Responsible mining programme

Why is Eden interested in mining?

We care about mining because the Eden Project itself is a product of the industry; the place was built in a former china clay quarry and now stands as a world class example of land reclamation and socio-economic regeneration in a region that has seen a massive decline in its mining industry.

Mining is also central to the story that Eden tells about man's dependence on the natural world – because that includes not only plants but metals and minerals too.

What has mining got to do with you?

You may not realise it, but virtually everything you use in your daily life that hasn't been grown will have been mined. Unlike the food on our plate, which often resembles the plant it came from, the things made from metals and minerals will rarely look as though they were originally extracted out of the ground. For example:

• A glossy magazine uses china clay to make its paper shiny.
• A mobile phone can have roughly 27 metals and minerals in it.
• Electricity can come from power stations fuelled by coal.
• Telephone wires are made from either copper or aluminium.
• Window panes are made from sand!

What is responsible mining?

While the sheer scale of mining means that its social and environmental impacts are often very visible, responsibly managed mines are not dissimilar to any well run company. The sorts of things that need to be looked after include:

• workers: through rigorous health and safety measures, respecting human rights and equality, and providing a fair wage
• the environment and biodiversity: minimising any negative environmental impacts and offsetting any damages
• the local community: ensuring benefits for the workers, their families and the wider community both during the life of the mine and on into the future after it closes the local cultures, customs, values and heritage of all those impacted by the mine
• the metal or mineral itself: ensuring that waste is minimised during mining and encouraging a responsible supply chain after the resource leaves the mine.

How does mining affect people and the environment?

Mining is a huge global industry creating jobs, wealth and culture. Some 35 million people are employed in mineral extraction across the globe, both in large-scale mines owned by international companies and in the smaller artisanal mines.

But the task of finding, extracting and processing precious resources from under the ground, on whatever the scale, can have a big impact on the area surrounding the mine and the local people.

How is Eden helping?

Just like any industry, mining needs to be done responsibly. Eden is working with industry, government, and the public to drive better performance across the industry. For example, our long-term partnership with leading international mining company, Rio Tinto, has focused on improving both the public's understanding of the role played by the minerals and metals industry in our daily lives and developing initiatives that demonstrate what constitutes good practice and responsible mining.

Read about two different initiatives that we have launched, below.