Reducing plastic waste

Over the past three years, Sasa has taken continual steps to reduce reliance on single-use plastics, specifically plastic bottles, in order to decrease consumption and overall plastic waste.

Total plastic waste decreased from 4 tonnes in 2023 to 3 tonnes in 2024, driven by the installation of drinking water fountains, water coolers and the provision of reusable bottles to all on-surface staff.

In 2023, Sasa installed a reverse vending machine that rewards  employees with monetary-value tokens for recycling plastic bottles and cans. These tokens are credited to individual accounts and can be redeemed in participating shops or donated to charity. Building on the success of this initiative, the Sasa Foundation funded a second machine for the Makedonska Kamenica community in 2024.

Also in 2024, Sasa expanded its recycling efforts with the ‘Recycle and Win’ campaign, held ahead of Miners’ Day. Employees and community members collected 16,000 plastic bottles and cans (~0.5 tonnes) in exchange for a variety of prizes. Proceeds, matched by Sasa, were used to purchase supplies and furniture for the special needs daycare centre in Makedonska Kamenica.

These initiatives reinforced Sasa’s commitment to waste reduction, recycling and promoting sustainable practices beyond the mine gate, while strengthening community engagement.

UN SDG

We provide professional development, vocational training and retraining courses to our employees and contribute to broader education through the provision of community training programmes, scholarships and investment and support for local schools.

Our operations in Kazakhstan are based on the concept of circularity by producing copper from historical waste dumps. We are committed to proactively working to reduce and recycle non-mineral, hazardous and non-hazardous material waste and preventing or reducing pollution.