MSE Stock Stories - Minara Resources Ltd
Minara Resources Limited is an Australian company held within Eco Pool. Read on to gain a sustainability insight into this company via an assessment conducted by Monash Sustainability Enterprises (MSE).
Minara has developed an ISO14001 compliant environmental management system (EMS) commensurate with its environmental impact. The EMS underpins the company’s compliance orientation, with the company claiming full compliance with environmental laws and regulations during 2005. Minara has implemented initiatives to reduce its operational impacts, for example it has a program in place to minimise water use, and has developed tools to accurately measure the quality of its rehabilitation program. Minara has identified dust and air emissions as "key challenges" for the organisation and is currently managing these in line with regulatory expectations. It is required to report emissions to the National Pollutant Inventory (NPI), and this is helping to improve its monitoring and measurement practices. However, like many resources companies, Minara’s emissions are increasing in line with production, and there is no evidence of a strategy to reduce its ecological footprint over time. While Minara’s environmental rating remains in line with its sector peers, its rate of progress, in terms of initiatives and performance, appears to have reached a plateau.
Minara’s main social issues are the health and safety of its workforce, attracting and retaining staff, and community relations. Its approach to safety, together with its performance, is in line with higher rated sector peers, and performance is improving. Minara’s safety strategy includes the development of a safety policy, the implementation of a safety management system consistent with AS4801, and development of a safety culture through training programs and other initiatives. The company has also implemented a company-wide health policy - an initiative which indicates a more holistic approach to workplace health and safety compared to some sector peers. Minara has implemented a number of initiatives to maintain and develop its workforce and claims to be reducing staff turnover at a time of skills shortages in the mining sector. Among initiatives to broaden its workforce pool is the "Mineprep" program, which is specially aimed at recruiting indigenous workers into the mining industry. There is no evidence that Minara has been subject to any significant industrial relations campaigns in the last year. The company has also developed formal processes for management of community relations, with an aim of meeting stakeholder expectations through open and effective communication. Minara supports a number of local community initiatives and continues a longstanding relationship with the Murrin Murrin Aboriginal Environmental Liaison Committee. Minara’s social rating would benefit from greater disclosure of the details of its community relations programs, such as the level of support provided for its initiatives.
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