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This guide by Embedding Project Founder Stephanie Bertels and Sympact Managing Partner Rachel Dekker explains how life cycle thinking and mapping help you identify and better understand the potential impacts of your company’s products and services on people and the environment.
ESG performance is now a key factor in mining investment decisions. But the landscape is evolving rapidly and companies are struggling to find the talent and resources to keep up with expectations. The Intelligent Miner interviewed our Managing Partner Elizabeth Freele and Kevin D’Souza of Resource Capital Funds to take readers back to basics on mining ESG, discussing its influence on how money flows to and from mining companies, as well as some of the ongoing challenges faced by miners and investors alike.
This blog post by Sympact Managing Partner Rachel Dekker and Stephanie Bertels of the Embedding Project addresses that it’s time for a new approach to materiality for reporting and disclosures: “Here’s the problem: materiality assessments that focus on perceived importance very often fail to identify emerging sustainability issues and business risks, fail to direct attention towards your company’s biggest impacts and greatest opportunities to contribute to positive systems change, and as a result, struggle to meaningfully inform business strategy.”
With so much upheaval in the world of #ESG it can be difficult to spot the trends and anticipate what lies ahead. With standards and regulations ensuring social topics become more firmly embedded in expected ESG practice this year, expect “S” to feature more prominently. What might that look like? Here are our top 10 “S” trends #mining companies should take note of and take action on in 2023, at The Northern Miner!
Sympact was honoured to be named one of the 25 ESG Champions in natural resources by The Natural Resources Forum this year. On behalf of Rachel Dekker, Elizabeth Freele and the whole Sympact team, thank you and a big congratulations to our fellow ESG Champions, inspirational individuals and organizations driving change in natural resources ESG and sustainability every day.
Joined by an inspiring diversity of global voices, Sympact Managing Partner Elizabeth Freele shared perspectives on mining’s role in the Just Transition at this year’s Responsible Raw Materials Conference. The event gave us the opportunity to reflect with heart, and highlight the crucial need for a mindset shift in the industry’s approach to the company-community relationship, to reposition mining communities as winners in the green transition while enabling the global transformation vital to addressing the climate emergency.
Sympact Managing Partner Elizabeth Freele’ hosted a panel featuring representatives from Yamana Gold, Voconiq and SLR Consulting in person and virtually at the 2022 Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference. Entitled “Going virtual: Hanging on to the learnings of digital community engagement and social media post pandemic”, it explored the challenges and successes of digital engagement and especially social media in the COVID era and beyond, leaving attendees with a number of tips and takeaways.
Sympact Managing Partner Elizabeth Freele was recently featured in IWIM‘s interview series. The interview explored Liz’ journey and highlights her passion for harnessing natural resources to catalyse global development and tackle humanity’s grand challenges.
Every company has an obligation to respect human rights, including when buying goods and services. Rachel Dekker lead-authored this Embedding Project guide to help SMEs to assess possible human rights impacts in their supply chain and prevent or mitigate them.
Companies are recognizing that the goods and services they buy contribute to their environmental and social footprint, often quite significantly. Rachel Dekker co-authored this Embedding Project guide to help companies to improve the sustainability outcomes of their procurement decision.
This Engineering and Mining Journal article explores how an end-to-end approach inclusive of mine design, operation, closure and reporting is key to delivery on ESG commitments. It features insights by Sympact co-founders Rachel Dekker and Elizabeth Freele on the increasing focus on ESG and the opportunity this offers to create a more sustainable mining industry that supports more resilient communities and ecosystems through sustainable business practices.
Elizabeth Freele presented virtually at the 13th Annual Women In Mining South Africa Career Expo & Conference in Johannesburg, which hosts speakers and delegates from all walks of life within the mining industry. Elizabeth’s presentation focused on the predicted impacts of Mining 4.0 and the industry’s digitalization journey on women in and around mining.
Check out ESG UNEARTHED, our monthly series exploring practical ESG in the mining industry, powered by Sympact and Aspermont Limited‘s Future of Mining 365 platform. In this episode, Liz Freele interviews Ana Milena Vasquez of WIM Colombia and Collective Mining on the journey and progress of gender equality in Colombia’s mining industry.
As little as 30% of investors find the ESG information currently provided by companies to be decision-useful for assessing material risk – how can we know if a company is truly “responsible”? Check out Elizabeth Freele’s recent MINING.com article on how AI-enabled solutions are disrupting ESG performance evaluation, to understand what this means for YOUR company and how to prepare. Data errors & omissions, inconsistencies, greenwashed claims, what the public really thinks about you and far more will soon be picked up in the blink of an eye.
As the ESG wave continues to build around the world, many are wondering what 2022 has in store. This year, the elusive “S” in ESG maintains its paramount importance in mining. So, what “S” aspects should the industry be paying particular attention to in 2022? Check out our take on the question in this article at Northern Miner.
