Nuton is making a difference. This year, Nuton has been recognized by TIME as one of the 10 most influential companies in sustainability for 2026 — part of the inaugural TIME100 Companies: Industry Leaders list, spotlighting the companies shaping their sectors across 20 industries.
“This recognition is not about celebrating outcomes or milestones, but about acknowledging the purpose behind our work and the direction we are continuing to build toward” says Cecilia Perla, Vice President of Growth and Sustainability and acting CEO.
Nuton’s sustainability breakthrough in copper mining
This recognition follows a milestone year for Nuton. In December 2025, Nuton produced its first copper at industrial scale at the Johnson Camp Mine in Arizona, using proprietary bioleaching technology that integrates biology, chemistry, engineering and digital tools.
Anything that runs on electricity requires copper, and the world runs on electricity. Nuton’s mission is to provide the world with not just more copper, but better copper.
The results speak for themselves: up to 85% copper recovery, up to 80% less water use and up to 60% lower carbon emissions compared to conventional processing, with an expected mine-to-metal footprint of 0.82 kg CO₂-e/kg Cu, the lowest in the United States.
This is what Nuton was built to prove: that more copper, from more places, with radically less impact, is a reality. Nuton is proud to be recognized by TIME100 alongside the companies defining what sustainability looks like in practice, and even prouder of the work that earned it.
Nuton is revolutionizing copper production. The 2026 “Copper, by Nuton” report reveals an exclusive look at the technical benchmarks and strategic milestones that are setting a new standard for copper production. Access the report to learn how we are leveraging a pioneering technology, a new commercial model and aspirations to produce copper with the lowest environmental footprint in the market.
Nuton plays two key roles: technology provider and investment partner
“Copper, by Nuton” reveals how solid innovation can lead to real-world results. As a technology provider and investment partner, Nuton works collaboratively with mine sites to unlock more copper, faster, with a lower environmental footprint.
The full report highlights the pivotal transition as Nuton evolves from research to industrial-scale operations. At Gunnison Copper Corp.´s Johnson Camp Mine in Arizona, we successfully demonstrated the power of the Nuton® Technology with a 75x scale-up. Today Nuton is engaged in 8 active partnerships across 4 countries with Nuton team members working to launch our award-winning mining venture.
The Nuton difference: bioleaching for more copper and less impact
How exactly does our proprietary bioleaching technology work? How does it leverage the power of naturally occurring bacteria to unlock critical resources? “Copper, by Nuton” details how Nuton has the potential to recover up to 85% of copper from complex ores while significantly reducing water and energy consumption.
Nuton is not a single-ingredient solution. We are a systems integrator. We bring every component together, optimizing our technology for the ore, the site and the partner, to deliver value from ore to impact.
Access the full “Copper, by Nuton” report
Get a behind-the-scenes reveal at our Positive Impact aspirations, operational roadmap, proof-of-concept data and “Positive Impact” pillars. Learn more about how Nuton is turning previously inaccessible materials into the building blocks of a more sustainable economy.
Nuton, a Rio Tinto venture, is redefining what’s possible in sustainable mining. Over the next three years, Nuton has committed to purchasing 134,000 Green-e Energy-certified Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) generated from US renewables. By combining proprietary bioleaching technology and investment in renewable energy, Nuton is positioning Gunnison Copper Corp.’s Johnson Camp Mine (JCM) to be the lowest-carbon copper producer in the U.S.
“Nuton’s investment further strengthens our ambition to produce the lowest-carbon copper while bringing copper to market faster and more efficiently,” says Nuton Interim Chief Executive Officer Cecilia Perla.
Nuton commits to Renewable Energy Certificates investment
Central to Nuton’s mission is its Positive Impact commitment. This achievement isn’t just a milestone; it is a blueprint for the future of industry – proving that copper production can be smarter, cleaner, and more efficient.
The purchase of these RECs generated from US renewables over the next three years further proves this pledge. These RECs:
- Corresponds to one megawatt-hour of renewable electricity delivered to the grid
- Ensure that 100% of JCM’s electricity consumption is matched by renewable generation
- Mitigate Scope 2 emissions
- Help produce low-carbon intensity copper
A Renewable Energy Certificate is a market-based instrument that represents the legal property right to the renewable attributes of electricity generation. For every megawatt-hour of clean energy produced and sent to the power grid, one REC is created, allowing Nuton to formally track and claim the environmental benefits of its energy use.
