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By S. Mendenhall

The Golden Sunlight Mine (GSM) began operation in 1982 with a strong commitment to environmental stewardship and the local community. This commitment ensured the long-term physical, chemical and ecological stability of the mine site and maintained an active partnership with local stakeholders. Concerns for economic development intensified as mine closure loomed on the horizon and fostered the inception of the Community Transition Advisory Committee(CTAC).This coalition of interested area stakeholders has the primary focus to sustain current mining operations while concurrently seeking alternative post-mine economic development opportunities utilizing existing mine assets. Accomplishments include development of an Asset Re-utilization and Post-closure Plan, a community survey regarding the impending mine closure, recruiting an international wind energy company to develop a wind farm, and development of an industrial/business park. The synergy of this strong partnership is key to meeting sustainability goals and enhancing potential future mining operations. The cooperative effort of the GSM and the local stakeholders is a success story that could be a role model for other mining operations.

Jan 1, 2004

By S. Möllerherm

"Since the adoption of the Rio-Declaration in 1992 the concept of sustainable development is raising more and more awareness in public perception. The World Commission on Economic Development WCED has defined sustainable development as the concept that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs". The concept requires the integration of economic, environmental and social considerations into all decision making, fostering intra-generational equity through the alleviation of poverty by concentrating the benefits of development in lesser developed areas; and considering the needs of future generations to ensure that inter-generation equity exists. This paper is devoted to give a review of the current status quo of the discussion. It describes the achievements of the mineral industries on their progress towards sustainable development since the Milos Conference (SDIMI 2003), but also discusses future challenges and obstacles."

Jan 1, 2005

By G. Markopoulos

Thracean Gold Mining is a Greek Company specialized in gold exploration and exploitation. It is focused on the development of the advanced Perama Hill gold project, which is currently waiting approval of the environmental terms of reference from the Ministry of Environment. We have designed a mine operation that is completely safe environmentally. The mine design exceeds all the standards environmental safety set by the European Union. We are currently negotiating lasting relationships with the communities which surround the mine by creating sustainable projects within the area that will provide sources of income to the region long after the mine is exhausted.

Jan 1, 2007

By V. Avdiyskiy

The most pressing topic raised nowadays by the world community faces environment and social consequences of the business intensification process, primarily that of mining and mineral industry, which is through the number of its activities mostly associated with pernicious impacts. World top managers are confronted with the dilemma of reconciling traditional financial framework aiming at successful business development measured by revenues, shareholder value, profit margin and incorporating Sustainable Development (SD) at all levels of decision making process, avoiding depriving future generations of the means to meet their own needs. The rapid consolidation and globalization of the industry stipulates that companies are an integral part of the world economic environment. Therefore a company?s financial performance is under the pressure of operational and environmental performance. Among them special attention is paid to the social and economic background, the relationship with regulatory institutions, and the developments for environmental protection.

Jan 1, 2003

By Michael Karmis

The International Conference on Sustainable Development Indicators in the Mineral Industries(SDIMI 2003) was held May 21-23, 2003 on the island of Milos, Greece. The objective of this international conference was to assist the mining and minerals industries in their global transition to sustainable development. The main theme of the conference was the development, monitoring and assessment of sustainable development criteria for mineral operations. Emerging technologies were also presented that can assist in the development of criteria and performance indicators.

Jan 1, 2003

By M. B. Díaz Aguado

Traditionally, the practical evaluation of a mining project for a potential investment has been made considering mainly technical aspects. But the concept of sustainable development has introduced significant changes in the factors analyzed to make the final decision. This paper proposes an empirical evaluation of a project considering not only technical, economic and financial parameters, but also associated risks and other intangible aspects, such as political considerations, stability in the legal frame, social factors and environmental issues. The proposed methodology is practical and easy to apply for project management. Among its main advantages, the following could be quoted: using this evaluation two different projects or locations of a same project can be compared, future behaviors could be predicted, the index incorporates a new approach to specific mining projects and this perspective could also be applied to other projects with environmental and social impact, such as civil works or industrial projects.

Jan 1, 2007

The challenge of the sustainable development framework in mining today is to see that the minerals sector as a whole contributes to human welfare and well-being without reducing the potential for future generations to do the same. If the minerals sector around the world is to contribute positively to sustainable development, it needs to demonstrate continuous improvement of its social, economic, and environmental contribution, with new and innovative governance systems. Canada is an international leader in mining and related technology. Metals and minerals is Canada?s second-largest earner of foreign exchange. Canadians, along with the rest of the world, are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of mining activities. The Canadian Mineral industry has acknowledged the importance of its environmental responsibility by taking a broad range of innovative actions in order to ensure a sustainable development of its resources. This paper analyzes how the concept of sustainable development can be related to mineral enterprises. It discusses a wide range of issues under three main areas: perspectives on sustainable development; processes for furthering sustainable development; and assessment methodologies and indicators. This paper also presents a proposed framework and a core set of key sustainable development indicators that could be useful in efforts to measure progress toward sustainable development in mining. The paper concludes with a case study of some key sustainable development indicators related to the Canadian oilsands mining.

