Approach

Our business strategy is about growth and expansion in a responsible and sustainable manner. It requires us to deliver financial returns and address sustainability issues.

Delivering financial returns means increasing the demand for diamonds, finding new supplies of diamonds, and enhancing our value-added services including sorting and sales.

Addressing sustainability issues means enhancing our relationship with host and partner governments, building consumer confidence in diamonds, and ensuring our activities contribute positively to the livelihoods of both present and future generations.

Our understanding of sustainability is shaped by the societal imperatives of the countries where we work. This includes the vision of an ever more prosperous Africa. 

Detailed accounts of our management systems and performance in these areas are presented in the Operating and Financial Review 2007 and in our Report to Society 2007.

The financial review provides insight into our operational performance, future production opportunities and organisational change.

The report to society addresses sustainability issues relevant and material to our key stakeholders in the area of economics, ethics, employees, communities and environment.

It includes information from owned and managed business as well as our joint venture partnerships with government such as Debswana and Namdeb.

Together these reports detail our contribution to national development goals and sustainable development in the different countries in which we operate.

They account for how we are “living up to diamonds”.  

Economics

Payments to partners, joint ventures and suppliers amounted to US $ 4.8 billion (2007: US $4.9 billion).  

About US$3.2 billion of this was paid for diamonds and services in Africa (2007: US$3.6 billion).

See our approach to economics >

Ethics

All diamonds sold by De Beers are 100% conflict free. Compliance with the Kimberley Process and system of warranties for 2008 was verified by the Government Diamond Office of the United Kingdom and Societe Generale de Surveillance. 

In May 2008, the Federal District Court in New Jersey issued its written opinion approving the settlement of class actions in the United States involving De Beers.

See our approach to ethics >

Employees

Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) increased to 0.19 (2007: 0.18).

Women constitute about 21.8% of our permanent workforce and 20.2% of management roles, and have been fully integrated into technical positions.  Kimberley mine appointed our first female operations manager in DBCM’s 120-year history. 

See our approach to employees >

Communities

We launched our newly developed Social Impact Assessment Guidelines, which build on work carried out by the International Council Mining and Metals and the principles endorsed by the International Association for the Impact Assessment. 

The Family of Companies disturbed a total of US $10.1 million in social investment projects in Africa (2007 US $15.1 million)

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Environment

In 2008, we used 37.2 million m3 of new (potable and non-portable) water at our mining operations (2007: 41.4 million m³).  Our use of reused-recycled water increased to 28.1 million m³ (2007: 20.9 million m³).     

Energy consumption fell slightly to 14.58 million GJ (2007: 14:87 GJ).  This was due to efficiencies (specifically a 4% energy efficiency saving at De Beers Consolidated Mines) as well as energy consumption changes due to the sale, production halting and opening of new mines during the year. 

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