Group information / Commodity businesses
Xstrata Copper
Xstrata Copper
Overview
Headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, Xstrata Copper is the fourth largest global copper producer with an annual attributable production capacity of over one million tonnes and operations and projects in eight countries.
Our operations are administered by five separate divisions, based close to the mining operations, namely the North Queensland, Minera Alumbrera, North Chile, Southern Peru and Canada divisions. We also have a recycling business (Xstrata Recycling) with plants in the United States and offices in Canada, Europe and Asia. In addition, our world-class portfolio of six copper development projects provides us with the potential to double our annual production through organic growth.
This mix of quality producing assets, development projects and a clear strategy geared towards further dynamic, profitable growth has established Xstrata Copper as an exciting part of the Xstrata plc Group.
Organisational Structure
Strategy
Xstrata Copper’s strategy is to:
- Consolidate and build on the dramatic improvements in safety performance in the business with the strategic objective of achieving injury-free, safe work environments.
- Demonstrate leadership in environmental performance.
- Develop and retain a strong reputation for social responsibility in the broader community.
- Maximise the net present value of existing operations through ongoing capital and operating efficiencies, ongoing grade profile optimisation and extensions to mine lives.
- Capitalise on operating divisions to strengthen the regional position and develop a solid pipeline of new projects through active project development and business development work.
- Implement disciplined cost management programmes to ensure cost competitiveness throughout the commodity cycles.
- Attract and retain quality people and, through the implementation of a comprehensive human resources strategy, realise the full potential of our people.
- Effective implementation of common business systems and practices.
Commitment to Sustainable Development
As a signatory to the International Council on Mining and Metals' Sustainable Development principles, Xstrata Copper is committed to the highest standards of health, safety, environmental and community performance. In line with this commitment, we report publicly on the sustainable development performance of our operating divisions and projects. Our sustainability reports are published annually and are widely distributed to stakeholders.
Safety and Health
The safety and health of our employees and contractors is of primary importance to Xstrata Copper. We aim to operate with 'zero harm' and believe that all work related illnesses and injuries are preventable.
To achieve our goal of zero harm, we have put in place policies and standards to ensure a controlled work environment. Responsible leadership, skills and safety training, risk management systems, safe work procedures, effective investigations, regular audits, employee health screening and the continuous measurement and communication of safety performance are key elements of our Safety and Health Policy.
We require all our contractors to abide by our stringent safety standards. Our focus on safety and the effectiveness of our systems is evidenced by notable improvements in safety and health statistics at our newly acquired operations.
Environment
Xstrata Copper strives for industry leadership in environmental performance and its operations and projects are required to meet and, where practicable, exceed relevant laws, regulations and standards.
Fundamental to this approach is the setting of environmental improvement targets, evaluation of performance against these targets, public reporting of results and independent auditing of environmental performance. Energy efficiencies, water recycling, biodiversity conservation and emission control are just some of the areas where we are implementing measures to improve performance.
Xstrata Copper is the world's largest recycler of copper and precious metal bearing electronic scrap, and we believe that our recycling business makes an important contribution to our sustainable development goals. As the use of electronic equipment increases, the volume of electronic waste has become a serious environmental concern. Xstrata Recycling is helping to provide a solution by doubling electronic scrap recycling capacity at its Horne smelter in Canada.
Communities
The Xstrata Group sets aside a minimum of 1% of profit before tax each year to fund Corporate Social Involvement (CSI) programmes to support initiatives that contribute to the prosperity and the sustainable development of the communities in which we operate. In 2007, Xstrata set aside USD102 million to support the communities which host its operations, employees and their families.
At Xstrata Copper, each division or project develops its own CSI programme according to local needs and, in many cases, in partnership with local governments and stakeholder groups. Our CSI investments focus on the areas of health, education, job creation, enterprise development and social and community development.
We seek to maintain broad-based ongoing community support for our activities throughout our operations' life cycle. We consult with communities as early as possible and establish appropriate mechanisms for ongoing consultation, feedback and grievance resolution. This includes fair and equitable processes for engagement with indigenous and local communities including, where relevant, free prior informed consent.
