Sustainabilitycommunicationintheminingindustry

AndersNilssonJohanSandströmThomasLind

LuleåUniversityofTechnology

December2013

Apre‐studyreporttoHjalmarLundbohmResearchCenter(HLRC)

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Content ListofabbreviationsSummary1.Introduction2.Conceptualframework3.Researchmethod4.Findings–topcompaniesinSweden Björkdalsgruvan Dannemora Dragonmining LKAB LapplandGoldminers Lovisagruvan Lundinmining NewBoliden

NorthlandResources5.Findings–topcompaniesglobally Alcoa AngloAmerican BHPBilliton Barrick Fortescue

Freeport‐McMoran GlencoreXstrata Goldcorp Newmont RioTinto Teck Vale6.DiscussionandconclusionsReferencesAppendix

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List of abbreviations AA1000–AccountAbility’sprinciple‐basedstandardguidingsustainabilityreportingCDP–CarbonDisclosureProjectCSR–CorporateSocialResponsibilityDJSI–DowJonesSustainabilityIndexGRI–GlobalReportingInitiativeEITI–ExtractiveIndustriesTransparencyInitiativeICMM–InternationalCouncilonMiningandMetalsILO–InternationalLaborOrganizationISO–InternationalOrganizationforStandardizationMDG–MillenniumDevelopmentGoalsREACH–TheEUregulationforRegistration,Evaluation,AuthorisationandRestrictionofChemicalsSR–SustainabilityReport/ingUNDHR–UnitedNationsDeclarationofHumanRightsUNGC–UnitedNationsGlobalCompact

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Summary Thisreportisbasedonapre‐studyaimingtoprovideanoverviewofwhatandhowthelargestminingcompanies,internationallyandinSweden,communicateintermsofsustainabilityontheirwebsites.Thereportpresentsabroadunderstandingofwhatlargeminingcompanies‘say’whenitcomestosustainability.Conceptually,thestudydrawsonwritingsintheareasoforganizationalcommunication,institutionaltheoryandsustainabilityaccounting.Methodologically,thestudyisbasedonqualitativetextualanalyses,tosomeextentaidedbythetextanalytictoolLeximancer.ThemainfindingsofthestudyarethatwhilemostcompaniescommunicateallrelevantsustainabilityissuesandallthegloballeaderspublishsustainabilityreportswiththeGlobalReportingInitiativelevelA+,allcompaniesdistinctivelycommunicatesustainabilityinuniqueways.Inthisreport,thesesimilaritiesanddifferencesinsustainabilitycommunicationareretoldinfourmaintensionsandfourmainstories.

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1. Introduction Companies’communicationonsustainability–economic,environmentalandsocial–hasincreasedovertheyears(Basil&Erlandson2008;Borglundetal.2008;Capriotti&Moreno2007;Frostenson,Helin&Sandström2011).Mostlargecompanies,independentofindustry,communicatesustainabilityinsomeformandmostofthemengageinsustainabilityreporting(SR;Frostenson,Helin&Sandström2012a;2012b;2013),definedbytheGlobalReportingInitiative(GRI)ashelping:

organizationstosetgoals,measureperformance,andmanagechangeinordertomaketheiroperationsmoresustainable.Asustainabilityreportconveysdisclosuresonanorganization’simpacts–betheypositiveornegative–ontheenvironment,societyandtheeconomy.Indoingso,sustainabilityreportingmakesabstractissuestangibleandconcrete,therebyassistinginunderstandingandmanagingtheeffectsofsustainabilitydevelopmentsontheorganization’sactivitiesandstrategy.(GRI2013:3)

Tocommunicatesustainabilitythenimpliescommunicatingallthreecategoriesofsustainability–economic,environmentalandsocial.Withineachofthesecategories,however,thereisawiderangeofissuesthatcouldbecommunicatedandtheselectionofwhattocommunicateisacomplexandcontextuallyboundprocess.GiventhegrowinguseofSR,however,thereisanon‐goingstandardizationofissuesthatshouldbecommunicated(Frostensonetal2012a).FollowingthereportingguidelinesdevelopedbytheGRI,thethreecategoriesofsustainabilityarefine‐tunedintosevenmainsustainabilityissues:economy,environment,society,healthandsafety,humanrights,productresponsibility,andequality.

