Air Products and Chemicals

Sustainability strategy and accountability
Air Products and Chemicals discloses its process for identifying and prioritising its most relevant sustainability impacts as well as the outcome of this process, in relation to its sustainability strategy.

Stakeholder engagement
Air Products and Chemicals discloses how often and through which channels it engages with various stakeholder groups, and an overview of the issues raised during its stakeholder engagement activities.

Lobbying
Air Products and Chemicals discloses a list of trade associations of which it is a member wherever it operates.

Water
Air Products and Chemicals demonstrates it is reducing water withdrawal in its own operations, and it reports how much water is withdrawn for its own operations in water-stressed areas.

Solid and air pollution
Air Products and Chemicals discloses the proportion of hazardous waste treated to reduce pollution compared to total waste, the hazardous waste diverted from disposal and the waste directed to disposal.

GHG emissions
Air Products and Chemicals has time-bound targets for reducing their scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions, and they are on track to meet these targets.

No leading practices were identified for the company in this area.

Sustainability strategy and accountability
Air Products and Chemicals does not disclose group-wide targets on key sustainability topics for the most material parts of its value chain, and it does not report consistently against all its targets. The company has an opportunity to disclose whether its highest governance body has expertise regarding nature-related topics.

Lobbying
Air Products and Chemicals does not disclose a clear and detailed framework for assessing alignment of its trade associations with nature-positive policies. The company does not report potential misalignment between the lobbying activities of its trade associations and nature-positive policies.

Impact and dependencies assessment
Air Products and Chemicals has not holistically assessed its impacts or how it depends on nature, including biodiversity. It has an opportunity to start such an assessment across its value chains, focused on quantification of its impacts and dependencies.

Key areas and species
Air Products and Chemicals does not disclose key species or areas important for biodiversity affected by its operations or suppliers. It has an opportunity to increase its transparency.

Ecosystem conversion and restoration
No evidence was found regarding Air Products and Chemicals’ efforts to avoid ecosystem conversion, including deforestation, or promote restoration. The company has an opportunity to develop a strategy and publicly report on specific, time-bound targets.

Resource exploitation and circularity
No evidence was found regarding Air Products and Chemicals’ efforts to work towards a circular economy or which organisms it exploits. The company has an opportunity to develop a strategy and publicly report on specific, time-bound targets. The company does not disclose efforts to improve soil health.

Water
Air Products and Chemicals demonstrates it is reducing water withdrawal in its own operations. However, the company does not disclose a time-bound target to reduce water withdrawal across its own operations, and it has an opportunity to engage with suppliers to reduce water withdrawal. Air Products and Chemicals regularly reports on water pollution. However, it does not have a target to reduce water pollution. The company does not disclose its processes for managing and monitoring discharge water quality. Air Products and Chemicals does not disclose a commitment to respect the right to water. The company does not disclose its processes for implementing preventive and corrective action plans for identified specific risks to the right to water and sanitation in its own operations.

Solid and air pollution
Air Products and Chemicals is not reducing the production of hazardous substances. It has an opportunity to commit to avoid developing or marketing new chemicals or products with SVHC (substance of very high concern) properties. While Air Products and Chemical Air Products and Chemicals s is reducing the production of hazardous waste, it has an opportunity to reduce plastic use and waste in its own operations. The company does not report on the amount of plastic waste generated and proportions directed from or to disposal. Air Products and Chemicals reports regularly on air quality parameters of emissions of harmful air pollutants, however, it does not report time-bound targets to reduce air pollutants across the most material parts of its value chain.

GHG emissions
Air Products and Chemicals’ scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions targets are not aligned with a 1.5-degree trajectory.

Invasive species
Air Products and Chemicals has not identified any activities that could lead to the introduction of invasive alien species in its own operations.

Safe, healthy, clean environment
Air Products and Chemicals does not show if it is committed to respecting local communities’ right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment and to zero tolerance for acts of violence, threats, intimidation or judicial harassment committed against land and environmental rights defenders.

Indigenous peoples’ and land rights
Air Products and Chemicals does not show if it is committed to respecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights or Land rights of local communities.

While Air Products and Chemicals discloses that it conducts due diligence in general, it has an opportunity to specify that it conducts human rights due diligence that includes a process for identifying human rights risks and impacts in its financing activities. There is no evidence that the company describes its process for assessing its human rights risks and discloses what it considers to be its salient human rights issues. No evidence was found that Air Products and Chemicals has a global system in place to act on, prevent or mitigate its salient human rights issues. There is no evidence that the company provides an example of the conclusions reached and actions taken or to be taken on at least one of its salient human rights issues as a result of assessment processes. While Air Products and Chemicals discloses the categories of stakeholders it engages with generally on sustainability issues, it is not clear if these stakeholders are those whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities. There is no evidence that the company provides examples of its engagement with stakeholders whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities.

Air Products and Chemicals has a publicly available policy statement which shows it is committed to respecting the health and safety of workers. It also has a publicly available policy statement which shows it expects its suppliers to commit to respecting the health and safety of their workers. However, the company has an opportunity to disclose a time-bound target for paying all workers a living wage or that it has achieved paying all workers a living wage. Furthermore, Air Products and Chemicals has an opportunity to describe how it determines a living wage for the regions where it operates. Finally, the company discloses the proportion of its total direct operations workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements, however, there is no evidence that it describes how it works to support the practices of its suppliers in relation to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

Air Products and Chemicals discloses a tax strategy, but it is not applicable to all its operations. There is no evidence that it describes the process for identifying its bribery and corruption risks and impacts in specific locations or activities covering its own operations. The company includes anti-bribery and anti-corruption clauses in its contracts with direct business relationships, however, there is no evidence that it has a publicly available policy statement or policy setting out its lobbying and political engagement approach. Finally, Air Products and Chemicals specifies that it does not make political contributions.