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The De Beers Group of Companies’ total rough diamond sales for local beneficiation purposes increased 11 per cent to US$1.56 billion in 2014, according to the company’s 2014 Report to Society, which is published today.

De Beers’ approach to beneficiation means that a proportion of the diamonds mined by the company and its partners is sold for processing to customers in its producer countries. In doing so, more of the value of the diamonds remains in-country, thereby supporting the growth of local cutting, polishing and jewellery manufacturing industries.

The Report to Society also revealed that:

• Safety performance saw a 10 per cent improvement, which was achieved without any loss of life, leading to a reduction of the lost-time injury frequency rate from 0.19 per cent in 2013 to 0.17 per cent in 2014
• The number of people covered by the Best Practice Principles (BPPs), the company’s ethical, social and environmental assurance programme, increased by 10,000 and brings the total number of those covered to around 370,000 across the diamond value chain
• De Beers owns and manages over 195,000 hectares of land set aside for biodiversity conservation. This equates to around seven hectares of land for every hectare affected by mining.

Philippe Mellier, Chief Executive, De Beers Group, said: “2014 was a year of strong financial and operating performance for De Beers. But while I was encouraged by what we achieved, I was more encouraged by how we achieved it.

“Our investment in increasing standards in the diamond industry has clearly had a positive impact, and investment more generally is fundamental to the growth of our company and to the continued prosperity of our partners.”

-Ends-

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Report to Society can be downloaded here.

Printed copies of the report can be requested from: [email protected].

In April, De Beers launched the ‘Building Forever’ hub, an online platform that showcases sustainability performance through case studies, interviews, films, social media and an interactive data centre. Visit the hub here.

CONTACT

De Beers Group Press Office
Tel: +44 20 7430 3434
Email: [email protected]

ABOUT THE DE BEERS GROUP OF COMPANIES

De Beers is a member of the Anglo American group. Established in 1888, De Beers is the world’s leading diamond company with unrivalled expertise in the exploration, mining and marketing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers employs more than 20,000 people (directly and as contractors) across the diamond pipeline, and is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. As part of the company’s operating philosophy, the people of De Beers are committed to Living up to Diamonds by making a lasting contribution to the communities in which they live and work, and transforming natural resources into shared national wealth. For further information about De Beers, visit www.debeersgroup.com.