At the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Polyus CEO Pavel Grachev participated in a panel discussion titled: «ESG in Industry: Meeting Global Challenges Requires International Experience»
At the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Polyus CEO Pavel Grachev participated in a panel discussion titled: «ESG in Industry: Meeting Global Challenges Requires International Experience», providing insights about the importance of international collaboration.
The panel was organized by Polyus and ICMM and moderated by Igor Korotetskiy, Partner, Head of Operational Risk and Sustainability, KPMG in the CIS.
Pavel was joined by CEO of ICMM Rohitesh Dhawan and Market Relations & Climate Change Lead at World Gold Council John Mulligan as well as senior executives from Kinross Gold Corporation, Udokan Copper, Siemens and SIBUR in discussing various ESG issues in the mining industry.
In his remarks, Pavel Grachev said:
«For us, ICMM has become the main platform for international cooperation, and we are very pleased with this. There are similar organizations in other industries. There are also initiatives dedicated to certain ESG topics. For example, on the topic of climate, we are participating in the CGI initiative of the World Economic Forum. Of course, an important global initiative is the UN Global Compact, which brought together 80 Russian companies and NGOs.»
When talking about the company’s ICMM membership, Pavel noted that one of the most important projects Polyus has been involved in recent years through the organization was the Global Tailings Management Industry Standard, developed jointly with the United Nations Environment Program and the Principles for Responsible Investment, an initiative to promote socially responsible investment. He added that Polyus participated in preparing the ICMM Study on Adaptation to Climate Change, which was published in 2019.
During the panel discussion Pavel also mentioned Polyus’ efforts in the area of water stewardship and renewable energy. In March 2021, Polyus became the first Russian mining company to publish a dedicated Water report. Since 2015, the company has been systematically working on the transition to renewable energy sources.
During his closing remark, Pavel concluded that global problems require international experience. However, he noted that this experience should be created, acquired and «localized» by the companies at their individual level: each in its own niche, providing for the specifics of their industries and geographies, their business and their needs.