The Finnish Network for Sustainable Mining was established in May 2014 to act as a platform for discussions and to develop practical tools to improve the sustainability of mining and ore exploration in Finland.
During its first year and a half of activities, the network operated under the direction of the Finnish Innovation Fund (Sitra), which took the lead in building the network. It devised the rules and regulations of the network, launched four working groups and set up the board, which has equal representation from the mining industry, environmental NGOs, other livelihoods (reindeer herding and farming) and other stakeholders (local communities and metal workers). Dr Hannele Pokka, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry for the Environment, was elected as the chairperson of the board.
The network became independent in August 2015, when it moved under the auspices of the Finnish Mining Industry (FinnMin) and appointed a new Secretary General.
Since then, the network has published the following documents:
- A concise CSR report (140 pages) on 19 companies operating in Finland in the field of mining and ore exploration;
- A toolbox for local actions for companies that are planning to begin ore exploration or mining activities in a specific region in Finland;
- A report on the activities of the network during the first year and a half under the guidance of Sitra; and
- A new sustainability standard for mining based on the Canadian initiative Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM). The Finnish TSM was adapted to Finnish legislation and complemented with two protocols (water management and mine closure), whereby it now covers the entire lifecycle of mining operations.
All of these documents are available on the webpage of the network (www.kaivosvastuu.fi). Furthermore, two of the publications, the activity report and the sustainability standard, have been translated into English.
The Finnish TSM can be downloaded from the following links:
Energy use and GHG emissions protocol_25-02-16
Crisis management protocol_25-02-16
The training courses on the implementation of the Finnish TSM standard will start this spring and continue in the autumn. During the four one-day courses, the participants will go through all of the protocols and give some feedback on the implementation of the standard. Based on the feedback, the network may revise the standard, if needed.
For further information, please contact Kimmo Collander, Secretary General, Finnish Network for Sustainable Mining, tel: +358 50 431 4982, E-mail: kimmo.collander@kaivosvastuu.fi
Picture: The board of the network held a meeting in Toronto in March 2015, while participating to the annual PDAC conference.
