Environmental statements

1. ¹ CO2e emissions’ data for 2015 is an aggregation of market-based and location-based scope 2 emissions. A direct comparison to 2016-2020 data is not possible. If such comparison were to be made, the most meaningful approximation is to use the market-based 2016-2020 figures (see section E3 for details).

Data for 2015 includes the divested business unit Zinc Chemicals, while data for 2016-2020 does not. Data for 2016 and previous years includes the divested business unit Building Products, while data for 2017-2020 does not.

The environmental key figures include data from consolidated industrial sites where Umicore has operational control. The following sites are no longer reported compared to 2019: Beijing (China; Electro-Optic Materials) and Rheinfelden (Germany; Automotive Catalysts). The following sites were added to the environmental reporting scope in 2020: Songdo (South Korea; Precious Metals Chemistry) and Kokkola (Finland; Rechargeable Battery Materials). As in 2019, the total number of consolidated industrial sites that report environmental data in 2020 is 55.

Within the scope of Umicore’s reporting framework, most of the sites report their environmental data at the end of the third quarter together with a forecast for the fourth quarter. In January, the forecasted values are checked by the sites for significant deviations and, if needed, corrected. Particular emphasis was put on this data check during 2020 due to the potential impact that COVID-19 may have had on the production rates across the year. The 7 sites with the largest environmental impact for 2020 are: Hanau (Germany; Catalysis, Recycling), Olen (Belgium; Energy & Surface Technologies, Corporate R&D), Hoboken (Belgium; Recycling), Jiangmen (China; Energy & Surface Technologies), Cheonan Site 1, Cheonan Site 2/3 (both Korea; Energy & Surface Technologies), and Kokkola (Finland; Energy & Surface Technologies). With the exception of Kokkola, these sites report their full year figures in 2020. The Kokkola site will also report full year data from 2021 onwards. A sensitivity analysis, undertaken for the 2020 data on energy consumption data, indicates that the potential deviation of the Group environmental performance would be less than 2% in case of a 20% error in the forecasted data.

Please note that due to improved analytical and reporting methods, some of the data published in the 2019 annual report has been restated in the 2020 report. Unless mentioned otherwise, environmental key performance indicators (KPIs) for 2015 include the business unit Zinc Chemicals that was divested during 2016, while 2016-2020 KPIs do not include Zinc Chemicals. Likewise, environmental KPIs for 2015-2016 include the business unit Building Products that was divested during 2017, while 2017-2020 KPIs do not include Building Products.

Umicore’s Vision 2015 achievements of reducing our metal emissions to water and air from point sources in terms of impact by 26% and 37%, respectively, marked a great step towards sustainable operations. We consider the emission levels achieved in 2015 as our frame of reference in the context of sustainable operations that include the management of the emissions to water and air.

The aim for Horizon 2020 was to build on the Vision 2015 achievements by reducing the impact of metal emissions while considering growing volumes of production. In practice, this means that we aimed to at least maintain the level of metals emitted to water and air in terms of impact that we achieved as part of Vision 2015.

Metal emissions to water are defined as the total amount of metals emitted after treatment to surface water from effluent(s) expressed in kg/year. If sites make use of an external wastewater treatment plant, the efficiency of that treatment is considered if known to the site.

Metal emissions to air are defined as the total amount of metals emitted to air in solid fraction by all point sources expressed in kg/year. For mercury and arsenic, additional vapor/fume fractions are counted as well.

For each of the metals emitted to water and air, an impact factor is applied to account for the different toxicity and ecotoxicity levels of the various metals when they are emitted to the environment. The higher the impact factor, the higher the toxicity is to the receiving water body (for water emissions) or to human health (for air emissions).

