– Anglo American Social Way toolkit

SED principles

All SED projects should align with the key principles outlined in Table 4A.2.

TABLE 4A.2 SED principles

Risk, opportunity and impact management focused

projects should be designed and implemented to contribute to risk (threat and opportunity) and impact management, and as part of the implementation of Group strategy

Outcome focused

projects must be focused on outcomes, the desired changes in behaviour or condition that reflect a positive impact, not inputs or outputs (eg money spent and people trained). The planning process described in this section helps sites prioritise desired outcomes (i.e. what we want to achieve) and ensure that projects contribute to the desired outcome in a cost-effective way.

Sustainable

projects need to be designed in a way to avoid creating or exacerbating stakeholder dependency on the site or the project, and in a way that ensure their impacts will outlive the direct involvement of the project

Aligned with existing public-development plans

Wherever possible, projects should align to already established local, regional and national public development plans to complement rather than duplicate existing efforts, to avoid positioning the site as the cornerstone of in the area and to ensure sustainability.

Linked to site value chains and expertise

Anglo American’s value chains and expertise are an opportunity to leverage a site’s investment and add value. Unlocking employment and small-business opportunities at site and in local markets expands the ability to deliver opportunities for local labour and suppliers and, if planned well, drives long-term sustainability.

Participatory

Engagement is a critical element in the success of projects and includes involving relevant external stakeholders in the planning, design, implementation, and monitoring of projects.

Inclusive and diverse

The concentration of benefits from community investments among a few groups in a society can exacerbate disparity, increase vulnerability, and spark conflict. Vulnerability, diversity and inclusion issues should be considered in project selection and design to ensure that (access to) project benefits are shared broadly within communities.

Collaborative

Sites do not have all the necessary knowledge to design and implement projects, so collaborating with other organisations is essential. In the case of projects, collaboration is a prerequisite. It allows sites to:

leverage their SED budget through greater contribution of in-kind resources and co-funding (including government grants, loans and commercial offtake agreements)
tap into the knowledge and experience of other stakeholders; and
improve the sustainability of SED projects.

Lifecycle planning

SED planning and implementation applies across the asset lifecycle. The scope and scale of SED projects should be commensurate to site risks and potential impacts and should consider available resources.