International Activities

Related Links

Voluntary Initiatives Specific to the Mineral Industry

• Australian Minerals Industry Code for Environmental Management (Adobe PDF) - Voluntary industry code of conduct developed by the Australian Minerals Industry. More than 40 companies are signatories to the Code representing around 90% of Australia's mineral production.
  • External Environmental Advisory Group 2000-2001 Annual Report. (Adobe PDF187KB) Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) - The External Environmental Advisory group is intended to provide a degree of external oversight and input to the voluntary Australian Minerals Industry Code. This is the groups first annual report, largely focusing on a review of the Code Implementaion Surveys undertaken by Code signatories in 2000.

• Kimberley Process
  The Kimberley process is intended to establish minimum acceptable international standards to allow the development of national certification schemes for the import and export of rough diamonds. This is intended to stem the flow of rough diamonds from areas where they are subsidising continued conflict and war, thereby contributing to peace. In November 2002 a declaration and the certification scheme were released:
  • Interlaken Declaration of 5 November 2002 on the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme for Rough Diamonds
  • Kimberley Process Certification Scheme for Rough Diamonds

   

• Placer Dome Inc. Code of Conduct
  Placer Dome has developed a company code of conduct through a consultative process to assist employees in making decisions related to business conduct. The code covers the key areas of compliance with laws, dealing with public officials, political contributions, giving and receiving gifts or benefits, conflicts of interest, confidential and proprietary information, insider trading, information systems, financial controls and records, ore reserves, sustainability, employee harassment or discrimination, and occupational health and safety. The code is to be reviewed annually.

• Sustainable Development Charter - International Council on Metals and Mining (ICMM) [formerly the International Council on Metals and the Environment (ICME)].
  The ICMM charter consists of principles for environmental stewardship, product stewardship and community responsibility that member companies adhere to.

• Whitehorse Mining Initiative (WMI)
  A Canadian multistakeholder initiative with the "vision of a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable, and prosperous mining industry, underpinned by political and community consensus."

• Sustainability Charter - International Zinc Association (IZA) - Members companies of the IZA adopted a Sustainability Charter (Adobe PDF 14KB) and a revised Mission Statement (Adobe PDF 104KB) in October 2001. A set of Guiding Principles is to be developed to assist member companies implement the Sustainability Charter. The IZA represents the global zinc industry with over 42 member companies producing around 70% of world zinc metal production.

International

• United Nations Global Compact - A code of conduct for large companies launched by Kofi Annan, the United Nations Secretary-General in 2000. The Nine UN' Principles for multinational and transnational companies recognize various forms of human rights, labour/worker rights, and environmental rights.

• International Labour Organisation (ILO’s) Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy.

• OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises - Recommendations to enterprises, made by the Governments of OECD Member countries, covering fair trade issues ranging from employment relations to competition, taxation, and bribery, 2000.

• OECD Principles for Corporate Governance - Standards and guidelines for shareholder rights and other governance issues, 1999.

• UNHCHR Proposed draft human rights code of conduct for companies (Adobe PDF) - Working paper prepared by Mr. David Weissbrodt - United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) - Commission on Human Rights, Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights - E/CN.4/Sub.2/2000/WG.2/WP.1/Add.1 - 25 May 2000.
  • Addendum: List of the principal source materials for the draft code of conduct for companies (Adobe PDF) - Commission on Human Rights, Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, E/CN.4/Sub.2/2000/WG.2/WP.1/Add.2 - 25 May 2000.

• ISO14000 Environmental Management Systems - International Standards Organisation (ISO)

• International Standards Organisation (ISO) International Standard for Social Responsibility
  The ISO is currently developing an International Standard for Social Responsibility.

• Standards Institution of Israel - Draft SI10000 - Social Responsibility and Community Involvement - 2001.

• European Eco-Audit and Management System (EMAS) - The relevant European Commission legislation/regulation detailing EMAS is available.

• Social Accountability International - SA8000
  Social Accountability 8000 (SA8000) provides a standard for workplace conditions and a system for independently verifying factories’ compliance. It draws from established business strategies for ensuring quality (such as ISO 9000) with additional human rights elements based on the principles of the International Labour Organisation Conventions, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. SA8000 has nine core areas: child labor, forced labor,health and safety, compensation, working hours, discrimination, discipline, free association and collective bargaining, and management systems.
  

• The Institute of Social and Ethical AccountAbility (AccountAbility) - AA1000
  AA1000 is an accountability standard designed to improve accountability and performance through stakeholder engagement. The framework addresses the need for organizations to integrate their stakeholder engagement processes into daily activities, providing guidance on how to establish a systematic process that generates the indicators, targets, and reporting systems needed to ensure its effectiveness in impacting on decisions, activities, and overall organisational performance. The framework consistes of planning, accounting and auditing, and reporting.

Sectoral/Country

• The Sigma Project Guidelines
  Sustainability guidelines developed by a partnership between the British Standards Institution, the Institute of Social and Ethical AccountAbility and Forum for the Future with funding and support from various UK Government departments. The Guidelines consist of Principles, a Management Framework, and a Toolkit.
  

• Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights
  A set of voluntary principles to guide extractive industry companies in maintaining the safety and security of their operations within an operating framework that ensures respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. Principles are outlined in three categories: risk assessment; relations with public security; and, relations with private security.
  • Fact Sheet, Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor - US Department of State, 20 December 2000.

• The chemical industry 'Responsible Care' initiative - Canadian Chemical Producers Association (CCPA).
  • Responsible Care and related voluntary initiatives to improve enterprise performance on health, safety and environment in the chemical industry - Kevin Munn, Working Paper, Sectoral Activities Programme, International Labour Organization (ILO), 1999.
  • Beyond Responsible Care - An interview with the Director of Sustainable Development, The Dow Chemical Company on the chemical industry and next generation development of Responsible Care, as well as views on CSR and independent verification - The Ethical Corporation magazine, January 2002.

• Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association Limited (APPEA) Code of Environmental Practice 1997
  Guidelines for the Australian petroleum industry on management practices and measures to protect the environment during onshore and offshore exploration, development and production.

• Ethics Compliance Standard 2000 (ECS2000)
  Japanese standard for the development of ethics compliance management system.

Licensing Systems

• Accredited Licence System - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) State of Victoria, Australia.
  The system is designed to provide companies having sound technical and environmental management systems and a commitment to good environmental performance to be freed from the standard prescriptive approach to works approval and licensing.

• Project XL - US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  Project XL, ("eXcellence and Leadership"), is a national pilot program that allows US state and local governments, businesses and federal facilities to develop with the EPA innovative strategies to test better or more cost-effective ways of achieving environmental and public health protection. In exchange, the EPA issues regulatory, program, policy, or procedural flexibility's to conduct the experiment.

Enforced Codes of Conduct and Self-regulation

• Corporate Code of Conduct Bill 2000 - The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia
  "A Bill for an Act to impose standards on the conduct of Australian corporations which undertake business activities in other countries, and for related purposes." Proposed federal legislation to impose minimum social, labour, safety, human rights and environmental standards upon the conduct of Australian corporations operating outside Australia. Particular attention has been focused on the activities of the Australian mineral industry in developing countries. The Bill was referred to the Parliamentary Joint Statutory Committee on Corporations and Securities who published their report in June 2001. Various submissions, for and against, the Code were been made to the inquiry. Two alternative viewpoints are provided by the industry association, the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), and an NGO, the Minerals Policy Institute (MPI).

• INPO - Institute of Nuclear Power Operators
  A US industry based self-regulatory scheme that works to improve the safety of nuclear power plants. Regarded as one of the most successful and effective self-regulatory scheme worldwide.

Community Right to Know Legislation / Pollutant Inventories

• TRI - Toxic Release Inventory
  The USA database inventory of information regarding toxic chemicals that are being used, manufactured, treated, transported, or released into the environment.

• NPI - National Pollutant Inventory
  Australia's national public database of pollutant emissions.

• NPRI - National Pollutant Release Inventory
  The Canadian legislated national public database inventory of pollutant emissions including greenhouse gas and air pollutants.

Financial Institutions

• US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)
  OPIC only supports projects in countries that are taking steps to meet internationally recognized core labor standards.

Events

• Seeking Alternatives: Voluntary Initiatives in the Mining Sector - MMSD Experts Meeting, Santa Fe, July 2001.

• Environmental Regulation for Accident Prevention in Mining - Tailings and Chemical Management - Workshop Report, UNEP / Government of Australia, 26-27 October 2000.

• Industry Codes of Practice: Cyanide Management - Proceedings of workshop, UNEP / ICME, June 2000.

Research Papers and Other Documents

• Finding the Way Forward: how could voluntary action move mining towards sustainable development? - Jim Walker and Steve Howard, 2003. Follow up report to the MMSD project that reviews the role of voluntary initiatives in the mining sector.

• Certification Initiatives in the Minerals Industry - Wayne M. Shinya, Senior Policy Analyst, Industry Canada, 2002.

• Is there room for environmental self-regulation in the mining sector? - O. Bomsel, P. Borkey, et al., Resources Policy 22(1-2): p.79-89, 1996.

• The Relevance of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises to the Mining Sector and for the Promotion of Sustainable Development - OECD Global Forum on Foreign Direct Investment and Environment - Lessons from the Mining Sector - February 2002 (Adobe PDF)

• Standards and Certification: A Leap Forward or a Step Back for Sustainable Development? - S. Bass, X. Font and L. Danielson - Chapter 2. The Future Is Now: Equity for a Small Planet, Volume 2, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), London, UK, 2001.
  Chapter 2, commencing page 21 of Volume 2, examines in part the independent certification of environmental performance in the context of the mineral industry. Also examines other related certification systems in the forest (the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)) and tourism industries, drawing together findings.

• Voluntary Approaches to Environmental Protection: Lessons from the Mining Sector (Adobe PDF) - N. Gunningham and D. Sinclair, Australian National University, Chapter 7 of Leaders and Laggards: Next Generation Environment Regulation. Greenleaf Press, UK, 2002.
  

• See also a list of law and policy research papers relevant to mineral resources in the MRF Law and Policy section.......