The impact factors for water emissions are based upon scientific data generated (“predicted no effect concentrations” or PNECs) for the REACH regulation. An impact factor of 1 was attributed to the antimony PNEC of 113 μg/l. The impact factors for emissions to air are based upon the occupational exposure limits (OEL) (reference: American Conference of Industrial and Governmental Hygienists, 2011). An impact factor of 1 was attributed to the zinc (oxide) OEL of 2 mg/m³. Subsequently, an impact factor for all relevant metals was calculated based upon these references. The metal impact to air and to water is expressed as “impact units/year”.

We identified the sites that contribute at least 95% in terms of load (for SOx and NOx) or impact units (for metals emissions to water and air) of the total 2015 Group figures (excluding the divested business unit Zinc Chemicals). For emissions to water and air, data collection for 2020 was restricted to the identified material sites (10 or fewer). All other sites were requested to only submit data in case of significant upward deviations from the 2015 baseline for the site.

The improvement on 2015 levels of metal emissions to water and air is measured by comparing emissions of the current reporting year (i.e., 2020) with those of the reference year 2015 and using the same scope of activities as 2015 for the material sites.

To calculate the change in metal emissions to water and air in comparison with the reference year 2015, a baseline has been established for each site in scope. The baseline is established by multiplying the actual activity level of the current reporting year (i.e., 2020) by the 2015 emission intensity (see example below). The baseline 2015 is then calculated by adding up all site-level baselines for the sites in scope. Examples of activity parameters at sites are: tonnes produced per year, machine hours per year, tonnes of input material in recycling process per year.

Example

In 2015, site A produced 20 t of product X and emitted 5 kg of metal Y (impact factor of Y = 8 impact units/kg) to air, resulting in a metal emissions intensity of 2 impact units/t of product X. In 2020, site A produced 22 t of product X and emitted 5 kg of metal Y, resulting in a metal emissions intensity of 1.8 impact units/ton of product X.

The 2015 baseline reported in 2020 is then: activity level of 2020 (22 t) x 2015 emissions’ intensity (2 impact units/t) = 44 impact units.

Therefore, the measured 5 kg – equivalent to 40 impact units – emitted in 2020 represents a reduction of 10% compared to what it would have been under 2015 operating conditions.

The 2015 baseline is recalculated yearly (2016-2020). It is defined as the metal emissions that would have been expected with the activity volumes of the reporting year (i.e., 2020), but with the metal emissions intensity of the reference year 2015. The performance for each year is expressed as a percentage in comparison to the calculated 2015 Group baseline applicable to each year.

The calculation of metal emissions to water and air covers fully consolidated operations and activities that are part of the Group during the reporting year (2016-2020) and that were also part of the Group in 2015. Performance is reported only for the total of the material sites for each KPI.

SO_x and NO_x emissions are expressed in absolute numbers in tonnes/year.

1. ¹ Baseline 2015 in relation to 2016 was 343,649, leading to a reduction of 1% in 2016 in comparison with 2015
2. ² Baseline 2015 in relation to 2017 was 409,691, leading to a reduction of 69% in 2017 in comparison with 2015.
3. ³ Baseline 2015 in relation to 2018 was 453,075, leading to a reduction of 71% in 2018 in comparison with 2015
4. ⁴ Baseline 2015 in relation to 2019 was 356,940, leading to a reduction of 57% in 2019 in comparison with 2015

1. ¹ Baseline 2015 in relation to 2016 was 123,831, leading to a reduction of 30% in 2016 in comparison with 2015.
2. ² Baseline 2015 in relation to 2017 was 144,049, leading to a reduction of 41% in 2017 in comparison with 2015
3. ³ Baseline 2015 in relation to 2018 was 163,101, leading to a reduction of 46% in 2018 in comparison with 2015.
4. ⁴ Baseline 2015 in relation to 2019 was 124,403, leading to a reduction of 59% in 2019 in comparison with 2015.

The metal emissions to water in 2020, using the defined scope, resulted in 143,788 impact units. Metal emissions to water in 2015, using the defined scope, resulted in 290,714 impact units. To assess progress on our commitment, this 2015 metal emissions level normalized for 2020 activity levels was 352,638 impact units. In 2020, we have therefore achieved a 59% reduction of metal emissions to water in terms of impact for the defined scope compared to 2015.

