Social Performance

Considering the potential of mining to transform territories, communities and the entire planet, enabling solutions that transform people's lives for the better and contributing to the evolution of society, Vale has defined its social ambition and, therefore, has been moving towards being a partner company in the development of autonomous communities, engaged in issues relevant to humanity and committed to sustainable mining.

However, we know that our projects can generate negative impacts on society and the environment. Seeking to prevent all these risks and mitigate impacts, Vale has a set of norms, guidelines and processes that guide its Social Performance and establishes the way it relates to people, the community and society in general, guided by the following principles:

Transparency

Act with transparency and ethics, respecting the human rights of employees, third parties and communities while always upholding to Vale’s corporate values.

Active Listening

Provide listening channels and implement a process for interactions management, aligned with Vale’s Listening and Response Mechanism.

Social Participation

Strengthen and implement participatory processes, in which the company’s positive legacy for the territories involved is derived from previous agreements with stakeholders and duly appropriated by the communities.

Engagement

Promote engagement with stakeholders, sharing responsibilities among communities, public authorities, civil society organizations and private sector, reinforcing the role of each one based on the territory’s needs.

Improve Social Development

Support initiatives for economic diversification and the strengthening of institutions and communities, in a manner which contributes to their development and resilience processes.

Diversity and Inclusion

Properly engage vulnerable groups (taking adverse socioeconomic conditions, gender, ethnicity, age, physical disability and others) when identified as stakeholders, in initiatives/ projects developed by the company.

Respect the social, economic, cultural, environmental, political, and organizational diversity of territories, valuing the knowledge and capabilities of local communities in building solutions jointly with the company.

Adherence to International Agreements

Act with adherence to the ICMM’s Principles;

Act with adherence to the UN’s Guiding Principles for Businesses and Human Rights;Act with adherence to the Sustainable Development Goals, their targets and indicators.

Operational Responsibility

Identify, recognize, and analyze, in a participatory manner, the risks involved and any impacts there may be on the communities, resulting from company’s activities, products or services, ensuring risks management and the elimination, mitigation, compensation and remedying of negative impacts.

Social Performance Model

The Social Performance Model that ensures the application of these principles at Vale and the necessary movement towards our Social Ambition. It directs our actions in the territories, throughout the life cycle of the projects, as follows:

Respect for Human Rights is a non-negotiable condition, each employee or contractor must be attentive to avoid any type of violation. Respect for Human Rights is the root, it is what makes the model of social action strong and consistent, extending to other activities of the company.

Relationships with communities and other stakeholders are the means by which we build respect and trust. It is through engagement with people, groups and institutions that we manage the effects of risks and impacts; we share our practices; and we learn how to be a better company every day, becoming a partner company in the development of territories.

Finally, the social action model is based on the engagement of the entire company to reduce the exposure of communities to risks and mitigate the impacts of our activities.

To carry out the dialogue between the company and the communities, Vale has specialized teams that are Community Relations professionals.