London Symposium: How new tech and sustainability can transform mining

Green technologies and sustainability-focused project strategies are helping the industry address risks earlier and build longer-lasting community ties, a London industry event heard this week.

Better technologies, integrating artisanal miners and out-of-the-box mine closure strategies are key to improving mining’s social and environmental impact, a panel heard at The Northern Miner’s International Metals Symposium on Dec. 1-2.

Panelists agreed that mining companies ignoring sustainability risk losing social and political support. The panelists shared how their diverse approaches could bolster projects’ sustainability credentials.

Brent Johnson, vice-president of environment at Dundee Sustainable Technologies (CSE: DST), called his company’s non-cyanide gold extraction process, CLEVR, a breakthrough for safety.

“If cyanide were banned overnight, 80% to 90% of mines would face immediate disruption,” Johnson told the panel. Johnson stressed that new alternatives, like his company’s tech, mitigate risks. They also reduce long-term liabilities, especially in tailings management.

“Our approach eliminates the need for massive tailings dams, transforming how mines manage waste,” he said.

Technological push

Process innovation is one answer. But, Thomas Mumford, vice-president for exploration at Scottie Resources (TSXV: SCOT), noted that electrification and automation entail another. They are more sustainable and efficient. But new technologies face hurdles due to high capital costs and slow industry uptake.

“New technologies require rigorous testing, often by large companies with the resources to run pilot projects,” he said. “This slows adoption.”

Mumford cited the Borden mine in Ontario, operated by Newmont (NYSE: NEM, TSX: NGT, ASX: NEM), as Canada’s first all-electric underground mine. He noted that, while it shows electrification is viable, such mines are rare. The industry is slow to adopt new technologies due to high costs and risks.

Informal integration

The discussion also explored challenges from artisanal mining. It accounts for 85% of gold production in places like Colombia.

In 2012 and 2013, Aris Mining (TSX: ARIS; NYSE-A: ARMN) began to formalize artisanal miners at its Segovia operations in the country as a way to seal local buy-in for the project, senior vice-president for corporate affairs and sustainability Giovanna Romero said. The company integrated them as contract mining partners.

This collaboration has led to 44% of the company’s gold production today coming from these partnerships. Romero described them as an important step in reducing environmental harm and fostering community trust.

“By integrating artisanal miners into our supply chain and sharing geological and technical knowledge, we’ve transformed them into legal, productive partners,” she said.

Innovative mine closure strategies also took centre stage. Romero described Aris’s reclamation project at Segovia that converted a tailings site into a community park featuring football fields and recreational domes. A second stage includes a photovoltaic plant, further extending the site’s utility.

“This project, managed by the local municipality, illustrates how closures can benefit communities long after mining operations end,” she said.

Technically savvy

The panel stressed that sustainability is a must, not just a goal. It’s vital for both ethics and business.

Mumford called for early planning to ensure mine sites can be reused productively after closure. “Reclaimed mines shouldn’t sit as wastelands. They need to contribute to the community in a meaningful way,” he said.

Johnson emphasized that companies need to factor sustainability into financial risk management. He cited the 2015 Vale (NYSE: VALE) dam collapse in Brazil, which killed 19 people, polluted the Doce River all the way to the Atlantic  and saddled the company with $29.9 billion in damages.

“Spending extra money upfront on sustainable technologies isn’t just ethical — it’s a no-brainer when you consider the long-term savings on liabilities and the avoidance of catastrophic failures,” he said.

Meanwhile, mining communities are becoming more “technically savvy” and demanding better practices.

“A mine could win awards one year and face ruin the next over ESG failures,” Johnson said.