Sustainability and Minerals SARMa project Slavko Šolar, Geological Survey of Slovenia Deborah Shields, Colorado State University GEOLOŠKI ZAVOD SLOVENIJE.

Sustainability and MineralsSARMa project

Slavko Šolar, Geological Survey of SloveniaDeborah Shields, Colorado State University

GEOLOŠKI GEOLOŠKI ZAVOD ZAVOD SLOVENIJESLOVENIJE

EGS – 27EGS – 27thth General Assembly Meeting General Assembly MeetingTechnical WorkshopTechnical Workshop

Zagreb, CROATIA, 15. 10. 2009Zagreb, CROATIA, 15. 10. 2009

Content Sustainability & Minerals Concepts EGS and Sustainable Minerals

TAIEX workshops 2007/2008 Recent EU projects

South East Project: SARMa Background Description, goals, partnership, … Start up details

The sustainable development paradigm has been widely accepted because it explicitly recognizes the

interconnectedness of social, economic and environmental

systems.

Sustainable Development• Is based on a comprehensive and inclusive,

i.e., post-modern, view of systems as open, dynamic, and integrated;

• Has overarching goals of sustainability, i.e., economic prosperity, environmental health and social equity, that are simple and flexible enough to allow for multiple interpretations and are applicable in a variety of circumstances;

• Is not a scientific concept, but rather an ethical precept; and

• Is a policy concept in and of itself that, in addition, makes demands on other policies.

Concepts

Sustainable development Concept of needs Idea of limitations Future oriented, Process of change

development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Discussions about the role of natural resources in sustainability tend to

focus on the need to sustain ecosystems and maintain

biodiversity.

Individual deposits are finite in size and quantity. On a broader, global scale, minerals

are seldom truly exhausted, but rather redistributed from their location in deposits to

products and waste materials. 6

The main goals of sustainability as applied to minerals are to maintain the stream of benefits to society and to do so in a manner that results in a net benefit to society over the life of the mine and the product.

Cooperation among Minerals teams

Raw Materials Supply Group

TAIEX workshops 2004 – 2009

EU projects

Mineral Exploration

Sustainability and minerals

Data and information exchange

Finland workshop 2002

EU Initiatives Communication 2000 (Promoting SD ..) Thematic strategy for use of natural resources Mining Waste Directive Raw Materials Initiative

TAIEX workshops Thematic strategy on sustainable use of natural

resources and sustainable development indicators and best practices on minerals intelligence (Ljubljana, 2007)

Capacity issues in the non-energy extractive sector in support of the EU thematic strategy on sustainable use of natural resources and the EU strategy on non-energy raw materials (Brussels, 2008)

Working Groups 1 and 2

Contribution to RMI discussion

eMINEnt proposal Set up a European Minerals Intelligence

Network based on: Available data and expertise, Analytical expertise / studies, Interpretation and modelling, and Improved coordination among different data suppliers and

data consumers at EU level and possibly at the EU-US level. Outcomes/products:

EU Minerals Yearbook, Network of experts with enhanced coordination,

communication and collaboration Research results Communication documents on minerals issues, And others.

Recent EU Minerals Projects

FP 7 PROMINE EOMINERS EUROGEOSOURCE ……

Others South East Europe – SARMa …..

SUSTAINABLE AGGREGATES RESOURCE

MANAGEMENT

SARMa

Relevance of aggregates

• Aggregates - basis of infrastructural development. – > 3 billion tonnes of sand, gravel and crushed stone

with a value > 35 billions € are produced annually in Europe to meet the demands of building and construction industry.

– Construction sector is predicted to grow, especially in new EU-members (4, 2 % per year).

• Secured supply of raw materials for the industry and therefore the importance of sustainable aggregates resource management is evident.

Project BackgroundAggregates (crushed stone, sand and gravel) are crucial for infrastructure and construction. SEE countries are rich in aggregates, but supply is not coordinated within or across the area. Challenges are illegal and damaging quarries, un-reclaimed sites, limited recycling and community opposition. Fulfilling demand requires efficient and sustainable supply chain (planning, extraction, transport, use and recycling), and socio-eco friendly quarrying, to preclude opposition to extraction, supply bottlenecks, and restricted growth.

Need of research• A group of experts South East Europe (SEE) decided to explore

sustainable aggregate management in the framework of the South East European (SEE) Transnational Programme 2007 – 2013 of the EU (http://www.southeast-europe.net/en/).

• project proposal procedure: 2 stages. – proposal approved in spring 2009

• from over 800 proposals SARMa was ranked as 15th• Project duration: 2,5 years. • Project partnership: 15 partners and 8 observers.

– authorities, universities, geological survey, chamber of commerce etc• EU members (Austria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Romania)

and • non-EU members (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and

Serbia). • Project budget is approximately 1,9 Mio. €.

Project objectives

• Focus of the project is related to – sustainable aggregate resource management (SARM),

• Efficient, low socio-environmental impact quarrying and efficient waste management.

– sustainable supply mix (SSM) policies and practices.• SSM uses multiple sources, including recycled wastes that together

maximize net benefits of aggregate supply.

