We acknowledge nature, including biodiversity, is deteriorating worldwide at unprecedented rates.
BHP’s business, our suppliers and customers, Indigenous peoples and the local communities where we operate, all depend on and enjoy nature and the ecosystem services it provides. We acknowledge the nature of our operations can impact the natural environment, including the provision of ecosystem services.
We also recognise the deep connection of Indigenous peoples to their land and waters, and that Indigenous peoples, and local communities are vital partners in the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of nature.
Our ambition
Our vision is to contribute towards global efforts to halt and reverse nature loss and collective goals on water security, environmental resilience, business resilience and social value.1
Our 2030 Healthy environment goal is to create nature-positive2 outcomes by having at least 30 per cent of the land and water we steward3 under conservation, restoration or regenerative practices by FY2030. Our focus is on areas of highest ecosystem value, within and outside our own operational footprint, in partnership with Indigenous peoples and local communities.
Our approach and position
We recognise that to help enable the energy transition, critical minerals production will need to increase; and it will be essential that this production meets high standards of environmental stewardship.
As stewards of the land and waters on and around our operational and non-operational sites, we are working to enable systems to better support our approach to environmental performance of our operations, and to manage risks (threats and opportunities) from both our impacts and dependencies on nature. We also take actions to contribute towards nature-positive2 outcomes through our 2030 Healthy environment goal, and seek to address the water challenges shared by BHP and other stakeholders in the regions where we operate.
Through our Climate Transition Action Plan 2024, 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 about our water, climate and biodiversity approach and position can be found at the Water webpage, Biodiversity and land webpage and Climate change webpages. For more information on BHP’s 2030 goals refer to the BHP Annual Report 2024, Operating and Financial Review 6.5 – 2030 goals.
In line with Our Values, 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 are supportive of global efforts to halt and reverse nature loss, 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.
More specifically, our approach to environmental management is based on and influenced by:
- the identification, assessment and management of risks (threats and opportunities, impacts and dependencies) 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 five key drivers of nature loss (changes in land and sea use, direct exploitation of natural resources, pollution, climate change, invasive species), as outlined by the United Nations environment programme (UNEP)
- 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
Our Group-wide approach to environmental management is set out in the Environment Global 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 impacts (direct, indirect and cumulative) and dependencies 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 Framework refer to the BHP Annual Report 2024, Operating and Financial Review 8 – How we manage risk and Sustainability-related Risk Management webpage.
Our primary approach to preventing or minimising our potential adverse environmental impacts within our operational footprint is to apply the mitigation hierarchy (avoid, minimise, rehabilitation and/or apply compensatory actions). This approach allows us to, if necessary, minimise and rehabilitate any unavoidable impacts. At every stage in the life cycle, our operated assets are required to put in place controls and plans that reflect the mitigation hierarchy, as detailed in the Environment Global Standard, to manage environmental impacts in line with our defined Risk Appetite Statement. This includes the application of our frameworks, policies and processes, including governance, assurance and risk management.
Steps one and two of the mitigation hierarchy – avoid and minimise – seek to prevent or minimise adverse impacts. Steps three and four – rehabilitation and compensate – seek to reduce residual impacts that cannot be avoided or minimised within target. If required after application of the first three stages of the mitigation hierarchy, compensatory actions or biodiversity offsets will be identified and implemented by seeking conservation gains of the same value to achieve no-net-loss of biodiversity overall. For example, in our Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) asset, environmental approval documentation for the Western Ridge area included a mining exclusion zone around critical Ghost Bat roosting habitat to avoid direct impacts.
In addition, we use our Environmental Management System (EMS), to implement our approach to environmental management, as well as drive continuous improvement in our environmental performance.
The Environment Global Standard mandates the use of an EMS that aligns with the global environmental management framework ISO 14001.
Beyond our BHP footprint, we commit to making voluntary contributions in support of environmental resilience across the regions where we operate through social investment, on-ground action and thought-leadership.
