Last month’s blog addressed sustainability generally – this one will look more closely at sustainability in the mining industry.
Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room: If we accept the UN definition of sustainable development (i.e. meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs), then, at face value, sustainable mining appears to be an oxymoron.
It is clear the act of mining a finite resource is not a sustainable activity. But it should be borne in mind that most of the communities where mining is undertaken are sustained, in large part, by the mining operations. Further, since all industrial and many personal activities use minerals for a wide variety of applications, the mining industry has a significant positive impact on society in spite of its perceived detrimental consequences.
A revised definition of sustainability
These considerations have led to a revised definition of sustainability for the mining industry. Fundamentally, the reconciliation of sustainability and mining is not a question of how to stop mining, but rather how to optimize use of the finite resources. This has led to the definition that sustainable mining is the minimization of negative environmental, social, and economic impacts associated with mining while limiting extraction to rates that do not exceed capabilities to establish new sources, substitutes, or recycle any particular material so as not to compromise potential needs of future generations.
Since one of the objectives is to limit extraction rates, a second theme that emerges is a shift in focus from the life cycle of the mine to the life cycle of the mined material. Some people use the term “circularity” – as illustrated in the paper “A review of sustainable mining and resource management” published by Miranda R. Gorman, David A. Dzombak in Elsevier in October 2018:
Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM)
These concepts have been articulated in an initiative of the Mining Association of Canada and labeled Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM). The TSM concepts have been set down in a set of protocols which have now been adopted by many countries – Australia, Finland, Norway, Argentina, Spain, Botswana, Brazil and the Philippines.
Protocols in effect at this stage cover:
- Indigenous and community relationships
- Safety and health
- Crisis management and communications planning
- Preventing child and forced labour
- Biodiversity conservation management
- Tailings management
- Water stewardship
- Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions management
- Planning for mine closure
The mining companies must commit to acting responsibly by adopting social, economic and environmental practices that align with the priorities and values of their communities.
Facilities must self-assess their performance annually against the performance indicators within the various protocols. The various mining associations must implement an appropriate framework for independent verification of performance to ensure that facilities self-assessed results accurately reflect performance. Further, every three years, a company must undergo a third party verification. TSM must be a condition of membership in the implementing association. For example, TSM has been a condition of membership for the Mining Association of Canada since 2006.
So while the achievement of the revised sustainable mining definition stated above is a huge project, good progress has been made. The challenge, of course, will be to maintain the momentum in the face of the many social and economic pressures being applied.
The second theme mentioned above (learning to focus on the life cycle of the mined material) probably warrants a special mention. As discussed in a previous blog on recycling electronics, recycling is a complex and expensive process – and we have lots to learn. Mining companies have never had to consider this issue before – their job has traditionally been limited to the supply of materials. What happens after that has been someone else’s problem. But these issues are so important and so complex that we must change our traditional approach – lots of interactions will be necessary, and the mining industry’s knowledge and size will be critical.
How do we re-set everyone’s mindset?
