However, these implications are not fully understood and addressed. The nature of the positive and negative implications of mining ripples out across space and time-for people and ecosystems. With pursuit of the transition to a low-carbon global economy and implementation of circular economy concepts, even with greatly enhanced recycling, the demand for mined materials will only increase.
This was the case historically, is true for contemporary society, and will remain so in the future. Mined materials play a critical role in supporting life in both developed and emerging nations. If this is not done, the change that is needed to align actions of all mining actors with social values will not occur and the trust deficit will remain. It must be collaborative in nature and involve not only the range of mining companies but also with surrounding interests and governments. Such a process must build from a comprehensive understanding of the global mining community and its culture. We are calling for a dialog to reflect on the ideas presented here, refine them as appropriate, and develop the needed strategies and action plans. We argue that building on work to date, a fresh approach is required. We offer (1) an estimate of the number of companies that lie at the core of the global mining community: some 25,000 operating in about 140 countries (using data from the mid-2010s) (2) a profile of these companies as an initial step towards understanding the “culture” of the global mining community and (3) a listing of additional complexities and observations important to bringing global-wide improvement to mining’s social and environmental performance. We suggest that some key questions regarding the nature of this community and its appetite and capacity for change have not been explored thus impeding the effectiveness of change management.
The global mining community comprises a corporate core and a complex range of other surrounding interests. While progress has been achieved, the society-industry trust deficit continues. These generally depend on a “leadership-trickle-down” change model. Over the past several decades, dozens of initiatives aimed at strengthening mining’s social and environmental performance have been mounted from both within and outside the industry. In contrast, there is frustration within the industry that mining is not being given due credit for the importance of its role in contemporary society by those who would criticize industry practices. However, across many parts of society, there is an ongoing sense that those who are carrying many of the costs and risks related to mining particularly over the long term (often host communities and countries) are not seeing a level of benefit that seems fair. The continuation and increasing importance of mining is inevitable as society embraces both the transition to a low-carbon economy and application of circular economy concepts.
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