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At Hudbay, we work toward our values of dignity and respect, caring, openness and trustworthiness in everything we do. By striving to live our values and recognizing the importance of sustainability, we believe we can build strong relationships with our host communities and governments, making us a better partner and a better company.
Our sustainability practices come to life with our team of experienced professionals who are committed to managing social, environmental and economic risks, impacts and opportunities. Additionally, working in partnership with suppliers that share our goals, values and commitment to local communities and other key stakeholders supports our ability to operate more efficiently and responsibly.
To read the full Hudbay 2019 Sustainability Report, visit hudbayminerals.com/sustainability
First and foremost, our approach is built on a recognition that business success requires sustainable practices. We are committed to policies, procedures and voluntary codes that represent the priorities of our communities and stakeholders in areas such as community relations, environmental stewardship, health and safety, and human rights. Hudbay also believes that listening and responding to the needs and priorities of local communities allows the mining industry to be a strong contributor to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, a part of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Examples of our contribution to sustainability can be seen in our approach to selecting suppliers (see our formal contractor evaluation program, implemented by our Constancia operation in Peru) and in our efforts to manage tailings (see our tailing improvement projects in Manitoba).
Hudbay’s positive social impact
Also reflected in our values is respect for the rights of the people who work with us and those who live in the communities in which we operate. We respect the dignity of all people, including their culture, customs and values. To drive positive social impact, Hudbay invests in socio-economic development opportunities and works to build lasting relationships with those who live near our operations and who are impacted by our activities.
How do we do this? We make positive economic contributions by providing jobs, contracting with local suppliers, paying taxes and royalties and more. We also commit to respectful and open community relations with those in places we operate. We work to understand the history, culture and ambitions of local communities and to respect Indigenous peoples’ distinct rights and unique connections to the land and water. We prioritize local employment, and we work to build capacity among local workers and suppliers. For instance, we have supported local training in areas including entrepreneurial skills, introduction to mining and heavy equipment and food services operations.
In 2019, we met a number of achievements in sustainability, including spending $65.8 million in local procurement (local to our operations), 15% of the Hudbay workforce at Constancia being from local Peruvian communities, and Indigenous peoples making up 15% of our Manitoba workforce.
The communities we operate in are diverse and, in some mining areas, there are community members who are concerned about potential negative impacts of mining. Our goal is to help bridge community interest in economic development from mining with other priorities - and we work to provide remedy when needed.
How we’re supporting our people as an employer of choice
To ensure our employees and our organization are positioned for future success in a business environment that is increasingly complex, competitive, and ever-changing, we are building new capabilities, creating efficiencies, and striving for a healthier and safer workplace. As a company, we are proud of our health and safety performance and we strive for ongoing improvement when it comes to the health and safety of our employees.
We want to be recognized as an employer of choice everywhere we operate. This requires us to offer fair wages and compensation and to invest in our people through opportunities for career development and growth.
At Hudbay, we value inclusion and diversity as important aspects of our culture. We recognize that employing workers with diverse backgrounds, experience and perspectives, makes us stronger and cultivates collaboration toward shared goals. Fulfilling our mission requires a workforce that reflects the communities near our operations. Each site prioritizes employment opportunities for members of the local communities and Indigenous groups.
In 2019, our Manitoba Business Unit received the Government of Canada’s Employment Equity Achievement Award. We are proud that women made up 16% of our overall employment and 30% of our board members were women and are working towards increasing representation further.
In July 2020, our President and CEO, Peter Kukielski, signed the BlackNorth pledge to do more to end systemic racism and create opportunities for those in the BIPOC community. The BlackNorth Initiative is led by the recently formed Canadian Council of Business Leaders Against Anti-Black Systemic Racism.
We are focused on minimizing our environmental impact
Our success in developing, operating and closing mines depends on our ability to carefully manage our environmental impacts, comply with applicable environmental laws and regulations, and apply best practices and innovative approaches.
Hudbay’s attention to safeguarding the environment and being good stewards of natural resources is expressly stated in our Environmental Health and Safety Policy. The policy requires all operations and exploration sites to adopt sustainable practices that mitigate adverse effects on the environment and to continually improve the effectiveness of environmental management systems. The management systems at our operating sites are also certified to the ISO 14001 international standard.
We recognize the impacts our business can have on the environment, which is why all Hudbay operations have plans in place to reduce, reuse, recycle and responsibly dispose of hazardous and non-hazardous waste, with a particular focus on managing waste rock and tailings.
To achieve safe management of tailings, Hudbay closely follows the Tailings Management Protocol of the Mining Association of Canada, a globally respected standard for tailings management. Hudbay’s Tailings Governance Charter requires third-party reviews of all tailings facilities at least on an annual basis, with reporting up to the Board of Directors to ensure each facility conforms to safe practices. The Charter also includes requirements for documented procedures for managing day-to-day activities, such as planning, monitoring, risk identification, auditing and reporting. At our Lalor and 777 mines in Manitoba, we also re-use a portion of our tailings processed as backfile in the mines, which both reduces the volume stored on surface and allows greater mineral recovery from the mines.
When it comes to energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, Hudbay is also working to identify and pursue economically viable opportunities to improve energy efficiencies and reduce emissions at our operations to better manage climate-related risks and opportunities.
The full Hudbay 2019 Sustainability Report can be found at hudbayminerals.com/sustainability
