Sustainable Development Goals

While widespread poverty is not a major problem in Europe, the mining industry’s role in fostering positive economic growth, job creation and skills development helps ensure this will continue in Europe.

In addition to economic growth and job creation, mining can provide soil nutrients such as potash, zinc and phosphorus that increase crop yields. Mining companies also work to manage water in ways that protect clean sources and protect access for agricultural irrigation. Widespread hunger is not currently a major problem in Europe, but a growing population will soon require increased food production.

Safe and healthy working conditions are a top priority in the European mineral raw materials industry. Companies also frequently extend workforce health and wellbeing programmes to local communities and contractors, ensuring positive effects on people in the surrounding areas.

Mineral raw materials have always contributed decisively to human evolution and wellbeing and will continue to do so in the future.

While quality education is accessible to all European citizens, there is a need for wider society learning about the importance of minerals and metals. The sector is involved in specific school programmes, apprenticeships, scholarships and graduate programmes. Mining operations provide a range of employment opportunities, invest in local trainings or extend workforce education and training to local communities and contractors.

Most mining companies in Europe have clear statements supporting gender equality, women filling visible leadership roles, processes for ensuring a safe workplace for women, as well as official processes for recruiting and retaining female employees.

Mining companies have a responsibility to ensure their operations do not result in contaminated water supplies or inhibit access to clean water. Sound water practices are regulated at the EU and national levels, and companies collaborate with local experts to accurately measure, analyse and test water supplies.

European mining provides the raw materials needed for the products that produce clean energy, such as steel and concrete for wind turbines and silicon, gallium, lithium and cobalt (among many others) for solar panels and batteries. Mining companies across Europe are also working to run their operations more efficiently, using more clean energy sources and reducing their energy consumption.

Mining companies continuously collaborate with government and other companies and organisations to enhance broader economic development opportunities and invest in various ways that host communities can become economically productive during and beyond the life of a mine, being normally the indirect impact of a mine 4 or 5 times bigger than the direct one.

Mining itself is the only economic activity that generates wealth and employment in several social depressed regions in Europe.

European mining companies are a global leader of innovation and the supplier of raw materials used for infrastructure development and in downstream industries. The sector is constantly developing stronger, more durable and more efficient materials for these purposes.

The European raw materials industry innovation and high-tech developments also contribute to very important positive impacts in the continent and globally.

Companies combat inequalities by establishing baseline statistics on possible existing ones and then collaborating with partners to implement targeted investments and training opportunities focusing on marginalised populations.

The industry contributes to sustainable cities by supporting development of infrastructure, involving all stakeholders in land use planning, reclaiming mined land, for example into green spaces or heritage sites, and by producing innovative products such as concrete with higher CO₂ capture or more durable steel that has a longer product life.

In the past, today and in the future it is impossible to have sustainable cities and wealthy communities without mineral raw materials.

The European mineral raw materials industry has made Circular Economy one of its top priorities, working to reduce and reutilise waste, transform waste into resources, improve efficiency of raw materials usage and improve the recyclability of products made from mined minerals and metals.

Eco-efficient processes and products are also one of the priorities of the sector, reducing energy and material consumption.

Mineral raw materials will be decisive for a transition to a Low-Carbon society.

The European mineral raw materials industry has adopted ambitious carbon management policies and targets. Work to reduce, eliminate and offset emissions in operations includes a wide variety of strategies such as transitioning to electric vehicles, utilising advanced exploration technologies and optimising ore extraction.

The European mineral raw materials industry sector contributes to ocean sustainability by understanding the dependence of local communities on marine resources, identifying marine-related impacts and mitigation strategies, and contributing to the protection and conservation of the oceans and seas.

The European mineral raw materials industry sector is working to improve operations so that land is disrupted as little as possible. Additionally, before a mine is opened in the EU, the mining company must have a plan for restoration of the land impacted by operations, many of which include offsetting any losses or even increasing biodiversity, reclaiming land for agricultural or other purposes and creating parks and green spaces.

The European mineral raw materials industry is peaceful and beneficial to all our citizens.

European mining companies seek to secure supply of raw materials in a transparent way through production, reducing our dependency on imported raw materials from regions where these issues persist.

The European mineral raw materials industry sector is among the most sophisticated partners in addressing a range of sustainable development challenges. Mining companies are working to share these experiences more broadly and encourage further engagement in partnerships to achieve collaborative progress on the SDGs.