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Kumba Iron Ore, a business unit of Anglo American has been named as one of the Carbon Disclosure Leaders for 2016 by Engaged Tracking (ET) Index Research and the only company from the BRICS region on the list in its annual ET Carbon Rankings, released on 5 December.
ET ranks the world’s largest companies according to greenhouse gas emissions and disclosure using data compiled from publicly available emissions data taken from company sustainability reports, annual reports and websites. The award is reserved exclusively for companies publicly disclosing a third-party assured carbon footprint, including their entire value chain emissions.
Themba Mkwanazi, CEO of Kumba said: “I am delighted that Kumba has been acknowledged in the ET Index for its excellence in carbon disclosure reporting as this forms an important part of our commitment to sustainability. Reporting is a powerful management tool that enables us to change behavior and improve operations while further increasing transparency for our shareholders and stakeholders. As a company we recognise our responsibility to work with our stakeholders to continually improve our sustainability by tackling the causes of climate change such as carbon emissions. Not only will this help us manage risk and meet rising stakeholder expectations it also encourages us to embrace new efficiencies and operational excellence.”
Chris Huhne, Co-Chair of ET Index Research and former UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, commented: “Carbon and climate-related risk are increasing. With global corporates responsible for up to 70% of GHG emissions, our ability to keep warming to a manageable level will depend on strong leadership from the world’s largest companies. One of the key purposes of the ET Carbon Rankings is to highlight those companies that are leading the field and taking action today.”
Mkwanazi added that: “Carbon emissions are part of a complex range of global environmental issues which threaten to exacerbate challenges such as food insecurity and competition for water and land, while potentially also undermining health and livelihoods. Kumba will continue to help combat the causes of climate change and to protect our employees, assets and host communities against its potential impacts by striving to achieve best practice in sustainability and corporate reporting.”
Sam Gill, CEO of ET Index Research, added: “It is particularly encouraging to see increasing action from institutional investors to mitigate the carbon and climate-related financial risks within their portfolios over the last 18 months. With the Paris Climate Agreement now in force, institutional investors are increasingly planning how to reallocate capital as the transition to a low carbon economy gathers pace.”
The Carbon Rankings have been published since 2010. Company changes within the Rankings are significant as a growing number of institutional investors look to decarbonise their investment portfolios.
About ET Index Research
ET Index Research is an independent research body promoting carbon transparency and investment solutions designed to address climate change. The Engaged Tracking (ET) Carbon Rankings, which are designed to encourage an ever greater standard of transparency and advantage carbon efficient companies, are compiled from publicly available emissions data taken from company sustainability reports, annual reports and websites. ET Index Research uses the Rankings data to build the ET Low Carbon and Fossil Free Index Series as the basis for index-linked investment strategies. The objective of the ET Low Carbon and Fossil Free Index Series is to provide institutional investors with tools to maximise returns whilst reducing their exposure to carbon risk, by reallocating capital to more carbon-efficient companies. Disclosing a full carbon footprint means disclosing Greenhouse Gas Protocol defined Scope 1 and 2 (direct and electricity) emissions, as well as Scope 3 (value chain) emissions. Scope 3 emissions include categories such as transportation and distribution, use of sold products and investments made by the company. The Rankings and the transparent methodology behind them can be viewed online at www.etindex.com
Kumba Iron Ore Limited, a member of the Anglo American plc group, is a leading value-adding supplier of high quality iron ore to the global steel industry. Kumba produces iron ore in South Africa at Sishen mine and its new Kolomela mine in the Northern Cape Province, and at Thabazimbi mine in the Limpopo Province. Kumba exports iron ore to customers in a range of geographical locations around the globe including China, Japan, Korea and a number of countries in Europe and the Middle East. www.angloamericankumba.com
Anglo American is a globally diversified mining business. Our portfolio of world-class competitive mining operations and undeveloped resources provides the raw materials to meet the growing consumer-driven demands of the world’s developed and maturing economies. Our people are at the heart of our business. It is our people who use the latest technologies to find new resources, plan and build our mines and who mine, process and move and market our products – from diamonds (through De Beers) to platinum and other precious metals and copper – to our customers around the world.
As a responsible miner, we are the custodians of those precious resources. We work together with our key partners and stakeholders to unlock the long-term value that those resources represent for our shareholders, but also for the communities and countries in which we operate – creating sustainable value and making a real difference. www.angloamerican.com
