Environment

The environmental component of our ESG strategy is focused on four pillars:

• Maintain our environmental licence to operate: We commit to conduct our business activities in accordance with recognised standards and guidelines, only in those areas designated by our permits and licences. We manage and mitigate the environmental risks our activities pose to the communities near our operations and foster collaborative, symbiotic relationships with them.
• Effect continuous improvement: Our internal governance practices and our processes are constantly evolving to drive value creation through the cost-effective implementation of technology and innovation.
• Responsible use of environmental resources: We vigilantly strive to reduce our emissions and energy and water footprints, and to proactively manage our waste facilities while planning for eventual mine closure and restoration of the natural environment.
• Drive environmental consciousness through responsible stewardship and by promoting awareness of and communication on environmental issues: By continually engaging with key stakeholders and communities, we raise awareness of environmental issues, manage expectations and protect our environmental reputation.

Water is a critical resource and is important to every aspect of our operations – drilling and blasting, milling and processing, the cooling of equipment, and for hydraulic tailings re-mining. Our employees and surrounding communities also depend on our water. Water management is an important aspect of our Group environmental planning processes, from early stage feasibility to post-mining and closure.

We face distinctly different water challenges at our SA gold, SA PGM and US PGM operations. While our SA PGM operations are situated in water-stressed areas in North West province our SA gold operations in the West Rand of Gauteng are, by contrast, overlain by dolomitic aquifers. They are largely water-positive, and it is necessary to pump large volumes of ingress water from these deep workings. Our US PGM operations are largely water independent and water positive.

We are committed to best practice in water conservation and water demand management and have taken an integrated approach to the management of our water footprint to ensure its responsible use, in a manner that is sustainable to production and to our host communities.

We aim to use alternative available underground water sources to replace purchased water and are identifying and reducing the waste of water through improved metering, water balance management, leak detection, and repair initiatives.

We monitor and measure usage and emissions from direct fuel sources, such as diesel, as well as indirect emissions associated with purchased electricity and materials, for greenhouse gas emission monitoring and reporting and atmospheric emission licence compliance requirements.

Within our air quality efforts, control of dust from tailings storage facilities is a key focus area, as is the reduction of sulphur dioxide emissions and particulate matter.

Climate change is one of the most pressing global environmental challenges of our time, and we are committed to contributing to a global solution by proactively managing our carbon footprint.

Our climate change and energy and decarbonisation position statements are aligned with the ICMM’s climate change commitments, to SDGs 7 and 13, and to the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) Paris Agreement. Sibanye-Stillwater was one of 28 international mining and metals companies that committed to the new ICMM climate change position, announced ahead of COP26 (November 2021), which includes a commitment to net zero by 2050.

We support the global response to climate change in two primary ways: by reducing our own carbon footprint and by delivering those commodities needed to mitigate carbon emissions.

Our energy and decarbonisation strategy was refined in 2021 to support delivery on our goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040.

The implementation of energy efficiency projects has been instrumental in the continuous reduction of our carbon footprint. These include initiatives relating to ventilation optimisation at our SA gold operations, compressed air optimisation projects at our SA PGM operations, and the installation of solar arrays.

Protection of the biological resources – land, biodiversity and heritage – near our activities is a key element of our environmental strategy. We continually monitor all operational activities that can potentially impact mine site environmental management plans. In addition, for each operation, we develop biodiversity action plans to avoid and mitigate any impact on sensitive species, habitat or ecosystems. These include the programmes to remove alien and invasive vegetation implemented in South Africa by way of local economic development projects.

Responsible storage, handling and disposal of solid and hazardous waste is pivotal to our approach to environmental care. We focus first on minimising the generation of waste and residue, then on recycling and re-using waste or by-products. When material cannot be recycled, we dispose of it in an acceptable way.

Currently, Sibanye-Stillwater has 38 tailings storage facilities (TSFs) under management, both in South Africa and the United States.

Sibanye-Stillwater is committed to the safe and environmentally responsible management of our TSFs and is dedicated to ensuring that systems, standards and resources are in place to prevent catastrophic TSF failures. Sibanye-Stillwater fully supports and is committed to align all tailings facilities at our operations with the intent and requirements of the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM).

As a member of the ICMM we are committed to implementing the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM). This standard covers the entire TSF lifecycle and ensures sound ESG and sustainability practice with the ultimate aim of eliminating any risk of catastrophic failure. Participating companies have three to five years post the launch of the GISTM in August 2020 to meet the requirements; we have set a compliance target date of 5 August 2023.

Tailings management training against the GISTM has been undertaken across the business.

See Tailings management for further details

We recognise our responsibility to return land disturbed by mining to stable and productive post-mining uses. Closure planning begins in the early stages of a mine’s development and life, and is updated regularly throughout the life of each mining operation. This process entails an extensive analysis of land use options, environmental factors and community development concerns and objectives and involves dialogue and collaboration with host communities and other stakeholders.

We work closely with regulators across all our operations and adjust our closure plans as regulatory requirements evolve.