Mining leaders from International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) member companies have pledged their commitment to supporting a nature positive future by 2030 where meeting demand for critical materials will not come at the expense of nature.
Representing a third of the global industry, the leading global mining and metals companies committed to taking urgent action to promote the health, diversity and resilience of species, ecosystems and natural processes, with responsibly produced minerals and metals playing a critical role in advancing global sustainable development goals.
Shaped by experts and leaders from a range of disciplines from across ICMM company and association members, as well as from civil society, academia, Indigenous representatives, and investor and disclosure bodies, ICMM’s commitments set out a five-point plan for a nature positive future:
- Protect and conserve pristine areas of the natural environment – no mining or exploration in World Heritage Sites and respect all legally designated protected areas
- Halt biodiversity loss at ICCM member operations – achieve at least no net loss of biodiversity at all mine sites by closure against a 2020 baseline
- Collaborate across value chains – develop initiatives and partnerships that halt and reverse nature loss throughout supply and distribution chains
- Restore and enhance landscapes – around operations through local partnerships, including with Indigenous Peoples, land-connected peoples and local communities
- Catalyse wider change – acting to change the fundamental systems that contribute to nature loss and fostering opportunities for nature’s recovery
ICMM’s commitments apply to activities across all four realms of nature – land, freshwater, oceans and atmosphere – leveraging companies’ areas of influence, from their direct operations, value chains and wider landscapes, through to creating the conditions required to achieve systems transformation. Companies will be supported by transparent disclosures on performance outcomes, including publishing the results of nature-related impact and dependency assessments, and setting targets to address these.
President and CEO of ICMM, Rohitesh Dhawan, said, “The mining industry owes its very existence to nature. At a time when the health of our natural world is in peril yet the demand for critical minerals is set to soar, we have committed to significant collective action to help create a nature positive future.
“These commitments build on the significant individual goals and actions of ICMM members over several decades, including habitat conservation, species protection, and landscape restoration.
“There is no escaping that the act of mining directly affects nature, which is why the cornerstone of our commitments is to ensure at least no net loss of biodiversity at all mine sites by closure against a 2020 baseline.”
Mr Dhawan said that ICMM has committed to take steps in its value chains, landscapes, and the wider systems in which it operates so that the total impact of its actions contribute to a nature positive future.
“These will be taken with the critical participation of Indigenous and land-connected peoples, and local communities, whose rights, values, and knowledge will be central to our actions.”
ICMM members have already implemented a number of initiatives focused on conservation and restoration, for example, strengthening protection for areas of high biodiversity value, developing innovative technologies for improved seed performance during landscape revegetation, and defending important habitats from invasive species.
The commitments on direct operations, value chain and governance and transparency will apply to all members, and individual members will select at least one of three commitment options relating to wider landscapes and systems transformation, in order to maximise their positive contribution.
Rio Tinto’s CEO and member of ICMM’s Nature Advisory Group, Jakob Stausholm, said, “The ICMM’s Nature Position Statement is an important step to drive the additional focus and action needed to protect and restore nature today and for future generations. We have welcomed the opportunity to contribute to developing this statement, with its framework and commitments. Together with our industry peers and our partners, we will continue to share our knowledge, experience and challenges as we strive to contribute to a nature positive future.”
Newmont’s CEO, Tom Palmer, said, “Newmont acknowledges nature loss as a substantial global challenge, and we understand the importance of having an integrated approach to reach a nature positive future. We are committed to advancing our current related work in alignment with ICMM’s Nature Positioning Statement as well as expanding our disclosure through early adoption of the Task Force for Nature Related Disclosures framework.”
The ICMM commitments were published as part of a Position Statement setting out ICMM members’ approach to contributing to a nature positive future guided by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and ICMM’s existing commitments in relation to protected areas, Indigenous Peoples, water and respecting human rights as per the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). Action on nature is an integral part of ICMM’s Mining Principles, representing its member companies’ commitment to a responsible mining and metals industry.
