Sustainability · ESG
From exploration design to closure and reclamation, safety, environmental and community considerations enter every decision point. Our performance is set out in verifiable indicators and continuous disclosure, open to the scrutiny of shareholders, government and the communities around our mines.
Approach
Gold mining inevitably reshapes the land surface, consumes water and affects neighbouring communities. Our position is straightforward: these costs belong in the project's economic model at the feasibility study stage, not in a remediation programme afterwards.
The Group conducts an environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) in parallel with the feasibility study, so that the tailings storage concept, the water balance, reclamation quantities and community resettlement costs all enter the investment decision model. No project that has not cleared environmental and safety pre-approval proceeds to construction permitting.
Four pillars
Four workstreams span the full mine life cycle. Each carries quantified targets, an accountable department and monthly review, and any shortfall triggers a corrective action process at project level.
Safety performance takes precedence over production targets. The Group applies a safety veto right, and employees at every level hold stop-work authority over unsafe work without fear of reprisal.
Three workstreams — tailings safety, water recycling and ecological reclamation — hold disturbance to land, watercourses and soils within limits from which they can recover.
A mine's long-term licence to operate comes from the community. We offer local employment, skills training and infrastructure investment in exchange for a durable relationship, not one-off compensation.
Licences, taxes and precious metals trading carry the highest concentration of risk in this industry. Internal controls and external audit keep them traceable and open to verification.
Priority initiatives
Initiatives are delivered mine by mine. Expenditure and completion status are reported in the annual Sustainability Report and are subject to internal audit and independent assurance.
Plant tailings are thickened, filtered and dry-stacked, reducing both footprint and hydraulic risk. Dams are instrumented for phreatic surface, deformation and rainfall, with data feeding the Group control centre under a three-tier alert and response procedure.
Since the tailings return water pumping station and the graded pit dewatering reuse system came online, processing water has been substantially closed-circuit and fresh water consumption per tonne of ore continues to fall, leaving local farming and livestock water unaffected in the dry season.
Training centres have been established with vocational colleges in Karaganda, Almaty and elsewhere, with dedicated streams for mining, processing, electrical and safety roles. Key positions are covered by local succession plans with defined timelines.
The Group contributes to upgrades of roads, water supply, power and school facilities around its mine sites and has established a community development fund. Allocations are decided jointly by a tripartite committee of the company, local government and resident representatives, and spending is published regularly.
Communities and localisation
Local employment, skills training, local supply chains and infrastructure investment are part of project cost, not public relations spend.
Kazakhstan's mining law and investment agreements set explicit local content requirements, but our approach does not stop at compliance. A mine typically operates for more than fifteen years; only when local people hold the skills the jobs require and local businesses can supply reliably does a project stand up both in its cost structure and in its social relationships.
Recruitment gives priority to residents of the region in which the mine is located. Management and technical roles carry local succession timelines; expatriate positions must be justified as non-substitutable and are paired with a local deputy to whom responsibilities are transferred year by year.
Training centres run with vocational colleges offer dedicated streams in mining, processing, electrical and safety. Internally, mentoring and skills grading are in place, with grading tied directly to promotion and pay.
Above the thresholds for qualification, safety and quality, local goods and services are given preference. Local contractors that fall short of accreditation standards receive HSE and management systems training to help them join the approved supplier register.
The Group contributes to the upgrade and maintenance of roads, water supply, power and school facilities and has established a community development fund. Allocations are decided by a tripartite committee, and annual spending is presented item by item at community meetings.
Reporting and disclosure
Our first annual Sustainability Report is being prepared under internationally recognised frameworks. Until it is published, the underlying definitions and data may be requested through our official channels.
The report is prepared under the GRI Universal Standards and the SASB Metals & Mining Standard, covering safety performance, environmental data, community investment and governance and compliance. An independent limited assurance engagement is planned.
Planned contents
Until the report is published, the indicators on this page are stated on the Group's internal verification basis, have not been independently assured and constitute no investment commitment.
