Corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to businesses self-regulating their activities to ensure they are socially responsible. The mining industry recognizes the business case for CSR through reduced risks and costs, enhanced reputation, and access to capital. Several mining associations have developed frameworks for CSR best practices. While CSR requires additional upfront costs, it helps mining companies avoid inheriting legacies of poor social and environmental management that could hamper financing.

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Corporate Social Responsibility
in the Mining Industry
Leon C. Botham, P.Eng.
Canadian Mining Sector Leader
Golder Associates Ltd., Saskatoon

2. What is CSR?
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3. Corporate Social Responsibility
• Corporate social responsibility (CSR), is a form of corporate self-
regulation integrated into a business model. Ideally, CSR policy would
function as a built-in, self-regulating mechanism whereby business would
monitor and ensure its adherence to law, ethical standards, and international
norms. Consequently, business would embrace responsibility for the impact of
its activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities,
stakeholders and all other members of the public sphere. Furthermore, CSR-
focused businesses would proactively promote the public interest by
encouraging community growth and development, and voluntarily eliminating
practices that harm the public sphere, regardless of legality. Essentially, CSR
is the deliberate inclusion of public interest into corporate decision-making,
and the honoring of a triple bottom line: People, Planet, Profit.
• Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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4. Business Case for CSR
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Compliance
Eco-Efficiency
Eco-
Effectivenes
s
Social
Responsibility
License to Operate
Operational Efficiency
Competitive Advantage
New Alliances
Cost / Risk Reduction
Reputation Enhancement
Innovation
New Markets
Recruitment & Retention
Sustainability
Access to Capital

5. Why CSR?
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6. Boundaries of Responsibility
Sphere of Influence
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Degree of Influence
Government
Community
Business Partners,
Suppliers & Contractors
Organization
Employees

7. Integrated Approach to CSR
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8. Industry Involvement
• Mining Association of Canada
– Towards Sustainable Mining
• Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada
– e3Plus: A Framework for Responsible Exploration
• Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy &
Petroleum
– Centre for Excellence on CSR
• International Council on Mining & Metals
– Sustainable Development Framework
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9. Industry Involvement
• Sustainability Reporting and Sustainability
Assurance
– Mining and Metals Supplement - Global
Reporting Initiative (GRI)
– Increasing application of the AA 1000
Sustainability Assurance standards in third
party sustainability review and verification of
sustainability reporting
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10. Risks to Extractive Sector
• Community relations and stakeholder
engagement initiated at exploration
• Additional up-front costs
• Large companies do not want to inherit
legacy of poor social (and environmental)
management
– Financing could be hampered by poor CSR
record of exploration company
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11. Risks to Extractive Sector
• Community relations and stakeholder
engagement initiated at exploration
• Additional up-front costs
• Large companies do not want to inherit
legacy of poor social (and environmental)
management
– Financing could be hampered by poor CSR
record of exploration company
11

12. Risks to Extractive Sector
• Community relations and stakeholder
engagement initiated at exploration
• Additional up-front costs
• Large companies do not want to inherit
legacy of poor social (and environmental)
management
– Financing could be hampered by poor CSR
record of exploration company
12

13. Risks to Extractive Sector
• Community relations and stakeholder
engagement initiated at exploration
• Additional up-front costs
• Large companies do not want to inherit
legacy of poor social (and environmental)
management
– Financing could be hampered by poor CSR
record of exploration company
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14. Questions / Discussion!
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