External Affairs

Thousands of people around the world rely on Borax for good products and good jobs that contribute to an acceptable standard of living. Borax is equally dependent on maintaining good relationships to ensure a positive environment for borate mining, refining, production and use.

Since launching its Sustainable Development program in 2000, Borax has twice surveyed more than 4,000 stakeholders to better understand their perceptions, interests and values. The company also conducted in-depth assessments with communities surrounding its mine sites to foster better collaboration in both identifying problems and solving them. Survey and assessment findings are posted on www.borax.com in the library section. A similar assessment was planned at Borax Français for 2004, but not
accomplished. This target was set at the corporate level and

Borax has since concluded that it is more appropriate for consultation methods to be developed at the local level.

Borax invited customers and distributors, government and NGO representatives, and Rio Tinto and Borax employees from five continents to participate in a Stakeholder Engagement Forum in 2004. The company also convened employees from each of its global operations for a half-day Sustainable Development Workshop. Feedback from both of these groups was used to confirm or improve Borax's framework, indicators, targets and reporting methods.

Borax also bases its community contributions – which total one percent of pre-tax profits in cash, time and in-kind contributions – on principles of sustainable development. Click here to review Borax's Guidelines for Sustainable Partnerships.