Our ambition  

Under our 2030 Healthy environment goal, we seek to create nature-positive¹ outcomes by having at least 30 per cent of the land and water we steward² under conservation, restoration or regenerative practices by FY2030. In doing so, we focus on areas of highest ecosystem value both within and outside our own operational footprint, in partnership with Indigenous peoples and local communities.  

Our approach and position  

Competition for environmental resources is growing, with the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss amplifying the sensitivities of our natural systems. Through our Climate Transition Action Plan 2021, Water Stewardship Position Statement and our Group-level biodiversity strategy, we outline our vision, strategies and focus areas to support action on these global challenges. Specific information pertaining to our Water, Climate and Biodiversity approach and position can be found at the Water webpage, Biodiversity and land webpage and Climate change webpages. More details on BHP’s 2030 goals can be found in BHP Annual Report 2023, Operating and Financial Review 6.5 - 2030 goals. We recognise that with BHP's significant land and water footprints, there is an opportunity to steward a renewed focus on environmental management.  

In line with Our Charter value of Sustainability, key company position statements (e.g., the Water Stewardship Position Statement) and Group-wide standards, we seek to avoid or minimise adverse environmental impacts through every stage of our operational activities and acknowledge our role in contributing more broadly to the resilience of the natural environment. We also recognise our environmental performance and management of environmental impacts on the communities where we operate are important parts of our contribution to social value. We intend to contribute our part to global efforts to halt and reverse nature loss, which includes progressively assessing and disclosing our risks, impacts and dependencies on nature and taking appropriate actions to contribute towards nature-positive outcomes through our 2030 Healthy environment goal. 

Our approach to environmental management is based on and influenced by: 

• the identification, assessment and management of risks (both threats and opportunities) across all phases of our operational life cycle, including exploration, development, operation, closure and post closure. BHP applies a Group-wide Risk Framework to identify and manage risks, including environmental risks.  
• engagement with internal and external stakeholders to ensure we take their perspectives and knowledge into account in our decision-making.  
• the realms of nature (land, oceans, freshwater and atmosphere) that we may impact or depend on. 
• the extent and nature of our planned activities and optimising our activities to seek to minimise or prevent adverse impact and maximise contribution to social value. 
• societal risks such as habitat loss and pollution 

At every stage in the life cycle of our operated assets, we seek to avoid, minimise and mitigate our adverse environmental impacts in line with our defined Risk Appetite Statement by applying our frameworks, policies and processes, including on governance and risk management.  

Our Group-wide approach to environmental management is set out in the Our Requirements for Environment and Climate Change standard and our mandatory minimum performance requirements for risk management to deliver on our commitments and to manage environment-related risks. These standards require us to take an integrated, risk-based approach to managing any actual or reasonably foreseeable operational impacts (direct, indirect and cumulative) on biodiversity, land, water and air. We establish and implement monitoring and review practices designed to ensure continued management of environment-related risk within our risk appetite through business planning and project evaluation cycles. For more information on BHP’s risk process, refer to the BHP Annual Report 2023, Operating and Financial Review 8 – How we manage risk. 

Our primary approach to preventing or minimising our potential adverse environmental impacts within our operational footprint is to apply the mitigation hierarchy. Steps one and two of the mitigation hierarchy – avoid and minimise – seek to prevent adverse impacts as far as possible. Steps three and four – rehabilitate and compensate – seek to address those impacts that cannot be avoided. An example of applying this hierarchy was adjusting the mine plan at Jimblebar to avoid impacts to water resources and key biodiversity values.  

As detailed in the Our Requirements for Environment and Climate Change standard, our operated assets are required to put in place controls and plans that reflect the mitigation hierarchy, an approach that helps us to avoid potential adverse environmental impacts and, if necessary, minimise and rehabilitate any unavoidable impacts. If, after application of the first three stages of the mitigation hierarchy, actual or reasonably foreseeable impacts to important biodiversity and/or ecosystems remain, we will seek to identify compensatory actions, such as offsets, in line with BHP’s risk appetite.  

The Our Requirements for Environment and Climate Change standard mandates the use of an Environmental Management System (EMS) that aligns with global environmental management frameworks, such as ISO 14001. We use our EMS to implement our approach to environmental management and to drive continuous improvement in our environmental performance. Our non-operational land is the primary focus of our 2030 Healthy environment goal but both this goal and the mitigation hierarchy will be used to inform management approaches on operational and non-operational land.   

Beyond our BHP footprint, we commit to making voluntary contributions to support environmental resilience across the regions where we operate through social investment, on ground action and thought leadership. 

More detail on our Group-level processes and requirements and how they apply to environmental risks is set out below. 

Our 2030 Healthy environment goal is supported by successive short-term milestones that will be developed over the seven-year period. Our initial milestones for FY2023 were to complete mapping of important biodiversity and/or ecosystems (IBE) for operated assets (excluding OZ Minerals and legacy assets³) in Minerals Australia and Minerals Americas, and to publish context-based water targets (CBWTs). These short-term milestones have been completed and more information can be found at our Biodiversity and land webpage and our Shared water challenges webpage respectively.   

The key metrics to track progress on delivery of the 2030 Healthy environment goal are: 

• the area under nature-positive management practices⁴  
• the number of our operated assets with a natural capital account⁵. 

¹ Nature positive is defined by the WBCSD/TNFD as ‘A high-level goal and concept describing a future state of nature (e.g. biodiversity, ecosystem services and natural capital) which is greater than the current state.’ It includes land and water management practices that halt and reverse nature loss – that is, supporting healthy, functioning ecosystems.

² Excluding greenfield exploration licences (or equivalent tenements), which are located outside the area of influence of our existing mine operations. 30 per cent will be calculated based on the areas of land and water that we steward at the end of FY2030. For more information refer to the BHP ESG Standards and Databook 2023.

³ All land and water areas at our operated assets (excluding OZ Minerals and legacy assets) in Minerals Australia and Minerals Americas. Legacy assets refer to those BHP-operated assets, or part thereof, located in the Americas that are in the closure phase.

⁴ Area under stewardship that has a formal management plan, including conservation, restoration or regenerative practices. 1.3 per cent is calculated based on the areas of land and water that we stewarded at 30 June 2023. For more information refer to the BHP ESG Standards and Databook 2023.

⁵ Natural capital accounts are a way to measure the amount, condition and value of environmental assets in a given area. It helps describe changes in ecosystems and how these impact wellbeing and economies. 

Risk

Our processes to identify, assess and manage environment-related risks are undertaken in line with our overarching BHP risk framework. For details refer to the BHP Annual Report 2023, Operating and Financial Review 8 – How we manage risk. 

Detailed information on water-related risks is available on the Water webpage. 

Case studies