LONDON, April 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
Anglo American will launch its
Sustainable Development Report 2012, "Creating Value with
the Future in Mind", at today's annual general
meeting in London. The report
details Anglo American's sustainable
development performance for 2012, highlighting how long-term
thinking helps to generate wealth, mitigate environmental harm,
combat poverty and promote development in the communities in which
we operate.
Sir John Parker, Chairman of
Anglo American, commented: "Our
Sustainable Development Report demonstrates our commitment to
continue delivering value to all of Anglo
American's stakeholders. Through leveraging our supply
chains, nurturing entrepreneurship, developing talent and capacity
in and around operations, we help to create healthier and better
educated communities, foster local economies and work to eliminate,
minimise or mitigate any disturbance from our mining
activities.
"Anglo American's large footprint
in the developing world means that our capacity to contribute to
the social and economic development of vulnerable communities,
beyond mining, is significant and the sustainability of our
business is inextricably linked to the sustainable development of
the communities around our operations. To be able to make
meaningful change, businesses have to be prepared to engage, and
understand what really matters to the people living near our
operations.
"The role of big business in society has rarely been under such
close scrutiny, and some of the concerns that people have stem from
a lack of trust. To combat this, I believe we should play our part,
along with other businesses, in formulating a 'social compact' that
encourages greater transparency and accountability, better
governance and a shared understanding of the role and value of
business to society."
- Engaging with communities: Anglo
American's ability to create a sustainable business is
inextricably linked to its relationship with stakeholders -
particularly the employees and communities around operations. In
2012, new partnerships were initiated with NGOs and local
governments in Brazil and
South Africa to help improve the
delivery of municipal services to citizens. Globally, enterprise
development initiatives in Chile,
Brazil and South Africa continue to deliver outstanding
results - nearly 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.
- Securing water and adapting to climate change: With more
than 80% of Anglo American's
operations and future projects in water-stressed areas, securing
access to water is a priority. Last year saw the roll out of our
new water target-setting tool - WETT - and an energy management
tool - ECO2MAN - which have already begun to deliver
results. Investment in 60 water-saving projects also achieved a
saving of 6.8% against projected water use. 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.
- Reaching Zero Harm: Ensuring the safety of Anglo American employees is the company's first
priority. As well as addressing the underlying processes and
standards critical for improving safety performance, in 2012 Anglo
American hosted its first Global Safety Day for employees to ensure
every employee understands their contribution to safety.
Increasingly Anglo American is
addressing the safety, health and well-being of its people
together, to create a workplace that strives to deliver zero harm.
Occupational health is now embedded in operational management, in
the same way as safety.
- Health: Anglo American's
work to tackle HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB), particularly in
southern Africa continued in 2012,
with 95,000 people tested for HIV and anti-retroviral drugs
provided to more than 5,000 employees. In 2012, 25% fewer new HIV
infections were recorded, and an increasing proportion (45%) of
estimated HIV positive employees are receiving treatment.
In 2012, Anglo American achieved
the highest score in the mining industry in the Dow Jones
Sustainability Index and was commended by the Carbon Disclosure
Project and entered the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index for
carbon disclosure information and actions to reduce carbon
emissions. Anglo American was also
among 30 leading UK companies, and the only mining group, to secure
platinum status in the Business in the Community's (BITC) Corporate
Responsibility Index in 2012 and 2013. The BITC Corporate
Responsibility Index is the UK's leading voluntary benchmark of
corporate responsibility.
To access the Sustainable Development Report 2012 in full,
please visit our new reporting centre:
http://www.angloamerican.com/media/reportingcentre
For more information about Anglo
American's approach to sustainable development, please visit
http://www.angloamerican.com/development/approach-and-policies or
watch Anglo American's sustainable
development videos on YouTube by clicking on the below links:
Engaging with our communities: SEAT 3
Managing the burden of HIV/AIDS: The journey to zero
Strengthening healthcare in rural communities
Reaching zero harm: Achieving a world class safety record at
Kolomela mine
Find out more about Anglo
American here:
http://www.angloamerican.com
http://www.facebook.com/angloamerican
http://www.twitter.com/angloamerican
http://www.youtube.com/angloamerican
Notes to editors:
Anglo American is one of the
world's largest mining companies, is headquartered in the UK and
listed on the London and
Johannesburg stock exchanges.
Anglo American's portfolio of mining
businesses spans bulk commodities - iron ore and manganese,
metallurgical coal and thermal coal; base metals - copper and
nickel; and precious metals and minerals - in which it is a global
leader in both platinum and diamonds. Anglo American is
committed to the highest standards of safety and responsibility
across all its businesses and geographies and to making a
sustainable difference in the development of the communities around
its operations. The company's mining operations, extensive pipeline
of growth projects and exploration activities span southern
Africa, South America, Australia, North
America, Asia and
Europe.
http://www.angloamerican.com
SOURCE Anglo American Plc