1.1 Sustainability in the mining industry Asdifferentindustriestosomeextentfacedifferentsustainabilitychallenges,whatareconsideredassalientsustainabilityissuesarecommonlydecidedinaparticularcontextbaseduponwhomthecompany’ssalientstakeholdersare(Mitchelletal1997;Jensen&Sandström2011).Thisreportfocusesontheminingindustryanditistoalargeextentauniqueindustry,particularlywhenitcomestosustainability.Mining,ingeneral,createssignificanteconomic,environmentalandsocialfootprints.Theindustryalsofacespressuretopracticeandcommunicatesustainability.InitsreportMine.Thegrowingdisconnectfrom2012,PWCconcludesthat:

CEOsarefacedwithpersistentpressurefromgovernmentsandcommunitieswhocontinuetodemandanever‐growingshareoftheminingpie,generatinginvestoruncertainty.ManyCEOshavesoughttoimprovestakeholderengagement,enhancetransparencyintaxpayments,andfocusonimprovingsustainableminingdevelopment.However,withthesociallicensestooperatebecominghardertoobtain,CEOsrecognisethatactionsarenotenough−tellingthestoryisalsoimportant.Weexpecttoseemoreactivityinthisspacegoingforward.(PWC2012:15)

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Bothsustainabilitypracticeandcommunicationofthesepracticesareimportant,thatis.Itmightevenbearguedthatitisofparticularimportancethatanintegratedapproachtosustainability,engagingbothinsustainablepracticesandinhonestandtrustworthystorytellingonsustainability,isfosteredintheminingindustry.Therearealsoanumberofinitiativesthatpointtothesustainabilityissues’increasingsalienceintheminingindustry.TheExtractiveIndustriesTransparencyInitiative(EITI)isoneexample,announcedbyformerBritishPrimeMinister,TonyBlair,in2002inJohannesburg,SouthAfrica,atthefollow‐upmeetingoftheRio‐conferencein1992.EITIconsistsofrepresentativesfromcountries,civilsocietyorganizationsandminingcompanies.AnotherexampleistheInternationalCouncilonMining&Metals(ICMM),establishedin2001,ledbyCEOsoflargeminingandmetalscompaniesandassociations.ICMMwritesonitshomepagethat:“Ourvisionisoneofleadingcompaniesworkingtogetherandwithotherstostrengthenthecontributionofmining,mineralsandmetalstosustainabledevelopment”(ICMM2013).GRIhasalsodevelopedaso‐calledsectorsupplementsfortheminingandmetalssector(“MiningandMetalsSectorSupplement”,seeAppendix),structuredaroundthesevensustainabilityissuesintheGRIframeworkmentionedpreviously.

1.2 Research question and aim Basedonthegrowinginterestamongminingcompaniesandtheirstakeholderstoworkwithsustainabledevelopment,theresearchquestionsetforthinthisreportis:Howdothelargestminingcompanies,internationallyandinSweden,communicatesustainability?Groundedinanexaminationofminingcompanies’sustainabilityreportsandothersustainabilitycommunicationonthecompanies’websites,theaimofthisreportistodescribewhatiscommunicatedandhowitiscommunicatedinordertocreateabroadunderstandingofminingcompanies’sustainabilitycommunication.

1.3 Outline of the report Theremainderofthereportisstructuredasfollows.Inchapter2,webrieflyintroducetheconceptualmodelonwhichouranalysisisbased,alongwithaselectionofitsmostsignificanttheoreticalunderpinnings.Chapter3coverstheresearchmethodswehaverelieduponinouranalysis.Thischapterexplainstheselectionofminingcompaniesincludedinthestudyaswellasthedifferentphasesduringwhichourconclusionshaveemerged,asresultsofdifferentmethodologicalapproaches.Chapter4presentsourempiricalresultswhenitcomestothetopcompaniesinSwedenandchapter5providesasimilaroverviewofthetopglobalplayersintheindustry.Chapters6and7containadiscussionofourfindingsandtheconclusionsandimplicationsofthestudy.

