Mining has to move from the traditional environmental, social and governance (ESG) approach to an inclusive sustainability approach, argued Barrick Mining group sustainability executive Grant Beringer. He was addressing the annual Digby Wells Sustainability Breakfast (held on the fringes of Investing in African Mining Indaba), in Cape Town, on Wednesday. 

ESG had generally been approached as three silos, with primary attention given to the governance aspect. Barrick saw sustainability as a scientific, measured approach, which was long-term, integrated and focused on responsible and ethical development.

Not that the fundamental concept of ESG was obsolete. It was however shifting.

"ESG is not going away," he affirmed. "It's here to stay. Doing what is right has never changed. Sustainability is by definition long-term."

He did note that some countries - he referenced the US and China - were seeking to prioritise access and exploit what they considered to be critical minerals. This could affect ESG.

"The priority of ESG may become irrelevant if national security is at stake, but this should not circumvent companies' long-term interests in achieving [host country and community] trust," he warned.

Mining companies needed the support of their local host communities to operate - now often referred to as a "social licence". Without such community buy-in, a project would go nowhere, even if it had all the required formal, legal, permits. 

This was especially the case for projects in what Barrick called "frontier jurisdictions", which were higher risk. Miners were going to these jurisdictions, because they were where the unexploited ore bodies were. For example, demand for copper was rising, requiring increased supply. Ironiore quality was declining, particularly in Australia. And the gold supply had challenges. 

"When we go to these riskier jurisdictions, we need to know how to mitigate the risks," he pointed out. 

He gave Barrick's Reko Diq copper/gold project as an example. It was located in Baluchistan in Pakistan, close to the borders with Iran and Afghanistan. It was an extremely arid area, lacking water. It was only possible to operate there with the support of the local community. That community had had no clinic, so the company established a clinic. Barrick was also supporting the local schools and 100% of primary school children were now at school, including all the girls. They were recruiting locals to staff the mine, providing on-the-job training (including sending people to Chile and Zambia). 

These were, he asserted, some of the things that miners, moving into such jurisdictions, should focus on.