ICL

Lobbying
ICL discloses a list of trade associations of which it is a member. It has however an opportunity to show further leadership by disclosing a full list list for all geographies where it operates.

Stakeholder engagement
ICL discloses the channels it uses to engage with each stakeholder group.

Sustainability strategy and accountability
ICL 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 and reports consistently against all its targets. Furthermore, it provides evidence of linking performance criteria in senior executives’ remuneration policies to targets and objectives which cover nature, including biodiversity, and social issues.

Ecosystem conversion and restoration
ICL discloses details and outcomes of ecosystem restoration projects in areas affected by its own operations or by its suppliers, as well as beyond areas affected by its own operations or suppliers.

GHG emissions
ICL has set time-bound targets to reduce its scope 1 and 2 emissions and reports progress against them.

Invasive species
ICL discloses its processes for preventing the introduction of IAS or managing IAS that have been introduced as a result of its own operations.

Key areas and species
ICL discloses the locations of its mining sites and their position in relation to a protected area or areas with high biodiversity value.

Resource exploitation and circularity performance
ICL discloses activities to improve soil health or agrobiodiversity in its production or sourcing practices.

Solid and air pollution
ICL 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. The company also reports regularly on air quality parameters of emissions of harmful air pollutants. It has time-bound targets to reduce air pollutants across the most material parts of its value chain and reports regularly against these targets.

Water
ICL reports water withdrawal for its own operations in water-stressed areas. The company demonstrates reducing water withdrawal in its own operations.

No leading practices were identified in the social inclusion and community impact area.

Act ethically
ICL has a policy on prohibiting bribery and corruption and includes anti-bribery and anti-corruption clauses in its business relationships’ contracts. Furthermore, it has established a grievance mechanism for stakeholder complaints.

Provide and promote decent work
ICL has a publicly available policy statement committing it to respect the health and safety of workers and expecting its business relationship to do the same. Moreover, it provides evidence of monitoring suppliers’ compliance. The company discloses that 76% of its employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements. It also reports the proportion of women in its total direct operations workforce for each employee category.

ICL publicly commits to gender equality and women’s empowerment and has established related time-bound targets. By the end of 2024, the company aims to have 20% of its workforce composed of females, along with 25% females in senior leadership positions and 25% females on the Board of Directors. Currently, women make up 33% of its Board of Directors.

Respect human rights
ICL has a policy statement committing it to respect human rights and the International Labour Organization (ILO) fundamental rights at work and expecting its business relationships to do the same. Furthermore, it discloses categories of stakeholders whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities such as customers, impact analyst, international agency, service provider, employees and managers. It also has established a human rights grievance mechanism accessible to all workers and all external stakeholders who may be adversely impacted by the company.

Lobbying
ICL does not report on its lobbying and advocacy practices on nature-related issues, nor whether these activities align with its sustainability strategy.

Stakeholder engagement
ICL provides an overview of the issues raised by its shareholders and consumers but could further disclose the issues raised by its other stakeholders.

Sustainability strategy and accountability
While ICL discloses some sustainability objectives/targets including climate and social inclusion, it has an opportunity to establish group-wide targets for the most material parts of its value chain. Furthermore, it could disclose whether its highest governance body has expertise with respect to the company’s most material sustainability topics.

Ecosystem conversion and restoration
No evidence was found regarding the company’s 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.

GHG emissions
ICL should set time-bound targets to reduce its scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions as well as report progress against them. Crucially, all its scope 1, 2 and 3 targets need to align with a 1.5-degree trajectory.

Impact and dependencies assessment
While ICL is committed to enhancing biodiversity through assessments and reclamation of mining sites, it has an opportunity to assess and disclose its impacts on nature, including biodiversity, within its own operations and its upstream business relationships. It could also benefit from establishing effective benchmarks to monitor its biodiversity performance over time. Additionally, the company has room to assess and disclose its dependencies on nature both within its operations and its upstream business relationships.

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

Key areas and species
While ICL highlights the number of red-list species in select operations like the Dead Sea in Israel and U.K. Boulby, there are evident gaps in their disclosure. Specifically, there’s an opportunity to detail all species nearby or within all its operational locations. Additionally, revealing locations of suppliers adjacent to biodiversity-critical zones, sharing species populations around supplier sites, and more comprehensively disclosing the conservation status of species across its operations as per national and international lists would enrich their transparency and commitment to biodiversity.

Resource exploitation and circularity performance
No evidence was found regarding the company’s efforts to work towards a circular economy or which organisms it exploits. ICL has an opportunity to develop a strategy and publicly report on specific, time-bound targets.

Solid and air pollution
ICL should commit to avoid developing or marketing new chemicals or products with SVHC (substance of very high concern) properties, as well as work on reducing the production of hazardous substances and waste. It also has an opportunity to disclose quantitative evidence regarding plastic use reduction and use of sustainable packaging, including the amount of plastic waste generated and proportions directed from or to disposal.

Water
ICL has an opportunity to further improve water withdrawal by setting a time-bound target and engaging with suppliers. The company does not disclose relevant information on water pollution or rights to water in its operations or supply chains.

Indigenous Peoples’ and land rights
ICL does not show if it is committed to respecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights or land rights of local communities.

Safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment
ICL has an opportunity to commit 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. Moreover, it should track its actual or potential negative impacts on the health of local communities.

Act ethically
ICL has an opportunity to establish a process to identify risks and impacts related to bribery and corruption. Furthermore, the company can demonstrate ethical conduct by publishing a policy statement that outlines its approach to lobbying and political engagement, emphasizes its non-participation in political contributions, or alternatively, states the criteria of exceptions. It could also transparently disclose all lobbying expenditures.

Provide and promote decent work
ICL has an opportunity to strengthen its commitment to its workers’ wellbeing by setting a time-bound target for ensuring all workers receive a living wage and detailing the living wage determination methodology in the regions where it operates. Moreover, while it expects its suppliers to pay wage according to all applicable laws, it has an opportunity to add requirement for them to pay a living wage and to disclose strategies to support suppliers to make the payment. Furthermore, it could disclose the ratio of the basic salary and remuneration of women to men in its total direct operations workforce for each employee category, by significant locations of operation.

Respect human rights
ICL states that it carries out EcoVadis assessments. However, it could further describes the process(es) to identify its human rights risks and impacts in specific locations or activities covering its own operations and value chain. It could also disclose the process for assessing and identifying its salient human right issues and disclose what it considers as salient human right issues for the company. Moreover, the company could establish a global system to address these salient human rights issues by implementing preventive, mitigative, or remedial measures.