The SUMEX Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) invites you to explore the importance of sustainability in the extractive industry and discover the solutions along 5 key action areas. 

The six-week course started in early November 2022 but you may still join the course. The basic access to the course is free and you need to foresee two hours of learning per week.  

What is in it for you? 

Design, with other stakeholders, new sustainable management practices

On this six-week course, you’ll discover the most pressing issues and practical challenges faced by decision makers within the extractive industry.

You’ll critically reflect on sustainability, discover best practice strategies, and learn how to respond to sustainability challenges faced by the mineral resource extraction sector.

 

Explain the environmental and societal impact of mineral extraction

With scientific materials and cutting-edge insights curated by renowned experts, you’ll investigate innovative approaches and solutions to the most pressing sustainability issues in the extractive sector.

Using the SUMEX framework, you’ll focus on five key action areas: permitting and licensing, health and safety, land use planning, environmental and socio-economic impact assessment, and reporting.

With this overview, you’ll be able to contextualise your knowledge within the areas of policy, business, and civil society, helping you analyse and discuss stakeholder needs.

 

Analyse environmental impact using tools such as the three pillars of sustainability

You’ll investigate sustainable extractive management processes through various conceptual lenses and methodological approaches such as the three pillars of sustainability, leverage points, and the Institutional Resource Regime.

With this knowledge, you’ll be able to apply and adapt sustainability frameworks to reflect different organisational needs.

 

Discover sustainable management best practice in policy and industry

Framing discussions within the European extractive sector, you’ll share best practice with fellow learners from around the world.

Combining shared experiences and expert insights, you’ll be able to identify successful approaches to sustainability and embed them in your own management practices.

 

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to…

  • Reflect on the importance of a coherent approach to sustainability framework in the extractive sector 
  • Explain the societal relevance of raw material extraction 
  • Investigate the main pillars of sustainable extractive management 
  • Apply sustainability frameworks for mineral extraction to different institutional and local contexts
  • Identify and evaluate good practices in the extractive industry in a critical manner
  • Discuss with experts and peers the current state and related challenges of the European extractive sector
  • Explore the SUMEX and other important tools about good practice learning 

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for leaders, managers and stakeholders in the mineral extractive industry who want to learn about the challenges, solutions and new developments in sustainability.

It will be especially useful for public administrators and industry practitioners wishing to understand and implement sustainability management at any stage of the mining life cycle from exploration to post-closure. This course may also benefit those interested in the importance of raw materials for a sustainable future and the challenges connected to them.