Atkinsons Bullion discusses why ethical and sustainable mining is crucial for a greener future, how irresponsible mining practices harm communities and the environment, and how your conscious purchasing decisions can drive positive change.
Mining isn’t something the average person thinks about often, but it’s a critical industry that provides many resources we all use on a daily basis.
How precious metals and materials are mined also has the potential to devastate local communities and the surrounding environment, so it’s imperative we all take a stance against irresponsible and unethical mining practices. So, what can we do to help ensure mining has a greener future?
In this article, we take a look at why you should care about ethical and sustainable mining and how you can help support greener mining methods.
The social responsibility of sustainable mining
Mining is a great way for developing countries to boost their economic growth, offer job opportunities and build a better future.
However, these opportunities have been exploited historically and left many communities struggling.
Forced or unfairly paid labour, child labour, contaminated water, damage to local ecosystems and unsafe living conditions are just some of the issues that arise from unethical mining practices.
Unfortunately, one report found that approximately one million children were still working in mines.
Thankfully, many mining companies are beginning to recognise the benefits of providing safe working conditions and fair pay and of abolishing child labour.
When the money made from the mines is handled responsibly, it can be put back into the community and provide better healthcare, education and employment opportunities for those who live and work there.
However, continued efforts are crucial to encourage the market to demand traceable, conflict-free resources and to fuel these positive changes. So, by being aware of the issues and being mindful of your purchases, you can help to empower this movement.
Environmental impact
It can be difficult to have as much of an emotional response to the environmental devastation of places thousands of miles across the sea as we would if we saw it outside our own homes – but it’s important to care about the planet as a whole.
The impact of unsustainable mining practices isn’t isolated to the surrounding areas; they also add to global emissions and the deterioration of global water quality.
Irresponsible mining also uses huge amounts of water and creates immense amounts of toxic waste. Plus, the impact has been shown to affect up to a third of global forest ecosystems.
On a more localised scale, unregulated mines cause surface and underground water to become poisoned due to the toxic chemicals used in extracting minerals from the Earth, causing disease and death to both humans and wildlife.
In addition, the air quality can be so severely diminished that local communities are forced to move away to avoid illness.
The first and most important step in making mining more sustainable and ethical is to shut down all illegal mines and to ensure that the remaining mines strictly adhere to regulations.
But the main power we have as individuals is to ensure we don’t purchase products that are the result of irresponsible mining practices.
This will further the demand for sustainable products, encouraging companies to use traceable metals and precious stones in their jewellery, technological devices and other items.
As brands look to reassure mindful consumers that their products are ethically sourced and created with minimal environmental impact, the trade opportunities for illegal, unethical, or unsustainable mines will be diminished.
Working together for a better future
As you can see, caring about ethical and sustainable mining is a social responsibility we all share – whether you work in the sector or not.
By educating ourselves on the issues around irresponsible mining and making conscious choices about the products we buy, we can help the devastation caused by unethical and unsustainable mining practices become a thing of the past.
To learn more about the importance of sustainable mining practices, visit Atkinson’s guide ‘The Importance of Socially Responsible Mining in Developing Nations’ to discover fascinating insights into this essential topic.
