28 April 2023

CENTRAL ASIA METALS PLC

('CAML' or the 'Company')

Publication of 2022 Sustainability and Climate Change Reports

Central Asia Metals plc (AIM: CAML) announces today that it has published its 2022 Sustainability and Climate Change Reports, that cover its approach and activities for the year ended 31 December 2022, both at Group level and at the Sasa zinc-lead mine in North Macedonia ('Sasa') and the Kounrad dump leach, solvent extraction and electro-winning ('SX-EW') copper recovery plant in Kazakhstan ('Kounrad').

The reports are available to view on the Company's website at:

https://www.centralasiametals.com/investors/reports-and-presentations/ 

2022 Sustainability Report

Central Asia Metals has reported in accordance with the GRI Standards for the period 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022, and this is the Company's fourth standalone Sustainability Report. It covers CAML's approach to transparent business conduct, maintaining safe operations and healthy working environments, and its efforts to manage any potential environmental or social impacts. 

With a view to maintaining momentum in its sustainability achievements for the future, CAML has committed to the following specific long-term targets and will report on its performance in these key areas in next year's Sustainability Report. Please refer to CAML's 2022 Sustainability report for details. Additional targets will be set in future as appropriate.

2022 Climate Change Report

The Climate Change Report is the Company's second and details the reporting efforts towards the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures ('TCFD'), the five pillars constituting CAML's Climate Change Strategy, and the climate change scenario analysis undertaken in 2022. CAML has committed to a 50% reduction in its GHG emissions by 2030 versus a 2020 base and to achieving net zero by 2050.  

Nigel Robinson, Chief Executive Officer, commented:

"2022 was a year of strong performance for CAML, enabling us to generate value for all our stakeholders including our employees, local communities, governments, and suppliers, as well as our shareholders.

"During 2022, we celebrated 10 years of operation at Kounrad, in Kazakhstan, and five years' ownership of Sasa, in North Macedonia. We are immensely proud of the contributions we have made during our tenure and are committed to maintaining a robust approach to health and safety, making a positive impact on our employees and the socio-economic development of host communities, and employing an environmentally responsible approach over the long-term. Our commitment to achieving a zero-harm work environment remains at the core of our activities and our LTIFR for 2022 of 0.83 was well below our target of 1.69.

"I am pleased to report that we have further progressed our TCFD reporting and have conducted scenario analysis as part of this work, detailed in our Climate Change Report. We have achieved a 27% reduction in our 2022 GHG emissions versus 2021 and a 40% reduction on our emissions versus our 2020 base year. This year we expect to complete construction of our Kounrad Solar Power Project and begin to work on estimating our Scope 3 emissions.

"Our approach to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals ('SDGs') was reassessed in 2022 and we defined a two-tiered approach. This aims to differentiate the goals to which CAML can make a most significant contribution ('primary') from those which still have strong relevance to our business ('supporting').

"Good progress has been made in governance and stewardship in 2022, as we introduced a corporate governance training platform, conducted a human rights impact assessment, and introduced a supplier social assessment process.

"Initiatives have been implemented to ensure that our payment of wages is fair, and our salaries significantly exceed local minimum wages. In 2022, we conducted an average of 43 hours of training per employee. In 2023, we plan to develop a diversity and inclusion strategy.

"We continued to enjoy strong community relationships at Kounrad and Sasa during 2022. In December, the President of Kazakhstan presented our Kounrad operation with the Gold Award for the Best Socially Responsible Business. At Sasa, we were particularly pleased to have advanced the Local Economic Development and Local Environmental Action Plans that are being developed as part of the long-term sustainability initiative between our project and the local municipality. 

"During 2022, we fulfilled our purpose to produce base metals, essential for modern living, profitably in a safe and sustainable environment for all our stakeholders. We strive to further improve our sustainability performance and continue to contribute to the socio-economic development of our host communities. As ever, we would welcome feedback on this report from any of our stakeholders."   

For further information contact:

Note to editors:

Central Asia Metals, an AIM-listed UK company based in London, owns 100% of the Kounrad SX-EW copper project in central Kazakhstan and 100% of the Sasa zinc-lead mine in North Macedonia.

For further information, please visit www.centralasiametals.com and follow CAML on Twitter at @CamlMetals and on LinkedIn at Central Asia Metals Plc