IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jrpoli/v46y2015ip1p101-115.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A three-dimensional framework to explore corporate sustainability activities in the mining industry: Current status and challenges ahead

Author

Listed:
  • Fuisz-Kehrbach, Sonja-Katrin

Abstract

This paper examines current implementation status of corporate sustainability activities (CSA) in the mining industry. Specifically, it proposes and applies a multi-dimensional framework to analyze the implementation of CSA from three different angles: 1. the types of CSA from philanthropic to entrepreneurial activities, 2. the issues addressed (e.g., health, safety, environment) and 3. the step of the value chain concerned, i.e., supply, production or product-related sustainability activities. The research adopts qualitative and quantitative content analysis of sustainability reports from 16 mining companies from major mining regions and commodities. Findings from this study illustrate a broad implementation landscape of CSA with a focus on the systematic management (type) of environmental aspects (issue) at mining operations (step of the value chain). However, there are implementation challenges ahead. Although receiving growing attention, entrepreneurial sustainability activities as well as activities beyond the direct sphere of corporate influence, such as upstream supply and downstream product-related CSA, are mentioned to a lesser degree. Adopting an organizational learning and capabilities perspective, the study discusses increased exchange across corporate functions as a means to tackle these challenges and enhance corporate capabilities in dealing with these unexplored sustainability activities in the mining industry.

Suggested Citation

  • Fuisz-Kehrbach, Sonja-Katrin, 2015. "A three-dimensional framework to explore corporate sustainability activities in the mining industry: Current status and challenges ahead," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(P1), pages 101-115.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:46:y:2015:i:p1:p:101-115
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2014.10.009
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301420714000762
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.resourpol.2014.10.009?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hockerts, Kai & Wüstenhagen, Rolf, 2010. "Greening Goliaths versus emerging Davids -- Theorizing about the role of incumbents and new entrants in sustainable entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 481-492, September.
    2. Kemp, Deanna & Owen, John R., 2013. "Community relations and mining: Core to business but not “core business”," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 523-531.
    3. Natalia Yakovleva & Diego Vazquez-Brust, 2012. "Stakeholder Perspectives on CSR of Mining MNCs in Argentina," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 106(2), pages 191-211, March.
    4. Bozena Guziana & Peter Dobers, 2013. "How Sustainability Leaders Communicate Corporate Activities of Sustainable Development," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(4), pages 193-204, July.
    5. Philip Peck & Knud Sinding, 2003. "Environmental and social disclosure and data richness in the mining industry," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(3), pages 131-146, May.
    6. Sanjay Sharma & Irene Henriques, 2005. "Stakeholder influences on sustainability practices in the Canadian forest products industry," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(2), pages 159-180, February.
    7. S. Prakash Sethi & David B. Lowry & Emre A. Veral & H. Jack Shapiro & Olga Emelianova, 2011. "Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc. An Innovative Voluntary Code of Conduct to Protect Human Rights, Create Employment Opportunities, and Create Economic Development of the Indigenous People," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: S. Prakash Sethi (ed.), Globalization and Self-Regulation, chapter 3, pages 69-120, Palgrave Macmillan.
    8. Deanna Kemp & John Owen & Nora Gotzmann & Carol Bond, 2011. "Just Relations and Company–Community Conflict in Mining," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 101(1), pages 93-109, June.
    9. Bernd Siebenhüner & Marlen Arnold, 2007. "Organizational learning to manage sustainable development," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(5), pages 339-353, July.
    10. Mudd, Gavin M., 2010. "The Environmental sustainability of mining in Australia: key mega-trends and looming constraints," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 98-115, June.
    11. Robert M. Grant, 1996. "Prospering in Dynamically-Competitive Environments: Organizational Capability as Knowledge Integration," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 7(4), pages 375-387, August.
    12. Hilson, Gavin & Murck, Barbara, 2000. "Sustainable development in the mining industry: clarifying the corporate perspective," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 227-238, December.
