ESG in exploration: Embedding good practice for tangible positive outcomes

Sustainability is no longer a nice-to-have. Many projects fail not as a result of geological or economic factors, but because of poor ESG practice. Stakeholders including investors are demanding greater environmental responsibility and social accountability, paying attention to how and where raw materials are obtained from the very beginning of the project lifecycle. Regulation is rapidly evolving to mirror these expectations, and litigation is gaining momentum. Good ESG practice is essential in setting up a project for achieving its full potential and ensuring successful project delivery.

While this can be challenging, if properly managed it also provides an opportunity for growth. This course explores how to manage ESG threats and opportunities, leveraging the interplay between risk management and sustainability to allow a more streamlined, pragmatic approach. Participants will gain valuable insight into practical tools and techniques which can be used after the course and well into the future. Professionals working in exploration will greatly benefit from informed decision making, advancement of ESG practice, and improvements to the bottom line.

This comprehensive, interactive course delves into how to practically address ESG within exploration. Through a mix of theory, case studies, and practical examples, this course equips participants to navigate the evolving landscape, including understanding of:

• ESG as a means to maintain competitive business advantage
• The importance of ESG with particular emphasis on explorers and financiers
• Threats and opportunities presented by ESG in the earlier stages of the mining value chain
• Updates to mineralogical resource and reserve reporting codes to incorporate ESG
• The array of relevant frameworks and policies (including ISSB and CSRD), and how the landscape is evolving
• Changes to regulation and requirements

We will also highlight and work through a range of tools and techniques which can be implemented to improve ESG, including:

• Materiality assessments (in all their forms)
• Integrated risk management strategies
• Scenario analysis
• Reporting and disclosing ESG information

We will decode the jargon surrounding ESG, and ensure attendees leave with a thorough understanding of how to implement good ESG practice into their own roles.

Top takeaways:

• Explain the significance of ESG in maintaining a competitive business advantage within exploration, with a particular emphasis on explorers and financiers
• Interpret and demystify the jargon surrounding ESG to ensure a thorough understanding of good ESG practices
• Examine changes to regulation and requirements related to ESG in exploration, including changes in mineralogical resource and reserve reporting codes
• Apply a range of tools and techniques to improve ESG practices, including materiality assessments, integrated risk management strategies, scenario analysis, and reporting and disclosing ESG information
• Evaluate the threats and opportunities of the mining value chain to implement good ESG practices in their own roles within exploration