JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – LSE-listed Polymetal International was awarded the top rating in environmental responsibility among Russian metals and mining companies by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The WWF, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, Global Environmental Facility, and the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment published the results of their environmental responsibility assessment for Russian metals and mining companies.

Among the 33 companies included in the rating, Polymetal is tied for the first place with Kinross Gold, based on its environmental management, environmental impact and disclosure/transparency. This is a major improvement from the previous rating where Polymetal was ranked seventh.

"First place in this rating is the result of our multi-year effort to improve sustainability at Polymetal. The result reaffirms our approach in favour of complex and best-practice measures that form a crucial part of our strategy,” chief sustainability officer Daria Goncharova said.

Diamond miner Alrosa also ranked among the top three in the environmental responsibility rating of the Russian mining and smelting companies.

"Environmental protection is one of the major strategic policies of Alrosa [and we have our] own environmental department that carries out the industrial environmental monitoring on a regular basis. The environmental action plan covers all ecosystems, including water, ground, air, flora, and fauna,” it said in a statement.

In 2016, Alrosa spent RUB5.5-billion on environmental protection activities, while the total relevant expenditures for 2012 to 2016 exceeded RUB27.5-billion.

Alrosa has implemented two major infrastructure projects in Yakutia as part of the Year of Ecology in Russia, including the construction of a unit for water reinjection from openpit and underground mines back to the Zapadny fault, as well as the reconstruction of sewage treatment facilities with a capacity of 15 000 m³ a day in Udachny town.

This project is of strategic importance for the fishery region where local rivers require special protection.

This year, the miner expanded the industrial environmental monitoring programme and has implemented a number of educational projects focused on raising the awareness of the people of various ages living in Yakutia.