    13. Wenlong Yuan & Yongjian Bao & Alain Verbeke, 2011. "Integrating CSR Initiatives in Business: An Organizing Framework," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 101(1), pages 75-92, June.
    14. Deanna Kemp, 2010. "Community relations in the global mining industry: exploring the internal dimensions of externally orientated work," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(1), pages 1-14, January.
    15. Fleury, Anne-Marie & Davies, Bejamin, 2012. "Sustainable supply chains—minerals and sustainable development, going beyond the mine," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 175-178.
    16. Cohen, Wesley M & Levinthal, Daniel A, 1989. "Innovation and Learning: The Two Faces of R&D," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 99(397), pages 569-596, September.
    17. Aloysius Newenham-Kahindi, 2011. "A Global Mining Corporation and Local Communities in the Lake Victoria Zone: The Case of Barrick Gold Multinational in Tanzania," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 99(2), pages 253-282, March.
    18. Ariane Berthoin Antal & André Sobczak, 2004. "Beyond CSR: Organizational learning for global responsibility," Post-Print hal-00765241, HAL.
    19. Dilan Ölcer, 2009. "Extracting the Maximum from the EITI," OECD Development Centre Working Papers 276, OECD Publishing.
    20. Cyrlene Claasen & Julia Roloff, 2012. "The Link Between Responsibility and Legitimacy: The Case of De Beers in Namibia," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 107(3), pages 379-398, May.
    21. Alberto Fonseca, 2010. "How credible are mining corporations' sustainability reports? a critical analysis of external assurance under the requirements of the international council on mining and metals," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(6), pages 355-370, November.
    22. Georg Weinhofer & Timo Busch, 2013. "Corporate Strategies for Managing Climate Risks," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(2), pages 121-144, February.
    23. Vintró, Carla & Fortuny, Jordi & Sanmiquel, Lluís & Freijo, Modesto & Edo, Joaquín, 2012. "Is corporate social responsibility possible in the mining sector? Evidence from Catalan companies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 118-125.
    24. Owen, John R. & Kemp, Deanna, 2013. "Social licence and mining: A critical perspective," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 29-35.
    25. Coetzee, Charmaine M. & van Staden, Chris J., 2011. "Disclosure responses to mining accidents: South African evidence," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 232-246.
    26. Ikujiro Nonaka, 1994. "A Dynamic Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 5(1), pages 14-37, February.
    27. S. Sethi & David Lowry & Emre Veral & H. Shapiro & Olga Emelianova, 2011. "Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc.: An Innovative Voluntary Code of Conduct to Protect Human Rights, Create Employment Opportunities, and Economic Development of the Indigenous People," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 103(1), pages 1-30, September.
    28. Ans Kolk & François Lenfant, 2013. "Multinationals, CSR and Partnerships in Central African Conflict Countries," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(1), pages 43-54, January.
    29. Mudd, Gavin M., 2007. "Global trends in gold mining: Towards quantifying environmental and resource sustainability," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(1-2), pages 42-56.
    30. Ana Esteves & Mary-Anne Barclay, 2011. "New Approaches to Evaluating the Performance of Corporate–Community Partnerships: A Case Study from the Minerals Sector," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 103(2), pages 189-202, October.
    31. Manfred Klinglmair & Johann Fellner, 2010. "Urban Mining in Times of Raw Material Shortage," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 14(4), pages 666-679, August.
    32. Øyvind Ihlen & Juliet Roper, 2014. "Corporate Reports on Sustainability and Sustainable Development: ‘We Have Arrived’," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(1), pages 42-51, January.
    33. Prno, Jason & Scott Slocombe, D., 2012. "Exploring the origins of ‘social license to operate’ in the mining sector: Perspectives from governance and sustainability theories," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 346-357.
    34. Tilton, John E., 1996. "Exhaustible resources and sustainable development : Two different paradigms," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 22(1-2), pages 91-97.
