Mining, whether of diamonds or any minerals, is obviously not sustainable. Companies dig huge holes, remove ore, and take it somewhere else. Eventually, the hole runs out of diamonds. That is clearly not sustainable nor a fair way of operating. As a result, sustainable development has become a hot topic in recent years, with diamond companies engaging in a range of projects aimed at showing consumers that they care for the environment and the people who live near their mining projects.
In the Internet age, where a vast amount of information is readily available, diamond and jewelry industry members are aware that information regarding their activities can be easily accessed. And the reverse of that is that mining firms can also post information about their activities in the field of sustainable development.
Consequently, diamond mining can be made to contribute to sustainability. Indeed, development is needed to help do away with poverty and to help provide economic benefits. It is not simply a matter of cleaning up by diamond miners, or jewelry manufacturers just installing better-ventilated and modern facilities.
Preservation and restoration of the natural environment is needed to ensure that choices for future generations are preserved. This means reducing the ecological footprint of mines and that their impacts on the natural environment fit within accepted limits of change in environmental indicators. It also means that reclamation standards are clearly set out, fully funded, and achieved.
In Canada's Northwest Territories, for example, the physical impacts include reduced fish habitat through draining of lakes, ruining streams and changes in water quality. In the Lac de Gras area where the Ekati mine is located, water quality changes have been measured as far as 200 kilometers downstream. In addition, there have reportedly been irreversible changes to water quality and possibly species composition in Snap Lake, the De Beers diamond mining project. Groups involved with the topic say that 20 lakes have been destroyed in the region, with no fish habitat compensation measures in place.
Another impact is the loss of habitat for wildlife, such as caribou, grizzly bears, and wolverine. It was found that some radio-collared cows now spend less time feeding in areas close to the Ekati mine. Meanwhile, there are also increased amounts of greenhouse gases. Both Ekati and the Diavik mines are fuelled by millions of litres of diesel. Each mine unfortunately makes a significant contribution to the greenhouse gases produced in Canada's Northwest Territories every year.
There are also social and cultural impacts from the two diamond mines. A sudden inflow of money into communities creates social tensions, and this can show up in increased amounts of substance abuse and family violence. The shift-work patterns imposed on workers at the mines disrupt normal social rhythms, taking parents away from children and elders for weeks at a time.
Even though the existing diamond mines have made commitments to attempt to hire locals, they are having trouble meeting their quotas. There are simply only so many people ready, willing and able to work in the mines. That means an influx of migrant workers is sometimes necessary if companies continue to develop new mines at a pace faster than the resident labor force can absorb them.
Both mines have made investments in programs relating to the environmental impact of their operations, as well as in health and safety, investing in the local communities, and scholarships to enable young people to study.
The most frequently quoted definition of sustainable development comes from Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland Report. "Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts: the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs."
But definitions of sustainable development require that the world be seen as an integrated system. From that basis, comes the understanding that air pollution from North America can affects air quality in Asia, and that pesticides sprayed in Argentina could cause damage to fish stocks off the coast of Australia.
The diamond and jewelry industries have moved quickly to promote sustainable development. One of the main bodies leading the way is CIBJO, the World Jewelry Confederation, which aims to highlight the link between CSR and the promotion of sustainable economic, social and environmental activity in countries in which the jewelry and gemstones industries are active.
“The jewelry industry has come a long way since the year 2000, and the understanding that we cannot allow our business to cause injury to innocent people is well and truly embedded in our consciousness," said Gaetano Cavalieri, president of CIBJO. "But the demand that we do no harm is only one side of the CSR coin. Our goal here is to consider the other side of that coin, and that is how the jewelry business acts proactively to bring about sustainable economic and social development in the countries in which we operate.”
Among the examples of sustainable development by diamond companies are the projects launched by Petra Diamonds. Petra’s Koffiefontein mine and the South African Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries have established a community nursery that sells affordable indigenous trees and seedlings and contributes positively to both the lives of the Xhariep district community members and to the environment.
The nursery will ultimately plant and maintain a total of 1 million plants and trees in the district over a period of five years, producing plants and trees for other community projects in the area and nearby towns. It is also envisaged that the project will expand to later assist Koffiefontein with the rehabilitation of its mine dumps.
Murowa Diamonds set itself the target several years ago of improving educational resources in the area, providing local children with textbooks in English, mathematics and science. As a result, the Murowa community was the first rural community in Zimbabwe to have a one-to-one child-to-book ratio (in the three core subjects). Murowa also aided in the development of educational infrastructure to help further improve the learning environment of the children and has built classroom blocks as well as providing furniture and electrical power to computer rooms.
