SA companies excel in climate report

28 Nov 2013

The Carbon Disclosure Programme's (CDP) 2013 Global 500 Climate Report has revealed that 63% of the South African companies in the Global 500 achieved disclosure scores of over 90%. This ranks South Africa amongst the top five countries in the world.

The annual CDP Global 500 Climate Change 2013 report analyses the climate strategies of the world's largest 500 listed corporations and reveals the best performers. Out of the eight JSE-listed companies that featured in the Global 500, Kumba Iron Ore achieved the highest disclosure score.

Promethium Carbon, a climate advisory consultancy that assists companies in climate change strategy and reporting, expects to see a continuing trend in South African companies being leaders in climate change reporting.

Mandatory reporting

"This is significant because by 2015, approximately 75% of the world's GDP will come from regions with carbon pricing on the agenda. In addition, by 2015, South African companies will be faced with mandatory greenhouse gas emissions reporting as well as carbon tax," said Robbie Louw, a director of Promethium Carbon. "The companies that performed well in the disclosure leadership index are well positioned to benefit from these developments," said Louw.

Over the last three years, Kumba Iron Ore has placed increasing emphasis on this process and as such achieved a disclosure score of 98%. Alex Mgadzah, executive head Safety and Sustainable Development at Anglo American's Kumba Iron Ore, has seen the benefits to his organisation. "Participating in the CDP has provided structured and consistent tools for looking at our carbon footprint and measuring our performance. It has delivered value and continues to inform the focus of our improvement efforts. In addition, we have seen greater collaboration across our organisation with a corresponding shift from managing risks to pursuing opportunities."