What’s New

Prizma attends IAIA24 conference in Dublin

April 28, 2024. Prizma’s Dr. Don Proebstel, Senior ESIA and ESG Advisor, attended the annual conference of the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA). The conference was held from 24-27 April 2024 in Dublin, Ireland. The theme of the event was Impact Assessment for a Just Transformation. The conference attracted 1,109 attendees from 85 countries, and featured 130 sessions, 488 presentations/speakers, and 26 posters. Prizma is already planning to attend IAIA’s next annual conference “Impact Assessment in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)” from 1-4 May 2025 in Bologna, Italy.

Prizma contributes to 43-101 Technical Report for a Diamond Mine in Botswana

March 27, 2024. – Prizma contributed selected environmental and social sections of the NI 43-101 technical report for Lucara Diamon Corp.’s Underground Expansion Project at the operating Karowe Diamond Mine, which is located in Botswana. Pre-production capital costs for the UGP total $683 million, The Report is entitled “Karowe Mine – Botswana 2023 Feasibility Study Technical Report”, with an effective date of June 30, 2023, and was prepared for Lucara by JDS Energy & Mining Inc.

Prizma’s Mehrdad Nazari to lead DFC’s Independent Accountability Mechanism

February 26, 2024. The Board of Directors of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC | Investing in Development) selected and appointed Mr. Mehrdad Nazari, Prizma’s founding Director, to lead DFC’s Independent Accountability Mechanism (IAM). DFC is America’s development finance institution and partners with the private sector to finance solutions to the most critical challenges facing the developing world today. In FY24, DFC’s financial commitments exceeded $12 billion. The IAM addresses concerns, complaints, or conflicts about environmental or social issues that may arise around DFC-supported projects.

Prizma named WSBC 2023 Award Finalist

October 5, 2023. Prizma was named by the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council (WSBC) among its 2023 Sustainable Business Award Finalists. The Awards celebrate recipients for showing cutting-edge environmental, social, and governance leadership while rewarding them for being leaders in their industry and community. – Update (November 16, 2023). Congratulations to the award winner in the Innovative Services category: CIRRUS Low Carbon from PACE Equity.

Prizma engaged by Natural Diamond Council

September 26, 2023. Prizma is pleased to be engaged by the Natural Diamond Council (NDC) to provide ESG-related industry research. The mission of NDC is to advance the integrity of the modern diamond jewelry industry and inspire, educate and protect the consumer. NDC is global organization whose members’ operations span four continents and ten countries including Canada, South Africa, and Botswana. Their operations support the livelihood of 10 million industry employees and their families around the world.

Prizma sponsors WSBC conference in Madison

September 19, 2023. Prizma, a member of the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council (WSBC), is a sponsor of its 2023 Annual Conference. The conference, which will be held on November 16th, features practitioners sharing their strategies, tools, and experiences related to ESG and sustainability. The conference tracks include GHG Tracking, Reduction and Reporting, Supply Chain Sustainability, and other trending topics. The conference agenda can be access here: AGENDA – 2023 WSBC Conference (cvent.com). The event will be preceded by site visits and a Sustainable Business Award Reception on November 15th.

Prizma contributing to NI 43-101 Technical Report

August 25, 2023. Prizma was recently engaged to contribute the environmental and social sections of a Canadian National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report. The NI 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects governs a company’s public disclosure of scientific and technical information about its mineral projects. The disclosure must be based on information provided by a “qualified person”. NI 43-101 requires a company to file a technical report at certain times on properties material to the company, prepared in a prescribed format.

Prizma attended and presented at IAIA23 in Malaysia

May 25, 2023. A Prizma delegation attended and presented at the annual conference of the Intenational Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) in Kuching, Malaysia. Mehrdad Nazari and Dr. Don Proebstel co-authored and presented a paper entitled “Working on the 1st Social Impact Assessment for a Deep-Sea Mining Project in the Clarion Clipperton Zone –Update & Dilemmas”. The conference theme was “Resilience through impact assessment and leadership” and attracted approximately 600 attendees from around the world. A common question at the conference “What have you been up to lately” prompted this clip (https://vimeo.com/841358310).

