Environmental Commitment - Our Approach
Global Context
We own and operate a diverse range of businesses in different countries and ecosystems around the world. These businesses, by their nature, have the potential to affect the environment. This can occur in a variety of ways, including:
- Emissions of gases and particulates, such as carbon dioxide and oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, associated with combustion and smelting processes; methane from exposed coal seams, fluorides from aluminium smelting; and particulates from ore handling
- Consumption of water and impacts on water quality as a result of salinity or acid rock drainage or from the handling, use and production of hazardous materials
- Impacts on land associated with land disturbance, land-use changes and habitat removal
- Alterations to biodiversity within terrestrial, fresh water and marine environments, either directly or indirectly as a result of our operations
- Indirect impacts encompassing any of the above as a result of the products and services we purchase, lease or provide.
Policy, Targets and Management Systems
Our approach to environmental management is incorporated in our Charter, which states that we have 'an overriding commitment to health, safety, environmental responsibility and sustainable development', our Sustainable Development Framework (PDF, 1.8MB) and our Sustainable Development Policy (PDF, 118KB), which states that we will:
- Strive to achieve leading industry practice.
- Meet or, where less stringent than our standards, exceed applicable legal and other requirements.
- Set and achieve targets that promote efficient use of resources and include reducing and preventing pollution.
- Enhance biodiversity protection by assessing and considering ecological values and land use in our activities.
Our commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions is expressed in our Climate Change Policy, and our Policy commitments are reflected in our Company-wide environmental targets.
Our operational sites are required to have an environmental management system certified to ISO 14001. While we generally do not require certification at exploration and development projects, sites being divested, closed sites or corporate offices, a number of these sites have chosen to seek certification.
