As one of the oldest industries in the world, mining has played a major role at critical stages of human development, from the beginning of the Bronze Age to the start of the Industrial Revolution some 250 years ago, and to all the minerals and metals that enable modern life today.
Now the industry is entering the Information Age, as digital and automated technologies transform the traditional process of extracting ore from rock. Mining companies have put the excesses of the commodity boom behind them and are refocusing their investments on innovation.
They are introducing automated drilling into high-risk underground areas, putting microbes to work to extract metal from ore more efficiently and even using blockchain to trace diamonds through the supply chain.
Meanwhile, miners are working together to reinvent their industry and put it on a more sustainable and more collaborative footing. At the same time as sharing their infrastructure to reduce costs, they are deepening their partnerships with local communities and other stakeholders to preserve their long-term licences to operate.
“Many of our members are working jointly with communities and local, regional and national governments to develop a shared vision about how to maximize the positive impact of their operations”, says Tom Butler, CEO of the International Council on Mining and Metals
As published in TIME magazine
