A lot has been said on the need for businesses across the world to contribute to the

development of communities in which they operate. Just like any other industry, mining
industry must also have a self-regulating mechanism to monitor its interaction with external
entities and its impact on them. The aim should be to embrace responsibility for its actions
and encourage positive impacts on its stakeholders. The CSR should not just be restricted to
the environment but it should cover all other areas as well, such as employees, consumers,
shareholders, communities, regulators and the society. There are huge benefits of having a
strong SCR initiative. It allows business to be part of the solution, it protects business selfinterest and limits future government intervention and hence the decision makers role is
even more vital in emulating and setting an example for others to follow.
The mining industry, especially in the developing countries, suffers from stigma in the
eyes of the public, who perceives it as an entity that depletes the resources without
replenishing them and does not take proper care of the labors and the community. There are
many ways in which the mining companies can address these issues but there are three
ways which brings maximum gains in improving the environment. Depletion of mineral
resources should be compensated by generation of new wealth, which in the form of useful
lasting capital can benefit present and future generations. Mineral depletion is not an issue
for the foreseeable future due to the possibility of recycling many non-fuel metals and
minerals. Discovery of new mineral deposits, and the advancement of technology can
improve recovery of minerals from previously unprofitable deposits.
[H. (2004, October 10). Journal of Cleaner Production CSR in mining Industry. Retrieved March
3, 2016, from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652605000375 ]

The owners and the policy makers in the mining industry should look beyond
environment and touch upon areas such as labor well-being, safe working condition, wages
comparable to the industry standards and training/skill development. The decision makers
should consider drafting a single policy which benefits all, Identifying stakeholders and
assessing the impact of the policy on the stakeholders. They should engage with the
stakeholders to manage the impact and evaluate the policy regularly. The policy makers
should also create a due diligence process that provides guidance for sourcing minerals in
conflict-affected areas. This will help reduce illegal mining and hence put less financial
burden on the firms who are trying to be complaint and sustainable.
With the close partnership between the business and the government policy makers a lot
can be achieved. Dealing jointly can help tackle the issues related to the industry and
provide level playing field for all business. With this, the mining companies would be further
motivated to uphold their corporate social responsibility and work towards the benefit of
society, environment and the employees.

References:1. S. (2013, May 15). Conflict minerals: What can the mining industry do? Retrieved
March 3, 2016, from http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/conflictminerals-mining-industry
2. G. (2014, March 10). CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) IN MINING.
Retrieved March 3, 2016, from http://www.gheiti.gov.gh/site/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=201:corporate-social-responsibility-csr-inmining&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=29