The
concept
The concept
Background
To foster more, but sustainable mineral production in the EU, SUMEX (SUstainable Management in EXtractive industries) will establish a sustainability framework for the extractive industries in Europe.
It does so by considering the Sustainable Development Goals, the European Green Deal, as well as EU Social License to Operate considerations and will involve stakeholders from civil society, industry, academia and government backgrounds from all across the EU.
This framework is then applied across the extractives value chain to analyse the mineral, as well as relevant economic, environmental and social policy frameworks of the EU, member states and selected regions along five focus areas – socio-economic and environmental impact assessments, land use planning, health and safety, reporting official statistics and permitting processes/policy integration – to find, or develop, where needed, good practices or tools for an open access toolkit. The toolkit will be embedded in a broader Community of Practice (CoP) that in combination form the basis for capacity building.
The CoP activities include a series of workshops and webinars in collaboration with relevant stakeholder groups, and in particular focusing on permitting authorities across the EU, which will provide a content base for the digital platform.
SUMEX applies the experience from other projects to build a powerful foundation for addressing the challenge of how best to integrate sustainability considerations into the whole raw materials value chain.
What makes SUMEX stand out?
It involves Andalusia as a regional partner to act as
1) a test case and
2) to involve other regions, i.e. those represented in MIREU and the OECD Mining Regions and Cities Initiative, to participate in SUMEX, as well as having access to the informal network of mining authorities and
It covers two practical use cases
Approach
Definition and operationalisation of sustainable management in the EU context
Despite the broad acceptance of sustainability as a narrative and/or concept for policy development and policy implementation, a broad agreement regarding its operationalisation in the extractive industries in Europe is still contested or even lacking. SUMEX will establish a conceptual framework for sustainable management of mineral resources, in the institutional context of the EU, Member States (MS) and relevant subnational units (i.e. regions). The conceptual framework will be established referring to one of the key sustainability concepts such as Demand Side Response (DSR) approach (or e.g. thematic approach, capital frameworks), in the context of weak or strong sustainability.
Clustering & meta-analysis based on previous and current project results
Policy analysis, good practises and use cases
Development of a digital toolkit of good practises and principles
Establishment of a Community of Practice (CoP)
A CoP is a group of actors that is sharing a particular practise. Learning is a social phenomenon, that is integrated in culture, values and practises of a certain community. For those experiential approaches, practise and learning are intertwined, explaining the importance of ‘real-world’ links, application and consequences of the learning experience. A CoP can exist as long as the members believe they have something to contribute to it, or gain from it. SUMEX will strongly draw on the Learners & Leaders League (3L) approach, establishing a CoP using co-located (physical) and virtual environments of engagement and peer learning, facilitating good practise experiences.
Expected impacts
Towards the end of the project:
An expanded knowledge of horizontal and vertical policy integration, coordination, policy mixes and conditions that support agenda setting.
A toolkit which functions as the core of an active learning and exchange environment for the Community of Practice (CoP).
Beyond the project boundaries and project period:
Support public and political acceptance of mineral extraction: next to public acceptance, political acceptance is crucial to support mineral activities. SUMEX will contribute to both, by enhancing transparent planning, policy and permitting processes and thus increasing trust, and supporting an improved understanding of agenda setting.
Long-term:
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement nº 101003622
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