11 of interests brings me to my third point. 2.3 A “Minerals Solutions” Industry To summarize the story so far, we make life possible for 8 million people, while at the same time we help minimize our human impact and footprint on planet earth. 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 underappreciate 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
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