Virtuous Alliances

A corporate social responsibility strategy is a must-have for every company today; it explains how the company takes care of its economic, social and environmental impacts. There are still big challenges to overcome in mineral supply chains to mitigate negative and generate more positive impacts. One of the most important questions that companies in the gold industry have to ask themselves is: Where does our gold come from and what impacts does it generate? Gold mining of any scale is generally associated with negative environmental impacts. And especially in the artisanal and smallscale mining sector, which employs approximately 42 million people worldwide and extracts around 15% of the global gold supply, there is also a strong social component. However, it also means strengthening local economies, rural employment in developing nations, cash for farmers, side income for women, and a traditional economic activity for millions of families. For example, one kilogram of gold can provide employment for 50 female and male miners for one year. Artisanal and small-scale miners generally don’t have the knowledge, resources, access, capacities and vision to take this journey towards more sustainable practices on their own. They generally struggle with more basic needs and livelihood challenges. Education, external support and incentives are needed to drive transformation in this traditional economic sector in rural territories worldwide. The gold industry can be an important driver and promoter of responsible mining practices by proactively engaging with artisanal and small-scale mining, through the purchase of their gold, as well as incentivising and financially supporting the progressive adoption of more responsible practices. There are various industry initiatives and NGOs that facilitate this connection between gold buyers and miners. One of them is the Fairmined Initiative and the Sustainable Mines Program of the Alliance for Responsible Mining, an international non-profit organization that supports artisanal and small-scale miners on their pathway towards more responsible practices (fairmined.org; responsiblemines. org).