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2. Conceptual framework Whenaimingforabroaderunderstandingofminingcompanies’sustainabilitycommunication,thereareseveralperspectivesonorganizationalcommunicationavailableforsuchapurpose(cf.Boland&Tenkasi1995).Wehavechosentoappropriateamoretraditionalideaaboutorganizationalcommunication,asinvolvingamessage,asender,areceiverandafocusontheformormediausedtocommunicate,tofitthecontemporarycontextforminingcompanies.Thislineofthinkingaboutcommunicationhasbeendrawnupononmanyoccasionsinaddressingnumerousdifferentresearchquestionsinbusinessstudies.Hence,ourchosenapproachdrawsontheoreticalunderpinningswhicharewellestablishedinthisresearchdiscipline.ThefirstaspectconsideredistheMESSAGEthecompanysendsout.Putdifferently,thisisaboutWHATthecompanycommunicates.Doesitmerelystatefactsorareemotions,valuesandstorytellinginvolved?Istheinformationverydetailedandspecificorisitofamoregeneralandoverarchingkind?Isthemessagekeptsimpleordoesitbecomehighlycomplextocapture?Doesthecompanypredominantlycommunicatesuccessesoraretheresignsoffailuresinthesustainabilityworkaswell?Isthemessagesystematicallytoldormoreadhoc?ThesecondaspectzoomsinontheSENDERandtheSTYLEinwhichthemessageissent.ItistoalargeextentthequestionofWHOsendsthemessage.Focusishereonmatterssuchaswhoisdoingthetalking,theCEOoristhecompany‘speaking’?Whichtoneofvoicedotheyuse,amoreauthoritarianoramoredialogic?Isthestylemorepermeatedbystatementsofhowitis(concrete)oramoreinviting‘weareinthistogether’(abstract)?Isitoneofinclusivenessorexclusiveness?ThethirdaspectdealswiththeRECEIVERsofthecompany’smessage,thosestakeholdersthecompanyseemstocommunicatewith.Aretheyinvolvedincoreoperationsormorelocatedintheperiphery?Dospecificissuestargetspecificreceivers?Doesthetargetgroupofthecompany’ssustainabilitycommunicationseemtobeaverylimitedgrouporabroadgroupofstakeholders?Aretheygloballydispersedorverylocallyanchored?ThefourthandlastaspectconsideredinthisversionofcommunicationistheFORM,orMEDIA,relieduponbythecompany.Thereis,ofcourse,alimitationtotheparticularwebsites,butthenfocusisonhowtheymakeuseoftexts,pictures,graphs,numbers,sound,videosetc.Takentogether,howcompaniesanswertothesefouraspectstosomeextentdefinestheirapproachtosustainabilitycommunication.Theliteratureonorganizationalcommunicationasusedabovedoesnot,however,answertowhatcanbesaidaboutthedifferentapproaches.Asthisreportpredominantlyhasadescriptiveapproach,thestudydrawsonpreviousliteratureforthestructuring

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oftheempiricalmaterialtosomeextent,whilesubsequentlyemphasizinganempiricallygroundedunderstandingofwhatandhowcompaniescommunicateintheareaofsustainability.Later,inthediscussionandconclusions,sometheoreticalideasare,however,broughtin(DiMaggio&Powell1991;Milneetal2006),inordertogivesomesuggestionstohowthisstudytapsintopreviousresearch.

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3. Research method Thisreportisbasedoninformationcommunicatedbyminingcompaniesontheirrespectivehomepages.TheselectionofwhichminingcompaniestoincludeinthestudyisbuiltonanationalinterestinminingcompaniesoperatinginSweden,butalsoongeneratinganoverviewoftheglobalcorporateleadersintheminingindustry.TheambitionwasinitiallytoselectandanalyzethetoptencompaniesinSwedenandthetoptencompaniesglobally.Thereare,however,onlyninecompaniesactuallyoperatinginSweden,whichmeantthattheywereallselected:

Figure3.1:ThetopnineminingcompaniesoperatinginSwedenFocusingonthegloballevel,manyofthelargestminingcompaniesintheworldarealsosignificantplayersinareasnotdirectlyrelatedtomining,whichmeansthatothersalientstakeholdersinfluencetherespectivecompany’ssustainabilitycommunication.Thismightcomplicatecomparisonsbetweencompanies,butasweinterpretit,itcanalsoopenupforinterestingobservationsbetweenthecases.Creatingatoptenlistofthegloballeadersintheminingindustryalsoprovedabitarbitrary.Accommodatingsomeoftheborderlinecasesthetoptenlistwaseventuallyextendedtoatopdozenlist:

BJÖRKDALSGRUVAN

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Figure3.2:Logotypesfromthetop12globalminingcompaniesAtthetimeofwritingthisreport,twoverylargecorporations,XstrataandGlencore,merged,andwehaveanalyzedthewebsiteforthenewcompany,GlencoreXstrata.However,ithasnotpublishedajointSRfor2012,butonthenewwebsitethecompanycommunicatesthereportspublishedbytherespectivecompaniesbeforethemerger.WehavethereforechosentousetheGlencoreandXstratareportsfrom2011.AllotherSRsanalyzedinthisreportarefrom2012(from2013forthoseusingadifferentfinancialyear).Giventhisselectionofcasecompanies,thedatacollectionwasbasedonwhatmightbereferredtoasaface‐valueanalysisofeachcompany’swebsite.Thismeantthatsectionsontheparticularsitewheretherespectivecompanyexplicitlycommunicatesoneormoreofthesevensustainabilitycategorieswereidentified.Foreachcompany,anumberedlistofsustainabilityrelatedcommunicationandthespecificlinktothissectionoftextwerealsocompiled.Thislistprovidedagroundedviewofwhichcategoriesthatwerecommunicated,whereonthewebsiteandtowhichextenttheywerecommunicated.Thisphaseoftheresearchprocessalsoimpliedcompilingfactsandothermoretangibleinformationfacilitatingcomparisonsbetweencompanies.Itmeantcollectingbasicfactssuchassizeintermsofsalesandnumberofemployees,ifandwherethecompany’sshareislisted,whereintheworldthecompanyisactive,whichmineralsthataremined,and,importantly,whichsustainability

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relatedtools,initiativesandstandards(forexample,ICMM,UNGCandGRI)thatarecommunicated.Thisfirstphasethen,focusedonsomeofthebasicfactsand,predominantly,ontheimpressioneachsitegivesoffandondescribingwhichsustainabilitystoryeachcompanyiscommunicating.Asthelistsmentionedaboveinthemselvesdonottellmuchofastory,inthereport,theselists,thebasicfactsandthevisualimpressionsfromeachsite,aretranslatedintostoriesstructuredbytheorganizationalcommunicationmodeloutlinedinthetheoreticalframework(message,sender,receiver,form).Followingthesestoriesbasedontheimpressionseachsitegivesoff,thedataprocessingwastosomeextenttriangulatedbyzoominginontheSRs(wherethesewerepossibletodownload).Inthisphase,weenrolledthesoftwareforqualitativetextanalysis,Leximancer.ThroughLeximancer,eachavailableSRwastranslatedintoalistofkeythemes(conceptsthatarewidelyusedandthedegreeofconnectivitybetweentheseconcepts)andaconceptmapthatillustratesthedifferentemphasesonsustainabilitythattherespectiveminingcompaniesmake.Inshort,Leximancerhelpsansweringthequestion:WhichconceptsandissuesdoesthecompanycommunicateinitsSRandhowaretheseconceptsandissuesrelatedtoeachother?Theconceptsmapscouldalsobedescribedassustainability“heatmaps”thatinthemselvestellasustainabilitystory.Thelistsofkeythemesemergingfromtheseanalysessometimeincludeduptotenconceptsforeachcompany,butinourretellingofeachLeximanceranalysis,wehavedrawnthelinebasedonthedegreeofconnectivitytonolessthenaround30%intheLeximancertables.Thismeantthatonaverage,fivetosixthemesarelisted.Aninterestingquestionforthisreportis,ofcourse,howthestoriesbasedontheLeximancer‐analysesmatch,ornot,thestoriesbasedontheimpressionseachsitegivesoff.Anormativeideaisthattheyshouldmatcheachother;thattheyshouldtellthesamestory,butinmostcasestherearetensions.Whythesetensionsoccuristoalargeextentbeyondthisreport,butitpointstointerestingavenuesforfurtherresearch.Takentogether,eachcaseanalysisiscomparedwiththeothercasecompanies,aprocessinwhichweidentifybothgeneraltendenciesandspecificdifferencesinminingcompanies’sustainabilitycommunication.

