Anglo American Platinum CEO Discusses Sustainability in South Africa

In a recent interview conducted by World Finance, Anglo American Platinum CEO Chris Griffith discussed mining in South Africa and the need for more companies to consider environmental and social wellbeing alongside financial performance.

Griffith highlighted examples sets by Anglo American Platinum as well as indicating companies can bring a greater measure of sustainable prosperity by focusing on community matters rather than profit-making potential.

What’s the current economic environment like in South Africa, and how is this affecting the mining industry?

The South African economy is diverse with a number of activities contributing to the economy. However, mining is still a significant contributor to the South African GDP. Here at Amplats, we develop socio-economic programs such as agricultural programs and contribute significantly to South African education and health by building schools, clinics, roads etc. We see ourselves as an integral part of the society.

We are also encouraged by the manner in which stakeholders such as unions, employees, the government, businesses, investors and NGOs collectively agree that we have to work together to develop sustainable solutions in the mining industry. Labor unrest affects all sectors of the economy especially small businesses within mining towns. We have seen how a labor strike in one sector can negatively affect other sectors that are stable.

Environmental, social and governance risks are fundamental to our business, we see financial risk as an integral part of the business, the same way we see environmental, social and governance risks, and we continue to identify risks in all areas of our business to ensure a holistic approach to business sustainability. We are encouraged that the South African economy is steadily improving.

How has that affected Anglo American Platinum and how has the company adapted to it?

Despite the challenging environment of the industrial action, the effect of business improvement initiatives is evident across all our operations. Our revised marketing strategy aimed at improving margins and increasing future demand for platinum group metals (PGMs) continues to have a positive impact. We prioritized all existing asset-optimization, supply chain programs and initiatives identified in the 2012 Platinum Review. We continue with our value-driven strategy, cost-reduction programs and improving operating efficiencies.

Our focus remains on the restructuring and repositioning of our portfolio. We have the high quality assets to enable us to do this, and a new capital optimization program to ensure we allocate our scarce capital to the highest potential assets and projects.

What mechanisms does Anglo American Platinum have in place with regard to the environment?

We aim to create and extract maximum value from our full basket of metals in a safe, profitable, competitive and sustainable way for the benefit of all stakeholders. We do this responsibly by ensuring that resources such as water and energy are optimized and saved. For example, our total new-water consumption decreased from 33.4 million meters cubed in 2013 to 27.1 million meters cubed in 2014. We have total basal energy expenditure of 61.3 percent against a 2013 target of 58 percent. Our safety has improved too. We believe that zero harm is achievable.

What has the company done to ensure it is socially responsible towards South Africa?

Social deficit is a fundamental issue not only for Anglo American Platinum, but for all sectors of society and governments in the developing nations, and South Africa is far from unique. Moreover, South Africa is still repairing wounds suffered as a result of apartheid, and most of our host communities still lack fundamentals such as schools, roads, health facilities and transportation infrastructure. Mining is seen as a source of employment and income, and the local economy still needs to be uplifted to improve access to facilities and other opportunities.

Mining contributes significantly to the GDP of South Africa and other countries where we operate. In figures, mining creates 1.35 million jobs, accounts for about 19 percent of GDP and is a critical earner of foreign exchange – typically greater than 50 percent. The industry also accounts for 20 percent of private investment, 12 percent of total investment, attracts significant foreign savings of around USD $121.4 billion, has approximately USD $38.1 billion in annual expenditure, spends USD $8.1 billion on wages, USD $346.9 million on skill development and USD $173 million on community investment.

In 2014, Anglo American Platinum trained 49,763 employees, with 4.9 percent of total payroll spent on training and development. In education 79.4 percent of the company bursary fund for communities was awarded; and there was the completion and handover of a USD $3.47 million school for the local community in Bizana. We also invested in skills training, with 1,320 employees, community members and contractors benefitting from adult basic education and training programs.

We believe our social contribution is notable and significant. However, our host communities and citizens require more and there is still a lot to be done, which is why, as a company, we have developed Alchemy. Alchemy – Anglo American Platinum’s USD $303.8 million social development framework model for shared ownership – is a community based empowerment scheme. The sole aim of Alchemy is simply to develop and empower our host communities beyond the life of mine. We believe that this is the right thing to do and that overtime, communities will benefit immensely from this strategic initiative.

Anglo American Platinum was recognized as Best Performer in 2013 and 2014 by the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s Socially Responsible Investment Index.

What main governance structures and processes has the company put in place and what impact are they having?

The board regards governance as fundamental to the success of the company’s business and is committed to principles of good governance in directing and managing the company to achieve its strategic objectives. The board conducts its business in accordance with the principle of King III, which includes the exercise of independent discipline, responsibility and transparency, and also the accountability of directors to all stakeholders setting out its role and responsibilities.

Through proactive stakeholder engagement, not only do we integrate media views but, specifically, engage minority shareholders because we believe that they provide useful and important views and strategies to ensure that the business remains sustainable.

Stakeholders are engaged in groupings and on an individual basis. That is why we have developed an ESG communication strategy that will ensure that every stakeholder’s view is taken into consideration and addressed.

In short, structures such as a Safety and Sustainable Development Committee, Social Ethics and Transformation Committee, Audit and Risk Committee, Executive Committee and a Business Integrity Committee ensure that the whole system operates within local and international good governance frameworks.

What are Anglo American Platinum’s key policies with regard to sustainable development more generally?

Sustainability is not an isolated phenomenon but an integral part of the business. Everything we do is done through lenses of sustainability, and our policies are reviewed and tested against best international sustainability practices and standards. The anti-competitive policy is a practical example: our reputation as a business may be negatively affected if we do not identify employees and contractors who are exposed to antitrust risk, and ensure that they all receive appropriate training. As a company we subscribe to the principles of International Council on Mining and Metals, which means that we must mine responsibly. We ensure minimal environmental impact and eliminate other factors such as noise and dust.

What challenges do the company and wider industry face?

As the company develops so too do social needs. Land and housing is a challenge, and the two represent a high risk to employee health and safety. As a company, we build houses and ensure employees have a living-out allowance when choosing to live outside of identified accommodation. Some of the challenges have come as a result of undeveloped infrastructure, such as public roads, and while this is not entirely within our control, we see this as a challenge because our employees are exposed to unsafe roads. In response to these challenges we partner with local, provincial and national government in initiatives focused on improving infrastructure. We build roads, provide safe transport and provide accommodation.

What is Anglo American Platinum’s overall vision for the future in terms of the wider platinum industry?

Our vision is to be a global leader in PGMs, from resource to market, as we work towards a better future for all.

(Source: World Finance)