Stakeholder Engagement in Industry The BNFL National Stakeholder Dialogue

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Stakeholder Engagement in Industry - The BNFL
National Stakeholder Dialogue
John Turner May 2004
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Why did it start ?

• gt30years of difficult history
• Wanted to change the conversation
• Potential benefits
• Gain access to knowledge/expertise
• Understand perceptions/potential reactions
• Fulfil moral or ethical obligation
• Gain support / reduce conflict
• Reduction of business risk

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BNFL National Stakeholder Dialogue - changing the
conversation

• Based upon principle of involving stakeholders
  with an interest in or affected by decision in
  constructive discussions about options.
• Decisions remain with business but these are both
  better informed and where there is agreement,
  implementation is easier.
• Approach of Define, Agree, Implement rather than
  Decide, Announce, Defend.
• Independently facilitated by The Environment
  Council - interest in integrity and effectiveness
  of talks process rather than any particular
  outcome.
• the-environment-council.org.uk

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Decision Making Process

• Traditional Model
• Plan
• Decision
• Announce
• Defend/Persuade
• Implement (or Abandon)
• Alternative Model
• Define
• Agree
• Implement

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BNFL National Stakeholder Dialogue

• Purpose to inform BNFLs decision-making
  process about the improvement of their
  environmental performance in the context of their
  overall development.
• Approx 200 participants - national,
  international, regional groups as well as expert
  and specialist concerns.
• First meeting September 98 where main issues
  identified headed by reprocessing and trust.
• Working Groups set up on
• Waste , Discharges, Spent Fuel Management
  Options,Plutonium,Security, Business Futures
• Ends Oct 04

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Has it achieved objectives ? - benefits

• Increased stakeholder understanding
• Created informal networks - sounding boards
• Wider environmental social factors taken into
  account in decision-making.
• Learning acquired through process has helped when
  tackling difficult areas (Pu, Spent Fuel)
• Enables common view to emerge on validity of key
  sets of data or information.
• Jointly agreed collection of data- Radioactive
  sampling and monitoring at railheads-
  Socio-economic impact study
• Does lead to consensus on some issues.

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Has it achieved objectives ? - Risks

• Resource commitment
• Raised stakeholder expectations
• Lack of visibility to stakeholders of impact on
  BNFL decisions
• Very difficult to backtrack once conclusions are
  reached
• BNFL input insufficiently aligned with Corporate
  direction

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Learning for the future

• Devise flexible mechanisms to involve
  stakeholders within time constraints
• Engagement of stakeholders outside the Dialogue -
  encourage more systematic engagement.
• Tracking progress on recommendations
• Evaluation from start of process

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Impact on BNFL and others

• Impacts on BNFL include
• Emphasised research on Pu immobilisation
• Spent fuel contingency planning and research
• Transparency of plant performance (B205, Vit
  Plant)
• Hazard Indicator (Waste Conversion Index)
• Directors taking personal responsibility for
  Recomms.
• Impacts on others include
• Use of reports/data in developing HMG policy in
  waste and discharges
• DTI engagement framework for NDA
• Socio-economic study basis of planning and
  negotiations