Our approach

At AngloGold Ashanti, our approach to sustainability stems from and is guided by our purpose: Mining to empower people and societies.

Our approach encompasses:

Following our North Star – our Purpose and Values underpin every decision we make and action we take
Engaging with our stakeholders with respect, consistency, clarity and understanding
Ensuring we monitor and manage our performance against our targets, that our systems and processes are subject to assurance, and that we communicate our approach and performance on material matters regularly and transparently
Securing our social licence to operate by making a positive impact today, and leaving a lasting legacy

Policies and standards:

Management Standard: Stakeholder engagement English, pdf

Sustainability strategy and framework

Our sustainability purpose: To strengthen our social licence to operate and to ensure AngloGold Ashanti is the mine developer of choice for host governments and communities, guides what we do and how we do it.

Sustainability is a fundamental aspect of our business ethos and strategy, and is deeply ingrained in our corporate values. Central to our approach is the integration of a diverse set of functional and operating disciplines across all jurisdictions, to deliver improved and lasting positive outcomes for our employees and for our host governments and communities. Ultimately, we know that a company that operates in a sustainable manner is positive for all stakeholders.

Our sustainability strategy encompasses safety and health, community benefit on a broad scale and fostering vibrant business operations. In addition to paying taxes and employing and procuring locally to the greatest extent possible, our initiatives focus on safeguarding people and communities, fostering relationships based on open dialogue and trust, responsible environmental stewardship, running a sustainable business and committing to climate action and resilience.

Empowering people

Ensuring safety, health and wellbeing
Attracting, developing and retaining talent, drawing from our host communities wherever possible
Strengthening our culture, driving inclusion, diversity and equity

Empowering communities

Supporting community resilience including through corporate social investment, local employment and procurement
Addressing ASM
Ensuring effective security, and respecting human rights and rights of indigenous peoples

Caring for the environment

Climate action and pursuing resilience
Responsible tailings management
Managing our emissions, effluents and waste
Water stewardship
Responsible rehabilitation, closure, preventing biodiversity loss

Ensuring best practice governance

Business ethics, compliance and disclosure
Navigating geopolitical matters and
government relations
Responsible and secure sourcing and
local procurement
Cyber safety

Materiality and material sustainability issues

The Company’s double materiality assessment is integrated into the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework by incorporating both financial materiality (impact on the Company’s financial performance) and environmental and social materiality (impact on the environment and society). This ensures that the Company considers a comprehensive view of risks and opportunities that may affect not only its financial outcomes but also its broader societal and environmental responsibilities.

Our process follows the
‘double materiality’ framework

Phase 1: Context

This involved a thorough review of potential material sustainability issues, drawing on insights from peer reporting, alignment with current and emerging disclosure standards, and feedback from ratings agencies. This approach ensured the issues considered were relevant, comprehensive, and reflected both industry best practices and stakeholder expectations. This review resulted in an initial list of material sustainability issues, which was carefully refined to identify the 17 issues most pertinent to our industry and sector.

Phase 2: Discovery of impact

In this phase we undertook interviews with 11 external and 20 internal stakeholders to identify material sustainability issues. They included:

External stakeholders: investors, market analysts, media and an industry body
Internal stakeholders: Board, Executive management and Senior leadership

This process resulted in the identification of 36 potential material sustainability issues that influence our ability to create, sustain, or potentially erode social, environmental, and economic value from both an impact and financial materiality perspective.

Phase 3: Ranking

Finally, members of executive and senior management were asked to rank issues from the perspective of both impact and financial materiality, based on our definitions (alongside). Respondents were also asked to indicate the time horizon – short, medium and long term – associated with impacts and, for financial materiality, whether the issue was primarily a risk or an opportunity.

These issues were then reviewed by the internal sustainability team. The ranking was adjusted to reflect broader industry sustainability issues and issues raised by stakeholders.
The final list of 14 material sustainability issues was reviewed and ratified by the SES Committee and Board.

For more see the 2024 Sustainability Report, Outcomes of the 2024 assessment

ESG commitments

We subscribe to a number of external principles, charters and standards that reflect our values and commitment to ESG principles – and allow our stakeholders to hold us accountable. Our participation in industry initiatives enables us to inform and influence global standards and practices as well as gain insight into emerging expectations, issues and risks.