Creating Value with the Future in Mind - Anglo American South Africa

Overview
01 Cynthia Carroll
addresses a meeting
of the Tripartite Health
and Safety Initiative,
a collaborative
effort between
Anglo American,
labour unions and
South Africa’s
Department of
Mineral Resources.
01
We tailor our health programmes to
meet specific local needs. For example,
in Brazil we continued to run our
successful sexual and reproductive
education programme with Reprolatina
aimed at preventing HIV infection in
young women in particular.
Securing water and
adapting to climate change
Preparing for climate change is
essential for protecting the future of
our business. We are finding new ways
to reduce our energy usage, working
with experts to understand the
implications of climate change in our
key locations, and investing in innovative
technologies to cut carbon emissions.
With more than 80% of our operations
and planned projects in water-stressed
areas, we must also find ways to secure
our own water needs without
compromising the resource for others.
Four of our operations – Copebrás
Catalão, Barro Alto, Mogalakwena, and
Waterval smelter – now recycle more
than 90% of their water. Across the
Group, 72% of the water we use is
recycled – saving the equivalent of an
Olympic swimming pool of water every
two hours, every day.
Our water target-setting tool, WETT,
and our energy management tool
ECO 2
MAN rolled out last year are
delivering results. Our investment in
60 water-savings projects achieved a
saving of 6.8% against our projected
water usage. On the energy front,
223 low-carbon and energy savings
projects yielded $75 million worth
of energy savings. We also saved
3.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide
equivalent emissions as a result
of these projects and methane
management programmes at
Metallurgical Coal in Australia –
the equivalent of removing 630,000
cars off the road.
Engaging with communities
No business operates in isolation
and our ability to create a sustainable
business is inextricably linked to our
stakeholders – most directly with our
employees and the communities
around our operations, but equally, with
the stakeholders who indirectly affect
or are affected by what we do, including
governments, shareholders, as well as
partners and suppliers.
If we are to genuinely embed
sustainability into our business, we
must understand their needs, concerns
and aspirations, as well as the
sustainability risks affecting our
business, and consider them in our
decision-making processes as we
develop new mines and continue to
improve our existing operations.
Our aim is always to seek to listen and
build trust with our stakeholders
through open channels of dialogue so
that people are free to ask questions
about our activities. Like most
relationships, it’s not always smooth
sailing, and we don’t always get it
right, but we remain committed to
keeping the channels open and the
dialogue going.
The industrial unrest we saw in South
Africa last year, that took such a tragic
toll on communities in Rustenburg and
broader society, highlights the fragility
of this process. It is imperative that all
of us in the South African industry –
mining companies, government
and trade unions alike – renew our
efforts with the utmost vigour to find
a better way of doing things in the
future. I believe that if the mining
industry tackles social issues with
determination, partnering with our
stakeholders, we can increase the pace
of change, eventually achieving lasting
prosperity and making a positive
difference to the communities around
which we operate.
Last year, we
achieved the
highest score
in the mining
industry in
the Dow Jones
Sustainability
Index, having
featured in
the index for
10 consecutive
years.
Where possible, we try to use our
core business to add value, for
example, by nurturing and supporting
local suppliers. In 2012, we initiated
some exciting new partnerships with
NGOs and local governments in Brazil
and South Africa to help improve
the delivery of municipal services
to citizens. Globally our enterprise
development initiatives in Chile,
Brazil and South Africa continue to
deliver outstanding results. Close
to 65,000 jobs have been created
and more than 40,000 businesses
supported. Around half of these
businesses are run by women or
young people in rural areas.
A bright future ahead
As I reflect on my six years as
Anglo American’s chief executive, I am
proud to say that the organisation has
made significant progress to embed
sustainability into its core practices
and decision-making processes.
This is reflected in the continuing levels
of external recognition for our work.
Last year, we achieved the highest
score in the mining industry in the
Dow Jones Sustainability Index, having
featured in the index for 10 consecutive
years. We were commended by the
Carbon Disclosure Project and entered
the Carbon Disclosure Leadership
Index for our carbon disclosure
information and actions to reduce
carbon emissions, and were among
30 leading UK companies and the only
mining group to secure platinum status
in the Business in the Community’s
2012 Corporate Responsibility Index –
the UK’s leading voluntary benchmark
of corporate responsibility.
I believe our organisation has some
of the most outstanding, focused and
entrepreneurial people in the global
mining industry. I am confident that,
as I pass the baton to my successor,
Anglo American will continue to take
the lead in responsible mining, setting
the tone for the wider mining sector.
Cynthia Carroll
Chief Executive
Anglo American plc Sustainable Development Report 2012 05