Jan 1, 2003

By G. Hilson

The exact application of sustainable development in the mining and minerals industry has precipitated considerable debate in recent years. Since the publication of the Brundtland Commission?s Report, Our Common Future, numerous attempts have been made to define sustainable development in the mining context. The inability of the Brundtland Report to outline an effective sustainability framework, combined with its contention that no single blueprint for sustainable development exists, has prompted many academics and practitioners to provide viewpoints on the application of sustainable development in the mining and minerals industry. This paper provides an overview of the many groups of assessments made of sustainable development in the mining industry. Sustainability assessment and reporting for this industry sector using indicators are also addressed.

Jan 1, 2003

By K. Adam

Improved environmental performance comprises one of the key objectives of the sustainable development in the mining industry. Within this framework, a research project was undertaken by TVX Hellas, a mixed sulphides producer in northern Greece, in order to develop and evaluate anaerobic wetlands as an alternative method for the treatment of acidic waters originating from old mine areas. The anaerobic treatment using organic substrates, aimed to neutralize the acidity of the mine drainage and remove the dissolved metals, such as Fe, Zn, Mn etc., in the form of insoluble compounds retained within the substrate. The effectiveness of this treatment method, as compared with the conventional neutralization techniques with alkaline additives, extensively used in the mining industry, was assessed based on environmental and economic indicators. The indicators applied included contaminant removal, land take per unit of contaminant removed, effluents quality, remediation of past environmental damage, energy and reagents consumption, capital and operating cost. Based on the above, the applicability of anaerobic wetlands for the treatment of acidic streams originating from old mined areas was concluded.

Jan 1, 2003

Although mineral commodities used to play and still play a very crucial role in the development of civilization over the centuries, their extraction, transportation, transformation and use are at present sources of great concern in terms of sustainability. Some of the most discussed environmental problems are in fact closely related to the utilization of minerals as materials and fossil fuels. The paper analyses the origins of sustain-ability weakness of mineral supply through Environmental Economics models, which have interpreted the phenomena of pollution and non-renewable resource depletion as a market failure. Conventional market tools have proved to be unable to perform an optimal allocation of those resources that are priceless or have open access. An external intervention is needed in order to reduce the excessive exploitation of environmental and natural resources. Some of the solutions proposed by policymakers and subsequently implemented by governments are briefly considered and the achieved results are discussed. In several cases the public intervention, where the attempt was to restore the sustainability conditions, has failed. Restrictive environmental protection regulations have resulted in severe limitations to the mining activity, without, on the other hand, achieving the expected results in terms of sustainability. Some of these regulations instigate unfair international competition practices among those producers who do care about the environment, but who have high production costs, and those who supply cheap raw material but whose low costs hide heavy environmental impacts. Nowadays, most of the world?s supply of minerals is being produced in developing countries, with severe global environmental impacts. As effective tools for monitoring the problem, sustainable development indicators could be used by policymakers to duly associate the comprehensive environmental impacts for each mining product, depending on its origin and extraction history.

Jan 1, 2003

By K. Valta

This paper presents an approach for developing a Sustainable Development Indicators (SDIs) framework tailored to the Greek Industrial Minerals sector, due to its importance for the national economy. To achieve this goal, an overview of the Greek mining and minerals, and especially the Industrial Minerals sector, from a technological and a financial perspective, is presented. In addition, a brief description of the global initiatives to this direction is given. The proposed indicators are based on those presented in 2006 by the Greek Mining Enterprises Association (GMEA) adjusted for the sector of industrial minerals by taking into account economic, environmental and social issues, known as the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) approach.

Jan 1, 2007

By K. Nielsen

This paper is based on two recently (2002) published reports: - "Breaking New Ground". Final report on the Mining, Minerals, and Sustainable Development Project (MMSD). - "2002 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines". Published by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). The GRI guidelines can be applied in all kinds of industries and other organizations, whereas the MMSD project report is sector specific. However, both reports center on the three pillars of sustainability. The performance indicators as they are presented in the GRI guidelines have been assessed and compared with the sector specific arguments in the MMSD report. Based on this evaluation, the paper points at some indicators that may be useful in the start-up phase of sustainability reporting, seen from the perspective of the aggregate industry in an industrialized North European country with increasing environmental awareness and pressure on natural resources.

