Source: Xinhua Finance and Economics
Sydney, July 6th (Xinhua) -- On a morning in early winter of June, it was drizzling continuously. At a beach near the Kwinana Industrial Zone in Western Australia, two local residents who were about to go diving heard that the journalist's team was going to visit Tianqi Lithium's Kwinana factory, and immediately enthusiastically gave us directions.
In Western Australia, although the factory has not entered the commercial production stage for long, Tianqi Lithium has successfully established a good corporate image of being enthusiastic about public welfare, valuing environmental protection, and creating a large number of job opportunities for the local area. It is deeply welcomed by the local people and has gained the trust and support of the local government. For Chinese companies investing in Australia, this is a valuable aspect of ensuring their smooth development.
Xiong Wanyu, Senior Vice President of Tianqi Lithium, said in an interview with reporters that the Kwinana Lithium Hydroxide Factory of Tianqi Lithium broke ground in 2016. Although it was plagued by problems such as corporate debt, the pandemic, and lack of local experience for a period of time, it did not reduce staff or salaries even during the most stressful times, thus creating strong cohesion in the factory construction and operation team. With this strength and patience, Tianqi Lithium overcame numerous difficulties and achieved commercial production of the first phase lithium hydroxide project at the Kwinana factory in December 2022. It is currently in the stage of capacity ramp up. At present, the factory is operating stably and has created about 300 job opportunities for the local area.
The picture shows the entrance of Tianqi Lithium's Kwinana factory (photo by Li Xiaoyu)
Meanwhile, Tianqi Lithium also holds a controlling stake in Australian mining company Talison Lithium. Talison Lithium's Greenbushes spodumene mine in Western Australia is renowned for its abundant reserves and superior quality. As of the end of last year, the total mineral resources of Greenbushes spodumene mine were equivalent to about 16 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent, and the ore reserves were equivalent to about 8.5 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent. Talison Lithium has also created over 900 job opportunities locally. Overall, Tianqi Lithium has brought about 1200 job opportunities to Western Australia.
The picture shows the spodumene ore donated by Talison Lithium to the Western Australian Museum for exhibition (photo by Li Xiaoyu)
Merely creating employment opportunities is not enough to garner such widespread support from local residents and the government for Tianqi Lithium. Tianqi Lithium respects and actively integrates into the local community. After fully understanding the needs of the community, it continues to carry out community co construction projects and has won recognition from local residents.
As early as 2017, Tianqi Lithium signed a cooperation agreement with the Boola Bardip Museum in Western Australia and named it the "Tianqi Lithium Gallery Connections". This exhibition hall shares with visitors the unique objects, images, and cultural history of Western Australia, highlighting how Western Australia shapes history and drives the future in different ways. The exhibition hall contains a variety of themed content, closely integrated with Tianqi Lithium's commercial and cultural concepts, attracting a large number of visitors from within the state, domestic and international markets, and promoting the exchange and integration of education and cultural undertakings between China and Australia. In 2022, the company held the "Brightest Star" charity program special school student embroidery auction event in Western Australia, and the proceeds from the auction were used to donate to Australian children's education and promote cultural exchanges between China and Australia. In 2023, Tianqi Lithium announced a joint Crescendo program with the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra in Kwinana and the Western Australian community, aimed at cultivating music inheritors for Kwinana and gaining popularity among local youth.
The picture shows the "Tianqi Lithium Gallery Connections " sponsored by Tianqi Lithium at the Boola Bardip Museum in Western Australia (photo by Li Xiaoyu)
Another key point that Tianqi Lithium has gained widespread support locally is its commitment to environmental protection. It is reported that the company has established an Environmental Management Procedure in its Kwinana plant area, which standardizes various processes such as environmental management responsibilities, strategies, emergency control, training, and audits. In terms of wastewater management, the main water source for the Kwinana plant area is the Kwinana Water Recycling Plant, which receives and treats wastewater and produces high-quality water resources, helping Tianqi Lithium reduce the discharge of lithium hydroxide production into surrounding marine areas. In addition, the Kwinana plant area also has two reverse osmosis water treatment plants to collect, treat, and reuse wastewater from the base. The factory has also released a 'Waste Management Procedure' to promote the recycling of resources in accordance with the principles of circular economy and sustainable development.
Walking into the Tianqi Lithium Kwinana factory area, there are several rows of solar panels not far from the office area. It is reported that under sufficient sunlight in Western Australia, these facilities can provide clean electricity for the entire office area. In addition, recently, Tianqi Lithium Holdings' Talison Lithium and the local government of Bridgetown Greenbushes in Western Australia jointly launched the 2024 "Joining Hands to Create the Future" project, with Talison Lithium providing AUD 2.254 million in funding to the local government to support the construction of community infrastructure, municipal buildings, leisure areas, and youth spaces. This project includes an energy sustainable development project, which involves installing solar panels and battery energy storage systems in municipal buildings to effectively reduce carbon emissions and protect the local environment.
The picture shows the solar panels next to the office area of Tianqi Lithium's Kwinana factory (photo by Li Xiaoyu)
Xiong Wanyu stated that Tianqi Lithium, its holding company, and various levels of government in Australia are highly aligned in promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of energy. For example, Talison Lithium has made remarkable achievements in the safety and environmental protection of mines, transforming reclaimed mines into vibrant wetland parks. The town of Greenbushes near the mine was awarded the title of Australian Green Town for two consecutive years after Tianqi Lithium took control of Talison Lithium. In the future, Tianqi Lithium plans to further leverage its advantages as a Chinese enterprise and promote the development of Talison Lithium towards a more green and intelligent direction.
Wang Weina, ESG and Sustainable Development Director of Tianqi Lithium, told reporters that Tianqi Lithium believes that Chinese companies' going global to participate in international competition and doing a good job in sustainable development are the "ballast stone" and "protective umbrella". At present, international and national regulations on ESG and sustainable development are frequently promulgated, which brings many challenges and pressures to the globalization of enterprises. In the face of such a situation, Chinese companies should do a better job in ESG management. They should not treat investment in this area as an additional cost burden, but as a beneficial tool for companies to achieve sustainable and long-term development.
The picture shows some facilities of Tianqi Lithium's Kwinana factory (photo by Li Xiaoyu)
Xiong Wanyu refers to ESG as the social license for companies to "go global" and the crutch for companies to become "century old stores". She said that Tianqi Lithium is truly integrating ESG and sustainable development into its production and operation. At the same time, when telling the story of China and its own company well, it strives to use internationally recognized language to illustrate examples of sustainable development, thus gaining genuine recognition from local communities in countries such as Australia.
It is reported that Tianqi Lithium has produced a promotional video in the form of a sand painting, linking its corporate activities and behaviors with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to showcase its continuous efforts in ESG and sustainable development. Afterwards, this original sand painting work called We Share was sent to participate in a film festival in the UK at the suggestion of stakeholders and won the ESG IN BUSINESS SHORT FILM AWARD award. Tianqi Lithium became the first Chinese company to receive this award.
