OUR COMMITMENT TO THE PLANET AND OUR COMMUNITIES
Environmental stewardship is the cornerstone of our development strategy.
We chose to put our ideas and ideals into practice by RE-IMAGINING TRADITIONAL INDUSTRY PRACTICES to propose bold projects and products with a carbon-neutral footprint.
From all-electric operations and innovative tailings management to our advanced clean processing technologies, we have created a responsible business model that captures our vision of a greener future.
Compliance and accountability
Adhering to laws and regulations, monitoring our operations, and providing transparent disclosure
Water protection
Reducing our water consumption and protecting water quality
Renewable energy
Adopting clean energy, equipment and technologies
Biodiversity
Committing to protecting wildlife: no net loss
Air quality
Controlling and reducing air emissions
Sound environment
Keeping our natural environment and communities peaceful during our operations
Circular economy
Recycling batteries, forging industrial synergies, and managing residual materials
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
For our mining and industrial projects, we carry out exhaustive wildlife inventories along with water and atmospheric modelling, impact assessments, stakeholder consultations and specialized technical studies to reduce the project’s footprint, avoid sensitive habitats, and apply mitigation measures for vulnerable species and communities.
At the Matawinie Mine, all impacts should be controlled and contained within a 1-km radius of the mine site, as set out in our environmental and social impact assessment.
On-site every day at the mine and our facilities, our Environment team ensures that our environmental program is applied and complied with, monitors quality indicators, identifies areas of improvement, and analyzes potential risks and deficiencies.
CLEAN WATER
Water is the source of life for ecosystems and communities around and downstream from our projects. Water is a collective source of wealth.
We have therefore developed a water quality management and monitoring program that meets the strictest environmental standards. It is vital for us to avoid any material impact on wildlife, natural resources, and the human environment.
Our facilities are in areas with a low risk of water stress, and our processes only need small amounts of water, which we recirculate to minimize our freshwater use.
VIBRANT BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity and its related ecosystems are essential to our planet’s environmental integrity and also play a significant cultural, spiritual and economic role.
We are committed to achieving zero net loss and, whenever possible, to exceeding the initial biodiversity threshold at our sites while keeping our communities safe and protecting natural resources.
We aim to PRESERVE ECOSYSTEMS by using the mitigation hierarchy and to protect biodiversity and any at-risk species on our sites. Our Environment team carries out visual counts to document the species that live on or interact with the Matawinie site.
Through various environmental initiatives, we support the enhancement of natural environments and the eco-engineering of our infrastructures and operations.
At the Matawinie Mine, we have planted 5,000 willows and fast-growing shrubs to generate biomass that will gradually restore the site while capturing and sequestering carbon.
Our carbon offset strategy is also a way for us to invest in protecting, restoring, and enhancing natural ecosystems in developing countries.
A pilot project to compost forest residue and topsoil from deforestation and soil stripping should produce nutrient-rich organic matter for future vegetation on the site.
We are constantly reinforcing our biodiversity leadership by having our staff and subcontractors comply with our protocols, by carrying out gradual restoration initiatives, and by targeting ecosystem enhancement opportunities.
RESPONSIBLE MINING
Mining a mineral deposit entails major responsibilities with regard to the footprint on the natural and human environment during and after operations. Hence, we pay special attention to tailings to protect water, landscapes, and natural environments.
At the Matawinie Mine, NMG is putting forward innovative solutions that prioritize design for mine site closure, progressive reclamation, tailings desulphurization, co-disposal with dry stacking of waste rock and tailings, and progressive backfilling of the pit.
Our approach draws from best practices and is aligned with the requirements of the Towards Sustainable Mining initiative, the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management and the International Network for Acid Prevention.
Since 2021, NMG and Caterpillar, a world-leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, have been working together to develop, test and supply an ALL-ELECTRIC FLEET for the Matawinie Mine. The goal is to deploy a complete and integrated zero-exhaust solution that includes the fleet, infrastructure, and maintenance services by the fifth year of commercial operation.
These principles also guide the development of the Uatnan Mining Project.
OUR ENVIRONMENTAL DNA
POWERED BY RENEWABLES
Hydroelectricity, the pride of Québec, is at the heart of our business model: full electrification, thermochemical purification ecotechnology, carbon neutrality. We drive the energy transition, and it drives our operations in return!
Clean, affordable, and efficient, Québec’s hydro network is one of the most environmentally friendly in the world.
Across our value chain, we intend to adopt clean energy sources and technologies as they become available. Our technical, R&D and environmental teams work in sync to design energy-efficient operations and processes.
The Phase-2 Matawinie Mine and Bécancour Battery Material Plant, as well as the Uatnan Mining Project, are planned to be directly supplied with hydroelectricity.
Matawinie should also become the world’s first all-electric open-pit mine.
TECHNOLOGIES
We are constantly striving to elevate the environmental and ethical DNA of our products. Through our processes, alternative reagents, and R&D investments, we are developing the next generation of environmentally friendly battery materials.
NMG’s proprietary thermochemical purification technology is a clean, high-performance alternative to current purification processes, which are energy-intensive and need large quantities of chemicals, particularly hydrofluoric acid.
Our environmental commitment extends throughout the entire lifespan of our materials and products. We aim to limit our production of residual materials and promote industry synergies to include our products in the circular economy whenever possible, as shown by our partnership with Lithion Recycling to recover and recycle graphite.
An independent life cycle assessment of our graphite materials has demonstrated that NMG’s production is among the cleanest in the world.
