Social contribution

We strive to build and maintain respectful relationships that celebrate the culture and values of our host communities and generate positive social and economic outcomes.

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Supporting those who support others

Woodside acknowledges that managing our activities in a sustainable way is fundamental to the wellbeing of our employees, communities and environment.

Our approach

Our approach¹

We strive to build and maintain respectful relationships that celebrate the culture and values of our host communities and generate positive social and economic outcomes.

The way we work is guided by our Policies, Social Performance Framework and Our Values. These documents set the expectations on how Woodside fosters respectful relationships, manages adverse impacts and creates sustainable opportunities.

This section refers to current intentions, plans or stated targets (where applicable). It also outlines information regarding our Management System and relevant processes and procedures. Where we refer to our activities without reference to a previous calendar year or using present tense, the relevant content may be updated from time to time at our discretion but no reliance should be placed by the reader on this page being up-to-date. We also recommend checking our Announcements page regarding our most recent business activities.

Our performance

Our performance¹

Woodside seeks to identify, understand, manage and monitor potential impacts and opportunities associated with our activities.

Our Social Performance Framework guides our approach as we build trust, share timely information about our activities and understand the expectations of the communities where we are active.

Social performance plans are updated annually in each community we are active, including in the Northwest of Western Australia (Karratha/Roebourne, Exmouth, Onslow), Gulf of Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico and Senegal. The plans support projects and operating assets to identify their social performance priorities and highlights social licence to operate risks and emerging trends. Woodside leaders endorse their relevant plan to ensure they are fit for purpose and reflect the nature, scale and impact of our activities.

As stakeholder expectations continue to evolve, ensuring the business is informed of the key social risks and opportunities is a key enabler to effective management and protection of our social license to operate. Integrating and embedding social performance into reputation, strategy, processes and culture will be a continued focus throughout 2024.

This section refers to our performance within a specific time period. Please note that the relevant year, where the activity applies, is stated where appropriate. Where we refer to our activities without reference to a previous calendar year or using present tense, the relevant content may be updated from time to time at our discretion but no reliance should be placed by the reader on this page being up-to-date. We also recommend checking our Announcements page regarding our most recent business activities.

New energy community engagement

In 2023, Woodside continued to engage relevant stakeholders on our proposed new energy projects in the Asia-Pacific and United States regions. These engagements have provided an opportunity for stakeholders to learn about our proposed projects and share feedback as we mature project concepts and seek regulatory approvals.

Woodside completed social scans and impact assessments to better understand our host communities, and identify impacts and opportunities associated with our proposed New Energy projects. Findings are anticipated to inform future social performance activities, including stakeholder engagement, local content activities and social contribution.

Visit our New Energy page for more information

Understanding community concerns

Woodside’s community grievance framework is designed to ensure prompt and respectful receipt, investigation and response to community concerns from stakeholders in our operational areas.

In 2023, a review of our grievance mechanism was completed, including the development of a new template for information collected when receiving a grievance, complaint or concern. This update strengthens our alignment to the grievance effectiveness criteria outlined in the United Nations Guiding Principles. Updates to local community mechanisms and training to employees who manage community concerns are due to be completed in 2024.

We received 11 community grievances in 2023 from our operational and developmental areas. All grievances were addressed and discussed with relevant community members. The number of grievances in 2023 increased from 2022, which is a result of awareness raising about Woodside’s grievance process, the growth phase in our Northwest and evolving community expectations.

More information on Woodside’s grievance process can be found on our Community Concerns page

Social contribution

In 2023, Woodside continued to support community development globally and invest in opportunities that are important to host communities.

Total Social Contribution Spend Globally in 2023

A$33.3 million

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

A$23.1 million

These multi-year partnerships are established to support capacity and capability build of partner organisations, including the Woodside Development Fund.

PHILANTHROPY

A$4.7 million

Provided through corporate donations and small grants in host communities.

VOLUNTEERING

A$3 million

More than 2,400 of our employees participated in 13,300 hours of corporate volunteering globally during 2023.

MANDATORY CONTRIBUTION

A$2.5 million

Required by government regulations or First Nations contractual agreements.

Strategy and outcomes

2023 marked the mid-way point of the 2021-2025 Social Contribution Strategy, which identifies three social outcome areas to enhance support for community development and focus on long-term outcomes. The three areas are; improve knowledge: create opportunities; and build resilience.

