VANCOUVER, July 5, 2019 /CNW/ - B2Gold Corp. (TSX: BTO)
(NYSE AMERICAN: BTG) (NSX: B2G) ("B2Gold" or the "Company") is
pleased to announce that it has released its third annual
Responsible Mining Report – Raising the Bar and associated
documentary – Delivering on Our Promises.
2018 Responsible Mining Report – Raising the
Bar
B2Gold's Responsible Mining Report provides a detailed overview
of the Company's economic, governance, environmental and social
performance in 2018.
Highlights from the report include:
People
B2Gold continues to maintain a high local employment rate by
targeting recruitment efforts at local or national levels. Across
all operations, 97% of the total workforce are local employees.
Improving gender diversity continues to be a focus for the
Company.
Health and Safety
2018 was B2Gold's third consecutive year without a fatality –
every one of its 5,242 employees went home to their family every
single day – the ultimate goal of safe production and zero harm.
For a second straight year, the Company met or exceeded its safety
performance targets, notably reducing its lost-time-injury
frequency rate globally by over 50% (reduced from 0.47 in 2017 to
0.22 in 2018). B2Gold's strong health and safety track record
continued through the first half of 2019.
Human Rights
B2Gold continues to proactively conduct human rights assessments
at its operations. Four of the Company's five mine sites have been
assessed, with the fifth assessment planned for 2019. The human
rights assessments comply with the Company's human rights
commitments and performance standards and are aligned with the
United Nations Guiding Principles and other international standards
and guidelines.
Environment
B2Gold's strategy is to identify and proactively mitigate and
manage environmental impacts. The report highlights the Company's
best practice of progressive rehabilitation applied at its Masbate
operations in the Philippines. The
Company continues to make progress on climate change reporting and
presents the positive impacts from the solar power plant at the
Otjikoto Mine since coming online in April
2018.
Economic Value Distribution
B2Gold generated over $1.2 billion
in economic value in 2018 while distributing $152 million in employee wages and benefits,
approximately $171 million in taxes
and royalties and over $21 million in
community investments.
The report demonstrates B2Gold's commitment to responsible
mining.
"We make a genuine commitment to stakeholders to deliver on
the promises we make and be a responsible company. Our 2018
Responsible Mining Report demonstrates our execution on these
promises. Our culture, based on our core principles of fairness,
respect, transparency and accountability, is entrenched in our
company. What we learned from 2018 is that we can work for B2Gold
and be responsible every day."
– Clive
Johnson, President & CEO
The report was compiled in accordance with the Global Reporting
Initiative Standards, Core option and the G4 Mining and Metals
Sector Disclosures. B2Gold's performance is also mapped to the
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Click here to view or download a copy of the report.
Documentary – Delivering on Our Promises
B2Gold has also produced a global responsible mining documentary
titled Delivering on Our Promises.
Outside B2Gold's core business of mining, the Company also
inspires growth and transformation through responsible mining
practices. Delivering on Our Promises documents what
the Company is doing for the people and the planet and demonstrates
how B2Gold gives back to the communities and countries in which the
Company operates.
Click here to watch the documentary.
About B2Gold Corp.
Headquartered in Vancouver,
Canada, B2Gold Corp. is the world's new senior gold
producer. Founded in 2007, today, B2Gold has five operating gold
mines and numerous exploration and development projects in various
countries including Nicaragua,
the Philippines, Namibia, Mali, Burkina
Faso and Colombia.
On Behalf of B2GOLD CORP.
"Clive T.
Johnson"
President & Chief Executive Officer
For more information on B2Gold, please visit the Company website
at www.b2gold.com or contact:
Ian
MacLean
|
Katie
Bromley
|
Vice President,
Investor Relations
|
Manager, Investor
Relations & Public Relations
|
+1
604-681-8371
|
+1
604-681-8371
|
imaclean@b2gold.com
|
kbromley@b2gold.com
|
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content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/b2gold-releases-its-third-annual-responsible-mining-report--raising-the-bar-and-associated-documentary--delivering-on-our-promises-300880308.html
SOURCE B2Gold Corp.