Sustainability

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Our sustainability approach

Chemaf’s approach is to create lasting value for our shareholders and stakeholders through a consistent focus on our environmental, social and governance policies, practices and disclosure. This commitment to sustainable returns for shareholders, stakeholders and planet has prompted Chemaf’s journey to understand our key material risks and opportunities, establish a framework to monitor and achieve improvements, and communicate with stakeholders about our performance against this framework. We integrate a responsible mindset into all aspects of our strategy to achieve a sustainable mining operation.

Our vision for sustainability is to enhance the resilience of our operations through sustainable mining practices, consistently growing positive ESG impact and profitability for shareholders and all stakeholders.

Chemaf’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework

Our approach to sustainability is framed. by our environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies and systems. This framework guides the way we measure changes through our ESG management and reporting system. It covers the risks and areas with material impact on Chemaf’s achievement of strategic objectives, value creation and long-term sustainability. The table below demonstrates the governance structure and processes that Chemaf has in place to ensure that social and environmental impacts are managed, monitored and reported on.

Health and safety

The safety of our employees, contractors and communities is always our top priority. We are committed to creating a safe working environment and instilling a “safety first” mindset. Our Safety, Health, Risk, Environmental, and Quality (SHREQ) policy is aligned with international guidelines and local regulations, and supported by robust management systems. This applies to employees, managers and contractors.

We identify, manage, mitigate or eliminate health, safety and environmental risks in our business. All individuals entering our sites are supported to work in a safe and healthy manner. We promote, educate and support our workforce in making healthy lifestyle choices and recognising the importance of good mental health.

Our team members receive continuous training to help them identify, manage, mitigate and eliminate health & safety and environmental risks as part of our company-wide culture of accountability. Employees are equipped with the tools and awareness needed to manage risks, and are asked to report any unsafe acts or conditions to management, who follow up and rectify.

Chemaf’s leadership demonstrates a visible commitment to health, safety and the environment. Health surveillance systems support the early detection of adverse health impacts. We systematically assess our health, safety and environmental indicators for areas of continuous improvement.

In collaboration with local communities and government agencies, we identify and implement initiatives that improve health in those communities.

Through our assurance processes, we test the alignment with the UN Sustainable Goals, International Finance Corporation standards, Equator Principles and International Organisation of Standardization Performance Expectations. All our quality management systems are certified by International Organization for Standardization standards

Our people

Through developing the potential of our mining assets in a responsible and ethical way, Chemaf’s ethos is to attract top quality talent both in DRC and from the global market, ensuring Chemaf is the partner of choice in DRC and at all times investing in the knowledge and experience of the local team to ensure a sustainable legacy.

Our culture of supporting Chemaf team members to develop in their roles and focus on personal wellbeing and safety is a key part of the reason people choose us as employer. Chemaf engages 4,300 local Congolese people across two operational sites, providing a wide range of employment benefits and skills training for a fulfilling career. Chemaf’s contracts of employment are signed by all employees within three days of joining the company. New employees receive induction training and familiarisation with the Chemaf Employee Handbook on arrival.

Environmental stewardship

Chemaf is committed to protect our environment through responsible resource extraction and minimising our environmental footprint.

The accelerating transition to low carbon technologies to combat climate change is exponentially increasing the demand for strategic minerals such as copper and cobalt. A viable low carbon future can only be achieved through more sustainable approaches to mining. We actively reduce our environmental footprint through:

Capacity building & training
Environmental risk management systems
Adhering to international standards and best practice (OECD, ISO, IFC, UNSDG)
Increasing our use of renewable energy, with hydroelectric schemes already supplying the majority of our current power usage.
Continuously working to further reduce our carbon footprint

Our communities

Chemaf is committed to raising the standard of living in the regions in which we operate by investing in its communities and by operating in a safe, responsible and ethical way, to generate sustainable value for stakeholders. Our dedication to enriching the lives of the communities where we operate is more than a social responsibility; it is a strategic investment. By fostering local growth, we create a stable operating environment that enhances project continuity and safeguards your investment. Our approach to maintaining our social license to operate is based on facilitating social impact projects that empower local communities to create sustainable legacies for future generations.

