Exxaro CEO Mxolisi Mgojo
JSE-listed diversified miner Exxaro Resources has again featured among the Top 100 Best Emerging Market performers by Vigeo Eiris, which is part of Moody’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Solutions.
The Vigeo Eiris ranking indicators reflect a company’s performance in five areas of corporate ESG responsibility – human rights, human resources, community involvement, business behaviour and corporate governance.
This ranking is comprised of the best performing companies listed in developing markets which demonstrate social responsibility approaches that are most advanced in reference to a universe of 843 companies from 31 different countries.
“We are honoured to have been included in the Top 100 Best Emerging Market Performers again this year. This is our fifth year being included in the ranking, which speaks to the company’s values and commitments,” says Exxaro CEO Mxolisi Mgojo.
The mining company’s performance in four key socioeconomic development areas enhances value creation and empowerment for local communities: education; health and the natural environment; infrastructure development; and enterprise supplier development (ESD).
Through the ESD programme, Exxaro has supported 66 entities, of which 44% are black-owned and 26% are women-owned.
These local businesses have grown their combined revenues by about 160% to R1.2-billion since inception of the ESD programme in 2018.
“As a mining company, we aim to do our part and partner with government wherever possible to improve lives. We believe we are more than just a mining company – we are part of the community, applying our resources to improve livelihoods wherever we operate.
“Our ESD and community development programmes are key pillars of our Sustainable Growth and Impact strategy and are geared to be critical drivers of our strategic objective of being a catalyst for economic growth and environmental stewardship. Reference and consideration for climate change impacts are also critical aspects of this strategy,” explains Mgojo.
He adds that, through strict adherence to policies designed to address the environmental impact of Exxaro’s mining operations, sustainability is built into everything the company does – and is monitored by two board-mandated committees.
“Natural resources like water, air, biodiversity and land are central to our business. We focus on responsible resource use by conserving natural resources and reducing the burden of pollutants on the environment,” concludes Mgojo.