ABSTRACT
Mining is the world's second oldest and most important industry after agriculture. Mining impacts upon national economies in terms of employment generation, especially new mining projects which can create large, but short-term demand for employment, capital and raw materials inputs, and by the production of new materials for use in the manufacture of semi-finished and finished products. The notion of sustainable development lies in progress within economic, social, as well as environmental dimensions. The term sustainable development is used to reflect a growing concern about the interaction between economic activity and the quality of environment. There are several key factors that drive mining companies to address sustainable development, including: enhancement of shareholders value; survival of the business in the long term; improvement of risk management and improvement of relationships with local communities. Determining the environmental policy for sustainable development of the natural resources sector is a national priority in a number of developed and developing countries.
