Mining Sustainability Practices in Latin
America
Alejandra Mallqui, Edson Pinheiro de Lima, and Sandro César Bortoluzzi
1 Introduction
Advances throughout human history have been marked by the contribution of metals,
from the Bronze and Iron Ages through the lead, copper and tin mines of the Romans
to the Industrial Revolution. In today’s technological age metals and minerals remain
essential in almost all aspects of life; they enable farming, healthcare, communications, water and energy supply, transport, space technology and the construction of
our cities (ICMM 2019).
Giurco and Cooper (2012) emphasize that minerals and metals have a key role
in the prosperity of current and future civilizations. However, their use in future
sustainable societies requires their production and use with greater ingenuity and
wisdom to ensure that sustainability criteria and including social and environmental
goals are served throughout the commodity life cycle.
Gomes et al. (2014) consider that the mining industry has many challenges
concerning sustainability regarding their companies ‘strategies and operations, given
its extractive nature and the numerous social and environmental impacts related to
their productive activity.
A. Mallqui (B) · E. P. de Lima · S. C. Bortoluzzi
Industrial and Systems Engineering, Universidade Tecnologica Federal do Parana—UTFPR, Via
do Conhecimento, Km 1, Pato Branco, Parana, Brazil
e-mail: alejandra1309@hotmail.com
E. P. de Lima
e-mail: pinheiro@utfpr.edu.br
S. C. Bortoluzzi
e-mail: sandro@utfpr.edu.br
E. P. de Lima
Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Parana—PUCPR, R. Imaculada Conceicao, Curitiba, Parana
1155, Brazil
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Integrating Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development,
World Sustainability Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59975-1_14
209
America
Alejandra Mallqui, Edson Pinheiro de Lima, and Sandro César Bortoluzzi
1 Introduction
Advances throughout human history have been marked by the contribution of metals,
from the Bronze and Iron Ages through the lead, copper and tin mines of the Romans
to the Industrial Revolution. In today’s technological age metals and minerals remain
essential in almost all aspects of life; they enable farming, healthcare, communications, water and energy supply, transport, space technology and the construction of
our cities (ICMM 2019).
Giurco and Cooper (2012) emphasize that minerals and metals have a key role
in the prosperity of current and future civilizations. However, their use in future
sustainable societies requires their production and use with greater ingenuity and
wisdom to ensure that sustainability criteria and including social and environmental
goals are served throughout the commodity life cycle.
Gomes et al. (2014) consider that the mining industry has many challenges
concerning sustainability regarding their companies ‘strategies and operations, given
its extractive nature and the numerous social and environmental impacts related to
their productive activity.
A. Mallqui (B) · E. P. de Lima · S. C. Bortoluzzi
Industrial and Systems Engineering, Universidade Tecnologica Federal do Parana—UTFPR, Via
do Conhecimento, Km 1, Pato Branco, Parana, Brazil
e-mail: alejandra1309@hotmail.com
E. P. de Lima
e-mail: pinheiro@utfpr.edu.br
S. C. Bortoluzzi
e-mail: sandro@utfpr.edu.br
E. P. de Lima
Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Parana—PUCPR, R. Imaculada Conceicao, Curitiba, Parana
1155, Brazil
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Integrating Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development,
World Sustainability Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59975-1_14
209