Jan 1, 2003

By Steve Kral

The concept of sustainable development is not new to the mining industry. Many people involved with mining have argued that the industry throughout the world has always supported the communities where they operated. They say that the mining industry was employing sustainable development practices before the phrase became fashionable. The mines employed residents and supported the local economy through tax payments and the purchase of goods and services from local businesses. In many cases, mining companies have built medical facilities and contributed money, equipment and services to local schools. In modern times, mining companies have donated reclaimed land to the local communities for use as parks and recreational facilities.

Jan 1, 2004

By J. E. Kogel

Industrial minerals play a central and dual role in the sustainable development (SD) of natural resources. Over the past decade the mining industry has increasingly focused on sustainably extracting and processing industrial minerals. This trend has been driven by higher energy costs, diminishing water resources and sensitivity towards environmental stewardship. Industrial minerals have been used throughout human history as low cost, naturally occurring, materials. Today they are critical components of recycled packaging, energy efficient building materials, light weight paper coatings, and other products critical to the responsible utilization of global resources. As industrial minerals become more widely used in ?green? products, mining companies have established best practices for the sustainable management of industrial minerals mining and processing. These management practices include reducing energy consumption, minimizing water usage, increasing waste recovery through recycling and process optimization, and maximizing the amount of ore extracted per acre of disturbed land. With the commitment to SD principles, quantitative methods for objectively measuring SD performance have become increasingly important. Measuring sustainability impact is a valuable tool for effectively applying SD principles and for making choices that balance sustainable development against other business objectives. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND MINING Sustainable development is a term that has become a common part of our lexicon; however, it has multiple meanings and interpretations leading to a sometimes confusing and contradictory array of definitions. The absence of a single, precise definition reflects the fact that SD is a broad concept or paradigm that offers guiding principles as opposed to a specific set of criteria or regulations enforceable by government or other oversight agencies. While a principle based conceptual approach allows businesses to broadly apply SD practices that are tailored to their specific situation, it has also led the public to sometimes view voluntary corporate SD programs with a degree of skepticism (Walker and Howard 2002). This is particularly true in the mining industry. One reason for this skepticism is that the relationship between SD and mining is misunderstood and to many, sustainably developing non-renewable mineral resources is a contradiction (Rajaram et al. 2005). However, this view takes a very narrow interpretation of the tenets of SD. The second is that mining carries a legacy of poor environmental stewardship that does not accurately reflect current corporate environmental practices Many minerals companies have adopted the Brundtland Comission?s definition of SD (United Nations 1987): ?? development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs?. This definition is very broad and can be interpreted in a number of ways. It provides a general context for sustainable development and is not intended to provide detailed guidelines addressing specific aspects of sustainable development. To fill this gap the following SD principles were drafted by the international minerals community in 2003 (ICMM 2003): 1. Implement and maintain ethical business practices and sound systems of corporate governance. 2. Integrate sustainable development considerations within the corporate decision-making process. 3. Uphold fundamental human rights and respect cultures, customs and values in dealings with employees and others who are affected by our activities. 4. Implement risk management strategies based on valid data and sound science. 5. Seek continual improvement of our health and safety performance. 6. Seek continual improvement of our environmental performance. 7. Contribute to conservation of biodiversity and integrated approaches to land use planning. 8. Facilitate and encourage responsible product design, use, re-use, recycling and disposal of our products. 9. Contribute to the social, economic and institutional development of the communities in which we operate. 10. Implement effective and transparent engagement, communication and independently verified reporting arrangements with our stakeholders. These guidelines insure that SD concepts are applied equally across the industry while setting a clear performance standard and benchmark against which to evaluate success. By adopting these principles and issuing the Milos Statement (http://www.sdimi.org/milos_decl_October%206_2003.pdf), which provides a more detailed vision for integrating SD into everyday business operations, the minerals industry has embraced SD as a core corporate value. The unifying and holistic approach embodied in SD principles impacts the entire mine to market life cycle and addresses the economic, environmental and social consequences of mining. INDUSTRIAL MINERALS The world economy relies heavily on minerals; they are essential to economic prosperity and the quality of life. Industrial minerals are non-metallic, non-fuel minerals that provide the raw materials for a vast range of products used in most every aspect of daily life. They are mined and processed worldwide and they span the spectrum from relatively low value, high volume commodities (e.g. common clay, crushed stone) that are usually mined locally to high value, low volume specialty materials that are sourced from unique one of a kind deposits (e.g. barite, talc, mica). High volume commodity mining operations are often located near the end use market which, in most cases, means areas of high population density where construction and other urban activities drive demand. In these situations the strict adherence to SD principles is particularly critical as these are highly visible operations that must meet the public?s demand for good corporate citizenship. These operations are similar to chemical or other manufacturing facilities that operate near population centers. In contrast, some mining operations are located in remote but environmentally sensitive regions of the globe where the pressure to mine sustainably is driven by the need to preserve habitats and other

