Advocacy Principles

Advocacy Principles

TotalEnergies is a major multi-energy player on the international scene, dedicated to providing accessible & affordable energy with less emissions. Present in close to 130 countries and strongly grounded on the commitment of more than 100,000 people, from a wide range of origins, professions, and know-how, TotalEnergies is implementing its ambition to be Net Zero by 2050 together with society. Today, the Company is a player that has to interact not only with the various representatives of the economic world but also with the local populations in the areas in which it is established as well as with the public authorities. As such, the Company plays an active role in the public debate.

The Company complies with all national and international laws and standards governing its activities. It abides by the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises as well as the principles of the United Nations Global Compact.

Aware of its responsibility in all the countries and territories in which it is present, TotalEnergies carries out its advocacy efforts in accordance with the values set out in its Code of Conduct, which clearly affirms its ethical commitment. For the purpose of this website, advocacy has the meaning conferred to it under the widely accepted Transparency International definition, which defines the advocacy as "the fact that an entity intervenes directly or indirectly with public officials, through various means, in order to influence a public decision in a sense that serves particular interests, values or a cause".

The Company’s advocacy efforts are carried out in accordance with principles set out in its internal directive, which cannot be waived under any circumstances and in particular:

  • In any circumstances, TotalEnergies refuses to intervene in the functioning or financing of the political life in the countries in which it is present. TotalEnergies does not support – and has not supported – neither contribute, financially or in any way, to any political organizations, parties, persons or campaigns.
  • The Code of Conduct asserts TotalEnergies’ position on the prevention and fight against fraud of any kind, particularly bribery and corruption, influence peddling and violations of antitrust law, and sets forth a principle of “ZERO TOLERANCE”. TotalEnergies rejects and fights corruption in all forms, whether public or private, active or passive, direct or indirect.
  • As stated in its Universal Registration Document, TotalEnergies believes that transparency is an essential principle of action in building a trust-based relationship with its stakeholders and ensuring that the Company is on a path of continuous improvement. Pending the adoption of an international, standardized non-financial reporting framework, TotalEnergies is making every effort to report its performance on the basis of the various commonly used ESG reporting frameworks.
  • TotalEnergies supports the objectives of the Paris Agreement relating to the fight against climate change.
  • Furthermore, TotalEnergies has placed sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its strategy, projects and operations, in order to contribute to the well-being of the populations. It committed in 2016 its support to contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact since 2002. As such, the Company promotes the mobilization of the private sector in favor of the SDGs, for example by signing the call to action published in September 2023 (French only).

Principles and positions upheld by TotalEnergies

Climate change

Regarding the fight against climate change, TotalEnergies promotes the following six key principles that guide the effort and the strategy of the Company:

  1. Scientific position: TotalEnergies recognizes the link established by science between human activities, in particular the use of fossil fuels, and climate change.
  2. The Paris Agreement: TotalEnergies recognizes the Paris Agreement as a major step forward in the fight against global warming and supports the initiatives of the implementing States to fulfill its aims.
  3. Carbon pricing: TotalEnergies supports the implementation of carbon pricing.
  4. The development of renewable energies: TotalEnergies supports policies, initiatives and technologies aimed at promoting the development of renewable energies and sustainable bioenergies (biofuels, biogas) as well as energies and technologies aimed at decarbonizing industrial processes and transportation, such as hydrogen, carbon capture and electric vehicles.
  5. The role of natural gas: TotalEnergies promotes the role of natural gas as a transition fuel, in particular as a replacement for coal. TotalEnergies supports policies aimed at measuring and reducing methane emissions to move towards the ambition of zero methane emissions.
  6. Carbon offsetting: TotalEnergies promotes a policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions: avoid - reduce by using the "best available technologies" - offset the minimized residual emissions. TotalEnergies supports the carbon offset mechanisms necessary to achieve carbon neutrality, through organized and certified markets ensuring the quality and sustainability of carbon credits.

These key principles are also used as the basis of TotalEnergies' assessment of the industry associations it is member of. They describe how the Company reviews the associations’ climate position and address their alignment - visit the dedicated webpage for more details.

Beyond this survey, TotalEnergies is also a member of other initiatives that contribute to the global effort against climate change.

