Exploring corporate social responsibility practice versus stakeholder interests in Nordic mining

Population growth, the speed of urbanization in Asia and the more sophisticated requirements of the developed world have led to an increased demand for metals. Sweden is currently one of the EU's leading producers of ores and metals and major investments have been made regarding exploration. Although mining activities may be good for the local economy, mining can also have a negative impact both on the local environment and society which have generated a significantly increased stakeholder pressure over the last twenty years. As a consequence, the mining industry wants to be in fore front when it comes to practicing corporate social responsibility (CSR) in order to obtain the social license to operate (SLO). The concept SLO is based on the idea that mining companies need not only government permission (or permits) but also “social permission” to conduct their business. The social license consists of different parts, depending on the conditions in place. This paper is focusing on the Nordic mining industry and its stakeholders with the purpose to explore if CSR practice actually complies with stakeholder interests. This study, based on a content analysis of sustainability reports and a stakeholder survey, indicates that the CSR practice do comply to some extent with stakeholder interests but that there are room for improvement regarding the respect for laws and regulations, anti-corruption, sustainable resource use and energy in particular, sustainable land use, sustainable transports and the recycling of metals.