    35. Heledd Jenkins, 2004. "Corporate social responsibility and the mining industry: conflicts and constructs," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(1), pages 23-34, March.
    36. Hall, Jeremy K. & Daneke, Gregory A. & Lenox, Michael J., 2010. "Sustainable development and entrepreneurship: Past contributions and future directions," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 439-448, September.
    37. Charmaine M. Coetzee & Chris J. van Staden, 2011. "Disclosure responses to mining accidents: South African evidence," Accounting Forum, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(4), pages 232-246, December.
    38. Esther Hoffmann, 2007. "Consumer integration in sustainable product development," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(5), pages 322-338, July.
    39. Stefan Schaltegger & Marcus Wagner, 2011. "Sustainable entrepreneurship and sustainability innovation: categories and interactions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(4), pages 222-237, May.
    40. Matthias S. Fifka, 2013. "Corporate Responsibility Reporting and its Determinants in Comparative Perspective – a Review of the Empirical Literature and a Meta‐analysis," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(1), pages 1-35, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Prasanna Shrivastava & Rachana Vidhi, 2020. "Pathway to Sustainability in the Mining Industry: A Case Study of Alcoa and Rio Tinto," Resources, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-20, June.
    2. Schepis, Daniel, 2020. "Understanding Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plans from a corporate social responsibility perspective," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    3. Cansu Perdeli Demirkan & Nicole M. Smith & H. Sebnem Duzgun & Aurora Waclawski, 2021. "A Data-Driven Approach to Evaluation of Sustainability Reporting Practices in Extractive Industries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-37, August.
    4. Mani, Venkatesh & Gunasekaran, Angappa & Delgado, Catarina, 2018. "Supply chain social sustainability: Standard adoption practices in Portuguese manufacturing firms," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 149-164.
    5. Upadhyay, Arvind & Laing, Tim & Kumar, Vikas & Dora, Manoj, 2021. "Exploring barriers and drivers to the implementation of circular economy practices in the mining industry," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    6. Shi, Lei & Wu, Kuo-Jui & Tseng, Ming-Lang, 2017. "Improving corporate sustainable development by using an interdependent closed-loop hierarchical structure," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 24-35.
    7. Jun Dong & Dongran Liu & Dongxue Wang & Qi Zhang, 2019. "Identification of Key Influencing Factors of Sustainable Development for Traditional Power Generation Groups in a Market by Applying an Extended MCDM Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-30, March.
    8. Tulin Dzhengiz & Eva Niesten, 2020. "Competences for Environmental Sustainability: A Systematic Review on the Impact of Absorptive Capacity and Capabilities," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 162(4), pages 881-906, April.
    9. Zhou, Dequn & Chong, Zhaotian & Wang, Qunwei, 2020. "What is the future policy for photovoltaic power applications in China? Lessons from the past," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    10. Olsen, Brett C. & Awuah-Offei, Kwame & Bumblauskas, Daniel, 2021. "Setting materiality thresholds for ESG disclosures: A case study of U. S. mine safety disclosures," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    11. Huang, Xia & Faysse, Nicolas & Ren, Xiaodong, 2017. "A multi-stakeholder platform involving a mining company and neighbouring villages in China: Back to development issues," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 243-250.
    12. Abdul-Wadood Moomen & Pierre Lacroix & Michela Bertolotto & David Jensen, 2020. "The Drive towards Consensual Perspectives for Enhancing Sustainable Mining," Resources, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-16, December.
    13. Guerin, Turlough F., 2021. "Tactical problems with strategic consequences: A case study of how petroleum hydrocarbon suppliers support compliance and reduce risks in the minerals sector," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    14. Olivier Boiral & Marie-Christine Brotherton & Léo Rivaud & Laurence Guillaumie, 2021. "Organizations’ Management of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review of Business Articles," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-20, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Olsen, Brett C. & Awuah-Offei, Kwame & Bumblauskas, Daniel, 2021. "Setting materiality thresholds for ESG disclosures: A case study of U. S. mine safety disclosures," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    2. Hector Viveros, 2016. "Examining Stakeholders' Perceptions of Mining Impacts and Corporate Social Responsibility," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(1), pages 50-64, January.
