SmartEN
What do our scores mean?
The organizational score represents the degree to which the organization influencing climate policy and legislation. Corporations also have relationship scores reflecting their links with influencers like trade associations. Both are combined to place the corporation in a performance band. Full details can be found here.
Update August 2021: If limited evidence had been collected either on a company's direct policy engagement (Organization Score) or industry association links (Relationship Score) this is signified with an ‘n/a’ (not available). If limited evidence has been collected in both areas, the Total Score is also given as n/a. Full details and links back to any primary evidence that has been collected can still be located on the company’s profile.
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). Clearly energy companies are more affected by climate regulations and will have a higher EI than, for example retailers. So an organization’s score should be looked at in conjunction with this metric to gauge the amount of evidence we are using in each case as a basis for scoring. On our scale, an EI of more than 35 indicates a relatively large amount of climate policy 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.
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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? |
NS |
2
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NA | NS | NS | NS | NA |
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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) |
NS |
2
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NA |
2
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NS |
2
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NA |
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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? |
NS |
1
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NA |
1
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NS |
-1
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NA |
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Support of UN Climate Process
Is the organization supporting the UN FCCC process on climate change? |
2
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2
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NA | NS | NS | NS | NA |
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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 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
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Carbon Tax
Is the organisation supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: carbon tax. |
NS | NS | NA | NS | NS | NS | NA |
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Emissions Trading
Is the organisation supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: emissions trading. |
1
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NS | NA |
2
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NS | NS | NA |
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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 |
2
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2
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NA |
2
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2
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2
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NA |
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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 |
2
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2
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NA |
2
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NS | NS | NA |
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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? |
2
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1
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NA |
2
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1
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2
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NA |
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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 |
2
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2
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NA | NS | NS |
-1
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NA |
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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? |
NS | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
Climate Lobbying Overview: Smart Energy Europe (SmartEn) has generally positive engagement on climate policies. SmartEn has communicated strong support for the Paris Climate Agreement, while also supporting energy efficiency, renewable energy, and the transition of the energy mix.
Top-Line Messaging on Climate Policy: SmartEn has been largely transparent about climate science in both 2020 and 2019 in joint letters to EU leaders and policymakers. In its own messaging, SmartEn supported limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in 2020 and supported Europe's 2050 climate goals in 2019. Similarly, SmartEn supported the EU goal of climate neutrality in a letter to MEPS in 2020 and SmartEn Executive Director Frauke Theis advocated for increasing the EU climate target in 2020.
SmartEn in 2020 supported the European Green New Deal and stated support for a green recovery to the COVID-19 crisis in Europe. However, in 2018 Executive Director Frauke Theis said in an interview that she supported a market-based response to climate change rather than government regulation. SmartEn has been supportive of the Paris Agreement, demonstrated in its participation in the Electrification Alliance declaration in 2021 and call for Energy Union Governance in 2018.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: SmartEn has lobbied for climate policies and regulations, with a few exceptions. SmartEn strongly supported the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in its consultation to the European Commission in 2020.
In terms of energy efficiency, SmartEn has been strongly supportive of policies. In 2020 SmartEn supported energy efficiency in buildings in the EU Renovation Wave Initiative, called on the EU Commission to invest in energy efficiency through stimulus packages, and supported increased energy efficiency targets and legislation in Europe. SmartEn also directly advocated for energy efficiency standards in the framework of the European Green New Deal and Executive Director Frauke Theis supported the European Commission's Energy Integration Strategy in 2020.
In 2020, SmartEn called for the consideration of renewables in the European Climate Law, advocated for renewable energy generation in the EU Renovation Wave Initiative, and supported the EU's renewable energy target in a letter to the European Parliament and Council. Similarly, in 2018 SmartEn supported a renewable energy target in the EU in a joint letter and in 2021 advocated for state aid rules that support renewable energy generation.
Generally SmartEn has been supportive of greenhouse gas emissions standards. However, in 2018 SmartEn Executive Director Frauke Theis was not supportive of the EU's proposed decarbonisation strategy. SmartEn supported increasing the EU 2030 emissions reduction target to 55% and advocated for higher emissions reduction targets in 2020. SmartEn similarly advocated for a higher EU Nationally Determined Contribution in 2019.
Positioning on Energy Transition: SmartEn has been predominantly supportive of the transition of the energy mix, with the exception of supporting a voluntary demand response to support the energy transition in a joint statement in 2020 and advocating for decentralised solutions in 2019. In 2020, SmartEn advocated for increasing the amount of renewables in the energy mix in a letter to MEP Claudia Gamon, supported phasing out natural gas heating in buildings, supported regulations to introduce electric vehicles charging infrastructure, and supported phasing out fossil fuel subsidies while advocating for regulatory measures to facilitate the energy transition. Also in 2020, SmartEn supported electrification to decarbonise the EU economy, supported electrification of vehicles in Europe, and directly advocated for policymakers to transition to a carbon-neutral economy in the Smart Sector Integration Strategy.