Corporate Social Responsibility: Eramet commits to short-term specific objectives

To contribute to the construction of the mining and metallurgical industry of tomorrow, Eramet commits to thirteen measurable objectives, which are integrated into its overall strategy. They are organised around three pillars – human, economic and environmental. Serving as a meeting point between its businesses, its strategy and the global challenges to which the Group is committed, this roadmap contributes to local development, preserves the environment and supports all communities on the territories where it operates. Eramet aims to use this roadmap step up the integration of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) actions into short- and medium-term schedules, particularly for its mining activities.

For Virginie de Chassey, Executive Senior Vice-President of Communication and Sustainable Development: “This CSR roadmap reflects our commitment and ambition to rigorously implement the most responsible and sustainable practices across all our activities and with all our stakeholders. It is central to Eramet’s strategic vision and its ambition is in line with our conviction: We create sustainable value through combining operational performance with a positive impact on our environment and society “.

These objectives give rise to concrete and transformative projects for Eramet and its environment. Here are a few examples:

• In Gabon, where the Group develops manganese in the Moanda region and operates the national railway line, Eramet contributes to improving the living conditions of the populations of the mine region and the urban areas around Gabon’s railway stations. A total of €35 million is allocated to this project over a three-year period, including the reconstruction of Moanda’s main roads, household waste collection and the development of local employability.
• In New Caledonia, where the Group recovers nickel ores, Eramet is working to preserve water resources and renovate mining sites. In total, investments dedicated to water management exceeded €17 million over the last five years. At the Thio mining site, a large-scale landscape rehabilitation and revegetation project was carried out over nine years, requiring investment of €5 million. Since the start of the year, the Group has also comprehensively reviewed its approach to community relations, a dedicated team has been set up and a first community office has just been opened on the west coast of the island, in Koné.
• In Argentina, on the Andean highlands where the Group has a lithium recovery project, stakeholders welcomed the societal integration, especially the local communities involved in several initiatives: reintroduction of quinoa cultivation, school training for children and construction of a waste management infrastructure.
• In France, where the Group operates metallurgical plants, Eramet is a long-standing player committed to the circular economy. Its steel mills incorporate more than 85% of metal waste, as an alternative to the use of raw materials. Finally, more than 90% of the waste generated by the plants is recovered, either through internal recycling or by recovery through external service providers. In 2017, the Group inaugurated EcoTitanium, the first aerospace titanium recycling plant in Europe, capable of producing alloys from massive scrap and titanium chips collected from major aircraft manufacturers and their subcontractors. In the long term, EcoTitanium will make it possible to avoid the release of 100,000 tonnes of CO2 per year by consuming four times less than the traditional process of producing titanium from ores.

The thirteen objectives of the CSR roadmap for 2023 are:

Committed to people

• Ensure the health and safety of employees and subcontractors by halving the work accident frequency rate.
• Strengthen the engagement of our employees, achieving rate of 75% versus 67% in 2018.
• Build skills and promote talent and career development by providing trainings for all employees every year.
• Integrate and promote diversity, with 30% of our management team made up of women.
• Be a valued and contributing partner of our host communities: all the sites have set up a dialogue mechanism and are implementing an investment programme contributing to local development.

Committed to economic responsibility

• Be an energy transition leader in the metals sector
• Actively contribute to the development of the circular economy through the recovery of 2 million tonnes of residues and low-grade ore and 10,000 tonnes of waste.
• Set the standard in human rights in our field of activity
• Be an ethical partner of choice with all our sales and purchasing teams trained in anti-corruption.
• Be a responsible company of reference in the mining and metallurgy sector, with our suppliers and clients, assessed to comply with our CSR commitments.

Committed to the planet

• Reduce ducted dust emitted by our industrial installations by 80%.
• Protect water resources and accelerate the rehabilitation of our mining sites by fostering biodiversity with a ratio of recovered areas to cleared areas at ≥ 1.
• Reduce our energy and climate footprint through a 26% reduction in CO2 emissions per tonne produced*

*Of which 16.5% due to the business mix effect related to the Group’s strategic choice to develop activities that emit less.

Group employees are fully committed to implement this roadmap and make Eramet a corporate and contributive citizen.

Find the full Eramet CSR roadmap here.