This evolution between 2015 and 2020 can be largely attributed to our Hoboken plant (Belgium, Recycling), where the increased efficiency of the wastewater treatment plant at the site, due to investments in improvement projects over the last years, has paid off. In addition, some efficiency improvements and scale-effects – after further capacity increase of precursor production at our Cheonan Site 2/3 (Korea, Energy & Surface Technologies) – have contributed to the decrease of the emission intensity in terms of impact by metals emissions to water.

In terms of total absolute load and impact (not activity-corrected) for the Group in comparison with 2019 levels, 2020 metal emissions to water have seen a marked increase by 31% and 70%, respectively. This is for the most part due to the addition of the site in Kokkola (Finland; Rechargeable Battery Materials). While the site is well within their legal discharge limits, the nature of the industrial processes and throughput of water at the site leads to a notable increase of the absolute metal load and impact for the Umicore Group. As this is the first year of reporting of the Kokkola site under Umicore, the site’s data on efficiency of wastewater treatment and on metal load effectively discharged to the environment is currently limited. Therefore, a very conservative approach was chosen, leading to an overestimation of the metal load and impact from the site in 2020. Efforts are underway to improve the underlying data and arrive at a more realistic calculation of the metal emissions to water at the site, which is expected to yield lower metal loads in 2021 and thereafter for the Kokkola site.

The metal emissions to air in 2020, using the defined scope, resulted in 40,626 impact units. Metal emissions to air in 2015, using the defined scope, resulted in 117,918 impact units. To assess progress on our commitment, this 2015 metal emissions’ level normalized for 2020 activity was 121,392 impact units. In 2020, we have therefore achieved a 67% reduction of metal emissions to air in terms of impact for the defined scope.

The reductions are observed across many sites in scope to a varying degree and can be ascribed for the most part to further efforts that improved air filter efficiency and to improvements in overall process efficiency.

In 2015, infrastructure works at the roof of the lead refinery led to increased lead deposition in the surrounding residential area of Moretusburg. Consequently, the biological monitoring results showed an increased number of children with levels of lead in blood above the recommended reference level of 5 microgram/dl blood (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, USA). This biological monitoring campaign is conducted twice a year by the local authorities.

While during the 2020 spring blood sampling campaign, the average lead levels among children in the neighborhood rose to 6.01 microgram/dl blood, this average again decreased during the fall campaign to 4.12 microgram/dl blood. Comparing the fall biological monitoring campaigns, in 2020 26% of the children still had levels of lead in blood above the reference value of 5 µg/dl, compared to 18% in 2019. The site continues its emission reduction action plan to further reduce the number of children who show levels of lead in blood above the reference value in close collaboration with the local and regional authorities

The SO_x emissions for the Group reduced by 27% from 531 t in 2019 to 389 t in 2020, mainly due to improvements and changes in process setup at Hoboken (Belgium, Recycling). The NO_x emissions decreased from 280 t in 2019 to 239 t in 2020, a 15% reduction.

The introduction of our energy efficiency and carbon footprint policy in 2011 guided us to a 26% reduction in CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e) emissions within the defined scope in Vision 2015 and to permanent attention and awareness of energy efficiency at the sites and in the business units’ management processes.

Under Horizon 2020, Umicore’s improvement focus is on energy efficiency. The efforts to increase energy efficiency are expected to contribute to further reducing our carbon footprint.

Umicore reports its absolute CO₂e emissions as per the scope outlined in E1. The absolute CO₂e emission volumes are calculated using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol definition and reporting methodology for scope 1 and 2 (WBCSD and WRI 2004 and amendment for scope 2 of 2015). Scope 2 for Umicore includes not only purchased electricity but also steam and compressed air purchased from third parties (e.g., from industrial parks). CO₂e includes the greenhouse gases CO₂, CH4 and N2O for scope 1 and major process emissions. Other greenhouse gases are not relevant in Umicore’s operations. The scope 2 emissions take only CO₂ into account.

