Yancoal Australia

Does the core business genuinely avoid or reduce emissions, or build climate resilience? Share of revenue that is actually 'green'. Fossil-dependent models score low.

Yancoal's core business is the extraction and export of thermal and metallurgical coal — a primary source of global CO2 emissions — and it is actively seeking to expand its largest open-cut mine at Moolarben, with no credible diversification away from fossil fuels.

Credible, science-based targets (SBTi), a real net-zero plan with progress to date, and CDP disclosure — not just a dated press release.

Yancoal has no SBTi-validated targets and no voluntary net-zero commitment; it complies with Australia's mandatory Safeguard Mechanism and monitors Scope 1 and 2 emissions under NGER, but has publicly stated it has adopted no voluntary climate-related reduction targets.

Operational footprint, labour and social practices, and governance quality across the company's own operations and supply chain.

Yancoal reports total Scope 1 and 2 emissions of approximately 2.37 million tCO2-e, has rehabilitated modest hectares of land, improved female workforce representation by 50% since 2018, and reduced recordable injuries by 34%, but suffered a fatal contractor incident in 2024 and its TRIFR worsened year-on-year; Sustainalytics rates its ESG material risk management as only 'Average'.

Quality of disclosure, independent third-party verification, and how much hard data backs the company's claims.

Yancoal publishes annual sustainability reports aligned with TCFD, GRI, SASB Coal Operations, and HKEX ESG Code, and has adopted the new Australian AASB S2 climate disclosure framework, but GHG data verification remains largely internal and there is no CDP questionnaire submission or independent third-party assurance of the full sustainability report.

Controversies, litigation, pollution, fossil-fuel lobbying, conflict-zone involvement and governance scandals. Higher means cleaner.

Yancoal faces active community and environmental group opposition to its proposed Moolarben mine expansion, which threatens over 100 hectares of endangered koala habitat and critically endangered bird species; it recorded a fatal contractor incident in September 2024; Sustainalytics flags material controversy levels impacting its ESG risk rating; and the company operates as a Chinese state-linked enterprise with associated governance opacity.