SKIP NAVIGATION
Back to ESG A-Z
SUSTAINABILITY

Social performance

With activities ranging from exploration to mines and mineral processing facilities to closed sites, we are present in a highly  diverse range of geographies and cultures around the world.

Our industrial assets are closely linked to the communities and regions where they operate, bringing the potential for adverse impacts but also socioeconomic opportunity through local procurement, local employment and  direct social contribution.

Our approach

We aim to avoid, mitigate or manage any adverse impacts from our activities and to build partnerships to support sustainable development and growth.

One of our strategic objectives is to advance socioeconomic development and opportunities by partnering with communities to build resilience and reduce dependency on our operations. This is challenging when the immediate, short-term needs in many of our communities are high. Our aim is to focus our efforts on developing programmes that contribute to longer-term social objectives through activities such as enterprise and job creation, education, health and wellbeing and capacity building. 

We base our socioeconomic development activities on the resources, needs and plans identified at a local or regional level, which is informed by relevant data gathering and community engagement.

Engaging with host communities

We require our industrial assets to design social programmes that reflect an understanding of their host communities based on data gathering and engagement. This involves: 

  • analysing local demographics, economies, sociocultural activities, religions, existing and potential conflict, and availability of services and infrastructure to build a picture of our host communities; and 
  • listening to people’s needs and concerns, as well as identifying our potential impacts, risks and opportunities.

From these assessments, we expect our industrial assets to design stakeholder engagement strategies aligned with our business objectives and their local needs. Our objective is to work towards creating meaningful, constructive, and proactive dialogue with our local communities. 

We expect our industrial assets to engage with their local communities in a range of different ways, tailored to the local context and culture. These may include radio broadcasts, social media channels, site publications, complaints and grievance mechanisms, community forums and face-to-face meetings.

Social Contribution Framework

During 2024, through the launch of our Social Contribution Framework, we advanced the review of our approach to and management of our social contributions to incorporate requirements of the International Council on Mining and Metals’ Socio-Economic Reporting Framework. Our Social Contribution Framework articulates the goals, operating principles and governance of our industrial assets’ social contributions for enhanced business performance and sustained development outcomes for stakeholders, with recognition of both discretionary and non-discretionary contributions.

It aims to strengthen our social contribution and social investment activities by: 

  • articulating our direct social contribution priority areas; 
  • linking internal and external policies, strategies, standards, codes and disclosures relevant to our direct social contribution; and 
  • strengthening governance of our direct social contribution through good project design, management, and impact measurement including improved data quality and reinforcement of compliance and other governance requirements.

Paying special attention to vulnerable groups

Some people living in our host communities are at risk of economic and social discrimination. These may include Indigenous Peoples, women, children, disabled and elderly people, and victims of conflict. 

Our community consultation processes are designed to be inclusive, respectful of local context, cultures, and traditions. We seek to identify vulnerable groups, such as women, children and Indigenous Peoples, and develop and implement strategies to include them in the engagement process. For more information, see Indigenous Peoples.

 

Principles we follow

  • UN Global Compact
    Visit the website
  • Principle 1

    businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights

    Read more