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Sustainability
Environmental
Stakeholder Management
Stakeholder Committees
In 2007 the PPC Jupiter factory instituted an environmental stakeholder forum as a platform to improve stakeholder communication. The forum selected a management committee, which included staff from PPC and members from the community, nearby industries and the government.
The management committee is responsible for responding to the needs of its members and updating the forum's terms of reference. This initiative was successfully extended to the Hercules, Port Elizabeth, Lime Acres and Slurry operations.
The De Hoek, Riebeeck, Dwaalboom and aggregate mines will formalise their environmental stakeholder forums in 2009. All PPC sites continuously updates the Stakeholder Issues as per the Table...
Table: Issues raised by stakeholders
| Stakeholder | Priority | PPC Response |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental stakeholder forums |
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| Department of Water and Environmental Affairs |
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| Department of Mineral Resources |
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| Non-governmental organisation (NGO) |
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| Communities |
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| Employees |
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| Environmental organisations/ consultants |
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| Investors/shareholders/banks |
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| West Coast District Municipality and Department of Water and Environmental Affairs and Development Planning |
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To understand which issues PPC stakeholders would like to read about in the environmental section of the annual report, we developed a survey questionnaire that was circulated to all members of the various stakeholder forums, authorities, NGOs, employees, academics and environmental organisations and consultants. A total of ten completed questionnaires were returned to us (of 100 distributed). The outcomes of the survey have been included in the table above. In terms of PPC's management of environmental issues, most responses stated that PPC rated 'good' (from a choice of poor, good and excellent). Some 50% of surveys returned, however, stated that respondents believed PPC's waste management was excellent. This survey will be repeated annually.
To effectively manage stakeholder issues, PPC has developed an environmental stakeholder system. This is a multifaceted database of information on stakeholders and creates a simple way to manage, record and retrieve the stakeholder contact information vital for progress and success in sustainability.
Environmental training and awareness in the community
PPC Slurry celebrated Environmental Day on 5 June with learners from the Slurry Intermediate School. Staff hosted a cleaning campaign in and around the school, while learners planted indigenous trees donated by PPC around their school.
Figure: PPC Slurry Environmental Day
Recognition and awards PPC Hercules received a commendation from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Southern Africa and the USAID/Washington/Bureau for Africa after hosting USAID Mission environmental officers. The organisation was very impressed by the way in which environmental matters were handled at PPC's Pretoria plant.
A certificate of support from the World Wildlife Fund was also presented to PPC. PPC holds a senior corporate membership with the organisation.
Community environmental concerns
Through ongoing monitoring and regular stakeholder forums, PPC stays abreast of environmental concerns raised by communities and is able to respond appropriately. While some environmental issues are clearly longer term (both in their impact and in addressing the root causes), we believe keeping lines of communication openis a vital first step.
PPC Hercules has successfully managed to build trust within the community through detailed discussions at each environmental stakeholder forum. The reasons for spikes in kiln stack emissions are explained and the management team details action plans to sustainably address the incidents. Stakeholders are able to track the plant's commitment to improving kiln stack emissions by being exposed to real-time operational monitoring data.
PPC Port Elizabeth has been in operation since 1927. Significant changes in surrounding land uses have resulted in the community living very close to the plant's borders. This has, over the years, caused friction between the community and the cement operation. PPC Port Elizabeth is now required to operate to the standards of a modern cement plant in a residential area, despite being in an industrial area. This implies that despite meeting all legal environmental requirements, we have to go above and beyond to accommodate our communities.
In response, PPC Port Elizabeth has undertaken a number of initiatives:
- A comprehensive air quality investigation is being undertaken by an independent specialist to guide required changes in air quality management. Feedback on the progress of this project is communicated at the PPC Port Elizabeth environmental stakeholder forum.
- The operation has voluntarily decreased kiln stack emission limits from 200mg/Nm3 to 80mg/Nm3 after the recent upgrade of the electrostatic precipitator. This voluntary limit has been successfully maintained over the last year. There are, however, currently some teething problems with the upgrade, resulting in increased dust emissions and incidents of filter trips. These are being urgently addressed.
- A noise-reduction project was successfully implemented at the tippler area by enclosing the structures.
Health impacts of environmental issues The effect of any substance on human health largely depends on:
- particle characteristics, particularly particle size and chemical composition
- duration, frequency and magnitude of exposure
- route of administration, eg lungs
- susceptibility of the individual. PPC therefore imposes strict emission monitoring requirements and adheres to operating within published guidelines and legal limits.