European Metals Holdings Limited (LON:EMH) has brought in an independent assessor to verify its lithium operation at Cinovec in the Czech Republic is sustainable and carbon neutral.
Consultancy Minviro will provide an ISO-compliant life cycle assessment (LCA) for the entire Cinovec lithium/tin project.
Life Cycle Assessment is a widely used numerical method to quantify climate change and other environmental impacts from industrial processes, said EMH.
Cinovec LCAs will be produced for both the mining of battery-grade lithium carbonate and the battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate that will be manufactured at a lithium chemical plant nearby to the mine. These will be benchmarked against global lithium peers.
Minviro will deliver the report in the third quarter of 2021 and as part of its remit also identify low-carbon optimisation opportunities in the feasibility study.
Keith Coughlan, EMH’s executive chairman, said: "As we transition towards climate neutrality and a more sustainable society, it is important to ensure this transition is done in a sustainable way by minimizing the carbon footprint across the full battery value chain, from raw materials to finished batteries.
"European Metals has a unique competitive advantage based on minimizing the carbon footprint of the production of our battery grade Lithium products.
"We are looking forward to the results of the life cycle analysis as a testament to how a locally sourced sustainable battery-grade material supply for the European battery industry will look."
Robert Pell, Minviro founder and director, added: "Lithium production has a legacy of social and environmental impacts. As Lithium demand grows in line with renewable energy and EV uptake, it is important that steps are taken to measure and mitigate the environmental impact of producing these essential elements.”