At Anglo American we are addressing sustainable development at both the operational and corporate levels, embedding the principle into everything we do. The result: a commitment to create value environmentally, economically, financially and socially wherever we do business.
As a corporation primarily involved in mining and other mineral extraction, sustainable development for us naturally encompasses safety. Our determination to improve performance in that arena is resolute.
That same attitude applies to other aspects of sustainability, including energy use, promotion of biodiversity and water management. It also influences our choice of economic partners. Working with like- minded companies ensures that responsibility and accountability extend beyond our own operational boundaries.
Case study: Luring bitterns to bed
A few years ago, Britain's Royal Society for the protection of Birds (RSPB) identified excavated land at Anglo subsidiary, Tarmac's, Langford Quarry as an ideal site for the planting of reed beds – regarded as an endangered habitat in the UK.
The idea was popular with the local community and quarry personnel, 'who have a genuine interest to encourage wildlife,' according to the site's restoration manager. Together, with encouragement and support from Anglo American, workers and local people have planted some 40 hectares of uninterrupted reedbeds at Langford. Thanks to this new habitat in Nottinghamshire, 168 species have now been sighted there. Among them are bearded tits – the presence of which often presages the appearance of one of Britain's most treasured birds, the bittern.
And once extraction work at the quarry is finished, the newly created reed beds will also provide a welcome wildlife amenity site for the 2.5 million people who live within a 40-mile radius of Langford.
Case study: The right fuel for the right job
It takes energy to produce energy.
At Anglo Coal Australia we're exploring the use of alternative fuels to extract and process what has traditionally been one of the most widely used hydrocarbons.
The Callide mine in Queensland, Australia is the site of a trial that is using a biodiesel blend to power on-site machinery and equipment. It's working well. To date, Callide has achieved a 16% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions with no sacrifice to plant efficiency.
If tests on additional equipment prove to be equally successful, Anglo Coal Australia will look into the potential for building a biodiesel facility run on locally-sourced methane gas. This will have a direct benefit on the environment, with further reductions to greenhouse gas and transport emissions. It will also serve the local community as a source of new jobs and a provider of alternative energy supplies.
Meanwhile, in a pioneering project at our CapCoal mine in Queensland, coal bed methane is being captured and used to generate electricity – a greenhouse gas saving equivalent to removing 375,000 cars from Australia's roads.
Case study: Mainstreaming sustainability
Anglo Platinum in South Africa is using technology and education to ensure the sustainability of its operations – with positive impacts both globally and locally.
In a $185 million (R1.3 billion) effort to reduce sulphur emissions from pro-metallurgical processes, a team of Anglo Platinum engineers and metallurgists embarked on a worldwide search for the best solution. Their quest succeeded and the innovative results, which have reduced sulphur emissions to well below legal levels, are setting new standards for the industry, not only in South Africa but around the world.
At the same time, Anglo Platinum in South Africa embarked on a community programme to raise environmental awareness among young people. Using the skills and knowledge of the company's own environmental experts, the programme has been informing and educating local youth for the past three years.
Thanks in part to these initiatives, the Nedbank Green Mining Awards, which acknowledge and celebrate the contribution that responsible mining makes to South Africa's economic development, have singled out Anglo Platinum for 'mainstreaming sustainability' throughout its operations.
