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RAPAPORT... De Beers Group of Companies published its annual report to society, which summarized the mining giant's corporate social responsibility successes in 2012. Philippe Mellier, De Beers Group's CEO, said, “Our understanding of sustainability is shaped by the issues that matter to the people touched by our product as it travels from our mines through the value chain until it is ultimately given as a gift of love or personal achievement. These issues include the expectation of consumers that the diamonds they purchase have been brought to them in a manner consistent with these values. They also include the objectives of our partner governments and communities to realize in full the social and economic benefits that diamond mining can generate, both during mining operations, and in catalyzing socioeconomic activity that delivers value long after the diamond resource has been exhausted.” De Beers reported that its performance highlights this past year have included a $3.9 billion economic impact to stakeholders in Africa, including governments, suppliers, employees and shareholders, representing 75 percent of the group's revenue. The figure was down from $4.4 billion in 2011, however, the percentage of sales was higher. Twenty-one percent of rough diamond sales were to sightholders in producer countries and 336,292 diamond industry employees were covered by De Beers Best Practice Principles Assurance Program, requiring ethical, environmental and social compliance across the pipeline. During the year, De Beers managed 200,000 hectares of land, representing five times the size of its mining operations, that was reserved for biodiversity conservation. Global expenditures on community social investment totaled $39.3 million in 2012, down from $42.6 million in 2011, and included philanthropic and socioeconomic programs, social and labor plans in South Africa and Impact Benefit Agreements with Aboriginal communities in Canada. “In 2013, De Beers will continue efforts to further develop our understanding of how our sustainability leadership position drives value-creation for our business, in turn creating shared value for our stakeholders across the diamond pipeline,” Mellier concluded.
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