Prizma engaged stakeholders in Nauru

May 10, 2023. Prizma held a series of town hall meetings and workshops to share information and updates about the NORI-D polymetallic nodule collection project with diverse stakeholder groups in Nauru, a Pacific Small Island Developing State and NORI’s sponsoring state, and will incorporate their feedback into NORI’s Social Impact Assessment. Between May 1-5, numerous meetings were held with a diverse group of stakeholders from school children and university students to women and church leaders, which also provided an opportunity to explore a socioeconomic and cultural baseline of Nauru.

Prizma attends 28th Session of the International Seabed Authority

April 5, 2023. Recently, Prizma attend the 28th Session of the International seabed Authority in Kingston, Jamaica. The main item on the agenda was the draft regulations on the exploitation of mineral resources in the Area. Prizma’s team was able to observe part of the negotiations, engage with interested delegates, observers, and other stakeholders on the sidelines of the session, and present an update on the scoping study and terms of reference for a social impact assessment for the NORI-D polymetallic nodule collection project. The SIA Scoping Report and Record of Engagement can be accessed here.

Prizma visits Lucara’s Karowe Diamond Mine in Botswana

March 15, 2023. Prizma recently conducted a site visit to Lucara Diamond Corp.’s Karowe Mine in Botswana. Prizma’s team was able to see the progress of the underground expansion program at the Karowe Diamond Mine, and conducted a 2-day ESG training workshop with company executives and other leaders across all departments. One of the objectives of this training was to expand ESG capacity across the organization and further strengthen Lucara’s team involved in its annual sustainability reporting efforts. Prizma has been assisting Lucara with numerous ESG, GHG, and ESIA-related assignments since 2013.

Prizma led ESG Workshops in Indonesia

March 1, 2023. Prizma was recently engaged by PT Amman Mineral Nusa Tenggara (Amman) and led the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) training sessions held at the Batu Hijau Townsite, in West Sumbawa, Indonesia. Over 90 managers and employees across multiple departments attended the sessions to further improve environmental protection, community empowerment, and corporate governance. Amman Mineral International is the second-largest copper-and-gold mining company in Indonesia, operating the Batu Hijau mine on the island of Sumbawa.

Prizma’s Director approved Assessor for the Copper Mark

February 15, 2023. The Copper Mark, an assurance framework, recently approved Prizma’s Mehrdad Nazari as an Assessor for the following areas of expertise for mine-level assessments: Environmental management systems, Occupational health and safety, Industrial relations and human resources, Social impact assessments and human rights, Community relations and stakeholder engagement, Compliance and ethics, and Sustainability reporting. Mehrdad is also a Verified Service Provider for the Mining Association of Canada’s TSM Standard.

Prizma engaged by Lucara Diamond to assess Scope 3 GHGs

August 25, 2022. Prizma was recently engaged by Lucara Diamond to quantify its Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Lucara operates the Karowe Diamond Mine in Botswana. and has been disclosing its Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions since starting production in 2021. Prizma, a niche ESG consulting practice assisting responsible developers and investors since 2004, has been advising Lucara since 2013. Image shows a 62.7 carat fancy pink diamond recovered from the Karowe Mine in 2021 and named “Boitumelo” meaning “Joy” in Setswana.

Prizma engaged by Altaley Mining Corp. to assist with ESG

May 11, 2022. Prizma is pleased to be engaged by Altaley Mining Corporation to assist the company with its ESG review, benchmarking and disclosure. Altaley is a Canadian based mining company with two 100% owned Mexican gold, silver and base metal mining projects, recently reporting net income of CAN$36.2 million for 2021. Altaley’s Campo Morado is a polymetallic underground operation located in the state of Guerrero. The Tahuehueto mine, located in Durango, is set to be one of the top 3 high-grade gold mines in production in Mexico.

