Updates regarding COVID-19

• Our business has donated a number of healthcare supplies and PPE across Argentina, including overalls, goggles, protective gloves, and boot covers. 
• We’ve also contributed hundreds of litres of alcohol and ammonia disinfectant to health centres, schools, public buildings, and supermarkets. 
• In collaboration with the National Ministry of Health, we’ve donated diagnostic kits for use in the Buenos Aires region. 
• We’ve also contributed PLA filament, essential for 3D printing, through an agreement between the Ministry of Health and the Manuel Savio Technical School. 
• Our team has delivered three testing booths to the Ministry of Health in the province of San Juan to carry out screening at the posts located in San Juan’s bicentennial stadium, El Encón and Bermejo. 
• We’ve partnered with Nuestro Espacio Day Centre, a care home for adults with special needs or disabilities in the San Juan province, to deliver teaching materials as well as personal protective wear.
• We’re supporting a children’s charity in the town of Ramallo providing food and clothing to vulnerable children. We’ve further launched a collaborative project to expand the greenhouse in the town of Sorocayense to provide food to groups in need in the Calingasta community. The expanded planting has been finished, and we are now in the process of distributing the supplies.

• We’re proud to be supporting the University of Queensland’s efforts to develop a vaccine for Covid-19. A donation of AUS $725,000 has been given to the university’s ‘Molecular Clamp’ project, which uses technology that allows the immune system to recognise and then neutralise the virus.
• We've contributed AUS $45,000 to allow the North West Hospital and Health Service to purchase equipment with the capacity to test for Covid-19, rapidly improving the testing times in the region.
   

• In Brazil, we’ve donated hand sanitiser to disadvantaged communities and to a local NGO, Citizens Action, that provides food baskets to vulnerable families.

• A number of our operations across Canada, including our Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations, Raglan Mine, Horne Foundry and CEZinc business have made food security donations worth over CAD $340,000. These donations are helping support food banks, elder and indigenous groups, grocery store voucher schemes, and restaurants providing meals for their communities.
• Our operations have also donated more than CAD $192,000 to Canadian healthcare efforts. Beneficiary organisations include nursing homes and hospices, community organisations and local NGOs, as well as homeless shelters. 
• Our teams have purchased CAD $70,000 worth of PPE to be used by frontline healthcare professionals and workers who care for senior and vulnerable citizens. 
• Our Kidd operations partnered with a local brewery in an innovative project to provide locally-produced hand sanitiser to be donated to the community.
• Raglan Mine and Inuit land users joined forces to send medical supplies to the community of Salluit. 
• Horne Foundry made a donation of CAD $50,000 to the Hospital Foundation to support and recognise the work of health personnel on the front line. 
• Our Canadian operations have also donated N95 masks to hospital foundations and other front line care-workers. 
• Our CCR Refinery donated CAD $20,000 to La Maison Dalauze, a refuge house and resource centre for abused women and their children in Quebec.

• We continue to support our local stakeholders in Chad by providing medical equipment for communities near our assets. So far, these efforts have included donating 68 handwashing stations to neighbouring communities.

• In Chile, we have donated eight respirators to the health services in the city of Antofagasta, with a value of approximately $250,000. A donation of more than $550,000 worth of medical supplies has also been made to the local city hospital.

• Our Colombian business, Grupo Prodeco, has contributed more than $380,000 in aid to help support to the most vulnerable members of our host communities. With this contribution, nearly 19,500 families in the surrounding municipalities will have received support during the quarantine period.
• Alongside financial contributions, Grupo Prodeco has worked to address food insecurity in the region during Covid-19. 4,700 grocery kits and 9,000 gallons of drinking water were donated to vulnerable families, and a further donation of 137 tonnes of food was given to local food banks of neighbouring regions to benefit over 13,000 families.
• In terms of medical supplies, in Colombia we’ve contributed 12,000 masks for use by health personnel, local authorities and staff who supported the distribution of donations. 
• 350 gallons of liquid soap was donated to local villages, as well as over 60,000 gallons of drinking water and 6 sprinklers for the disinfection of cars and public areas. 
• We’ve also supported a number of broader initiatives in the region. With a donation of $82,000, our Prodeco business joined the BAQatón solidarity campaign, expanding the scope and impact of the financial and in-kind aid that the company will provide during the current health crisis. Our contribution will provide $55,000 for the delivery of food support to vulnerable people; $16,000 for the purchase of medical supplies and Covid-19 tests; and $11,000 for food support and care for the animals kept in the Barranquilla Zoo. 
   

• Across the DRC, we have donated over $1 million in medical equipment to the local health authorities.
• We’ve opened new facilities built to manage possible cases of Covid-19, as well as pledging to provide vital training for public health personnel focusing on infection control and the protection of medical workers.
• We’ve also committed to donating medical equipment worth $250,000 to the Institut National pour la Recherche Biomedicale (INRB) and local hospitals in Kinshasa.
   