The strategy remains relevant across our broadened global portfolio with a common focus on environment, education, employment, and liveability outcomes.

Demonstrating social impact outcomes continues to be a core consideration in how we shape new and existing social investment partnerships. The 2023 Social Contribution Impact Report will be released in 2024 and highlights outcomes and impacts, and progress against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Woodside has been a member of Business for Societal Impact (B4SI) for over a decade. The B4SI community investment framework and supporting guidance tools have helped to evolve our understanding and measurement of social impact through social investment. This has resulted in deeper engagement with our partner organisations to achieve meaningful and measurable impacts for the communities in which we are active. Feedback through the annual social impact measurement survey of partner organisations found:

95 %

of partners advised that they had improved their capacity or were able to deliver new programs.

95 %

advised they were able to reach more participants or spend more time with existing participants.

87 %

of the total number of people assessed are healthier, happier or more comfortable as a result of the support.

82 %

of partners reported they have been able to employ more staff or receive support from volunteers as a result of Woodside's support.

89 %

of partners reported an increase in public profile as a result of Woodside’s support.

Woodside seeks to cultivate a workplace culture in which our employees are encouraged to give back to the community through volunteering and workplace giving programs. Woodside has partnered with Conservation Volunteers Australia for almost two decades, supporting the vital rehabilitation of our wetlands and coastal sites. In 2023, employees and their families contributed 780 hours to local conservation groups across Australia. We believe these opportunities not only make a genuine impact on the environment but also offer a positive experience for employees who participate. In a post-event survey, 88% of employees expressed a desire to educate and support their family and friends in reducing their environmental impact.

Case Studies

Case Study

Karratha Community House

Operating since the 1990s, Karratha Community House is a not-for-profit, community-driven organisation whose mission is to connect families through play-based learning.

In 2023, Woodside and its joint venture partners in the North West renewed this partnership for a further three years. The renewal builds on 15 years of support for the organisation, which delivers key outcomes for families and helps support a sustainable and vibrant local community.

View case study

Case Study

Bayou Community Foundation

Bayou Community Foundation is a charitable foundation solely focused on strengthening the communities of Lafourche Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and Grand Isle, in Louisiana. Woodside supports the Annual Grants Program and the Capacity-Building and Special Projects program that help create a robust and diverse costal community.

View case study

Case Study

Leaders for tomorrow - Tec Monterrey

Tec of Monterrey is a top university, ranked number four in Latin America and number one in Mexico, according to the 2024 QS World University Rankings . Together, Woodside and Tec of Monterrey support the “Woodside supporting leaders of tomorrow” scholarship.

View case study

Case Study

Volunteering

At Woodside, we offer meaningful opportunities for our employees to engage with nature and contribute to their local communities. This year, we hosted our first family volunteering days in collaboration with our partner, Conservation Volunteers Australia.

View case study

Case Study

Visiting the Fatick Region with Wetlands International

Our partnership with Wetlands International is an important part of Woodside's continuous commitment to supporting local communities in Senegal.

View case study

Local Content

Supply chain and local content

Woodside continues to work with our suppliers across the global supply chain to continuously improve our approach, streamline our processes to make opportunities more accessible and to deliver sustainable outcomes to our communities.

Woodside contributed towards building thriving local communities by creating opportunities for individuals, First Nations peoples and businesses to share in our success. We recognise that the drivers for local content contracting differ across our global portfolio of projects and operating assets, and we tailor our strategies and processes aiming to maximise supply chain outcomes whilst incorporating local content needs.

We have embedded Local Content reporting tools to capture and understand the impact we are having in our local communities. Our approach to supply chain and local content supports the delivery of the Sustainable Communities Policy, Human Rights Policy, First Nations Communities Policy and our commitment to First Nations reconciliation.

In 2023, we spent more than US$7.2 billion on goods and services. The majority of the spend being in Australia, Senegal, the United States, Germany and Japan.

Work continued to provide increased visibility to local suppliers of contracting opportunities within our global operations and portfolio of future projects. This included examples like targeted supplier engagement workshops and networking events in conjunction with the Karratha Chamber of Commerce and our key contractors. This action was in addition to the information made available in our forward work plans.

Our stakeholders continue to advocate for simplified pathways of entry into our supply chain. To support this, contracting processes and approvals have been streamlined to facilitate an increase in participation from local suppliers. The move to an online Supplier Onboarding tool helped make the onboarding process easier for smaller suppliers.