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Stepping Up in the Virus Crisis: Leaders in the Oil & Gas Sector

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G&A Institute Team Note
We continue to bring you news of private (corporate and business), public and social sector developments as organizations in the three societal sectors adjust to the emergency. This is post #16 in the series, “Excellence in Corporate Citizenship on Display in the Coronavirus Crisis”.

13 April 2020    #WeRise2FightCOVID-19 “Corporate Purpose – Virus Crisis”

By Sarah El-Miligy – Sustainability Reporting Analyst-Intern, G&A Institute

The Oil and Gas Sector has already taken strong hits due to the OPEC+ conflict and the Saudi-Russian oil price war prior to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic.

The worldwide pandemic was the second hit this year that has dramatically affected the oil and gas industry, causing significant disruption with long-term harmful consequences.

According to the IEA, for the 1st time since 2009 the global demand for oil is expected to fall by 2.5 million barrels per day in the 1st quarter of 2020.

These negative consequences are expected to extend out to 2022.

However, the industry’s recovery given the amount of damage caused by the virus can’t be predicted at this stage, given the evolving nature of the coronavirus and the widespread impact on the global society.

The oil and gas industry has had to take a major step back — as have many different industries across the globe – due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Largest of the Oil & Gas Companies

The top industry players are found to be ready to fight back and help to mitigate the drastic effects of the pandemic and to support their communities through a strong global response.

Despite being financially-affected due to the decline in production, travel restrictions, drop in oil demand and lower oil prices resulting from the pandemic, many companies in the industry have contributed to the global efforts taken in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

For example, some by directing considerable amount of funds to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund as a part of their demonstration of social responsibility towards their employees, customers and the communities where they operate.

Looking at the top 10 O&G companies, some of them have invested in research and innovation, even shifting their production lines and putting their technical knowledge and financial resources in use in order to help fighting the battle against the virus. Other companies had a quick response and supplied key protection products used by the healthcare professionals.

On the internal front, the oil and gas companies have shown immediate responses to guarantee the safety of their employees and customers.

This begins with updating their health and safety protocols and constantly introducing new, up-to-date protection policies in order to ensure the safety of their dispersed staff.

Social distancing measures have been one of the premier precautionary actions adopted and stressed upon industry-wide.

In response to the many negative impacts of the pandemic, the major players in the oil and gas industry — such as BP, ExxonMobil, Total, Chevron — have demonstrated significant Corporate Citizenship practices while dealing with the current crisis at all levels.

I’ve compiled 10 corporate examples for you:

1- ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil Global Response to the COVID-19 Crisis

According to the company’s official website the efforts by the Oil & Gas giant in fighting COVID-19 include:

  • Supporting vulnerable communities, specially in the most infected countries through financial donations, subsidized fuel supply and providing other significant products required to address the COVID-19 challenges.
  • Investing in research and development, producing an innovative reusable personal protection equipment to the healthcare staff and other consumers.
  • Taking a number of measures to slow the spread of the virus in many European and Asian countries.
  • Directing operations to focus on manufacturing ingredients such as isopropyl alcohol, which is used in the production of hand sanitizers, alcohol wipes and disinfectant sprays.
  • Implementing health and safety precautionary actions in order to protect the employees such as applying restrictions on business travel, as well as applying working from home and social distancing policies.
  • In terms of customer safety, ExxonMobil has increased the safety and hygiene levels in all their stations and stores. As well as applying online payment where available in order to limit the money transactions.
  • Implementing a 14-day work-from-home policy for individuals traveling from locations with sustained community transmission, as defined by the U.S. NIH and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

West Texas Food Bank Initiative
ExxonMobil is supporting hunger relief in the Midland-Odessa area and across West Texas with a US$100,000 donation to the West Texas Food Bank to help those facing difficult economic circumstances resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Supporting Online Education
ExxonMobil supports Online Education with $100,000 funds for Carlsbad Municipal Schools in response to the distance-based education policies due to the coronavirus outbreak. 14 schools in the district have been closed affecting 7,000 students. This funding will support providing low-income students with the needed equipment and internet connectivity facilitating the transition to online learning.

The Global Center for Medical Innovation Partnership
ExxonMobil is aware of the scarcity of protective masks and responded by manufacturing reusable protective masks to help solve the problem, in collaboration with the Global Centre for Medical Innovation (GCMI).

The mask would use disposable cartridges containing filter fabrics and would withstand sterilization. Because of this, it would not need to be replaced. The company and center stated that the new mask design covered the mouth and nose even better than existing N95 masks.