• $97,000 was donated for the purchase of PPE for the police department, who are responsible for Covid-19 control and mitigation activities.
• Kazzinc also donated $1.2 million to the “Paryz” social fund, used to purchase rapid-test kits for medical workers. 
• A large-scale volunteer initiative was also organised for employees to deliver essential items to those in need, such as veterans and older people who used to work in mining and metallurgical organisations. 
• $345,000 was donated to procure medical equipment for local hospitals, including Ridder Hospital. This included $205,000   spent on oxygen concentrators for a number of regional hospitals, while a further donation of $7,000 was used to purchase soap, detergents and disinfection equipment for children’s institutions.
• $65,000 was donated to food and medicines delivery to local residents in need. Support was provided to an initiative of the Public Council of the City of Ust-Kamenogorsk to purchase food baskets for people in quarantined blocks, while assistance was provided to distribute grocery sets and equipment to medical workers and food packages to low-income families. We also provided 2,000 free grocery kits to former employees, and further donations to the organisations like the Bastau Akmola Foundation.
• From an educational perspective, a donation of over $10,000 was made to Umit Children's Home to keep the children safe and provide high-speed internet connection for remote learning.

• In Peru, we provided healthcare and PPE provisions valued at more than $70,000 to local and regional hospitals. A further donation of $420,000 is underway. 
• We have donated new equipment for Cusco’s hospitals, including oxygen balloons, a Covid-19 treatment bed and thousands of pieces of PPE. Medical equipment (including masks, safety glasses, gloves and disposable medical clothes) and 20 hospital beds were also given to the Cusco Region. 
• A donation of $50,000 was made for disinfection and fumigation campaigns of public places and probable sources of infection, while a donation of more than $170,000 was made to the Peruvian state for the purchase of 500,000 rapid-test kits, through the National Mining Society.
• Food security has been a focus, with 5,750 packages of food and cleaning products given to the Espinar population. A second donation of packages with an estimated value of $332,000 is currently underway.

• We have extended our assistance to numerous local health clinics, with donations of sanitisers, disinfectants, infrared thermometers and PPE. 
• We have donated $166,000 for the purchase of real-time PCR testing equipment to increase Covid-19 testing capacity by local governments. 
• We’ve provided assistance to the Nkangala District Department of Health in screening and testing community members in eMalahleni. To date 3,522 households and 9,526 people have been screened. 
• Our business has also been supporting Re-Action (a South African social purpose enterprise) and its food support programme for the Khomanani San indigenous Bushmen Community in the Kalahari. Food parcel donations were made to local communities and municipalities, and overall our South African operations have donated over 12,500 food parcels to communities across the country, including Rustenburg and Steelpoort.
• Maintaining access to educational material and online resources for our people, their families, and their communities has also been a focus. At various operations we have installed 10 WiFi hotspots offering free WiFi to local community members, to support learners with access to online learning material and to have access to online schooling. WiFi hotspots are located at some schools, libraries, multi-purpose community centres, taxi ranks and shopping centres.
• We’ve also contributed to the infrastructure around our assets. Portable, refillable water tanks were donated to communities across Steelpoort, Sekhukhune, Steve Tshwete and eMalahleni for those areas that do not have easy access to water. These tanks have the capacity to store hundreds of thousands of litres of water for each community at a given time. We have also supplied electricity infrastructure to 300 households in Ga-Masha, Ngwaabe area, completed in April during the lockdown by special permission. 
• We’ve made a further commitment of $240,000 towards the establishment of a central Covid-19 hospital in Rustenburg.

• We’ve allocated over $1 million for national and regional organisations in Canton Zug and the surrounding area that support people and families in need. The beneficiaries in Zug include non-profit organisations, which help people facing emergency financial situations, as well as groups like Pro Senectute, dedicated to the wellbeing and dignity of elderly people.
• Recognising the exceptional services medical workers are providing, a further donation was made to regional and national health and rescue organisations, such as the Swiss Pro Mente Sana Foundation, which offers telephone counselling and e-counselling in psychological matters. We have also donated $10,000 to the Stiftung Freiwillige Fürsorge, which runs a counselling service – ‘Triangel Beratung’ – for distressed individuals, couples, families and young people, as well as offering debt counselling. 
• In addition, a donation of nearly 3,000 masks was made to the Zug healthcare system. Employees were also offered the possibility to do voluntary work during working hours.
• Our office in Switzerland has continued its ongoing support for FRW Zug. We donated $5,000 to their Mandala project, which aims to support refugees and provide housing during the pandemic.

• From our London office, we donated 100,000 medical masks to the National Health Service.

• Several donations totalling $75,000 have been made to organisations across the United States that focus on health and community support. These have included Meals on Wheels of San Francisco, The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, The Pittsburgh Foundation, United Way of Greater Houston, and The Alameda County Community Food Bank.

