Sustainability and the SDGs

SMI is a culturally diverse and inclusive research institute; we value the wellbeing of staff and students and host a range of activities to support our community. Good planning and financial management ensure we remain a strong institution and can continue to support education and research. 

 

SMI delivers quality education to the next generation of industry and community leaders through Higher Degrees by research and professional development courses. All SMI HDR research theses are linked to the SDGs. 

 

SMI’s research focuses on understanding and optimising the role of resources in global sustainability and minimising the impact on people, communities and the environment. 

 

 

 

This three-year Australian Research Council Future Fellowship is addressing a major gap in our understanding of global poverty by assessing for the first time the mineral security dimensions. Minerals are the only natural resource missing from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, despite their importance in providing shelter, mobility, energy, communication and sustenance.

 

 

A participatory planning framework developed by researchers in the Centre fo Water in the Minerals industry and SMI-ICE Chile maximises the benefits of shared water infrastructure in water-scarce mining regions. The framework uses in-person workshops and GIS software to facilitate knowledge-sharing between stakeholders and plan infrastructure networks based on economic, environmental and social criteria.

 

This five-year project is funded by the BHP Foundation and impemented in partnership with Landesa, RESOLVE and Conservation international. Growing demands on natural resources result in intensifying demand for access to land in many remote and vulnerable regions across the globe, these include minerals, water, land, and renewable energy. While some countries and companies require consultation and consent before accessing these natural resources, there is too often an ‘implementation gap’ between agreed standards of practice and performance on the ground. This project aims to improve and close the gap on effective governance of natural resources.

 

 

 

 

The Mine Waste Transformation through Characterisation (MIWATCH) research group is applying geometallurgical tools to enable the geoenvironmental characterisation of mine waste across the life-of-mine. The group use chemical, mineralogical, mineral chemistry, physical, and metallurgical testing tools to determine the properties of mine waste, predicting the behaviour of future mine wastes in order to protect communities, reduce liabilities and realise potential economic benefits. 

 

 

The Collaborative Consortium for Coarse Particle Processing Research (CPR) was initiated by the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) to tackle the multidisciplinary aspects of coarse particle processing such as flotation, comminution, classification, and equipment design and process chemistry. The processing of coarse particles is considered one of the key research areas for developing improved energy efficiency of mineral processing operations.

 

 

 

Through the Resourcing Decarbonisation Program researchers are tackling the sources and supply risks around mineral supply, mitigating the carbon impacts of the resources sector, examining market incentives and policy protections, and understanding the complex risk interactions associated with decarbonising society. The program also aims to grow interdisciplinary and cross-jurisdictional research on minerals, energy transitions and sustainable development.

 

 

SMI works collaboratively with industry, governments, civil society and a wide range of other stakeholders to address the challenges and develop solutions for mining's role in a sustainable future.