Like many life-changing decisions, mine was taken on a Tuesday with only the most cursory consideration and little understanding of how it would affect my career. Rhodes University was offering a new subject, Environmental Science. To an idealistic 18-year-old it seemed interesting, new and shiny and possibly something that might be useful in the future. I couldn’t be more grateful for a seemingly innocuous decision.
My career started in the trenches of the Environment Conservation Act. I recall the excitement of the National Environmental Act; Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations and trying to align the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act to these requirements. Back then environmental management was largely compliance based and focused on achieving the requirements of authorities who were equally trying to figure out what was okay and what wasn’t. The emphasis was on reducing environmental damage. Social aspects were commonly limited to community engagement and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. There was a general feeling that there was more we should be achieving but balancing that against economic investment opportunities was a tightrope walk, where you couldn’t look back to see how far you had come, for fear of losing balance completely.
However, as awareness grew, stakeholders, including investors, communities and NGOs, demanded more transparency and accountability. The King reports and the Church of England contributed significantly to the growing awareness. Companies including mining houses began to adopt more comprehensive Environmental and Social Governance (ESG) strategies. There was a shift from environmental compliance to environmental sustainability. This shift was largely driven by the recognition that poor ESG performance could lead to reputational damage, legal challenges and financial losses. The concept of ‘a social license to operate’ was born and mining companies acknowledged they needed to build trust and maintain positive relationships with local communities and other stakeholders. Not just reducing negative impacts but also contributing to local development and respecting cultural heritage.
Read the full article on African Mining.