The calculation of scope 2 emissions for each site is done in 2 ways: once using market-based CO₂ emission factors and once using location-based CO₂ emission factors. The market-based emission factors allow calculating the CO₂ emissions based on the specific contracts that sites have in place with their energy suppliers, considering the relevant energy mix for these contracts (including green energy attributes, where applicable). The location-based CO₂ emission factors facilitate calculating the CO₂ emissions based on the residual energy mix in a country/region (where this data is available), thus explicitly excluding green energy attributes that are sold by the power producers in dedicated supply contracts. The total CO₂ emissions for the Group are then presented as 2 separate values based on this differentiation and the metrics are abbreviated as: CO₂e market-based and CO₂e location-based.

The WBCSD Chemical Sector Working Group on GHG Measurement and Reporting established additional guidance to cope with observed anomalies in GHG reporting. Umicore has implemented these guidelines already since the 2012 reporting. The publication of the sector guidelines can be found on their website.

Total CO₂e market-based emissions in 2020 were 732,543 t. Total CO₂e location-based emissions were 747,964 t. The difference between these 2 figures, 15,421, is due to specific energy contracts with a favorable energy mix that our sites have in place, which result in a lower carbon footprint than the residual energy mix for the country/region that the site is located in.

Total CO₂e market-based emissions in 2019 were 791,896 t, and total CO₂e location-based emissions in 2019 were 815,175 t.

For market-based CO₂e emissions, the 2020 emission levels have decreased by 7% in comparison with 2019. This can be attributed to a large extent to the installation of a nitric acid plant at Hoboken (Belgium; Precious Metals Refining), which reduces the direct process emissions of N₂O. In addition, lower activity levels in the business unit Rechargeable Battery Materials also resulted in reduced CO2 emissions. Changes to process setup and switching to green energy contracts at several sites have also contributed to this trend. Compared with 2015, we observe an increase of 3% in total market-based CO₂e emissions, which is due to a complex interplay of many factors over this 5-year period, among which the acquisition and setup of new sites, divestiture of entire business units, changes to process setup and production capacity and fluctuation in CO₂ emission factors for acquired energy.

Umicore is committed under Horizon 2020 to an even more efficient use of energy in its operations. In practice, this means that we aim to further increase the energy efficiency level that we achieved as part of Vision 2015.

The WBCSD Chemical Sector Working Group on GHG Measurement and Reporting established additional guidance to cope with observed anomalies in GHG and energy reporting. Umicore has implemented these guidelines already since the 2012 reporting. Publication of the sector guidelines can be found on the WBCSD website.

In the scope of Horizon 2020, a greater emphasis is on those sites that are contributing the most to Umicore’s total energy consumption, and certain parameters, such as activity indicators, have been thoroughly reviewed for those sites and updated where required. Monitoring and reporting of the energy consumption continue to be done at all sites. The larger contributors are additionally encouraged and required to report on their energy efficiency projects.

An analysis of the contributions of the sites to the energy consumption at Group level identified 26 sites that contributed more than 95% to the 2020 total.

The aim of improving on 2015 levels of energy efficiency is measured by way of comparing the energy consumption of the current reporting year (i.e., 2020) with the energy consumption of the reference year 2015 and using the same scope of activities as 2015.

To calculate the change in energy consumption in comparison with the reference year 2015, a baseline has been established for each site in scope. The baseline is established by multiplying the actual activity level of the current reporting year (i.e., 2020) by the 2015 energy intensity (see example below). The baseline 2015 is then calculated by adding up all site-level baselines for the sites in scope. Examples of activity parameters at sites are: tonnes produced per year, machine hours per year, tonnes of input material in recycling process per year.

