Our stakeholders
Engaging with a wide range of stakeholders helps BP to make responsible decisions
Our stakeholders are the many individuals and organizations who are affected in some way by BP’s activities, whether it is in our role as an energy provider, an employer, or as a company that generates revenues and helps to boost local economies.
Employees
With nearly 86,000 employees in more than 70 countries, BP relies on a range of internal communications channels to keep our employees informed about the context within which they work. We have established channels for our employees and contractors to raise concerns, and we maintain regular communication with unions at many BP sites around the world.
Shareholders and analysts
We engage with shareholders and analysts through our annual general meeting and other events. We communicate via roadshows, webcasts and one-to-one meetings. In 2012, this included a presentation on BP Energy Outlook 2030, and briefings on oil sands and our progress against safety enhancements recommended in the Bly Report.
Sustainability indices
Following the Deepwater Horizon accident, BP was de-listed from the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Index. We understand why this has happened and we are working towards restoring recognition from these organizations. In the meantime, we continue to engage in dialogue with socially responsible investors.
Governments and regulators
We engage with governments on many fronts, from consulting on environmental regulation and revenue transparency to collaborating on community or entrepreneurial initiatives. Our code of conduct requires that our employees and contractors are honest and responsive in any interactions they have with governments. In many countries where we operate lobbying activity is strictly regulated.
Our industry
BP is working through business and industry groups to help establish standards and address complex energy challenges. For example, we are members of the global oil and gas association for environmental and social issues, IPIECA, and the American Petroleum Institute. We are also members of industry partnerships on specific issues such as deepwater drilling. These include the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers’ Well Expert Committee, the Subsea Well Response Project and the Joint Industry Project on Oil Spill Response.
Contractors and partners
Like our industry peers, BP rarely works in isolation. Safe and responsible operations rely on the capability and performance of our suppliers, contractors and partners. To this end, we set operational standards through legally-binding agreements and we help to build capability through training and dialogue.
Local communities
Talking with local people and other stakeholders helps our businesses to define what a positive or negative impact on the local community means. We depend on our relationships with communities. This is important for all our activities, but particularly for major new projects, where our presence may bring about changes in the local area, such as jobs, capacity and capability building for local suppliers and support for community development, but also increased road traffic, changes in land use and landscapes, increased demand for fresh water and varying levels of in-migration.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
For our new projects, we often consult with relevant local and international NGOs, who may provide specialized expertise on managing impacts. We also engage with NGOs at a group level. In 2012, we discussed biodiversity, climate change and energy policy, revenue transparency, human rights and operating in sensitive areas in these meetings.
Customers
About 125,000 consumers in more than 15 countries participated in our global tracking research programmes in 2012, answering questions ranging from how they rate BP on customer satisfaction in relation to its competitors to the degree to which they recognize our brand and use our products. Social media (Facebook, YouTube and Twitter), focus groups, in-depth interviews with customers and online communications are rich sources of customer feedback for us.
Attestation
The information on this page forms part of the information reviewed and reported on by Ernst & Young as part of BP's 2012 sustainability reporting.
BP at a glance
Overview of who we are, what we do and our key non-financial performance indicators
What we do
(pdf, 1046KB)
Related links
Our 2012 update on building a stronger, safer BP
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