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Environmental and Social Pressures in Mining. Results from a Sustainability Hotspots Screening

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  • Claudia Di Noi

    (GreenDelta, 13349 Berlin, Germany)

  • Andreas Ciroth

    (GreenDelta, 13349 Berlin, Germany)

Abstract

In recent years, increased interest and actions have been taken to better understand, and mitigate, sustainability impacts of mining activities, by both industry and policy. The present work reports on a sustainability hotspots screening performed for the EU Horizon 2020 “Integrated Mineral Technologies for More Sustainable Raw Material Supply” (ITERAMS) project, which foresees a more efficient water recycling, tailings valorization, and minimization of environmental footprint. The focus of this paper is on social and environmental issues in mining. Different methodologies were explored, starting from a qualitative causal loop modelling. Afterwards, an environmental and social LCA screening was performed using well-accepted databases and methods, thus completing results with a literature research. The main findings related to the importance of the supply chain, the vulnerability of local communities, and the toxic emissions from tailings offer a starting point to reflect on the specific social, socio-economic, and environmental context which may influence these issues. A better understanding of the environmental and social pressures associated with mining is not only crucial to orient the sustainability assessment foreseen for the ITERAMS project, but also to contribute in terms of methodology to the challenges tackled by policy and research worldwide towards a more sustainable mining.

Suggested Citation

  • Claudia Di Noi & Andreas Ciroth, 2018. "Environmental and Social Pressures in Mining. Results from a Sustainability Hotspots Screening," Resources, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-21, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jresou:v:7:y:2018:i:4:p:80-:d:187120
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Gholami, Alireza & Tokac, Batur & Zhang, Qian, 2024. "Knowledge synthesis on the mine life cycle and the mining value chain to address climate change," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    2. Anastasia O. Ljovkina & David L. Dusseault & Olga V. Zaharova & Yury Klochkov, 2019. "Managing Innovation Resources in Accordance with Sustainable Development Ethics: Typological Analysis," Resources, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-17, April.
    3. Kühnel, Konstantin & Schütte, Philip & Bach, Vanessa & Franken, Gudrun & Finkbeiner, Matthias, 2023. "Correlation analysis of country governance indicators and the magnitude of environmental and social incidents in mining," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(PA).
    4. Konstantinos Komnitsas, 2020. "Social License to Operate in Mining: Present Views and Future Trends," Resources, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-15, June.
    5. Lucia Mancini & Philip Nuss, 2020. "Responsible Materials Management for a Resource-Efficient and Low-Carbon Society," Resources, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-14, June.
    6. Keisuke Yoshida & Keijiro Okuoka & Alessio Miatto & Liselotte Schebek & Hiroki Tanikawa, 2019. "Estimation of Mining and Landfilling Activities with Associated Overburden through Satellite Data: Germany 2000–2010," Resources, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-17, July.

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