Cornish Lithium

Cornish Lithium does not clearly disclose a dated corporate net-zero target in the 2024 Sustainability Report. The company frames its role around supporting the UK’s net-zero ambitions and developing domestic lithium for the energy transition, but no company-level “net zero by X year” target was identified in the report or the external sources reviewed. The safest benchmark wording is: transition-enabling role disclosed; dated corporate net-zero target not clearly disclosed.

Supports UK net-zero; no dated corporate target.

No quantified interim emissions-reduction target is disclosed. The report states that in 2025 Cornish Lithium will formally assess climate-related risks and emissions to develop a climate strategy roadmap and future reporting. External sources reviewed did not identify a clear 2030 / 2035 emissions-reduction target. Therefore, this should be treated as climate roadmap under development, with no quantified interim target disclosed.

No quantified interim target; roadmap under development.

Cornish Lithium reports Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, but does not yet provide a full Scope 3 inventory. In 2024, Scope 1 emissions were 217 tCO₂e, Scope 2 emissions were 52 tCO₂e, and total Scope 1+2 emissions were 269 tCO₂e, compared with 178 tCO₂e in 2023. Scope 3 / value-chain emissions are not yet comprehensively disclosed, and no an external Scope 3 inventory was identified in reviewed public materials.

Scope 1+2 only (269 tCO2e in 2024); no Scope 3 inventory.

This is one of Cornish Lithium’s stronger areas. The company is focused on environmentally sustainable lithium extraction from geothermal waters and hard rock in Cornwall. For geothermal waters, it uses Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE), which the report says is expected to have a low environmental impact. For Trelavour, it has selected low-energy processing technology that removes the need for high-temperature roasting. The company also positions domestic lithium as a lower-carbon alternative to long-distance imported supply chains.

DLE for geothermal lithium; low-energy processing for Trelavour.

No production-based emissions intensity is disclosed because Cornish Lithium is not yet in commercial production. The report does not provide a metric such as tCO₂e / tonne lithium carbonate equivalent or kgCO₂e / tonne product. However, the report states that a detailed Lifecycle Assessment for the Trelavour Project began in 2024 and will inform the future commercial plant design. This is useful preparatory evidence but not yet a comparable production-intensity metric.

Not yet in commercial production; LCA initiated.

Absolute Scope 1+2 emissions increased from 178 tCO₂e in 2023 to 269 tCO₂e in 2024. This should be interpreted in context: Cornish Lithium is still in exploration / demonstration / project-development phase, not mature production. No long-term emissions baseline or reduction trajectory is yet disclosed.

Emissions rose 178→269 tCO2e during project development.

Cornish Lithium does not yet provide a full quantitative water withdrawal / consumption / discharge table. The report identifies water management as material and states that the company aims to use water efficiently and recycle it from drilling to extraction where feasible. For geothermal lithium, lithium-depleted waters may be treated to produce clean potable water or reinjected, subject to environmental permits. External evidence adds a useful permitting detail: the Environment Agency published a 2026 Cross Lanes environmental permit application for trade effluent discharge to groundwater via deep borehole, with a stated volume of 174 m³/day.

Water management identified as material; permit application underway.

Cornish Lithium undertakes regular water monitoring at the Trelavour Processing Plant and Trelavour Pit. In 2024, comprehensive surface-water and groundwater sampling began to support the Trelavour Feasibility Study and establish baseline environmental conditions for the EIA. Parameters include pH, turbidity, dissolved metals, nitrates, sulphates and total dissolved solids. The 2026 Environment Agency permit application for Cross Lanes strengthens this metric because it confirms active regulatory review of trade effluent to groundwater via deep borehole.

Comprehensive baseline monitoring at Trelavour; EA permit review.

Cornish Lithium’s biodiversity evidence is strongest at planning / permitting level. For Cross Lanes, a full Ecological Impact Assessment was conducted, and the project proposals are predicted to deliver approximately 37.73% net gain in habitat units and 11.35% net gain in hedgerow units, exceeding the 10% biodiversity net gain requirement. The report also states that local ecological consultants completed baseline surveys at Trelavour Pit and the Trelavour Processing Plant, with an updated BNG assessment planned once the final project design is confirmed.

37.7% biodiversity net gain projected at Cross Lanes.

For Cornish Lithium, the relevant impact is land-use / habitat disturbance, not seabed disturbance. The Trelavour Project is located in a former china clay pit and uses associated infrastructure, reducing the need for greenfield disturbance. The company also prioritises brownfield sites where possible, including the existing Trelavour Pit, the former china clay processing site at Trelavour Processing Plant and the Cross Lanes farmyard. External government evidence confirms Trelavour is being treated as a proposed Lithium Mining and Processing Project at Trelavour Downs under the Planning Act 2008 process.

Brownfield-first; former china clay pit reduces greenfield disturbance.

Cornish Lithium is pre-production, so active rehabilitation figures are not yet disclosed. However, the report states that closure and rehabilitation plans will be developed at the appropriate stage in line with regulatory requirements. Toward the end of 2024, Cornish Lithium established a working group for mine closure for the Trelavour Project to create a vision for end-of-mine-life planning, with local community input expected at the appropriate point.

Closure working group established; pre-production stage.

Cornish Lithium does not yet disclose tailings volumes or a formal tailings standard such as GISTM, because it is not yet in production. However, Trelavour will involve open-cast bulk mining of lithium-enriched granite rock, which will be crushed and conveyed to the nearby processing plant. The company conducted a thorough site options study in 2024 to identify optimal future waste storage locations. External project evidence strengthens future relevance: Cornish Lithium’s 2025 resource update reported a 50% increase in the Trelavour lithium resource, which increases the importance of future waste / residue planning, although it does not itself provide tailings volumes.

Future tailings planning underway; site options study completed.

Cornish Lithium states that waste management will be incorporated into site environmental management plans and that it aims to apply circular economy principles. Current waste is mainly rock chippings from exploration drilling, disposed of via an appropriately licensed nearby facility. In 2024, the company studied potential Trelavour by-products, including gypsum and amorphous silica, to assess whether these could be used as products rather than automatically treated as waste. Zero significant spills were recorded in 2024.

Circular principles stated; by-product studies for gypsum/silica.

Cornish Lithium is developing an Environmental Management System aligned with ISO 14001. Key elements already in place include Stakeholder Engagement Plans, complaints procedures, a Water Monitoring Plan, Environmental Management Plans for Trelavour and ground clearance procedures. The Local Planning Authority carried out an annual planning monitoring visit to Trelavour in 2024, with no instances of non-compliance identified. External evidence strengthens this metric: the UK Government confirmed the Trelavour project is being treated under the Development Consent Order regime as a nationally significant project, and the Environment Agency has a 2026 Cross Lanes permit application under review.

ISO 14001-aligned EMS in development; LPA visit no non-compliance.

Cornish Lithium has a supplier pre-qualification process for larger contracts, requiring information on health and safety, legal track record, environmental information and corporate governance. In 2024, supplier contracts were updated to include additional due diligence, audit rights and the right to request information and data. The company plans to update procurement policy in 2025 to strengthen transparency, accountability, human rights and supply-chain ethics. No quantified supplier audit count or supplier-screening percentage was identified in the report or external sources reviewed

Pre-qualification process; quantified audit count not disclosed.