Sustainability website / Strategy & Approach / Opportunities

Opportunities identified to create value for shareholders and make a positive contribution to sustainable development include:

• Continued improvement of energy and resource efficiency at our operations to optimise the use of resources in providing society’s basic materials;
• The demonstration and successful implementation of clean coal technologies, including carbon capture and storage, to significantly reduce carbon emissions from the use of coal and increase coal’s share of global energy demand;
• Generating additional revenues, prolonging the life cycle of metals and contributing to resource conservation and waste minimisation by maximising recycling opportunities through Xstrata’s dedicated recycling facilities and at our operations;
• The development of technologies to increase the efficiency of metals and mining operations, either to generate revenues from third parties from Xstrata Technology Services or to provide a competitive advantage to our own commodity businesses by improving the efficiency of our operations in relation to our peers;
• Identifying market opportunities for our products or by-products arising from advances or trends in sustainable development, for example the potential market for vanadium to be used in redox batteries for wind turbines, the increased use of copper to improve electric efficiency, the use of platinum in catalytic converters etc.
• Positively influencing the sustainability performance of the mining industry as a whole through our active participation in forums such as ICMM, MCA, MAC and industry associations;
• Demonstrating the potential socio-economic benefits of mining through corporate social investment and public-private partnerships, enhancing access to resources; and
• Contributing to the acquisition of skills and improving education to benefit our future and current workforce through workplace and community training and development programmes.