Chemaf contributes to the prosperity of the DRC by providing meaningful employment opportunities.

Stakeholder engagement

Chemaf engages with communities and broader stakeholders to understand their expectations, needs related to our operations, and the impacts of our activities. Our stakeholder engagement is guided by

The DRC Mining Regulation’s Chapter V: including Environmental and Social Impact studies and the Environmental and Social Management Plan.
IFC Performance Standards, specifically:
- Performance Standard 1: Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts
- Performance Standard 4: Community Health, Safety, and Security
- Performance Standard 5: Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement
- Performance Standard 8: Cultural Heritage

Equator Principles:
- Principle 2: Environmental and Social Assessment
- Principle 3: Applicable Environmental and Social Standards;
- Principle 4: Environmental and Social Management System and Equator Principles
- Principle 5: Stakeholder Engagement.
Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) Standard
United Nations’ Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights

Governance and ethics

Chemaf is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in all operations, regarding transparency and accountability as essential for shareholder and stakeholder confidence. The company is committed to acting professionally, fairly and with integrity.

Chemaf’s corporate governance framework is strategically integrated into our board and management structures, as well as our health & safety, auditing, and compliance policies and procedures. Our financial and commercial partners value our transparency and our commitment to continuously improving our ESG scorecard.

We systematically identify, assess and mitigate health & safety and environmental risks, and build capacity to ensure our people understand their operational risk management responsibilities. Our assurance processes test the suitability, design and effectiveness of our controls and alignment with

The UNDP’s Sustainable Development Goals
International Finance Corporation standards
Equator Principles
International Organisation of Standardization (ISO) Performance Expectations.

We have also adopted policies such as the Anti-Bribery Policy, Gift Policy and the OECD guidelines for Supply Chain Due Diligence, Anti-Child Labour Policy, and Conflict Mineral Policy to ensure Chemaf and its employees uphold the highest standards of governance.

Anti-bribery policy: Chemaf takes a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption. The company is bound by the Bribery Act 2013 and complies with laws relevant to countering bribery and corruption. Our Anti-bribery Policy establishes controls to ensure compliance with all applicable anti-bribery and corruption regulations, and to ensure that the Chemaf business is conducted in a socially responsible manner. The company is committed to acting professionally, fairly and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships wherever we operate.

Whistle blower and grievance procedures: Chemaf is committed to creating a work environment where our people are able to disclose and request action on grievances or unethical behaviour. The Whistle Blower and Grievance policy lays out a clear process for action in response to a report being made. An investigation may be recommended by the Responsible Person and, depending on the nature and materiality of the matter, it can be dealt with by way of an internal investigation, interviews or independent enquiry.

Responsible sourcing: Chemaf is committed to ensuring that the material we extract at our mine sites and/or procure from third parties, feeding the process at our plants, is produced responsibly and in line with international market expectations. Chemaf adheres to the ‘OECD Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict Affected and High-Risk Areas’.

Chemaf is will not profit from, or contribute to, activities involving trade with entities linked to human rights abuses, armed groups and security forces, or corruption of any kind. The company’s Responsible Minerals Sourcing policy sets out the approach we take to identifying, assessing and managing risks associated with its operations, and guides internal processes and procedures for supply chain due diligence. The policy is available on our website and is actively communicated within the organisation.

The policy aids Chemaf in management of risks within our own operations and those of our suppliers through strict due diligence processes internally as well as the activities of our third-party ore suppliers.

Chemaf’s responsible mineral sourcing policy is embedded in:

Commercial agreements with customers
The London Metals Exchange Responsible Sourcing requirements for all LME brands
Industry schemes that are widely used by Chemaf’s customers in their compliance programmes, such as the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI).
Legal requirements of clients across jurisdictions with regard to sourcing of minerals from the DRC
OECD Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, especially Annex II

Due diligence activities are actively supported by Chemaf’s leadership and senior management and implemented by management teams.