Prizma sponsoring and attending IAIA22 in Vancouver

April 8, 2022. Prizma will be co-sponsoring and attending the International Association for Impact Assessment’s (IAIA) annual conference “Confidence in Impact Assessment: Policies, partnerships and public involvement”. Prizma’s team members will also be attending a 2-day training course to further improve their understanding of Cumulative Effects Assessments in Environmental and Social Impact Assessments. This will be valuable when applying the IFC Performance Standards and Equator Principles in Prizma’s assignments involving capital development projects in emerging markets.

Prizma receives second grant award from WEDC

March 2, 2022. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) approved Prizma‘s second International Market Access Grant (IMAG) award to support lead generation for international advisory services. Prizma is based in Wausau, Wisconsin, and typical assignments include ESG and sustainability reporting, costing decarbonization pathways, making impact assessments bankable, and supporting Development Finance Institutions with due diligence and monitoring of capital developments in emerging markets. Since 2014, the WEDC has awarded more than $6.5 million in IMAGs to 245 companies statewide.

Prizma engaged for Scoping & Social Impact Assessment

February 4, 2022. Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. (NORI), a wholly owned subsidiary of The Metals Company Metals Inc (TMC), recently engaged Prizma to conduct a scoping study and a social impact assessment for a polymetallic nodule (PMN) collection project in the NORI-D mining lease, Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the Pacific Ocean. TMC, through its subsidiaries, holds exploration and commercial rights to three PMN contract areas – which comprise the largest in the CCZ, which is regulated by the International Seabed Authority. Mining.com recently ranked the PMN projects of TMC’s subsidiaries, NORI and TOML, as the world’s two largest nickel projects, with more contained nickel than any other nickel development project on the planet.

Prizma assisting Capstone Mining with Decarbonization Study

January 31, 2022. Prizma was recently engaged to support Capstone Mining Corp. to estimate its greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint and develop its decarbonization pathways aligned with the Paris Climate Accord. Capstone Mining is a base metals producer, currently combining with Mantos Copper. Capstone Mining has two producing copper mines: Pinto Valley in the US and Cozamin in Mexico. Capstone also owns 100% of Santo Domingo, a large scale, fully permitted, copper-iron-gold project in Region III, Chile, as well as a portfolio of exploration properties.

Prizma to provide Sustainability Reporting Services for 2022/23

January 21, 2022. Prizma was recently engaged by a confidential Canadian-listed mining exploration and development company to assist with its GRI-based sustainability reporting for the 2021 and 2022 reporting periods. Prizma’s team features several experienced and GRI-certified sustainability reporting consultants. Also, Prizma is a member of the GRI Community, an AccountAbility-licensed assurance provider, and a verification service provider for the Mining Association of Canada’s (MAC) Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) standards.

Prizma re-engaged by MAG Silver Corp. for ESG and Sustainability Reporting

November 28, 2021. Prizma was recently re-engaged by MAG Silver Corp., a Canadian development and exploration company focused on becoming a top-tier primary silver mining company by exploring and advancing high-grade, district scale, silver-dominant projects in the Americas. MAG Silver’s principal focus and asset is the Juanicipio Project (44%), being developed with Fresnillo Plc (56%), the operator. The project is located in the Fresnillo Silver Trend in Mexico, the world’s premier silver mining camp, where Fresnillo as operator, is currently developing an underground mine and constructing a 4,000 tonnes per day processing plant expected to be commissioned by the end of 2021.

Prizma re-engaged by Lucara Diamond for Sustainability Reporting

November 17, 2021. Prizma was recently re-engaged by Lucara Diamond Corp. to assist with its sustainability reporting for FY2021. Lucara operates the Karowe Diamond Mine in Botswana and has embarked on a US$534 million underground expansion project extending the mine life out to 2040. Prizma has been assisting Lucara with its sustainability reporting and other ESG engagements since 2013. Lucara’s annual sustainability reports can be accessed here.