Prototypes are currently being tested and reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

If/when approved, production will begin immediately, with ExxonMobil supporting the identification of manufacturers familiar with the materials and process to quickly deliver the masks to doctors, nurses and health care providers.

Once approved, manufacturers indicate they will be able to produce as many as 40,000 ready-to-use masks and filter cartridges per hour

Source

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2- BP

The Corporation Supporting Communities

  • The BP Foundation will donate $2 million USD to the WHO COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund to support medical professionals and patients worldwide by providing critical aid and supplies. The Solidarity Response Fund also helps track and understand the spread of the COVID-19 virus and supports efforts to develop tests, treatments, and ultimately, a vaccine.
  • In Brazil, BP is following a different approach, allocating their own resources (ethanol from sugarcane used normally in fuel) to use them as a disinfectant, not only for their employees use but also distributing it to local health services to help close to 1.4 million people in danger and risk of infection.
  • BP also started offering free fuel to emergency service vehicles in the United Kingdom, as well as supplying free fuel to jets that serve as air ambulances there, along with their continuous support to the efforts in Australia, Spain, Turkey and Poland to control the pandemic.
  • In the UK, emergency service vehicles can refuel for free at BP retail stations as well as supplying free fuel to air ambulances. In additional, supporting similar efforts in Spain, Turkey, Poland, and Australia.
  • And in Germany where they have provided fuel cards to health care workers.

BP Turkey will provide free fuel to ambulances operated by the Ministry of Health Istanbul Directorate to support the fight against COVID-19

Source https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/news-and-insights/covid-19-bp-response.html

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3- Total Group

France today is one of the most affected countries with high numbers of coronavirus cases, and the nation’s companies are responding to the pandemic spreading.

The French oil & gas player “Total Group” has been consulting with the French health authorities to supply the healthcare staff in France with gasoline vouchers worth up to 50 million Euros that can be used at Total stations across the country.

The company has provided the hospitals’ professionals with a telephone number and an email published on their website in order to receive their vouchers.

“In this period of crisis, Total’s teams remain mobilized to enable French people to make all their necessary travel arrangements. With its nationwide network, Total is working alongside those who are fighting the epidemic everywhere. Which is why the Group has decided to make this practical gesture of support for our hospital staff, who are working to ensure the health of patients.” –  Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of Total

Moreover, the Total Foundation will contribute €5 million to the Pasteur Institute and to hospital and health associations involved in the fight against COVID-19.

Source https://www.total.com

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4- Shell

Caring for the People

Shell is doing many things to keep their customers, colleagues and communities safe. These include carrying out enhanced cleaning operations, increasing stocks of sanitation products and other essential goods, social distancing, working from home policies and health monitoring for teams at retail sites

Caring for the community:

  • Shell has also increased the production of some of the key products which is used in manufacturing soaps and sanitizers in response to COVID-19
  • Shell Manufacturing plants in the Netherlands and Canada are diverting their resources to produce isopropyl alcohol (IPA) as fast as they can. IPA makes up about half the content of the hand-sanitizing liquids being used to keep the virus down around the world.
  • The Shell team is also working closely with governments to keep track of and help meet evolving needs. On March 20, Shell announced that it would make 2.5 million liters of IPA — roughly equivalent to an Olympic-sized swimming pool — available free of charge for the Dutch healthcare sector.

On March 31, the Government of Canada listed Shell Canada as one of the Canadian companies that has stepped up to help during this crisis. Shell is donating 125,000 litres of IPA to the Government of Canada free of charge over the next three months to help the Canadian healthcare sector.

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5- Chevron Corporation

US operator Chevron has also donated $7 million to food banks, education and health services, and is matching employee donations two-to-one, in an initiative to integrate their employees in the world goal in fighting the pandemic.  Actions:

  • $500,000 has been allocated to purchase the required equipment of online learning to the Donors Choose program, “Keep Kids Learning”.
  • Helping to fund emergency services in remote parts of Western Australia and providing medical supplies to hospitals in Thailand.
  • More than $2 million has been granted to the American relief efforts in several U.S./ states and an additional $2 million to match 2:1 employee contribution to U.S.-based nonprofits.

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6- Valero
In a similar effort, the large refining company Valero has elected to donate $1.8m to fight the virus in the cities where it operates.

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7- OMV

Austrian oil, gas and petrochemical company OMV is donating $1.09m of fuel cards to the Austrian Red Cross and Caritas Austria, a food and shelter charity.

OMV Chairman and CEO Rainer Seele said: “These aid workers accomplish great things. We are helping them get around, which is an essential factor in delivering provisions and support to people in need as well as emergency aid”.

