Absolute results are low overall and Vedanta’s results are largely dependent on the formal commitments it has made, including on preventing bribery and corruption, respecting human rights, ensuring safe and healthy working conditions, and managing its environmental impacts.

The company shows evidence of improvement since the RMI Report 2020, including the introduction of a company-wide technical standard outlining collaboration with its workforce and with affected communities on managing site closure, as well as an Indigenous Peoples Vulnerable Tribal Groups Technical Standard designed to ensure its operations develop plans to respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Vedanta shows relatively stronger results on several issues including for example the disclosure of information on fatalities and serious injuries and safety incidents.

Vedanta is associated with a leading practice on having developed a management standard for acquisitions, Joint Ventures and disposals that integrates ESG considerations into decision-making.

Vedanta’s results are above the average in all six thematic areas, reflecting its establishment of formalised commitments and company-wide systems on a range of issues. For example, the company has a system in place designed to ensure its operations identify and mitigate potential impacts of involuntary displacement of project-affected people. The company’s results also stem in part from its public disclosure of information on the location and safety of its tailings storage facilities and evidence that it tracks its performance on addressing potential risks related to those facilities. On the other hand, the company’s overall results are limited by a lack of evidence on issues such as collaborating with sub-national governments on socio-economic development planning or disclosing the legal titles granting it the right to mine.

Vedanta ranks 24th among the 40 companies on its mine-site-level results, with an average score of only 6% in the mine-site assessment. Moreover, none of the seven Vedanta mine sites assessed show any relevant evidence on eight of the fifteen issues covered in the mine-site assessment: local procurement, safety of communities, community grievances, safety and health of workers, women workers, workplace deaths and injuries, worker training, and living wage.