Sherritt recognizes the critical role businesses play in addressing global climate-related challenges. We implement a robust management system that is underpinned by global best practices and designed to ensure strict compliance with regulations and our operating licences. We continually seek ways to minimize the impacts of our operations on the environment.
Sherritt recognizes the critical role businesses have to play in addressing global climate-related challenges. For Sherritt, this means both actively implementing measurable steps towards our net zero target and bringing to market the materials and technologies needed for a decarbonized future and circular economy. Nickel and cobalt have been listed on the United States and Canada’s Critical Minerals lists. These countries recognize the importance of these materials in enabling the global transition to low-carbon economies. We support the international climate change goals outlined in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, and recognize the important role we can play in the shift to a low-carbon economy. Accordingly, Sherritt has established a climate action plan with targets for reducing our carbon footprint, with the ultimate goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Our approach is informed by four guiding principles:
Sherritt has established interim aspirational targets aligned with the Paris Agreement. Following completion of baseline greenhouse (GHG) assessments at each of the sites, and completion of TCFD-aligned climate risk and opportunity assessments, Sherritt expects to refine its targets and provide updates on actions/progress against them in future years reports.
For more information on our climate risk and opportunities approach and a summary of our performance in 2023, please see our 2023 Climate Report.
Sherritt recognizes that water is an important shared resource, integral to the well-being of communities, essential for ecosystems and a vital input for our business. Sherritt’s operations are continually taking steps to identify how to optimize practices and minimize the amount of water we use, and we have included increasing the amount of water recycled at our sites in our sustainability goals.
Water management at each of our sites is tailored to specific technical requirements, local climate, water bodies and stakeholder interests – however, all governed by our overarching Water Management Standard. Through implementation of the Water Management Standard, our sites are able to effectively:
Sherritt’s goal is that its joint venture operates and maintains its tailings management facilities in accordance with global best practices for safety. We continually review our facilities and procedures and are committed to pursuing the highest standards at our operations.
There are several tailings management facilities (TMFs) at Moa Nickel. A geotechnical engineer is employed to provide oversight of design, construction and operation of the tailings facilities. Third-party engineering firms are utilized in the design and monitoring of tailings facilities, and an Independent Tailings Review Board (ITRB) provides third-party audit and assurance activities and issues binding recommendations.
Sherritt and its partner have also been actively investigating options for tailings management expansions so that we can continue to support future mining operations. When evaluating expansion options, Sherritt works with its partners to ensure design criteria minimize environmental impacts and meet international best practices in tailings management. An annual Tailings Action Plan is established at Moa Nickel, based on inputs from the ITRB, operational staff and third-party engineers to document targets for advancing reclamation on facilities undergoing closure, retrofit historical TMFs to better meet today’s standards and maintain long-term storage capacity aligned with the Moa Nickel life of mine. It remains Sherritt’s goal to ensure its joint venture operates and maintains its TMFs in accordance with global best practices for safety. We continually review our facilities and procedures and are committed to pursuing the highest standards at our operations.
As a member of MAC, Sherritt is committed to implementing and achieving the highest standards contained in the TSM Tailings Management Protocol. Sherritt recognizes MAC’s guidance documents on tailings management as a benchmark of good management practice.
For a more detailed summary regarding our approach to tailings management, please read our 2023 Tailings Management Report.