Contributing to the SDGs

SDG 17: COLLABORATE WITH VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS

We believe that mutually beneficial partnerships enable SDG achievement. We partner with communities, municipalities, tertiary institutions, small businesses and governments, locally and nationally, for sustainable development. We continue strengthening current partnerships and building new partnerships by having constructive engagements and addressing our stakeholders’ needs and concerns.

Read more about what we do under Stakeholder engagement and Material matters.

SDG3: ENSURE GOOD HEALTH AND PROMOTE THE WELL-BEING OF ALL

The safety, health and well-being of our employees is a priority. All employees should return home, safely and healthy, every day. Our approach extends beyond the mine boundary to the communities affected by our operations and where many of our employees live. By contributing to the health and well-being of our communities we help to facilitate an ecosystem in which our business and all stakeholders can thrive.

Read more about what we do under Safety and Health.

SDG5: PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWER WOMEN AND GIRLS

Gender equality and inclusivity are important aspects of our human resources policy. We have gender diversity targets and are actively increasing the number of women employed across the company at all levels.

Read more about what we do under Our people and Corporate governance.

SDG 6: ENSURE AVAILABILITY AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF WATER AND SANITATION FOR ALL

The climatic conditions in our two geographies are significantly different. South Africa is characterised as a water-stressed region and Papua New Guinea has a high-rainfall, tropical climate. Our water management strategies consider the risks, needs and impact of each geography, mine, and of the surrounding environment and communities with whom we share this resource.

We manage and mitigate our impacts on water-catchment areas by ensuring we do not degrade the quality or affect ecosystem health. Our overarching objective is to conserve this natural resource by improving our water efficiencies through reuse and recycling.

We contribute to SDG 6 through socio-economic projects that include assisting municipalities in managing their waste water.

Read more about what we do under Water stewardship.

SDG 7: ENSURE ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE, RELIABLE, SUSTAINABLE AND MODERN ENERGY FOR ALL

South Africa experiences power outages due to various stages of loadshedding implemented by the country’s power utility. We are investing in alternative energy sources, including three solar photovoltaic (PV) plants. Given the energy shortage in South Africa, our first imperative is to reduce consumption to increase availability for the country’s economic growth and societal needs. This is driven by our energy efficiency programme and a pipeline of projects at different stages of development which will depressurise the grid by adding 200MW to the grid in the short term.

For social upliftment, we are liberating land for green energy projects that will feed into the grid.

Read more about what we do under Climate change and energy and in our TCFD report 2023.

SDG8: PROMOTE SUSTAINED, INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH, FULL AND PRODUCTIVE EMPLOYMENT AND DECENT WORK

To achieve our strategic objectives and ensure our long-term viability of our business, we aim to be a fair and responsible employer that respects the rights of employees to associate freely. We aim to enhance the lives of our 47 373 employees by enabling them to improve their living conditions, and to have better access to social services, healthcare, education and training.

Read more about what we do under Our people.

SDG12: ENSURE SUSTAINABLE, RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION PATTERNS

A key pillar of our business strategy is operational excellence. By re-engineering our portfolio for quality assets and optimising our processes, grade management and costs, we improve and sustain productivity and efficiencies. This inherently involves the efficient use of natural resources, responsible waste management, sustainable procurement practices and regular reporting to stakeholders.

Read more about what we do under Climate change and energy, Land rehabilitation, Tailings and waste management as well as in our Operational report 2023.

SDG13: TAKE URGENT ACTION TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS IMPACTS

Mining and extractive processes are highly energy intensive. The energy we consume is mostly generated by fossil fuels in South Africa, a contributing factor to climate change. To reduce our impact and help combat climate change, we are transforming our portfolio into low-carbon assets. We have launched our decarbonisation strategy, set net zero targets and are investing in alternative energy sources.

Read more about what we do under Climate change and energy and in our TCFD report 2023.

SDG15: PROTECT, RESTORE AND PROMOTE THE SUSTAINABLE USE OF TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS, HALT AND REVERSE LAND DEGRADATION AND HALT BIODIVERSITY LOSS

Our mining activities negatively impact natural ecosystems. Guided by our environmental strategy and related policies and procedures, we aim to mitigate these impacts by restoring land and biodiversity, and planning for post-mine closure

Read more about what we do under Land rehabilitation and Biodiversity.

SDG1: END POVERTY IN ALL ITS FORMS EVERYWHERE

Our 47 373 employees support an estimated 475 000 dependants as well as local businesses and municipalities in the communities where they live. Many of our socio-economic initiatives create empowerment, employment and economic upliftment by promoting, among others, sustainable economic activities – see SDG 11 – and helping to combat poverty.

Read more about what we do under Our people, and Empowering communities.

SDG2: END HUNGER, ACHIEVE FOOD SECURITY AND PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

We support broad-based agriculture and commercial agricultural ventures to establish alternative, sustainable economic activities that will continue beyond mining operations and contribute to food security.

Read more about what we do under Empowering communities.

SDG4: ENSURE INCLUSIVE AND EQUITABLE EDUCATION AND PROMOTE LIFELONG LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

In South Africa, we focus on advancing mathematics, science and technology at secondary schools. At community level, we promote training in entrepreneurial and portable skills as well as information and communication technology among the youth. Ongoing training and skills development for our employees is a business imperative.

Read more about what we do under Empowering communities.

SDG11: MAKE CITIES AND HUMAN SETTLEMENTS INCLUSIVE, SAFE, RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE

Our socio-economic development strategy focuses on agricultural, infrastructure and sustainable energy projects, which have greater potential to deliver sustainable benefits to communities. This is supported by preferential and local procurement, as well as enterprise and supplier development. The aim is to help establish sustainable communities that are economically viable post mining. Infrastructure projects (such as roads in South Africa and water and sanitation in Papua New Guinea) help boost the resilience of host communities.

Read more about what we do under Empowering communities.

SDG 16: PROMOTE PEACEFUL AND INCLUSIVE SOCIETIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, PROVIDE ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR ALL AND BUILD EFFECTIVE, ACCOUNTABLE AND INCLUSIVE INSTITUTIONS AT ALL LEVELS

Through ethical mining, we aim to drive ethical business practices, meet or exceed regulatory requirements, and continue partnering with key stakeholders.

We have established stakeholder forums at which we engage in dialogue with our various stakeholders to understand their needs and expectations. By being honest and transparent and delivering on commitments, we build credibility. We work closely with our local governments through various structures to ensure that we are jointly identifying opportunities to support our communities.

In Papua New Guinea, we have assisted with law and order infrastructure including magistrates houses and police stations, among others, to improve access to peace and justice for our communities. We have also established a memorandum of agreement that allows our asset protection department to offer reserve policing capabilities