The Mining and Metallurgical Society of America’s 2021 ESG WEBINAR SERIES featured Sympact’s Elizabeth Freele and Stantec’s Debra Johnson on Social License to Operate and the mine of the future, diving into Mining’s Next-Gen Social Contract.
Check out ESG UNEARTHED, our monthly series exploring practical ESG in the mining industry, powered by Sympact and Aspermont Limited‘s Future of Mining 365 platform. In this episode, Liz Freele interviews Scott Lowe (CEO) and Hendrik Kuit (Environmental Manager) of ArcelorMittal Liberia. In light of the recent Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) announcement, the conversation explores how biodiversity conservation can be a competitive advantage, and dive into the company’s Biodiversity Conservation Program in the Nimba Mountains.
Join Elizabeth Freele and David O’Leary on the Impact Investing Podcast, and explore the nuances of ESG and mining, as well as Liz’s personal journey into this world. They discuss the state of mining today, just how dependent we all are on the industry, the practices that need to end, and where there is the most opportunity for impact investing to thrive.
Systems thinking is a crucial sustainability capability, but companies may face some hard-to-overcome hurdles when implementing a systems thinking approach. This blog post, co-authored by Rachel Dekker this Embedding Project identifies common challenges that companies encounter, and suggestions on how to get unstuck.
Check out ESG UNEARTHED, our monthly series exploring practical ESG in the mining industry, powered by Sympact and Aspermont Limited‘s Future of Mining 365 platform. Subscribe to join us in learning about company initiatives and industry trends from around the world! In this third episode, Liz Freele & Sabrina Dias (CEO, SOOP Strategies) talk about mining’s sustainability journey, and the learnings showcased in her practical book Integrating Sustainability Into Major Projects: Best Practices and Tools for Project Teams.
Calls are growing for companies to become sustainable and create value for company stakeholders. Your company has likely become more responsive to the expectations and needs of a broad range of stakeholder groups. But is stakeholder capitalism enough to ensure a sustainable future? This blog post for Embedding Project by our Managing Partner Rachel Dekker explores why it is not.
Managing Partner Elizabeth Freele spoke at the Egypt International Mining Show 2021, exploring the social risks that come with digitalizing and automating mining, in a presentation entitled “The Human Side of Mining 4.0”
Check out ESG UNEARTHED, a new monthly series exploring practical ESG in the mining industry, launched by Sympact and Aspermont Limited‘s Future of Mining 365 platform. Subscribe to join us in learning about company initiatives and industry trends from around the world! In this second episode, Liz Freele & Mark Selby (CEO, Canada Nickel Company) talk designing NetZero Nickel and the importance of integrating sustainability considerations from the earliest stages of portfolio development through to mine planning, and operational partnerships!
Does your company have EU-based investors? Human rights due diligence and disclosure will soon be mandatory for you. Our recent Mining Magazine Op-Ed describes the growing momentum worldwide, to require and legislate companies to undertake human rights due diligence, as well as the implications of the new Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, a major milestone in raising the human rights bar for European Union financial market participants.
More companies are becoming interested in understanding how environmental and social factors may impact their business and what impacts their business may have on these issues. Rachel Dekker co-authored this Embedding Project guide, describing the emerging environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues you and your company should reflect upon, to understand your impacts and identify where to prioritise action and allocate resources.
Check out ESG UNEARTHED, a new monthly series exploring practical ESG in the mining industry, launched by Sympact and Aspermont Limited‘s Future of Mining 365 platform. Subscribe to join us in learning about company initiatives and industry trends from around the world! In this first episode, Liz Freele & Sarah Gordon talk trends in ESG risk management and learnings from the 2021 Responsible Raw Materials conference.
A company’s success is directly linked to the resilience of the communities where it operates, as well as the resilience of the communities of its workers, its suppliers, and its customers. As communities around the world start to contemplate their resilience and long-term sustainability, companies are expected to account for their impacts on community resilience. Rachel Dekker’s Embedding Project guide will help you to understand why community resilience matters, how communities are beginning to approach resilience, and how your company can explore its role.
Company-community conflict in the mining industry has been rising for years, with license to operate now considered our greatest business risk. The industry continues to struggle with social acceptability and it has become indispensable for mineral resource explorers and developers to take a robust approach to managing the “S” in ESG. Watch this 101 on Social Performance, a professional discipline with specific frameworks and tools that can help you manage your company’s risk and establish positive trusting relationships with the public at MiningMatch Network.
Many companies choose to invest in their local communities, both as a way of demonstrating their commitment to sustainability and to manage community-related social risk. This blog for the Embedding Project by our Managing Partner Rachel Dekker highlights key resources to help your company make meaningful and strategic contributions in the communities where you operate.
Investors, lenders, customers and insurance providers are all asking more questions about ESG performance. Like many others, your company may be feeling pressure to respond. Unsurprisingly, given how rapidly this space is evolving, many companies aren’t sure where to start. Our Managing Partner Rachel Dekker’s co-authored this blog for the Embedding Project and is here to help! While each company’s sustainability journey will look a bit different, here are some common steps that can help any company confidently start down their sustainability path.