“For every megawatt-hour of clean energy produced and sent to the power grid, one REC is created…”
Life Cycle Assessment confirms lower carbon footprint
Nuton’s technology is delivering a high-quality product with a significantly reduced environmental footprint, and the results of this integrated approach are industry-leading. A recent ISO-certified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) confirms that copper produced at Johnson Camp Mine – supported by Nuton technology and RECs investment – is expected to result in a carbon footprint of just 0.82kg CO2-e per kilogram of copper, measured by a “mine-to-refined metal” basis.
To put this in perspective:
- JCM Carbon Footprint: 0.82 kg CO2-e / kg Cu
- Projected 2026 Global Average: 3.4 kg CO2-e / kg Cu1
The LCA also estimates that JCM has a direct water consumption of 71 liters per kilogram of copper, a fraction of the 130 liters per kilogram of copper consumed at the typical copper mine.2
Ultimately, Nuton is proving that through biology, digital innovation, and renewable energy, the transition to a low-carbon economy can be powered by copper that is as responsible as it is essential.
- Skarn Associates Copper Mine GHG and Energy Intensity Curve Generator, November 2025 dataset for the year 2026. The E1 metric includes all GHG emissions from mine to refined metal.
- Water and carbon emissions intensities for Johnson Camp and global averages have been validated by Skarn Associates, a leading provider of carbon and water intensity curves for the industry.
In celebration of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Nuton proudly recognizes the women driving our innovation forward while inspiring the next generation to explore opportunities in STEM. Meet Abigail and Casandra, two University of Arizona alumnae engineers helping define sustainability at Nuton.
Women in STEM: engineering careers in sustainable mining
Abigail and Casandra are engineers, both hailing from the University of Arizona and both part of the Nuton Graduate Program. Their careers began in the mining industry during a pivotal shift toward green technology. Abigail and Casandra are currently on the ground at Johnson Camp Mine, Nuton’s first industrial-scale deployment, turning the goal of sustainable copper leaching into a daily reality.
Abigail Haan
Chemical Engineering
Focuses on microbial growth, cell counts and reactor maintenance.
Casandra Gamez Gonzales
Mining & Geological Engineering
Focuses on construction oversight and technical guidance for the Nuton Pad.
Unearthing the world of mining
Both engineers launched their careers with the same fundamental curiosity: What turns a rock into the metal our world depends on?
Abigail, a Chemical Engineering graduate from Orange County, California, found her answer during a mining internship last summer. “I loved seeing all of the heavy equipment on site and learning about the variety of chemical processes it takes to go from rocks to pure copper,” she says. That initial spark led to a career search for a program that offered breadth and depth, which brought her to Nuton.
Casandra is a Mining and Geological Engineering graduate born and raised in Phoenix. She discovered her passion for mining during a tour of the San Xavier Research Laboratory. Later, she was inspired by her senior design project, in which she led mining engineers to develop a drill-and-blast pattern for an underground panel caving excavation. This experience ignited a drive to work with a company that values innovation, growth, and culture.
Why Nuton?
The mining industry has previously been defined by tradition; however, Rio Tinto’s Graduate program offers a fresh perspective, and at Nuton, roles stand out as a departure from traditional mining roles. Abigail and Casandra sought out this rotational structure, allowing early-career engineers to experience a variety of the business’s facets, providing perspective not only on the “how” but also on the “why.”
For Abigail, Nuton was appealing because it offered the opportunity to see the entire ecosystem of an industrial plant.
“It was exactly what I was looking for during my job search: a rotational program to get exposure to a variety of positions within an industrial plant.”
Abigail Haan
Casandra’s path was guided by a desire to align her technical skills with her personal values. Nuton provided that with its innovative goal of sustainability in mining.
“I wanted to be part of a team that focused on developing safe operational and processing practices to reduce environmental and social impacts.”
Cassandra Gamez Gonzales
“Farming” microbes: A day in the life at Johnson Camp Mine
At Nuton’s Johnson Camp Mine, Nuton´s first industrial-scale deployment, high-level engineering meets real-world application. Every day, Abigail and Casandra observe groundbreaking ideas as they work directly with sustainable, state-of-the-art technology.
