ABSTRACT
This chapter provides insights into the environmental CSR practices of large-scale mining companies with regards to promoting sustainability and sustainable mining in a challenging and non-enabling institutional context of Ghana. The chapter argues that while environmental responsibility remains a regulatory compliance issue, anecdotal evidence suggests that some corporate managers of large-scale mining companies have embraced an industry-led voluntary institutionalized process based on perceived ethical obligation. However, to ensure sustainable development, it is suggested that environmental issues and impacts require managers of large-scale mining projects to refocus their sustainability efforts from impact mitigation to prevention strategies, especially during the development, production, and closure stages of mining. Consequently, CSR practices should consider impact mitigation and prevention practices during the development and production stages as part of concurrent mine closure strategies. The chapter suggests that the implementation of environmental CSR and sustainability initiatives can be beneficial to large-scale mining companies in terms of managing both regulatory and community pressures. The chapter concludes that beyond compliance, environmental CSR practices based on global standards and continuous improvement are positive steps towards sustainable mining in Ghana.
