Euro Manganese Inc (ASX:EMN, TSX-V:EMN, OTCQX:EUMNF) has submitted the final environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) for its Chvaletice Manganese Project to the Czech Republic’s Ministry of Environment.
The company also welcomes the publication of its inaugural 2022 Sustainability Report.
Environmental and social impact
Chvaletice is on track to become Europe’s only primary producer of high-purity manganese products with strong ESG credentials and is poised to take advantage of the rapidly growing electric vehicle (EV) market.
The project has been designed to meet the exacting European Union and Czech standards governing the environment, health and safety.
EMN's ESIA is the main milestone in the project’s environmental permitting process. It builds on a preliminary ESIA, reviewed by the relevant Czech ministry in 2020.
The ESIA takes outputs from the preliminary ESIA and the Chvaletice Feasibility Study, announced in July 2022, as inputs to the compilation of many environmental and social impact assessments, including dispersion studies, acoustic studies and impact on human health studies.
Euro Manganese has also taken proactive steps to engage with and brief many of the relevant authorities and stakeholders on the project details and built this feedback into the final submission.
The body of work the company has put into its studies – with a focus on the quality of the studies and meeting the Czech regulatory criteria – now looks set to pay off.
This approval process is anticipated to take roughly six months.
Inaugural sustainability report
In other news, Euro Manganese has published an inaugural Sustainability Report for 2022, which outlines how it is leading the way for sustainable production of high-purity manganese for the electric vehicle industry.
The report covers the material environmental, social and governance issues that matter to the company and its stakeholders, as well as outlining the company’s purpose, vision and values. It sets out a detailed business model, designed to deliver long-term value for stakeholders.
The report was filed on SEDAR on December 23, 2022, and lodged on ASX on December 27, 2022, and can be found on the company’s website.
“Both the submission of the environmental and social impact assessment and the completion of the company’s inaugural Sustainability Report are significant achievements by Euro Manganese,” president and CEO Dr Matthew James said.
“The team has worked incredibly hard to ensure both the ESIA and the Sustainability Report are of the highest quality and include extensive consultation with local communities and other stakeholders who provided invaluable input to both documents.
“The project embodies strict and very high environmental, health, safety and social standards, and is positive for the environment, local community and the Czech Republic.
“Environmental protection and stewardship remain front and centre in our company and in the design of this project.”