Brazilian Nickel obtains ESG certification for Piauí project

Privately held UK company Brazilian Nickel obtained a certification for its nickel project in Brazil’s Piauí state.

Brazilian Nickel said its Piauí project site has been awarded the Nickel Mark in recognition of its environmentally and socially responsible practices. 

The project is the first in Brazil to achieve Nickel Mark certification, which was launched in November 2022 by the global Nickel Institute, the firm said in a statement.

"It provides an efficient and harmonized ESG assurance built on the existing standards of the established Copper Mark. Nickel producers can use the Nickel Mark to demonstrate their performance against 32 commonly agreed ESG issues," the organization says. 

"I am delighted that, following a rigorous external audit, we have received the Nickel Mark, certifying that Brazilian Nickel promotes sustainable and responsible production and sourcing practices. It also highlights the company’s dedication to providing a secure and sustainable supply of nickel – a critical mineral – to aid in the global green transition," Brazilian Nickel’s CEO Mark Travers said in a statement. 

The firm is currently operating the project on a small, a semi-industrial scale. It is finishing the bankable feasibility study and is in talks to seek investors to finance the project, Guilherme Jácome, president of Piauí Níquel Metais, the local subsidiary of Brazilian Nickel, told BNamericas in a recent interview.

Nickel prices have experienced downward pressure recently due to the start of new projects in Indonesia. However, questions have been raised by industry players about the social and environmental criteria of those projects.

"The London Metal Exchange imposed restrictions on trading nickel from Russia because of the war against Ukraine. This is already a good indication that the market is starting to evaluate restrictions for some regions. Perhaps we can also see restrictions on nickel produced in Indonesia that don't follow the best ESG practices," Jácome said in the April interview.