To keep the Sustainable Development Report current, key performance metrics are updated every year. All reported HSE data are based on operated assets only. Environmental data are represented as 100 percent ownership interest regardless of actual share owned by ConocoPhillips. For more information on how these metrics are tabulated, see
HSE Data Assumptions.
Air EmissionsClimate Change and Energy EfficiencyMaterial EfficiencySafetySpillsWaterPolitical ContributionsCommunityEmployeesData Tables
Air Emissions
Work continues on reducing air emissions from our operations. We track emissions of sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These emissions are defined as:
SOx are gases produced during the combustion of fuels that contain sulfur compounds.
NOx are the sum of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide. NOx emissions occur almost exclusively from the combustion of fossil fuels in boilers, heaters, engines, flares, turbines and fluid catalytic cracking units.
PM is a collection of very small suspended particles emitted from combustion of fossil fuels and other activities.
VOCs are hydrocarbons associated with natural gas and crude oil and represent lost product when released.
For more information on our approach to clean air, please see the Environment section of this report.
Sulfur Oxide (SOx)
Overall, the SOx emissions in 2010 from our company-operated assets were about 23,000 tonnes, a decrease of 25 percent or about 7,600 tonnes from 2009. Global Refining normalized SOx emissions declined 24 percent in 2010. Upstream normalized SOx emissions decreased 28 percent. The company has made steady and substantial annual progress, reducing 2010 SOx emissions about 62 percent below 2006 levels, primarily by adding new refinery emission control systems.
Nitrogen Oxide (NOx)
NOx emissions in 2010 were about 120,000 tonnes, an increase of 3 percent or about 4,000 tonnes from 2009.
Upstream increased NOx emissions about 6 percent from 2009, primarily due to improved equipment inventory and startup of offshore production in Indonesia. With this increase and a slight decline in the company's total production, the NOx emissions per unit also rose in 2010. Downstream reduced NOx emissions about 3 percent during the same period.
Particulate Matter (PM)
PM emissions in 2010 were about 6,480 tonnes, a decrease of 22 percent or about 1,810 tonnes from 2009. This was primarily due to an overall reduction in drilling and work-over activity. The 2009 total reflects assets not previously reported and increased activity in the Asia Pacific region.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
VOC emissions in 2010 were approximately 136,000 tonnes, a decrease of 3 percent or about 4,000 tonnes from 2009. About 82 percent of the 2010 VOC emissions were from Upstream operations. Increases in VOC emissions due to flaring in some assets were offset by decreased production volumes and improved calculation methodology in Lower 48 which resulted in an overall net decrease in VOC emissions. Global Refining normalized VOC emissions decreased 10 percent in 2010.
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Climate Change and Energy Efficiency
Consistent with our position on climate change, we track data for greenhouse gas emissions, flaring, and energy used. Our most recent CDP submission can be found at COP 2011 CDP Response.
For additional information on our approach to addressing climate change issues and concerns, please see the Climate Change section.
Greenhouse Gas (GHG)
In 2010, total CO2 equivalent GHG emissions were approximately 68.7 million tonnes. This represents an increase of 7 percent or 5 million tonnes after an update to the 2009 data. The increase is attributed to ramped-up production from fields in the Asia Pacific region, and a full year of production from the expanded Immingham Combined Heat and Power plant.
Exploration and Production (Upstream) increased 2010 GHG emissions by 2 million tonnes (8 percent) above 2009 levels. Refining and Marketing increased GHG by about 2.7 million tonnes (7 percent) during the same period. With these increases and a slight decline in the company's total production, the GHG emissions per unit also rose in 2010.
Click on the following link to learn about our work to reduce GHG emissions.
Flaring
Flaring is a safety measure that burns off excess gases that might otherwise pose a hazard. For example, refining units use flares to maintain safe operating pressures during abnormal operating conditions. Most flaring in our Exploration and Production operations comes from burning excess natural gas that cannot be recovered for export to consumers, used as fuel within the field, or cost-effectively re-injected into the producing formation.
Approximately 82 percent of the total flaring occurs in Upstream, with about 16 percent attributable to Global Refining and another 2 percent in our other business segments. In 2010, company total flaring volume was 42.9 BCF, an increase of 26 percent over 2009. The increase is related to growth in Asia Pacific operations (additional wells, increased production volumes), as well as planned maintenance and unplanned/upset events in other assets around the world. One business unit also reported improved data quality, resulting in more accurate (and increased) calculated flare volumes.
Click on the following link to learn about our work to reduce emissions and flaring.
Energy Used
Total energy consumption in 2010 was approximately 794 trillion British Thermal Units (BTUs), an increase of 2 percent or 17.2 trillion BTUs from 2009. Of the 2010 consumption, about 96 percent was from combustion and about 4 percent was from purchased electricity and steam.
We continually strive to make our operations more energy efficient. This provides an economic benefit through lower production costs, as well as an environmental benefit from reduced GHG emissions.
For more information see the Energy Efficiency section of this report.
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Being good stewards of the environment includes setting standards for waste management, minimization and decommissioning. We seek to identify new and better ways to diminish our environmental footprint and social impacts by becoming more efficient about our use of materials in the workplace and in the communities in which we operate. This work also reduces the costs of purchasing and handling materials, which improves productivity.
Waste Management
Our approach to waste management is based on a simple set of priorities – first, eliminate waste where possible; then reuse, recover and recycle it; and finally as a last resort, dispose of it safely. We have a global Waste Management Standard that requires all operations to evaluate the waste they generate and the suitability of the waste facilities they use. The Waste Management Standard also requires businesses to develop comprehensive management plans for company-owned or operated waste units. The standard applies to all operations worldwide.