    3. S. Prakash Sethi & Terrence F. Martell & Mert Demir, 2016. "Building Corporate Reputation Through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reports: The Case of Extractive Industries," Corporate Reputation Review, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 19(3), pages 219-243, October.
    4. Ki‐Hoon Lee, 2017. "Does Size Matter? Evaluating Corporate Environmental Disclosure in the Australian Mining and Metal Industry: A Combined Approach of Quantity and Quality Measurement," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(2), pages 209-223, February.
    5. Fraser, Jocelyn & Kunz, Nadja C. & Batdorj, Bulgan, 2019. "Can mineral exploration projects create and share value with communities? A case study from Mongolia," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 1-1.
    6. Prno, Jason, 2013. "An analysis of factors leading to the establishment of a social licence to operate in the mining industry," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 577-590.
    7. Abdul–Wadood Moomen & Ashraf Dewan, 2017. "Probing the Perspectives of Stakeholder Engagement and Resistance Against Large‐Scale Surface Mining in Developing Countries," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(2), pages 85-95, March.
    8. Prince Amoah & Gabriel Eweje, 2021. "Impact mitigation or ecological restoration? Examining the environmental sustainability practices of multinational mining companies," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 551-565, January.
    9. Shen, Lixin & Muduli, Kamalakanta & Barve, Akhilesh, 2015. "Developing a sustainable development framework in the context of mining industries: AHP approach," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(P1), pages 15-26.
    10. Endl, Andreas & Tost, Michael & Hitch, Michael & Moser, Peter & Feiel, Susanne, 2021. "Europe's mining innovation trends and their contribution to the sustainable development goals: Blind spots and strong points," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    11. Petra F. A. Dilling, 2016. "Reporting on Long-Term Value Creation—The Example of Public Canadian Energy and Mining Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-26, September.
    12. Olivier Boiral & Iñaki Heras‐Saizarbitoria & Marie‐Christine Brotherton, 2023. "Sustainability management and social license to operate in the extractive industry: The cross‐cultural gap with Indigenous communities," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(1), pages 125-137, February.
    13. Mercer-Mapstone, Lucy & Rifkin, Will & Louis, Winnifred & Moffat, Kieren, 2019. "Power, participation, and exclusion through dialogue in the extractive industries: Who gets a seat at the table?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 190-199.
    14. Bongani Munkuli & Renee Horne, 2018. "Financial Markets Value Reputation for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – A Study of the South African Mining Sector," Africagrowth Agenda, Africagrowth Institute, vol. 15(2), pages 17-22.
    15. Amoako, Kwame Oduro & Lord, Beverley R. & Dixon, Keith, 2021. "Narrative accounting for mining in Ghana: An old defence against a new threat?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    16. Verena Hermelingmeier & Timo von Wirth, 2021. "The nexus of business sustainability and organizational learning: A systematic literature review to identify key learning principles for business transformation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 1839-1851, May.
    17. Kemp, Deanna & Owen, John R., 2013. "Community relations and mining: Core to business but not “core business”," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 523-531.
    18. Lin, Philip T. & Li, Bin & Bu, Danlu, 2015. "The relationship between corporate governance and community engagement: Evidence from the Australian mining companies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 28-39.
    19. Sara Bice, 2017. "Corporate Social Responsibility as Institution: A Social Mechanisms Framework," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 143(1), pages 17-34, June.
    20. Denise Fischer & Malte Brettel & René Mauer, 2020. "The Three Dimensions of Sustainability: A Delicate Balancing Act for Entrepreneurs Made More Complex by Stakeholder Expectations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 163(1), pages 87-106, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:46:y:2015:i:p1:p:101-115. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/30467 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.