Action

The Sasol Sustainable Development report for 2000 to 2002 was launched in March 2003. The following highlights of the report:

Our vision and values reflect our commitment towards the highest levels of ethics, fairness and transparency. Significant progress was made in integrating sustainable development practices into business activities and improving our overall performance. We launched a revised Safety, Health and Environmental (SH&E) policy and committed ourselves to achieving an ambitious set of performance targets. Responding on the South African King II Code on Corporate Governance, we developed and used a comprehensive SH&E Corporate Governance Audit Protocol.

We continued to support initiatives within our communities through our corporate social investment programmes by committing more than R150 million to a number of initiatives to improve the quality of life through focussing on education, training, job creation, economic empowerment, health, welfare, arts, culture, and environmental conservation. These programmes support the human rights principles of the Global Compact with regards to our communities.

Despite continuing efforts to ensure a safe, productive and equitable workplace, we regret that 17 persons were fatally injured during the two year reporting period. This overshadows general safety performance improvements, measured by means of the Recordable Case Rate (RCR).

In South Africa, important steps were taken in addressing the HIV/Aids challenge amongst the workforce. A number of initiatives were implemented to achieve Employment Equity and Black Economic Empowerment targets, providing economic empowerment to previously disadvantaged or marginalized individuals. These initiatives support the labour related principles of the Global Compact.

In terms of reducing potential impacts associated with our products, we were the first company in South Africa to successfully launch unleaded petrol (Sasol DuelFuelTM) and low sulphur diesel (Sasol TurboDieselTM). These products are likely to make a significant contribution to improved air quality in South Africa, and support the precautionary approach to environmental challenges of the Global Compact.

Results

As a global group with diversified fuel, mining and chemical manufacturing operations, sustainable development presents significant challenges, some of a global nature and others pertinent to our South African operations, which include:

*Achieving a zero-fatality rate;
*Ensuring excellent corporate governance in SH&E and sustainable development and reporting in accordance with the GRI Guidelines;
*Managing and mitigating risks and liabilities associated with our business;
*Focusing on achieving SH&E targets by 2005/6:
-Achieving an annual average RCR of not more than 0.5, or at least a 50% reduction in the division?s 2000/1 baseline;
-Reducing the number of significant process safety incidents by at least 50% on the division?s 2000/1 baseline; and
-Achieving at least a 90% overall ?Practice in Place? of the Management Codes of Responsible Care;
*Strengthening our ties with communities and authorities, and implementing a structured system for stakeholder engagement;
*Managing and reducing our greenhouse gas contribution, odours and emission of volatile organic compounds to the atmosphere; and
*Continuing efforts to reduce water and energy consumption, and to improve water effluent quality.