Prizma’s Dr. Don Proebstel now MAC TSM Verification Service Provider

September 30, 2021. Dr. Don Proebstel, Prizma’s Senior ESIA, IESC and Sustainability Advisor, recently became a Verification Service Provider for the Mining Association of Canada’s (MAC) Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) program. Don has over 25 years of professional experience, including VP Environmental & Sustainability at Gold Reserve Inc.; Senior Environmental & Social Analyst with the US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC, now DFC); and Director at Natural Power Concepts.

Prizma’s Nazari presenting at the Climate, Carbon & the Jewelry Industry webinar

September 23, 201. Prizma’s ESG Advisor, Mehrdad Nazari, will be presenting at a Jewelry Industry Summit webinar on October 13th, 2021. Mark Hanna, CMO of the Richline Group, a precious metals and materials manufacturer and marketer, and a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, will be moderating. The webinar recording can be accessed here.

Prizma assists Miner with TCFD and negative ESG risk rating

September 15, 2021. Prizma was recently engaged by a precious metals mining company to improve its lagging peer ranking and ESG risk ratings. Assignment included a materiality assessment and a review based on the recommendations of the Task Force for Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD). Outcomes of the assignment included an 18% and a 31% improvement of the company’s peer ranking and ESG risk rating score, respectively.

Prizma provides MAC TSM Verification Services in Botswana

September 1, 2021. Prizma was recently engaged by Lucara Diamond Corp. to provide external verification services with respect to the company’s implementation of the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) Performance Indicators at the Karowe Mine in Botswana. The MAC TSM standards have been adopted by the Botswana Chamber of Mines since 2017.

Prizma participates in HSEC Workshop about Benban Solar Park in Egypt

August 27, 2021. Prizma sponsored and participated in a Health, Safety, Environment and Community (HSEC) training workshop using the Benban Solar Park as a case study (32 plots, 10,000 workers at peak construction, 1.5GW). Benban’s development was co-financed by the AFDB, AIIB, EBRD, IFC and others. Access short Vimeo clip here (1:17 minutes).

Interview with Prizma’s Founder Featured by the European Bank

August 10, 2021. As part of its 30th anniversary celebration, the European Bank (EBRD) invited a few alumni to reflect on their time at the EBRD. Mehrdad Nazari, Prizma’s Director, served ten years as a Principal Environmental Specialist at the EBRD in London. An edited version of the interview can be access here. Mehrdad’s LinkedIn profile can be accessed here.

Prizma’s Team Includes a Certified User of IHA’s Sustainability Tools

May 19, 2021. Mehrdad Nazari, Prizma’s Lead ESG Advisor, successfully completed the International Hydropower Association’s course to become a Certified User of IHA’s Sustainability Tools. These tools can assist investors and developers to evaluate ESG gaps/performance of hydropower projects in need of a financial or reputational boost.

Prizma Supports Lucara with ESAP for US$220 Million Loan

April 15, 2021. Prizma was engaged by Lucara Diamond Corp. to assist with the implementation of its Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP) related to a US$220 million project finance mandate to fund the underground expansion at the Karowe Mine in Botswana. A syndicate of ING, Natixis, Société Générale, Africa Finance Corporation, and Afreximbank acted as the Mandated Lead Arrangers.

Prizma estimated GHG Emissions for Gold Project in West Africa

March 4, 2021. Prizma was engaged by Roxgold Inc. (later merged with Fortuna Silver Mines Inc.) to assist with estimating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the Séguéla Gold Project located in Côte d’Ivoire. The estimate was completed in line with the IFC Performance Standards and the Equator Principles.

Prizma’s ESG Lead, Mehrdad Nazari, presenting at White & Case Webinar

February 21, 2019. Prizma’s Mehrdad Nazari contributed to W&C’s 21 Feb. 2021 webinar entitled Mining & Metals 2021 Priorities: ESG momentum reaching a crescendo in a resilient market. The webinar covered (1) ESG compliant investments, (2) Decarbonisation, (3) Rewards of ESG focused miners, and (4) Social License for LATAM projects.