Arabic Sustainability Dictionary

Sampling

Selecting and testing less than 100% of items in a population to draw conclusions about the whole.

SASB Standards (SASB)

Industry-specific sustainability disclosure standards, now maintained by the ISSB, that identify the sustainability topics most relevant to financial performance in 77 industries.

Saudi Green Initiative (SGI)

A national initiative launched in 2021 that targets net zero emissions by 2060, large-scale tree planting and the protection of land and sea areas in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Vision 2030

Saudi Arabia's national strategic framework launched in 2016 to diversify the economy and develop public services, including sustainability and environmental goals.

Scenario analysis

A process for assessing how a strategy might perform under a range of plausible future conditions, such as different climate warming pathways.

Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)

An organisation that sets criteria for science-based emission-reduction targets and validates companies' targets against them, including a minimum annual reduction rate consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C.

Scope 1 emissions

Direct greenhouse gas emissions from sources owned or controlled by the company, such as fuel combustion, industrial processes and refrigerant leaks.

Scope 2 emissions

Indirect greenhouse gas emissions from the generation of electricity, steam, heat and cooling that the company purchases and consumes.

Scope 3 emissions

All other indirect greenhouse gas emissions in the company's upstream and downstream value chain, grouped by the GHG Protocol into 15 categories.

Second-party opinion (SPO)

An independent external review assessing whether a green, social, sustainability or sustainability-linked financing framework aligns with market principles.

Secondary raw materials

Materials recovered from waste through recycling that can be used again as inputs in production.

Selective disclosure

Disclosing material non-public information to some investors or analysts before the market as a whole, which securities rules generally prohibit.

Self-assessment

A structured questionnaire through which an organisation evaluates its own sustainability maturity and identifies gaps.

Separation of duties

An internal control principle that assigns conflicting tasks, such as entering and approving data, to different people.

Share of women on the board

The percentage of board seats held by women.

Shareholder engagement

Dialogue between a company and its shareholders on strategy, performance, governance and sustainability matters.

Shareholder proposal

A resolution submitted by one or more shareholders for a vote at a general meeting, often on governance or sustainability issues.

Single-use plastics

Plastic products designed to be used once before disposal, such as bags, straws and some packaging.

Sixth Assessment Report (AR6)

The sixth assessment report of the IPCC (2021–2023), which updated the 100-year global warming potentials, for example 29.8 for fossil methane.

Social bond

A bond whose proceeds finance projects with positive social outcomes for target populations, such as affordable housing or access to healthcare.

Social impact assessment (SIA)

A process for analysing and managing the intended and unintended social consequences of projects, policies or programmes.

Social licence to operate

The ongoing acceptance of a company's operations by local communities and other stakeholders.

Social pillar

The part of ESG that covers how a company treats the people it depends on and affects: its workforce, workers in the value chain, communities and customers.

Soil contamination

The presence of hazardous substances in soil at levels that pose risks to human health or ecosystems.

Solar photovoltaic (PV)

Technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductor cells.

Sovereign debt

Debt issued or guaranteed by a national government; PCAF attributes its emissions to the country.

Spend-based emission factor

An emission factor expressed per unit of money spent on a product or service category, used to make a first estimate of Scope 3 emissions when physical data are not available.

Stakeholder

A person or group that affects or is affected by an organisation's activities, such as employees, investors, customers, suppliers and communities.

Stakeholder engagement

The process of involving stakeholders in dialogue to understand their concerns and inform a company's decisions.

Stakeholder survey

A questionnaire used to gather stakeholder views, often to inform a materiality assessment.