Governance and Responsibility

The underlying philosophy of the group’s environmental policy is the adoption of protective strategies to manage and control the impact of KAP’s operations upon the environment, at the same time as safeguarding its extensive assets and human resources.

Environmental, health and safety responsibility

All facilities aim to be eco-efficient (in terms of the efficient use of energy, water and materials) and to minimise potentially harmful emissions to the environment. Energy and water conservation measures are in evidence at all facilities, normally as part of on-site environmental management systems (EMS). In terms of air and waste–water emissions and solid waste disposal, all facilities comply in full with applicable environmental legislation. A number of sites in the group have achieved the internationally recognised ISO 14001 environmental management system (EMS) standard.

With the health and safety of all workers being of paramount importance, all sites operate occupational health and safety committees that meet regularly and members of these committees receive appropriate accredited training covering key risk areas. Procedures are maintained to prevent incidents and risk audits of all sites are completed annually by external professionals to identify and remove weaknesses in our health and safety management systems.

Divisional highlights include:

  • Hosaf Recycling receives up to 6 000 tons per annum of PET plastic bottles for recycling from consumers. At a conservative estimate, this initiative has created over 300 informal jobs among the collectors of these bottles, and has contributed significantly to the reduction of landfill space and visual pollution in the Gauteng area.
  • At the Mossop facility in the Western Cape, all unused evaporation ponds have been rehabilitated in full in compliance with the National Water Act and as confirmed by the South African Department of Water Affairs. Glodina was one of the first companies in South Africa to be awarded simultaneous ISO14001 and OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System) certification and has retained this accreditation, along with its five-star National Occupational Safety (NOSA) rating.
  • During 2005, both Bull Brand feedlots (Taaiboschbult near Potchefstroom and Hurland near Magaliesburg) achieved ISO 14001:2004 certification.
  • Jordan has maintained a culture of compliance with the very strict international environmental standards of the Fair Labour Organisation, which has served to raise the bar above legislative requirement in terms of environmental issues, employee safety, security and employment policies.

Looking forward, KAP has initiated a group-wide programme of looking more closely at material environmental, health and safety KPI’s, to setting performance objectives and targets, and to reporting on performance against these in future reports.