  • To slash out emissions coming from current energy system.
    • Together with our peers within the CEO-led pioneer entity OGCI (Oil & Gas Climate Initiative) comprised of 12 of the world’s leading energy companies, focusing on the industry’s response to climate change and accelerating action towards a net zero future consistent with the Paris Agreement.
    •  Since COP28, the Oil & Gas Decarbonization Charter (OGDC) has been signed by more than 50 international and national O&G companies representing more than 40% of global oil production. During the COP28 conference, these companies pledged to achieve net-zero operations by 2050, end routine flaring by 2030 and near elimination of methane emissions. TotalEnergies is proud to be a signatory of this charter and wishes to collaborate actively in putting the charter's commitments into action.
    • On methane, via various initiatives.
      • The Oil & Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0) is the United Nations Environment Programme’s flagship oil and gas reporting and mitigation programme. OGMP 2.0 is the only comprehensive, measurement-based reporting framework for the oil and gas industry that improves the accuracy and transparency of methane emissions reporting. This is key to prioritizing methane mitigation actions in the sector. TotalEnergies is founding member of OGMP 2.0 since its inception in 2020 (https://ogmpartnership.com).
      • The World Bank's Global Flaring and Methane Reduction (GFMR) fund launched at COP28 aims to boost global efforts to end routine gas flaring and reduce methane emissions along the entire oil and gas value chain by providing technical assistance, enabling policy and regulatory reform, institutional strengthening, and mobilizing financing to support action by governments and oil & gas operators. The GFMR will target, finance and support strategic projects in countries with the greatest potential for reducing emissions. TotalEnergies has announced a $25 million donation to the GFMR fund over 2024-2030.
      • The Methane Guiding Principles (MGP) partnership, launched in 2017, enables action in industry and government to reduce methane emissions from the natural gas supply chain. Members of the MGP partnership build on the foundation of the five Methane Guiding Principles, which drive efforts in priority areas: Continually Reduce Methane Emissions, Advance Strong Performance across the Gas Supply Chain, Improve Accuracy of Methane Emissions Data, Advocate Sound Policy and Regulations on Methane Emissions and Increase Transparency. Members of the MGP partnership develop and share practical tools and guidance to help others to learn from their experience and put those lessons into practice. TotalEnergies is founding member of the MGP partnership since its inception in 2017 (https://methaneguidingprinciples.org).
      • The OGCI’s Aiming For Zero Methane Initiative: the Aiming for Zero initiative establishes an all-in approach that treats methane emissions as seriously as the oil and gas industry already treats safety. Signatories of the Aiming for Zero Methane Emissions Initiative believe that virtually all methane emissions from the industry can and should be avoided (https://aimingforzero.ogci.com).
  • To build the energy system of tomorrow.
    • The low-carbon electrification of energy demand is at the heart of the roadmaps of countries committed to carbon neutrality by 2050. TotalEnergies recently joint a call for world leaders for tripling global renewable energy capacity to at least 11,000 GW by 2030 (link here).
    • Electricity is a fast-expanding market and TotalEnergies aims at being among the TOP5 renewable producers by 2030.

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Anti-corruption

The Code of Conduct asserts TotalEnergies’ position on the prevention and fight against fraud of any kind, particularly bribery and corruption, influence peddling and violations of antitrust law, and sets forth a principle of “ZERO TOLERANCE”.

This commitment is also expressed in tone at the top communication made by the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer on this subject towards employees, as well as through large-scale communication actions, such as the annual Business Ethics Day organized on the U.N.’s International Anti-corruption Day and Human Rights Day.

The commitment of the management bodies is also expressed externally by TotalEnergies’ joining anti-corruption initiatives and supporting collaborative and multi-party approaches. TotalEnergies joined the Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI) in 2016, thereby adhering to the PACI Principles for Countering Corruption. The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TotalEnergies SE became a member of the PACI Board in 2018 and subsequently Co-Chairman of the initiative at year-end 2019 and commits to fight against corruption during each annual meeting of the PACI in Davos since then. For example, during the spring meeting of PACI in 2020, TotalEnergies’ CEO Patrick Pouyanné declared that: “The fight against corruption must be considered a value rather than a priority, since priorities can be subject to arbitration within Companies”.

TotalEnergies is also a member of other initiatives that contribute to the global effort against corruption, such as the UN Global Compact since 2002 and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative "EITI" since its launch in 2002: TotalEnergies confirmed its commitment to promote transparency at the EITI Members Meeting in Paris in June 2019 and has promoted EITI’s missions through related organizations.

