La Motte, April 6, 2023 – Quebec-based lithium producer Sayona is proud to announce a collaborative carbon neutrality project with the Groupement forestier coopératif Abitibi and the Coopérative de solidarité de Pikogan.

Sayona is investing nearly $95,000 to help plant 30,434 trees in Villemontel, in the Abitibi-Ouest region. These thousands of trees will capture 4,420 tons of CO2 and will offset the emissions from the company’s activities for 2021 and 2022. The reforestation work will take place early in the summer of 2023.

The Groupement forestier coopératif Abitibi, which specializes in forest management, aims to sustainably manage forest resources while contributing to socioeconomic growth by creating jobs and enriching the region’s forest heritage.

In order to carry out this mandate and involve local communities in the project, forester positions will be opened and posted in the region, including in the Abitibiwinni community of Pikogan and the Anishnabe community of Lac Simon.

As for the Coopérative de solidarité de Pikogan, a local organization that does silvicultural work, among other things, it will be in charge of scarifying the land in preparation for reforestation. This will ensure optimal soil quality to allow sustainable growth of the trees.

“We are proud of this collaborative project, which closely aligns with our promise to take concrete action for the environment. We have committed to offsetting our emissions, and today we are demonstrating our leadership in sustainability and social responsibility by implementing environmental best practices. This initiative will leave a concrete and tangible legacy for future generations, in addition to setting a new standard in the industry,” commented Cindy Valence, Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Sayona.

“We’re very pleased to be taking part in this collaborative project. These thousands of trees will directly benefit the environment, not to mention enhance our forest heritage,” commented Sylvain Thibodeau, General Manager of the Groupement forestier coopératif Abitibi.

“We applaud Sayona’s initiative and recognize its willingness to involve host communities in enhancing the environment and in its actions to promote sustainable development. We strongly believe this collaboration will have positive spin-offs, and we remain open to participating in other projects in the future,” said Kenny Ruperthouse, General Manager of the Coopérative de solidarité de Pikogan.

Left to right: Mélanie Benoît, Environmental Advisor at Sayona; Kenny Ruperthouse, General Manager of the Coopérative de solidarité de Pikogan; Cindy Valence, Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Sayona; Sylvain Thibodeau, General Manager of the Groupement forestier coopératif Abitibi; and Guildo Branconnier, President of the
Groupement forestier coopératif Abitibi.

About the Groupement forestier coopératif Abitibi

The Groupement forestier coopératif Abitibi, founded in 1974, aims to intensively yet sustainably manage forest resources on private lands and intramunicipal lots while contributing to the socioeconomic growth of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region by creating jobs and enriching the forest heritage of its some 850 members who own woodlots throughout Abitibi.

About the Coopérative de solidarité de Pikogan

Founded in 2008, the Coopérative de solidarité de Pikogan strives to create sustainable, high-quality jobs for its members while respecting the environment and Indigenous values. The cooperative works in the forestry and mining exploration sectors in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and in Northern Quebec, with a focus on silviculture, brush cutting, and scarification. The cooperative employs more than 100 people.

About Sayona

Sayona is dedicated to the exploration and mining of lithium, the raw material used to manufacture electric batteries. The company is developing a wide variety of projects, all of which are in Quebec. In particular, it owns the North American Lithium Complex, which started production in early 2023. The complex will become a key component of the lithium hub that the company wishes to establish in Abitibi-Témiscamingue. The Authier and Tansim deposits, owned by Sayona, form part of this hub. Sayona also owns 60% of the Moblan project and 100% of the Lac Albert project, both located in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay territory.

The company is a subsidiary of Sayona Mining Limited, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. With a market value of approximately C$2 billion, it was included in the S&P/ASX200, which consists of the 200 companies with the largest market capitalizations in Australia. Nearly all of Sayona Mining Limited’s activities are carried out in Quebec.

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Informations and media requests:

Cindy Valence
Chief Sustainability Officer
C : (819) 277-5396
Email: cindy.valence@sayona.ca