36363 - ESIP Planet Labs

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Environmental & Social Review Summary

Project Number

36363

Company Name

PLANET LABS PBC

Date ESRS Disclosed

Jan 15, 2015

Country

World Region

Region

Global

Last Updated Date

Sep 30, 2022

Environmental Category

B - Limited

Status

Active

Previous Events

Approved : Feb 25, 2015
Signed : Mar 26, 2015
Invested : Apr 1, 2015

Sector

Other (Including Satellite Telecommunications, Radio and Television Broadcasting, etc.)

Industry

Telecommunications and Technology

Department

TMT, Venture Capital & Funds

Project Description

The review of this project consisted of a visit by IFC staff to the headquarters of Planet Labs Inc. (“Planet”), to meet with and interview management of Planet; and a review by IFC of Planet’s documented injury and illness prevention program, a documented business continuity plan, and an employee policy booklet.

Overview of IFC's Scope of Review

The Project involves an early stage investment by IFC of up to $20 million in preferred shares of Planet to support its goal of imaging the entire Earth every day with a fleet of compact, highly capable Earth-imaging satellites. Planet is enabling the democratization of satellite imagery by making it easy to access online at an affordable price point. The broad coverage and high frequency of its satellite imagery will grant Planet’s customers access to global and local insights that currently are either impossible or cost-prohibitive to obtain.

Planet expects to have about half of its ground stations to be shared by Planet with other companies, while the other half are expected to be newly commissioned by Planet. Where possible, Planet and its partners have revitalized defunct or underutilized sites, and will continue to do so. Half or more of those sites are expected to be in non-OECD countries.

Planet designs their custom nanospacecraft utilizing processes and technology from the off-the-shelf, consumer electronics sector. Manufacturing, assembly, and testing of Planet’s nanosatellites are all performed in the U.S.A. Planet’s nanosatellites orbit at 7.5 km/second and disintegrate completely upon reentry into the earth’s atmosphere, and this has been confirmed by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

E & S Project Categorization and Applicable Standard

While all Performance Standards are applicable to this investment, IFCs environmental and social due diligence indicates that the investment will have impacts which must be managed in a manner consistent with the following Performance Standards. If IFCs investment proceeds, IFC will periodically review the the project’s ongoing compliance with the Performance Standards

PS 1 – Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts
PS 2 - Labor and working conditions
If IFC’s investment proceeds, IFC will periodically review the the project’s ongoing compliance with the Performance Standards
PS3: Pollution Prevention and Abatement issues may not arise in this project, and in case they do, then policies and procedures to manage them will be developed under PS1;
PS4: Community, health, safety and security issues may not arise in this project, and in case they do, then policies and procedures to manage them will be developed under PS1;
PS5: Involuntary resettlement issues are not expected to arise in this project, as no ground station will be developed if it would involve physical or economic displacement of people.
PS6: Biodiversity conservation and natural habitat issues are not expected to arise in this project, as sites will be chosen only in already-developed areas.
PS7: Indigenous peoples issues are not expected to arise in this project, as no site is expected to be chosen with local community members from peoples defined as indigenous under PS7.PS8: Cultural heritage issues are not expected to arise in this project, as sites will not be developed where such issues would arise.Nevertheless, a condition of IFC’s investment will be that Planet’s operations shall consider all relevant social and environmental risks and impacts, including issues covered in all IFC PSs.

The key environmental and social issues associated with the project are management by Planet of its key contractors, particularly for screening, selection, and development of ground stations. The nature of the Company’s operations is such that no major adverse environmental or social impacts are expected to result from the Project, and that it will be possible to avoid or mitigate any limited adverse impacts that might result. As a result, it has been classified as a Category B project according to IFC’s Procedure for Environmental and Social Review of Projects.

Environmental and Social Mitigation Measures

Under IFC’s investment, Planet will develop E&S policies and procedures to manage both its own impacts and those of its contractors who develop ground stations in non-OECD countries.

Planet will perform screening of potential contractors, and will include a contractual responsibility in agreements with its contractors who construct and operate ground stations for implementation of appropriate E&S management measures consistent with national laws and IFC Performance Standards. This will include appropriate stakeholder engagement where there are potentially affected communities in the vicinity of sites.

