With the ever-increasing trend towards resource nationalism, and higher expectations from aboriginal communities here in Canada, companies are having to work harder than ever to demonstrate the benefits of their investment to the jurisdictions where they operate. This presentation will show how many mining companies are turning to proactively increasing local procurement as an effective method of distributing benefits of mining activity, and for gaining their social license to operate. Central to this overview will be the results of an extensive survey of public reporting on local procurement by the top 50 Canadian mining companies covering the last two years, carried out by Engineers Without Borders. This research will demonstrate a trend towards increasing attention to local procurement, and show how an increasing number of companies consider it central to their CSR frameworks.
This presentation will also overview the exciting development benefits that local procurement brings, drawing from Engineers Without Borders’ knowledge and experience in sustainable development, and also showcase examples from companies including Sherritt, Hatch and IAMGOLD. These companies are leading the way in showing that purchases of local goods and services greatly increase the economic and social development potential of mining, and others are following suit.
