The Global Reporting Initiative and International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) today invited public comments on draft guidance on sustainability reporting for mining and metals companies. Sustainability reports are vehicles through which companies and other reporting organisations can disclose their performance on a range of economic, environmental, and social issues. This information is increasingly sought by investors, employees, consumers and other stakeholders of companies who want to know how, in a company’s thinking and actions, it is taking leadership on critical sustainability issues such as climate change, labor relations, human rights and product responsibility.
The GRI G3 Guidelines are the world’s most widely-used sustainability reporting framework. The common framework enables like-for-like comparison to be made between companies, and for change to be effected from within a company.
In addition to the universally applicable G3 Guidelines for sustainability reporting, the Mining and Metals Sector Supplement will assist the mining and metals industry to produce more effective sustainability reports by offering guidance specifically tailored to the mining and metals sector.
ICMM’s Aidan Davy said, “There are some mining sector-specific issues of interest to our members and their stakeholders – such as the management of overburden, waste rock and tailings, or proximity to artisanal and small-scale mining activities – that are not covered in the G3 Guidelines. The Sector Supplement should bridge this gap and help to ensure more consistent public reporting on such issues.”
In particular, the guidance in the Mining and Metals Sector Supplement considers the following issues:
- The control, use, and management of land
- The contribution to national economic and social development
- Community and stakeholder engagement
- Labour relations
- Environmental management
- Relationships with artisanal and small-scale mining
- An integrated approach to minerals use.
“Mining and metals firms face unique sustainability challenges relating to, for example, their potential impacts on the environment and on local communities, and they therefore require specific tailored guidance on sustainability reporting in addition to the globally applicable GRI Guidelines. We are thus delighted to be working with ICMM – the industry’s leading membership body – as well as with NGOs, investors and labor unions, in developing such guidance,” said Maaike Fleur, GRI’s Sector Supplements Manager.
The draft guidance has been prepared by an international multi-stakeholder group comprised of individuals from the mining and metals industry, NGOs, labour unions and investors. GRI led the process – with support from ICMM – through which consensus between the groups was reached.
Comment is welcome via the following link: http://www.globalreporting.org/ReportingFramework/SectorSupplements/MiningAndMetals/MiningAndMetals.htm
The public comment period will remain open until April 29, 2009.
Membership of the Working Group on the Metals and Mining Sector Supplement comprises individuals from:
- Ambatovy Nickel and Cobalt Project
- Anglo American
- BHP Billiton
- Centre for Human Rights and Environment
- European Nickel
- First Peoples Worldwide
- Fauna & Flora International
- Goldman Sachs
- International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM)
- IUCN – The World Conservation Union
- National Union of Mine Workers South Africa
- Newmont
- Rio Tinto
- Standardlife Investments
- Teck
- Vale
- World Bank.
