Xstrata Copper is committed to mitigating the environmental impacts of our activities and we set ourselves robustc environmental performance targets that frequently go beyond legal requirements.

Our environmental management approach centres on preserving and restoring the natural environment throughout the life cycle of our operations. This is underpinned by a precautionary philosophy, meaning that even in the absence of scientific certainty that environmental degradation is occurring or will occur, we take action to mitigate this possibility. If environmental incidents do occur we determine the cause and take immediate action to remediate and prevent a recurrence.

In addition, our company’s recycling business in North America is helping to extend the useful life of valuable base metals and reduce electronic scrap which is an increasing source of environmental concern and landfill waste.

Climate change

At Xstrata Copper, we recognise that the future effects of climate change - including increased regulation, higher energy costs and physical impacts such as drought and flooding - represent a risk for our operations and communities. We seek to be as energy efficient as possible to minimise our greenhouse gas emissions and reduce our operating costs. We also switch to renewable or low-carbon sources where it is available and cost effective.