In 2024, we laid the foundation for many of the initiatives currently in progress for managing our negative impact and risks associated with failing to respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights and ensuring FPIC in our own operations. We began by developing a global guidance for social and human rights impact assessments, which will allow us to proactively manage these risks and impacts before the construction of new projects.

Furthermore, we finalised our internal guidelines for free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), a framework designed to ensure respectful and transparent engagement with Indigenous communities. These guidelines guarantee that we secure consent from Indigenous communities before initiating projects that might impact their lands or cultural heritage.

We recognise the importance of identifying and understanding the diverse communities that may be affected by our renewable energy projects. Our operations and value chain may impact various communities, leading to human rights concerns and other social impacts. Through our DMA process, we have identified two key groups that are subject to our material impacts: Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Indigenous Peoples are affected by our own operations, such as wind or solar farm development, and throughout our value chain, where we may work with suppliers operating on or near Indigenous lands. They are particularly vulnerable and face heightened risks of harm due to their cultural heritage and traditional land rights. Local communities can also be impacted negatively by living near extraction sites for minerals and metals used in renewable energy infrastructure, such as rare earth elements for wind turbines and solar panels.