ESG A-Z
Focus areas
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Safety -
Climate change -
Human rights -
Tailings -
Ethics and compliance -
Indigenous people
All of our operations are required to obtain and comply with regulatory approved air quality limits and approvals, supported by routine monitoring and trends analysis, wherever we operate.
We believe artisanal and small-scale mining can co-exist alongside large-scale mining when carried out responsibly and transparently.
Our sustainability assurance processes support the management’s assessment of risk and provide assurance on the key mitigation controls.
Mining activities directly impact the surrounding land, flora and fauna throughout the lifecycle; our goal is to minimise and manage those impacts.
Final responsibility for sustainability lies at Board level, with our Health, Safety, Environment and Communities Committee.
We are supporting research into the potential of technologies such as carbon capture, utilisation and storage to investigate ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use.
We define catastrophic hazards as events that – though unlikely – could cause widespread loss of life, or significant environmental harm, resulting also in major reputational or financial damage.
As we rely on the application and assurance of our own HSEC management framework, we do not insist that our assets undergo third party certification.
We recognise the risks of child labour, modern slavery, and other human rights-related risks in our industrial assets and supply chains.
We support the goals of the Paris Agreement to limit the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Beyond supporting the energy transition overall through the supply of metals, we take a holistic approach to decarbonisation, focusing on reducing our combined industrial Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.
We require each asset to have a closure plan, including progressive rehabilitation and financial provision, to support a responsible exit.
We bring economic benefits to the countries where we work – by employing people, buying goods and services, paying taxes and royalties, and investing in infrastructure.
All our operations are required to have in place local-level complaints and grievance processes that are legitimate, accessible, predictable, equitable, transparent and rights-compatible.
Some of our assets are located on or near the traditional lands of Indigenous Peoples. We appreciate and respect the importance of their cultural heritage and seek to avoid, or where avoidance is not possible, minimise impacts from our operations and activities on places, items or other aspects of historical and cultural significance.
We believe that employing people from different cultures, countries, races, ethnicities, genders, abilities, beliefs and backgrounds is essential to our culture.
We require each asset to identify potential emergencies at or adjacent to their operations and to develop an appropriate Emergency Response Plan.
We investigate significant environmental incidents and, where appropriate, work with local authorities to address impacts.
We recognise the value of objective benchmarking of our performance against peers, and support efforts by environmental, social and governance (ESG) rating agencies to do so.
We seek to maintain a culture of ethical behaviour and compliance throughout the Group, rather than simply performing the minimum required by laws and regulations.
We participate in a wide range of external initiatives, including global, national and regional organisations.
We recognise the risks of forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking and other labour standards violations within our supply chains.
We believe that employing people from different cultures, countries, races, ethnicities, genders, abilities, beliefs and backgrounds is essential to our culture.
Our Board health, safety, environment, and community and human rights committee oversees sustainability at Glencore.
All our operations are required to have in place local-level complaints and grievance processes that are legitimate, accessible, predictable, equitable, transparent and rights-compatible.
We work to protect the health and promote the wellbeing of our workforce and the residents of our host communities.
A key part of operating responsibly is to work with government, NGOs and other stakeholders to support the health and wellbeing of our host communities.
We are committed to respecting human rights. We actively support our employees, business partners and others to understand and meet our standards and expectations.
We align our approach to Indigenous people with the ICMM’s Position Statement on Indigenous People and Mining.
We respect our employees' right to freedom of association and right to collective bargaining and foster transparent and collaborative labour relations.
Along with our JV partners, we influence these assets to adopt appropriate operational and governance standards that reflect those of Glencore and the other JV partners.
We implement land stewardship and biodiversity plans throughout our assets’ lifecycles, which we often develop in collaboration with local stakeholders.
We develop and maintain constructive relationships with the governments of our operating countries.
Employment is one of the most direct opportunities for us to support the local development of our host countries.
We hold membership in a broad range of industry organisations and our participation enables us to represent, promote and protect the interests of our business. We carry out an annual review of the positions and advocacy activities undertaken by those organisations in which we hold membership.
Our assets incorporate biodiversity considerations into their environmental impact assessments, along with any risks that our biodiversity impact may have for local communities.
Our sustainability framework is the primary vehicle for the collection and reporting of sustainability risks, opportunities and performance to inform our business strategy.
Our ambition is to be recognised as a top employer in all of our operating regions and to foster an environment that supports and encourages different backgrounds, cultures and beliefs.
Our approach to product stewardship is designed to enable the products we produce and market to meet different jurisdictions’ chemical regulations and contributes to safe working practices that can protect human health and the environment.
Our approach includes planning for land rehabilitation as early as feasible. Where appropriate, we conduct progressive rehabilitation on previously disturbed areas once active operations have completed.
We publish a range of publications on our approach and progress in our sustainability-related activities.
We seek to avoid resettlement wherever possible. When unavoidable, we follow the principles of IFC Performance Standard 5: Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement.
Responsible sourcing is our commitment to take into account social, ethical and environmental considerations when managing our relationships with suppliers through our supply chain and procurement strategies.
Our sustainability risk management framework aligns with global standards, and helps identify hazards and ways to eliminate, manage or mitigate them.
We are committed to operating safely and believe all fatalities, occupational diseases and injuries at work are preventable.
We work with security providers in accordance with the Voluntary Principles and our own Security Standard.
We bring economic benefits to the countries where we work – by employing people, buying goods and services, paying taxes and royalties, and investing in infrastructure.
We aim to engage in an open and transparent manner that supports the successful running of our business.
We are committed to the responsible management of our TSFs as part of our efforts to prevent impacts on health, safety, the environment, communities, cultural heritage and infrastructure.
We pay all relevant taxes, royalties and other levies in amounts determined by the legislation of relevant national, regional or local governments.
We are committed to high standards of corporate governance and transparency.
Our success relies on our ability to attract, develop and retain the best talent, at every level.
We work to minimise the impact of the waste our activities produce. We focus on the need to store waste safely, particularly mineral waste and tailings.
We work to understand and minimise our operational water footprint and manage our activities in a way that protects our shared water resources and the ecosystems in which we are present.
Our Raising Concerns platform supports the reporting of concerns in various languages in a secure manner.
Our ambition is to be recognised as a top employer in all of our operating regions and to foster an environment that supports and encourages different backgrounds, cultures and beliefs.