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Mining for Transparency: A New Era of Accountability with GRI 14
➡️Mining for Transparency


This week’s reading time: 5 minutes
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Topics For Today:
Community-Centered Approach: Places local communities and Indigenous Peoples at the heart of impact reporting
Comprehensive Coverage: Spans 25 likely material topics from artisanal mining to closure and rehabilitation
Critical Minerals Focus: Addresses the surge in demand for energy transition minerals
Lifecycle Thinking: Covers impacts from exploration through post-closure
More Readings
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Mason Corliss
Founder, Terralyn
Want to get featured in the spotlight? Reply to this email: [email protected]
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Intro
The Dawn of a New Standard in Mining Accountability
The mining sector stands at a critical crossroads. As we accelerate toward renewable energy, our demand for lithium, copper, rare earths, and cobalt has never been higher. These minerals power our green transition—from electric vehicle batteries to wind turbines and solar panels. Yet mining remains one of the world's most scrutinized industries, and for good reason.
Enter GRI 14: Mining Sector 2024—a groundbreaking reporting standard that promises to transform how mining companies account for their impacts on people and planet.
What Makes GRI 14 a Game-Changer?
Effective January 1, 2026, GRI 14 represents more than just another reporting framework. It's a comprehensive blueprint for mining transparency that addresses the sector's most pressing challenges:
🎯 Key Focus Areas:
Community-Centered Approach: Places local communities and Indigenous Peoples at the heart of impact reporting
Comprehensive Coverage: Spans 25 likely material topics from artisanal mining to closure and rehabilitation
Critical Minerals Focus: Addresses the surge in demand for energy transition minerals
Lifecycle Thinking: Covers impacts from exploration through post-closure
Main
The Paradox We Face
Mining presents a fundamental paradox: we need more minerals for clean energy, but extraction often comes at devastating environmental and social costs. Consider these facts:
Rare earth elements are found in 95% of our daily technology, from smartphones to wind turbines
Global demand for lithium could increase 40-fold by 2040
Mining accounts for 4-7% of global greenhouse gas emissions
Over 2,500 conflicts worldwide are linked to mining operations
GRI 14 offers a path through this paradox—ensuring the minerals powering our sustainable future aren't extracted at the expense of communities and ecosystems today.
📊 Core Reporting Requirements:
Tailings Management: Full disclosure on tailings facilities, safety measures, and catastrophic failure preparedness
Water Stewardship: Detailed reporting on water use in water-stressed regions
Indigenous Rights: Comprehensive disclosure on Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes
Biodiversity Impact: Site-level reporting on ecosystem disruption and restoration
Just Transition: Plans for worker redeployment and community economic diversification post-closure
💡 The Innovation: Mine-Site Level Reporting
For the first time, GRI 14 encourages mine-site level disclosure rather than just corporate aggregates. This granular approach means:
Communities can understand impacts in their specific locations
Investors can assess site-specific risks
Regulators can monitor compliance more effectively
Companies can demonstrate localized accountability
Main
For Mining Companies:
Start Early: Don't wait until 2026. Begin mapping your material topics now
Engage Stakeholders: Authentic consultation with communities isn't optional—it's foundational
Invest in Systems: Robust data collection at site level requires upgraded monitoring
Think Holistically: Connect GRI 14 reporting to climate (TCFD), nature (TNFD), and human rights frameworks
For Investors and Stakeholders:
Demand Transparency: Use GRI 14 as a benchmark for investment decisions
Reward Leaders: Recognize companies going beyond minimum compliance
Monitor Progress: Track year-on-year improvements in key impact areas
Main
As someone working at the intersection of sustainability and planetary health, I see GRI 14 as more than a reporting standard—it's a tool for systemic change. Here's why:
🌱 Planetary Boundaries Connection:
Mining directly impacts at least six of nine planetary boundaries:
Climate change (through emissions)
Biosphere integrity (habitat destruction)
Freshwater use (water-intensive operations)
Biogeochemical flows (chemical pollution)
Land-system change (deforestation)
Novel entities (heavy metal contamination)
GRI 14's comprehensive approach helps companies understand and report these interconnected impacts.
The launch of GRI 14 signals a new era where:
Transparency is non-negotiable
Community voices are centered
Environmental limits are respected
Just transition is planned from day one
As we race to secure minerals for the energy transition, we cannot repeat the extractive mistakes of the past. GRI 14 provides the framework to mine differently—with accountability, transparency, and respect for planetary boundaries.
Main
Whether you're a sustainability professional, investor, community member, or concerned citizen, you have a role to play:
Learn: Familiarize yourself with GRI 14's requirements
Advocate: Push for adoption beyond mandatory compliance
Monitor: Hold companies accountable to their disclosures
Collaborate: Support multi-stakeholder initiatives for responsible mining
WRAPPING UP
🔮 CLOSING THOUGHT: The Leadership Imperative: Who Steps Up?
🏆 First-Mover Advantages:
Companies that embrace GRI 14 early and authentically will:
Attract Premium Capital: ESG investors reward transparency leaders
Secure Social License: Communities partner with trustworthy operators
Shape Regulations: Leaders influence policy rather than react to it
Build Resilience: Robust systems weather crises better
Define Excellence: Set industry benchmarks others must match
But this requires CEO-level commitment to:
Invest in systems before mandated
Embrace radical transparency
Share power with stakeholders
Think in geological timescales
Accept short-term costs for long-term value
P.S. When you’re ready, here’s how I can help you:
Download our Dashboard GHG Accounting Scope 1, 2 & 3. Customize it with your organization's numbers to build a compelling business case.
Refer 2 other sustainability leader (see “Click to Share” button below)
Book a Consultation: Click HERE
GHG Accounting Strategies (Scope 1, 2 & 3)
ISO 14001 Compliance (Environmental Management)
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