Our Healthy Environment Goal
We have set and are now focusing on the steps required to achieve our 2030 Healthy environment goal that are designed as part of our contribution towards the global efforts to reduce and/or reverse nature loss.
Our 2030 Healthy environment goal, announced in 2022, is to create nature-positive2 outcomes by having at least 30 per cent of the land and water we steward3 under conservation, restoration or regenerative practices by the end of FY2030. Our focus is on areas of highest ecosystem value, both within and outside our own operational footprint, in partnership with Indigenous peoples and local communities.
Our 2030 Healthy environment goal was developed in anticipation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. We focus our activities in support of achieving this goal on the large areas of non-operational land we steward, as this land offers the greatest opportunity for us to apply conservation, restoration or regenerative practices at a larger scale. Our Healthy environment goal and the mitigation hierarchy are considered as part of the factors we use to inform management approaches for our operational and non-operational areas.
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 account9
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 assets4 in Minerals Australia and Minerals Americas, and to publish context-based water targets (CBWTs). These short-term milestones were completed, and more information can be found at our Biodiversity and land webpage and our Shared water challenges webpage respectively.
To meet the FY2024 short-term milestone for the Healthy environment pillar of our social value scorecard, we have developed a Group-level framework for nature-positive plans to achieve the 2030 Healthy environment goal (BHP Healthy environment goal roadmap).5 We intend to assess the potential opportunities identified in the BHP Healthy environment goal roadmap to inform business decisions designed to enable BHP to progress towards our 2030 Healthy environment goal.
The BHP Healthy environment goal roadmap was developed using a targeted version of the TNFD’s LEAP approach as outlined below:
- Locate your interface with nature: We utilise our FY2023 Healthy environment goal milestone to complete important biodiversity and ecosystems (IBE) baseline mapping for all land and water areas.3
- Evaluate your dependencies and impacts on nature: We include a qualitative listing of nature-related impacts and dependencies.
- Assess your nature-related risks and opportunities: For each threat or opportunity, a high-level materiality assessment was completed. Materiality was assessed according to our mandatory minimum performance requirements for risk management, which specify impact ranges for determining materiality in the context of risk event severity, including severity of nature-related risks. Opportunities were prioritised based on the extent to which ecological value can be conserved, regenerated, or restored in non-operational land areas.
- Prepare to respond to, and report on, material nature-related issues: We plan to collect data within a nature metrics framework that will enable our current and future nature-related disclosures. The framework has been developed using the broad structure of the CSIRO Natural Capital Handbook, to give a holistic coverage of nature-related issues, with more specific guidance on each issue with reference to the requirements of evolving global nature-related frameworks.
As at 30 June 2024, we had 83,012 hectares or 1.62 per cent6 of the land and water that we steward3,8 under nature-positive management practices4 compared to 79,718 hectares or 1.56 per cent at the end of FY20237. The FY2024 area under nature-positive management practices4 has increased by 3,295 hectares (or 4.13 per cent) since FY2023.
The increase in area under nature-positive management practices in FY2024 compared to FY2023 is due to: the inclusion of areas under nature-positive management practices at the former OZ Minerals operation Carrapateena and the West Musgrave project, not included in our FY2023 reporting; an additional regulatory conservation area at one of BMA’s assets in FY2024; and BMA’s divestment of the Blackwater and Daunia mines8, resulting in these areas, including some areas reported in FY2023 as under nature-positive management practices4, being excluded from the land and water we steward3.
The calculation for the area under nature-positive management practice includes areas under regulatory and voluntary conservation and restoration, and regenerative agriculture. A breakdown of this can be found in the BHP ESG Standards and Databook 2024. We plan to continue to assess, validate and disclose material information regarding the Healthy environment goal calculation methodology, in consideration of evolving external frameworks and stakeholder expectations.
