During 2022, De Beers saw advances across all four Building Forever pillars and all 12 goals, which included reductions in water use and energy intensity, innovations in diamond tracing technology, increased representation of women in senior leadership and progress toward its climate commitments. A notable milestone was setting science-based climate targets across Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, which were validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). De Beers' near-term science-based targets are to reduce absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions 42 per cent by 2030 and to reduce absolute Scope 3 emissions 25 per cent within the same timeframe. In setting the targets across all three scopes, De Beers is extending its climate ambition over and above its existing commitment to be carbon neutral across Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030. The science-based targets represent the reductions required by SBTi to align with the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change. However, under its existing carbon neutral commitment and with the implementation of its 'Reduce and Replace' strategy, De Beers expects to exceed its science-based targets for reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030. De Beers also accelerated the pace of innovation and investment in its blockchain provenance platform, Tracr. The platform was deployed at scale in 2022 and enables participants to provide assurance of a diamond's source as it travels through the value chain. More than half of De Beers' global production by value is now being registered on Tracr, which was named by Forbes as one of the world's 50 leading blockchains for the third time. Al Cook, CEO, De Beers Group, said: "De Beers has a simple core belief that informs everything we do: that the diamonds we discover, belong to the communities and countries in which they are found. We are inspired by the beauty and rarity of natural diamonds and the natural world, and we know how precious diamonds are – not only for the people who wear them, but for all those they touch along the way. "Building Forever is about taking a long-term view and working hand-in-hand with the communities in which we live and work to shape a better future. From addressing the climate crisis to supporting communities to prosper and providing our clients with a deeper connection to the origin and impact of their diamond by developing breakthrough technology, Building Forever will continue to guide every decision De Beers makes and touch every diamond we discover." The 2022 sustainability report provides a detailed overview of the Building Forever pillars and goals, along with key progress toward each – a summary of which follows: Leading ethical practices De Beers is committed to advancing industry standards, enhancing the transparency of diamond provenance and improving the livelihoods of artisanal miners. Key highlights include:

• Increased the number of entities participating in the Best Practice Principles, the company's set of leading ethical, social and environmental standards which are independently audited, to 2,690 from 2,283 in 2021.
• Launched the Tracr blockchain platform at scale, enabling diamond origin to be immutably recorded from source to store. More than half of De Beers' global rough diamond production by value is now being registered on Tracr.
• Increased the number of mine sites participating in GemFair, De Beers' programme to support the formalisation of the artisanal mining sector, to 263 from 219 in 2021. The programme also provided fair and equitable finance to support the operations of 49 members.

Protecting the natural world De Beers understands that for its business and host communities to thrive, it must protect the natural world. In all of its activities, De Beers follows best practices for biodiversity and water management, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, waste and mine closure and rehabilitation. Key highlights include:

• Achieved a 14 per cent reduction in freshwater withdrawals and a four per cent reduction in energy intensity compared with 2021.
• In partnership with Anglo American and EDF Renewables, commenced development of more than 70 MW of renewable energy projects in southern Africa.
• Invested...

Read more: De Beers on Pace to Deliver on Ambitious 2030 Sustainability Goals and Create Enduring Positive...