Introduction

The Social Way is the Anglo American management system for social performance.

Our social performance activities are focused on minimising or avoiding adverse impacts and creating an environment where stakeholders affected by our operations can prosper sustainability.

We began our journey towards becoming a leader in responsible mining more than 15 years ago, with the development of the Anglo American Socio-Economic Assessment Toolbox (SEAT) and Social Way Policy. This version – the third – builds on what we’ve learned, and introduces an integrated Social Way Management System.

Effective from January 2020, it replaces both SEAT and the Social Way V2, and consists of three parts:

1. Social Way Policy
2. Social Way Toolkit
3. Social Way Assurance Framework.

1. The Social Way Policy

The Social Way Policy applies to Anglo American-managed sites globally, throughout their life of asset. It provides a framework and underlying principles for social performance management, with the vision to deliver a lasting, positive contribution to local communities and those adversely affected by our activities.

The Policy applies to all Anglo American employees, contractors and suppliers, and accountability for its implementation is multi-disciplinary and cross-functional. Social Performance; Risk; Operations; Safety, Health and Environment; Security; Human resources; Legal; Mine Planning; and Supply Chain are accountable for implementing aspects of the Policy.

As part of our commitment to improving standards across our industry, the Social Way Policy is available externally, in the hope that it will encourage other organisations to manage and monitor their socio-economic performance in a responsible way, and act as a model on which to base their own standards and processes.

2. The Social Way Toolkit

The Social Way Toolkit is also available externally and contains detailed guidance on the standards, processes and procedures required for sites to implement the Social Way Policy. Supplementary guidance for Discovery and Projects is also available.

The Toolkit is organised around four sections: Governance; Review and Planning; Engagement and Analysis; and Impact and Risk Prevention and Management.

Like the Policy, the Toolkit is aligned with international standards, including:

• International Finance Corporation’s Environmental and Social Performance Standards
• UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
• Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights
• International Council on Mining and Metal’s Position Statement and Good Practice Guide on Indigenous Peoples and Mining
• Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance
• OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

It has also been informed by numerous best practice guidance documents – please see the Resources section for more details.

3. The Social Way Assurance Framework

The Social Way Assurance Framework is not publicly disclosed . It contains the requirements, criteria and process through which Anglo American sites are assessed on their compliance with the Social Way Policy. All sites are assessed on an annual basis by external, independent assessors. Based on the outcomes of the assurance process, site-level improvement plans, supported by ongoing training and capacity building, are developed for continuous improvement and learning.

Alignment with Plan-Do-Check-Act process

The Social Way follows the Plan Do Check Act (PDCA) process. It outlines a methodological approach to managing social and human rights impacts and risks in a structured way and on an ongoing basis, applying the principles of continuous improvement. At site level, the Social Way is structured according to the PDCA methodology as follows:

Plan

The core of the Social Way is the identification, assessment and management of social and human rights impacts and risks as part of a site’s ongoing operational risk management process. This requires the following:

• An understanding of site activities and plans in short, medium and long-term
• An overview of the area of influence
• Relevant and recent socio-economic baseline data (comprehensively reviewed and updated at least every five years)
• An analysis of stakeholder feedback
• An analysis of grievances and incidents
• An analysis of monitoring and evaluation data
• An analysis of systemic and site-induced vulnerability
• A review of the existing assessment of social and human rights impacts and risks

This is a continuous process.

Do

A Social Management Plan (SMP), with long-term social performance objectives and an annual implementation plan, is developed and maintained based on the outcomes of the risk and impact assessment. The SMP includes a Stakeholder Engagement Plan, a Socio-Economic Development Plan and additional management plans as needed. A Stakeholder Accountability Report that summarises key elements of the Social Management Plan is disclosed every five years at a minimum so that our stakeholders can hold us to account.

Stakeholder engagement is ongoing via Community Engagement Forums, along with grievance and incident management, and the implementation of mitigation measures. The Social Performance Management Committee works to provide leadership to ensure a culture that supports effective multi-disciplinary social performance management.

Check

Management plans include a monitoring framework against which the implementation and effectiveness of mitigation measures (controls) are tracked and measured on an ongoing basis. Participatory monitoring is implemented where relevant.

Act

Corrective action is taken as needed based on results of ongoing monitoring and evaluation. Feedback on outcomes of social and human rights impact mitigation, and progress towards meetings long-term objectives is reported internally and externally.

Integration

The Social Way integrates social performance management into core business planning and management processes, for example into the site-level Service Strategy as part of the Operating Model. The Life of Asset Plan and the Sustainable Mining Plan incorporate social performance issues and, in turn, inform the Social Management Plan. The process for Social and Human Rights Impact and Risk Analysis is incorporated in the risk assessment processes required by the Integrated Risk management Policy and the Anglo American Operational Risk Standard.

Grievances and incidents in the social performance space are investigated and closed out in accordance with the Group Standard on Integrated Incident Management. The guidance around Contractor Social Management is designed around the Group Integrated Contractor Management Standard and, lastly, the Social Way is the key vehicle for social transition as part of the Mine Closure Toolbox.

A rights-based approach

The Social Way takes a rights-based approach. Aligned with our Human Rights Policy, respect for human rights is incorporated throughout the Social Way. For example, it underpins:

• The required approach for engagement with affected stakeholders, which is based on the principle of inclusion and diversity and must be open, meaningful, respectful and include vulnerable and disadvantaged groups.
• Site-level grievance processes, which must be legitimate, accessible, predictable, equitable, transparent, rights-compatible, based on engagement and dialogue, and require remediation as needed.
• The methodology for identifying vulnerable groups and ensuring specific controls are designed where a site may impact on vulnerable groups.
• Processes for identifying, assessing, and addressing social and human rights impacts and risks.
• The required mitigation hierarchy approach of assessing, seeking to avoid, minimising, mitigating and then remediating potential negative impacts arising from site activities.