Sympact Partners Rachel Dekker and Elizabeth Freele presented at the 2021 global Responsible Raw Materials conference. The session showcased social and community investment trends, techniques and tools for companies to manage their ESG risk and meet evolvign societal expectations, by supporting broad-based systems-levels prosperity and community resilience. Watch the full recording here.
The increasing pressure on companies to account for their impacts on the environment and on communities has been hard to miss. Many companies are making an effort to “do good” in the community through philanthropy or community investment, but are often unsure how best to go about it. Check out Sympact Partner Rachel Dekker’s blog for the Embedding Project, sharing learnings to help companies figure out how they can best contribute meaningfully to community resilience.
How is the rise of conscious consumerism impacting the mining industry? What are the implications of the looming intergenerational wealth transfer? And why do we need more authenticity and vulnerability in leadership? Sympact Partner Elizabeth Freele was interviewed by The Intelligent Miner on all this and more. Check out part 2 of her discussion with Carly Leonida on the need for a better relationship between society and the mining sector.
How is the rise of conscious consumerism impacting the mining industry? What are the implications of the looming intergenerational wealth transfer? And why do we need more authenticity and vulnerability in leadership? Sympact Partner Elizabeth Freele was interviewed by The Intelligent Miner on all this and more. Check out her discussion with Carly Leonida on the need for a better relationship between society and the mining sector.
Given the urgency for companies to improve their sustainability performance, you may wonder why bother with position statements? Sympact Partner Rachel Dekker co-authors this post for Embedding Project, explaining not only that they matter, but what an effective catalyst they can be to moving your sustainability agenda forward.
Sympact Partner Elizabeth Freele participated in a fireside chat during the Northern Miner’s first Global Mining Symposium 2021. The session explored a vision for the future in which mining embraces new, sustainable business models to thrive as our world moves towards a “circular economy.” Watch the full recording here.
Sympact Partner Elizabeth Freele participated in a fireside chat with Andrew Cheatle during the Northern Miner’s first Global Mining Symposium 2021. With over 300 people in attendance from around the world, the session explored a vision for the future in which mining embraces new, sustainable business models to thrive as our world moves towards a “circular economy.”
As the ESG wave continues to build around the world, many are wondering what 2021 has in store. This year, the elusive “S” in ESG maintains its paramount importance in mining. So, what “S” aspects should the industry be paying particular attention to in 2021? Check this out this article at Northern Miner.
At the 2021 Canadian Institute of Mining Convention and Expo, Sympact will be offering a Short Course: ‘Social Management for Explorers: Demystifying the “S” in ESG Risk’. The course is ideal for non-practitioners on exploration teams, who engage with the public in the field. Company-community conflict has been rising for years, with “License to Operate” now considered our greatest business risk. Join us to develop the social management skills you need to maximize your company’s long-term success on the “S” of ESG!
Massive change is occurring in the metals and minerals industry. As we move towards a future powered by ‘green metals’, circular closed loop industrial models will become the norm, reimagining of the linear mineral extraction business as we know it. Miners take note – lose or acquire market share, disrupt yourselves, or be disrupted. The choice is yours! Read more at Northern Miner.
The success of a company is directly linked to the resilience of the communities where it operates. Sympact Partner Rachel Dekker recently published this guide with the Embedding Project. It helps companies understand why community resilience matters, how communities are beginning to approach resilience, and how companies can explore their role in fostering community resilience.
Most of us know we’re living in a world experiencing ‘a crisis of trust’. Trust is almost always at the root of why resource companies have social license issues. Resource industries are failing to meet societal expectations on transparency and inclusivity, and that failure is costing them. Emergent 3D data visualization technology can be harnessed to tackle this challenge and breakdown the “US-THEM” mindset. Check out our pechakucha talk with LlamaZoo to learn more, kicking off the inaugural ESG Hour, part of PDAC 2021’s Cutting Edge series!
While most mining majors incorporate some mine closure planning in their ongoing operations, rarely is there a plan to foster ‘social transition’. The lack of ambition for socio-economic sustainability beyond the life of mine has led to countless impoverished post-mining communities across the world, harming the industry’s global social acceptability. This CIM presentation from Elizabeth Freele advocates a systems approach in which co-planning end land use planning with local communities is combined with a holistic view of existing and emerging resources, technologies and businesses, to enable mining companies to craft a lasting positive legacy. The approach could transform closing, closed or abandoned industrial sites into a circular economy ecosystem, including synergistic activities like containerized farming, server farms (cloud storage, blockchain), renewable energy or waste recycling.
There is little doubt that the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Future of Work are upon us. But what does all this mean for the relationship between business and society? How can companies balance stakeholder expectations with 21st-century corporate innovation? Join Partner Elizabeth Freele with guests from BP, Skyhive & Stratos!
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