Who We Are

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (FCX) is a leading international mining company with headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. FCX produces metals that are vital to the world’s economies. We are a global leader in the production of copper, gold and molybdenum and have a long and successful history of conducting our business in a safe, highly efficient and socially responsible manner.

As the world’s largest publicly traded copper company, we provide the metal that wires the world. We produce a number of specialty copper products at our facilities in North America, offering a world of industrial applications vital to infrastructure, transportation, electronics and communications.

We were successful in achieving a significant increase in our mineral reserves, and exploration will continue to drive our future plans. As we seek new metals deposits around the world, we are primarily focused on the proven rich areas near our existing operations.

FCX directly contributes to a sustainable future by providing metals that literally connect the world’s infrastructure. FCX understands the importance of producing these metals in a safe and socially responsible manner. As the earth’s population continues to grow, along with the global standard of living, FCX expects the demand for its metals to similarly increase. As production increases to meet these demands, so will the Company’s efforts to minimize environmental impacts. FCX strives to be a catalyst for sustainability in communities where it operates.

Working at Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold is a leading international mining company with headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. We operate large, long-lived, geographically diverse assets on four continents, with significant proven and probable reserves of copper, gold and molybdenum. 

As a core value, we pledge to continuously improve our commitment to work in the most safe, inclusive, environmentally and socially responsible manner practicable. Safety and health initiatives, both on and off the job, are critically important investments the Company makes in our employees.

At FCX, we strive to provide the best environment possible for a well-trained and diverse workforce.

We understand the importance of having employees who take pride in their work and have a strong sense of engagement in their careers. We know that our overall success as a company relies on the individual contributions of each motivated and talented employee. These behaviors model our core values and align with our organizational initiatives.

Our vision is to hire the right people, with the right skills, in the right jobs at the right time. Our mission is to be a leader in human and organizational development by providing value to the business through scalable, enterprise-wide solutions, programs, processes and tools that attract, develop and retain talented and engaged employees. 

FCX is dedicated to providing our employees with a safe and rewarding work environment and ensuring that our policies, programs and practices are designed to help our employees grow both personally and professionally.

Health and Safety

The safety of our workforce is a core value and we believe that safety and health performance is a leading indicator of a well-managed business. Our objective is zero workplace injuries and occupational illnesses. Central to our commitment to safe production are programs for hazard identification and risk assessment, training, auditing, incident investigation and safety incentives.

Safety is a direct-line management responsibility and is driven from the top down and implemented by a formal structure starting with our Safety and Health Policy. Our Board of Directors requires comprehensive audits to assure that the safety management system is effective, weaknesses are identified, and resources are applied to achieve the Company’s policy objectives. Independent audits are supplemented with ongoing internal safety audits and inspections that focus on specific hazards or on operations performing below safety targets.

Communities

Our social license to operate and grow our operations is directly dependent on community relationships. The Freeport-McMoRan Community Policy requires close collaboration with local stakeholders to minimize and mitigate adverse impacts and cultivate opportunities to maximize positive impacts. Community engagement and consultation is the key to successful two-way communications so that community members have input into our programs, as well as to ensure local understanding of our operations, impacts and mitigation plans. Engagement occurs formally through open houses and regulatory processes, but more frequently, engagement occurs through our community development program representatives in the field.

We conduct studies and assessments to identify potential project-related impacts from the outset and form a framework for developing mitigation plans. For example, we have further developed our Project Development Checklist tool for the prefeasibility stage of new projects and mine expansions, to include an early review of risks and opportunities related to potential community impacts.

For existing operations, we use our Sustainable Development Risk Register process to identify social impacts and opportunities, and each of our active mining sites has developed a five-year plan to address community concerns and facilitate capacity building where we operate. Importantly, we maintain formal grievance systems at all major operations to ensure we document and respond appropriately to issues raised by community members.

TFM is implementing a Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) based on DRC law and International Finance Corporation performance standards. Consistent community engagement and consultation is the critical component of successful plan implementation. For information on the TFM RAP, including its current status and future activities, please click here.

Environment

Our Environmental Policy is based on our objective to be compliant with laws and regulations and to minimize environmental impacts using risk management strategies based on valid data and sound science. It requires that we and our subsidiaries review and take account of the environmental effects of each activity, whether exploration, mining or processing; and that we plan and conduct the design, development, operation and closure of each facility in a manner that optimizes the economic use of resources while reducing adverse environmental effects.

Our operations maintain Environmental Management Systems certified to ISO 14001 standards (TFM and Climax are expected to receive ISO 14001 certification in 2012/2013). All operations undergo annual independent audits of ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems to ensure standards are met. During 2011, we completed internal environmental compliance audits at nine facilities in accordance with our
Environmental Auditing Policy and our operations are routinely inspected by regulatory agencies. All sites have corrective and preventive action management systems for audit findings.

Security and Human Rights

Freeport-McMoRan does not tolerate human rights transgressions. Our Human Rights Policy requires that we conduct business in a manner consistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, educate and train our employees and protect any workforce member who reports suspected violations.

Because site and country risks vary, we have established site-specific human rights policies and procedures consistent with the Freeport-McMoRan Human Rights Policy, in-country laws and regulations, and the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (Voluntary Principles). Our site Human Rights compliance officers oversee compliance and training, as well as a grievance mechanism for reporting, documenting and following up on all human rights allegations that are reported in our areas of operations.

Human Rights Program Update
In 2011, with external assistance, we initiated an updated security and human rights risk assessment process in both Indonesia and the DRC. During the year, we also developed a corporate human rights guidance document that will provide operations with detailed expectations regarding implementation of our corporate Human Rights Policy and the Voluntary Principles. This guidance document, which complements the Voluntary Principles Implementation Guidance Tool, will be finalized and rolled out in 2012. Our new Project Development Checklist, further developed in 2011, also incorporates an initial assessment of human rights impacts.

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