Environment

Glencore’s approach to sustainability addresses the key pillars of health, safety, environment, community and human rights.  We are wholly owned by Glencore and we manage the impacts and potential impacts of our activities, in line with Glencore’s sustainability framework.  

We are committed to minimising the impacts our activities have on the natural environment and recognise that strong environmental performance is essential to our long-term success. 

The Glencore sustainability framework and our Environmental Policy are the key drivers ofour environmental performance. They provide the framework around which Minara’s Environmental Management Plan (EMP) is developed and implemented to ensure compliance with our regulatory obligations.

An associated Environmental Management System (EMS) drives detailed implementation of our environmental management strategies and is continually reviewed and updated to ensure alignment with the ISO 14001 framework for a systematic approach to environmental performance.  The ISO 14001 framework certifies that Murrin Murrin effectively manages the environmental impacts of its operations and maintaining this certification is a key element of our environmental management strategy.

We promote environmental awareness for our employees and contractors through an ongoing education program to foster an environmentally conscientious workforce.  We are committed to environmental accountability through effective and open communication with stakeholders, including regulatory authorities, community groups and employees.  

We conduct an extensive range of environmental monitoring to assist in our management of environmental performance and for compliance with regulatory requirements.  Environmental monitoring conducted at the site includes groundwater and surface water monitoring, vegetation health monitoring, air emission monitoring and rehabilitation monitoring both for landform stability and revegetation purposes.  

Tailings management

In 2008 the operation developed in-pit Tailings Storage Facilities (TSFs) to minimise the overall environmental impact from tailings disposal.  Subject to stringent regulation, both paddock TSFs and in-pit TSFs at our operation undergo continuous monitoring and regular inspection in line with regulatory requirements and the Glencore Tailings Storage Facility Management Protocol.  Read more about Glencore’s approach to Tailings Storage Facilities.

Rehabilitation

We continually seek to improve the quality of rehabilitation and restoration in line with the rehabilitation requirements in Western Australia.  Our rehabilitation framework informs rehabilitation of disturbed areas throughout the life of the project, in accordance with regulatory requirements and our Mine Closure Plan.

Water

We conduct borefields performance assessments, based on water production and groundwater monitoring data, completed by an independent hydrogeologist to monitor sustainable water abstraction.  

We look for opportunities to reduce the amount of water used in our process.  We became the first site in the world to install Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Drag Reduction Technology (DRT) following collaboration on a full-scale plant trial.  While this technology has improved the pumping capacity of our hydrometallurgical plant’s feed ore slurry pipeline, it has also reduced the volume of water required for the process, meaning we can draw less from local sources.  

Pastoral

We also conduct pastoral activities across four interconnected pastoral leases in the Goldfields region; Minara, Nambi, Yundamindra and Glenorn.  Pastoral operations have been part of our business for many years and we conduct these operations in accordance with pastoral management regulations.