We Look Forward to Continuing Our Journey Towards Sustainability

As a company in the mining and lime production industry, we know that our operations have a significant impact on nature and our climate. Therefore, it is crucial to have a strategy for the governance of the company that steers development in the right direction. At the same time, we must do everything we can to help the industry minimize its environmental footprint.

The two biggest challenges we face are CO2 emissions into the atmosphere and the utilization rate of the lime we extract. The solution to these challenges is our initiative ZEQL. More about this later in the report.

In 2024, we have made several important decisions. One of the most significant is that we have decided to apply for a new permit for our lime quarry at Stucks in northern Gotland.

In connection with this, we hosted the Minister of Defence at our facility in Persberg. For the same purpose, we also organized a lunch seminar in the Swedish Parliament to highlight and discuss the importance of lime for society.

The lime suitable for steel production is virtually depleted in Sweden. It is not physically gone, but the permits to extract it are lacking. It is important for Sweden to be self-sufficient in such a crucial raw material, especially now as the world is changing rapidly.

At Stucks, there is lime suitable for steel pro-duction. The size of the deposit would be enough to meet the needs of Sweden's and Finland's steel production for the next 200 years.

We have also formulated additional strategic goals based on our work with a dual materiality analysis: Personal safety, corporate culture, biodiversity, and critical raw materials.

One of our biggest challenges lies in the permitting processes. When courts strictly adhere to limit values without considering the bigger picture, it can lead to negative consequences for the environment. A clear example is the Gåsgruvan, where we have not been granted an extension of the permit. About 40% of all lime for liming Swedish waterways used to come from there, as it was the cheapest and best alternative. When the mine is closed, it becomes more expensive to obtain the same amount of lime. Since funding is not increasing, this means that we will have more acidic watercourses in the future.

In our pursuit of sustainability, as a company, we are committed to continuously working with sustainability issues in all parts of our operations. This report fully meets the requirements of the CSRD, and we will follow the reporting requirements according to the regulations that apply to us.

We look forward to continuing our work to meet these challenges and strengthen our commitment to sustainability. Thank you for your continued support.

Svante Fielding
CEO SMA Mineral