Norilsk Nickel, together with the Civic Chamber of the Murmansk Region, held public discussions on the implementation of ESG measures reflected in new corporate policies and policy statements. The event was held at the site of the Public Chamber of the Murmansk region.
It was attended by representatives of the Government of the Murmansk Region, member of the Board of Directors Andrey Bugrov, Vice Presidents Vladimir Zhukov, Stanislav Seleznev and Director of the Department of Sustainable Development (DepUR) Svetlana Ivchenko, Chairman of the Russian environmental party "The Greens" (Zeleniye) Andrey Nagibin, Chairman of the Public Council under the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia Alexander Zakondyrin, Aleksey Knizhnikov, Head of the WWF Russia Business Environmental Responsibility Program; Elena Vasilyeva, Head of Research Programs of the Russian branch of Greenpeace; Nikolai Doronin, Chairman of the Board of the Project Office for the Development of the Arctic (PORA), as well as the leaders of the Laplandsky and Pasvik nature reserves, ANO Second School, and the regional branch of WWF.
During the discussion, the participants were able to speak and exchange opinions on issues such as climate change policy, biodiversity conservation, water resource management, tailings management, human rights policy, responsible sourcing and supplier code, as well as interaction with interested parties.
Representatives of Norilsk Nickel talked about the impact of business and production on the environment and the implementation of ESG initiatives in the regions where the company operates. Thus, 11 ESG audits have already been carried out at Norilsk Nickel enterprises. The company is actively working to reduce harmful emissions at its enterprises. As part of its Sulfur Program, Norilsk Nickel was able to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions to such a level that “the city of Norilsk will soon leave the top 20 most polluted cities in Russia,” said Stanislav Seleznev, Vice President for Environment.
Tatyana Russkova, Minister of Arctic Development and Economy, described the development of Nikel after the closure of the smelter as "not an easy path." Andrey Nagibin, chairman of the Russian environmental party Greens, also drew comparative parallels between the pollution of the village during the Soviet era and the revival of nature after the shut down of the production. According to Alexander Zakondyrin, Chairman of the Public Council under the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources, Norilsk Nickel's management should make public information about the company simpler and more understandable for the citizens.
The event was held in full accordance with the declared program, in a constructive way.
The public discussion, which ended on June 14, 2022, was the first of a series of such events that will be held in Norilsk, Chita, and Moscow from June to September. Based on the results of the discussions, priority areas for the implementation of new policies and the introduction of eco-volunteer projects will be presented.
The regional policy block of the Kola MMC provided comprehensive assistance to the DepUR GO in organizing the event, interacting with the Murmansk Regional Office and inviting representatives of the regional public and authorities.
