AngloGold Ashanti

Stakeholder engagement
The company discloses how often and through which channels it engages with various stakeholder groups. The company discloses how its stakeholder engagement activities impact its sustainability strategy.

Key areas and species
The company discloses the total number of IUCN Red List species and national conservation list species adjacent to its own operations.

Solid and air pollution
The company discloses the proportion of hazardous waste treated to reduce pollution compared to total waste, the hazardous waste diverted from disposal and the waste directed to disposal.

Indigenous peoples’ and land rights
The company’s Indigenous Peoples’ standard aligns with international standards and conventions, such as the ICMM Position Statement on Indigenous Peoples, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the International Finance Corporation’s Performance Standard 7 on Indigenous Peoples, where applicable. As per its commitments under the ICMM Position Statement on Indigenous Peoples and Mining, and aligning to the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent, the company works to obtain the consent of indigenous communities for new projects and changes to existing projects.

Sustainability strategy and accountability
Whilst the company discloses its process for identifying and prioritising its most relevant sustainability topics and impacts, it should ensure the process meets double materiality with the participation of external stakeholders. The company does not disclose group-wide targets on key sustainability topics for the most material parts of its value chain. The company does not report consistently against all its targets. The company does not report whether it assigns decision-making and oversight responsibility for its sustainability strategy to the highest governance body. No evidence was found that the company links performance criteria in senior executives’ remuneration policies to targets and objectives which cover nature, including biodiversity, and social issues. The company does not disclose whether its highest governance body has expertise regarding nature-related topics.

Stakeholder engagement
The company discloses an overview of the issues raised during its stakeholder engagement activities.

Lobbying
The company does not report on its lobbying and advocacy practices on nature-related issues, nor whether these activities align with its sustainability strategy.

Impact and dependencies assessment
The company has not holistically assessed its impacts or how it depends on nature, including biodiversity. It has an opportunity to start such an assessment across its value chains, focused on quantification of its impacts or dependencies.

Key areas and species
The company discloses the locations that are in or adjacent to areas important for biodiversity within its own operations. The company does not disclose the locations of its suppliers that are in or adjacent to areas important for biodiversity. Whilst the company discloses the total number of IUCN Red List species and national conservation list species adjacent to its own operations, it has an opportunity to disclose all species present at its locations. The company discloses the status according to national and international conservation lists of species identified in its own locations.

Ecosystem conversion and restoration
No evidence was found regarding the company’s efforts to avoid ecosystem conversion, including deforestation, or promote restoration. The company has an opportunity to develop a strategy and publicly report on specific, time-bound targets.

Resource exploitation and circularity
No evidence was found regarding the company’s efforts to work towards a circular economy or which organisms it exploits. The company has an opportunity to develop a strategy and publicly report on specific, time-bound targets. The company does not disclose efforts to improve soil health.

Water
The company’s water withdrawal (megalitres) decreased from 47,405 in 2020 to 33,118 in 2021. However, the company does not disclose a time-bound target to reduce water withdrawal across its own operations. The company reports that 22% of its sites are situated in water stressed areas, based on the WRI Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas, and local site knowledge. The company does not engage with suppliers to reduce water withdrawal. The company does not report a decrease in water pollution. The company does not disclose its processes for managing and monitoring discharge water quality. The company does not regularly report on water pollution. The company does not disclose targets to reduce water pollution. The company does not disclose a commitment to respect the right to water. The company does not disclose its processes for implementing preventive and corrective action plans for identified specific risks to the right to water and sanitation in its own operations.

Solid and air pollution
No evidence that the company is reducing the production of hazardous waste was found. No evidence that the company reduces plastic use and waste in its own operations was found. The company does not report on the amount of plastic waste generated and proportions directed from or to disposal. The company reports regularly on air quality parameters of emissions of harmful air pollutants. The company does not report time-bound targets to reduce air pollutants across the most material parts of its value chain.

GHG emissions
The company reports a 0.3 decrease in its scope 1 and 2 absolute GHG emissions (million metric tonnes) between 2019-2020. In October 2021, AngloGold Ashanti committed collectively with members of the International Council on Mining and Metals, to a goal of net zero scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or sooner. However, this target is not aligned with a 1.5°C trajectory. The company initiated its first comprehensive scope 3 emissions accounting in 2021, therefore there is no historic data to determine whether the company has reduced its scope 3 emissions. The company does not disclose a time-bound target to reduce its scope 3 emissions.

Invasive species
The company has not identified any activities that could lead to the introduction of invasive alien species in its own operations.

Safe, healthy, clean environment
The company does not disclose a commitment to respecting local communities’ right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment or to zero tolerance for acts of violence, threats, intimidation or judicial harassment committed against land and environmental rights defenders.

Indigenous peoples’ and land rights
While the company mentions Indigenous Peoples’ rights, it reports no commitment to respect their rights which references the relevant part(s) of ILO Convention No. 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples or the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The company does not disclose a commitment to respect ownership and use of land and natural resources and related legitimate tenure rights, as set out in the relevant part(s) of the VGGTs or the IFC Performance Standards. No evidence was found that the company requires its business relationships to have a process to identify legitimate tenure rightsholders, paying particular attention to vulnerable or marginalised tenure rightsholders, and to negotiate with them to provide adequate compensation.

The company describes the process for identifying its human rights risks and impacts in specific locations or activities covering its own operations. The company describes its process(es) for assessing its human rights risks and discloses what it considers to be its salient human rights issues. The company discloses its approach on allegations, however, no evidence found of the company describing a global system to take action to prevent, mitigate or remediate its salient human rights issues, including supply chain. The company provides a case study describing how it has acted on a salient human rights risk. While the company discloses the categories of stakeholders it engages with generally on sustainability issues, it is not clear if these stakeholders are those whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities. While the company provides general examples of engagement with stakeholders, it has an opportunity to clarify if these stakeholders are those whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities.

The company has a publicly available policy statement which shows it is committed to respecting the health and safety of workers. The company has a publicly available policy statement which shows it expects its suppliers to commit to respecting the health and safety of their workers. No evidence that the company discloses a time-bound target for paying all workers a living wage or that it has achieved paying all workers a living wage was found. No evidence that the company describes how it determines a living wage for the regions where it operates was found. While the company states that it expects its suppliers to pay wages that are sufficient for workers and their families to fulfil their basic needs, it has an opportunity to disclose how it works to support the payment of a living wage by its suppliers. The company discloses the proportion of its total direct operations workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements. While the company states that it encourages its suppliers to respect employees’ right to freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, it has an opportunity to describe how it works to support the practices of its suppliers in relation to those.

The company discloses a global tax strategy. The company takes steps to identify and address bribery and corruption. The company includes anti-bribery and anti-corruption clauses in its contracts with direct business relationships. In a public policy statement, the company discloses its approach to lobbying and political engagement. No evidence that the company has a publicly available policy statement that specifies that it does not make political contributions was found.