REG - Central Asia Metals - 2022 Sustainability and Climate Change Reports

Central Asia MetalsAnnouncement

28/04/2023 07:00

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RNS Number : 7653X  Central Asia Metals PLC  28 April 2023

 28 April 2023

 

CENTRAL ASIA METALS PLC

('CAML' or the 'Company')

Publication of 2022 Sustainability and Climate Change Reports

Central Asia Metals plc (AIM: CAML) announces today that it has published its
2022 Sustainability and Climate Change Reports, that cover its approach and
activities for the year ended 31 December 2022, both at Group level and at the
Sasa zinc-lead mine in North Macedonia ('Sasa') and the Kounrad dump leach,
solvent extraction and electro-winning ('SX-EW') copper recovery plant in
Kazakhstan ('Kounrad').

The reports are available to view on the Company's website at:

https://www.centralasiametals.com/investors/reports-and-presentations/
(https://www.centralasiametals.com/investors/reports-and-presentations/)

2022 Sustainability Report

Central Asia Metals has reported in accordance with the GRI Standards for the
period 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022, and this is the Company's fourth
standalone Sustainability Report. It covers CAML's approach to transparent
business conduct, maintaining safe operations and healthy working
environments, and its efforts to manage any potential environmental or social
impacts.

With a view to maintaining momentum in its sustainability achievements for the
future, CAML has committed to the following specific long-term targets and
will report on its performance in these key areas in next year's
Sustainability Report. Please refer to CAML's 2022 Sustainability report for
details. Additional targets will be set in future as appropriate.

 Delivering value through stewardship  ·    Zero human rights abuses

                                       ·    Implement Group-wide supplier screening platform by 2025
 Maintaining health and safety         ·    Zero fatalities

                                       ·    Lost time injury frequency rate ('LTIFR') target for 2023 below 1.30
 Focusing on our people                ·    20% female interviewees for each eligible role from 2023 onwards(1)

                                       ·    25% increase in female employees on a Group level by end 2025

                                       ·    Maintain 99% local employment across both operations
 Caring for the environment            ·    Zero severe or major environmental incidents

                                       ·    50% reduction in Group greenhouse gas ('GHG') emissions by 2030 and
                                       net zero by 2050

                                       ·    75% reduction in surface water abstraction at Sasa by end of 2026

                                       ·    70% of tailings at Sasa to be stored in a more environmentally
                                       responsible manner (paste backfill and dry stack tailings) by end of 2026

                                       ·    Report Group Scope 3 emissions by end of 2024

                                       ·    Report to Global Industry Standards on Tailings Management ('GISTM')
                                       by end of H1 2024
 Unlocking value for our communities   ·    Zero severe or major community-related incidents

                                       ·    Increase level of community support to an annualised average of 0.5%
                                       of Group gross revenue (up from 0.25%)

 

2022 Climate Change Report

The Climate Change Report is the Company's second and details the reporting
efforts towards the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures
('TCFD'), the five pillars constituting CAML's Climate Change Strategy, and
the climate change scenario analysis undertaken in 2022. CAML has committed to
a 50% reduction in its GHG emissions by 2030 versus a 2020 base and to
achieving net zero by 2050.

Nigel Robinson, Chief Executive Officer, commented:

"2022 was a year of strong performance for CAML, enabling us to generate value
for all our stakeholders including our employees, local communities,
governments, and suppliers, as well as our shareholders.

"During 2022, we celebrated 10 years of operation at Kounrad, in Kazakhstan,
and five years' ownership of Sasa, in North Macedonia. We are immensely proud
of the contributions we have made during our tenure and are committed to
maintaining a robust approach to health and safety, making a positive impact
on our employees and the socio-economic development of host communities, and
employing an environmentally responsible approach over the long-term. Our
commitment to achieving a zero-harm work environment remains at the core of
our activities and our LTIFR for 2022 of 0.83 was well below our target of
1.69.

"I am pleased to report that we have further progressed our TCFD reporting and
have conducted scenario analysis as part of this work, detailed in our Climate
Change Report. We have achieved a 27% reduction in our 2022 GHG emissions
versus 2021 and a 40% reduction on our emissions versus our 2020 base year.
This year we expect to complete construction of our Kounrad Solar Power
Project and begin to work on estimating our Scope 3 emissions.

"Our approach to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals ('SDGs') was
reassessed in 2022 and we defined a two-tiered approach. This aims to
differentiate the goals to which CAML can make a most significant contribution
('primary') from those which still have strong relevance to our business
('supporting').

"Good progress has been made in governance and stewardship in 2022, as we
introduced a corporate governance training platform, conducted a human rights
impact assessment, and introduced a supplier social assessment process.

"Initiatives have been implemented to ensure that our payment of wages is
fair, and our salaries significantly exceed local minimum wages. In 2022, we
conducted an average of 43 hours of training per employee. In 2023, we plan to
develop a diversity and inclusion strategy.

"We continued to enjoy strong community relationships at Kounrad and Sasa
during 2022. In December, the President of Kazakhstan presented our Kounrad
operation with the Gold Award for the Best Socially Responsible Business. At
Sasa, we were particularly pleased to have advanced the Local Economic
Development and Local Environmental Action Plans that are being developed as
part of the long-term sustainability initiative between our project and the
local municipality.

"During 2022, we fulfilled our purpose to produce base metals, essential for
modern living, profitably in a safe and sustainable environment for all our
stakeholders. We strive to further improve our sustainability performance and
continue to contribute to the socio-economic development of our host
communities. As ever, we would welcome feedback on this report from any of our
stakeholders."

For further information contact:

 Central Asia Metals
 Nigel Robinson
 CEO
 Gavin Ferrar
 CFO
 Louise Wrathall                                 louise.wrathall@centralasiametals.com
 Director of Corporate Development
 Emma Chetwynd Stapylton                         emma.chetwyndstapylton@centralasiametals.com
 Investor Relations Manager

 Peel Hunt (Nominated Advisor and Joint Broker)  Tel: +44 (0) 20 7418 8900
 Ross Allister
 David McKeown

 BMO Capital Markets (Joint Broker)              Tel: +44 (0) 20 7236 1010
 Thomas Rider
 Pascal Lussier Duquette

 BlytheRay (PR Advisors)                         Tel: +44 (0) 20 7138 3204
 Tim Blythe
 Megan Ray
 Rachael Brooks

Note to editors:

 

Central Asia Metals, an AIM-listed UK company based in London, owns 100% of
the Kounrad SX-EW copper project in central Kazakhstan and 100% of the Sasa
zinc-lead mine in North Macedonia.

For further information, please visit www.centralasiametals.com
(http://www.centralasiametals.com/)  and follow CAML on Twitter at
@CamlMetals and on LinkedIn at Central Asia Metals Plc

 

 

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