If E&S impact assessment is required for any site construction or expansion in order to comply with national standards, Planet will either develop E&S assessment documentation consistent with IFC Performance Standards prior to the start of construction, or Planet will review such documentation developed by contractors. This responsibility will be included in new contracts, and Planet will make commercially reasonable efforts to add such measures to existing contracts through amendments. Planet will actively monitor compliance with such terms in its contracts, and will consider terminating any contractor in the event of non-compliance.

Under IFC’s investment, Planet will include conditions in its agreements with its contractors for construction and operations of ground stations in non-OECD countries to cover pollution prevention and abatement. These conditions will require compliance with local requirements and IFC Performance Standards applicable to ground stations. Planet will ensure that for any case where a new ground station will be constructed or an existing site is significantly expanded or altered, contractors will comply with appropriate measures for infrastructure and equipment safety, hazardous materials safety, and emergency preparedness and response as prescribed in IFC Performance Standard (PS) 4.

Planet does not presently plan for employment or contracting for armed security services at any of its sites. In the event that armed security guards are ever hired by any Planet contractor, Planet will include terms in agreements with contractors to provide for the measures to comply with PS 4.

In general, Planet will strive to avoid the acquisition or development of any ground station or other network site involving adverse impacts on sensitive ecology, requires involuntary resettlement of local community members, adversely impacts indigenous peoples or damages cultural heritage Planet will never provide to any of its customers any capacity to support any direct combat applications, such as real-time weapons guidance. Planet will develop a procedure for screening launch contractors to ensure that they use only reputable launch providers who use appropriate sites for rocket launches.

Planet will develop a procedure for monitoring and reporting on the company’s performance against its E&S policies and procedures
, and for reviewing its performance for continuous improvements.

Stakeholder Engagement

Planet recognizes the importance of community engagement, and is committed to complying with IFC Performance Standards on disclosure and community engagement.
In any case where a new ground station or other network site will be constructed or an existing site is significantly expanded or altered, Planet will ensure that all relevant information is disclosed to local communities prior to the start of work on the site, and that consultation is conducted as needed. If an E&S impact assessment is required in order to comply with applicable standards, then Planet will ensure that the assessment documentation is disclosed to any affected local communities prior to the start of work on any site.Planet will continuously make available information to local community members on electromagnetic radiation from ground stations as needed, consistent with IFC’s Telecommunications Guidelines. Planet is committed to the resolution of any complaints from community members until they are resolved. It will ensure that each key contractor has in place a grievance mechanism to handle any complaints from community members, and will provide a backup mechanism in case of failure by any key contractor.

Broad Community Support

Environmental & Social Action Plan

ESIP Planet Labs(36363) Supervision Disclosure Snapshot – Version 2
Description	Anticipated Completion Date	Status	Comments	Completion Date
PS 1: Planet will develop environmental, health & safety and social (EHSS) policies and procedures for any Planet-led construction and/or operation of ground station / network sites in non-OECD countries – which will provide for agreements with key contractors to reflect these policies and procedures, which will be consistent with applicable national laws and IFC Performance Standards. The policies and procedures will cover, at a minimum: E&S screening and selection of potential ground station and other network sites so as to avoid ecologically and socially sensitive sites; E&S impact assessment where appropriate; mitigation of identified E&S risks at selected sites; and stakeholder engagement prior to site development.	29-May-2015	Postponed	Changed project circumstances mandated a delay of this task
PS 2: Planet will tailor its employee policy booklet and contractor management guidance for workers and contractors in non-OECD countries to include policies and procedures that correspond with local labor regulations and IFC Performance Standard 2: Labor & Working conditions. The policy booklet and contractor guidance will cover matters such as equal opportunity and non-discrimination, freedom of association, implementation of a worker grievance mechanism, and provision of a safe and healthy work environment, including provision of health and safety training and personal protective equipment.	29-May-2015	Postponed	Changed project circumstances mandated a delay of this task

**Information on IFC's Policy and Performance Standards on Environmental and Social Sustainability can be found at www.ifc.org/sustainability

IFC supports its clients in addressing environmental and social issues arising from their business activities by requiring its real sector clients to set up and administer appropriate grievance mechanisms and/or procedures to address complaints from Affected Communities in relation to environmental and social issues arising from IFC's clients' business activities. Since 2012, IFC's Financial Intermediary clients applying the Performance Standards are required to develop External Communications Mechanisms to receive and review inquiries or complaints from any interested party regarding the E&S risks and impacts of their operations.

