Opinion Issued Following Public Consultations
Introduction
PJSC Gazprom (the “Company”) proposed that we assess the information disclosed in the Gazprom Group’s Sustainability Report 2020 (the “Report”) for alignment with stakeholder expectations, along with the quality of the Company’s response to the recommendations and proposals received from stakeholders during the Report preparation.
Report Assessment Procedure
We were given an opportunity to read the draft Report provided by the Company, ask questions and offer feedback during dedicated online Public Consultations. In the course of the Public Consultations, we received the required comments and the table on how the Company took into account our recommendations and proposals. We provide assessment of the above information only.
We are unaware of any facts that may compromise the reliability of information disclosed in the Report. Yet, it should be noted that reviewing the collection and analysis system for the reported information and its reliability is beyond the scope of this assessment. Besides, the assessment does not purport to confirm the extent of the Report compliance with any Russian and international reporting and/or operational standards.
When assessing the Report, we expressed our opinion as independent experts, not representatives of the companies that employ us. We confirm our independence and objectivity in respect of the Report assessment. We did not receive any remuneration from the Company for taking part in the Public Consultations.
The results of our work are presented in this Opinion issued following the Public Consultations. The Opinion contains judgements on which we have come to an agreement. The Company may use it for corporate and stakeholder communication purposes by publishing the original version without any changes.
Disclosure Alignment with Stakeholder Expectations
The Report presents the list of material topics jointly defined by the Company’s representatives and a wide range of stakeholders. We believe that the selected material topics reflect the key interests of stakeholders.
In our opinion, all material information presented in the Report is sufficient for the stakeholders to gain an understanding of the Gazprom Group’s current state and development prospects.
The disclosure is well-balanced as it presents both the positive aspects of the Company’s performance and the challenges it faces along with the ways of tackling them.
The Company’s Response to Stakeholder Recommendations as part of the Report Preparation
To take into account information queries from a wide range of stakeholders in the best possible way, the Company surveyed 1,745 representatives of such stakeholders. The results served as a basis for the final list of material topics to be reflected in the Report.
Additionally, the Company held Public Consultations on the draft Report enabling us as stakeholder representatives to comment on the Report’s contents. The Company recorded all proposals and recommendations received during the public consultations, analyzed them and provided the information on how they were taken into account in preparing the Report, which proves that the dialogue was constructive.
Conclusions
We are agreed to give a positive opinion on the Report in terms of its format and the extent of disclosure. The Company prepared an informative and well-structured reporting document that meets our expectations.
We highly appreciate the Company’s initiative aimed at expanding its interaction with stakeholders in preparing the Sustainability Report, and recommend that the Company should continue close cooperation on this issue with representatives of the target audiences of the Report.
Public Consultations: Signatures of Participants
| Full name | Position | Signature |
|---|---|---|
| BELIKOV, Igor | Director of the Russian Institute of Directors Non-Profit Partnership |  |
| BESSEL, Valery | Professor of the Department of Thermodynamics and Thermal Engines at Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas |  |
| BRILEV, Sergey | President of the Association «Global Energy» |  |
| GERASIMOVA, Svetlana | Head of the Expert Council of the Sustainable Development Week, partner of the Project Office «Strategies and Practices for Sustainable Development», Head of the School of CSR and Sustainable Development, MBA Lecturer at the Moscow International Higher Business School «MIRBIS», Senior Lecturer at the Basic Department of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation, Head of FVE Programs at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics |  |
| GOLOVNEV, Andrey | Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, professor, Doctor of Sciences, director of the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the Russian Academy of Sciences |  |
| GRISHANKOVA, Svetlana | CEO, Rating Agentur Expert RA GmbH |  |
| ESIPOVA, Irina | General Director of Fuel and Energy Communications Development Center |  |
| ZAVALNY, Pavel | Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the State Duma Energy Committee |  |
| KNIZHNIKOV, Aleksey | Head of the Program for the Business Environmental Responsibility at WWF Russia |  |
| KOVALCHUK, Vladimir | Chairman of the Gazprom Workers’ Union Interregional Organization |  |
| PLAKIDA, Alexander | Chair of the Boards of the Association «National Network of the Global Compact» |  |
| REMCHUKOV, Maxim | Sustainable Development Director, SIBUR |  |
| TKACHENKO, Galina | Chair of the NGO «Visit» Youth Leisure Center in Svobodny (Amur Region), Chair of the Public Council of the Amur GPP Construction project |  |
| FEOKTISTOVA, Elena | Deputy Chair of the Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development, Managing Director for Corporate Responsibility, Sustainable Development and Social Entrepreneurship, The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs |  |
| KHUDI, Valery | Chairman of the Management Board of Yamal Regional Social Movement of Indigenous Minorities «Yamal» |  |