Anglo American plc has released its twice-yearly sustainability performance update, which includes information on decarbonisation, net positive biodiversity, and progress toward ensuring that all operations adhere to internationally recognized responsible mining standards.
Duncan Wanblad, Chief Executive of Anglo American, said: “There is growing awareness of the centrality of mining to enabling the energy transition and the contribution we can make to a more sustainable future. Recognising that many of the metals and minerals we produce are critical to the technologies required to decarbonise the world’s energy and transport systems, our commitment to being part of the solution to climate change begins in our own business by meeting our emissions reduction and carbon neutrality goals. All the while, we know we also have a role to play to support host countries and communities in terms of skills, jobs and new fields of economic opportunity that are emerging. This transition must include all of society – it must be “Just”.
“As a further commitment to our holistic set of sustainability ambitions, we put in place our Sustainability Financing Framework in recent months, meaningfully linking certain of our funding requirements to the stretching sustainability objectives we have set for our business. Within that framework we issued our first sustainability-linked bond, including performance targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and freshwater abstraction, and to support job creation in host communities – a first of its kind for the mining sector.”
Emissions reduction – progressing towards carbon neutral operations by 2040
Anglo American set a target in 2018 to reduce GHG emissions by 30% by 2030, on the pathway to achieving carbon neutrality across operations by 2040. On-site energy requirements have been identified as the largest source of operational emissions, and good progress has been made towards their abatement.
By 2023, all South America operations are expected to have 100% renewable electricity supply and, for southern Africa, the global miner has partnered with EDF Renewables to develop 3-5 GW of clean generation capacity, which is expected to meet Anglo American’s operational power requirements and support the resilience of local electricity supply systems.
Other commitments by Anglo American include detailed baseline assessments, defining significant biodiversity features to protect and further restore, including key habitats and species and important ecosystems; and the Sustainable Mining Plan that has aligned operations to responsible mining standards since 2005.
Mr Wanblad added: “The world we are living in is changing in so many ways, not least in society’s expectations of businesses across many industries. We have set up Anglo American to be resilient, disciplined, opportunistic – and responsible. We have the people, the assets and the capabilities to deliver sustainable returns over the long term. It is incumbent on us to deliver the metals and minerals the world so urgently needs in the cleanest and most socially responsible way possible.”