The Code of Conduct is complemented internally by a regularly updated set of anti-corruption standards. This set applies to all companies controlled by the Company in accordance with their respective decision-making rules and subject to the legal and regulatory provisions applicable locally.

As a priority for the General Management, compliance programs are implemented at TotalEnergies level, in particular for the prevention of corruption and fraud. The aim of this program is to promote a culture of compliance and transparency, which is key in ensuring the sustainability of the Company’s activities. TotalEnergies’ anti-corruption compliance program is based primarily on the following seven pillars

  • Tone at the top;
  • Risk assessment;
  • Internal norms;
  • Training and awareness raising;
  • Monitoring, audits, alerts;
  • Reporting & update of the program;
  • Sanctions.

For example, in relation to the above seven pillars, for 2022

  • Regarding training and awareness raising: following the online training on anti-corruption in 2011 (season 1), then in 2015 (season 2), which enabled more than 82,000 employees to be trained by the end of 2022, the Company launched a new online training course in mid-2022 (season 3). This training course, which is mandatory for the target populations (approximately 35,000 employees), replaced the two previous seasons. This new training course is based on the assignment of a profile specific to each learner (from beginners to experts), which is determined on the basis of their answers to the questions asked in the introduction to the training course. The profile specific to each learner then allows them to follow the modules best suited to their needs. By the end of 2022, this new online training course, which was launched during the year, had already been completed by more than 31,000 employees.
  • Regarding monitoring and audits of the program: 15 anti-corruption assessment missions in our most exposed entities.
  • Regarding alerts and sanctions: just over 200 incidents relating to fraud (excluding attempted fraud), corruption or influence peddling were identified and – where they concerned an employee – resulted in around 130 disciplinary actions, most of which entailed dismissal.

Other standards deal with high-risk areas, such as gifts and hospitality, which have to be registered and approved by the line manager above given thresholds; conflicts of interest, which must be reported to the line manager and addressed; anti-corruption measures implemented within joint ventures; and human resources-related processes such as recruitment.

This compliance program is drawn up by a dedicated organization acting at the Company and business segment levels, namely the Compliance and Legal Risk Management Department, headed by the Chief Compliance Officer, and the Branch Compliance Officers. They coordinate a network of over 360 Compliance Officers in charge of rolling out and running the program at the subsidiaries level. This structured organization lies in close proximity to operational activities while having its own dedicated reporting line.

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Human Rights

Respect for Each Other is a core value at TotalEnergies, at the heart of the Company’s collective ethic and Code of Conduct which applies to all employees, as well as suppliers and contractors. Respect for Each Other means, among other things, respect for human rights, which are non-negotiable in TotalEnergies’ operations around the world. It is a collective and individual requirement involving

  • Respect for human rights in the workplace for employees and promotion of these principles and practices in the Company’s supply chain, in particular by ensuring decent working conditions and safety, preventing child labor and forced labor, and avoiding discrimination.
  • Respect for the human rights of local communities that are potentially affected by TotalEnergies’ operations, in particular in relation to land and property rights, the right to health and an adequate standard of living, and by providing access to remedy for unavoidable adverse impacts related to the Company’s operations.
  • Avoiding the misuse of force in security related activities and ensuring that the human rights of neighboring communities and other stakeholders are respected. The management of security risks, including the use of government security forces and private security providers, should be in line with applicable international standards notably with the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights.

TotalEnergies adheres to the principles set out in

  • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
  • The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights as endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011;
  • The fundamental Conventions of the International Labour Organization;
  • The United Nations Global Compact;
  • The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPSHR);
  • The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

The Company is committed to respecting internationally recognized human rights and standards, wherever the Company operates. TotalEnergies carries out human rights due diligences to assess any potential impact of its activities on human rights as prescribed by the UNGPs and ensure access to remedy to affected persons, and to the most vulnerable ones in particular women, indigenous peoples, LGBT+ communities notably.

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Environment

Mindful of the challenges related to environmental management and the use of the planet’s natural resources, TotalEnergies strives to manage the environmental effects of all its projects and operations according to the Mitigation Hierarchy principle of avoidance, minimization, restoration and offsetting.

In 2016, TotalEnergies pledged to contribute to the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including those relating to biodiversity.

