ENSOR has completed an independent assessment of the Company’s readiness for auditing under the IRMA standard and the current level of compliance with this standard
As part of the project, a group of ENSOR specialists in the field of environmental protection, labor protection, industrial safety and social aspects had completed the following tasks:
Analyzed the Company’s self-assessment in accordance with the IRMA standard and assess the sufficiency of the provided answers/justifications and accompanying supporting documentation.
Provided recommendations for the provision of additional responses/justifications and supporting documentation to ensure that maximum completeness of information required for the audit is available.
Conducted a preliminary assessment of compliance of part of the Company's mining assets with the requirements of the IRMA Standard by analyzing the information provided as part of the self-assessment and random visits to mining assets.
Prepared a report on the preliminary assessment of compliance in relation to part of the Company's mining assets with the requirements of the IRMA Standard.
Developed a Corrective Action Plan to improve current practices to achieve a specified level of compliance with the IRMA Standard.
As part of the assessment, ENSOR specialists:
Conducted a desk analysis of documentation (more than 1 thousand documents)
Conducted visits to 8 mines in two regions of the Russian Federation
Conducted more than 60 interviews with representatives of the Company and external stakeholders (Company employees, representatives of indigenous minorities, local residents living near the Company’s facilities, administrations of the cities where the Company operates, representatives of non-profit organizations, etc.)
Prepared a detailed report justifying the assessment result, as well as a detailed action plan to eliminate identified non-compliances with the IRMA standard
Conducted a presentation of the assessment results to management
Vice President for Investor Relations and Sustainable Development of Norilsk Nickel Vladimir Zhukov commented: “Norilsk Nickel sets itself the task of complying with the best global practices in the field of sustainable development. The Responsible Mining Initiative is one of the most widely accepted and rigorous standards in our industry. The desire to meet this standard is consistent with our ambitions to be a global industry leader, including in the field of sustainable development, and to maintain our competitive advantages in the market. The request from buyers of Norilsk Nickel products for sustainable metal production reflects their desire for a green and clean planet. By improving its activities in the field of sustainable development, the company is solving a number of important tasks for itself in the field of social responsibility, ecology, increasing the level of industrial safety and labor protection, and improving the quality of life of local communities in the regions where it operates."