Prizma

The Toronto Stock Exchange is a world leader in the resources sector and home to 55% of the world’s public mining companies. I was wondering how many of these public firms produce formal CSR and/or GRI-type sustainability reports? (more…)

The IFC Performance Standards on Social & Environmental Sustainability have emerged as the de facto benchmark for developing and financing responsible extractive projects in emerging markets. The Canadian government’s March 2009 CSR Strategy for the Canadian International Extractive Sector, Building the Canadian Advantage, also includes the IFC Performance Standards. In this article, I review the genesis, significance and key challenges associated with the IFC Performance Standards, using also input from participants of over 20 workshops and training courses delivered in Canada, China, Panama, Peru, UK and Venezuela since 2006. (more…)

Clear lines in the sand about CSR Bill C-300 targeting Canadian extractive companies operating abroad: mining advocacy NGOs are in favor and industry  is opposed. But what are administrative implications in terms of possible case load emerging from adoption of this Bill? (more…)

Prompted by client questions, I revisited IFC’s Report on the First Three Years of Application of IFC’s Policy and Performance Standards on Social and Environmental Sustainability and Policy on Disclosure of Information. IFC’s client surveys shows that 21 percent said the cost of PS implementation might negatively influence future decisions to work with IFC. (more…)

Used to more user friendly disclosure practices of multilateral financial institutions like the IFC or the EBRD, advocacy groups lament lack of deal transparency by Equator Banks. Although there is room for improvement, I wonder if the existing market transparency is already being leveraged enough. (more…)

Canadian-based Corporate Knights announced its sixth annual Global 100 list of the most sustainable large corporations in the world. This includes oil sands players, Suncor, Nexen and Shell, and provides also other surprises. (more…)

This was a bad week for cyanide-related news for Newmont and Dundee Precious Metals. (more…)

CEE Bankwatch, an advocacy NGO, has been scoring PR points against the European Bank (EBRD) and its involvement in gold mining projects in Armenia, Bulgaria and Kyrgyzstan. Would EBRD’s exit resolve the allegations and concerns raised by Bankwatch – and existing legacies associated with ‘brownfield mining’? (more…)

Canadian CSR Centre for Extractive Sector Launched

The Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM)  is tasked with spearheading the development of the Centre for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility, which was launched today. Will it be able to transcend beyond a one‐stop‐web-shop with the latest information on CSR?  (more…)

Are some of the heated discussions around the Canadian Bill C-300 designed to regulate the CSR performance of Canadian extractive companies operating abroad a storm in the tea cup? (more…)