1619 When I think about the word Sustainability – I go back to the original concept that focused on 3 critical foundations to ensure the generations that follow us will have natural and physical resources to continue to improve the lives of people across the planet. A remarkable fact, as society we have collectively lifted 1 billion people out of poverty over the last 20 years. In my view, these achievements reflect the positive benefits of globalization, the relatively free flow of information facilitated by the internet and global travel, free trade and the cross-border cooperation of countries and multi-laterals on a range of fronts. While not a perfect system, the results cannot be disputed, despite the rhetoric from some that don’t feel their individual interests were fully served. Now, the 3 focal points for global sustainability are defined: • Environment • Social • Economic In terms of environment, there is no industry that does more for environmental protection than the Mines and Minerals industry. The reduction in our physical human footprint is a unique and material contribution to environmental protection and sustainability. If we add our role in purifying water for potable and other uses, the provision of materials supporting the great energy transition and other associated applications, it is a compelling story that we struggled to tell or explain in ways that people can process. However, on social matters, we need to work harder as we have tended to under-appreciate the importance of our local communities. Something I learned very early in my career, while we are all stakeholders in some form, no-one likes to be called a “stakeholder”. In mining, like all real-world experiences, words matter. Shareholders correctly point out they are not stakeholders, they “own the business”, employees implore “we are the business” and local communities are quick to point out “our use of their land”. We must treat each of our key constituents as partners, in their individual and respective forms and we must be focused on their needs considering that characterization. I also make the point, there are many other interested parties connected to our business, like those who have a view on a range of matters across the business and they must be managed. But let’s not confuse those with an interest in our affairs with those that are committed and impacted directly by what we do. That is, let’s not confuse critical business partners with stakeholders or interested parties. We need to be deliberate in our relationships as no one owes us a living!!! I characterize our industry as a “Materials Solutions Industry”, building off a conversation where a good friend, Jeremy Oppenheim used the term to play back to me a conversation where I was describing the essence of how we saw our roles as miners. That is who we are, and it also describes how we make our contribution to society. In any conversation about who you are and what you do – be clear on both. For me, clarity comes with Purpose. A reason for being. To use one example that has been well documented, at Anglo American we took 18 months to align 7 words, “To Reimagine Mining to Improve People’s Lives”. And while those 7 words were important, it was as much about how we got there as it was about what the words meant. Helping people understand mining’s role in society was as important as defining how we would go about our work. So, as an industry we need to have a clear view of the business we are in, and for whom we need to deliver outcomes that are valued in their specific context. So, for us to deliver on a Value Proposition that is grounded in the concept of being the world’s Materials Solutions Industry, we need to work across 3 domains:
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