Last updated on 14 April 2020 at 08:55 CEST

Glencore continues to engage with the relevant authorities, unions and other stakeholders regarding the steps we are taking to minimise the impact of COVID-19 on our operations. Our goal is to operate only when we can keep our people safe and healthy, while safeguarding jobs and providing support to our local communities and other key stakeholders especially during this critical time. While the majority of our operations have not been materially impacted, the following provides an update on the impacts that have occurred at certain of our assets since our previous update on 26 March. As previously reported, we intend to provide updated guidance in respect of 2020 production, key industrial division unit costs and capital expenditure, alongside our Q1 production report, scheduled for release on 30 April. 

Canada

The government of Quebec has extended the order for all non-essential businesses to remain closed until 4 May. Mining has been classed an essential activity with effect from 15 April. Accordingly, our Raglan (nickel) and Matagami (zinc) operations in Quebec are analysing options to restart operations before 4 May. 

Colombia

In Colombia, the President imposed a 19-day quarantine for the country from 25 March. This has now been extended to 27 April. Prodeco’s mining operations remain on care and maintenance, while the port continues to operate.

Peru

At our independently managed, JV operation, Antamina (Glencore share 33.75%), a decision has been taken to de-mobilise the workforce and halt operations for a likely period of approximately 2 weeks. The primary focus of the operation is to ensure the health and safety of its workforce and surrounding communities. During suspension of operations, the camp will be thoroughly disinfected and increased protocols put in place for those arriving at / departing from site. These protocols include enhanced medical screening, transportation and social distancing measures, in accordance with Peruvian guidelines. 

South Africa

The South African government has extended its nationwide lockdown to 30 April. Our ferroalloys and two of our coal (Middleburg and Graspan) operations currently remain on care and maintenance.

Zambia

Following Mopani’s recent announcement regarding the transition of its mining operations to care and maintenance, Glencore is currently in discussions on the way forward with the Government of Zambia.

Supporting our workforce and local communities

For all our offices and industrial assets that are continuing to operate, we continue to implement various additional precautionary measures to protect our employees.  We recognise the uncertainty caused by the current environment and endeavour to support our workforce and local communities, as appropriate. 

Our local teams are working closely with governments, health agencies and other key responders to identify their needs to provide the most effective response possible. In order to support these efforts, we recently launched the $25m Glencore Community Support Fund. This fund will complement existing efforts by our local teams to provide the support their communities need most at this time.

Last updated on 9 April 2020 at 13:55 CEST

Glencore Community Support Fund

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented challenge for all of us, including our colleagues, families, local communities and society at large. As a responsible operator, our top priority is to protect the safety and health of our people and the communities that host our businesses.

Glencore operates more than 180 sites and offices in over 35 countries. The scale and diversity of our operations means that the impact of the virus varies by location. In addition, many of our operations are located in remote areas with limited public health care systems. Our teams are working closely with governments, health agencies and others key responders to identify their needs to provide the most effective response possible. 

To support their efforts, today, we are announcing the launch of the Glencore Community Support Fund.

The $25m fund is designed to be flexible and responsive and complement existing efforts by our local teams to provide the support their communities most need at this time. It will initially prioritise assistance to local health authorities and community organisations to help them respond to the immediate impacts of the crisis. Imperatives such as access to clean water, hygiene products and medical equipment will be important in some regions. In others, our efforts may focus on enabling students to continue learning, despite schools being closed. 

In addition to the $25m that we’re allocating from today, our offices and assets have been mobilising their skills and resources to provide local in-kind support where we have the capacity to do so. We have also been adapting and tailoring some of our existing social investment programmes to address the changing social needs during the crisis. In the longer term, we will also transition to a recovery focus in light of the expected socio-economic impacts of the pandemic.

Ivan Glasenberg, CEO, Glencore commented:

“We have all witnessed the rapid spread of the virus, and the increasing need for support worldwide. That’s why today, we are announcing the Glencore Community Support Fund. Our assets and offices are best placed to respond to COVID-19 in their regions and this fund will support actions that are designed and implemented locally, in collaboration with the organisations on the front line. 

We hope that these efforts will help ease the burden on our host communities as we work together towards a common goal of combatting the impact of the coronavirus”

Our response to date

Since the beginning of the year, we have introduced a number of precautionary measures across Glencore’s industrial assets and offices to help protect and support our workforce. These include: 

• Systematically identifying higher risk groups and taking the appropriate steps to protect them, as necessary.
• Asking anyone who works for us to stay at home if they feel unwell and to seek medical advice.
• Implementation of enhanced hygiene and cleaning measures; introduction of temperature screening, where appropriate.
• Restrictions on non-essential visits to offices and assets.
• Restrictions on all non-essential travel.
• A Health Advisory channel for our people to seek advice and support.

We have formulated our response in partnership with our expert medical advisors, International SOS, taking into account advice from governments across the countries where we operate, and global bodies such as the World Health Organization.

26 March 2020 at 15:19 CET

20 March 2020 at 15:45 CET

Update on 16 March 2020 at 11:30 CET