Corporate Social Investment

Our Social Investment approach is embedded in our Sustainability Frame, which is the foundation of our strategy. Creating value for our stakeholders widely, including society, our employees and our shareholder is key to the long-term resilience and value of our business.

In February 2020, we introduced our new purpose to "reimagine energy for people and our planet”. With climate change foremost in our minds, we set out 10 aims to get bp to net zero by 2050 or sooner, and to help the world get there too. In March 2021 we then introduced a further 10 aims, which are broader than climate. Five are to help us care for the planet and five to improve people’s lives. Together, the full set of 20 aims shape how we turn our sustainability frame into action.

We recognize the importance of health and wellbeing, supporting livelihoods, treating people with respect and working to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion. Within the 20 aims, we globally focus in five people aims, which are: More Clean Energy, Just Transition, Sustainable Livelihoods, Greater Equity and Enhance Wellbeing.

bpSA contributes in various forms towards the achievement of the above aims

Economic Contributions

bp Southern Africa remains a responsible corporate citizen that contributes positively towards the economic growth of the country, as well as the communities where we operate. We create value for society in many ways: through our products and services, as an inclusive employer, a taxpayer, a supply chain participant and as investor in local communities.

Enterprise and Supplier Development

Through our Supplier Development Programme, we aim to proactively develop our QSEs and EMEs by working on a one-to-one basis to improve their performance and compliance thus progressively transforming our supply chain to reflect the demographics of the community we operate in.

We have embraced the core principles of Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) and through our supply chains we support suppliers across the country – contractors, vendors, service providers and contingent labour. In 2021, 97.51% of our spend was directed at B-BBEE compliant companies, within those, 28.24% was with 51% and above Black owned entities, whereas 23.75% was with Black Women owned companies. In both Durban and Richards Bay, bp Marine operations utilize barges operated by a level 2 B-BBEE company with women and youth shareholders.

We have sold some of our terminal assets as part of opening ownership opportunities to new Black-owned entities, disposing Bloemfontein and Tzaneen terminals to PetroSA and most recently sold our East London terminal to a 100% Black woman owned company, WASAA, the Cape Town Terminal is also owned in partnership with the SFF.

Transforming our Mobility and Retail network

As part of our retail network development programme, we have over the past years put our efforts on developing a more inclusive strategy that will focus on penetrating growing and previously untapped rural and peri-urban markets - to ensure B-BBEE participation and business partner (dealer and franchisee) transformation within bp’s retail and franchise environment.

Part of this process includes:

Reviewing operating lease and franchise contracts
Improving business partner selection and appointment processes
Providing funding support for appointed business partners
Offering training and mentoring programme for newly appointed business partners

Creation of Jobs & Employment Equity

bpSA’s staff is comprised of 45% Women across all levels of the organization and 55% Male, 67% are African, 17% Coloured, and 8% are Indian. At the executive level 68% are Black with strong female representation at 45%. These figures underline bpSA’s commitment to the meaningful empowerment of women.

Social Investments through the Energy Mobility Education Trust

The Energy Mobility Education Trust (EM Education Trust) was established in 2014 as part of bpSA’s B-BBEE portfolio restructuring. The Trust is a 5% shareholder in bpSA and facilitates access to skills development and STEM-related tertiary education to black South Africans and people living with disabilities.

Trust is registered as an independent Public Benefit Organization (PBO), with a primary mandate to promote the education, training, and upskilling of young black South Africans. This is achieved through three main vehicles, namely, a scholarship programme, high school programme and skills development programmes.

The impact of the Education Trust is massive, from 2014 to date, bpSA has invested over R250m with 3126 High school learners funded and 272 university scholarships offered. Achieving a success rate of 90 university graduates to date, 182 disabled beneficiaries of skills development programs and 288 IT related certifications for unemployed youth. Emphasis continues to be on a girl child, with 64% of beneficiaries comprising females.

The high school programme is designed to provide learners from under-resourced high schools with access to educational programmes for their successful transition into tertiary institutions. The programs run from Grade 10 to Grade 12 and are implemented through a partnership with Rhodes University’s Nine Tenths program, Star Schools, and the University of Stellenbosch’s UPrep program. Through the high school intervention programme, in 2021, a total of 335 grade 12 learners, from 27 schools, across 3 provinces in South Africa matriculated with bachelor’s passes. EMET provides scholarships to selected learners from its High Schools Programmes for STEM related and Commerce tertiary education at either University of Witwatersrand, University of Johannesburg or University of Pretoria and Honours students studying at University of Fort hare. For more information, visit https://emeducationtrust.com .

Other Social Responsibility Programmes

During 2020, bpSA supported several COVID-19 initiatives, including:

Supporting the Solidarity Fund through a donation of jet fuel to South African Airways (SAA) for transportation of personal protective equipment (PPE) from China for health workers.
Partnering with the Gift of the Givers Foundation to set up a mobile testing unit, procuring test kits and protective equipment for health officials conducting the tests in the Eastern Cape.
Providing complimentary coffee to COVID-19 uniformed frontline personnel including armed forces, SA Police Service (SAPS) and Emergency Medical Services throughout the lockdown period.

In 2021 we declared a financial donation towards KZN humanitarian assistance and response.

In 2022 we signed a three-year fuel sponsorship with SA Harvest, valued at R1.8m, to enable delivery of rescued meals to the indigent and equally reduce the impact of methane gases from landfill.