PPC carefully monitors and manages the ecological footprint surrounding its mining areas through its ISO 14001:2004 environmental management system and individual EMPRs.

Approximately 1 330 hectares of land utilised by PPC is classified as sensitive Loerie Fynbos. The Grassridge operation in the Eastern Cape includes 16 000 hectares of Bontveld and at Riebeeck, two hectares are covered by the endangered Cape Rhenosterveld. A further three hectares of Rhenosterveld have been identified at De Hoek, and a conservation programme has been incorporated into the existing ISO 14001:2004 environmental management system.

The rehabilitation process at Loerie includes the management of invasive plant species. Originally, PPC planned to eradicate all invasive plant species from Loerie but this proved an impossible task given the long-term development of the seed bank. Alternative measures were adopted to manage the invasive plants, with affected areas being divided into zones defined by the variety and degree of vegetation encroachment.

There have been seven sightings of Albany Adders at PPC Grassridge Limestone mine to date. The Albany Adder meets all the criteria for inclusion as “Endangered” in the International Red Data List.

PPC has concluded an agreement with a herpetological specialist of the Bayworld Snake Park to conduct formal surveys and research into the preservation of this species. For the first two years all four Albany Adders located at Grassridge were taken to the Bayworld Snake Park in Port Elizabeth. Thereafter all Albany Adders located at Grassridge are translocated to the nearest rehabilitated areas. Sightings of the Albany Adder are now formally recorded and reported. Moreover, PPC runs environmental educational programmes with all operating and contractor personnel on the general identification and preservation of the reptile population.

The endangered Parrot Beak Tortoise is found only in certain areas of the Eastern Cape. To protect the tortoises from being electrocuted by the electric fencing surrounding PPC’s Grassridge plant and workshop, a non-electrified low-rise fence has been erected directly adjacent to the electrified fence. This low-rise fence was constructed 20cm away from the electric fence and 10cm above the ground. This special fence has proved highly effective in keeping the tortoises away from the electric fencing. Road signs have also been erected along the haul roads at Grassridge near Addo, warning motorists to avoid tortoises crossing the roads.

As an additional precaution to avoid the accidental harming of tortoises through its operational activities, PPC collaborates with a team of experts from the Nelson Mandela University to survey the area on foot and to relocate any Parrot Beaked tortoises to undisturbed areas before top soil is stripped over the mining areas.

A herpetological specialist was assigned to educate PPC personnel about the preservation and translocation of the tortoise population in mining areas. Follow-up education is done on a regular basis to all PPC personnel and contractors to ensure the long-term protection of these tortoises.

PPC recognises that ongoing transparent communication with stakeholders is essential for successful business operations. To obtain and retain robust community support, PPC is committed to engaging stakeholders for constructive feedback and to include their considerations in plant operation decisions. Stakeholder involvement and environmental awareness among staff and communities lead to greater trust between all interested and impacted parties.

PPC has established an environmental stakeholder forum at the Jupiter plant to create a platform for open and transparent communication between the company and the community. This forum enables plant personnel to understand and address stakeholder requirements and to jointly ensure sustainable protection of human safety and the environment. The objectives of the stakeholder forum include:

• Creating a platform for discussing environmental initiatives at the plant;
• Building additional capacity within the community to enhance environmental management;
• Disseminating applicable information to stakeholders;
• Establishing and maintaining a database of issues raised and management requirements;
• Managing expectations of communities in a constructive and transparent manner; and
• Strengthening the relationship between Jupiter and the surrounding community.

PPC is in the process of implementing and tailoring the environmental stakeholder forum for all PPC operations.

In June 2007, PPC conducted a stakeholder engagement assessment to identify key environmental stakeholders and their core issues with regards to the company’s operations. The following key environmental stakeholders were identified by PPC’s leadership team:

• Local, regional and national government
• Non-government organisations
• Neighbouring communities
• Cement association
• Employees
• Customers
• Suppliers
• Contractors
• Labour unions
• Investors
• Environmental consultants

PPC will continue to work with the stakeholders to improve environmental management at all operations.

Competence through knowledge and training forms the cornerstone of achieving sound environmental commitment and performance among PPC employees. The company has always strived to be globally competitive. Inherent in this aspiration is the standard of skills passed on to our people that not only renders them highly employable, but enriches their lives and ultimately enables PPC to play a broader role in nation building. To accomplish this, PPC places much emphasis on:

• Including environmental awareness training in induction programmes;
• Performing task-specific competency training based on skills needs analyses; and
• Building environmental management competence at managerial level to ensure that environmental management systems are implemented and measured through effective auditing, monitoring and reporting.

Each person and function within PPC can play a positive role in environmental management, if they are aware of PPC’s operational impacts on the environment. For this reason, PPC encourages all personnel to understand the significant environmental impacts of their work activities. The company also ensures employees are familiar with PPC’s sustainability policy and relevant procedures through the induction process and that they understand key roles and responsibilities associated with PPC’s environmental management system (EMS).

PPC’s environmental training programme is centred on the requirements set out in the company’s ISO 14001 management system and monitoring of training requirements are managed through the system. A critical first step in developing a training programme is to assess the training and skills requirements of personnel. During the year, the programme helped to identify the need for additional environmental specialists at strategic sites to assist in effective environmental management. The company has also developed internal training programmes to refine air pollution control techniques and to increase awareness among staff on newly improved cement technology.

PPC’s ongoing programme to train and develop employees corresponds with the company’s modernisation and expansion objectives. PPC strives to align the education and growth of its people with national and global perspectives on sustainability management and ongoing monitoring of environmental and sustainability issues impacting the company’s stakeholders – particularly the environment.