Example

In 2015, site A produced 200 t of product X and consumed 80,000 GJ, resulting in an energy intensity of 400 GJ/t of product X. In 2020, site A produced 220 t of product X and consumed 80,000 GJ, resulting in an energy intensity of 364 GJ/t of product X.

The 2015 baseline reported in 2020 is then: activity level of 2020 (220 t) x 2015 energy intensity (400 GJ/t) = 88,000 GJ.

Therefore, the 80,000 GJ consumed in 2020 represents an improvement of 10% compared to what it would have been under 2015 operating conditions.

The baseline 2015 is recalculated yearly (2016-2020). It is defined as the energy consumption that would have been expected with the activity volumes of the reporting year (i.e. 2020), but with the energy intensity of the reference year 2015. The performance for each year is expressed as a percentage in comparison to the calculated 2015 Group baseline applicable to each year.

The calculation of this KPI covers fully consolidated operations and activities that are part of the Group during the reporting year (2016-2020) and that were also part of the Group in 2015. Therefore, the sites of the former business units Zinc Chemicals and Building Products and a few other individual sites, none of which are with Umicore anymore, are not in the reporting scope of this KPI. Likewise, several sites that joined Umicore in 2016-2020 are therefore also not included in the reporting scope for this KPI. The energy consumption data also include our corporate headquarters in Brussels (Belgium).

1. ¹ Baseline 2015 in relation to 2016 was 6,664 TJ, leading to a reduction of 6% in 2016 in comparison with 2015.
2. ² Baseline 2015 in relation to 2017 was 7,720 TJ, leading to a reduction of 21% in 2017 in comparison with 2015.
3. ³ Baseline 2015 in relation to 2018 was 8,692 TJ, leading to a reduction of 29% in 2018 in comparison with 2015.
4. ⁴ Baseline 2015 in relation to 2019 was 7,946 TJ, leading to a reduction of 23% in 2019 in comparison with 2015.

The energy consumption in 2020, using the defined scope, was 5,697 TJ. The energy consumption in 2015, using the defined scope, was 5,487 TJ. To assess progress on our commitment, this 2015 energy consumption level normalized for 2020 activity was 6,900 TJ. This means that for equivalent production levels, we consumed 17% less energy. In other words, the energy efficiency has improved by 17% in 2020 compared to the reference year 2015.

This improvement is mainly due to scale effects in connection with the ongoing capacity increase at our Rechargeable Battery Materials’ site in Korea. Further efficiency improvements and consolidations at some other sites also contributed to the overall decrease in energy intensity.

Energy efficiency projects have been implemented at the most important sites in line with foregoing sustainable development objectives since 2006. In 2020, 26 sites represented more than 95% of the Group’s energy consumption. At 15 of these sites, 38 energy efficiency projects have been reported as being implemented during 2020 and contributed significant energy savings.

Total energy consumption in 2020 was 7,591 TJ compared with 7,476 TJ in 2019, a slight increase of 2%. Various changes in production capacity, activity levels and process setup have led to a net balancing of increasing and decreasing energy consumption trends at several sites. Compared with 2015, we observe a decrease of 2% in total energy consumption, which is due to a complex interplay of many factors over this 5-year period, among which the acquisition and setup of new sites, divestiture of entire business units, and changes to process setup and production capacity.

Indirect energy consumption by primary energy source (purchased electricity, steam and compressed air) for production sites and office buildings in 2020 was 3,916 TJ. Direct energy consumption by primary energy source (fuel, gas oil, natural gas, LPG, coal and cokes) was 3,675 TJ.

As part of Umicore’s drive to reduce our environmental footprint in the light of continuously striving for more sustainable operations, Umicore is tracking the contribution of renewable energy sources in purchased energy. While some indicators for renewable energy have been used in previous years for internal evaluation, 2019 marked the first year in which we have systematically obtained information from our sites on the percentage of renewable energy in the energy mix used for purchased electricity, based on the particular purchase agreement in place at each reporting entity.