Since 2018, the Company has been a signatory to the Act4Nature initiative promoted by the French Association of Enterprises for the Environment, now act4nature international alliance.

In 2020, TotalEnergies set itself a new global biodiversity ambition to coincide with the preparation of the United Nations Plan for Biodiversity and updated its public commitments in this field. This ambition is based on four core principles:

  1. Voluntary exclusion zones;
  2. Biodiversity management in projects;
  3. Biodiversity management at existing and abandoned sites;
  4. Promoting biodiversity.

This ambition has been incorporated into the Company’s One MAESTRO framework (Management And Expectation Standards Towards Robust Operations).

TotalEnergies is also mindful of the issues surrounding freshwater resources needed to run some of the units on its sites. In 2022, the Company joined the CEO Water Mandate, part of the United Nations Global Compact, a group of more than 200 companies committed to advancing water management. TotalEnergies’ actions are in line with this mandate:

  • Reduce freshwater withdrawals in our direct operations: in 2022, TotalEnergies set itself a target of reducing its overall freshwater withdrawals by 20% overall at sites located in water­stressed areas between 2021 and 2030.
  • Improve water quality: in 2022, TotalEnergies set itself targets to reduce the hydrocarbons in discharged water:
    • Onshore and coastal sites – target: below 1 mg/l of hydrocarbons in discharge by 2030;
    • Offshore sites – target: below 30 ppm of hydrocarbons in discharge.

TotalEnergies is also an actor of the circular economy through the production of biofuels, biogas and circular polymers. For biofuels, the Company has set an objective of increasing the share of circular feedstock (used cooking oil and animal fat) from 50% to more than 75% as from 2024. Biogas production relies primarily on agricultural waste. At its sites, promoting circular management of resources starts with responsible management of production waste. In 2022, TotalEnergies set itself the goal of valorizing more than 70% of its production waste by 2030 and joined the World Economic Forum’s Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE).

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Human and financial resources allocated to advocacy

In France, expenditures relating to the resources – human and financial – which have been allocated to advocacy actions appear in the annual reporting which is published on the website of the French HATVP AuthorityHaute Autorité pour la Transparence de la Vie Publique”. In terms of human resources, in 2022, TotalEnergies declared on the HATVP website a total of 24 people responsible for advocacy for a full-time equivalent - “FTE” of 6 FTEs. TotalEnergies and its subsidiaries have thus declared the following expenditure ranges (see below table) which include all human, material and financial resources mobilized.

At European Union level, the estimated annual expenditures attributable to advocacy activities covered by the Transparency Register on the European Commission website are also provided in the table below. These declared expenditures correspond to the part of the annual budget of the European Public Affairs Department of TotalEnergies dedicated to activities of advocacy towards the European institutions (operating and staff costs, contribution to professional associations and think tanks). In terms of human resources, in 2023, 9 people were involved (accredited for access to European Parliament premises) for a full-time equivalent of 4.2 FTEs.

Expenditures declared to the French HATVP register by company/affiliate and by year
France2019202020212022
TotalEnergies SE1,500k - 1,750k€1,250k - 1,500k€1,250k - 1,500k€1,000k - 1,250k€
TotalEnergies Marketing Services100k - 200k€100k - 200k€100k - 200k€100k - 200k€
TotalEnergies Raffinage France200k - 300k€200k - 300k€200k - 300k€100k - 200k€
TotalEnergies Marketing France75k - 100k€100k - 200k€100k - 200k€100k - 200k€
TotalEnergies Petrochemicals France50k - 75k€50k - 75k€75k - 100k€50k - 75k€
TotalEnergies Raffinage Chimie50k - 75k€50k - 75k€50k - 75k€25k - 50k€
TotalEnergies Renouvelables FranceNA10k - 25k€25k - 50k€100k - 200k€
TotalEnergies Electricité et Gaz France200k - 300k€200k - 300k€200k - 300k€300k - 400k€
Saft100k - 200k€100k - 200k€100k - 200k€100k - 200k€
Expenditures declared to the EU Transparency register by company/affiliate and by year
European institutions20192020202120222023
TotalEnergies SE1,750k - 2,000k€2,000k - 2,250k€2,000k - 2,250k€2,500k - 2,750k€2,750k - 3,000k€
TotalEnergies Electricité & Gaz France25k - 50k€10k - 25k€10k - 25k€10k - 25k€0k€

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