Alrosa Reaches Carbon-Neutral Milestone for Its Mining Operations and Diamond Production
Russian diamond producer Alrosa has announced that both its mining operations and diamond production remained carbon neutral throughout 2025.
This is the second year in a row that the company has received internationally recognized certification confirming its carbon-neutral status. Alrosa reported that it further reduced its greenhouse gas emissions during the year while increasing the amount of carbon absorbed through its mining activities.
According to the company, its mining and production sites absorbed 126,000 tonnes more carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) than they emitted in 2025. This represents a significant improvement compared with 2024, when net carbon absorption totaled 37,000 tonnes of CO₂e.
As a result, the carbon footprint of Alrosa's diamonds improved by 60%, reaching -1.18 kilograms of CO₂e per carat, compared with -0.71 kilograms per carat in the previous year. These figures cover the company's total diamond production of 29.8 million carats during 2025.
Alrosa CEO Pavel Marinychev stated that the company remains the only mining company in the world to have officially verified carbon neutrality for both its operations and its diamond products. He emphasized that true industry leadership involves not only commercial success but also creating lasting environmental and social value, adding that he believes this approach should become the benchmark for the global mining industry.
The company continues to invest in environmental initiatives aimed at increasing the natural carbon-absorbing ability of kimberlite, the rock that contains diamonds, while also reducing emissions and improving energy efficiency.
Anastasia Gabrashitova, head of Alrosa's environmental center, explained that the company is replacing petroleum-based fuels with natural gas, a lower-carbon energy source. During 2025, Alrosa completed the gasification of its Udachny Mining and Processing Division, finished constructing a gas pipeline to its Nakyn mining site, and continued converting its operational vehicle fleet to run on natural gas.
She also noted that 76% of the electricity used by Alrosa now comes from renewable energy sources, further supporting the company's sustainability goals.
Alrosa first achieved carbon-neutral status in 2024. Before receiving that recognition, the company worked with scientists to demonstrate that kimberlite can naturally absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during mining operations at its deposits in Yakutia and the Arkhangelsk region.
The company's 2025 carbon emissions and removals report was independently verified by TÜV AUSTRIA Standards & Compliance, an international auditing organization specializing in environmental and climate verification, confirming the accuracy of Alrosa's carbon-neutral claims.
