Supporting Sustainable Development through Mining and Metals

In 2015, world leaders committed to a series of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address the world’s most pressing challenges by 2030.

Now, more than halfway to the deadline, very few of these goals are on track, with global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, economic instability, geopolitical conflicts, and the escalating impacts of climate change having hindered progress. Yet we are not without hope.

Mining and the SDGs: A unique and expansive contribution

Unlike many industries that align with a single SDG, mining and metals have a profound, cross-cutting influence on multiple goals. The sector plays a vital role in infrastructure, energy transition, water management, and economic growth, while also addressing social and environmental challenges.

From advancing clean energy through essential minerals to improving livelihoods in mining regions, our industry has both an obligation and an opportunity to drive progress. However, realising this potential requires responsible stewardship and strong partnerships with governments, civil society, and development organisations.

By integrating sustainability into every aspect of mining, our sector plays a crucial role in advancing the SDGs. Through responsible practices, innovation, and collaboration, we support our members in maximising their contribution to sustainable development – ensuring that mining becomes a force for good in ending poverty, protecting the planet, and fostering shared prosperity.

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SDG 1: No Poverty

Supporting action to end poverty in all its forms everywhere.

SDG 2: Zero hunger

Supporting action to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing

Supporting action to ensure healthy lives and wellbeing for all.

SDG 4: Quality Education

Supporting action to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

Supporting action to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

Supporting action to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

Supporting action to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Supporting action to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Supporting action to build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

Supporting action to reduce inequality within and among countries.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Supporting action to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Supporting action to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

SDG 13: Climate Action

Supporting the taking of urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

SDG 14: Life Below Water

Supporting action to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

SDG 15: Life on Land

Supporting action to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

Supporting action to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Supporting action to strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development.

Links between ICMM's Mining Principles and the SDGs

Each of the 17 SDGs in some way connect with or can be directly influenced by the work of ICMM. We have mapped ICMM's 10 principles against the SDGs to gain a better understanding of where we can best add value and support universal progress towards sustainable development.

In parallel, we have provided input to a process initiated by the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Columbia Centre on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) called Mapping Mining to the Sustainable Development Goals: A Preliminary Atlas. This is intended to trace the main points of interaction between mining and the SDGs and the resulting implications on future operations. This work is ongoing.

We have drawn extensively from and supplemented this work in our analysis of how minerals and metals can make a positive contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals. This anaysis is available here.

How the SDGs are themselves strongly interrelated

While the SDGs identify 16 distinct goals for sustainable development, and a seventeenth that encourages partnership approaches, in practice the goals are strongly interrelated. This has two implications. Firstly, by contributing to one SDG there is likely to be a positive influence on others. Secondly, significant progress on one SDG, such as poverty (SDG1), will not realistically be achieved without progress on several others.

That is, poverty alleviation will to varying degrees touch on the goals of decent work and economic growth (SDG8), quality education (SDG4), good health and well-being (SDG3) and gender equality (SDG5). And vice versa. Similarly progress to conserve biodiversity (the focus of SDG15, life on land) will not be possible without complementary action on food security (SDG2), climate change (SDG13), improved stewardship of water (SDG6), stronger institutions (SDG16), and progress on sustainable consumption and production (SDG12).

ICMM and the United Nations Global Compact

ICMM became a non-business participant of the United Nations Global Compact in June 2017. We are proud to support the United Nations Global Compact and its Ten Principles in the areas of Human Rights, Labour, Environment and Anti-Corruption. These Principles are embedded in ICMM’s Mining Principles, and at the heart of our vision of a safe, just and sustainable world enabled by responsibly produced minerals and metals. We work to achieve this through leadership and collaboration to enhance the contribution of mining & metals to sustainable development.

Our 2022-24 Strategy and Action Plan serves as our Communication on Engagement with the United Nations Global Compact. It describes the actions that ICMM has taken that support the UN Global Compact and its Principles that are in line with those identified for organisations such as ours. These include the learning and dialogue events, workshops and training we hold to strengthen sustainability performance across the ICMM membership and the broader mining industry. We are also pleased to support the activities of both the global office and the United Nations Global Compact UK Network during our participation to date. We look forward to continuing our support for the United Nations Global Compact in the years ahead.