Tool: Social Investment for Closure
Social transition recognises risks associated with local dependence on the mine and creates opportunities to develop sustainable post closure options.
Investment in social transition can result in sustainable and resilient community outcomes when government, community and other partners share in the decision-making, responsibility, and process of closure.
This tool helps promote collaboration between those involved in the development, allocation and delivery of a mine’s social investment programme and/or a mine closure plan. Such as:
- The operation’s community, corporate affairs or sustainability team in charge of developing and implementing the social investment program
- Procurement/supply chain, government relations, human resources, mine planning, and operational teams
- External stakeholders (government, NGOs, and communities)
Step Guide
STEP
1
To initially start planning for social transition look at Figure 8 (p44) which illustrates the iterative nature of social transition planning and management
STEP
2
Download and print the qualitative social investment for closure self-assessment questionnaire (p120)
STEP
3
In a group comprising of social investment planners and implementers go through the list together either partially or entirely
STEP
4
Download and consider key questions to ask about managing social transition (p46)
Basic principles for social investment in support of social transition for mine closure:
- Align social investment around a shared vision of a post-mining future
- Focus social investment for closure on building resilience – that is, building the long-term capacity of stakeholders to transition through the changes resulting from closure and to benefit from the presence of mining
- Start early in developing social investment for closure and implement progressively throughout the LoA. This process cannot wait until closure is imminent
- Integrate and coordinate social investment with other closure-related activities, both within the company and with other local stakeholders
- Develop a strategic, planned and resourced approach to social investment for closure
- Partner with others to identify and prepare alternative long-term economic opportunities
Social transition costs (p45)
It is important to ensure a clear link between the social transition costs and the other components of the closure cost. If the social transition cost is not embedded in the overall closure cost estimate, there can be an incorrect accounting of true closure cost. Cost can include:
- Updating the knowledge base – social and health impact assessments, community sensitivity analysis, economic diversification studies
- Operational or corporate aspects of the mine – employee training or reskilling programmes, staff and contractor redundancy costs, partnership costs, communication and media planning and implementation
- Implementation of social transition – stakeholder engagement and grievance management, social investment, relocation costs, final land use and infrastructure costs, post closure monitoring, measurement and reporting
Community, Economics, Environment, Ethical Business, Management, Rehabilitation
Social Transition Integration In Planning At Landau Colliery, South Africa (Anglo American)
Reducing post‐closure impacts and maximising best value from resources and funds