets, subsidies, and other policy |
NS | NS | NS |
2
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NS | NS | NS |
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Energy Transition & Zero Carbon Technologies
Is the organization supporting an IPCC-aligned transition of the economy away from carbon-emitting technologies, including supporting relevant policy and legislative measures to enable this transition? |
1
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1
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NS |
1
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0
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0
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1
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GHG Emission Regulation
Is the organization supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: GHG emission standards and targets. Is the organization supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: Standards, targets, and other regulatory measures directly targeting Greenhouse Gas emissions |
0
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1
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NS |
1
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0
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0
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0
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Disclosure on Relationships
Is the organization transparent about its involvement with industry associations that are influencing climate policy, including the extent to which it is aligned with these groups on climate? |
1
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NA |
-2
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NA | NA | NA | NS |
Open PDF file of Data Source
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Comment:
Bridgette Carter, Manager Energy Sourcing and Utilisation for BlueScope Steel, is Deputy Chair of the EUAA. (Up to date, August 2021)
Bridgette Carter
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Comment:
Bridgette Carter, Manager Energy Sourcing and Utilisation for BlueScope Steel, is Deputy Chair of the EUAA. (Up to date, August 2021)
Bridgette Carter
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.
Climate Lobbying Overview: Bluescope Steel appears broadly supportive of action on climate change, although the company's engagement on climate policy has been mixed. Bluescope's engagement with climate policy in Australia has been generally positive, but its lobbying activities in New Zealand have been more obstructive via its subsidiary, New Zealand Steel.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: As of August 2021, Bluescope Steel has consistently acknowledged climate change and supported the Paris Agreement in its corporate reporting. BlueScope’s 2020 Sustainability Report recognized that the global economy “must transition to net-zero by the middle of this century” to limit global warming to “well below” 2°C. This is an improvement from its 2017 position which emphasized the economic and social risks of ambitious GHG emissions reductions. Additionally, Bluescope appears to support public policy such as Australia’s Nationally Determined Contributions and 2030 target to respond to climate change in a consultation submission in 2021. Previously, in its corporate reporting in 2019, the company urged policymakers in Australia to implement policies to meet Paris Agreement targets whilst qualifying this support by stating that regulations should not affect trade competitiveness in Australia and New Zealand.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Bluescopes engagement on climate-related regulations appears to be mixed. Bluescope has consistently backed the National Energy Guarantee in its corporate reporting in 2017-2018, however, without specifying their position on level of GHG emissions targets. In June 2020, it stated support for the proposed expansion of NSW’s Energy Savings Scheme in a submission to the NSW Government. In a 2018 consultation on the AEMC Reliability Frameworks Review, the company supported the reform of self-forecasting provisions to increase the integration of wind and solar power into Australia’s energy grid.
BlueScope’s engagement on climate policy in New Zealand has been less progressive through its subsidiary, New Zealand Steel (NZS). In 2017, NZS appeared to oppose GHG emissions regulation at national or regional level in a submission to the New Zealand Productivity Commission on its 'Low Emissions Economy' consultation. NZS has also consistently lobbied against the strengthening of the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme, including an increase in emission pricing in 2018 and a review of emissions baselines in 2020. In 2020, the company has lobbied against the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Reform) Amendment Bill that aims to withdraw free emissions allowance.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Bluescope has communicated mixed position on energy transition. In a press release in August 2021, the company appears supportive of the decarbonization of the steel industry. In its corporate reporting in 2018, BlueScope appears generally supportive of the energy transition towards low carbon energy sources such as renewables and battery storage. In a consultation submission in February 2021, it advocated for government policy to help decarbonize hydrogen production and make renewable hydrogen price affordable. On the other hand, the company appears supportive of a long-term of natural gas in energy mix, arguing green hydrogen costs six times higher than natural gas, as reported by Argus Media in March 2021. In an August 2021 consultation response to Victoria’s Gas Substitution Roadmap, the company appeared to not support the transition away from a gaseous based energy system, citing cost concerns of transitioning and the cost of increasing electrification by using renewables, but does support the use of biogas and eventual use of hydrogen. In 2019 the company supported measures to increase the supply of natural gas in Australia, and has previously supported subsidies to keep coal plants open in 2017.
Industry Association Governance: BlueScope is a member of several key industry associations with mixed engagement on climate policy in Australia including Australian Industry Greenhouse Network, Australian Industry Group and Business Council of Australia. BlueScope has a detailed disclosure of its membership and governance processes for industry associations, although it lacks details of its influence within each industry association such as positions held and how the company is attempting to influence policy positions.