Sigma Lithium Corporation provided shareholders with a glimpse into its social initiatives in the Vale do Jequitinhonha region of Brazil, home to its flagship lithium project Grota do Cirilo.
The Canadian company said it is employing over 300 people on site, with nearly three-quarters of employees coming from the surrounding communities.
In a statement, the company laid out its environmental, social and governance (ESG) actions in the region, which is largely impoverished, including hunger programs, employment and education training, COVID-19 prevention, childcare initiatives and disaster relief support.
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Sigma said it is “actively engaged” in supporting the communities in Vale do Jequitinhonha through multiple ESG initiatives, contributing to the sustainable development of the region as the company advances the construction of its Phase 1 Plant towards commercial production.
"Contributing to lift our neighbors in the communities around the project is the core purpose of Sigma, motivating us every day to execute faster and better,” co-CEO Ana Cabral-Gardner told investors.
"As a large future producer of battery grade lithium, Sigma Lithium feels a great responsibility to develop its project with a focus on environmental and social sustainability, in alignment with the ethos of its customers. Our main objective is to play a leading role in building a sustainable supply chain for the EV Industry.”
Some of its achievements so far include:
- Reuniting families through its "Homecoming Program" (Volta Ao Lar)", bringing back home qualified workers that had migrated out of the region, due to lack of employment opportunities.
- Extending humanitarian relief action for an additional 10-months pledging 7,000 more food baskets, which is expected to enable approximately 2.4 million meals.
- Delivering an additional 6,000 litres of sodium hypochlorite totaling 30,000 litres together with Sigma Lithium's OMICRON COVID-19 prevention education booklet
- Sponsoring an initiative to support the re-opening of two childcare centers serving 560 children in the municipalities where it operates.
- Providing first response disaster relief supplying food and water for 400 victims who lost their homes as a result of the floods in the Vale do Jequitinhonha region during the unusually rainy season throughout New Year holidays and the month of January.
- Organizing an educational partnership between the UFVJM (Campus Janauba) and the Federal Institute of Education of Aracuai, creating the first program to prepare mining technicians in the region.
Sigma Lithium is a resource company dedicated to powering the next generation of electric vehicle batteries with environmentally sustainable and high-purity lithium.