Perpetua Resources launches sustainability roadmap

“Our actions over the last decade demonstrate our deep commitment to building a company where responsible redevelopment of the historical Stibnite Mining District can bring environmental, social and economic benefits,” said Laurel Sayer, President and CEO of Perpetua Resources. “Launching Perpetua’s sustainability roadmap provides an additional level of transparency for all of our stakeholders as we advance the Stibnite Gold Project.”

Perpetua Resources and the Stibnite Gold Project are uniquely positioned to demonstrate an industry-leading sustainability approach. The project is designed to restore an abandoned mine area through reprocessing and safely storing millions of tonnes of legacy mine tailings, restoring river habitat and fish migration access, and improving wetlands. The project can also support the clean energy transition as the only domestically mined source of the critical mineral antimony, which is an essential component in Ambri’s long-duration storage batteries. Additionally, the Perpetua team has prioritised gender diversity with over 40% female employees and over 65% female senior leadership, led by CEO, Laurel Sayer.

“Sustainability has always been at the forefront for Perpetua,” added Sayer. “We began by prioritising community partnerships, designing for environmental uplift and recruiting a diverse team that represents some of the best in the industry. Now, we are advancing our efforts by defining a path for responsible mineral development here at home.”

The company’s vision to responsibly restore an abandoned mine site, produce critical minerals required for US security and clean energy, and bring benefits to surrounding communities formed the foundation for the roadmap. The goals were developed in alignment with Perpetua’s ESG policy and broader sustainability strategy and support multiple UNSDGs.

Perpetua Resources’ sustainability roadmap goals are:

1. Improve and protect water quality. Perpetua Resources’ plan of restoration and operation is designed to improve water quality at Stibnite to be better than it is today.
2. Conserve water. Conserving and reusing water are key to minimising the impacts of the Stibnite Gold Project.
3. Limit its footprint. The company has already reduced the footprint of its project by 13% compared to the original design. Additionally, 51% of the footprint is on previously disturbed land. It is one of the only projects in North America that plans to reprocess previously mined material to restore a brownfields site.
4. Be a responsible link in the clean energy supply chain. Perpetua signed an agreement to supply a portion of the antimony produced at Stibnite to Ambri Inc, for the development of grid-scale storage batteries that can help decarbonise the US energy grid.
5. Work with communities and regulators to refine environmental outcomes of the Stibnite Gold Project. Public and agency feedback has been essential in the design of the project. Perpetua will use this feedback to identify ways to improve the social and environmental outcomes of the project.
6. Nurture connections with tribal communities and identify opportunities to collaborate. Perpetua is committed to continuing to work with tribal leadership, staff and their membership to ensure the Project honours and protects tribal treaty rights.
7. Foster an open and transparent relationship with local communities. The Stibnite Advisory Council, which was formed by the 2018 Community Agreement, is a vehicle for the company to connect directly with the communities closest to the site throughout the life of the project.
8. Create economic partnerships that sustain beyond the life of the mine. Perpetua Resources entered into a profit-sharing agreement to fund the Stibnite Foundation. This locally-run charitable endowment is designed to have a lasting impact by supporting local social, environmental and health programmes.
9. Develop a diverse and inclusive team. The company is committed to recruiting, building and retaining a diverse team.
10. Adopt a long-term ESG reporting framework. Perpetua Resources will strive to align its ESG disclosure with the SASB reporting framework beginning with its 2021 sustainability report to be released later this year.
11. Disclose and report current and future GHG emissions. Perpetua plans to report annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through a certified third-party to ensure transparency in emissions reporting.
12. Set science-based GHG target. Once a project design is approved by regulators, the company will establish an anticipated baseline for GHG emissions and intends to develop targets based on feasible offsets, mitigations and reductions.
13. Protect its people and communities. Perpetua will continue to implement best practices and set high safety and training standards to keep its people and its communities safe.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/environment-sustainability/07042022/perpetua-resources-launches-sustainability-roadmap/