Abstract
Mining is an important part of the economy of several countries including Brazil. Despite the major role played by large-scale mining (LSM) in the mineral sector, artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) also participates in the mining market and plays a crucial social role mainly in developing countries through assuring livelihoods for a great number of people. Both LSM and ASM can cause negative environmental and health impacts. Certification has been in focus for the LSM, following good practices and standards especially to improve health and safety performance. For ASM these issues still constitute a challenge. In some successful cases as corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports demonstrate, health, safety, and environment (HSE) impacts have been addressed through cooperation between LSM and ASM, which can benefit communities as a whole. A question guiding our research was whether there is potential for ASM gold mining certification to be a tool for achieving a win-win outcome within the gold mining sector, and for mercury emission reduction as proposed by the Minamata Convention. Brazilian ASM certification could become a market trend that would receive support from LSM towards the use of cleaner technologies and mining industry better practices? To answer that overarching question, our methodology included a review of CSR reports produced by LSM operating in Brazil and a comparison to their CSR initiatives worldwide. Field interviews with ASM miners were also undertaken. The results from LSM and ASM cooperation are classified with regard to types of initiatives to improve good practices guidance and promotion of sustainable development partnerships.
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The Conflict Barometer has been published since 1992 and is an annual analysis of the global conflict events and the main publication of the Heidelberg Institute for International Conflict Research (HIIK). According to the World Gold Council, companies should use the “Conflict Barometer produced by the HIIK as primary reference source for this assessment” (WGC 2012: 14) on the recognition of conflicts (WGC 2012).
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Acknowledgements
The first author would like to acknowledge the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for the funding for research through the Institutional Traineeship Program of the Centre for Mineral Technology (CETEM), acknowledge CETEM for infrastructure and support in all stages of this work, and acknowledge Dr. Fernando Lins for comments and suggestions on the first manuscript. We acknowledge the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) through funds from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for research on ASGM in Brazil. We acknowledge and thank the anonymous reviewers for all their contributions and suggestions.
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This study is a result from the research fellow granted by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) to the first author and the funding granted by the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) through funds from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to the research team led by Dr. Zuleica Castilhos from Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications Centre for Mineral Technology (CETEM) in Brazil.
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Ribeiro-Duthie, A.C., Domingos, L.M., Oliveira, M.F. et al. Sustainable development opportunities within corporate social responsibility practices from LSM to ASM in the gold mining industry. Miner Econ 30, 141–152 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13563-017-0107-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13563-017-0107-x
Keywords
- Sustainable development
- ASM
- Artisanal and small-scale mining
- Corporate social responsibility
- Large-scale mining
- LSM
- Certification