Our sustainability approach

Table of contents:

A process of continuous improvement

TotalEnergies has placed sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its strategy, projects and operations, in order to contribute to the well-being of the populations.

TotalEnergies has structured its sustainable development approach for conducting its activities so as to contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to which TotalEnergies committed its support in 2016.

As part of its determination to strengthen its efforts in the segments in which it can act with most authority as an integrated multi-energy Company, TotalEnergies involves its employees in identifying the SDGs on which it can have the greatest impact, in connection with its ambition to reach carbon neutrality (net zero emissions) by 2050, together with society. Through workshops, more than 27,000 of them took part in 2022 in the development of 10 objectives and indicators related to the SDGs. In 2023, it is planned that each site, business unit and subsidiary of TotalEnergies around the world adopts a progress plan with targets to be achieved by 2025, and each plan to be based on actions directly linked to the local activities of the entity concerned, as close as possible to the field. These plans form the Sustainab’ALL program through which TotalEnergies materializes its contribution to sustainable development.

TotalEnergies' sustainable development approach is based on four areas:

  • Climate and sustainable energy: leading the transformation of the energy model to contribute to the fight against climate change and meet the needs of populations.
  • People's well-being: being a reference as an employer and responsible operator. TotalEnergies intends to promote a work environment that combines performance and conviviality, and to ensure compliance with human rights in the workplace, both within the Company and among its partners, as well as the safety and health of people.
  • Care for the environment: to be exemplary in the management of the environment and the use of the planet's natural resources. TotalEnergies intends to ensure that the environmental impacts of all its operations are managed according to the Avoid-Reduce-Offset approach, thereby helping preserve the environment, biodiversity and fresh water resources. To this end, TotalEnergies promotes the circular economy.
  • Creating value for society: generating shared prosperity across regions. TotalEnergies aims to be a creator and a driver of positive change for the communities in its host regions.

To better understand TotalEnergies’ contribution to each of the SDGs, a reporting index is available in the section:

Reporting - Sustainable Development Goals

A sustainability strategy in motion

TotalEnergies actively works on each of its sustainability pillars in order to make its development a vehicle of progress that benefits as many people as possible and to be a factor of positive change for the societies and regions where it is present.

Support to global initiatives

TotalEnergies is committed to various international initiatives such as the fight against climate change, promotion of social dialogue, preservation of biodiversity, transparency in the conduct of business.

TotalEnergies abides by the principles of the United Nations Global Compact. TotalEnergies is committed to respecting internationally recognized human rights wherever it operates, especially the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Fundamental Conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO), the U.N. Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPSHR).

Infographics "International initiatives" - see detailed description hereafter

Transparency, a principle of action

The Company believes that transparency is an essential principle of action in building a trust-based relationship with its stakeholders and enables a path of continuous improvement.

Pending the adoption of an international, standardized non-financial reporting framework, TotalEnergies ensures it is accountable for its performance on the basis of the various commonly used ESG reporting frameworks. As such, TotalEnergies refers to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards and those of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), for which detailed tables of correspondence are available on its website. TotalEnergies’ reporting includes the World Economic Forum's core indicators(1) (please refer to chapter 11). Furthermore, the Company follows the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) for its climate reporting. TotalEnergies provides additional information on its website in pages specifically dedicated to its sustainability development approach.

(1) Measuring Stakeholder Capitalism: Towards Common Metrics and Consistent Reporting of Sustainable Value Creation, white paper, September 2020.

TotalEnergies has been present since 2001 in the FTSE4Good index series (London Stock Exchange) and was reintegrated into the DJSI World and DJSI Europe indices in December 2022.

In 2022, TotalEnergies obtained a score of A- on the CDP questionnaire on climate change.

In 2022, TotalEnergies obtained Platinum status for its commercial entities listed on the EcoVadis platform for TotalEnergies Electricité et Gaz France and Greenflex, the Gold status for TotalEnergies Marketing & Service, TotalEnergies Gas & Power Limited and Saft Groupe and the Silver status for TotalEnergies Refining & Chemicals.