As part of its production expansion, RG Gold is implementing a comprehensive environmental protection programme. As of November 2025, the company planted more than 100 000 Scots pine trees near its Raygorodok deposit in Kazakhstan to capture dust particles generated by opencast mining operations.
The Sustainable Kazakhstan Research Institute (SKRI), an environmental think tank at Narxoz University in Almaty, has partnered with RG Gold to help deploy this innovative ‘phytocapture’ technology.
The initiative is based on a method of capturing fine airborne dust particles through vegetation. Developed by SKRI, the technology identifies the most suitable tree species and determines optimal planting distances to maximise dust-capture efficiency through advanced supercomputer modelling based on big data, including regional wind-rose patterns.
Narxoz University, backed by the Kazakh businessman and philanthropist Bulat Utemuratov through his investment group Verny Capital, has emerged as a regional leader in sustainability research, ranking as Kazakhstan's top private university in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings in 2022. Its research arm, the Sustainable Kazakhstan Research Institute (SKRI), has developed phytocapture technologies. Vegetative barriers using this technology have been planted at several gold mining operations in the country, including at RG Gold in 2024. After joining the Zijin Mining Group, the company continued this practice as part of its environmental initiatives.
For the current phase, Scots pine seedlings were selected to establish a vegetative barrier across more than 20 hectares, complemented by continuous grass cover to stabilise the soil and enhance the retention of airborne dust particles. The phytocapture approach developed by SKRI was recognised as a best practice under the UNECE Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents.
Scientific precision and computer modelling have enabled the creation of a multilayered barrier system – not simply landscaping – using native plant species that reduces particulate-matter concentrations by more than 40%, according to Arman Markashov, General Counsel of RG Gold. Together, RG Gold and SKRI have been implementing a carefully engineered environmental project aligned with ESG standards and sustainable development goals.
In line with the mine’s expansion plans, a protective forest belt has been established approximately 1.7 km downwind of current operations.
‘Once pollution sources move closer to the forest boundary, this plantation will be capable of capturing roughly one-third of dust emissions, transforming long-term land-restoration efforts into a powerful frontline environmental protection system for nearby communities,’ said Brendan Duprey, Director of SKRI.