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8- Sinopec

Sinopec Corp., China’s leading energy and chemical company, has shown support and solidarity to the international community by supplying 10,256 tones of “much-needed bleaching powder” to more than 10 affected countries including Italy, France, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and Vietnam.

The company has allocated limited time in their Yanshan Factory in Beijing to manufacture fabrics that are put in use to make the N95 disposable masks.  They got this assembly line running in just 12 days in order to cover the shortage in fabrics required to manufacture these masks to help give back to the society.

Source http://www.sinopecgroup.com/group/en/Sinopecnews/20200327/news_20200327_696607861362.shtml

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9- Southern Company Gas

Atlanta-based Southern Company Gas and its subsidiaries have committed a total of $4.85 million in support of communities affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

The Southern Company Gas Charitable Foundation will award $2.5 million in support of several human services organizations — including Meals on Wheels, American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and United Way, in seven states,.

The Alabama Power Foundation and Georgia Power Foundation have each pledged $1 million and the Mississippi Power Foundation has pledged $350,000 to the effort.

Source https://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=257009
https://scgcares.org/

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10- Sempra Energy

In San Diego, California, Sempra Energy Foundation has established a $1.75 million Nonprofit Hardship Fund to provide expedited grants ranging from $500 to $50,000 to small and midsize nonprofits serving the health, education, welfare, or social services in response to COVID-19 to the individuals and families in California, Texas, and Louisiana impacted by the coronavirus.

Source https://www.sempraenergyfoundation.org/pages/areas-of-giving/health-and-safety.shtml

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CONCLUSION

This COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented worldwide crisis that not only affecting the oil & gas industry but every industry and household around the globe. In response, many of the top oil and gas players concluded that to help overcome the affects of this horrific crisis they have to give back to their communities, employees and customers and unit to do their part in supporting and mitigating these negative effects of the pandemic.

REFERENCES

  1. https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/03/covid19-fear-oil-market-mideast-coronavirus.html
  2. https://www.offshore-technology.com/features/coronavirus-fight-charity-help-covid-19/

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About the Author
Sarah El-Miligy is a Sustainability Reporting Analyst-Intern with G&A Institute. She was was graduated from the Faculty of Economic studies and Political science at Alexandria University, holding a bachelor degree in Political science and she is currently acting as a Teacher Assistant in scientific research methodologies and Diplomatic and Consular Relations in the political section department and a former international diplomacy coordinator with Ambassador Sameh Abu- El Enien – Deputy Foreign Minister and Director of the Egyptian Diplomatic Academy at Universidad Oberta de Cataluña.

Sarah El-Miligy is also a Sustainability Research Analyst in Egypt at DCarbon for Environmental and Sustainability Consultancy, the first and sole Certified Global Reporting Initiative Training Partner in Egypt and a member of the GRI Gold Community.

She has a broad experience in volunteering and working abroad with the European Union, United Nations and the League of Arab States — specifically in the fields of Sustainable Development, Climate Change, Peacebuilding and Women and Youth Empowerment.

G&A Institute Team Note
This is another in our series – “Excellence in Corporate Citizenship on Display in the Coronavirus:. We bring you news of private (corporate and business), public and social sector developments as organizations in the three societal sectors adjust to the emergency.

New items will be posted at the top of the blog post and the items posted today will move down the queue.

We created the tag “Corporate Purpose – Virus Crisis” for this continuing series – and the hashtag #WeRise2FightCOVID-19 for our Twitter posts. Do join the conversation and contribute your views and news.

Do send us news about your organization – info@ga-institute.com so we can share. Stay safe – be well — keep in touch!

Excellence in Corporate Citizenship on Display in the Coronavirus Crisis – #4

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by Hank Boerner – Chair & Chief Strategist – G&A Institute and the G&A team — continuing a new conversation about the corporate and investor response the coronavirus crisis…continuing the second week of the conversation… Post #4 – Late Evening,  March 23 … second of the day

 

 

 

Introduction
These are the times when actions and reactions to crisis helps to define the character of the corporation and shape the public profiles of each of the corporate citizens. For companies, these are not easy times.

Many important decisions are to be made, many priorities set in an environment of unknown unknowns — there are many stakeholders with needs to be taken care of.

The good news: Corporations are not waiting to be part of the solution – decisions are being made quickly and action is being taken to protect the enterprise. This is no easy task while protecting the corporate brand, the reputation for being a good corporate citizen, watching out for the investor base and the employee base — and all stakeholders.

What are companies doing? How will the decisions made at the top in turn affect the company’s employees, customers, hometowns, suppliers, other stakeholders?    Stay tuned.

