While absolute results remain low overall, Glencore is above average in all six thematic areas and shows one of the six stronger results in Community Wellbeing and Working Conditions. In the company-wide assessment, Glencore’s results stem partly from the formal commitments it has made: to prevent bribery and corruption, to respect human rights, to ensure safe and healthy working conditions, and to not mine or explore in World Heritage Sites and to respect other protected areas. The company’s results also rely somewhat on its disclosures, including on the payments it makes to sub-national and national governments based on the Canadian and UK regulations on this issue, and on the location and safety of its tailings storage facilities.

Glencore shows one of the relatively stronger results on the issue of human rights due diligence, as well as the human rights-related education and training of security providers. The company shows signs of continuous improvement efforts since the RMI Report 2020, including for example a revised Human Rights Policy that commits to respecting and protecting the rights of human rights defenders and an updated Modern Slavery Statement that includes detailed information on the human rights due diligence conducted on its suppliers and contractors.

Glencore is associated with several leading practices related to the safety of its tailings storage facilities (TSFs), including a satellite monitoring program for more than half of its TSFs and an online capacity-building program on the design, construction, operation, monitoring and maintenance of TSFs.

Glencore’s overall results are limited by a lack of evidence of action on a number of issues, such as disclosing the legal titles granting it the right to mine and assessing and addressing ESG risks associated with mergers, acquisitions and disposals. The company also shows a lack of evidence of systematic action on identifying and addressing how climate change can exacerbate the impacts of its operations on its workforce, affected communities, and the environment.

In the mine-site assessment, Glencore ranks 2nd among the 40 companies on its mine-site-level results, though with an average score of only 20%. The company also demonstrates a high level of variance in the results achieved by its seven assessed mine sites. While one of its mine sites shows the stronger result among the 250 sites assessed (with a score of 41%), the other six mine sites assessed show much weaker results. Two of these mine sites show no relevant evidence on twelve of the fifteen issues: local employment, local procurement, air quality, water quality, post-closure, safety of communities, community grievances, worker safety, women workers, workplace deaths and injuries, worker training, and living wage.