3.1 Websites as sources Beforepresentingeachofthecompanies’sustainabilitycommunication,anoteontheuseofwebsitesassourcesfordatacollectionisneeded.Weparticularlythinkofoneaspect:siteschange,sometimesfromonedaytoanotherandformostofthecompanies,particularlythelargerones,sustainabilitycommunicationisadynamic,‘livingthing’.Thesiteanalysesundertakenforthisreporthavenotbeenconductedatthesametime,neitherwithinnoracrossthe

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differentcasecompanies.Visits,andre‐visits,havebeenconductedoveraperiodofninemonths(January‐September2013).Oneevidentexampleisthatduringthistime,eachcompanyengaginginSRhaspublishedanewSR(usuallypublishedearlytolateSpring).Thishasonoccasionresultedinthefirstphaseofthedatacollection(theface‐valueanalysis)beingperformedearlyoninthestudy(January‐March),whiletheLeximanceranalyseshavebeenperformedbasedonthelatestSR(inApril‐September).Althoughdiscrepancieswithinacasemightoccurthen,wedonotseethisaffectingthegeneralobservationsandconclusionsdrawninthisreportassuch.Forsure,acriticaleventmightchangethesustainabilitycommunication,butpathdependencyalsovouchesforsomeinertia.

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4. Findings – top companies in Sweden Björkdalsgruvan AB BjörkdalsgruvanAB,theBjörkdalMine,islocatedinthecountyofVästerbotten,Sweden.Theminewasopenedin1988asaresultofmineralfindings(gold)in1983andsubsequentprospecting.TheBjörkdalMineis100%ownedandoperatedbyawhollyownedsubsidiaryofElginMining,BjörkdalsgruvanAB.In2010,itsurpasseditsfirstmillionthounceofgoldproduction.TheBjörkdalMineclaimstobeoneofthemostenvironmentallyfriendlyandsafeminesinEurope.Themineisacombinedopenpitandundergroundoperationwithasurfaceplantdesignedtoprocessbetween1.2and1.3milliontonsannually.Theplantproducesgoldconcentrate,whichissoldtonearbysmelters.Theoperationsarebasedonacombinationofgravityandflotation,withnocyanidationused.In2011Björkdalproduced41,000ouncesofgoldwithplanned2012productionbetween44,000and46,000ounces.Björkdalsgruvanemploys160peopleandhadsalesofmorethan75millionUSDin2012.TheBjörkdalwebpageisinSwedishonlyandhasastraightforwardstructureandoutlineeightdifferentheadings;1)theCompany,2)theProcess,3)Humanresources,4)Environment,5)Subcontractors,6)History,7)Contact,and8)Jobopportunities.Thefollowingfouriconsor‘buttons’arealsoavailableonthesite;1)Process,2)Environment,3)Entrepreneurs,and4)Preconditions.Theheadingsabove,whichareidenticaltoanyoftheicons,mentionedleadtoidenticalinformation.Thetopofthewebpageexhibitsaphotographofanoperationsofficer‘inaction’,remote‐controllingundergroundminingequipment.Theotherpicturesonthesitegivea‘natural’(unrefined,authentic)impressionandillustratetheheadingsandiconsofthewebsite.Thereisnosustainabilityreportavailableonthewebsite,andverylittleevidenceofanydetailedguidelinesandpoliciesonsustainabilityandenvironmentalissues.Nofinancialinformationinrelationtosustainabilityisprovided.TheMESSAGEconveyediscomparativelyhighonfactualcontent.Althoughthereisroomforvalues,muchofthemessageisdescriptive,forexample,thehistoryofthemine,theproductionprocessandtheenvironmentalimplicationsoftheminingoperations.Accordingly,themessageappearsratherspecificandterritorial(relatedtotheconditionsofaspecificminingsite)andsimpleratherthancomplex(forexampleintermsofthelanguageused).Thereisanemphasisonstressingsuccessindifferentdomains.TheSENDERisonthelocallevelandtheSTYLEisconcrete.Ineverysectionofthewebsitethemessageincludesoralstatementsbylocallevelemployeesindifferentfieldsofactivity,whotestifytothesuccessofBjörkdal.Thereislittleevidenceofauthorityyetlittleevidenceofdialogue.OneinterpretationisthatthewebisdesignedtocommunicatebasicinformationprimarilytoRECEIVERSthatincludestakeholdersinthelocalcommunity,

