The International Aluminium Institute (IAI) has updated its sustainable bauxite guidelines to elaborate on tailings management and longer-term community impacts and initiatives.
The revised guidelines focus on the aluminium industry’s drive to ensure that bauxite mining is sustainable and reduces social and environmental impacts during operation and post-closure.
Between 4 t and 6 t of bauxite is needed for every tonne of primary aluminium produced. With demand for primary aluminium strong, the IAI forecasts growth from 64-million tonnes in 2020 to 88-million tonnes by 2050.
As such, demand for alumina and bauxite will also grow.
The report identifies key considerations for sustainable bauxite mining, including good governance, community impacts, health and safety measures and environmental management. For each, information, resources and case studies are included to promote sustainable approaches to bauxite mining.
IAI sustainability deputy secretary general and director Pernelle Nunez notes that sustainable bauxite mining is not a one-size-fits-all prescription, instead involving the management of each risk with the best available technologies and strategies appropriate to the circumstances.
“These will be influenced by local climatic, geographic and environmental conditions, government policies, the regulatory framework and, importantly, community factors.
“Mining can involve disturbance of large land areas, making it well suited to progressive rehabilitation during mine life,” she says.
Therefore, Nunez says it is important for the industry to develop guidelines to help ensure all operators mine sustainably, using the lessons learnt by others in the industry to reduce environmental and community impacts.
“I hope these guidelines can continue to be adopted by all bauxite producers who strive to operate sustainably, including mines which are still in exploration phase,” she adds.
Brazilian Aluminium Association executive president Janaina Donas says that, as a resource-intensive industry, the sector plays an even greater role as a catalyst of positive change and in the building of a sustainable future.
“Thriving economies like Brazil can benefit from world-class bauxite assets operated by companies committed to high performance, implementing innovative solutions for mine reclamation, and concerned with the incorporation of climate change risks into residues management and planning processes,” she says.
The guidelines, says Donas, showcase successful examples of responsible mining, including operations in sensitive areas like the Amazon region. “[This] demonstrates that it is possible to implement a business strategy that delivers value to society while also reducing the impact on the environment.”
The first sustainable bauxite guidelines were produced in 2018 through the efforts of a coalition of global and national aluminium associations and companies.