anglo american 2009 Annual Report Basic Materials UK 5 Maintenance Background: Annual Report 2009 A strategy for unlocking value Anglo American is one of the world’s largest mining companies focusing on platinum group metals, diamonds, nickel, iron ore, metallurgical and thermal coal. They operate across Africa, Europe, South and North America, Australia and Asia. The aim of the Company is to be the leading mining company through becoming the industry’s employer, partner and investor of choice. To achieve this, they have implemented a sound strategy, a commitment to sustainable development and good governance. The Annual Report presents the key sustainability issues and reports on them as part of their overall strategy and a separate Sustainability Report is produced which reviews the issues in greater detail. content review: Given the sector that Anglo American competes in, operating in a socially and environmentally responsible way is fundamental to their ‘licence to operate’. This commitment to excellence in good times and bad is clearly set out in the Chairman’s statement and discusses how the Company continues to integrate sustainable development into business processes and gives examples of progress over the year. This message is then clearly reinforced in the CEO’s statement with more detail around key initiatives such as safety, sustainable development and health. The strategic discussion in the Report is focused around the three strategic aims of the Company – investment of choice, partner of choice and employer of choice. These aims are directly linked to key performance indicators which chart progress and set targets for the future. Partner of choice encompasses sustainable development with measures for elements such as energy, water, CO2 emissions; and employer of choice encompasses people and safety with relevant measures. There is a detailed review of group performance against each of the strategic aims which clearly addresses the overall objective of each of the performance measures, progress against it and targets for the future. This demonstrates to the reader that all of these issues are of strategic importance to the business and provide a holistic overview of the Company and its performance. There is no separate sustainable development section as all the key issues are reported on as part of the strategic review. This strategic discussion is then followed by a financial review and operating review by product group. Non-financial risks are clearly identified with some details of mitigation activities and there is also a Board level sustainable development committee. Summary: The Anglo American Report gives a very clear commitment and review to their strategic approach to non-financial issues and sustainable development and comes across as an integral part of their business strategy as well as dayto-day business processes. A separate Sustainability Report is also produced which reviews the issues in greater detail. 10 The integrated journey
