Teck commits to Copper Mark, selects Highland Valley for 'responsible production' assessment
(Kitco News) - Teck Resources (TSX: TECK.Aand TECK.B, NYSE: TECK) today announced it has committed to the Copper Mark, avoluntary assurance framework to promote responsible production practices anddemonstrate the industry's commitment to the United Nations SustainableDevelopment Goals.
The company said that its HighlandValley copper mine is Teck's first copper operation to sign up for Copper Markwith plans for each of Teck's copper operations to be verified.
According to the company'sstatement, to achieve the Copper Mark, Teck's Highland Valley copper mine inCanada will be assessed and independently verified against 32 responsibleproduction criteria this year.
Teck added it currently plansfor its Carmen de Andacollo operations in Chile and the QB2 project in Chile,which is expected to begin production in the second half of 2022, to begin theCopper Mark assurance process in 2023.
“Copper is critical for thetransition to a low-carbon economy and we have outlined near-term plans andfuture opportunities for significant copper production growth in the yearsahead, and we are focused on being a responsible producer of this essentialmetal,” said President and CEO Don Lindsay. “Our participation in the CopperMark is another way we're enhancing transparency and ensuring customers havethe information they need on our performance as a responsible copper producer.”
Teck noted that the CopperMark uses a rigorous site-level assessment process to independently verifywhether individual copper producing sites have responsible productionpractices. The Copper Mark framework involves a robust three-year re-evaluationprocess conducted by independent external auditors at site-level forparticipants.
Participants commit tocontinual improvement, building the management systems necessary to ensureongoing legal compliance. To achieve Copper Mark verification, operations alsoneed to demonstrate efforts to achieve Free, Prior and Informed Consent andmaintain trusted, collaborative relationships with local Indigenous communities,the company pointed out.
Teck is one of Canada'sleading mining companies. Teck's major business units focused on copper, zinc,and steelmaking coal, as well as investments in energy assets.
By Vladimir BasovFor Kitco News
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