Serbia Zijin Copper is committed to reducing the unfavorable environmental impact in order to preserve the valuable resources and keep the work permit. Through innovative technology and education, we save the energy and protect the environment. We invest in research and development of various technologies and apply standardized management procedures.
Zijin transferred the good practice of constant care for safety, occupational health and ecology from the „Parent Company“ to all subsidiaries around the world, and thus in Bor and Majdanpek, too, already in 2020, the principles of preserving and improving the working and living environment were established.
Great efforts have been made in the field of environmental protection and the overall ecological situation is much better today. The dams on the flotation tailings dumps of all mines were reinforced and remediated, and remarkable results were achieved in solving the problems with dust, solid waste, flue gases, noise, etc. In less than two and a half years, more than 112,600 seedlings were planted, 475,000 square meters were greened and 21,024 tons of regular and 678.3 tons of hazardous waste was properly disposed of. In 2020, more than 19,300 seedlings were planted, 239,000 square meters were greened and 332.5 tons of hazardous and 8,746.4 tons of non-hazardous waste was disposed of. In 2021, the plan is to green the additional 250,000 square meters and to transfer all the waste generated during the demolition or the preparatory works to new infrastructure locations.
So far, Serbia Zijin Copper has invested USD 126 million in the environmental management and ecological renewal. A large part of that money was invested in the reclamation of degraded mining areas and the remediation of the historical heritage.
The Company works on the improvement of the condition of the tailings dumps flotation dams, where, by greening the parts exposed to the direct impact of wind and water, it seeks to stabilize dust and minimize the impact of agents on the environment and surrounding villages.
The production and construction plan for the next 2 + 3 + 5 years, i.e., the document on the ten-year development of the Company includes investments in the field of environmental protection, and the largest will be realized in the Smelter. Ecological units for capturing and purification of flue gases, the desulphurization system, new converters and the new anode furnaces will be constructed, all in order to fully improve the air quality in Bor. The new investment plan will be developed according to the standards of the European Union.