Abigail’s day-to-day involves maintaining microbial growth. Her core goal is “farming” microbes, regulating metabolic health and growth rates to drive the biomining process. She understands microbes at a cellular level. But it doesn’t stop there. “Outside of that, I try to get in the field as much as possible to understand what different teams are working on and get exposure to other parts of the process.” Learning something new is a crucial part of every day.
Casandra splits her time between two sectors of the mine. Part of her time is dedicated to learning modeling, project benchmarking, and designing equipment improvements. As an engineering project manager, Casandra has cultivated a passion for the process and operations side of Nuton. The rest of her time is invested in that passion, in the field overseeing and providing technical guidance on the construction, engineering, and commissioning of vital plant components.
Challenging the status quo: STEM careers in copper
Abigail and Casandra’s budding careers represent a vital shift in the mining landscape. Their work bridges the gap between classroom theory and industrial-scale application, and these graduates are at the forefront of Nuton’s mission to redefine how the world sources copper. For Casandra, reshaping the mining industry begins with healthy skepticism and a refusal to accept “the way it’s always been” as the gold standard. “Innovation comes from those who question the conventional,” she says, emphasizing that a more sustainable and efficient future is only possible when we dare to disrupt.
Their careers serve as a blueprint for the next generation of talent, creating space for young women and girls to follow in their footsteps and showing that meaningful change often begins with challenging long-standing industry norms.
Vancouver, British Columbia – January 22, 2026 — Lion Copper and Gold Corp. (“Lion CG” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has received US$30.5 million from Nuton LLC (“Nuton”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto, further to the Company’s press release dated November 24, 2025, pursuant to the parties’ previously announced earn-in agreement relating to the advancement of the Yerington Copper Project in Nevada, USA.
The funding represents Nuton’s investment under Stage 3 of the earn-in framework and will be used to advance the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) and associated permitting activities, including technical optimization, engineering, environmental studies, and regulatory engagement.
“This investment represents a major execution milestone for Lion CG and further validates the scale, quality and strategic importance of the Yerington Copper Project,” said John Banning, Chief Executive Officer of Lion CG. “This substantial partner funding enables the Company to advance the DFS and permitting work without significant dilution and execution risk for Lion CG shareholders.”
The Yerington Copper Project is located in a Tier-1 U.S. jurisdiction and has the potential, subject to the outcomes of ongoing studies and permitting, to contribute to the domestic production of copper cathode. Establishing additional U.S.-based copper cathode supply is increasingly viewed as strategically important given rising demand from electrification, grid modernization, electric vehicles, and data center infrastructure, and ongoing efforts to strengthen domestic critical mineral supply chains.
Lion CG intends to progress the Yerington Copper Project toward qualification under the U.S. federal FAST-41 permitting framework, which is designed to enhance transparency, coordination, and predictability in the federal permitting process for major infrastructure and critical mineral projects.
As part of the DFS work program, the Nuton® Technology is expected to be further refined, with the objective of improving copper recoveries and potentially reducing capital intensity and environmental footprint relative to conventional processing routes.
Lion CG remains focused on disciplined project advancement, capital stewardship, and long-term value creation as it advances Yerington toward potential development in support of secure, domestic copper supply.
About Lion CG
Lion CG is a junior mining company advancing its Yerington, MacArthur and Bear projects in Lyon County, Nevada through an earn-in agreement with Nuton. The Project focuses on accelerating production from its long-life, low-strip-ratio, brownfield-advantaged Yerington Copper Project utilizing modern processing technologies.
About Nuton
Nuton is an innovative venture that aims to help grow Rio Tinto’s copper business. At the core of Nuton is a portfolio of proprietary copper leaching related technologies and capability that offers the potential to economically unlock copper from primary sulfide resources through leaching, achieving market-leading recovery rates and contributing to an increase in copper production at new and ongoing operations.
One of the key differentiators of Nuton is the ambition to produce the world’s lowest footprint copper while having at least one Positive Impact at each deployment site across five pillars: water, energy, land, materials and society.
To learn more about Nuton, visit https://nuton.tech/
John Banning
Chief Executive Officer
Lion Copper and Gold Corp.
