The State of Children’s Rights & Business

Energy & Utilities

Sector Focus

About this sector

Energy & Utilities

The Energy and Utilities sector includes companies involved in the generation, transmission, retailing and distribution of electricity. Utilities specifically refers to companies that provide basic public services and amenities such as water, gas, and electricity.

A responsibility to protect communities

Research indicates that oil and gas operations can adversely impact children directly, or through impacts on their communities and families. For example, poorly managed oil and gas activities can lead to conflicts between countries and within communities, by exacerbating disputes over access to natural resources. Additionally, issues such as access to land, treatment of children by security forces, and in-migration leading to an over-burdening on schools, housing and clinics, can all negatively impact children.

The environmental impact of oil and gas operations must also be considered, as children are generally more vulnerable to environmental hazards than adults, particularly in terms of water and air pollution.

The sector includes the following industries:

  • Oil & Gas
  • Utilities
  • Waste Management

Read on to discover insights into the performance of this sector based on our unique benchmark series, The State of Children’s Rights and Business.

Want to know more?

How did this sector perform?

Watch a summary of the Energy & Utilities 2024 Benchmark Results

Sector Scorecard

Energy & Utilities

Need a summary of this sector’s benchmark performance?

Download Sector Scorecard
Top 5

Best performing companies

Since 2013, Global Child Forum has been benchmarking the world’s most influential companies, assessing how they respond to children’s rights. Our data can be used by corporates to increase their social impact, and for investors to inform their decision-making.

 

The scores in this top list come from the Global Benchmark 2024, and are based on the total selection of 1,802 companies – find out more about which companies were benchmarked here.

 

Choose your industry to the right to see the top five scoring companies. You can also search for a specific company name in the field below.

Select sector:
Company Average score
Wilmar International
PLDT
Hershey
Musim Mas
PepsiCo
Siemens
Bouygues Group
Owens Corning
Iberdrola
Holcim
Norsk Hydro
Lundin Mining
Teck Resources
Newmont
Suzano
Puma
ANTA
Kering
Fung Group
Hyundai Motor
Neste
Idemitsu Kosan
OMV
BP
Formosa Petrochemical
Lodha
Sun Life Financial
UOB
KB Financial Group
Maybank
Wilmar International
Hershey
Musim Mas
PepsiCo
Aldi Nord
Merck
Bayer
Sun Pharma
Aspen Pharmacare
Lupin
PLDT
Telenor
Verizon
Telia
Tele2
Governance &
Collaboration
Workplace
Marketplace
Community &
Environment

What can Energy & Utilities learn from other sectors?

Commitment - Community Impact
Best Practice: Amazon

See how Amazon reported to score 10 on indicator 4.1.2

Reporting - Child Labour
Best Practice: Seagate Technology

See how Seagate Technology reported to score 10 on indicator 2.3.1

Commitment - Responsible Marketing
Best Practice: Tiger Brands

See how Tiger Brands reported to score 10 on indicator 3.1.1

Contact us

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Sean O’Shea

Head of Corporate Engagement

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Sean works as our Head of Corporate Engagement. Prior to joining Global Child Forum, he worked at the Stockholm School of Economics as a Corporate Project Manager. Before moving to Stockholm in 2021, Sean worked as the Private Secretary to the Ambassador of Japan to the UK and earlier, as a Senior Parliamentary Assistant and Chief of Staff to several members of the UK Parliament. Sean has a degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Exeter. He joined Global Child Forum in September 2022.
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Matthew Goodwin

Head of Sustainable Investing

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Matthew is pioneering a new role at Global Child Forum as Head of Sustainable Investing, responsible for building Global Child Forum’s relationship with the financial services sector and ensuring that our sustainability data on children’s rights is made available to investors, asset managers and asset owners, helping them integrate children’s rights into their operations and investment decision-making process. Prior to joining Global Child Forum, he spent eight years at Lloyds Banking Group in London. Matthew studied Law and French at Université Paul Cézanne, Aix Marseille III and The University of Sheffield.
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Clémence Gervais

Benchmark manager

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Clémence is Global Child Forum’s Benchmark Manager. She oversees the realization of the Children's Rights and Business' Benchmark as well as GCF's Benchmark Report, the State of Children's Rights and Business, in partnership with BCG. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the French School of Public Health (EHESP), as well as a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Sciences Po Rennes (France). Before joining Global Child Forum, Clémence worked in several organizations in France, Peru, and Sweden, coordinating projects and missions related to social work and public health.
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