ICMM Sustainable Development Framework

The International Council on Mining and Minerals (ICMM) created a framework that outlines Sustainable Development, and how to best implement it in your organization. The Sustainable Development Framework consists of three basic elements – agreed-upon principles, public reporting of the success in meeting those commitments, and public assurance of further effort to abide by the principles. ICMM formed in 2001, and the framework has been in development since its inception, with all members of ICMM officially committed to the principles of the framework.

The ten principles of the ICMM framework are as follows:

• Implement and maintain ethical business practices and sound systems of corporate governance
• Integrate sustainable development considerations within the corporate decision-making process
• Uphold fundamental human rights and respect cultures, customs and values in dealings with employees and others who are affected by our activities
• Implement risk management strategies based on valid data and sound science
• Seek continual improvement of our health and safety performance
• Seek continual improvement of our environmental performance
• Contribute to conservation of biodiversity and integrated approaches to land use planning
• Facilitate and encourage responsible product design, use, re-use, recycling and disposal of our products
• Contribute to the social, economic and institutional development of the communities in which we operate
• Implement effective and transparent engagement, communication and independently verified reporting arrangements with our stakeholders

Impact

Largely based on the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development project (MMSD – a two year project incorporating research, analysis and consultation on sustainable practices within the industry), the ICMM framework outlines how organizations within the mining industry can focus on sustainable development through their processes. While dealing with mining in particular, the sustainable development framework can be adapted to other industries that wish to focus on increasing sustainability and reducing their carbon footprint.

Challenge

Sustainable development is not simply an effort to further ‘green’ your organization, but is rather an overarching principle that affects all aspects of the business. From employee health and safety and environmental protection to ensuring business continuity and proper infrastructure and resources in the surrounding community, sustainable development practices must touch each department in a given organization. Sustainable development is impossible without a clear understanding of where all potential risk lies, and implementing an enterprise risk management strategy. A comprehensive enterprise risk management solution that allows you to view all risk holistically can make implementing the 10 principles of the ICMM framework easier and more straightforward.

The Dyadem Solution

Dyadem’s Stature is an enterprise risk management solution that can help you gain critical visibility into your top risks. Stature empowers mining companies with information to identify critical safety risks, events, hazards, key performance indicators or trends in order to conduct efficient business planning, and more effectively protect employees and the environment. A comprehensive risk assessment and analysis tool, Stature will ensure that all levels of the organization can view all risk, and provide management with the tools to making better decisions to mitigate that risk. Knowing its complete risk profile allows an organization to improve safety, increase mine productivity, protect the environment and ultimately support sustainable development activities. This type of risk management strategy can help a company ensure they follow the ten principles as listed by the ICMM, and remain a responsible corporate citizen.