At New Gold, we integrate high, internationally-recognized standards of corporate responsibility into our planning and decision making at every stage of our activities. New Gold achieved excellent results in its corporate responsibility performance during 2009 and we are proud to have met or exceeded the highest standards, whether regulatory or internationally recognized measures, at each of our operations.
At the corporate level, we further demonstrated our commitment to corporate responsibility in 2009 by becoming a business partner of the United Nations Global Compact, which commits participants to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. We are also a member of a group of like-minded companies belonging to Canadian Business for Social Responsibility, a non-profit, member-led and globally recognized organization for corporate responsibility. We believe in documenting our sustainability performance in a transparent, easily measurable fashion. With that in mind, we are publishing our second annual Sustainability Report this year, which provides metrics to measure our progress in subsequent reports in the years ahead.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
At New Gold, we believe that the common denominator of excellent, highly productive mining operations is a "safety-committed" work culture. While our overall injury frequency rate declined from 2008, we nevertheless experienced an increase in lost-time injuries from six in 2008 to eight in 2009. Together, we will work to achieve our target of zero harm with a safety-committed culture that includes everyone, from head office to site employees, suppliers and contractors.
Highlights for the year included three major safety awards at our operations:
ENVIRONMENT
At New Gold, we apply sound environmental policies throughout the mining life cycle. We conduct our activities, from exploration and development, to operation, and finally to mine closure and rehabilitation, with an understanding of our impact on the environment and a commitment to minimizing it. From the earliest stage of project investigation, we carry out environmental studies to enable us to properly monitor and manage our environmental practices. We take into account the concerns of our stakeholders to ensure that our activities address these concerns and give them appropriate priority. We are increasingly cognizant of the need to maximize our energy efficiency and to reduce our carbon footprint. Similarly, we are committed to reducing our material consumption through efficient use, reuse and recycling practices.
COMMUNITIES
New Gold believes a key measure of successful mining operations is the degree to which we create sustainable development in surrounding communities. First, sharing mutual benefits from mining is simply the right thing to do. Second, host communities and governments have a right to expect benefits from the development of natural resources in their region. And third, this approach is a prerequisite for the long-term success of any modern mining operation.
We demonstrate this commitment in several ways: meaningful two-way communication and engagement with local residents and organizations; forming partnerships with indigenous peoples; and through numerous community development initiatives.
As these 2009 highlights demonstrate, New Gold puts its safety and sustainability principles into practice at its operations. For more information, please view our 2009 Corporate Sustainability report, entitled "Connected". We believe that building a successful mining company is a joint enterprise that starts with our shareholders and extends to our other stakeholders, including host communities, governments, and non-governmental organizations.
We are connected in our common aspirations to promote the welfare of our employees, whether through injury-free workplaces, staff development programs, or fair employment and hiring practices. We are connected in our efforts to create sustainable development in the regions where we operate, so that economic prosperity lasts long after mining operations cease. And we are connected in our care for the environment to minimize the impact of mining activities today, and restore disturbed land for tomorrow's citizens.