Anglo American’s Socio-Economic Assessment Toolbox in Action: Thermal Coal – Supporting access to safe clean water in the local community
The Emalahleni project is an initiative managed by Anglo American’s Thermal Coal business unit in South Africa. Local communities around Thermal Coal locations often were unable to access piped potable water networks and consequently were reliant on unreliable alternative water sources. Based on these community priorities and needs, the project established a water treatment plant […]
Anglo American's Socio-Economic Assessment Toolbox in Action: Platinum – Leveraging infrastructure to address community needs
Anglo American’s Platinum business unit played a leading role in the establishment of the $18.5 million Lebalelo water supply scheme in South Africa. The pipeline carries water from the Olifants river to a series of new mines in the area. In order to provide reliable water supplies to local communities the pipeline has also been […]
Anglo American’s Socio-Economic Assessment Toolbox in Action: Platinum – Leveraging infrastructure to address community needs
Anglo American’s Platinum business unit played a leading role in the establishment of the $18.5 million Lebalelo water supply scheme in South Africa. The pipeline carries water from the Olifants river to a series of new mines in the area. In order to provide reliable water supplies to local communities the pipeline has also been […]
Anglo American's Socio-Economic Assessment Toolbox in Action: Nickel – Local workforce development and community livelihood support
Barro Alto is a nickel mine and associated smelter located near the small town of Barro Alto in Brazil’s Goiás State. Since 2006, Anglo American has been supporting local training and capacity building, in partnership with local NGOs and government organisations, to enable local communities to obtain the skills required to be employable at the […]
Anglo American’s Socio-Economic Assessment Toolbox in Action: Nickel – Local workforce development and community livelihood support
Barro Alto is a nickel mine and associated smelter located near the small town of Barro Alto in Brazil’s Goiás State. Since 2006, Anglo American has been supporting local training and capacity building, in partnership with local NGOs and government organisations, to enable local communities to obtain the skills required to be employable at the […]
Anglo American's Socio-Economic Assessment Toolbox in Action: Iron Ore Brazil – Responding to community needs
The communities of Catuné Água Santa de Minas in Brazil have struggled for decades to receive healthy drinking water. While the infrastructure systems for delivering water to these communities are in place, the water that reaches them is not potable. Attempts to filter the water were not sufficient to eliminate micro-organisms that are harmful to […]
Anglo American’s Socio-Economic Assessment Toolbox in Action: Iron Ore Brazil – Responding to community needs
The communities of Catuné Água Santa de Minas in Brazil have struggled for decades to receive healthy drinking water. While the infrastructure systems for delivering water to these communities are in place, the water that reaches them is not potable. Attempts to filter the water were not sufficient to eliminate micro-organisms that are harmful to […]
Igniting a Culture of Entrepreneurship – SAB Foundation
In 2010, the South African Breweries (SAB) implemented a black economic empowerment programme for the benefit of its employees, retailers and communities. SAB Zenzele was designed to be truly broad-based, distinctive and innovative, delivering real value to the three categories of beneficiaries, who play a significant part in the success of the organisation. In total […]
Rio+20: Enabling Green and Inclusive Markets – A Case for Public-private Collaboration
Twenty years after the first Earth Summit, the international community will gather again in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 20-22 June for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. The conference will attempt to develop a road map that will provide a framework in which we can enjoy growth today, but not at the expense of […]
Rio+20: Business Opportunities at the BoP
The private sector has a critical role to play in engendering sustainable economic development. Business investments can stimulate job creation, promote entrepreneurship, and improve living conditions for those living in poverty. At the same time, there is growing recognition among private sector companies of the untapped market potential among the several billion people living on […]
Is it Immoral to Earn Attractive Profits from Poor Customers?
There are at least 7 billion different perspectives on morality, but the viewpoint I like best defines sin as the failure to reach your potential. By this definition we have at least 2.6 billion deep sinners – the 37% of people in the world who live on less than $2 a day. They are the […]
Paul Polak, Founder, IDE: Is it Immoral to Earn Attractive Profits from Poor Customers?
There are at least 7 billion different perspectives on morality, but the viewpoint I like best defines sin as the failure to reach your potential. By this definition we have at least 2.6 billion deep sinners – the 37% of people in the world who live on less than $2 a day. They are the […]
The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition – leveraging the role that business can play in Africa
Last month I was privileged to attend the G8 Symposium on global agriculture and food security in Washington DC. The presence of President Obama, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, African Heads of State and senior UK government representatives raised the profile of this important event. As part of the symposium, I joined a selected group […]
The business of sanitation – taking toilets to scale
Water & Sanitation Programme, iDE UK In a context where almost 40% of the population of the developing world – 2.5 billion people – lack access to improved sanitation facilities (WHO/UNICEF), there is in need of a practical and scalable solution that can stop one of the world’s biggest killers of children. Diaorrheal disease claims […]
Coffee Climate Crisis
We’re often reminded that climate change is one of the biggest challenges we face globally today. And yet sometimes we can get lost in the overwhelming scale of the problem. An incredible 75% of the world’s coffee is grown by smallholder farmers with tiny plots of land, and at Cafédirect we are seeing first hand […]
Making international supply chains work better for smallholder farmers
Making international supply chains work better for smallholder farmers is a potential ‘win-win’ for thousands of farmers and businesses. A new reportby the Fairtrade Foundation analyses six case studies from farmer groups producing tea, cocoa and nuts in Kenya, Cote D’Ivoire and Malawi asking them from their experience, what really makes trade fair? This report, […]
Water: Private Sector Solutions
Today’s rising populations and growing economies are demanding more and more water. But supply is limited, putting serious pressure on already-strained resources—a dangerous trend that will only intensify in the coming decades. If today’s collision course continues, a third of the world’s population will face serious water scarcity by 2030. It is an issue with […]
#PSDMatters – Water: Private Sector Solutions
Today’s rising populations and growing economies are demanding more and more water. But supply is limited, putting serious pressure on already-strained resources—a dangerous trend that will only intensify in the coming decades. If today’s collision course continues, a third of the world’s population will face serious water scarcity by 2030. It is an issue with […]
No future without sustainable agriculture
By 2050, the world will have to feed more than nine billion people. To meet this demand, current levels of global food production must double. This is not a new issue. Ten years ago, Nestlé was one of three major consumer goods manufacturers to found the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative, the only global food industry initiative […]
Putting women at the heart of Africa’s economic future
On April 7th, 2012, Malawi elected its first female president. Mrs. Joyce Banda is the daughter of a policeman and the eldest of five children; her rise to power took her swiftly up through the ranks of a mainly conservative and male-dominated society. Mrs. Banda is the second woman to lead a country in Africa. […]