The definition of renewable energy as given in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scope 2 Guidance (2015 amendment) has guided us in defining the scope of this indicator. Only the following energy sources are considered in scope for this KPI: wind energy, solar energy, energy from biomass (including bio- and other naturally produced gas), hydropower (including marine hydro) and geothermal energy.

In 2020, the share of renewable energies for purchased electricity was 15%, up from 14% in 2019. We will track and report on this KPI in the coming years.

Water use is defined as the total volume of water expressed in thousand m³/year from domestic water supply, groundwater wells, surface water and rainwater. Groundwater extraction for remediation purposes and cooling water returned to its original water body are not counted.

The total water use for the Group increased from 6,208 thousand m³ in 2019 to 7,813 thousand m³ in 2020, an increase of 26%. The increase in water use is mainly due to the addition of the site in Kokkola (Finland; Rechargeable Battery Materials).

Waste is defined as the total volume of generated waste expressed in tonnes/year.

The waste recycling rate is the ratio of the waste recovered by third parties (including waste recovered as energy through incineration) and the total waste.

The distinction between hazardous and non-hazardous waste is made based on the local regulation for the region where the reporting entity is located.

In 2020, a total of 99,434 tonnes of waste were generated compared to 68,317 tonnes in 2019, an increase of 46%. This increase is due to the addition of the site in Kokkola (Finland; Rechargeable Battery Materials), where the industrial process generates significant amounts of process residue that is classified and disposed of as hazardous waste.

The total volume of hazardous waste increased from 47,589 tonnes in 2019 to 78,055 tonnes in 2020, an increase of 64%, due to the abovementioned addition of the Kokkola site. The recycling rate of hazardous waste has decreased from 8% in 2019 to 5% in 2020.

The total volume of non-hazardous waste slightly increased from 20,728 tonnes in 2019 to 21,379 tonnes in 2020, an increase of 3%. The recycling rate of non-hazardous waste has increased from 59% in 2019 to 65% in 2020.

The history of Umicore goes back more than 200 years. It all started with the coming together of a number of mining and smelting companies, which gradually evolved into the materials technology and recycling company Umicore is today. In the mid-1990s, Umicore started a process of divesting its remaining mining rights as part of its strategic reorientation towards added-value materials and recycling

Umicore’s predecessor companies operated within the boundaries of national mining legislation and in the context of the environmental standards valid at the time these mines were operational. The closure of the mines and the restitution of mining concessions to the relevant state authorities has consistently been carried out in collaboration with the competent authorities and local stakeholders. This process takes into consideration the specific circumstances of each site. Regarding the downstream industrial smelting and refining installations, remediation projects are developed in close consultation with other stakeholders to reduce any risks to an acceptable level as defined by the authorities.

Active participation in the management and remediation of risks that have resulted from historical operations is an integral part of the Umicore Way. Umicore’s proactive program for assessing and remediating, where necessary, soil and groundwater contamination has made significant progress. The following section illustrates the main ongoing programs and the progress made during 2020. Due to the corona pandemic, however, several projects have incurred serious delays.

The mining sites in Belgium laid the foundation of our oldest predecessor company, Vieille Montagne. The mining concession of the same name was granted by the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in 1805 and 5 more concessions were added over time, all located in eastern Wallonia. The mining activities in Belgium ceased in the 1950s and extensive rehabilitation work to secure the site was carried out at all concessions in close consultation with the competent authorities. Four concessions were officially transferred back to the Government, the retrocession of the others is being processed.

