Assessing Mining Performance Indicators in Relation to the SDGs: Development of a Guided Methodology and Its Application in an Iron Ore Mine

Abstract

The concept of sustainability has gained significant recognition across all industrial sectors, particularly in response to the potential global environmental crisis. In mining, sustainability ensures responsible operations by addressing environmental, social, and economic aspects. Performance indicators, categorized into environmental, social, economic, and governance groups, are monitored to oversee these aspects. In 2015, the UN established 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a global agenda for achieving equitable economic and social development. This study presents a methodology to evaluate performance indicators in an iron ore mine in southeast Pará, Brazil, to understand whether and how these indicators guide the mine’s operations toward fulfilling the SDGs. This study was based on the application of a methodology specifically developed for this purpose, where a seven-step application was defined, with each step involving an activity to be carried out to verify the correlation performance indicators with the SDGs. By applying the proposed methodology, the assessment of 286 performance indicators was conducted, revealing that 55.24% aligned the mine’s operation with the SDGs. Furthermore, the developed methodology may be applied to other mining enterprises, supporting their sustainability reports and compliance with the sector’s regulatory standards and mine closure plan requirements.