It also supported local sporting activities in schools surrounding the mine so as to promote education in sports and culture through sponsoring tournaments at local and provincial levels. And Murowa Diamonds also played a part in trying to help minimize the spread of HIV/AIDS in the area, as well as providing clean water for drinking, sanitation and other essential needs such as developing micro-irrigation projects. That has enabled nine market gardens to operate in the region.
Meanwhile, Rosy Blue decided the corporate social responsibility was such an important issue that it began publishing an annual CSR report on its activities in the field. CEO Dilip Mehta said: “We can only sell diamonds after we have earned trust in a sustainable, long term way. The Corporate Social Responsibility Report tries to mirror and reflect what we are doing – so that we can also clearly see where we still can add more societal value."
Rosy Blue said the reputational issue is the diamond industry’s "single greatest challenge". Retailers and consumers want to have confidence that their suppliers "are operating in a socially responsible way and selling diamonds that have tangibly created societal added value on each level of the value chain, especially in the mining countries," the firm said.
Rosy Blue is actively involved in various causes, such as being a leading annual donor to Jewelers for Children, an American charity which assists children whose lives have been devastated by catastrophic illness or life-threatening abuse and neglect. In addition, management and personnel regularly raise funds for Special Olympics Belgium, a non-profit organization that provides year-round sports training and athletic competition to people with intellectual disabilities.
It also supports new hospital buildings, free medical assistance, new places of worship and schools, Black Economic Empowerment in South Africa, and the Workers' Trust for the factory workers. In India, it contributes to social and educational activities, and provides clothing, especially school uniforms, to more than 125,000 underprivileged children.
Among the most advanced projects, due to its size and large role it plays in the industry worldwide, come from De Beers. The firm sponsors a range of initiatives, such as Peo in Botswana, which invests in small and medium-sized citizen-owned businesses in a variety of industries – everything from restaurants and automotive repair shops to a forensic science lab. There is the Rally to Read Project in the Northern Cape region of South Africa where it partners with other bodies to expand literacy; it also invests in schools and clinics in remote areas, and ongoing efforts to reduce energy needs and carbon emissions.
Since around 75 percent of the world’s AIDS deaths occur in southern Africa, and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among staff and their families is a huge challenge to the sustainability of all businesses in the region, De Beers became the first mining company in South Africa to offer free medical treatment to HIV positive employees and spouses in 2001 as well as counseling.
Other diamond miners are also involved in providing medical and other assistance to local communities. Gem Diamonds has provided specialist equipment to combat malaria in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as programs for voluntary testing, treatment and counseling for HIV/AIDS at the Letseng mine in Lesotho. In addition, two eco-tourism resorts in the Khubelu River valley near Letseng in Lesotho supply a sustainable source of income to the local community who will be responsible for managing them.
Other CSR projects include university sponsorships, the building of schools, clinics houses, upgrading and construction of various rural roads, bridges and pontoon river crossings, and donations of sewing machines and farming equipment for the establishment of small businesses in Indonesia’s South Kalimantan province where the firm also operates.
Meanwhile, Namakwa Diamonds, which has mining operations in South Africa, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Namibia, uses borehole water at its operations which is returned to mined out areas with more than 80 percent returned to the water table. When new plants are installed, water is recirculated and fresh water constitutes just 20 percent of required volume. Meanwhile, backfill of mined ore is part of current processes to ensure low impact mining.
And miner Rockwell Diamonds allows its heavy earth-moving equipment to be used for projects such as the clearing of roads, and the preparing of sports fields in South Africa. It has also presented an HIV/AIDS awareness program at schools near its mining operations which is part of an anti-crime initiative at local schools, as well as other community projects.
Shore Gold aims to use innovative solutions to reduce its environmental footprint by reducing, reusing and recycling wastes at its South Africa operations. After mining operations have come to an end, Shore Gold works to ensure decommissioning, closure and reclamation. These include the removal of buildings, equipment, materials, and industrial wastes/contaminated soil. Some materials, such as concrete footings, are buried on site after the removal of any industrial wastes.
Shore Gold makes efforts to secure the reclamation of land no longer needed for mining activities, and top dressing and re-vegetation of surfaces with native species. Water treatment ponds are removed; open pits are allowed to fill naturally with groundwater; and there is replacement of lost fish habitat. Finally, there is post-closure monitoring to ensure the land is returned to productivity.
By Albert Robinson for Rough&Polished
