In 2021, Sibanthracite rose from 33rd to 17th place in the WWF Russia ratings for mining and metallurgical enterprises’ openness of environmental information.  At the same time, Sibanthracite came in third among the coal mining companies listed in the rankings.

Sibanthracite’s final score was 1.144 points – higher than the industry average of 0.92 points. The Group also received high marks for certain components of the rating.

The fact that Sibanthracite rose 16 places in the WWF Russia rankings reflects the Group’s constant work to improve the quality of its environmental management and increase its level of informational transparency.

The Group’s official website regularly publishes up-to-date data on air and water quality, as well as noise levels, in the settlements near mining sites. On the recommendation of WWF experts, Sibanthracite has developed and published a set of key environmental performance indicators on its website that have made it possible to compare the Group with other representatives of the coal industry. This data will be regularly updated and form part of a detailed sustainability report that the Group plans to release next year.

The rating was also boosted by a project that the Group initiated to certify its environmental management system according to ISO standards, as well as measures it has taken to improve the energy efficiency of its production facilities and to shift to electricity produced from renewable sources.

Another important criterion that made it possible to rise in the ratings is interaction with regional and municipal authorities, public organizations, the local population, and the indigenous people in the regions where the Group operates. Sibanthracite regularly accepts inquiries from citizens and provides objective answers, holds offsite public meetings, organizes visits to mines, and makes measurements of environmental indicators available to the public.

“We are proud of the results we have achieved in this ranking. This means that WWF experts and the Russian ACRA rating agency highly appreciated our efforts to protect the environment and increase informational openness, and that the direction for further work has been chosen correctly. We will continue to implement measures aimed at the ecological well-being of the regions,” says Sibanthracite Group CEO Sergey Melnikov. 

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In total, 39 companies – producers of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, coal, and mineral fertilizers – participate in the rating. The rankings were compiled in 2021 based on results from 2020 by the Russian rating agency ACRA, which is an independent appraiser included in the Central Bank of the Russian Federation’s register of credit rating agencies, and also assigns ESG ratings to companies, green bonds, and ESG loans.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is one of the largest independent international environmental organizations, uniting about 5 million permanent supporters and operating in more than 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to prevent the increasing degradation of the planet’s natural environment and achieve harmony between man and nature. Its main goals are to preserve biological diversity and reduce man’s ecological footprint.