How we work

Who we are
Our purpose is to make a difference by developing natural resources, improving people's lives now and for generations to come. We are trusted by our owners and partners to realise the potential of their resources.
Our business
- Australia
- Southern Africa
- South America
  - Brazil Alumina
  - Cerro Matoso
- Exploration & projects
  - Eagle Downs Metallurgical Coal
  - Hermosa
- Marketing
- Our commodities
South32 is a globally diversified mining and metals company producing bauxite, alumina, aluminium, energy and metallurgical coal, manganese, nickel, silver, lead and zinc in Australia, Southern Africa and South America.
Community & society
We’re a business with a purpose and believe trust and transparency are essential to the way we operate. That means being in touch with the broader community – considering different perspectives and working together to create shared value.
Environment
We work hard to be responsible stewards of the environment and treat natural resources with care so that they are available for future generations. Successful environmental management is essential to our business.
People & careers
Our people are the foundation of our success and the key to our sustainability and productivity. Together, we create an inclusive workplace where we hold ourselves and each other to account to demonstrate our values.
Investors & media
- Investor centre
- Media centre
Keep up to date with our latest news and announcements.

Around the world, we’re helping people improve their lives through the development of natural resources.

We produce bauxite, alumina, aluminium, energy coal, metallurgical coal, manganese, nickel, silver, lead and zinc in Australia, Southern Africa and South America. We also own a highgrade zinc, lead and silver development option in North America and have partnered with several junior explorers with a bias to base metals.

Whether it’s for use in infrastructure, energy generation, consumables or vehicles, we believe the extraction and processing of minerals and metals can be done in a responsible way.

That’s why we continually challenge ourselves to be the best in what matters – the safety and wellbeing of our people and communities, our operational performance, and minimising our environmental impact.

Our purpose is to make a difference

Our purpose is to make a difference by developing natural resources, improving people’s lives now and for generations to come. We’re trusted by our owners and partners to realise the potential of their resources.

We do this by creating local jobs, empowering and investing in communities, and contributing to governments through paying taxes and royalties – while achieving sector-leading returns for our shareholders.

Our strategy and breakthroughs

Our purpose is underpinned by our strategy, which is focused on:

Optimising the performance of our existing operations;
Unlocking their potential by converting high-value resource into reserve; and
Identifying new opportunities to compete for capital.

To deliver on our purpose and strategy, we’re guided by our ‘Breakthroughs’, which outline how we’ll make a difference through our safety performance, stakeholder engagement, operationsfunctions, technology, environmental and social leadership, and portfolio optimisation. Across the organisation, our Breakthroughs form the basis of our Business Plans to ensure we’re all aligned.

While our strategy and Breakthroughs focus on the ‘what’, our values focus on ‘how’ we achieve our purpose. We hold ourselves and each other to account to act and make decisions aligned with our values of care, trust, togetherness and excellence.