Specific examples of activities that contribute to our reported FY2024 areas under nature-positive management practices include:
- Voluntary conservation: approximately 11,936 hectare, predator-proof fenced Arid Recovery reserve is located adjacent to our Olympic Dam operation. Surrounded by BHP-owned pastoral lands, Arid Recovery’s vision is ‘to return species from threatened to thriving in the arid zone’. This is done through applied research, on ground conservation and management, and outreach activities. Arid Recovery is supported by a range of partners in a range of different ways. BHP has supported Arid Recovery since its inception in 1997 (initially as Western Mining Corporation, then as BHP since 2005). Under the current partnership agreement, BHP contributes approximately two-thirds (63 per cent) of Arid Recovery’s income annually.
- Regulatory conservation: In February 2024, BHP relinquished 8,431 hectares of our Nickel West Yakabindie pastoral lease for amalgamation into the Wanjarri Nature Reserve (the Reserve). The Reserve is managed under a Joint Management Body with Tjiwarl AC native title holder group and the Western Australia government. This relinquishment was subject to a 2011 Land Swap Agreement, initiated by BHP (prior to Tijwarl determination in 2017) to enable a mining lease to be granted over 758 hectares excised from the Reserve, which has been utilised to support Mount Keith Satellite (Yakabindie) operations since 2019. As part of the Land Swap Agreement, BHP agreed to ensuring the conservation values of the area designated to become part of the Reserve were maintained. BHP fenced and destocked the area and managed it to ensure no physical disturbance, maintaining the conservational value of the land. An important step prior to the land surrender was the establishment of the Tjiwarl Palyakuwa Indigenous Land Use Agreement, between the Western Australia Government and Tjiwarl AC in FY2023, which referenced the expansion of the Wanjarri Nature Reserve.
- Regulatory conservation: In South Australia, approval to clear vegetation is generally contingent upon the proponent providing a management plan that creates a Significant Environmental Benefit (SEB). The primary aim of the SEB is to achieve a net environmental gain, which contributes to improving the biodiversity values of the region, rather than simply off-setting the vegetation clearance. Our Olympic Dam operation manages the approximately 10,960 hectare Gosse Springs and the approximately 38,000 hectare Emerald Springs SEB areas, implementing and reporting on management actions as agreed with the Native Vegetation Council. These include fencing, exclusion of domestic stock, large feral herbivore control, monitoring, feral animal and invasive species control.
The calculation for the area under nature-positive management practices4 includes areas under regulatory conservation, voluntary conservation and restoration, and regenerative agriculture. It includes areas that BHP has stewarded at some point between the date of reporting and the start of FY2023, but has transitioned stewardship to others (e.g. Indigenous peoples, governments). The transition must include a requirement for the area to be managed under nature-positive management practices,4 with the above Wanjarri Nature Reserve transfer being the only example to date.
A breakdown can be found in the BHP ESG Standards and Databook 2024, available at bhp.com/sustainability. We will seek external validation of our methodology in FY2025, in consideration of evolving external frameworks and stakeholder expectations.
For information on work we are undertaking to value, measure and monitor natural capital refer to the Biodiversity and land webpage.
1. Such as relevant United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and international agreements such as the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
2. Nature-positive is defined by the TNFD Glossary version 1.0 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’. We understand it includes land and water management practices that halt and reverse nature loss – that is, supporting healthy, functioning ecosystems. BHP intends to review this definition in FY2025, in light of the recently revised TNFD Glossary version 2.0 (June 2024) definition of nature positive.
3. This excludes areas we hold under greenfield exploration licences (or equivalent tenements), which are 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.
4. Nature-positive management practices refer to an area under stewardship that has a formal management plan that includes conservation, restoration or regenerative practices. For more information refer to the BHP ESG Standards and Databook 2024.
5. The BHP Healthy environment goal roadmap is intended to apply to our operated assets in Australia, Chile and Canada. Due to the acquisition of OZ Minerals and prioritisation of activities based on risks and impacts, Carrapateena, Prominent Hill, West Musgrave and legacy assets are currently out of scope for the roadmap; with the exception of West Musgrave, these assets are planned to be incorporated into the roadmap in FY2025. Incorporation of West Musgrave into the BHP Healthy environment goal roadmap will be reviewed following the decision to temporarily suspend the Western Australia Nickel operations.