In addition, over a century of non-ferrous metals production in Hoboken, Olen, Balen and Overpelt impacted soil and groundwater on the industrial sites and on neighboring lands. In November 1997, Umicore concluded a voluntary agreement with the Flemish Region of Belgium to deal with this historical contamination. On 23 April 2004, Umicore signed an addendum to the 1997 Covenant with the regional waste authorities (OVAM) and the Regional Minister of the Environment in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in which Umicore committed to spent € 62 million over 15 years for historical pollution remediation on four sites, two of which – Balen and Overpelt – now belong to Nyrstar, a business that was divested by Umicore in 2007. In addition, OVAM and Umicore joined forces to remediate historic pollution in the additional areas surrounding the industrial sites, defined as a 9km perimeter, over 10 years. Both parties contributed €15 million to a new fund for the remediation work. In 2014, OVAM and Umicore agreed to extend the program an additional 5 years. The covenant came to an end in 2019, but the remedial efforts at the Umicore sites will continue as long as is necessary.

In Hoboken, what began as a lead and silver refining operation in 1887 grew to a large industrial plant extracting precious metals from waste. Over the years, Umicore has replaced heavily contaminated topsoil and remediated the historical contamination in the adjacent residential area. In 2017, an agreement was reached with the local authorities to extend the on-site storage facility, so that on-site topsoil remediation work can restart in 2021. A new groundwater remediation system is planned for 2021. The actions in Hoboken suffered from delays due to the corona pandemic.

In Olen, the pollution in and around the site is the result of historical production activities of mainly copper and cobalt. As soon as the Covenant was signed, the remediation work on the Olen site began. An on-site groundwater remediation program started in 2007 is ongoing. In 2020, contaminated soil and buried waste were further excavated at various locations where infrastructure work was needed.

Between 1922 and 1980, radium and uranium were also produced in Olen. The radium produced for cancer treatment purposes at this site was offered to Nobel laureate Marie Curie for her first experiments with radioactive material. The radium production plant was demolished during the 1970s and the radium production waste was confined to an aboveground storage facility, as was the norm at the time. Early 2020, the Federal Agency for Nuclear Control issued guiding principles for the permanent remediation and storage of the legacy radioactive material related to Umicore’s Olen site in Belgium. Joint working Groups have been established, including governmental agencies such as NIRAS/ONDRAF, OVAM, FANC and Umicore to elaborate a roadmap describing the different steps that need to be taken to reach a permanent storage solution. This exercise will include an update of the estimated future remediation and storage costs and the dedicated environmental provisions once the technical aspects will have been determined. Developing and implementing this detailed roadmap is currently expected to take several years. Umicore will in the meantime continue the monitoring works to guarantee that no risks are emanating from those remnants, neither for the workers on site, nor for the surrounding population.

Umicore’s predecessor companies operated mines in France since the mid-1800s. The last remaining mining activities were terminated in the late 1960s to early 1970s, and extensive rehabilitation works were carried out at the former mining sites, all located in the south of France, during the 1990s. All former mining concessions in France have been returned to the French government, the last being confirmed by ministerial decree in 2005.

Mining activity in Saint-Félix-de-Pallières began in the 19th century to exploit a subsoil rich in zinc and zinc-derived metals. The former mining concession was closed in 1971 and was secured in full compliance with the applicable legislation. The concession was waived in 2004 after the French authorities acknowledged that all the measures prescribed had been complied with. Despite ending its mining activity, Umicore has never left the area and regularly monitors the state of a landfill containing flotation residues and which is still Umicore’s property. To guarantee safe and stable conditions of the landfill on a long-term basis, Umicore has started extensive refurbishment works in 2020, be it with a serious delay due to the corona pandemic. In recent years, more attention has been focused by certain stakeholder groups on the potential health effects linked to the former mining activities. Despite having complied with all the requirements of the administration at the time of the termination of the mining activities, Umicore received in 2018 official injunctions to tackle 3 other areas at Saint-Félix, which are not under the ownership of Umicore. Although Umicore appealed against the notices, at the end of November 2019 it presented a feasibility study to address the 3 areas, as requested At the end of 2020, the Administrative Tribunal in Nîmes annulled all the injunctions on the basis that Umicore complied with all the legal requirements at the time of the transfer of the mining concessions. The tribunal added that all responsibilities are now with the State..

