Content by The Buzz Business Mining
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Q & A with Elaine Dorward-King ,
Executive VP , Sustainability and External Relations , Newmont Mining Corporation
What does transparency mean for Newmont ? Transparency is not just about providing information to people . It is very much about us as individual leaders and employees being accessible to stakeholders , being able to be present and engage and talk credibly about what we are doing and why we are doing it .
Transparency is about allowing people to know who we are so that they can trust us and the data we disclose .”
Newmont ’ s carbon offset project plants mallee trees in Australia Why has Newmont assumed a leadership role in pushing the transparency and sustainability agenda ? For the second year in a row , Newmont has been ranked by the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index as the mining industry ’ s overall leader . We are leaders because we strongly believe that transparency is hugely important to the industry . We support the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative , which helps miners be clear about what the payments are that they are making to governments . It helps encourage the
flow of money and potential resources back to the local communities .
What are you doing to improve water management at your mines and reduce greenhouse gas emissions ? We have put in place global strategies for water and energy that translate into specific targets which focus minds on what is important and help others observe how we are meeting our commitments . As a result of targets that we set back in 2013 , we have been able to reduce our total energy use since 2011 by
17 % and our greenhouse gas emissions by 10 %.
How are you working with stakeholders to protect the environment ? We recognize that , if we are going to have the biggest impact and take care of the environment , we must work with partners . In Ghana , we are working with the Ghana Forestry Commission on a reforestation plan to offset the impact of mining activities near our Akyem mine .
In Nevada , in partnership with the State of Nevada , the U . S . Department of the Interior and other stakeholders , we will make a significant contribution to conserving and enhancing the biodiversity of the Sagebrush ecosystem through a conservation agreement and banking system . This is historic in terms of its landscape ecosystem-level scale — over 1.5 million acres — and its multi-species approach .
As Goldcorp considers expanding its operations in the Cerro Negro region , it is poised to reap positive returns from the investments that it has made in developing community relations , such as establishing a voluntary sustainability fund and building a wind farm . “ When we make such large investments inside a country , we have a responsibility to ensure that we are working in a way that creates benefits from our operations for that country ,” Bergeron says .
The world ’ s leading miners are increasingly sharing their best practices in innovation and sustainability at bodies such as the WEF . “ We have seen an expansion of relationships and new partnerships in the sector ,” says
Produced by
Gillian Davidson , head of mining and metals at the WEF . “ There is a much broader and more sophisticated conversation going on ; miners are thinking more about their role in the global economy .”
At Davos this year , miners are more engaged than ever before with governmental partners , environmental and social stakeholders and with their customers in the downstream . There is no industry that better reflects the theme of this year ’ s forum , Responsive and Responsible Leadership , and no better example to WEF delegates of how investments in innovation and sustainability can help deliver the inclusive and equitable growth that is so critical to the future of today ’ s global economy .
PROJECT DIRECTION : SIAN GODDARD Interviews : SIAN Goddard writing : Mark Beresford EDITING : CARMEN MOURA ILLUSTRATIONS : Sergi Delgado DESIGN : ANTONIO CAPARRÓS
WE DO MORE THAN MINE GOLD
Our mines create social and economic benefits in the communities where we live and work . Job creation , local purchasing and programs that help create healthy , vibrant and engaged communities – these are just a few of the ways we ’ re working together to create sustainable value for generations to come .
TSX : G NYSE : GG goldcorp . com