Blencowe Resource PLC has engaged ERM, the world’s largest pure play sustainability consultancy, to help it deliver green graphite from the Orom-Cross project in Uganda.
Work is already underway with ERM to build Blencowe's environmental and social governance platform.
The drive towards sustainability will be developed in tandem with Blencowe's feasibility studies and all capital and operational expenditure will be considered under this umbrella.
Graphite is the primary anode material and the single largest component of lithium-ion batteries. At Orom-Cross the aim is to produce that graphite within a mining and processing environment that is sustainable and which emits as low emissions as possible.
Blencowe said it believes that delivery of green graphite will increase the demand for its products as end users are all coming under increasing pressure to audit their supply chains more closely to ensure the products they use are delivered by companies with strong ESG credentials.
Furthermore, Blencowe said it believes its Orom-Cross graphite project will be more likely to attract investors to finance production if it has these properties.
The company is already considering options to replace diesel generated power at the mining operation with solar farms and to use hydro-electric power off the national grid as backup.
Electric drying of product through the processing facility will also be considered, plus dry tailings to improve the environmental footprint as well as the most energy-efficient logistics solution to move end-product to market.
Legal Agreements are already in place providing the local community with compensation payments for use of their land, and this is already making a huge difference to their farming operations.
An ongoing Educational Trust is in place which is giving local community students the opportunity for further education opportunities that would not have been available prior, and this will continue and grow moving forward.
"We acknowledge that the world is changing fast and ESG awareness is more prominent that ever before,” said Blencowe executive chairman Cameron Pearce.
“We believe we should do more than lip service in this regard, to play our role within this climate change revolution by constantly improving our environmental efficiency as well as building our social and governance credentials. By bringing in one of the leading sustainability consultancy firms in the world to advise us we are underlining our commitment within this key area. Green graphite is the way forward and we will target delivery of some of the cleanest end-products when we commence our graphite operation at Orom-Cross from 2023."