Kumba outlines its commitment to low carbon world

SISHEN – Climate change is one of the biggest environmental challenges facing the world. Kumba’s environmental management efforts are focused on moving the business towards operating carbon neutral and less water intensive mines.

• Kumba has a critical role to play in the transition to a low carbon world, both by becoming carbon neutral at its operations and by providing high-quality iron ore that allows customers to reduce their carbon emissions  in the process of steel production.
• Kumba is targeting a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 30% improvement in energy intensity against its 2016 baseline by 2030. Together with the broader Anglo American group, Kumba is developing solar renewable energy generation and investigating green hydrogen as a renewable energy source for mining activities.
• Kumba revised its water strategy during 2020 and it is targeting a more than 14% reduction in water usage by 2025. Water efficiency projects such as the reduction of water usage in dust suppression are being implemented.
• Kumba’s integrated approach to managing social and climate change risks, recognises the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration for effective risk management through integrated water, energy and carbon management.

“To successfully deliver on our purpose to re-imagine mining to improve people’s lives, we need to change the way we mine. We need to earn our social license to innovate. Our FutureSmart Mining(TM) approach which includes our Sustainable Mining Plan, is focused on technology, digitisation and sustainability working to ensure safer, more efficient and precise mining with an optimised footprint,” CEO Themba Mkhwanazi said.

“We are continually improving our business model using new technology and strategies that create a safer, greener and sustainably profitable business. This provides more control over our destiny such that we can meet all of our sustainability commitments and create value f or all of our stakeholders.”

Kumba Iron Ore Limited, a member of the Anglo American plc group, is a leading value-adding supplier of high quality iron ore to the global steel industry. Kumba produces iron ore in South Africa at Sishen and Kolomela mines in the Northern Cape Province.

Kumba exports iron ore to customers in a range of geographical locations around the globe including China, Japan, Korea and a number of countries in Europe and the Middle East.