6. 1.62 per cent is calculated based on the areas of land and water that we stewarded (excluding areas we hold under greenfield exploration licences (or equivalent tenements) and subject to footnote 7) at 30 June 2024 – which was approximately 5,125,935 hectares; an increase of approximately 18,750 hectares compared to approximately 5,107,185 hectares at 30 June 2023.
7. FY2023 values are a restatement of our previously reported 1.3 per cent and 82,132 hectares. The restatement from 82,132 to 79,718 hectares under nature-positive management practices for FY2023 is due to a change in our methodology and associated definitions; with FY2023 values being reported based on GRI Biodiversity 2016 304-3 definitions. The restatement from 1.3 per cent to 1.6 per cent area under nature-positive management practices3 is primarily due to approximately 1.5 million hectares of greenfield exploration licences, which are located outside the area of influence of our existing mine operations, being incorrectly assigned to the ‘the land and water we steward’2 component of the Healthy environment goal calculation in FY2023.
8. While some of the land related to the Daunia and Blackwater mines is pending transfer following BMA’s divestment of these mines on 2 April 2024, these areas are no longer under BMA’s control or operated for BMA’s benefit so have been excluded from the areas of land and water we stewarded at 30 June 2024.
9. 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.
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Governance and oversight
For information on the role of the BHP Board in overseeing our approach to and delivery on sustainability refer to the Sustainability approach webpage.
We have a range of core business processes, requirements and guidance materials that apply to our management of the environment at Group and operated asset- levels. These include:
- our corporate planning, scenario, strategy and investment evaluation processes
- standards, such as the mandatory minimum performance requirements, including those on risk management, environment and climate change, closure, water, data, human rights, community and stakeholder engagement
- target and goal setting, for example our 2030 goals
- water accounting
- technical standards
- audit and assurance
Existing process Application to environment BHP Board and Committees
The BHP Board has oversight of our approach to and delivery on sustainability and is supported by each of its Committees. For more information refer to the Sustainability approach webpage.
Planning
BHP has a corporate alignment planning process in place designed to implement the long-term Group strategy. The corporate alignment planning process guides the development of plans, targets and budgets to deploy capital and resources.
The planning process seeks to deliver an understanding of our projected production levels, land clearing, water requirements and emissions/discharges over decades. Risks (threats and opportunities) are required to be identified and assessed against social, environmental and economic considerations. For example, for some operated assets, access to ore is dependent on effective water management. Therefore water is integral to short-term and five-year plans as well as production targets and effective environmental management.
Strategy
BHP assesses how divergent policy, technology, market and societal outcomes could impact our current portfolio. We undertake ongoing monitoring of the macro environment that informs periodic re-assessment of the resilience of our portfolio because we recognise the world could respond in a number of different ways.
We undertake ongoing monitoring of changes to legislation that identifies environmental aspects such as land, water, biodiversity, climate and air quality as a national security interest or national priority ; changes in valuation and cost of those environmental aspects; environment-related legal or regulatory action against companies; and indicators of changes in factors such as ocean health; the nature and extent of water stress, biodiversity loss and land use as water availability, land clearing and populations change.
Investment evaluation
BHP has a Capital Allocation Framework that is designed to maximise shareholder value.
Our current investment evaluation process includes a qualitative assessment of sustainability risks (threats and opportunities), however we have developed and have commenced implementation of a Non-Economic Quantifiable Impact (NEQI) tool that includes the value of environmental and social factors into our investment evaluations. Our Water Stewardship and Biodiversity strategies include an assessment of the adequacy of the NEQI tool.
Tailings storage facilities
We are aligning to the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management across BHP-operated active and inactive tailings storage facilities throughout their life cycle from design to post-closure, which includes consideration of the environmental context of the tailings storage facility.
