Mapping Mining to the Sustainable Development Goals An Atlas

usually negotiated and codified through a signed
agreement that contains mutual responsibilities,
shared outcomes and, in some cases, agreed
metrics to measure success.
– Some countries establish trust funds to invest
mining revenues into local communities to improve
public infrastructure or promote local economic
development and companies sometimes participate
in the management of the fund in collaboration with
local communities and government. Additionally,
companies may decide that the depth and breadth
of their support to the SDGs and social, economic
and environmental development is best served by
establishing a separate foundation. There are
many examples of the pros and cons of trust funds
and foundations and how they are governed
that companies might review prior to making
these decisions. 4 One of the most important
learnings is that foundations and trust funds do not
replace the company’s responsibility to manage its
social, environmental and economic impacts
through its core business.
Dialogue and engagement with
communities and stakeholders
Dialogue and engagement will inform the company on
how best to integrate the SDGs into its core business
and underpin the opportunities to collaborate and
leverage resources. Fully understanding the
relationship between the business and the external
context requires communication, dialogue and
engagement with local communities, local and national
government, civil society, development agencies and
other stakeholders. Dialogue and engagement aims to
build trust, share information and perspectives, and
reach agreement on how to address mutually shared
issues and concerns. This is a continuous and ongoing
process that is systematic and based on transparency
and mutual respect. Many resources are available to
inform how a company can build a transparent
approach to engagement and relationship-building at
the local, regional and national levels and some are
noted in the “Selected resources” sections in the
chapters.
Industry-related aspects to consider
The contribution of an individual mining company to the
SDGs will take different forms depending on the local
context, the nature of the extractive activity and the
mineral resource. To determine the best way forward,
the opportunities and challenges in each chapter
should be complemented with a review of the
company’s current sustainability programmes and
performance, its particular industry characteristics, the
development phase, the business context and the
corporate framework. Specific issues to consider
include:
The mineral commodity and product value chain
The mining industry extracts and processes a range of
different minerals and metals that include precious
metals (such as gold and platinum group metals), base
metals (such as copper, zinc and nickel), industrial
minerals (such as phosphate and limestone), iron and
ferroalloys, bauxite, rare earths and energy minerals
(such as coal and uranium). Each metal or mineral and
its associated processing, sale and use have different
economic, social and environmental benefits,
constraints, impacts and risks. It also follows that
different SDGs may be relevant to each mineral and
metal and their associated value chains to differing
degrees.
The Atlas focuses on the applicability of the SDGs to
the extractive segment of the value chain rather than
the final use of the mineral or metal itself.
Nevertheless, it can be important for mining companies
to consider that, in many cases, the product or service
created by the use of the mineral has important
relevance to particular SDGs, for example:
– Fertilizers (e.g. phosphate) and micronutrients (e.g.
zinc) – SDG2 (Zero Hunger) – These products
contribute to improved food security and nutrition
and global demand is likely to increase as human
populations grow.
– Thermal coal – SDG13 (Climate Action) – Barring
large-scale deployment of carbon-capture and
storage or some unforeseen technology, coalpowered
electricity will continue to be one of the
greatest contributors to climate change and the
associated emissions need to be phased out.
– Rare earths and metals – SDG7 (Energy Access
and Sustainability) – Many renewable energy
technologies depend on rare earths and other
metals that will play a critical role in the low-carbon
economy. Base metals like copper will be a key
component for the production of electric vehicles and
zinc is necessary for storing renewably generated
electricity.
– Aluminium – SDG12 (Sustainable Consumption
and Production) – Aluminium is highly recyclable,
but is energy-intensive to produce. More
sustainable consumption will probably require
increased aluminium recycling. Aluminium, as a
lightweight metal, can also reduce fuel
consumption when used in manufacturing
transportation systems.
The mining project life cycle and the scope of
operational impacts
Mineral development is a multistage business.
Typically, there is an exploration and evaluation phase
(1-10+ years), followed by a site design and
construction phase (2-5 years), followed by the mining
extraction phase itself (2-100 years), and then closure,
decommissioning and reclamation (5-30+ years). 5 The
scope of social, environmental and economic impacts
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