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Social‐environmental certification: Sustainable development and competitiveness in the mineral industry of the Brazilian Amazon
Author(s) -
Rodrigues da Silva Enríquez Maria Amélia,
Drummond José
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
natural resources forum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.646
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1477-8947
pISSN - 0165-0203
DOI - 10.1111/j.1477-8947.2007.00127.x
Subject(s) - certification , sustainability , business , sustainable development , amazon rainforest , bauxite , natural resource economics , environmental planning , environmental protection , geography , political science , ecology , economics , management , materials science , metallurgy , law , biology
This article examines the relationship between increased metal mining and sustainable development in the eastern section of the Amazonian state of Pará in Brazil. Since the early 1980s, mining has grown rapidly in Pará and local mining operations have become global leaders in the production of iron, manganese, bauxite, aluminum, gold, copper and — in the near future — nickel. To stay in tune with global standards, these companies have committed themselves to the principles of sustainability and have obtained certification for both social and environmental aspects of their activities. The article looks into whether such certification is linked to sustainable development of the relatively poor regions where these companies operate. The main findings are that: (1) there is a visible association between certification and improved performance by the companies, but not with the development of nearby areas; and (2) social‐environmental certification processes place more emphasis on ecological variables than on social ones.