For IFC projects that are active or under consideration, individual(s), or their authorized representative(s), who allege they have been or will be adversely affected by E&S risks or impacts arising from IFC's clients' business activities, may submit a complaint to IFC directly for consideration. When receiving an E&S complaint, IFC engages with complainants and works with its clients to find solutions to E&S concerns as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Complaints can be submitted to IFC online at www.ifc.org/escomplaints or by email to EScomplaints@ifc.org.

IFC complaint response is separate from and complementary to IFC’s clients’ project level grievance mechanisms and IFC’s Independent Accountability Mechanism (CAO). Lodging a complaint directly with IFC does not, at any time, restrict access to CAO.

Affected communities have unrestricted access to the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), the independent accountability mechanism for IFC and MIGA. CAO facilitates the resolution of complaints related to IFC and MIGA projects and sub-projects, undertakes reviews of IFC’s and MIGA’s environmental and social compliance, fosters public accountability for their commitments, and enhances the environmental and social performance of IFC and MIGA.

Independent of IFC and MIGA management and reporting directly to the IFC and MIGA Boards of Executive Directors, CAO helps resolve issues raised about the environmental and social impacts of projects through a neutral, collaborative, problem-solving approach via its Dispute Resolution function. It also reviews IFC’s and MIGA’s compliance with environmental and social policies, assesses related harm, and recommends remedial actions through its Compliance function. Additionally, CAO provides advice to IFC, MIGA, and their Boards to enhance environmental and social sustainability performance and minimize the risk of harm.

Complaints may relate to environmental and social harm regarding any aspect of the planning, implementation, or impact of a project or sub-project, and can be made by any individual, group, community, entity, or other party affected or likely to be affected by the environmental or social impacts of an IFC- or MIGA-financed business activity.

Complaints can be submitted by any of the following methods:

Online form: available at https://www.cao-ombudsman.org/
Mail/Hand Delivery to: 2121 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA
Voice mail: +1 202 458 1973
Email: cao@worldbankgroup.org
SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal: +1 202 650 2627

CAO receives and addresses complaints in accordance with the CAO Policy, which can be accessed at: https://www.cao-ombudsman.org/policies-guidelines.

This Environmental and Social Review Summary (ESRS) is prepared by IFC to disclose its findings and recommendations related to environmental and social considerations regarding potential investments. Its purpose is to enhance the transparency of IFC's activities. For any project documentation or data included or attached herein, whether prepared by the project sponsor or otherwise, authorization has been given for public release by the project sponsor. IFC considers that this ESRS is of adequate quality for release to the public, but has not necessarily independently verified all of the project information therein.
It is distributed in advance of IFC Board of Directors' consideration and may be periodically updated thereafter. Board dates are estimates only and this document should not be construed as presuming the outcome of the Board Directors’ decision. The following ESRS is disclosed in accordance with IFC's Access to Information Policy (AIP).

The map is for illustrative purposes and does not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of the World Bank, concerning the legal status of any country or territory or concerning the delimitation of frontiers or boundaries. Country borders or names do not necessarily reflect the World Bank Group's official position. In some cases, available project location information is limited to the country of the project's activities. Locations are approximate.

Projects

Environmental & Social Review Summary

Project Description

Overview of IFC's Scope of Review

E & S Project Categorization and Applicable Standard

Identified Applicable Performance Standards

Environmental and Social Categorization and Rationale

Environmental and Social Mitigation Measures

Environmental and Social Mitigation Measures

PS 1: Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts

PS 2: Labor and Working Conditions

Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholder Engagement

Local Access of Project Documentation

Broad Community Support

IFC's Determination of BCS

Environmental & Social Action Plan

Environmental & Social Action Plan

Press-Release

Related SII

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Information on E&S Complaints and Grievance Mechanisms

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