The tailings storage facility type and location are selected with consideration of the potential impact to people, the environment, infrastructure and community. For more information on tailings storage facility management refer to the Tailings storage facilities webpage.
Global Standards
BHP has a number of Global Standards that outline Group-wide mandatory minimum performance requirements. They are supported by technical standards and guidance documents.
The Environment Global Standard, the Climate Change Global Standard, the Closure and Legacy Management Global Standard and our internal water management standard are key documents that set mandatory minimum performance requirements for environment and water management and outline Group-wide and operational-level requirements.
Risk management
At BHP, management of risk is central to creating long-term value. Our mandatory minimum performance requirements for risk management form part of our Risk Framework and outline BHP’s risk process that includes steps for risk identification, assessment, treatment, monitoring and review, and communication, including specific requirements for material risks. Risks are subject to internal and, in some cases, external evaluation of effectiveness of controls.
Environment and nature-related risks, including biodiversity, land- and water-related risks, are required to be identified, assessed and managed in line with BHP’s Risk Framework, as outlined in the BHP Annual Report 2024, Operating and Financial Review 8 – How we manage risk. BHP uses the ‘three lines model’ to define the role of different teams across the organisation in managing risk, including environment-related risk. This approach sets clear accountabilities for risk management and provides appropriate ‘checks and balances’ to support us in protecting and growing value.
Environmental management
The Environment Global Standard and the Climate Change Global Standard take a risk-based approach to managing a number of our environment and nature-related risks.
Our understanding of environment and nature-related risks is increasing over time. BHP’s risk management processes assist in monitoring and assessing the implementation of approaches such as our Water Stewardship and biodiversity strategies and support the observation of global trends for water availability and biodiversity management. For more information on our biodiversity- and water-related risks, refer to the Biodiversity and land webpage and the Water webpage.
Closure
The Closure and Legacy Management Global Standard requires each operated asset to manage closure risks throughout the entire life cycle by considering social and environmental values, our obligations, safety, costs, risks (threats and opportunities), and the expectations of external stakeholders and partners, including Indigenous peoples.
All operated assets are required to follow the closure management process throughout their entire life cycle. This requires the development of a closure management plan, designed to set objectives and achieve optimised closure outcomes, including those that are biodiversity and water related.
Human rights
The Community and Indigenous Peoples Global Standard requires each operated asset to respect human rights and Indigenous peoples’ rights as set out in BHP's Human Rights Policy Statement and Indigenous Peoples Policy Statement. We aim to identify and manage human rights risk in BHP activities and processes via the integrated Community and Human Rights Impact and Opportunity Assessments (CHRIOA) process and integration with our Risk Framework.
Our Water Stewardship Position Statement recognises water access and sanitation as basic human rights. We require our operated assets to assess potential direct impacts on people, the interrelationship with other human rights, such as Indigenous, spiritual and culture rights, and specific implications for vulnerable and/or marginalised groups. The right to water and sanitation entitles everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic use and the provision of sanitation facilities that offer privacy and dignity. Our operated assets are required to identify and document potential human rights risks by undertaking human rights impact assessments. For more information refer to the BHP Annual Report 2024, Operating and Financial Review 6.11 – Community and the Human rights webpage.
Community, Indigenous peoples and stakeholder engagement
Understanding the needs and concerns of communities, Indigenous peoples and other stakeholders is fundamental to water stewardship and environmental management more broadly. The long-term nature of our operated assets means it is critical we make effective and genuine connections with people that can be sustained over time.
Our Water Stewardship Position Statement and our Group-level biodiversity framework commits us to listening and learning from others to better understand and continuously improve our approach to water stewardship and biodiversity management, and to work with others to make progress towards delivering shared water, land and biodiversity challenges. For information on community and stakeholder engagement practices refer to the BHP Annual Report 2024, Operating and Financial Review 6.11 – Community and 6.12 Indigenous peoples, and our Community webpage.
For more information on water stewardship and biodiversity specific engagement, see the Water webpage and Biodiversity and land webpage.
