Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: South32 has a high level of engagement with climate policy and is supportive of climate action in its top-line messaging. The company’s recent transparent engagement on climate-related regulations appears to be largely limited to its top-line support for Australia’s Safeguard Mechanism reforms. South32 displays a mix of positive and negative positions on the energy transition, supporting an increased role for renewables while also appearing to advocate a prolonged role for fossil gas.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: South32’s top-line messaging on climate policy is positive. The company repeatedly supported ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reductions in line the 1.5°C target, for example in the October 2024 Chair Address at the 2024 Annual General Meeting. In the same Chair Address, South32 also displayed support for “appropriate policy settings and commitments” as part of a just transition. In addition, the company backs the goals of the Paris Agreement, as seen in its Sustainable Development Report 2024, published August 2024.
Engagement with Climate-Related Policy: South32 displays limited recent transparent engagement with climate-related regulations. The company appeared to express its general support for Australia’s Safeguard Mechanism (SGM) reform in its 2023 Sustainable Development Report, published September 2023, and appeared to reiterate this position in a December 2023 Australia’s Mining Monthly article. South32 also disclosed its support for the introduction of a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) in the United Kingdom in its Sustainable Development Report 2024. However, as reported in an August 2024 Australian Financial Review article, CEO Graham Kerr appeared unsupportive of proposals by the Western Australia Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to impose stricter emissions limits on resource projects in the State, stating that the EPA are “looking to create thresholds that are well in excess” of the those under the SGM.
Positioning on Energy Transition: South32 displays a mix of positive and negative positions on the energy transition, appearing to support the transition to a low-carbon economy while also advocating a prolonged role for fossil gas in the energy mix. In a December 2023 article in The Australian, CEO Graham Kerr called on the Australian governments to increase investment in electricity transmission and storage infrastructure to facilitate greater penetration of renewable energy in the grid as well as investment in the fast-tracking of new technologies that can address emissions in hard-to-abate sectors. In addition, in its Sustainable Development Report 2024, South32 appeared to speak out against coal advocacy by its industry associations and against fossil gas advocacy where a transitional role for gas in the energy transition is not recognized.
However, in an August 2023 consultation submission on Western Australia’s Domestic Gas Policy, South32 supported the transition away from coal in a way that appears to promote gas over other zero carbon options, emphasizing that the supply of fossil gas is critical to the transition towards a low carbon economy in Western Australia. The company further stressed the need for new gas developments in the absence of an unprecedented scale-up of renewables in a supplementary December 2023 submission on the same consultation.
Industry Association Governance: South32 has disclosed a review of its alignment with its industry associations on its corporate website. In its review, the company found material misalignment between its positions on climate and the climate-related advocacy of two of its associations: the Colombian Mining Association (ACM) and National Mining Association. In addition, the company found partial misalignment with the NSW Minerals Council (NSWMC) and Queensland Resources Council (QRC) due to the associations’ advocacy on thermal coal. South32 ceased to be a member of the NSWMC but retains membership to several industry associations that advocate a continued role for coal and fossil gas in the energy mix, including the QRC and Minerals Council of Australia.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q2 2025.