Article, 04 May 2021
Transitioning to a more sustainable and inclusive economy that will deliver the SDGs requires increased consideration of the social and environmental impacts of supply chains.
After touring mine sites in Geita, one of Tanzania s main gold-producing regions, participants in an IIED-organised workshop on how to make artisanal and small-scale mining in the country more sustainable, ask questions of the sites directors and mineworkers (Photo: Steve Arnau/IIED)
Mineral supply chains have particularly significant impacts, both on the environment and on the conditions of workers in these supply chains. IIED s work on sustainable mineral markets targets government and private sector policymaking to ensure a focus on inclusion and equality.
[author: Vera Cherepanova, Studio Etica]
As economies start to reemerge from COVID crisis mode, environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) factors are rising in importance. A global survey conducted by NAVEX Global shows that 67 percent of respondents in the US said their companies would increase focus on ESG factors in 2021.
The current US administration has given significant attention to the ESG-related issues so far. In light of this, the SEC is likely to renew its focus on climate change, its conflict minerals rule, and responsible sourcing in the coming months. Along with the recent implementation of the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation, the signs are that businesses should stay tuned for further developments.
By Harry Holmes2020-09-04T11:29:00+01:00
Defra is regulating to make sure companies do not use commodities produced on illegally deforested land. Do the measures add up?
British companies are intimately linked, albeit inadvertently, to illegal deforestation around the world. For years, they have adopted voluntary commitments to tackle the problem but, according to a recent Global Canopy report, are still often falling short. Forty per cent of the companies assessed do not have any deforestation commitments in place, while half of those that do fail to report on them.
The UK government is now stepping in as it launches its ‘green recovery’ from the pandemic. Last week, Defra introduced proposals that will make it illegal for businesses to use agri-food commodities produced on illegally deforested land and will mandate due diligence requirements in order to enforce it.
Absence of clarity on resumption of mining to put Goa in huge debt, say mine owners
Panaji, Apr 18: A mine owners body in Goa has warned that the absence of clarity on resumption of mining activity will result in huge debt for the state as tourism, which is one of the major contributors to the state GDP, is feeling the pinch due to resurging coronavirus cases in the country.
In an interview with PTI, Goa Mineral Ore Exporters Association (GMOEA) President Ambar Timblo said that the position of the state looks “very precarious” as the COVID situation in the country, including Goa, will become acute in the next two months and post lapse of this period there will be the onset of monsoons in the state, an offseason for the tourism sector.
NGOs criticize LBMA’s gold sourcing program
International regulations have succeeded in limiting the export of conflict minerals, but illegally mined minerals continue to support warlords in in certain areas of the world. (
Image courtesy of Fairphone.)
Advocacy group Global Witness along with four other civil society organizations said today that the London Bullion Market Association’s (LBMA) responsible sourcing program has failed to ensure that only responsibly-sourced gold, conflict-free and untainted by human rights abuses is traded worldwide.
“We had hoped that September’s release of the LBMA’s first annual Responsible Sourcing Report 2020 would address these concerns,” the organization wrote in an open letter to the LBMA on March 8. “We welcome the report, which provides more detail than previous publications.”