While absolute results remain low overall, Banpu shows one of the stronger results on two issues: (1) having a corporate system for conducting and disclosing regular assessments of its environmental impacts through an integrated approach that considers the linkages between socio-economic and environmental impacts; and (2) having a system designed to ensure its operations actively respect the rights of workers to organise, collective bargaining and freedom of association.

Notably however, Banpu is among the six companies with the weakest results in the mine-site assessment, with its average mine-site-level score of 0%.

In Environmental Responsibility, Banpu has recently strengthened its formal commitment to manage its environmental impacts, by integrating the mitigation hierarchy approach.

Banpu is associated with a leading practice on tracking and disclosing stakeholder satisfaction on community projects at some of its mine sites.

On the other hand, Banpu’s results are below the average across all 38 companies in two thematic areas: Economic Development and Business Conduct and the company’s overall results are limited by a lack of evidence on a number of issues. For example, the company still shows little evidence of systematic measures to implement its human rights policy, although it is noted that plans are underway to fill this gap. The company also shows little evidence of a systematic approach to supporting procurement from local suppliers in producing countries.

Moreover, the overall results of the four Banpu mine sites assessed in the mine-site assessment are strikingly weak. None of the four mine sites show any relevant evidence for any of the ten issues assessed: local employment, local procurement, post-closure planning, community grievances, worker grievances, air quality, water quality and quantity, tailings management and emergency preparedness.