In  Serbia Zijin Copper, we are committed to the responsible management of our mines. Our priority is to maintain harmonious relations with the local community, while reducing the impact on the environment. By supporting our commitment to responsibility, we protect our license to operate so that we can continue to create wealth for our employees, our host community and shareholders. Therefore, responsible mining is a business imperative and the foundation of Serbia Zijin Copper business operations.

We are committed to developing not only the mines, but also the local community in which we operate. By sharing the wealth we create with the local community and by building harmonious relationships, we maintain long-term business.

Serbia Zijin Copper seeks to improve local socio-economic conditions through employment, training and support for education and infrastructure. The company respects local heritage and culture and is committed to international human rights standards wherever we do business. We strive to establish long-term, sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships with the local community in which we do our business.

■ Contributions

As a socially responsible company, Serbia Zijin Copper pays great attention to the sustainable development of the environment in which it operates and consistently assists local governments in Bor and Majdanpek. They continuously implement a package of plans for the joint construction of social communities and conscientiously fulfill their corporate obligations. They support numerous cultural, educational, healthcare, tourist, and sports institutions and events, demonstrating concretely that they are driving the development of the Timok Region and Serbia.

By the end of August 2023, Serbia Zijin Copper had implemented 185 donations, allocating $4.5 million for improving healthcare, transportation infrastructure, education, sports, traditional arts, and children’s entertainment. Numerous projects of big importance for the social community have been implemented, such as „You are the future“ and „Zijin scholarship“.

In order to help Serbia in the fight against the pandemic, the Company, together with Serbia Zijin Mining, donated medical equipment and protective material, as well as a virus testing laboratory called „Fiery Eye“ in Niš to the relevant Republic institutions. The total value of this donation reached almost USD 1 million.

As of the end of August 2023, Serbia Zijin Copper had 6,233 employees, of which 6,035, or 96.8%, were Serbian citizens, and 198 were of Chinese nationality. The average monthly net salary in August was approximately 125,000 dinars, which is 87% higher compared to the net income in 2018. The wages of Serbia Zijin Copper employees significantly exceed the local per capita income level and are 45% higher than the average in Serbia. After taking over management, Bor and Majdanpek saw the creation of over 2,700 new jobs, mainly for young people, which was a significant contribution to the economic development of these two cities. Additionally, the large number of newly opened jobs for local residents played a crucial role in maintaining social stability.

Since taking over ownership in the former RTB Bor until the end of August 2023, Serbia Zijin Copper has paid $421 million in various taxes and fees and has made a cumulative contribution to the Serbian community of $787 million. Consequently, the company ranks among the entrepreneurs with the highest tax and fee payments. In addition, Serbia Zijin Copper collaborates with over 1,500 local suppliers, with the cumulative value of material procurement reaching $1.728 billion, indirectly creating over 8,000 jobs.

■ Local community development

In order to define a clear way of communication and exchange of information with the social community, the Company established a work group for coordination of relations with the local communities in the city of Bor.

We expect contact with the local community so as to identify its needs and problems. We welcome sustainable and constructive cooperation with local governments, indigenous groups, non-governmental organizations and individuals.

The Company firmly believes that in the near future, the city of Bor, through joint efforts, will become the second largest base of the copper industry in Europe and that it will contribute to a greater wealth of the local surroundings in which it operates.

■ Stakeholder engagement

Hoping to boost the economy and employment, Serbia Zijin Copper has entered into business cooperation with a number of local companies in the fields of engineering design, construction, technical services, thus more than a half of the population in Bor and Majdanpek directly or indirectly benefits from the Company. The Company strives to form as many job positions as possible for the local population and to build a local supply chain in order to achieve mutual development with the local communities in whose territories it operates.

■ Professional training

In Serbia Zijin Copper we understand the value of educational opportunities in local communities. The Company provides an excellent platform for the development of brilliant professional staff and talented students in the field of management. The Company in the last five years delivered the internship contracts to the graduates of the Technical Faculty in Bor, which are in effect until their graduation.