Climate change adaptation planning
Our long-life operated assets require a robust, risk-based approach to adapting to potential physical climate-related impacts. Effective analysis of regional climate science is critical to inform our resilience planning at an operated asset level and improve our understanding of the climate vulnerabilities our operated assets may face.
We have set mandatory minimum performance requirements in BHP’s Climate Change Global Standard that our operated assets need to address to understand and plan for climate mitigation and adaptation. Many of these relate to risks with respect to water security, water scarcity and biodiversity loss.
For more information on climate change adaptation planning refer to the BHP Annual Report 2024, Operating and Financial Review 6.9 – Climate and the Physical climate-related risk and adaptation webpage.
Audit and assurance
Our Internal Audit team evaluates the design and effectiveness of our processes and management of material risk, including environment-related risks. These results are considered in the development of plans to address improvements where required.
The Internal Audit team periodically undertakes a review of material environment-related risks, including biodiversity- and water-related risk, and performance data to improve our understanding and consistency of approach to environmental management. The outcomes of internal audits are taken into account when updating environmental management systems, the Environment Global Standard and the Climate Change Global Standard, and are also considered by the Board and management when reviewing the Group’s material risk profile.
External third-party assurance providers routinely evaluate our water, land and biodiversity data and processes, to assist us in accurately representing our commitments and actions. Refer to the assurance statement in the BHP Annual Report 2024, Operating and Financial Review.
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EngagementWe recognise BHP can engage across communities, government, business and civil society with the aim of encouraging actions to improve natural resources governance and advance more sustainable solutions for the natural environment. We aim to do this through our individual actions, ongoing stakeholder engagement with local communities (see Local communities webpage), as well as by promoting the adoption of industry best practice through industry and other associations we belong to, such as the International Council on Mining and Metals and the CEO Water Mandate.
We seek to attend or participate in key national and international collaboration forums (such as the 16th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), the first Global Nature Positive Summit, water in mining conferences, and BHP-led roundtables about nature-related issues and ESG investor briefings), as well as developing or continuing partnerships with NGOs and research organisations. -
Disclosure
We monitor and report our Group performance on a range of environmental indicators and metrics in line with external reporting frameworks, such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and the ICMM Performance Expectations.
The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) Recommendations, finalised in September 2023, describe nature as having four major components or realms: land, fresh water, oceans and atmosphere – each of which interact with people and society. At BHP, we are continuing to evolve our sustainability reporting to align with this concept of nature.
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Performance
Water and biodiversity are material topics for BHP, as evaluated by the GRI framework definition and process. For this reason, our specific disclosures on these topics are included on our Water and Biodiversity and land webpages and in the BHP Annual Report 2024, Operating and Financial Review 6.10 – Environment and Nature and our 2024 ESG Standards and Databook.
Air and waste performance information is set out below.
Air emissions
Clean air is crucial for the health of our people, our host communities and the surrounding ecosystems.
The most significant air emissions across our portfolio of operated assets relate to emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and dust. For information on GHG emissions, refer to the Climate change webpage.
We recognise the importance of managing and controlling the dust that mining operations can generate to avoid or minimise potential adverse impacts on air quality, health and the environment. The Environment Global Standard includes the requirement for operated assets that have identified the potential for material air-related impacts on community wellbeing to develop an air quality management plan. The plan must consider a stakeholder engagement strategy, dispersion modelling, targets, objectives and reporting.
We are actively working to enhance air quality management, with a focus on controlling emissions of particulate matter and gases from our operations and associated activities.
Our air quality management programs include evaluations of the risk, monitoring and sampling, and appropriate event management where required. We focus on reducing emissions at source by a range of measures, including air pollution control equipment, product moisture management and implementing mitigation measures.
We have implemented a number of actions to improve dust management at our operated assets. These include:
- At Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO), we announced plans in FY2020 to invest up to A$300 million over five years to improve air quality and reduce dust emissions across our Pilbara operations. Refer to our case study for further information on the progress of the Pilbara air quality program.
