The elephant in the mine: Why voluntary sustainability standards are insufficient to ensure responsible mining

Abstract

Environmental, social, and governance standards, along with mining sustainability and transparency initiatives, have taken centre stage in mainstream discussions about how society can source energy transition minerals responsibly. While we acknowledge the importance of private voluntary sustainability standards for improving mining performance and accountability, these must support and complement the crucial regulatory role played by the state and its enforcing agencies in resource-rich countries. From this perspective, we argue that the quality of public institutions remains ‘the elephant’ often overlooked in the room of global mining standards, and we call for re-centring the responsible mining debate around it.

Tailings dam failures and uncertainties on the water impacts of brine-based lithium mining provide examples of why institutional strengthening in mineral-rich countries is crucial. The responsible mining agenda and its implementing instruments should shift from a focus on companies’ performances to one that is embedded in society with the aim of building trust in the sector and its governing authorities. For countries rich in transition minerals, this entails, among other things, reviewing organisational structures, strengthening authorities’ enforcement capacities, and allocating sufficient budget for regulators to deliver their oversight duties and avoid over-reliance on private standards.