Our approach to sustainability
Our approach to sustainability is built on strong foundations. They guide the way we work, underpin our focus on safety and support our sustainability frame and net zero, people and planet aims
Safety
At bp, safety comes first. We want to improve our safety performance and continue working towards our goal of eliminating fatalities, life-changing injuries and tier 1 process safety events.
Operating Management System (OMS)
Our OMS provides a single framework for our operations. It defines a consistent approach to managing our operational activities – helping us to improve performance in delivering safe, reliable and compliant operations. It brings together bp requirements on health, safety, security, and environment social performance, operational reliability and regulatory compliance and supports the implementation of our safety rules and principles. Our OMS includes governance over variations, deviations or exceptions in its application in order to reflect a bp entity’s circumstances or meet local regulationsa.
Ethics and compliance
Our code of conduct sets the standards and expectations for how we do the right thing and empowers us to speak up without fear of retaliation. It is the foundation of ‘Who we are’ and puts safety first.
Together with our Safety Leadership Principles and OMS, it helps us make safe and ethical decisions, act responsibly, comply with applicable laws and deliver our sustainability frame.
Anti-financial crime
We operate in parts of the world that are higher risk in relation to bribery and corruption, so it is important to inform our employees, contractors, suppliers, and others, that our commitment to ethical and compliant operations is unwavering.
Our code explicitly prohibits engaging in any form of bribery, corruption or money laundering and promotes lawful and ethical business practices. It includes an expectation that we work to make sure our business partners comply with our requirements.
Our people
Our people are crucial to delivering our strategy and aims. We help them succeed by fostering an inclusive culture, investing in their professional development, and focusing on employee wellbeing.
2025 was a year of transformation for bp. As we reset our strategy, we continued investing in our employees and supporting them through change, including those who left bp or are set to do so.
Linking remuneration to sustainability
The bonus scorecard for 2025 against which eligible employees (around 43,000) are measured incentivized them through three themes: safety and sustainability (30%); operational performance (15%); and financial performance (55%).
For 2025 our sustainability measure was linked to our operated carbon emissions. This measure covers Scope 1 and 2 emissions based on our net zero operations aim. Our 2023-2025 long-term incentive plan scorecard was linked to emissions reductions against our 2019 baseline (15%).
For 2026 progress towards our aim to achieve net zero operations by 2050 or sooner will continue to be rewarded through our long-term performance share plans rather than the annual bonus. For 2026-28 the scorecard measure will focus on reducing Scope 1 and 2 operational emissions (20%).
Policies and practices
Our policies and practices set expectations for how we manage environmental and social performance before, during and after our activities. They include environmental and social requirements, which form the foundation for our sustainability frame and aims.
Supplier expectations
We want to work with suppliers who value sustainability, respect human rights and work consistently with our code.
Governance
The board is responsible for setting our strategy and for monitoring our management and operations as we work to deliver against our targets and aims.
The board-level safety and sustainability committee oversees effective implementation of the sustainability frame and management of significant non-financial risks, including health, safety, environmental, social and human rights risks.
Management oversight of sustainability is embedded through our group operational risk committee (sustainability). The committee provides challenge and support in the implementation of our sustainability frame and oversight of the management of potentially significant sustainability risks and opportunities, including those related to climate change.
Footnotes
a For recently acquired businesses, there is typically a transition period while bp’s operating standards, as set out in our OMS, are integrated or aligned.
