ENVIRONMENT

SQM commits to cutting water, brine use

Statement follows court ruling the company needs to make amends for over-pumping lithium brine.

Evaporation ponds for lithium production in Chile's Atacama region

Evaporation ponds for lithium production in Chile's Atacama region

It made the announcement two months after a court ruled that the company needs to restart a plan to make amends for over-pumping brine from the environmentally sensitive desert region in the country.

The salt flat is the source of about a quarter of the global supply of the battery metal lithium. 

Announcing its "Sustainable Development Plan", SQM said it would voluntarily reduce its use of brine by 20% from November this year, and aim for cutting it by 50% by 2030.

"We do not believe that this brine extraction reduction will have an impact on our near- or long-term lithium production," the company said in the statement.

The report said increasing lithium demand has raised doubts that water from the Atacama can support  production levels of the metal as well as the needs of nearby copper mines, a booming tourism industry, and indigenous communities.

SQM committed to produce carbon-neutral lithium by 2030 as part of a US$100 million emissions reduction drive.

Chief executive Ricardo Ramos said in the statement the new goals were compatible with ramping up production to meet the expected spike in demand.
 
"There is no tradeoff between being cost-competitive and being leaders in sustainability," Ramos said. "These are commitments that we assume out of conviction and voluntarily."

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Magazine Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Magazine Intelligence team.

editions

ESG Mining Company Index: Benchmarking the Future of Sustainable Mining

The ESG Mining Company Index report provides an in-depth evaluation of ESG performance of 61 of the world's largest mining companies. Using a robust framework, it assesses each company across 9 meticulously weighted indicators within 6 essential pillars.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Exploration Report 2024 (feat. Opaxe data)

A comprehensive review of exploration trends and technologies, highlighting the best intercepts and discoveries and the latest initial resource estimates.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Future Fleets Report 2024

The report paints a picture of the equipment landscape and includes detailed profiles of mines that are employing these fleets

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Digitalisation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations that use digitalisation technology to drive improvements across all areas of mining production