Gold Fields ranked as global leader in water stewardship

Gold Fields (JSE, NYSE: GFI) has been recognised for leadership in water stewardship and reporting transparency by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) NGO.

The CDP placed Gold Fields on its ‘A List’ for tackling water security, one of 106 high-performing companies out of 5,800-plus that were scored. “Through significant demonstrable action to protect water resources, Gold Fields is leading in corporate environmental action,” the CDP says. The award also recognises the company’s commitment to transparent reporting on its water performance.

This is the first time Gold Fields has achieved an A ranking. It’s ranking in previous years ranged from B to A-.

CDP’s annual environmental disclosure is driven by 515 investors with over US$106-trillion in assets, who have asked companies to disclose data on environmental impacts, risks and opportunities through CDP’s platform.

Gold Fields CEO Nick Holland commented: “Not only is water a significant input for our mines, it also has a marked impact on the environment around us. Three of the countries in which we operate are classified as water-stressed. Managing water responsibly is therefore critical and our inclusion on the CDP A-List shows that we are on the right track.”

During 2020, Gold Fields finalised the development and implementation of a group water strategy and has, to date, achieved its targets to manage water usage effectively. These are recycling/reusing 70% of all the water we utilise in our processes and reducing fresh water intake by 3% – 5% a year until 2023.

Paul Simpson, CEO of CDP, said: “Taking the lead on environmental transparency and action is one of the most important steps businesses can make, and is even more impressive in this challenging year marked by Covid-19. The scale of the risk to businesses from climate change, deforestation and water insecurity is enormous… Our A-List celebrates those companies who are preparing themselves to excel in the economy of the future by taking action today.”

The full list of companies that made this year’s CDP A-List is available here: https://www.cdp.net/en/companies/companies-scores.