Report Boundary
Data Collection and Basis
The data and text in this report cover sites wholly owned and operated by BHP Billiton or operated by BHP Billiton in a joint venture operation (i.e. controlled sites) during the 12-month period to 30 June 2009. Data are reported on a 100 per cent basis for sites operated by BHP Billiton irrespective of our equity share, unless otherwise stated. Joint ventures, where we are not the operator, are excluded; some of our case studies, however, feature initiatives from non-operated joint venture operations. The only exception to the above is our community investment expenditure, which is reported on an equity share basis for both operated and non-operated joint venture operations. Where BHP Billiton does not have operational responsibility but has an equity share, our internal health, safety, environment and community Standards are made available to the operator so that comparable standards may be applied. All monetary amounts in this document are in US dollars unless otherwise stated.
BHP Billiton measures greenhouse gas emissions using the World Resources Institute/World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WRI/WBCSD) Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Quantification of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions involves the use of calculations where direct measurement is not always practical. The emissions and energy content factors and formulae used in these calculations are sourced from relevant industry protocols and national and international standards (for example, the WRI/WBCSD Greenhouse Gas Protocol, Australia's National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting rules and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC)) so as to enable consistent treatment of the uncertainties associated with energy and greenhouse gas reporting, in accordance with industry standards. Global warming potential factors are consistent with the IPCC Second Assessment Report (1996).
We are continuously improving our reporting systems and endeavour to present useful and accurate information. However, as the data is derived from our many operations around the world, in some cases grouped data is not strictly comparable. In addition, as we seek to improve our data collection processes, data may not be strictly comparable year on year. Anyone seeking to use information in our Sustainability Summary Report, Supplementary Information document or Sustainability Framework document, or seeking to draw conclusions from the data presented, should contact BHP Billiton for verification and assistance.
Acquisitions and divestments
On 13 November 2008 BHP Billiton announced an end to the agreement with PT Antam Tbk to develop Gag Island, a nickel development in Eastern Indonesia. Data from this project until January 2009 are included in FY2009 data. On 21 January 2009, we announced the decision to indefinitely suspend the Ravensthorpe Nickel Operation in Western Australia. The asset was operated during the reporting year and a full set of data is included in our 2009 reporting.
