Sustainability and our Business Q&A with Steve Busby, COO Q: How do Pan American Silver’s operations approach sustainability? A: Our operational approach to sustainability focuses on minimizing environmental impacts, protecting ecosystems and ensuring safe and healthy workplaces. We foster conditions that will provide opportunities for local communities to thrive after a mine closes, such as infrastructure and education for both children and adults. Each year, the personnel at our operations set goals to drive performance improvements in specific sustainability areas. In addition, Pan American Silver’s personnel work to develop effective partnerships and collaborations that help advance our sustainability objectives. For example, within the Company our people share innovations in practices and technologies, investing in and adopting those that are suitable for a given mine site’s specific conditions. External to the Company, our people work to establish honest, transparent and lasting dialogue with communities, civil society and government, which is critical for building trust and understanding of the diverse issues and opportunities that host communities face. Establishing trust and understanding is a prerequisite to building sustainability programs that can successfully address the particular needs of each host community. This approach has allowed us to deliver positive community-focused programs over the years, resulting in tangible, shared benefits with our host communities. Q: In 2019, Pan American Silver acquired four additional operations. At an operations level, what do you see as the key sustainabilityrelated opportunities and challenges presented by this acquisition? A: Pan American Silver’s greatest strength has always been its people. The acquisition of Tahoe Resources has given us access to new depths of talent, competence, and expertise. The process has also reinvigorated our workforces at the operations and generated a new level of energy as well as a heightened desire to innovate, address challenges, and contribute to the overall success of the Company. I am particularly impressed with the rapid and successful response of our combined organizations to competently address and enhance significant stormwater runoff control systems at the La Arena, Shuahuindo and Timmins mines during 2019. I look forward to seeing where our highlymotivated teams’ energy and enthusiasm will take the Company in 2020 and beyond.
18 // 2019 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