For more information, please contact:
Email: info@lioncg.com
Forward-Looking Statements
Neither Canadian Stock Exchange (CSE) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This news release contains “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, “forward-looking statements”). Forward-looking statements relate to future events or performance and reflect the Company’s current expectations or beliefs regarding future events. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, completion of a Definitive Feasibility Study, permitting, engineering and technical work programs; the potential timing and pathway to commercial copper cathode production; the potential deployment of Nuton® Technology at the Yerington Copper Project; the possible creation of an investment vehicle and the respective ownership interests upon completion of Stage 3; the Company’s expectations regarding project derisking, strategic milestones, and ongoing collaboration with Nuton; and the Yerington Project’s ability to contribute to domestic copper supply and respond to increasing market demand. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company at the date of this news release, are inherently subject to significant operational, technical, economic, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. These assumptions include, but are not limited to: that the Feasibility Study and permitting process will be completed on the anticipated schedule; that Nuton™ Technology will operate as intended at scale; that required regulatory approvals will be obtained; that financing will be available on reasonable terms; and that market conditions for copper will remain favourable. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to: risks related to mineral exploration and development, permitting delays, changes in regulatory frameworks, cost escalation, inability to secure financing, technical challenges associated with deployment of new extraction technologies, commodity price fluctuations, community relations, supply chain constraints, and other customary risks in the mining and technology sectors. There can be no assurance that Stage 3 will be completed as contemplated, or at all, that the Parties will proceed to establish an investment Vehicle upon completion of Stage 3, that the Yerington Project will reach commercial production, or that Nuton® Technology will provide intended benefits at scale. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release
Mine reclamation is an arduous process, often taking decades to complete. All modern copper mines in the US operate under strict reclamation requirements, varied by location and jurisdiction. Reclamation is often a continuous process that occurs throughout the life of a mine, not just at its closure. The primary objectives are to promote biodiversity conservation, provide social and economic benefits to local communities, and restore the mined areas to a state of environmental sustainability.
The future of mining depends on sustainable operations to ease mine reclamation and improve environmental impact. A recent study concludes that more copper will be mined over the next 32 years than all of previous history. As the global copper industry sits at near-exponential growth, mines must minimize long-term impact on the environment by utilizing sustainable mining operations, such as Nuton’s nature-based bioleach technologies.
Introduction to mine reclamation
What happens to a mine once it closes? Is it left as a barren, abandoned site, or can it be restored to a healthy ecosystem? The answer lies in mine reclamation – a process that breathes new life into former mining sites, restoring them to stable, productive landscapes.
Mining has played a crucial role in economic development for centuries, supplying essential materials for various industries worldwide. However, the environmental impact of mining – such as land excavation and water use – cannot be overlooked. Mine reclamation offers a practical and necessary solution, helping to reduce or even reverse these impacts.
Mine reclamation, also known as land rehabilitation, is the process of restoring a former mine site to an environmentally-sound state. It’s not just about improving the landscape; it goes as far as rehabilitating ecosystems and ensuring long-term environmental stability. By implementing responsible reclamation, the mining industry moves toward a future of minimal impact operations.
By implementing responsible reclamation, the mining industry moves toward a future of minimal impact operations.
How mine reclamation works
Mine reclamation begins long before mining operations begin. Companies, including Rio Tinto and Nuton, develop detailed plans to ensure land rehabilitation includes reshaping the land, treating water bodies to remove contaminants, restoring topsoil, and reintroducing native vegetation.
Modern reclamation goes even further. Efforts include creating wetlands, restoring streams, and repurposing land for community use, such as parks or agriculture. These initiatives not only heal the environment but also provide lasting social and economic benefits.
Regulations and laws: SMCRA
In the United States, mine reclamation is governed by strict regulations. The most significant of these is the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA), which sets standards for post-mining land restoration. SMCRA requires mining companies to plan for reclamation before operations begin and secure financial bonds to ensure that restoration is completed.
This law has been instrumental in mitigating the environmental impact of mining, particularly in coal operations. Additionally, state-level regulations complement federal laws, ensuring that reclamation efforts are tailored to each site’s specific needs and environmental conditions.
Mine reclamation challenges and innovations
While mine reclamation is essential, it comes with challenges. Restoring native ecosystems is complex, requiring careful planning and long-term monitoring. Issues such as soil erosion, land instability, and habitat loss demand innovative solutions.
