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16/12/2021

K+S commits to EU principles for sustainable raw materials

On 15th December 2021 Euromines member company K+S officially announced its commitment to the EU principles for sustainable raw materials. These principles cover social, ecological, and economic aspects as well as sustainable corporate governance.

Dr. Burkhard Lohr, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of K+S AG said: “We perceive ourselves as a pioneer for environmentally friendly and sustainable mining. With our sustainability management system, we address all principles in full.”

The principles are built upon existing EU legislation on sustainability and refer to internationally agreed sustainable raw materials extraction and processing initiatives. They also intend to align the understanding of sustainable resource extraction – from exploration and processing operations to post-closure – in the Member States and define the general direction of mining’s contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The principles enable a better communication with the public how sustainable raw materials extraction and processing takes place in Europe.

In potash and salt mining, K+S sets global standards in environmental and climate protection with its clear and ambitious sustainability goals. Some examples of this are the ESTA process developed by the Company for the dry processing of crude salts, the development of low-emission explosives, and the recovery of nutrients from production water. Occupational safety and the health of the workforce take precedence over revenues and earnings. Using natural resources efficiently and innovatively is the focus of our R&D activities.

In 2021 EcoVadis has evaluated the performance of K+S Minerals and Agriculture GmbH in the key fields of sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR). In all categories, the results are above the industry average, which equals to a Silver Medal rating.

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