Companies have long been under pressure to release the chemicals they use in hydraulic fracturing but have refused to release the exact percentages as it is commercial in confidence.

This week, however, the New York-listed company said it had implemented a policy of disclosing 100% of the chemistry contained within its hydraulic fracturing fluid systems, without the use of any trade secret designations.

In March this year the company announced its plans to provide complete lists of all of its products and chemical constituents for all wells it would fracture using its hydraulic fracturing fluid products, without detailing specific product formulations.

In so doing, Baker Hughes hopes to increase public trust in the process of hydraulic fracturing, while still protecting the market-driven commercial innovation "that has helped the company become a global industry leader" it says.

"Introducing greater transparency about the chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process and protecting the ability to innovate are not conflicting goals," Baker Hughes chief strategy officer Derek Mathieson said.

"The policy we are implementing today is consistent with our belief that we are partners in solving industry challenges and that we have a responsibility to provide the public with the information they want and deserve.

"It simultaneously enables us to protect proprietary information that is critical to our growth."

For each fracturing job the company performs on or after October 1, the policy mandated that Baker Hughes would disclose a single list of all of the chemical constituents of its products used, while also specifying their maximum concentrations.

Baker Hughes' policy is fully compatible with the online national hydraulic fracturing chemical registry called FracFocus, where anyone can look for information about a wellsite near them under the "Find a well" section.

All of the company's disclosure forms can be found at www.fracfocus.org.