HIGH PROFILE
Responsibility
recognised
at Unki
With a reputation for
forward-thinking mining
practices, Anglo American
has, once again, led from
the front when it comes to
responsible operating
practices
n September, Anglo American Platinum’s Unki
platinum mine in Zimbabwe became the first
operation to publicly commit to be
independently audited against the Initiative for
Responsible Mining Assurance’s (IRMA) ‘Standard
for Responsible Mining’.
These standards, the world’s first and only
global definition of what constitutes leading
practices in social and environmental
responsibility for large-scale mining operations,
were developed through a public consultation
process with more than 100 different individuals
and organisations over a 10-year period. This
included mining companies, customers and the
ultimate downstream users of mined products,
non-governmental organisations, labour unions,
and communities.
I
Since commissioning the Unki concentrator
plant at the beginning of 2011, ongoing
debottlenecking has enabled it to treat up
to 170,000 t/mth
Anglo American Platinum’s
Unki PGM mine hosted one of
the first pilot audits against
the IRMA standard
An initial self-assessment of the IRMA
standards was completed by Unki ahead of the
independent on-site audit, with Anglo saying the
operation performed well against the 26 areas
covered by the Standard for Responsible Mining.
This included working conditions, human rights,
community and stakeholder engagement,
environmental impact, and planning and financing
reclamation and closure.
Other operations currently completing the
IRMA self-assessment stage include the
company’s Barro Alto nickel operation in Brazil
and the Amandelbult platinum group metal (PGM)
operation in South Africa.
Following this achievement, IM put some
questions to Anglo American’s Group Head of
Social Performance and Engagement, Jon Samuels,
to find out more about why the company was
making this responsibility move ahead of time.
IM: What procedures carried out at the mine
needed to change for the IRMA audit?
JS: The audit was conducted based on existing
processes; no changes were made ahead of the
self-assessment audit. We will evaluate the need
for any improvements when we receive the third-
party audit results.
IM: Why was Unki chosen as the first operation to
carry out this audit?
JS: Unki hosted one of the first pilot audits against
IRMA so was relatively well prepared already, and
Anglo American Platinum is keen to be a leader on
IRMA given growing customer interest and the
important role PGMs play in sustainability.
IM: Why has the company decided to carry out
such an audit now?
JS: Anglo American has a long-standing
commitment as a leader in sustainability and, as
part of its Sustainable Mining Plan, has developed
stretch goals that are deliberately ambitious
and designed to challenge us to lead and
innovate.
As part of these goals, Anglo American has
committed to have all its managed operational
sites independently assessed against credible
responsible mining standards by 2025.
IM: When will Unki be independently assessed
against the standard and achieve a level of
recognition?
12 International Mining | NOVEMBER 2019