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Getting Pharmaceuticals to Those in Need

The giant global pharma company Novartis commits to donate up to 130 million doses by end of May of generic hydroxychloroquine (a compound) – this and chloroquine are being evaluated to treat COVID-19. In New York State, tomorrow trials will begin for the use of the two drugs.

Novartis Sandoz division is pursuing regulatory approvals and once that is in hand the managers will work with stakeholders to figure out how to get the drugs to patients. (Novartis has registration for hydroxychloroquine in the USA.)

This is part of the Novartis COVID-19 Response Fund (US$20 million) effort for drug discovery, development, collaboration and price stability. Novartis will work with other companies to support global supply.

The Novartis enterprise resulted from the merger of Sandoz and Ciba-Geigy.

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Bayer AG (Germany) is partnering with the federal government to get several millions of anti-malaria drugs – millions of tables of chloroquine (on label: Resochin® – made of chloroquine phosphate) to the U.S. – the other half of the experimental treatment. President Donald Trump called on regulatore to agree on an emergency-use authorization.

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Funding — Cash Really Helps to Bring Aid to the Nation

Morgan Stanley committing $10 million in cash to support children’s wellbeing and capacity-building for first responders. The first distribution is for Feeding America, the CDC Foundation and the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Health Fund.

The CDC Foundation will use the fund to support local and state health departments, the global response, logistics, communications, data management, PPEs, and supplies. These funds are in addition to $500,000 in employee matching to charities supporting the initial outbreak in Wuhan, China.

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Keeping the Power on and Communities’ Needs Met

Alliant Energy, the utility serving Iowa and Wisconsin in the Heartland, donated $100,000 to COVID-19 relief efforts through its foundation arm. CEO John Larsen said the firm worked with non-profit partners to identify local needs – and cash was at the top of the list.

Contributions are headed to non-profits in the two states – to six food banks to be divided between Iowa and Wisconsin (for food boxes, mobile drive-through pantry support, gaps in school lunch programs. And the American Red Cross chapters in each state will receive funds. When the employees and retirees donate to local relief efforts, the Alliant Energy Foundation will match gifts up to $3,500 this year.

The company activated its comprehensive pandemic emergency plan and instituted safety work practices to protect employees. And yes, “Powering What’s Next” is the title of the 2019 Corporate Responsibility Report – you can see it here: https://sustainability.alliantenergy.com/

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Driving Folks Around in a Lyft During the Crisis

The drive-sharing service Lyft’s co-founders (John and Logan) sent customers an email. “All of us feel the weight of our responsibility to the community right now.” To drivers (who need the cash) and to customers, to be their critical lifeline, especially those in need.

And so to support drivers and maximize community impact:

  • Supporting delivery of medical supplies and providing access to necessary transport, especially for low-income individuals.
  • Activating LyftUp to donate tens of thousands of dollars to families and children, low-income seniors, doctors and nurses.
  • Teaming with United Way, World Central Kitchen and Team Rubicon.
  • Riders and drivers encouraged to stay home if they are sick – and work with medical professionals to discuss transportation options.

Coming all together to help:

Governments, not-for-profits, healthcare entities are asked to get in touch with Lyft to discuss how the company can help – form to reply is here. 

Foundations and philanthropic organizations looking to help can connect via email: LyftUpCovid19Funding@lyft.com.

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The Buzz is All About E-Learning – What Do People Need?

In Houston, Texas, school children are at home (and so are their teachers), and “e-learning” or tele-learning is the alternative method of keeping the school year going. Harris County Sheriff’s Office and CITGO Petroleum Corporation are donating 150 tablets (Kindles) to the Houston and Alief Independent School Districts to support low-income students’ e-learning needs during the crisis.

CITGO has had a six-year partnership with the sheriff’s office in offering the “Kindling Young Minds Program” to provide Kindle Fire tables to Houston-area students with perfect or much-improved attendance records – that program is modified now to meet crisis conditions.

The tablets were in student’s hands by March 19th. (More than 600 tablets are now in use.) As they say, life hands you a lemon – go make buckets of lemonade!)

CITGO operates three refineries in Texas, Louisiana and Illinois; wholly or jointly owns 48 terminals, 9 pipelines and other businesses and is #5 refiner in the U.S. The familiar brand is in 30 states. Old timers remember the original brand – Cities Service.

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Along these lines, Discovery Education is helping homebound students (and parents & guardians) by launching “Daily DE” – digital curriculum resources, engaging content and professional learning for K-12 classroom. This is a suite of free activities and resources for students and their families.

