On 13th May, Fortune released the “2024 China ESG Impact List”, and Huayou Cobalt was successfully selected for its outstanding performance in environmental, social and governance (ESG) and positive influence in the field of industry sustainability. The list shows that in the battery and materials industry, there are only six companies on the list, and Huayou is one of them. This is not only a full affirmation of the company's long-term commitment to sustainable development, but also a high degree of recognition that it has always been active in fulfilling its social responsibilities in its business practices.

Fortune magazine is a globally influential business media that regularly releases various rankings to assess and recognise the business performance and social impact of companies. This year's Fortune China ESG Impact List has more than 200 declared companies. The companies on the list have made outstanding efforts to improve the environment, protect employees and support the community, traversed the economic cycle with sustained and inclusive growth, and won the respect of the market.

Practising Green Mission in New Energy Lithium Material Industry

As an important player in the new energy lithium materials industry, Huayou Cobalt always adheres to the development concepts of innovation, coordination, openness, green and sharing, and is committed to becoming a leader in the green mission of the global new energy lithium materials industry. By creating an integrated industrial chain of new energy lithium materials, with the Africa resource industry as the raw material guarantee, the Indonesian nickel industry as the resource base, the new material industry as the important support for resource transformation, the new energy industry as the engine to pull the continuous growth of the internal resource and new material business, and the recycling industry as the coupling to create a closed-loop industrial chain. The company carries the concept of green development through technology research and development, product manufacturing, product recycling, supply chain management, etc., in order to reduce the environmental impact of the whole industrial chain and promote the green transformation of new energy lithium materials industry.

▲Huayou Quzhou Industrial Park

Promoting green and sustainable development to create a better future for mankind

The company continuously strengthens its energy management system and environmental management system, and integrates energy saving and emission reduction, resource management, and biodiversity protection into all aspects of production and operation, so as to continuously reduce the impact of its operational activities on the environment. In Indonesia, Huayue has built a world-leading sustainable and safe production plant, helping Indonesia to build a new nickel processing and production system of great significance, turning Indonesia's pristine natural resources into treasures, which not only greatly reduces the potential risk of pollution from limonite tailings, but also creates new wealth and greatly saves mineral resources.

▲Huayue Project in Indonesia

Huayou strictly abides by the regulatory requirements of biodiversity impact assessment and management in the operation sites, carries out biodiversity conservation actions in the logical sequence of “avoid, reduce, regenerate, restore”, joins foundations in cooperation with stakeholders, and carries out practical activities such as reforestation and wildlife protection, in an endeavour to realise a positive impact. 2023 In September 2023, Huayue, IMIP Park cooperated with Gondrong Morowali community to carry out mangrove restoration activities. Mangrove planting was carried out on the coastline of Labota Village around the industrial park, and about 1,100 mangrove seedlings were successfully planted, with a cumulative planting area of about 11 hectares.

▲ At the 2023 International Forum on Sustainable Mineral Supply Chain, President Chen Hongliang, on behalf of RCI, released the Joint Action Initiative for High Quality Development of Key Mineral Supply Chain

In addition, as one of the founders of the Responsible Critical Minerals Initiative (RCI), Huayou has been invited to participate in the 2023 International Forum on Sustainable Mineral Supply Chain for two consecutive years and delivered keynote speeches, to actively participate in the global resource governance, protection of the ecological environment, and to resolve differences through dialogue, consultation, coordination and cooperation, and to build a responsible, resilient and sustainable mineral supply chain, and to commit to achieving the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Creating a fair and open working environment

▲"Huayou Cobalt - Ministry of Maritime and Investment Affairs - Northeastern University" the First Three-party Opening Ceremony of Indonesian Master’s Degree Programme was held.

The company attaches great importance to the value of employees, respects the fruits of their labour, and is committed to creating a fair and open working environment and building an employee system in line with international standards. Huayou signed university-enterprise cooperation agreements with 13 local universities in Indonesia, including UGM and ITB, and carried out campus job fairs to recruit a total of 112 college students. The 26 excellent Indonesian undergraduates selected by the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime and Investment Affairs, Indonesian Education Foundation, Northeastern University and Huayue will enter Northeastern University to start the 3-year cultivation study of master's degree of Metallurgical Engineering, which will deliver high-quality talents for the development of new energy industry of Indonesia, and contribute to the promotion of the development of higher education and employment of Indonesia's local community.

Wherever we invest, we must contribute to the local economy and society

The company has been actively involved in rural revitalisation, fulfilling its overseas responsibilities and giving back to the society with a sincere heart, participating in all kinds of charitable donations and public welfare affairs, and transferring love and warmth to the needy people around the world.

In 2022, on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the company's founding, it donated CNY 50 million to Tongxiang City to set up a special fund for charitable common wealth; in the same year, when the tenth anniversary of the construction of Huayou Quzhou Industrial Park was held, Huayou donated CNY 20 million to Quzhou City Charity Federation in the form of capital retention and interest donation to support the work of common wealth; in 2019, Huayou Cobalt donated CNY 10 million of capital retention to the Tongxiang City Charity Federation title charity fund for the city's charitable and public welfare undertakings. In terms of rural revitalisation, in September 2022, the company donated nearly CNY 2.5 million to be used in the “company + farmers” automated broiler farming project in Fuqian Village, Bungyao Township, Jiangshan City. Project put into operation will effectively drive the village collective and villagers to increase income and wealth, will drive Jiangshan City bowl kiln village before the village collective economic income of CNY 150,000/year, drive the local farmers to increase income by CNY 50,000/year, and effectively drive the regional economic development, to help revitalise the countryside, and to achieve common prosperity.

In Africa's Congo (DRC), the company signed a Social Responsibility Statement with neighbouring communities, and helped the construction of roads, power facilities, schools, airports, residential wells and public service facilities in the communities around the project site through various donation activities. Since 2016, CDM has been regularly donating supplies to Bon Pasteur, a school for the Kolwezi nuns, with an annual donation of about USD 30,000.CDM regularly donates a large number of living materials such as chairs and mattresses to the Rukuni Orphanage. In April 2023, the Company donated learning and food materials to a total of eight local schools, helping teachers and students with better learning conditions.

In Indonesia, in August 2022, Huayou named the Indonesia National Athletics Championships and sponsored Rp 1 billion (approximately CNY 500,000) for the organiser; in November 2022, a 5.6 magnitude earthquake occurred in Janyu Regency, West Java Province, Indonesia, and the Company and Vale jointly donated Rp 5 billion (approximately CNY 2.2 million) to the disaster area, including Huayou's donation of approximately CNY 1.1 million, to support the reconstruction work in the disaster area and enable the affected people to return to their homes as soon as possible.

▲In March 2024, the Korea Representative Office of Huayou Cobalt New Material Industry Group donated food, medicines, healthcare products and other items needed by the elderly in their daily lives to the Yongsan Elderly Comprehensive Welfare Hall in Seoul, South Korea.

In addition, the company has carried out a series of public welfare activities in Korea, Hungary in Europe, Zimbabwe in Africa and other investment locationss, which have won the praise of the local government and people, and established a good image of Chinese enterprises.