THE MOST POPULAR STORIES OF THE YEAR FROM OUR WEBSITE / 4 Geotech_Earlug_2016_Alt2.pdf 1 2016-06-24 4:27:20 PM
SPECIAL FOCUS OUTLOOK 2021 New perspectives on a new year / 9-13
DELIVERING QUALITY EXPERTISE GLOBALLY ACROSS THE ENTIRE MINING LIFE CYCLE
VTEM™ | ZTEM™ | Gravity | Magnetics 905 841 5004 | geotech.ca
WWW.SGS.COM/MINING
MINERALS@SGS.COM
DECEMBER 21, 2020—JANUARY 3, 2021 / VOL. 106 ISSUE 26 / GLOBAL MINING NEWS · SINCE 1915 / $5.25 / WWW.NORTHERNMINER.COM
Glencore chooses coal head Gary Nagle as new CEO
MINERAL DEVELOPMENT CYCLE
LANDFILL AND INCINERATION THE CANADIAN MINERALS AND METALS PLAN. NATURAL RESOURCES CANADA
Activities in the cycle generate high paying jobs and regional development opportunities, attract investment, integrate environmental safeguards, deploy clean technologies, and lead to engagement and consultation with communities.
RECYCLE
Along the way, projects require permits, authorizations and licenses. Governments must respect the Crown’s legal obligations towards Indigenous Peoples.
RE-USE
REFURBISH
REPROCESSING
The cycle includes “downstream” activities such as processing, manufacturing and recycling. These rely on research and development, technology and innovation to remain competitive, sustainable and responsible.
Quo Vadis? Mining, metals and minerals in a circular economy COMMENTARY
| The status quo is no longer societally acceptable
BY ANDREW CHEATLE AND ELIZABETH FREELE Special to The Northern Miner
W
e are all familiar with the principles and practice of recycling and re-using,
and for many it is a common practice of daily life. Our society has a long history of recycling glass, aluminium cans, plastic (in all its forms), cars, scrap metal, jewelry, electronics, paper and so on. We increasingly re-use clothing, vinyl is back and
Breaking new ground.
We aim to break new ground in all that we do. We do this by creating a positive impact today, and for future generations, through our commitment to operating safely, sustainably and profitably.
TSX: ELD NYSE: EGO
eldoradogold.com
Lamaque, Quebec, Canada.
vintage wear is now a high-fashion statement. What if reduce, reuse and recycle applied to everything? Then you have an idea what the Circular Economy is about. Massive change is occurring in the metals and minerals industry. The status quo is no longer societally acceptable. Investor expectations of excellence in ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) performance continue to rise. Our industry also has a unique potential to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals during the Decade of Action, called upon by the United Nations. Now, we are also starting to become aware of the circular economy and our role in it. But firstly, what is the circular economy? For many of us this is a relatively new concept. Since the industrial revolution, our perfectly oiled economy has operated as if raw materials and energy were infinite. But we are reaching the limits of both our finite planet, and business-asusual. The circular economy offers an alternative, summarized as an economic system that encompasses and encourages resource recycling, reuse, repair and remanufacturing, ultimately creating a circular closed loop system which minimises the use of new mined product. In other words, compared to the prevailing linear take-make-waste economy, it avoids the use of nonrenewable resources, and preserves or enhances renewable ones. In so doing, it aims to improve the proSee COMMENTARY / 8
| Company also reveals plan to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050
C-SUITE NEWS
BY CECILIA JAMASMIE
M
Mining.com
ining and commodities trader Glencore (LSE: GLEN) announced on December 4 that Gary Nagle, the head of its coal division, would replace Ivan Glasenberg as the company’s top boss early next year. Glasenberg, who has led Glencore since 2002, said in 2018 that he would step down in three to five years. At the time, he said the firm had already begun training a small group of front runners to take over the post. “It’s time to hand over to a new generation and a new leader,” Glasenberg said on an investor call. “We’ve decided that over the next six months I will be working closely with Gary Nagle, who will be taking over from me.” Nagle, like Glasenberg, is South African and holds degrees in commerce and accounting from the University of Witwatersrand. Just as the departing CEO, Nagle built his career by rising through the ranks of Glencore’s coal department, where he has worked for the past 20 years. The announcement came as the Swiss firm revealed an ambitious plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 through reducing its direct and indirect carbon footprint by 40% by 2035, compared to 2019 levels. Glencore, one of the world’s largest coal producers, also said it would focus on investing in metals considered “vital” for the transition to a lower carbon world. While the company noted that thermal coal’s weight on the group’s earnings has dropped between 10% and 15%, from 25-40%, it said it did not believe that selling its coal mines would help reduce associated emissions. Glencore has already made some concessions. It promised in February 2019 to cap coal production, not to make any further coal acquisitions that would add to overall output, and to align its business strategy with Paris climate targets. “Our ambition to be a net zero total emissions company by 2050 reflects our commitment to contribute to the global effort to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement,” Glasenberg said in an update to investors.
INDUSTRY NEEDS TO DO MORE TO PREVENT TAILINGS DAM FAILURES / 6
Gary Nagle.
GLENCORE
“IT’S TIME TO HAND OVER TO A NEW GENERATION AND A NEW LEADER.” IVAN GLASENBERG, CEO, GLENCORE
See C-SUITE NEWS / 7 PM40069240