Sustainability
PDAC undertakes a variety of advocacy and member services work.
Responsible exploration is about behavioural change. PDAC's efforts to improve industry performance are aimed at catalyzing change by supporting members in their environmental, social and governance capabilities, and helping companies maximize the contribution that the mineral industry can make to sustainable development around the world.
Disclosure and Reporting
In the ever-evolving landscape of the mining industry, transparency is not just a best practice—it's a necessity. For junior mining companies, clear and honest communication about operations, financials, and environmental impacts fosters trust with investors, stakeholders, and the communities they serve. Transparency ensures that all parties have access to crucial information, which can mitigate risks and encourage informed decision-making.
Moreover, government regulations mandate certain disclosures to protect investors and promote ethical practices within the industry. These regulations require companies that meet specific thresholds to provide accurate information about their resource estimates, supply chains, and environmental management strategies. By adhering to these standards, companies not only comply with the law but also demonstrate their commitment to responsible mining practices.
In a sector where public perception can significantly influence success, embracing transparency can enhance a company’s reputation, attract investment, and pave the way for sustainable growth. By prioritizing clear communication and accountability, junior mining companies can build lasting relationships with stakeholders and contribute to a more sustainable future for the industry.
Ensuring that communities benefit from exploration and mining (through, for example, resource revenue sharing) remains paramount to a company’s ability to earn and retain a social licence to operate at home and abroad.
This is why PDAC worked closely with civil society organizations to propose legislation in Canada making the disclosure of resource revenue payments by companies with a connection to Canada mandatory. This work led ultimately to the adoption, by the Government of Canada, of the Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act.
Financial actors are increasingly aware of the importance of asking for, and analyzing, the social, environmental and governance aspects of mineral exploration and development. Their ability to link access to capital to sustainability performance is contingent upon companies disclosing adequate information about these issues. This is why PDAC supports an initiative by the Canadian Institute for Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum to improve disclosure of environmental and social issues by companies producing National Instrument 43-101 reports. PDAC remains actively engaged with the various Government of Canada departments and nongovernmental organizations on transparency and disclosure initiatives.
Convention Programming
The Sustainability Program aims to facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogue and peer-learning on key issues related to responsible exploration and mining. The Sustainability Program features presentations and dialogue that examine the innovative ways in which mineral exploration and mining companies are working to improve their sustainability performance, presenting challenges and successes, as well as lessons learned.
Topics discussed at the Sustainability Program are both current and critical to the continued improvement of the performance in the industry.
Social Sustainability
Community Engagement
At PDAC, we are dedicated to fostering positive community engagement in mineral projects through robust advocacy efforts. We believe that meaningful collaboration between mining companies and local communities is essential for sustainable development. Our work focuses on promoting transparent communication, addressing community concerns, and ensuring that the voices of local stakeholders are heard and valued. By facilitating dialogue and providing resources, we aim to empower communities to actively participate in decision-making processes, leading to mutually beneficial outcomes that prioritize social, environmental, and economic well-being.
Gender, Diversity & Inclusion
In 2016, the mineral sector employed 403,000 individuals in Canada, accounting for roughly 1 in 45 Canadian jobs. While women account for 48% of the Canadian workforce, they comprise only 16% of Canada’s mineral labour force. Bridging the gender gap in the mineral industry is critical to address the labour force, financial, health and safety, and longevity issues faced under the current industry climate. From the boardroom to the project site, the mineral industry has a role to play in improving gender equality in both Canada and abroad.
While diversity and inclusion are broad topics, the mineral industry has a unique opportunity to be a leader in gender diversity and inclusion. PDAC is thus committed to advancing gender diversity and inclusion within the mineral industry through various initiatives and projects.
To inform its work on diversity and inclusion, PDAC established a Diversity and Inclusion Working Group in 2018.
You may hear the terms diversity and inclusion being used more commonly in day-to-day workplaces across the mining and mineral exploration industry. Society has increasingly high expectations of the private sector and its role in creating an inclusive and safe space for all people. This sentiment is shared by shareholders, investors, the stock exchange, employees and communities. As a result, there are significant benefits for companies that successfully work toward business practices and workplace cultures that are diverse and inclusive.
Human Rights
Businesses have an important role to play in respecting human rights, as articulated in the ground-breaking work done by John Ruggie and his team when they put together the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP). Respecting Human Rights is one of eight key pillars of PDAC’s principles and guidance notes, a resource that dates back to 2009 and continues to be a pillar of PDAC’s current advocacy efforts.
Environmental Sustainability
As the voice of Canada’s mineral exploration and development industry, PDAC has a longstanding commitment to responsible exploration, including improving environmental performance.
To encourage and support members in their efforts to improve environmental performance and ultimately reduce their environmental impact, PDAC developed a detailed set of guidance in 2003 called Excellence in Environmental Stewardship (EES). The EES guidance is part of Driving Responsible Exploration, one of PDAC’s cornerstone corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
Role of the Mineral Industry in the move to a Low Carbon Future.
The mineral exploration and mining industry is central to Canada’s goal of moving towards a low carbon future. Critical minerals and metals are required for technologies and materials that will power clean growth in the transportation and energy sectors.
In particular, if Canada seizes the opportunity at hand, it has the potential to be the supplier of choice of these minerals and metals for other markets.
The World Bank has released a report on the role of the mineral industry in moving towards a low carbon future, “The Growing Role of Minerals and Metals for a Low Carbon Future.”
Canada is globally recognized for its rich biodiversity, diverse ecosystems, and natural resources. To give credit to those claims, Canada has an estimated 80,000 species; lands that cover almost 10,000,000 km2 ; and is home to over 40% of the world’s minerals and metals companies, which produce over 60 minerals and metals.
In December 2022, Canada hosted the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15) which saw nearly 200 countries adopting the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). This framework outlines global goals to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and maintain positive momentum such that by 2050 “biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used.” Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy sets targets for how Canada will implement the KMGBF domestically.
Habitat banking, environmental and species monitoring, and wildlife protection planning are proactive steps mineral exploration companies can take to play a vital role in mitigating the environmental impact of exploration activities and promoting biodiversity target acquisition.
In an era where environmental impacts are increasingly scrutinized, "greenwashing" has emerged as a significant concern. New provisions were added to the Competition Act to explicitly target misleadingly positive claims of environmental benefits from products, services, businesses, and business activities.
While presenting a positive environmental profile is strategically advantageous for any company, the consequences of greenwashing and breaking commitments are amplified within the minerals industry. Every mineral exploration, development, and extraction-stage company that exists as a public issuer must legally disclose and communicate potential environmental impacts and mitigation efforts to the public regularly. Disclosure is heavily scrutinized and a lack of veracity in reporting creates material risk and potential loss of market value for public companies in the mineral industry.
Driving Responsible Exploration / E3 Plus
PDAC has long been an advocate for the industry to improve its social, environmental and health & safety performance both at home and abroad. PDAC was the first industry association in the world to develop detailed guidance for companies on how to explore responsibly.
This guidance - e3 Plus: A Framework for Responsible Exploration - is now available free of charge on our website.
