December 21, 2023
Avalon Reaffirms Commitment to Responsible Critical Minerals Development with 12th Annual Sustainability Report. Consistent with its long-established commitment to the sustainable development of Canadian critical minerals, Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (TSX: AVL) (OTCQB: AVLNF) (“Avalon” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the publication of its 2023 Sustainability Report, which can be accessed on the Company’s website found here: The 2023 report represents the 12th consecutive report Avalon has produced detailing our environmental impacts, health and safety reporting and economic developments as they relate to Avalon’s sustainability performance. Scott Monteith, Avalon’s Chief Executive Officer, said: It has been a year of transformative change for Avalon, led by a new senior management team and reinvigorated board aligned around the creation of a vertically integrated Ontario lithium value chain. “What has not changed is Avalon’s unwavering commitment to the highest standards of environmental stewardship, which can be seen in the many developments undertaken in the past 12 months. We are not talking, we are doing.” 2023 Sustainability Highlights: May – Appointment as CEO of Mr. Monteith, a veteran green-tech senior executive and entrepreneur July – Strategic partnership with Metso Corp. of Finland, a global leader in sustainable processing technology solutions, to construct a best-in-class lithium hydroxide platform October – Expansion of Metso partnership to create innovation and research laboratory, and to cooperate on the recycling of used batteries and battery chemicals November – New joint venture agreement finalized with SCR-Sibelco NV to form the Separation Rapids Ltd. subsidiary and import world-class mining processes to Avalon’s flagship lithium deposit near Kenora, ON. In addition to detailing Company developments, the 2023 Sustainability Report has transitioned to the new International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) sustainability disclosure standards, a global framework which unifies and complements existing requirements to increase efficiency and comparability and improve the overall quality of reporting. We see this as the new gold standard. The report outlines the industry-based standards for metals and mining by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) of the IFRS Foundation, and includes all relevant metrics and analysis applicable to our projects in 2023. Under the Company’s revamped leadership, Avalon continues to embrace the principles of sustainability as core to its business practices and reaffirms its strong commitment towards implementing corporate social responsibility (“CSR”) best practices. Indigenous Partners Avalon is committed to working closely with its Indigenous partners to create lasting economic and social benefits in the communities in which the Company operates. The Avalon management team recently completed the San’Yas Anti-Racism Indigenous Cultural Safety Training Program (Ontario) and received certification. Further, Avalon has developed and published its first Land Acknowledgement that reads as follows; “Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. acknowledges that our work takes place within the ancestral and traditional territories of First Nations, and Métis people. We respect Indigenous rights and are committed to deepening our existing relationships while forging new lasting ties which will ensure that we and future generations benefit from the positive social and economic opportunities related to our operations.” Avalon’s leadership in applying the principles of sustainability in all of the Company’s work is also benefitting the mineral exploration industry generally. Avalon is supporting the PDAC, the Ontario Mining Association and the Mining Association of Canada in their efforts to educate regulators and policymakers regarding the need to update regulations in order to encourage more and sustainable development of critical minerals resources in Canada that are vital for establishing the clean energy economy in North America and to ensure access to land for exploration purposes. Strategic Update On Dec. 7, 2023 Avalon announced a non-brokered private placement of up to a maximum of 93,000,000 units of the Company (each, a “Unit”) at a price of C$0.10 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of C$9.3 million (the “Offering”). Closing of the Offering will occur in one or multiple tranches, with the first tranche of the Offering now expected to close on or about January 31, 2024. The net proceeds of the Offering are expected be used to fund: (i) site preparation and the preparation of a feasibility study for the Corporation’s Thunder Bay Lithium Hydroxide Processing Facility; (ii) the preparation of an updated feasibility study for the Nechalacho Rare Earths & Zirconium project; (iii) repayment of the convertible debenture, including accrued interest thereon, to SCR Sibelco NV; and (iv) for working capital and general corporate purposes. READ the latest Batteries News shaping the battery market Avalon Reaffirms Commitment to Responsible Critical Minerals Development with 12th Annual Sustainability Report. source Avalon Business Development