- For the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance, we are developing an air quality framework for all operated mines, focusing on improving real-time air quality monitoring and dust management controls to contribute to proactive site operational measures.
- In Chile, we are implementing an air quality strategy for all our operated mines, focusing on real-time air quality and health exposure monitoring, dust management control improvements, modelling and forecasting of air quality conditions and dust analytics.
Waste management
Resource extraction and processing can generate large amounts of waste depending on the mineral geology, mining or extraction method and extent of processing applied to produce our products to the specifications our customers require. We are committed to continually improving our practices to minimise waste generation, increase recycling and repurposing of materials, and prevent pollution through proper disposal.
We broadly define waste from resource extraction into two main categories: mineral and non-mineral waste. These are further split into hazardous and non-hazardous streams, which are usually defined by local legislation.
Mineral waste includes waste from raw or intermediate materials, such as mineral ore that has been processed as part of the production sequence. We process some of our ores to increase the concentration of target minerals or remove unwanted components using processes, such as beneficiation, refining and smelting. These processes generate mineral waste streams, such as tailings, waste rock, slimes, sludge, residues, slag, fly ash and gypsum or coal rejects.
Non-mineral waste includes waste that does not arise from minerals extraction and processing, but arises from our overall activities, such as packaging, lubricants, scrap metal and food waste from mining camps.
Mineral waste, including tailings, is the waste stream we focus on in our ESG Standards and Databook given it is the most significant waste for us in terms of the volume we generate. We also monitor and report hazardous waste streams (mineral and non-mineral), as required by local or national legislation.
While we focus on waste-related impacts related to our operations, we also recognise the potential downstream impacts of some of our products, for example uranium. Australian uranium is sold for nuclear power generation only and therefore waste associated with its use is disposed under specific local government regulation.
All waste streams (including waste from BHP operations that is managed by a third party) are required to be managed to the higher of applicable BHP internal global standards, such as the Environment Global Standard and tailings storage facilities standards or the local legislative requirements.
An example of our commitment to continuous improvement in relation to waste management is the Tailings Management Consortium with Rio Tinto which focuses on identifying and developing next-gen tailings dewatering technologies with the aim of delivery at a low cost and large capacity, while providing a safer and smaller tailings storage facility footprints. The recently concluded Tailings Challenge assessed 150 mineral waste/tailings repurposing solutions since 2022 and is planned to progress to site-based piloting at one of our legacy assets in FY2025.
We support and have contributed to the development of the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM), which was established as an international standard for safer tailings management through a process co–convened with the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), United Nations Environmental Programme and the Principles of Responsible Investing. For information on our management of tailings storage facilities, including our GISTM public disclosure document, refer to the Tailings storage facilities webpage.
Risk
Our processes to identify, assess and manage environment-related risks are undertaken in line with BHP’s Risk Framework. For details refer to the BHP Annual Report 2024, Operating and Financial Review 8 – How we manage risk.
For information on water-related risks refer to the Water webpage.
Case studies
Regulatory information
We are committed to high ethical business practices and governance standards.
We provide detailed regulatory information in operational, environmental and community information for our local communities and key government stakeholders.
Sustainability case studies, organisational boundary, definitions and disclaimers, and downloads
Prior year versions of some of the listed documents are available on the Past reports page.- BHP Annual Report 2024 pdf 16192519
- Sustainability reporting organisational boundary, definitions and disclaimers pdf 161998
- BHP ESG Standards and Databook 2024 xlsx 2555913
- BHP Modern Slavery Statement 2024 pdf 4092160
- BHP Climate Transition Action Plan 2024 pdf 8480121
- BHP GHG Emissions Calculation Methodology 2024 pdf 1028031
- CDP 2023 Submission Not Graded pdf 1053064
- Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management – Public Disclosure 2024 pdf 2809793
- Tailings Storage Facility Policy Statement 2023 pdf 73457
- Information for social investment partners pdf 26113
- Case studies