PDAC’s E3 Plus Leads The World

If you want the world to beat a path to your door, forget about inventing a better mousetrap. Instead, develop a program that will encourage the mining industry, local communities and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to work together for their mutual benefit.

That is what the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) has done with its e3 Plus initiative. Originally intended to encourage environmental excellence in exploration, it has grown into a complete framework, thanks, in part, to the enthusiasm and drive of Bernarda Elizalde, the PDAC’s program director for sustainable development.

“We’ve had good feedback from industry, NGOs, the Civil Society, regional communities and academia,” she said, “both in Canada and internationally.”

Elizalde explained how the original e3 program grew into the very popular e3 Plus.

The PDAC participated in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Roundtable of 2006 along with a wide variety of diverse organizations. From their discussions came the recognition that industry and NGOs have some common ground, beginning with social issues. What would be needed was a framework to implement best environmental, social, and health and safety practice in exploration.

The result was a first for the world’s exploration industry. A free, web-based guide developed and shaped by a vast amount of resources and more than 400 professionals in different areas of exper- tise related to the industry. It is available not only to the mineral industry but to all interested parties. The website ( www.pdac.ca/e3plus) has already been explored by people from over 50 countries, notably Canada, the United States and Australia.

e3Plus is based on a set of broad principles that go beyond what is often required by law, particularly in less-developed countries. They include a commitment to responsible governance, ethical business practice, human rights, due diligence, environmental protection, health and safety of workers, as well as the engagement of and contribution to local communities.

The principles and guidance documents are available in French, Portuguese and Spanish as well as English. Elizalde told CMJ that a Russian translation will soon be available, thanks to the help of PDAC member Kinross Gold, a company with numerous interests in that country.

Three toolkits -for social responsibility, environmental stewardship, and health and safety -have been developed to help the industry put the principles into practice.

The social responsibility toolkit includes the expected topics of governance, community development and so forth, but it also includes a section titled “What am I Responsible For?” Users will find this section extremely helpful when it comes to defining their conduct.

The environmental stewardship toolkit covers planning, land disturbance, site management and more. And it includes practical checklists to help in outlining the steps necessary to mitigate impacts at camps, trenching sites, drill sites and stream crossings. Plus there are case histories covering topics such as drilling from lake ice or in sensitive tropical areas, reclamation of steep roadways, and community engagement.

The health and safety checklist covers general topics plus the use of aircraft, snowmobiles, boats and other vehicles. There is a section called “Knowing Your Location” and another on survival. Some sections are still in development, but by the time they are done, this checklist will become one of the most comprehensive tools for operating off the beaten track.

Twenty-four new documents are to be launched for e3 Plus toolkits at the PDAC annual convention this month in Toronto. The next step in development is Phase 2, the creation of performance objectives and reporting criteria. These guidelines will be field tested to get feedback from users so that they can be continually improved. A global training course will also be available in the future.

Elizalde is looking forward to the day a third phase can be implemented. That would entail monitoring e3 Plus performance by independent third parties. As a benchmark for defining environmental, social, and health and safety best practice during exploration, and soon as a recognized means of measuring compliance, e3 Plus will continue to be a world leader.