Mapping Mining to the Sustainable Development Goals An Atlas

Case studies and initiatives
Creating bioethanol from steelmaking waste gases:
Belgium.
In July 2015, ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel and
mining company, partnered with LanzaTech, a carbon
recycling company, and Primetals Technologies, a leading
technology and service provider to the iron and steel
industry, to build Europe’s first commercial-scale
production facility to create bioethanol from waste gases
produced during the steelmaking process. It is estimated
that the bioethanol will emit 80% less greenhouse gases
than conventional fossil fuels. 106
Carbon Management and Disclosure Policies: Global.
Gold Fields has found that instituting corporate carbon
management and disclosure policies at their South African
and Ghanaian operations has saved them millions of
dollars annually. Participating in the Carbon Disclosure
Project (CDP) has driven energy efficiency measures within
the company and has opened up opportunities for Gold
Fields to attract “ESG-focused investors”. The company
has incorporated CDP procedures into its life-of-mine
planning, and now requires that any new project source at
least 20% of its energy from renewable sources. 107 The
greater use of renewables creates power price and supply
stability and has the added benefit of reducing the
company’s carbon footprint. As such Gold Fields has
announced an on-site 40 MW photovoltaic solar plant at the
South Deep mine in South Africa, and is developing a gas
plant at the Granny Smith Gold Mine in Australia to replace
the diesel power station. 108
In June 2015, BHP Billiton followed six large European oil
and gas companies (BP, Shell, Statoil, Total, BG Group
and ENI) in actively supporting a global price on carbon. 111
By October 2015, all ICMM member companies publicly
supported a price on carbon. BHP Billiton’s website states,
“There should be a price on carbon, implemented in a way
that addresses competitiveness concerns and achieves
lowest cost emissions reductions.” 112
Selected resources
Carbon Disclosure Project, 2015. CDP.net
European Commission Joint Research Centre, 2011.
Critical Metals in Strategic Energy Technologies
Greenhouse Gas Protocol, 2015. GHGProtocol.org
International Council on Mining and Metals, 2011.
ICMM Principles for Climate Change Policy Design
International Council on Mining and Metals, 2012. The
Role of Minerals and Metals in a Low Carbon Economy
International Council on Mining and Metals, 2015:
ICMM Climate Change Statement
United Nations Climate Change Conference and
Agreement, 2015. COP21
United Nations Global Compact, 2015. Climate and
Energy Business Partnership Hub
World Resources Institute, 2015. CAIT Climate Data
Explorer
Carbon capture and storage: Canada.
In October 2014, SaskPower’s Boundary Dam coal-fired
power plant became the first commercially viable largescale
CCS operation in the world. The C$1.25 billion
project retrofitted the coal-fired power station to inject
emissions back into the ground for enhanced oil recovery in
nearby oilfields. Approximately 90% of the emissions are
trapped through this process. 109 While this CCS project is
commercially viable only because of enhanced oil recovery,
the net reduction of emissions is significant. A global
carbon price that internalizes all costs of burning fossil fuels
would quickly and drastically improve CCS viability.
Increasing climate resilience of mines and
communities: Peru.
Rio Tinto Minera Peru, working with ICMM, implemented a
pilot programme to assess threats and opportunities related
to climate change that could affect communities living near
its La Granja project, as well as its own operations. Using a
methodology called CRiSTAL (Community-based Risk
Screening Tool – Adaptation and Livelihoods) developed
by the International Institute for Sustainable Development,
as well as CARE International’s Climate Vulnerability and
Capacity Analysis, the pilot identified key climate risks:
drought, cold snaps, floods and landslides. The information
enabled Rio Tinto and local communities to better
understand climate change impacts and improve their
resilience to them. 110
Carbon price advocacy: Global.
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