Nornickel fully supports the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
The Company considers social responsibility and commitment to the principles of sustainable development to be one of the pillars of operational efficiency and business development. Nornickel seeks to continuously improve its activities in the areas of environmental protection, human rights, health and safety, environmental impact assessment, and biodiversity preservation.
In November 2016, Nornickel joined the United Nations Global Compact, which seeks to encourage businesses around the world to recognise and adopt universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption. Since then, we remain fully committed to these principles. Their integration into the Company’s strategy was initiated back in 2018 and is gaining momentum every year.
Based on stakeholder engagement, we selected and looked into those SDGs that are most relevant to our operations. Following an analysis of SDGs against our current strategy, material risks, goals and commitments, investments in relevant projects and best peer practices, we selected six main SDGs:
Goal 3: Good health and well-being
Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth
Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production
Goal 13: Climate action
The Company is working towards the UN SDGs up to 2030.
We are consistently integrating sustainable development principles into our by-laws and everyday practices. In our public and non-financial reports we disclose key sustainability targets and performance against relevant UN SDGs.
Nornickel’s sustainability priorities:
E — environment
Our environmental priorities are guided by our strong commitment to minimising the impact of the Company’s operations on water, air, land, and biodiversity, while also ensuring efficient waste management and a responsible approach to tailings.
S — social
In social initiatives, we focus on diversity, non-discrimination, and strengthening our long-lasting partnerships with local communities in the regions where we operate, including the indigenous minorities of Taimyr and Murmansk region impacted by our production activities.
G — governance
Nornickel seeks to foster a group-wide corporate culture of partnership and mutual respect shared by every employee. This will help us effectively implement our strategy based on sustainable development principles and enhance the Company’s business reputation.
Nornickel's key SDG-linked projects and achievements
Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Health improvement and wellness programmes for employees and their families
Voluntary health insurance for employees and their families
Air protection projects
Occupational safety initiatives
Corporate Healthcare project
COVID-2019 response measures
Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Staff training and development
Corporate scholarships for university students and internships with Nornickel Group’s companies
The World of New Opportunities charity programme: grants for educational institutions and projects
Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Water use improvement and water supply projects
Water conservation and sustainable use projects
Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Automation of power consumption metering for commercial purposes
Energy efficiency and energy saving projects
Projects to upgrade power and heat generation, electrical grids and heat networks
Access to electricity in the cities of operation, including Norilsk
Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Decent employee remuneration
Securing employees’ involvement in social partnerships
Programmes to improve social and living conditions for employees
Health and safety initiatives
Employee involvement in driving health and safety improvements
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
Projects to develop infrastructure across the regions of operation (including transport accessibility improvement)
Project to monitor the foundations of buildings and structures in Norilsk
Operational and management digitalisation projects
Measures to improve reliability of the fibre optic communication line in Norilsk
Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
Complementary Corporate Pension Plan
Relocation assistance to new employees
Our Home and My Home social programmes (purchase of apartments for employees in various Russian regions)
Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Sulphur Programme 2.0
Air protection projects
Waste management projects (including legacy waste management)
Other environmental protection activities
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Safe waste management projects
Projects designed to reuse resources
Other environmental protection activities
Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Projects to develop reliance on renewable energy
Projects to upgrade power and heat generation, electrical grids and heat networks
Energy saving and energy efficiency improvement initiatives
Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Cooperation with nature reserves
Response to environmental incidents
Scientific expeditions
Fish stocking at water bodies across the regions of operation
Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Anti-corruption measures
Raising employee awareness of our anti-corruption practices
Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
UN Global Compact membership and related reporting
Process towards joining other major sustainable development initiatives (ICMM, IRMA, TCFD)
Support for corporate volunteering
Please read more on Norilsk Nickel’s achievements on the UN SDGs in our Sustainable Development Report.