First honey harvest at KGHM - environmental protection and social responsibility in practice

KGHM supports the environment in various ways - in addition to environmentally friendly investments, it also runs the ‘Copper Bees’ project. As part of the project, apiaries have been set up at the company’s divisions, where honey has just been harvested. During the first honey harvest at KGHM, it was possible to fill several hundred jars from beehives located at the Lubin Mining Facility, the Tailings Plant, the Cedynia Copper Smelter and the Legnica Copper Smelter, as well as the Rudna Mining Facility.

The event provided an opportunity not only to “wring honey” from the apiaries located in the company’s divisions, but also to educate and understand the role of bees in the ecosystem and to promote pro-environmental activities as part of KGHM’s ‘Copper Bees’ project.

During the honey harvest, KGHM employees and representatives of the local media, among others, had the opportunity to see bees ‘live’ in a special glass hive, as well as to taste various types of honey and learn about their healthy properties. The event also included presentations on the history of bee-keeping, the life of bees in different seasons and honey plants.

The ‘Copper Bees’ project is an initiative to protect bees and support the ecosystem. For the past two years, beehives have been standing next to the Lubin Mining Facility’s shaft in Rynarcice, with thousands of bees living inside. A year ago, apiaries appeared at the Tailings Plant, the Cedynia Copper Smelter, the Legnica Copper Smelter and the Rudna Mining Facility. These activities are part of KGHM's social and environmental responsibility strategy.

A total of 15 beehives, i.e. 15 bee colonies of one 'Krainka' breed, are set up at KGHM divisions. Insects of this breed adapt very quickly in a new location, are highly immune and can be successfully reared in urban environments. This year we managed to obtain about 3 kg of honey from each beehive.

KGHM continues its pro-environmental activities, as evidenced by numerous projects such as tree planting, protection of peregrine falcons and pursuit of climate neutrality. Caring for the environment is one of the strategic directions of the company’s development. Pro-environmental activities are enshrined in such KGHM documents as: Environmental Policy, Climate Policy and Human Rights Policy.