In Viviez, the pollution in and around the site is the result of historical production activities related to zinc production started in 1855. Umicore invested € 40 million in completing a large-scale remediation program from 2011 to the end of 2016 and has transferred the post-remedial obligations to a third party. Although soil contamination results from various sources, Umicore, together with other partners, joined a voluntary program in 2017 to address the soil contamination identified in the private gardens around the Viviez site. Data collection was performed in 2017 and 2018 and appropriate measures have been defined by a dedicated expert panel, put in place by the competent authorities. Umicore is currently preparing the works that will be executed in 2021.

In 1980, Umicore’s predecessor company acquired an abandoned silver-gold mine at Platoro in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Subsequent exploration drillings were unsuccessful and any attempts to further exploit the mine were stopped.

Remedial work started in the 1990s, consisting of capping and landscaping waste rock piles and installing a water treatment plant to capture and treat the acid mine drainage that continuously flows out of the mine. The mining site is in a nature recreation area. Umicore continues to manage the site and treat drainage water to meet the stringent environmental requirements. Umicore built a new modern waste water treatment facility in 2018 to further decrease the metal concentration in the discharge and decrease the volume of solid waste produced. Umicore/Union Gold received in 2019 a proposal for a new effluent permit, including very stringent limits for arsenic, to be attained in 2024. Union Gold took immediate action to contest the proposal arguing that reaching such limits is not technically feasible. The competent authorities accepted the arguments and recommended to apply for a less stringent permit modification. At the same time, Union Gold tested extra polishing steps in the waste water treatment plant in preparation to the application of a permit variance by 2023.

From 1980 to 2010, Umicore operated a cobalt-producing facility in Maxton, North Carolina. After the closing and the demolition of the Maxton plant, soil and groundwater contamination was identified. Umicore entered a voluntary remediation program with the authorities to fully address the issue by 2033. A comprehensive groundwater remediation through pump and treat has been put in place and is showing its effectiveness to reach the forecasted end date.

Umicore acquired industrial units in the cities of Americana (SP), Guarulhos (SP) and Manaus (AM) in Brazil in 2003. During an environmental assessment that was performed following the acquisition, groundwater pollution was detected at the Guarulhos site. This historical pollution dates from before Umicore’s purchase of the operations. Umicore took immediate measures to stop the spreading of this contamination to the neighboring areas by installing a hydraulic barrier that has been in full operation since 2011. Targeted extraction systems were put in place on site to speed up the remediation. The closure of the industrial activities from the Guarulhos site to Americana and the partial demolition of the buildings in 2021, will allow to tackle the core of the contamination even better. Due to the corona pandemic, the move to Americana was delayed, which in turn also delayed the demolition of the building in Guarulhos and the speed up of the groundwater remediation.

The compliance excess rate is the ratio between the total number of excess results and the total number of compliance measurements. An excess result is a monitoring result that violates a limit value defined in a permit, regulation or other relevant regulatory standard.

The total number of measurements is the total number of environmental impact measurements as required by the operational permit, environmental permit, or comparable standard in the region where the reporting entity is operating. The total number means the number of measurement events multiplied by the number of parameters per measurement event.

In 2020, some 54,000 environmental measurements were carried out at all of Umicore’s industrial sites, compared to some 49,000 the year before.

The number of measurements that did not meet the regulatory or permit requirements is very low at 0.15% for the Group, compared to 0.13% in 2019.

Of the 55 consolidated industrial sites, 53 have put in place an environmental management system certified against ISO 14001. One of the remaining 2 sites is an acquisition that joined Umicore reporting in 2018, and the sites is planning the implementation of an environmental management system during 2021. The other site was closed down during the course of 2020 and did not undergo recertification during the last months before shutdown. All major sites with significant environmental impacts are certified against the ISO 14001 management system.

In total, 80 environmental complaints were received in 2020, the large majority of which was related to noise and odor. 44 of the complaints are ongoing.