CSR: First global Responsible Mining Index published

[caption id="attachment_1003722769" align="aligncenter" width="482"] According to the Responsible Mining Index, Teck is the second best in the world when it comes to lifecycle management and environmental responsibility. (Image: Teck Resources)[/caption] GENEVA – The first Responsible Mining Index was launched on April 11, 2018, in this Swiss city. It is an independent, evidence based assessment of 30 large scale mining companies and collective assets of over 700 operating mines around the globe. Special attention is paid to 127 individual mines in 40 developing countries. The RMI covers economic, environmental, social and government (EESG) issues with a focus on continuous improvement, leading practice, and learning. The key findings include the following:

• Confidence that responsible mining is a realistic goal, although there is always room for improvement;
• There is a diversity of responsible practice;
• It is not enough to make a commitment, that commitment must be put into action and tracked;
• Adverse impacts undermine the progress made toward responsible mining;
• External requirements improve public disclosure;
• The most responsible miners implement their systems company-wide;
• Data from individual sites is largely missing; and
• The concept of open data sharing is far from universal.

Among the Canadian companies included in the index are Barrick Gold, Goldcorp and Teck. Anglo American was judged best in economic development, lifecycle management and community well-being. Newmont Mining led the way in environmental responsibility and business conduct, while AngloGold Ashanti has the best working conditions. Readers are urged to visit www.ResponsibleMiningIndex.org and review the results.