Hecla Mining appoints Patrick Malone to lead sustainability

Patrick Malone has been appointed Vice President, Sustainability at US company Hecla Mining, as the company reaffirms its commitment to responsible mining.

Prior to joining Hecla, Malone served as Chief Sustainability Officer and Chief Legal Officer at Dakota Gold Corp. from November 2022 to March 2025. He has more than two decades of mining experience, with an expertise in environmental, social, legal, and governance functions. 

Malone’s prior career also includes senior positions at Barrick Gold, including Vice President – Closure and Reclamation and Head of North American Legal and Regulatory Affairs from July 2010 to November 2022. He holds degrees in both Conservation Biology and Law from Brigham Young University and has completed graduate level coursework in business management and mine engineering.

Hecla Mining's environmental commitments

Hecla is the largest silver producer in the US and Canada, and also mines gold, lead and zinc – all metals necessary to the energy transition – posting revenues in 2024 of US$909m. The company says a commitment to protecting the environment, both globally and at the local level is at the centre of its operations. 

Since 2019, Hecla Mining has reduced absolute GHG emissions across Scopes 1 and 2 by 36.98%. In 2023, the firm acquired a the Keno Hill silver mine in Canada, and has since been working to establish a new baseline year and GHG reduction target.

Improving sustainability disclosures

It has stated the ambition to continually improve its climate change disclosure by incorporating climate-related risks and opportunities into its risk management and strategic planning processes aligned with the TCFD framework. 

In the company’s most recent sustainability report published in May last year, Alic Wong, Chair of Hecla’s Governance and Social Responsibility Committee, said: “The commitment to integrating sustainability into our business strategy is shared by all of our Board members, our executive management team, and employees. 

“Standing on the company’s foundation of responsible mining practices, Hecla is at the forefront of a new era, where the world is moving to electrify and decarbonise more aspects of our lives, resulting in an increasing demand for silver to do so. Hecla is ready to produce the silver that the world needs to power our future.”