Our commitment to addressing climate change is reflected in our environmental responsibility efforts and our Goals that Inspire. While we have been monitoring and collecting our Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data at our mining and processing facilities for several years, in 2022, we took steps to enhance our data collection processes to measure our emissions reduction progress more accurately.

Goals that Inspire Environmental Stewardship 

Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions 
We continue to further our commitments to address climate change in alignment with UN SDG 13: Climate Action.

TARGET: Reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 20% on a per-ton basis by 2030 (compared with a 2021 baseline). 

2022 Progress: During the year, we had our GHG emissions calculation methodology third-party verified in compliance with the GHG Protocol, which provides globally accepted GHG accounting standards. Through this process, we improved the accuracy of our measurements, promoting enhanced reliability and transparency in our GHG reporting. As such, we identified slight discrepancies in our 2021 metrics, which led to an approximate 10% increase to our baseline, and are reflected in the data below. To ensure continued focus on this important goal, in 2022 we created a dedicated, cross-functional Steering Team to oversee our emissions reduction efforts in pursuit of our 2030 goal. To see our energy consumption by type, please see page 75 of the report.

Executing Our Climate Strategy

In addition to improving our data collection methods, we closely monitor our year-over-year emissions to guide resource allocation, take corrective action as needed, and ensure we are making progress against our 2030 goal. Our 2022 performance, which represented an overall increase in emissions, was impacted by several factors, including planned higher production, increased energy usage due to colder than expected temperatures at some of our U.S. sites, and increased material handling at one of our largest mines.

However, reducing our emissions and increasing our energy efficiency remain central to our climate strategy, and we continue to monitor our performance and assess our biggest climate-related opportunities and risks to identify areas for improvement. This includes investing in solutions that we believe will enable us to achieve our GHG emissions reduction goal by 2030, such as:

• Increasing our reliance on renewable energy and lower carbon-footprint fuel sources, such as propane and natural gas;
• Improving transportation efficiencies for raw materials and finished goods;
• Installing more efficient, lower-emissions technologies to offset our energy-intensive operations; and
• Participating in power purchase agreements, which support the overall development of solar power infrastructure, and the purchase of carbon offsets to further our positive impacts.

In 2022, we completed several site-specific projects to support energy efficiency improvements, including:

• Moving an air compressor to a heated area at our Black Lab Serena, Illinois, facility to limit fuel usage;
• Upgrading exterior lighting at our Black Lab Chardon, Ohio, facility to high-efficiency LED bulbs that can now run on a timer;
• Replacing aging and inefficient air compressors at our Hephzibah, Georgia, and Lampazos, Nuevo León, plants with new, energy-efficient compressors; and
• Insulating the maintenance building at our Troy Grove, Illinois, facility to reduce the amount of energy required for heating and cooling.

Additionally, we continue to look for validated ways to automate data collection, reducing the risk of human error in our reporting and promoting data-driven decisions with the highest degree of reliability possible.

View the full Covia 2022 ESG Report here. 

Covia

Covia

At Covia, we are committed to being more than just a leading provider of high-performance mineral and material solutions – we believe that our company can make a positive difference in the world. This belief is what drives our environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy, which is influenced by both our journey as an organization and the events in the world around us.

Our commitment to operating as a responsible corporate citizen has been embedded into every aspect of our business for decades and serves as the foundation for Covia’s ESG initiatives. From our operations to our Team Members and the communities in which we live and work, we continue to define WHAT WE’RE MADE OF as more than the materials we produce, but the impact we can make in every interaction.

In 2021, we enhanced our approach toward accelerating ESG performance by developing our formal GOALS THAT INSPIRE: ESG 2030. These 10 goals, broken into our three core areas - Environmental Stewardship, Positive Social Impact and Responsible Governance & Ethics - were developed by Covia Team members across the company and are designed to drive tangible and measurable progress in areas where we can make the most impact.

We have the commitment and strategy in place to drive meaningful progress and we are pledging to make a positive differences for our people, our planet and our communities.

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