SMA Mineral Oy has limestone mines in Tornio and Pieksämäki and a quartz mine in Tornio. The company does not engage in mineral exploration. The parent company is SMA Mineral AB and its registered in Persberg, Sweden. The concern has operations in a total of 30 locations in seven different countries in Europe. In Finland, SMA Mineral Oy mines limestone and quartz and manufactures lime-based products at the Kalkkimaa and Loukolampi lime factories. Mining consists of open pits and lime factories where, depending on the product, crushing, screening, grinding and bagging are carried out.
In addition to mining, the company manufactures burnt and slaked lime in Tornio, which is not included in this report.
The largest dolomite deposit in the Nordic countries, Kalkkimaa in Tornio, has been used since the 16th century. The raw material is enough for more than 100 years at the current extraction rate. Quartz has been mined at the Ristimaa quarry in Tornio since 1989. Ankelee’s dolomite deposit in Pieksämäki was commissioned in the 1960s.
The company’s pages in English: SMA Mineral. The company’s operations are evaluated as part of the group’s EcoVadis responsibility assessment, and in 2023 the group’s ranking in the sustainability classification was bronze.
Note! The company’s locations do not engage in mineral enrichment activities, so no tailings are generated. In addition, the company’s water use is minimal, e.g. there is no process wastewater. Consequently, the level of tailings and water management has not been assessed in the responsibility system, although they appear as level C in the diagram below.
| AAA | |||||||||||||
| AA | |||||||||||||
| A | |||||||||||||
| B | |||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||
| Community Outreach | Biodiversity Management | Tailings management | Water management | Climate change management | Mine closure | Occupational health and safety |
| Crisis management preparedness | Internal review | Training and exercises | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crisis Management Planning – Corporate | |||
| Crisis Management Planning – Site |
SMA Mineral Oy is a mining company that does not currently engage in ore exploration. After 2022, there has been no active exploration for ore. In previous years, ore prospecting has been done in Tornio municipality (mostly in 2021, quartz). In 2021, mainly deep drilling, surface samples and drilling have been used as ore exploration methods. The company’s main focus mineral have been quartz.
| Yes | No | |
|---|---|---|
| Location in a nature reserve* | ||
| Environmental Management System ** | ||
| Environmental impact assessment required (in accordance with the EIA Act) * | ||
| Measurements for dust | ||
| Measurements for noise | ||
| Measurements for vibration | ||
| Environmental risk assessment carried out | ||
| Deviations from environmental permits *** | ||
| Closure plan for the mine | ||
| Plan for the controlled shutdown of the mine in unexpected situations |
| Yes | No | |
|---|---|---|
| Staff initiative system | ||
| Performance appraisals concerning the entire personnel | ||
| Staff training plan | ||
| Equality plan | ||
| Employee representation in company administration | ||
| Occupational health and safety management system* | ||
| Occupational safety card for everyone working in the area | ||
| Own rescue unit |
There is no mining or ore exploration in the reindeer herding area. We actively participate in the activities of stakeholder groups related to rural businesses. According to the company’s assessment, tourism industry practitioners are not stakeholders. Landowners are taken into account in the company’s stakeholder group work. The company actively supports local hobby clubs and employs locals directly and indirectly (contractors).
The effects of SMA Mineral as a detriment to land use are a decrease in living comfort and the value of buildings in the immediate vicinity of the mining district. There is a slightly lower bird density in the vicinity of the operational areas. Mining, together with other land use in the area, has a slight weakening effect on the area’s mushroom species. A drainage effect can also be seen in swamp and forest areas, but the surrounding areas are also drained.
As a positive effect, the mining operation maintains the abundance of biota and vegetation around the quarries by keeping the vegetation open and the soil rich in nutrients, as well as helping the flourishing and regional abundance of lime-beneficial plant species (such are, for example, some of the endangered species protected by the EU Directive).
Landscape values have been taken into account in the planning of the company’s operations. The Kalkkimaa factory area and the road leading to it are marked with the design mark sk/p, i.e. a locally valuable cultural environment. The traditional structure of the area and the scale of construction must be preserved, and the alignment of the road and the old courtyards with crops must be taken into account in the planning of the operation and preserved. In the immediate surroundings of the Kalkkimaa area, there are several traditional landscapes of conservation value, protected ancient monuments and nature conservation sites, the preservation of which the company takes care of in accordance with a voluntary management plan.
The company’s most important stakeholder communication channels are direct contacts from locals, local newspapers, annual report, websites, letters and events, and visits. The company supports, among other things, local sports activities with an emphasis on junior activities, sports and cultural activities in employees’ free time, and SOS children’s village activities. The company also offers thesis work, summer work and internships for schoolchildren and students. A feedback channel exists for feedback from stakeholders, and practices for handling feedback and working with stakeholders have been developed annually in the company together with the management system.
The company’s internal carbon-neutral slaked lime production and carbon dioxide recovery project also continued in 2023. Our partner in the project is SaltX Technology. Link to the project: ZEQL. The project has progressed to the plant construction phase and the results of the piloting period have been positive. The company’s goal is to start commercial production as early as the beginning of 2026.
