Social no-go factors in mine site selection

When mining companies screen the attractiveness of potential mine sites (greenfield projects), the focus is typically on factors within the fields of geology, mining design, metallurgy, infrastructure, logistics, environment, and politics. Each category has ‘no-go factors’, the occurrence of which makes the company avoid activities in an area. However, social factors are not often part of the equation when calculating attractiveness scores at an early stage. We claim that social factors should be considered by identifying social thresholds and, furthermore, by including social no-go factors in the screening. This opinion piece draws on early findings from a larger research project on the sustainability of the mineral and metal industry. As part of the project, we have participated in discussions with companies, consultants, and researchers about the existing evaluation criteria generally used on greenfield projects. Based on this exercise, a site evaluation tool for mining companies is presently being developed. Based on our knowledge and experience with Social Impact Assessment and mining, we have proposed that social parameters, including no-go factors, are incorporated in the screening tool. This paper presents our arguments for the proposition.