2002, Jim Walker, Steve Howard / International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), WBCSD, Environmental Resources Management (ERM)
Finding the Way Forward reviews the role of voluntary initiatives in the mining industry. The term ‘voluntary initiative’ is used here to denote coordinated activities undertaken by groups of companies to go beyond the environmental and social performance requirements set by legislation. It should be noted that pressures other than regulatory scrutiny (such as consumer and investor desires) often drive voluntary activities in companies, and in this sense few such initiatives can be deemed to be truly ‘voluntary’.
This report is primarily based on a review of recent research into the role of voluntary activities in the sector conducted as part of the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development Project (MMSD) – the relevant MMSD papers are included in full on the attached CD-ROM. MMSD’s two-year research program culminated in May 2002 with the publication of its final report, Breaking New Ground, which drew a number of conclusions about the current state of the sector and made recommendations for change.
One conclusion of Breaking New Ground was that the mining and minerals sector should explore the development of a global voluntary initiative (or initiatives). This theme is explored here in greater detail by addressing the following questions:
- What are the key drivers for sustainable development in the mining industry?
- What could voluntary initiatives achieve in the sector?
- What voluntary initiatives currently exist?
- What form of voluntary initiative is best?
A wide range of initiatives already exist – including several under development in the mining sector to address specific issues. Many are recent: only two of those reviewed in this report were developed before 1996 and the majority of which were launched in 1999 or subsequently.
