Sasol Climate Change Report 2023 - Book - Page 60
INTRODUCTION
TRANSFORMING FOR RESILIENCE
GOVERNANCE
CLIMATE ADVOCACY AND POLICY
DATA AND ASSURANCE
GOVERNANCE CONTINUED
Climate change and management
Sasol’s President and CEO is the highest executive decision-making authority on climate change matters. On these matters, the President
and CEO delegates authority to the GEC, the highest collective executive decision-making structure at Sasol.
The GEC is responsible for recommending the
company9s strategy and long-term plans including
climate change management to the Board. Delivery
on our 2030 targets and 2050 ambition, as well as
our roadmaps, are also part of the GEC9s mandate.
The GEC is supported by the corporate Portfolio
Strategy and Sustainability function, which includes
the Climate Change team with input from the various
business sustainability managers. Additional support
is provided by other business specialists and experts
in areas including green hydrogen and renewables.
The Capital Structuring and Allocation Committee,
a sub-committee of the GEC, provides strategic
direction, oversight and assurance on Group-wide,
high-risk and/or value investments, including
climate-change and Future Sasol investments. The
Committee is tasked with considering the shortand long-term environmental and socio-economic
impacts of investments. Feedback on the funding
status of the emission-reduction roadmaps from this
Committee is regularly provided to the Board9s SSEC.
The Policy, Stakeholder and Governance (PSG)
Committee, reporting to the Executive Vice President
for Energy Operations, receives regular updates on
environmental and climate change issues, including
roadmap progress. Assurance on milestones and
achievements is received by the Committee from
Internal Audit. Combined assurance is regularly
appraised by the PSG. This Committee agrees the
Energy Operations approach to stakeholder
engagement and formulates responses to external,
including regulatory, developments. Within the
Energy Business, the Governance and Risk
Committee has a similar mandate and receives
updates and assurance reports.
Sasol Chemicals has a regional
operating structure (Americas,
Eurasia and Africa) that
supports the four chemical
business segments (Essential Care
Chemicals, Advanced Materials,
Performance Solutions and Base
Chemicals).
For reporting on regional environmental and climate
change issues pertaining to Sasol Chemicals, there
are regional GHG steering committees in place. The
steering committee for Eurasia is chaired by the
Senior Vice President Eurasia Chemicals and that for
North America by the Senior Vice President Americas.
For the Africa region, the chemicals operations are
hosted by Sasol9s Energy Business, which also
manages environmental and climate change issues
for the region.
A Climate Change Working Team comprises
representatives of all Sasol businesses, the Chief Risk
Officer and other senior members of management.
Chaired by the Vice President Climate Change, the
team meets monthly to identify and assess climate
change risks and develop and recommend to the GEC
feedback on and builds for Sasol9s climate change
approach.
The Board’s skills and expertise
The Board comprises mostly independent non-Executive
Directors and recognises the benefits of having a diverse set
of skills among its members.
included personal liability of Directors for climate change,
building climate resilience and key takeaways and implications
of COP27.
In appointing directors, the specific skills, expertise and
competencies of each candidate are carefully considered in
alignment with Sasol9s vision, long-term strategic direction
and key risks. This is enabled through an approved
succession plan with selection criteria including capabilities
in managing climate-related risks and opportunities.
Newly appointed directors attend a structured induction
programme, which includes a detailed module on our
sustainability and climate change management approach.
This programme was revised during 2022 to include strategic
direction provided by the Future Sasol strategy and
associated sustainability matters.
The effectiveness and performance of the Board, its committees
and individual Directors are evaluated every two years. In alternate
years, or as is necessary, provision is made for reflection by the
Board on its performance, including that of its committees, chair
and members. A Board competency gap analysis is conducted
annually. Every year, post year-end, Directors9 competencies are
re-evaluated in areas including climate change. This is discussed
in our 2023 IR
(see page 68).
The Board and its committees may obtain external, independent
professional advice, as needed to carry out their duties, in
addition to receiving advice and latest updates (topics of
interest) from internal climate-change specialists. The
qualifications of each of our Board members and their
(see page 66).
specialised skills sets are set out in our 2023 IR
In addition, Directors undertake extensive self-study to improve
their knowledge and understanding, and their ability to make
informed climate change decisions.
The Board undergoes regular retraining, including on climate
change and wider sustainability matters, as and when required.
Safety and compliance updates including climate change and
other sustainability matters are presented at all meetings of
the Board and its committees (see page 58). Detailed topics of
interest are also shared every quarter; in 2023 the topics
The SSEC is chaired by Ms Muriel Dube whose skills set includes
considerable knowledge and high-level experience in climate
change matters. She has a Master of Science in Environmental
Change and Management from Oxford University and is a
former South African government chief negotiator to the
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and
served as the African representative for technology transfer
on the UNFCCC Expert Group on Technology Transfer. Ms Dube
has recently been appointed as an independent non-Executive
Director at Control Risks, based in the United Kingdom and
chairs its Audit Committee.
In April 2023, the Board9s climate change expertise was
bolstered with the appointment of Mr Andreas Schierenbeck as
an independent non-Executive Director. Mr Schierenbeck is the
founder and a director of HH2E, a company dedicated to
producing green hydrogen for the German market. Between
2019 and 2021, he was the CEO of international energy company
Uniper where he began executing a strategy to decarbonise the
company by 2035.
Secunda Operations, South Africa
SASOL CLIMATE CHANGE REPORT 2023
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