Managing and mitigating our carbon footprint is part of our overall approach to sustainable development. Our Environmental Policy articulates our commitment to environmental stewardship: to prevent or mitigate impacts of our mining activities on the natural environment by improving the efficiency of our use of land, water and energy.
In with ISO 14001 guidelines, we have developed an Environmental Management System, which includes environmental monitoring systems and controls at each site.
To address climate risk, we’re focused on reducing the emissions intensity of our operating sites (direct and indirect) through conservation and eco-efficiency initiatives.
Currently, Endeavour does not have a GHG emissions reduction target or formalized climate action plan. Setting the right target – one that is meaningful and attainable – is difficult given that our business is in transformation, with the development of our biggest mine underway at Terronera, Mexico, and two mines (El Cubo, El Compass) that went into care and maintenance because they were no longer economically viable.
Under our Sustainability Strategy 2022-2024, we will implement new emission reduction tactics, as we explore and develop an appropriate climate risk response plan for our business.
Since 2013, we have tracked and reported greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for all our operations, which allows us to continually identify areas for improvement. We monitor both direct (Scope 1) and indirect (Scope 2) emissions. Our ESG Performance Tables provides metrics for the past three years.
Energy consumption represents our largest carbon impact. Our two main energy uses at our operations are electricity and fuel for transport. Stationary energy is comprised of purchased electricity (all of our operations draw from state power grids), diesel fuel for vehicles, and natural gas for the smelting furnaces at Guanaceví.
Our maintenance teams monitor and look for opportunities to streamline electricity consumption. They review efficiencies to determine the capacity needed for the equipment in order to optimize electricity use. We also work with our contracted trucking companies to ensure efficient transport management; for example, by carrying the highest allowable loads and reducing the number of trips.
A key priority is to improve and increase our reporting of climate-related financial information, in line with the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations. In addition to better disclosure, following the TCFD framework will help us more effectively evaluate climate risks to our company and suppliers, over the short, medium and long term. Implementing the TCFD’s recommendations will be an important effort for our company over the next 2-3 years.