• Development of a common approach to SARM and SSM to ensure efficient management and secure supply in SEE area.

• Increasing transfer of know-how, – and supporting capacity building in firms, government and civil

society.

Main objectives of the project are:

• to develop common approach to sustainable aggregate resource management (SARM) and

• sustainable supply mix (SSM) planning, at three scales, to ensure efficient and secure supply in SEE.

Three scales• At the site level, the issues are high environmental impacts, limited

recycling, need for stakeholder consultation and capacity, and lack of social license to operate. Local, site-level activities will focus on environmentally friendly extraction through best practices, reducing illegal quarrying, and recycling to reducing use of primary aggregates.

• At the regional/national level, the issues are policies and regulations affecting aggregates that: do not address resource and energy efficiency or EU guidelines; preclude the use of recycled materials and industrial by-products; and fail to address aggregate consumption in long-term sustainable development and spatial planning. Region/national activities will create a SARM framework for effective management, and define SSM, as well as recommend how to integrate SSM into planning and legislation.

• The transnational issues are lack of capacity and lack of coordination on aggregates production and transport. Transnational activities focus on harmonization of relevant policies and legislation across SEE, information transfer, and creation of an Aggregates Intelligence System.

WP3 – local level

• WP3 aims to fulfill project objectives on local scale focused on improving resource efficiency.– Decreasing environmental and social

impacts of quarrying and improving reclamation;

– Reducing illegal quarrying, and – Increasing recycling.

• WP3 provides technical information for WP4+WP5.

WP4 - Regional and National Level Activities

• Creation of a framework for sustainable aggregates resource management.

• Development of regional/national approaches to implementing SARM.

• Relevant regional/national legislation, procedures will be studied.

WP5 - Transnational Level Activities

• WP5 addresses transnational aspects, i.e. possibilities for harmonizing policies related to – 1) sustainable aggregates management– 2) secure supply– 3) establishment of a Regional Centre

for SARM and SSM in South-East-Europe.

Regional distribution of project partners

Project partners (15)1. ERDF: GeoZS - Geological survey of Slovenia, SI2. ERDF: MUL - University of Leoben, AT 3. ERDF: PELLA – Prefectural Authority of Pella, GR4. ERDF: IGME - Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration, GR5. ERDF: TUC – Technical University of Crete, GR6. ERDF: MBFH – Hungarian Office for Mining and Geology, HU7. ERDF: ER – Emilia-Romagna Region - Environment, Soil and Coast

Defense Department, IT8. ERDF: ANPAR – National Association Producers of Recycled Aggregates, IT9. ERDF: PARMA – Parma Province - Territorial Planning Service, IT10. ERDF: IGR – National Institute for Research-Development in domain

of Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry and Remote Sensing, RO11. ERDF: FGG – University of Bucharest, Faculty of Geology and Geophysics, RO12. IPA: MGK10 – Herzeg – Bosnia Canton Government – Ministry of Economy,

BiH13. IPA: RGF – University of Belgrade, Faculty of Mining and Geology, SRB14. 10 % partner: METE – Ministry of Economy, Trade and Energy, AL (Albanian

Geological Survey)15. 10% Partner: MINGORP – Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship,

Energy and Mining Directorate, HR (Croatian Geological Survey

Project observers (8):

1. MGRS – Ministry of Economy of Slovenia, SI2. ICMM – Independent Commission for Mines and Minerals, KOSOVO3. HELLENIC – Hellenic Quarries S.A., GR4. PAVLIDES – Pavlides S.A., GR5. RCM – Region of Central Macedonia, GR6. ACHAIA – Prefecture of Achaia, GR7. NAMR – National Agency for Mineral Resources, RO8. WKNOE – Lower Austria Economic Chamber, Crafts and Trades Division,

AT

Main outputs will include:

• Capacity building materials: printed materials (manuals) on – (1) local level aggregate operation improvements, – (2) regional, national and transnational policy, legislation,

management and supply mix, – (3) C & D waste management, tools, methods (e.g. life

cycle analysis);

• Regional, national and transnational events.

• Results will include use of best practices, adoption of SARM and SSM, harmonized policies, and ongoing collaboration among partners.

Expected results

• Local level: – More efficient aggregate extraction to maximize net benefits and achieve

sustainable quarry life-cycle, – Fewer illegal quarries, – Increased demolition waste recycling.

• Regional/national level: – More policies and legislation that incorporate principles of SARM, – More consistent management of aggregates across SEE-nations, – More nations creating maps and databases of aggregates & transportation

patterns

• Transnational level: – Increased capacity through knowledge transfer; – Greater policy coordination on SARM among SEE-nations, – Continuing partnership among project members representing ministries,

regional authorities, chambers of commerce and industry.

Summarizing and Outlook• Expected results of SARMa-project are

applicable across South East Europe area, enabling countries to implement harmonized approaches, thus increasing long term cooperation.

• Results will be applicable beyond SEE area, and will continue to be transferable via the manuals that describe best practices.

• Project progress can be observed on www.sarmaproject.eu.

THANK YOU !