The existing safety, health and environment (SHE) and sustainable development structures across the group are being reviewed in line with Exxaro’s strategy. Underpinned by a comprehensive analysis of the business case for sustainable development and the triple bottom-line drivers in each area, our approach is determined by formal charters that define our goals and commitment to stakeholders. These charters are, in turn, guided by South African legislation, recommendations on corporate governance and international benchmarks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and its sectoral supplements, the United Nations Global Compact, and the International Council on Mining and Minerals. In line with our commitment, sustainability is a key performance indicator in the economic, social and environmental aspects of our business.
The business case for sustainable development is graphically shown overleaf, with the outer ring representing areas that add value for Exxaro and the inner ring value for our stakeholders – the ultimate aim, however, is creating value for all.
We believe sustainable development is integral as part of our value proposition to stakeholders. Our shareholders need to understand the coherent process that underpins the way we do business: from the strategy that drives our growth, to our keen understanding of the risks that may impede that strategy and the commitment of our management teams to achieving profitability and sustainability. Therefore, we are giving equal emphasis to strategic growth and sustainable development, acknowledging that Exxaro’s success in South Africa rests on their interdependence. To ensure continual improvement, our strategy is regularly reviewed.
To remain abreast of the changing needs of our stakeholders and the impact of our operations and initiatives, Exxaro businesses have completed socio-economic assessments of most of their operations. Through this process and continual community engagement forums, Exxaro has been able to establish a relationship of trust within communities where it operates.
In finding the balance between economic interests and social and environmental concerns of our stakeholders, Exxaro implements specific interventions and developmental projects guided by the social needs of the community, and by the national priorities of society at large, including:
- Education, training and skills development
- Healthcare promotion, particularly HIV/Aids programmes
- Job creation, SMME (small, medium and micro enterprises) and other business opportunity development
- Conservation of environment, including awareness programmes
- Infrastructure development.
As a mining group, our challenge is to demonstrate that the way we approach our business contributes to sustainable development. This means balancing the opportunities for growth and development that responsible citizenship presents and ensuring that the social, environmental and economic impacts of mining – positive and negative – are managed in an open and accountable way. This will require leadership in promoting sustainability as a business philosophy.
Accordingly, our operations have social and labour plans and environmental management plans, most of which have been approved by authorities. These plans guide the implementation of a balanced approach between Exxaro’s interests and the social and environmental concerns of the community.
By stipulating leadership in sustainable development as one of the elements of our strategic framework, we have committed ourselves to setting and achieving targets that will ensure the legacy we leave is positive for today’s children and tomorrow’s leaders.
Through triple bottom-line reporting, charting our progress towards these targets is a measurable performance indicator for every level of management, and the responsibility of every person in our group.
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