BHP Billiton

BHP Billiton is an Anglo-Australian multinational mining, metals and petroleum company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. It is the world’s largest mining company measured and Australia’s largest company by revenue. BHP Billiton was created in 2001 through the merger of the Australian Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited (BHP) and the Anglo-Dutch Billiton Plc. BHP Billiton is among the world’s top producers of major commodities, including iron ore, metallurgical coal, copper, and uranium, and has substantial interests in conventional and unconventional oil and gas and energy coal.

Branding Through Corporate Culture

BHP Billiton has undertaken several initiatives to enhance its brand perception and earn goodwill from the communities around the world where it operates its business.

Corporate Social Responsibility

BHP Billiton voluntarily donates one percent of pre-tax profit, calculated on the average of the previous three years’ pre-tax profit, in community programs and made US$241.7 million of community donations including a US$100 million contribution to BHP Billiton corporate charitable entities.

Environmental Responsibility

For a company that is in the mining industry, the environment has to be a top priority. However, in the last decades, there have been some missteps that have caused problems for BHP Billiton. In response, the company has launched a new initiative to minimize the environmental impacts of its operations and transparently report environmental performance. since 2013, the company has contributed over US$35 million globally to protect areas of conservation significance, including the Five Rivers Conservation Area in Tasmania, Australia, and the Valdivia Coastal Reserve in Chile. In addition, as a major producer and consumer of energy, BHP Billiton has prioritized greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reductions and energy efficiency. BHP also sources 85 percent of its water inputs from lower-quality water sources to minimize the impact on the local population.

Brand Identity

When BHP and Billiton merged, it was a chance for the company to remarket and rebrand themselves with among other things, a new logo. The logo is comprised of four elements of liquid metal. The meaning behind the logo is – two mining companies becoming one. While that meaning is now lost, the logo’s meaning of molten metals is still very relevant to the company.