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Societal contribution 

We seek to contribute meaningfully to the social and economic development of countries and communities where we operate through the taxes and royalties we pay, employment opportunities we create, suppliers we work with, social investments we make and shareholder returns we deliver.

FY24 at a glance

US$23.6m

spent on social investment

US$913m

paid in employee wages and salaries

US$621m

paid to governments

US$5.6b

paid to suppliers

US$198m

paid to shareholders

Social investment

We are proud to invest in local communities and contribute to the social, economic, and institutional development of host countries and communities. We design our social investment programs with input from our key stakeholders to reflect their aspirations and needs. This knowledge, combined with other assessments and surveys, informs our decision about investment in communities.

Social investment plans are developed by social performance specialists in consultation with the community and key stakeholders. Our social investments are aligned to four key focus areas:

  • Education and leadership – supporting lifelong learning and development, nurturing future leaders and promoting equal access to education, with a focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics;
  • Good health and social wellbeing –supporting community health and social wellbeing and promoting inclusion;
  • Economic participation – supporting local employment, sustainable livelihoods and diversified local economies; and
  • Natural resource resilience – supporting communities to thrive within their environments, conservation and restoration of the natural environment, and the use of natural resources in responsible and sustainable ways.

Kotulong Community Centre Relocation Project

An aerial photo of Kotulong Community Centre in Meyerton, South Africa

Kotulong Community Centre Relocation Project

Earlier this year, construction was completed of the new sustainable Kotulong Community Centre (KCC), a local Non-Government Organisation working with vulnerable children in Meyerton, Gauteng.

The centre was developed and handed over in partnership with the Department of Social Development and the KCC management and Board. It will provide the children with a safe place to call home in a more suitable environment. The new building has seven three-bedroom units, a kitchen and laundry area, administration block, library and social worker unit.

The mining industry plays a critical role in South Africa’s economic development as a major contributor to the economy, significant employer and an attractor of foreign investment. However, the racially based foundations upon which the industry was laid and operated until the early 1990s had an adverse effect on South Africa’s socio-economic landscape.

The Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act, 2013 (B-BBEE) and Mining Charter of 2018 have been implemented to help address historical socio-economic inequalities and advance economic transformation in the South African economy.  Enterprise and Supplier

Development (ESD) is one of the priority elements of this legislation, with the aim to strengthen local procurement from small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and enhance local supplier development.

Our FY24 ESD expenditure of US$9.7 million exceeded our performance target of US$3.48 million.

Read more about how we support ESD in our annual Sustainable Development Report.

We provide employment opportunities in the regions where we work, with the aim of creating a workforce that reflects the diverse communities and countries where we operate.

An inclusive culture and diverse workforce allows for greater collaboration, innovation, and performance.  We set and track performance against a series of inclusion and diversity measurable objectives aimed at improving inclusion and diversity in our workplace including the representation of Black People in our South African workforce.

Read more about these measures and our performance against them in our annual Sustainable Development Report.

We understand that local procurement growth is a key interest area for stakeholders at our operations. We seek to source goods and services from local businesses that meet our health, safety, environmental and social performance requirements. 

Our supplier contracting processes incorporate reviews of local markets to assess for local market presence and capability. We monitor performance against internal local procurement targets, which are set annually for our operations.

We are committed to increasing our procurement of goods and services from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses across our Australian locations as part of our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan.

Taxation payments are an important mechanism for contributing to the economies of the countries where we operate. Our approach is aligned with the ICMM Position Statement on Mineral Revenues and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which promotes open and accountable management of mineral resource wealth. The EITI has confirmed that South32 meets all the expectations for supporting companies.

We support the public disclosure of payments made to governments and communities, and the public disclosure by governments on contracts and licences for the exploitation of minerals and other natural resources. 

Each year, we publish a Tax Transparency and Payments to Governments Report that shows our tax affairs are conducted in line with our commitment to ethical business practices. This report sets out our approach to tax governance and dealing with tax authorities, details our tax payments to governments by country and project, tax expense and international related party dealings on a country by- country basis, and our contracts for resource development. Learn more about our approach to tax in the Tax Transparency and Payments to Governments Report. 

Learn more in our Tax Transparency and Payments to Governments Report

Related information

Communities and Society

Adding meaningful contributions to people’s lives by creating lasting social, environmental and economic value.

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Indigenous, Traditional and Tribal Peoples

We are committed to working with Indigenous, Traditional and Tribal Peoples to ensure mining and cultural heritage can co-exist.

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Human Rights

Our commitment to respecting human rights is at the core of our approach to sustainability.

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Corporate Governance

We have strong corporate governance practices and an experienced Board.

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