Column | Three keys to the mining of the future

By Amparo Cornejo, Director of Image Chile and Chief Sustainability Officer, Teck

In just a few decades, large-scale mining has been radically transformed and has begun to outline the character that this industry, essential for the future of the planet, will have in the years to come: care and respect for the environment, a closer and more collaborative relationship with communities, and a new organizational culture.

Mining is being defined by the way in which it relates to the territories where it is present and to the communities with which it coexists. It is no coincidence, then, that these axes are also the ones that the Fundación Imagen de Chile is promoting to the world.

First, its relationship with the environment has evolved dramatically, along with the awareness that the future of mining depends on the well-being of our planet... and vice versa.

Mining is essential for decarbonization; thanks to mining, critical metals are and will be available to ensure the electricity transition, which is key to combating climate change. We need to ensure growing production, among other things, to drive the electricity that will power the world in the second half of this century.

But mining must become part of the commitment to a cleaner planet not only through its purpose, but also through its processes. Desalination plants, for example, are today an important response for most large mining companies to stop using fresh water and to return that water to their environments and communities, where, given the advance of desertification, it is essential.

The same commitment exists with respect to tailings management and wildlife rehabilitation. Teck, in particular, is well on its way to achieving its goal of being "nature positive", that is, to go beyond offsetting its impact and contribute to the survival and growth of sensitive environments.

Secondly, the relationship between mining and the communities is moving in a different direction, and this is a step that we are already taking. We are no longer talking about a minimal relationship, but about a dialogue that begins before the arrival of a project, which seeks to respond to people's concerns and, more than that, to contribute to their development, support them in their projects and promote economic, commercial and human development in the regions where we operate.

In this, our Quebrada Blanca operation in Chile has been exemplary, not only with educational, health, entrepreneurship and local capacity-building projects, but also with shared efforts in training, innovation and science development. This should be the norm going forward.

And thirdly, mining, as an industry of the future, must be a space for inclusion, diversity and encounter between different perspectives and people. The incorporation of more women in conditions of equity and with real development options, and the adaptations in the corporate culture to make this happen in a virtuous way are already underway. A culture of respect and well-being in mining, however, must also incorporate more young people, more local perspective and experience, more diversity.

These three keys have a common factor: connecting with people. Because mining is being defined by the way in which it relates to the territories where it is present and with the communities with which it coexists. It is no coincidence, then, that these axes are also the ones that the Fundación Imagen de Chile is promoting to the world because Chile has not only been a mining country in the past, it is one today and is looking to the future with international projection.