Fortunately, advancements in technology make reclamation more effective. Cutting-edge soil stabilization techniques and bioengineering innovations address these challenges head-on. Through ongoing research, industry collaboration, and sustainable mining practices, mine reclamation is becoming more efficient and impactful.
Sustainable mining to support mine reclamation
The future of sustainable mining depends on responsible land rehabilitation.
Nuton mining partners benefit from nature-based bioleach technologies to mitigate environmental impact and ease mine reclamation, Nuton’s sustainable mining technology helps process waste materials, accelerate copper leaching, reduce environmental footprint, and eliminate use of concentrators, refineries and smelters.
Rio Tinto today announces a strategic collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that will see AWS become Nuton® Technology’s first customer following the breakthrough industrial-scale deployment of the innovative bioleaching technology at the Johnson Camp copper mine in the U.S. last month.
Under the two-year agreement, AWS will use the first Nuton copper ever produced in components of its U.S. data centres, while also providing cloud-based data and analytics support to accelerate the optimisation of Nuton’s proprietary bioleaching technology at Gunnison Copper’s Johnson Camp mine. Data centres use copper in a wide variety of applications, including electrical cables and busbars, windings in transformers and motors, printed circuit boards, and heat sinks on processors.
Nuton is also utilising AWS platforms to simulate heap-leach performance and feed advanced analytics into Nuton’s decision systems, allowing for optimised acid and water use while improving predictions for copper recovery. It’s modular bioleaching system works by extracting copper from primary sulphide ores using naturally occurring microorganisms. This approach, combined with digital tools, enables rapid scaling and tailoring of the technology to different ore bodies, reducing the pathway from concept to production.
The process produces 99.99% pure copper cathode at the mine gate and removes the need for traditional concentrators, smelters and refineries, significantly shortening the mine-to-market supply chain. Nuton is projected to use substantially less water and have lower carbon emissions compared with conventional concentrator processing routes, while also recovering value from ore previously classified as waste.
Rio Tinto Copper Chief Executive Katie Jackson said:“This collaboration is a powerful example of how industrial innovation and cloud technology can combine to deliver cleaner, lower-carbon materials at scale. Nuton has already proven its ability to rapidly move from idea to industrial production, and AWS’s data and analytics expertise will help us to accelerate optimisation and verification across operations.
“Importantly, by bringing Nuton copper into AWS’s U.S. data-centre supply chain, we’re helping to strengthen domestic resilience and secure the critical materials those facilities need, closer to where they’re used. Together we can supply the copper critical to modern data infrastructure while demonstrating how mining can contribute to more sustainable supply chains.”
Amazon’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kara Hurst said: “Amazon’s Climate Pledge goal to reach net zero carbon by 2040 requires us to innovate across every part of our operations, including how we source the materials that power our infrastructure.
“This collaboration with Nuton Technology represents exactly the kind of breakthrough we need—a fundamentally different approach to copper production that helps reduce carbon emissions and water use. As we continue to invest in next-generation carbon-free energy technology and expand our data centre operations, securing access to lower-carbon materials produced close to home strengthens both our supply chain resilience and our ability to decarbonize at scale.”
Gunnison Copper’s Johnson Camp mine in Arizona is now the lowest-carbon primary copper producer in the U.S. on the mine to refined metal basis widely used by industry. Recent third-party life cycle assessment (LCA) has confirmed Johnson Camp’s Nuton copper is expected to have a full scope carbon footprint (Scope 1+2+3) of just 2.82 kgCO₂e/kg Cu. The full-scope carbon footprint of primary copper varies by production method and technology but ranges from approximately 1.5 to 8.0 kgCO₂e/kg Cu globally.
Through the purchase of 134,000 Green-e Energy certified renewable energy certificates, Nuton ensures 100% of the site’s electricity is matched by on-site electricity consumption. Additionally, water intensity is anticipated to be 71 litres per kilogram copper, compared to the global average industry estimate of ~130 litres per kilogram of copper production[1].
The project is targeting production of approximately 30,000[2] tonnes of refined copper across a four-year deployment period.
Contacts
Please direct all enquiries to media.enquiries@riotinto.com
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[1] Water and carbon emissions intensities for Johnson Camp and global averages have been validated by Skarn Associates, a leading provider of carbon and water intensity curves for the industry.
[2] Includes ~16kt from run of mine leaching pad and ~14kt from Nuton technology.