In 2010, ConocoPhillips decreased the amount of hazardous waste generated by 41,947 tonnes, or 41 percent, to a total of 61,337 tonnes. During that period, Upstream increased hazardous waste 15 percent, while Downstream decreased the amount of hazardous waste generated by 57 percent. The volume of waste generated varies from year to year due to cyclical maintenance operations and plant shutdowns.
For more information see the Material Efficiency section of this report.
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Safety
We strive to complete each day without any injuries, illnesses or incidents in our workplaces. We have made substantial progress toward our goal of zero incidents in our operations. However, despite extensive efforts, we still experience some serious incidents. Therefore, we recognize that our safety performance must improve further and understand that this will require full employee involvement and commitment. Our internal programs are designed to improve safety performance by stimulating leadership at all levels of the organization and ultimately forming one inclusive team of employees and contractors.
2010 was our safest year to date, and the seventh consecutive year of improvement for our workforce. Since 2006, the employees and contractors that make up the company's global work force improved our safety performance 54 percent – decreasing injuries per 100 workers (Total Recordable Rate or TRR) from 0.68 in 2006 to 0.31 in 2010. About one in five injuries were serious enough that the worker had to lose time from work (Lost Workday Case or LWC).
For more information see the Safety & Occupational Health section of this report.
Total Recordable Rate (TRR)
Lost Workday Case (LWC)
For more information see the Safety section and 2010 Data Tables
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Spills
We respond to spills as soon as they are discovered. While all spills are considered serious, those greater than 100 barrels are defined as significant incidents and trigger immediate reporting to management, as well as extensive investigation and corrective action. In 2010, there were 10 such significant spills, down from 17 in 2009.
We have made continuous progress eliminating the number of spills greater than one barrel of liquid hydrocarbons, with 25 percent fewer in 2010 than in 2006. The trend has also been improving in the number of significant spills, with the 2010 total 47 percent lower than in 2006. The volume of hydrocarbon spilled has been more variable, particularly in 2008, when approximately 75 percent of all spill volume occurred in a single pipeline failure incident in the U.S. In 2006, two tank leaks, which were largely captured in secondary containment, accounted for 78 percent of the release volume for the year.
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Water
We currently report three measures related to water use in our operations: fresh water withdrawn, water discharged and hydrocarbons discharged with water. In 2010, ConocoPhillips-operated assets withdrew 301 million cubic meters of fresh water companywide.
Prior to discharging water, ConocoPhillips is committed to ensure all relevant regulations and permit conditions are met. At our operated assets, we discharged 267 million cubic meters of water. This includes water discharges to surface waters (oceans, lakes, streams, wetlands, etc.), basins, and land. This metric also includes water discharged from outfalls, process and storm water treatment systems, and storm water run-off and discharges.
Because water treatment does not remove all traces of hydrocarbon, ConocoPhillips also monitors the quantity of hydrocarbons discharged with produced water. In compliance with regulations and local permits, we released 900 tonnes of hydrocarbons in produced water discharged in 2010. This quantity is consistent with industry averages, and includes oil and grease discharged in offshore produced water, as well as water from land-based treatment facilities such as refinery water treatment facilities. Between 2008 and 2010, the company has achieved significant reduction of the volume discharged due to water treatment improvements in Norway, the UK and Indonesia, as well as from the transfer of field ownership of former ConocoPhillips property.
For more information on our approach, see the Clean Water section of this report.
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Political Contributions
All political contributions are reported twice a year to the compliance and ethics committee. Further details of these contributions can be found on in our position on political policies, procedures and giving.
Community
We measure both our contribution to the global economy and charitable donations.
For more information, please see the Communities section.
Contributing to the Global Economy
Our global operations contribute substantially to social and economic development in the communities in which we operate. For example, our direct economic contributions during 2010 included:
Jobs – ConocoPhillips employs approximately 29,700 people around the world.
Taxes – $11.6 billion in total tax revenue to governments was generated by our continuing operations, excluding royalties to government entities.
Shareholder dividends – $3.2 billion in cash dividends were paid on ConocoPhillips common stock.
Capital investments – ConocoPhillips reinvested $10.7 billion in its capital program to find and develop new energy supplies and deliver clean petroleum products to customers.
Payments to various vendors and suppliers for products and services:
Philanthropic Contributions
ConocoPhillips has a long tradition of investing in the communities in which we operate. During 2010, our corporate donations totaled more than $68 million, which includes approximately $51 million in charitable contributions from the corporation and about $17 million in funds for other community investment projects donated through our company-operated businesses, as well as various joint ventures and equity affiliates.
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Employees
Employment Metrics
At the end of 2010, we employed 29,700 people worldwide, compared with 30,000 in 2009.
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Diversity and Inclusion
The metrics below compare the workforce Global Diversity and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Statistics for 2008.
| 2010 Global Diversity Metrics |
|
|
Leadership |
All Employees |
| Women |
11.8% |
23.3% |
| Non-U.S. Employees |
10.5% |
34.2% | |
| 2010 Office of Federal Contractor Compliance Statistics |
|
| |
Officials and Managers |
Professionals |
| Women |
14.7% |
32.1% |
| Minorities |
12.2% |
20.3%
| |
Employee Opinion Survey
We track information from our Employee Opinion Survey on promoting a positive work environment, employee satisfaction, and our progress on diversity and inclusion. We also track employment metrics. The ConocoPhillips Employee Opinion Survey was last conducted in 2008.
For more information on our approach to investing in employees, please see the People section.
