Environmental Aspects of Phosphate and Potash Mining United ...

Environmental Aspects of Phosphate and Potash Mining
3.9 Environmental Management
Environmental management is an activity that is
ongoing throughout the entire mining life cycle, from
initial exploration to the final closure of the operation
and handing over of the site. It encompasses and influences
all the different activities of the mining life cycle
and is most effective when integrated with the day-today
management and planning of the operation.
Environmental management consists of systems, procedures,
practices and technologies that vary
depending on the specific characteristics of the surrounding
ecosystem, the legal framework and the
mining methods and beneficiation processes
employed.
As appreciation of the complexity of environmental
considerations has grown, a variety of management
tools have been developed to assist companies better
control the effects of their operations and provide a
higher level of environment protection. These tools
include: environmental management systems (EMS);
environmental impact assessment (EIA); environmental
technology assessment (EnTA); environmental
auditing; life cycle assessment (LCA); cleaner production
and environmental reporting (6).
Recent developments such as LCA and cleaner production
have adopted a more holistic, pollution
prevention, approach to environmental issues. They
look at the life of a product or service to determine
where the greatest impacts may occur and then where
and how the most effective action, in terms of cost and
results, can be taken to prevent the impact to potentially
occurring. These tools assist management by
providing information to improve decision-making.
Their effectiveness depends in a large part on the commitment
and motivation of management and the
workforce.
Amongst other things, better environmental management
contributes to:
Prevention of problems;
Identification and implementation of effective
solutions to environmental issues;
Compliance with environmental legislation; regulations
and standards;
Engagement of and improved relations with stakeholders
such as employees, community, regulatory
agencies and customers;
(6) Additional information on environmental management
tools is available from the UNEP, UNIDO and IFA Technical
Report on “Fertilizer Production and the Environment”, Part
2: Environmental Management Systems and a variety of
other publications by UNEP.
Greater control by management of the company's
activities.
This section provides an indication of some of the
approaches being taken by the phosphate rock and
potash mining industry to provide more effective
environmental management.
Corporate Environment Policy
A company's environment policy is a key element of
an EMS. This public statement commits management
to a set of principles that guide their activities.
Leading companies have moved from an environment-specific
focus, to a wider, sustainable
development stance, recognizing the integration of
economic, environment and social needs.
Environment Policy
WMC have framed their environment policy in terms
of sustainable development since 1995.
WMC Environment Policy
The Company is committed to achieving compatibility
between economic development and the
maintenance of the environment.
It therefore seeks to ensure that, throughout all phases
of its activities, WMC personnel and contractors
give proper consideration to the care of the flora,
fauna, air, land and water, and to the community
health and heritage which may be affected by these
activities.
To fulfill this commitment, the Company will observe
all environmental laws and, consistent with the principles
of sustainable development, will:
Progressively establish and maintain company-wide
environmental standards for our operations
throughout the world;
Integrate environmental factors into planning and
operational decisions and processes;
Assess the potential environmental effects of our
activities, and regularly monitor and audit our environmental
performance;
Continually improve our environmental performance,
including reducing the effect of emissions,
developing opportunities for recycling, and more
efficiently using energy, water and other resources;
Rehabilitate the environment affected by our activities;
Conserve important populations of flora and fauna
that may be affected by our activities;
Promote environmental awareness among
Company personnel and contractors to increase
understanding of environmental matters.
Source: WMC Environment Report 1996.