Code signatories' commitments and obligations

Adopting the code represents a corporate commitment to responsible environmental management of all the signatory's activities and sites. A signatory should use all reasonable endeavours to have the Code adopted by operations in which it holds a non-controlling interest.

Key obligations of signatories to the Code include:

developing and implementing comprehensive environmental management systems;
committing to continual improvement, while recognising that environmental management technology and community standards change;
identifying stakeholders and providing them with information on proposals and operations;
applying risk management techniques in planning and selecting options for operations and activities;
requiring contractors to comply with company environmental policies and practices whenever they operate on the company's behalf or on company sites;
prepare publicly available annual environmental reports that demonstrate performance against Code principles and indicators;
committing to evaluation of Code conformance at least every three years by qualified externally accredited internal auditors or by appointed external auditors.

All signatories will take reasonable steps to implement the Code. A signatory conforms with the Code once it has systems and processes in place to implement Code principles.