Eldorado works hard to create a company that makes our employees and local communities proud. This means safe and environmentally-friendly operations, reasonable pay for work done, and making a positive impact on the lives of people we touch.
To oversee this effort, Eldorado’s Board of Directors includes a Sustainability Committee, chaired by Geoffrey Handley. We caught up with Geoff to ask how he views this essential part of our business.
What does the Sustainability Committee do?
The Sustainability Committee encourages best practices and monitoring programs to continually improve employee safety and security, protection and improvement of the environment, and advancement of living standards in communities around our mines.
Why is it important to operate sustainably?
We prefer the term “operating responsibly,” which includes minimizing our footprint, creating and maintaining positive relationships, and generating opportunities in the local communities that last beyond the lives of our mines.
Only companies with a track record of looking after their employees, the environment and communities will be able to continue to operate over the long term.
What are mining companies doing now that they didn’t do in the past?
Mining is a completely different industry than it was three or four decades ago. Now, companies are recognizing that they need many licenses – both legal and social – to operate. New technologies have made mines safer and decreased environmental impacts, and made it easier to engage with all stakeholder groups.
In the future, the mining companies that are going to be successful are the ones that are managing their impacts, building and maintaining relationships, and listening to and engaging with their stakeholders.
What do you think are Eldorado’s biggest sustainability challenges?
Mining has a reputation as a boom and bust industry, which can make it hard to build trust in local communities. Eldorado manages this risk by running lean operations – we are among the lowest cost producers in the industry. A strong, profitable mine is more able to implement safety, environmental and community relations plans above and beyond legal compliance. We work hard to communicate with our stakeholders about the good work we’re doing at our sites through platforms like Facebook and this blog.
Learn more about Eldorado’s governance approach in our 2014 Sustainability Report.
by on July 30, 2015 in Eldorado Gold