Jan 1, 2009

A virtual reality approach is presented that can aid entities such as mining companies and land use planners in communicating a visual understanding of a mining operation to interested stakeholders, citizens? groups, and public committees. These visualizations are particularly useful in permitting, production planning and mining closures, contributing to accurate communication and evaluation of mine plans, ultimate land use and evaluation of potential design options A case study is presented, that was created using commercially available virtual reality tools, to emphasize the benefits of visualization technologies in the sustainable development of mineral resources.

Jan 1, 2003

By G. Barelli, C. Giusti, W. H. Langer

Natural aggregate – sand, gravel, and crushed stone – is the number one non-energy mineral resource in the world in terms of both volume and value. A plan for the sustainable development of aggregate resources can include: 1) policies and economic incentives to encourage identification and protection of potential resources, 2)efficient quarrying and processing of aggregate, 3) efficient use of primary aggregates, 4) greater use of recycled, waste, or substitute material, 5) inclusion of costs of all environmental impacts in price of material, 6) reclamation to beneficial secondary uses, and 7)identification of objectives, targets, actions, and sustainability indicators. Quarrying can also contribute to sustainable ecosystems through natural habitat reclamation.

Jan 1, 2003

Currently the challenge that our society faces is to combine the economic activity for the continuously increasing needs of our expanding population with the necessary environmental integrity and the humanistic social concerns. In this paper, the methodologies that should be applied by the progressive mining industry in order to fall within the frame of the sustainable development are summarized. The Sappes project, an advanced gold mining project in north-eastern Greece, is presented together with the approaches adopted by Thrace Minerals S.A.

Jan 1, 2003

By The SME Sustainable Development Committee

The evolution of sustainable development in mining is recognized as a key contributor to sustainable development (SD), which is defined as the ability of current generations to meet their needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Brundtland, 1987). This includes, in equal parts, social, economic and environmental impacts ? triple bottom line (Munashinge and Shearer, 1995). Alternately, sustainability has been defined in relation to social, natural, human, physical and financial capital. Our way of life relies significantly on the materials provided by mining, while mining activity affects the triple bottom-line or the five capitals. The mining community and its professionals have come to realize the importance of engaging all stakeholders in the discussion on sustainability. SME, as the leading professional mining organization, has been involved in these discussions. The society has various initiatives in sustainable development for members and stakeholders. The objective of this article is to: provide historical context for current trends in mining and SD and share SME sustainability initiatives ? their goals and rationales ? with the broader mining community. This article is timely because the past year saw two landmark forums on sustainable development: Rio+20 ? the 20th meeting of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, and MMSD +10, the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development project 10 years on. Furthermore, this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Milos Declaration on the minerals professional?s responsibilities in achieving sustainable development, forums in which SME was involved.

May 1, 2013

By V. C. Kelessidis

Demand for multifunctional drilling fluids continuously increases. In the quest for more hydrocarbons, drilling has extended to deep water areas (now in excess of 2.000 m) and to very deep wells (now in excess of 6.000 m). In these extreme conditions, low temperatures, as low as 1-5°C on the sea bed, high temperatures, in excess of 200°C, and high pressures, more than 1.000 bars, in the bottom of the well, are frequently encountered. In these harsh environments, synthetic oil and oil based drilling fluids are used, but the former are expensive while strict environmental requirements have limited the use of the latter. Thus, drilling industry has turned back to water based drilling fluids which use bentonite as primary viscosifier and as a fluid loss control additive. However, in conditions of high temperatures, bentonite suspensions gel and loose their exceptional low temperatures properties, thus, additives are needed to overcome such problems. In this article we review these challenging drilling environments and establish the requirements for the multifunctional drilling fluids. Our research indicates that demand for continuing use of bentonite by drilling fluid industry is strong. Furthermore, we bring forward the opportunities for new additive development which can expand the operational ranges of bentonite suspensions.

Jan 1, 2007

By W. Dalmijn, H. de Ruiter

"The decline in students for mining and metallurgical engineering in the last few years has lead to the closure of many university departments in all first world countries around the world. Three independent studies carried out in Europe, Australia and North America indicate that during the next decade the demand for mining, minerals processing and metallurgical engineers will be significantly higher than the supply. Demand for engineers will increase even more because many of the professionals in industry are about to retire within the next 5 years. Meanwhile mining is a growth industry, minerals demand continues to increase in line with the growth in World GDP, as illustrated in the Graph at the end of the paper."

Jan 1, 2005