Source: The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association

7 Questions to Sustainability

Concerns about public perceptions of mining have long been one of the drivers toward an increased focus on sustainability. In 1999, nine CEOS from some of the world’s largest mining companies met in Davos, Switzerland, to address their concerns about their perceptions of an emerging disconnect between mining/minerals-related practices and the values of today’s society. They voiced unease that their “social license to operate” was in jeopardy.

Working through the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD), they commissioned the International Institute of Environment and Development to undertake a global review of practices related to mining and minerals and the development of solutions for mining and minerals and the many interacting communities of interest contribute to a global transition to sustainable development. The resulting project was “Mining, Minerals, and Sustainable Development (MMSD)” and included both global and regional segments.

The North American work group of MMSD brought together a group of 35 individuals representing a broad range of interests and charged them with developing a set of practical principles, criteria, and/or indicators that could be used to guide or test mining/minerals activities in terms of their compatibility with concepts of sustainability. That group developed the Seven Questions to Sustainability Assessment Framework.

Assessing for sustainability

• Engagement. Are engagement processes in place and working effectively?

• People. Will people’s well-being be maintained or improved?

• Environment. Is the integrity of the environment assured over the long term?

• Economy. Is the economic viability of the project or operation assured, and will the economy of the community and beyond be better off as a result?

• Traditional and non-market activities. Are traditional and non-market activities in the community and surrounding area accounted for in a way that is acceptable to the local people?

• Institutional arrangements and governance. Are rules, incentives, programs, and capacities in place to address project or operational consequences?

• Synthesis and continuous learning. Does a full synthesis show that the net result will be positive or negative in the long term, and will there be periodic reassessment?

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