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Livent's new sustainability goals are set against baseline 2019 metrics, as documented in Livent's 2019 Sustainability Report
FREMONT, CA: Livent Corporation announced its new set of sustainability goals, having successfully achieved nearly all of its previous sustainability goals five years ahead of schedule. Livent's new goals are based on the findings of a Materiality Assessment and reflect the priorities of its customers, communities, investors, employees, and other stakeholders, as well as the centrality of sustainability in its operations.
"Our new goals will guide Livent's sustainability journey going forward and help us build on our rich heritage as a lithium pioneer and leader for nearly 80 years. We will continue to improve our operations and hold ourselves accountable to meeting a high standard for sustainability. We are determined to help raise the bar for sustainability performance, responsible operations, community engagement and transparency across the lithium industry," said Paul Graves, president, and chief executive officer of Livent.
The goals are organized into three main categories and outlined below.
Environmental Impact
• Achieve overall carbon neutrality by 2040, as announced previously.
• Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity by 30% across Livent operations by 2030.
• Transition 30 percent of the company's energy mix to renewable sources by 2030, beginning the path to 100 percent renewable energy.
• Reduce water intensity by 10 percent to 30 percent across Livent operations by 2030, and continue to lead collaborative efforts to ensure sustainable water use, responsible operations, and biodiversity at the Salar del Hombre Muerto and the surrounding area in Argentina.
• Reduce waste intensity by 30 percent across Livent operations by 2030.
• Dedicate the majority of Research & Development spending to develop or support green technologies, processes, and products by 2022.
• Formalize involvement in industry initiatives to advance zero-emission transportation and lithium battery recycling by 2022.
Social Responsibility
• Continue to focus on enhanced outcomes for uplifting and supporting Livent's local communities, as measured by community investments (both time and money), local hiring, and impact assessments, including quality of relationship with Indigenous Peoples.
• Continue to improve in all key Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) metrics, including less than 0.1 Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR).
• Verify and enforce supplier compliance with Livent's Supplier Code of Conduct and responsible labor practices, as measured against various KPIs for supplier selection, monitoring and performance, beginning in 2021.
• As a UN Global Compact member, maintain focus and progress against the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• Aspire to a level of talent diversity that reflects the geographies where Livent operates.
• Maintain compensation structures and processes that promote pay equity.
• Cultivate an inclusive and positive work environment for Livent employees.
Transparency
• Continue to publish annual sustainability reports following the requirements of leading reporting frameworks.
• Complete ISO-compliant Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) for strategic products by 2025.
• Maintain and expand global certifications for the leading ISO management systems for Quality, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), Social Management, and Energy Management.
• Conduct periodic third-party assurance of Livent's sustainability data and data collection methodology, beginning in 2021.
• Participate in academic research studies on the environmental/social impact of operations at the Salar del Hombre Muerto, beginning in 2021.
• Engage with leading organizations that are independently verifying and setting the global standards for responsible mining and manufacturing, beginning in 2021.
"While many of Livent's new sustainability goals are ambitious, we believe they are both achievable and necessary. Our success will hinge on our ability to develop innovative solutions, as we've done throughout our history, and support them with the appropriate deployment of financial investment and resources over time. While the road ahead will invariably have its share of challenges, we are confident in our ability to deliver on our commitments and excited about the role Livent can play for a better world and a more sustainable future," continued Mr. Graves.
