BELLEVUE BECOMES THE WORLD’S FIRST NET ZERO (SCOPE 1 AND SCOPE 2) GOLD MINE
From the outset, Bellevue Gold set ambitious targets to achieve net zero (Scope 1 and Scope 2) greenhouse gas emissions by 2026.
In fact, the Bellevue Gold team has already surpassed this, achieving their goal early. Bellevue Gold is the first gold mine in the world to achieve net zero (Scope 1 and Scope 2) emissions. Using a combination of onsite renewable energy and emission reduction measures, supported by high-quality certified carbon offsets, Bellevue Gold reached net zero in 2025, with emissions expected to further reduce by the end of the year.
At the heart of Bellevue’s approach is its state-of-the-art off-grid hybrid power station, incorporating 27 MW of solar, 24 MW of wind and battery storage alongside thermal generation. The system has already demonstrated the ability to operate for extended periods with thermal generation switched off and the mine powered entirely by instantaneous renewable energy.
In February 2026, renewable energy supplied 93.8% of the Bellevue Gold Project’s power across the month - its highest monthly renewable-energy rate achieved to date. This performance demonstrates the scale of Bellevue’s ambition to reduce operational emissions and maximise the use of wind and solar power.
“We’ve put our money where our mouth is in terms of building a modern operation, changing our mining practices to reduce carbon emissions, and putting in an industry-leading renewable energy power station.”
Darren Stralow, Managing Director & CEO of Bellevue Gold
Setting new standards for renewable energy use in gold mining, smelting and refining is crucial, as over 95% of gold’s greenhouse gas emissions come from mining.
The impact of climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions is already being felt across the world and scientists warn that if we don’t act now, the consequences could be irreversible.
For jewellers increasingly focused on the carbon footprint of their supply chains, Bellevue offers something distinctive: fully traceable gold from a mine with transparent Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions performance and a pioneering track record of operational decarbonisation.
Additionally, the use of renewable energy means a move away from the mining sector’s reliance on diesel. Diesel exhausts contain over 40 different toxic pollutants, which can contribute to health issues in mine workers.
Gold supply chains are typically opaque, with many jewellers lacking visibility of provenance beyond their tier-one supplier or, at best, the refiner.
Bellevue Gold’s partnership with SMO now gives jewellers fully traceable access to gold from the Bellevue Gold Project – the world’s first gold mine to achieve net zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions.
“Their willingness to be transparent and their goal of achieving net zero by the end of 2025 [attracted me to the Bellevue Gold mine]. They are part of the SMO Gold community which provides me with the assurances required on responsibility, traceability and transparency - a great achievement when it comes to gold. Bellevue is pioneering in its net zero mission and with Messika using their gold, it places Messika at the forefront of ESG advances. This makes me proud.”
Valerie Messika, Founder and Creative Director of Messika Jewellery, which is currently transitioning its production to SMO Gold.
To date, the jewellery industry has largely relied on promoting recycled gold as the lowest emission option for the precious metal.
Whilst metal from post-consumer sources can have around a 90% lower emission footprint than a newly mined alternative, the term ‘recycled’ is frequently applied to any gold that has been refined more than once.
This includes scrap, unsold stock and even investment bars - often recently mined and never used by consumers. Therefore, unless the origin of recycled materials can be verified as a post-consumer source, such as electronics or eWaste, then these carbon reduction claims cannot be substantiated – especially as the source emissions from the initial mining process cannot be accounted for, due to the lack of supply chain traceability.
Alongside its decarbonisation focus, Bellevue Gold is incorporating other stringent ESG measures, such as an Environmental Management System, which conducts comprehensive studies in local flora, fauna and water to maintain biodiversity and minimise the mine’s ecological footprint.
Recycling and waste reduction strategies will tackle both current and legacy waste issues, with results published online in an annual Sustainability Report.
Bellevue’s progressive approach extends to its people. Women represented 31.2% of Bellevue’s workforce at 30 June 2025, compared with 22% across the Australian mining sector, while women held 35.8% of leadership roles compared with a sector figure of 23%. Bellevue cites Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) industry data for these comparisons.
Those figures put Bellevue well ahead of the wider Australian mining sector on gender representation and form another important part of its ESG story.
And through its partnership with its refinery and SMO, gold from Bellevue can now also be supplied with named-mine provenance through a segregated Chain of Custody - bringing together distinctive mine-level performance and full traceability.
"We believe that Bellevue Gold is absolutely world-leading in its decarbonisation of gold mining and this is providing an incredibly exciting new source of gold”
Charlie Betts, Co-Founder of SMO Gold
As an SMO Member Mine, the Bellevue Gold Project is blazing a trail as the world’s first gold mine to achieve net zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions. Combined with its ambitious renewable-energy programme, strong social performance and fully traceable gold through SMO, Bellevue provides an exciting glimpse of what the future of responsible gold production can look like.
