Other emissions, effluents and pollution

Our approach to managing emissions and contamination is informed by ICMM Mining Principle 4 - Risk Management and ICMM Mining Principle 6 - Environmental Performance.

Read more about our annual performance in our Sustainability Databook. We also report annually on our air emissions in Australian to the National Pollutant Inventory at www.npi.gov.au.

Non-Greenhouse Gas (GHG) air emissions from our operations include sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulates. In the 2021 financial year, we strengthened our capacity to manage non-GHG air emissions by adding new performance requirements to our internal environment standard.

Our approach is risk based, and through the use of Source-Pathway-Receptor assessment methodology, we require operations and projects under our operational control to:

• Identify and evaluate the impact of all air emissions, including their cumulative impact;
• Design and implement effective controls, with legal compliance as a minimum to protect ambient air quality for the benefit of local communities and the natural environment; and
• Monitor operating performance using systems that trigger effective responses to abnormal emissions, emission levels and dispersal conditions to protect human health.

We regularly review our approach to air emissions to ensure we continue to mitigate potential impacts and manage our performance. We continue to support and actively engage in local airshed (air catchment area) forums and studies near our operations to help reduce the potential impact on our local communities and improve ambient air quality.

We report annually on the air emissions from our Australian operations to the National Pollutant Inventory which can be viewed at www.npi.gov.au.

In the 2021 financial year, we implemented additional performance requirements related to identifying, predicting, and managing contamination risks for our projects and operations. They emphasise the need to understand the risks we face, identify actual or potential contamination quickly, and use effective control strategies to address incidents. They include the requirement to:

• Identify and assess contamination risks, using a contaminated land register to record all relevant information;
• Develop appropriate remediation action plans; – Implement effective inspection regimes and spill prevention measures in high-risk areas, with appropriate training so that our people understand their responsibilities; and
• Monitor performance against agreed contamination management objectives.

We use the Source-Pathway-Receptor assessment methodology, like that for non-GHG emissions management, for regulatory compliance and to prevent negative impacts on human health. This methodology also helps us reduce long-term costs and closure liabilities.