Responsible Mining
Our interest in mining
We all rely on metals and minerals. Fuels and power generation, machinery, fertilisers, electronics, buildings, weapons, jewels, medical equipment, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals…all use materials that were once underground and brought to the surface in mines.
Global demand for metals and minerals continues to increase - a demand that can not be met by recycling alone. Mining, like all of man’s activities, inevitably has an impact on the environment and on people. We all therefore have a vested interest in ensuring that our metals and minerals are mined – and that our consumer products are manufactured – with as few harmful effects as possible.
Eden was created in a 170-year-old china clay quarry and is a world class example of the reclamation of an old mineral site. Eden has also been instrumental in the transformation of the regional economy, which had been in socio-economic decline for much of the 20th Century as its primary industries declined, particularly mining.
Rio Tinto
Since March 2002, we have been in partnership with mining industry leader Rio Tinto, where we have been working together to improve the understanding of both the role the minerals industry plays, and what constitutes good practice and responsible mining. Through the partnership, we have successfully launched two initiatives to drive better performance by the mining industry: one on post-mining regeneration and the other on materials stewardship.
Post-Mining Alliance
The Eden Project is one remarkable example of post-mining regeneration and it is hoped that it can be used as a platform from which to inspire broader action on mining regeneration. The Post-Mining Alliance was set up with the mission to encourage and promote the regeneration of old mines in a way that delivers benefits for the local community and the environment. The alliance is an independent not-for-profit organization initiated by the partnership between Rio Tinto and the Eden Project and its philosophy is that mine closure and the adverse impacts of the mining legacy should be addressed by a wider constituency than mining companies alone.
Significant regeneration activity is being undertaken worldwide, yet there is still a clear need to identify, collate and disseminate good practice from a central repository of knowledge about successful post-mining projects. Building on the experience of the Eden Project, the alliance seeks to demonstrate that fresh approaches and successful partnerships can deliver positive outcomes in addressing mining legacies.
Want to know more?
Post Mining Alliance
www.postmining.org
Minerals Supply Chain Stewardship
The careful tracking of the copper used on the roof of the Core has led to Eden being in a strong position to generate debate on responsible sourcing of materials used in construction. Over the last three years, Eden has worked with partners Rio Tinto and other organisations from across the metals and construction supply chain and has now reached a point where industry, government and green building assessment schemes are prepared to collaborate on piloting responsible sourcing in a major build.
The project looks at the feasibility of recognising and rewarding good practice along selected supply chains of metals and minerals. It aims to raise awareness of issues surrounding these supply chains and encourage a more integrated approach to metals and minerals stewardship schemes.
Want to know more?
Mineral Supply Chain Stewardship
Download Rock to Roof PDF
facebook | 
delicious | 
digg | 
reddit | 
stumbleupon | What are these?
