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Mining and Extraction

About this sector

Mining involves the extraction of minerals from the Earth’s crust, including coal, metal ores, rock, industrial minerals, and gemstones. The industry is an important economic activity in many countries and central to modern industrial societies, supplying raw materials for, amongst other things, energy production, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, communication, household goods, and medicines.

Impacts

  • Habitat loss and fragmentation through surface mining and creation of waste rock dumps.
  • Pollution of habitats and water supplies from chemical contamination and solid waste (tailings).
  • Excessive water withdrawal that can impact on local water systems.
  • Alteration of creeks, rivers, and watershed regimes.
  • Increased access to sensitive and remote areas.
  • Green House Gases emissions.

Opportunities/Risks

  • Reputation: managing biodiversity can contribute to a good reputation among local communities, governments and other stakeholders, helping secure a license to operate.
  • Access and cost of capital: helping compliance with loan requirements from financial institutions.
  • New markets: certification schemes are developing for responsibly mined products e.g. the Responsible Jewellery Council.

Case Studies


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Building local plant nurseries for the rehabilitation of quarries

Building local plant nurseries for the rehabilitation of quarries

As part of its quarry rehabilitation process, Lafarge has developed local plant nurseries that respect indigenous species and are adapted to the local environment. This initiative is part of broader methodologies and best practices 
developed by the company to optimize its quarry reclamation, with the final objective of strengthening the acceptability of its operations in the long run.

Biodiversity conservation through quarry rehabilitation

Biodiversity conservation through quarry rehabilitation

Holcim, headquartered in Switzerland, is one of the world’s leading suppliers of cement and construction materials. The Holcim Group has a market presence in over 70 countries on all continents. In Canada, Holcim operates 2 cement plants with the annual capacity to produce 2.7 million tonnes of Portland Cement and 500,000 tonnes of GranCem (a cement substitute with lower carbon intensity); 25 quarries and pits that produce more than 18 million tonnes per year of crushed stone, gravel and sand; 50 concrete plants and 2 construction companies specializing in major infrastructure projects. Holcim employs approximately 90,000 people worldwide and about 2,900 people in Canada. The Canadian Head Office is located in Concord, Ontario.

Sustaining our Great Lakes

Sustaining our Great Lakes

ArcelorMittal, owning operations within the Great Lakes basin, manages its business risk and supports critical public resources through a unique partnership dedicated to the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes ecosystem.

Testing the first habitat banking project in Europe

Testing the first habitat banking project in Europe

New market mechanisms targeting biodiversity conservation are emerging worldwide, and among others, the biodiversity offset market size is expected to increase in the coming years. The French company CDC Biodiversité has seized this opportunity and is testing the first habitat banking project in Europe.

Conserving a unique transboundary ecosystem

Conserving a unique transboundary ecosystem

As part of its corporate responsibility, CEMEX has long recognized the importance of protecting the biodiversity of our planet. It has therefore conducted a multistakeholder, long-term transboundary conservation initiative along the Mexico and US border over ten years, thus helping to protect the region’s biodiversity.


Tools and Mechanisms


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Globe Foundation

Globe Foundation

http://globe.ca/

The GLOBE Foundation is a Vancouver-based, not-for-profit organization dedicated to finding practical business-oriented solutions to the world's environmental problems. GLOBE believes that companies can do well by doing good without sacrificing the bottom line, and environmental challenges bring enormous opportunity for the business sector.

Their three guiding principles are:
  1. Environmental problems are business opportunities.
  2. Companies that can provide clean technologies and solutions will prosper.
  3. Proactive organizations that embrace environmental sustainability will be more competitive.
Water Environment Federation

Water Environment Federation

http://www.wef.org/

The Water Environment Federation is a not-for-profit association that provides technical education and training for thousands of water quality professionals who clean water and return it safely to the environment. WEF members have proudly protected public health, served their local communities, and supported clean water worldwide since 1928.
HoB: Green Business Network (GBN)

HoB: Green Business Network (GBN)

http://wwf.panda.org/borneo/greenbusinessnetwork

The Green Business Network aims to provide tools and support to businesses willing to work towards a sustainable future for the Heart of Borneo. It also aims to develop and communicate a range of solutions to sustainable and profitable business development in the HoB, and is aimed in particular at three key business sectors: forestry, palm oil and mining.
UNEP Sustainable Consumption & Production Branch

UNEP Sustainable Consumption & Production Branch

http://www.uneptie.org/scp/about/

The Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Branch focuses on achieving increased understanding and implementation by public and private decision makers of policies and actions for SCP. Given the breadth of the challenges and actions required to achieve SCP, activities are focused on specific tools, encompassing policies, market-based instruments, and voluntary approaches, with emphasis given to some specific economic sectors.

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Mining and Extraction

Case studies
Tools and Mechanisms