There are partners in the offering: Afterschool Alliance, American Heart Association, the NFL, US Shoah Foundation, Tiger Woods Foundation, Siemens, 3M, TCS, and others. You can find out more at: https://www.discoveryeducation.com/

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Putting Food on the Table — Addressing the Anxieties of Families

Families and individuals are in need of food during the crisis and Albertsons Companies and Albertsons Foundation pledge funds and launch a major fundraising drive to “fight hunger” during the crisis.

This is a call to action; CEO Vivek Sankaran explains that Albertsons Companies are on the front line of hunger relief and calls on communities to assist. The “Nourishing Neighbors” program (especially focused on breakfast for kids) needs help to feed families now.

Contributions are solicited for food banks, emergency meal distribution at schools, senior center meals, and family access to federal food programs.

There’s information at: AlbertsonsCompaniesFoundation.org.

Hey shoppers – you, too, can chip in at branded retail outlets as they stock up for their own families – look for information at Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Star Market, Tom Thumb, Randal’s, ACME, and other of the company’s retail food outlets.

Internally, Albertsons employees are helping each other with donations to the “We Care Fund”, part of the foundation activiti4es.

In 2019, Albertsons Companies and the foundation donated $225 million in food and financial support to communities, for education, hunger relief, cancer research and treatment, veterans outreach, and for people with disabilities. To that list the company and foundation added COVID-19 relief.

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Getting Money and Help to the People Who Need it

Fifth Third Bank Bancorp (Cincinnati) and the Fifth Third Foundation and the Fifth Third Chicagoland Foundation will direct $8.75 million in funds to support community members.

“Recovery and Resilience Funds” will direct funds through “Strengthening Our Communities” grants of the foundation to support small businesses, affordable housing and homeownership, and economic development. Relief funds are directed for COVID-19 response in areas served by Fifth Third Bank.

The institution is also offering a vehicle payment waiver program; consumer credit card payment waiver; mortgage and home equity program for late payments (with no late fees); small business payment waiver (up to six months for loans); suspension of vehicle repossession actions; suspension of foreclosures. Many of these are for at least 60 and 90 days duration.

Banking units serve Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, W Virginia, Georgia, and North Carolina. The federal bank had $169 billion in assets and 1149 full service banking centers. Money management: Fifth Third is among the largest institutions in the Midwest with $413 billion in assets under care.

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And More Funds for Small Businesses

Facebook launched a $100 million grant program for small businesses that are being impacted by the pandemic – most of the disbursements will be in cash payments, with some credits for business services.

“We’ve listened to small businesses to understand how best we can help them,” explains Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Being helped: 30,000 small business enterprises in 30+ nations where Facebook employees live and work.

Facebook’s estimate is that as many as 140 million businesses use the apps each month to help in management and market of the firm as some 200 million people visit an Instagram Business Profile every day.

According to Forbes writer Maneet Ahuja, such firms as Unashamed Imaging (principal, Anesha Collins), a Florida-based wedding photographers is using Facebook Live and IGTV to keep in touch clients; Heavenly Soap (principal Patti Gibbons) pushes ahead using Facebook. These are the types of firms considered for the program.

Last week Facebook launched Business Hub, with resources for small businesses. Info: https://www.facebook.com/business/boost/resource?ref=alias

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Close to home for some of us on the G&A Institute team who live in suburban Nassau or Suffolk counties, PSEG Long Island and the PSEG Foundation are lending support to the leading food bank in the area – Island Harvest.

The company and its foundation are supporting the Island Harvest Food Bank with a grant of $45,000 to address rising food insecurity – including helping local children without access to school food programs because their schools are closed.

Island Harvest relies on donations of surplus food by commercial establishments, wholesalers, supermarkets, individuals. Each day, surplus bread and other commodities have been donated by local Panera Bread markets, for example.

The electric utility’s regional territory includes the populous Nassau and Suffolk counties (almost 3.5 million population. CEO Daniel Eichorn points out that many of the company’s employees volunteer to help Island Harvest each year and the funds will help as part of the ongoing partnership with the food pantry.

PSEG Long Island is a subsidiary of the New Jersey-based Public Service Enterprise Group Inc, a diversified energy company.

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G&A Institute team note: We continue to bring you news of private (corporate and business), public and social sector developments as organizations in the three societal sectors adjust to the emergency.

The new items will be posted at the top of the blog post and the items today will move down the queue.

We created the tag “Corporate Purpose – Virus Crisis” for this continuing series – and the hashtag “#WeRise2FightCOVID-19“ for our Twitter posts.  Join the conversation and contribute your views and news — email info@ga-institute.com.