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includingpossiblefutureemployees.ByrestrictingthewebsitethroughexclusiverelianceontheSwedishlanguage,thetargetgroupimmediatelybecomesmorelimited.TheFORMreliesmainlyontextandpictures,supplementedbyacertainamountofnumberstohighlightkeyfacts.TheinterpretationthatthewholecommunicationprincipallyisdesignedforalocaltargetgroupisplausiblebecausetheElginMining(owners)websiteholdscorporatesocialresponsibilityinformation(notablyanenvironmentalandsustainabledevelopmentpolicyandahealthandsafetypolicy)aswellasfinancialinformationandrelateditemstargetinginvestors.Possibly,asBjörkdaliswhollyownedbyElginMining,localmanagementmightseelittlereasonforcommunicatingsustainabilityindetailtoprospectiveinvestors.Additionally,theBjörkdalMinehasnotbeensubjecttoextensivemediainterestforenvironmental‐orsustainability‐relatedeventsandthustheneedtoattempttocreatelegitimacythroughthewebcanbeperceivedtobelimited.ItshouldbenotedthatwhiletheElginMiningwebsitecommunicatessustainabilityinmoredetailthanthelocallevelBjorkdalsite,theElginwebsitealsoiscomparablysimpleandstraightforwardinrelationtomanyotherplayersintheminingindustry.Thus,thesimplicityoftheBjorkdalweb‐basedsustainabilitycommunicationmayitselfmirrorthephilosophyinthisareaofitsowners.

Dannemora Mineral Dannemoraisaminingandexplorationcompany,anditsmainactivityisminingintheDannemoraironoremine.Dannemoraemploys51peopleandhadsalesof21millionUSDin2012.Thecompany’sBsharesaretradedonFirstNorthinStockholmandonOsloAxess.Visitingitswebsite,thereisapictureofasmall,idyllicminingfacility,partlycoveredbysnow.Therearefivemainheadings;Home,AboutDannemora,Operations,Market,andCareer.ThenslightlytotherightaretheheadingsofSustainability,Investorrelations,Press,andContact.Thefirstimpressionisthatthesitespeaksstraightforwardlytotheinvestor,boththroughtext,pictures(diagramoftheDannemorashare)andvideos.ExploringtheSustainabilityheading,theMESSAGEstatedisthatthecompany“shalloperatewithahighlevelofprofitability,responsibilityandexpertise,enablingittobeanattractiveworkplaceandbusinesspartner”,andthat“[t]hegoalistobearesponsibleandsustainablecompanyineveryway.”Inacoherentbutshorttext,thevisitorcanreadaboutthecompany’sambitionsandprinciplesintheareasof:Healthandsafety,Quality,Personnel,Environment,andEnergy.IntermsofwhatDannemoracommunicates,itispredominantlyaboutvaluesandonaverygenerallevel.Themessageissimpleandpositivelyframed.Dannemorahascorporategovernanceguidelines,butitdoesnotpublishasustainabilityreportnorcommunicateanyotheractivitiesinthesustainabilityarea.TheSENDERisthecompany,usingaratherabstractvoice,informingthevisitoraboutitssustainabilityambitionsandvalues.TheRECEIVERsseemverylimited

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inDannemora’scase.Giventheverygenerallyformulatedandlimitedsustainabilitycommunication,andnoenrolmentofanythird‐partyactors(standards,accreditations,initiativesetc.),itisdifficulttoidentifywhomDannemoracommunicateswithintheareaofsustainability.TheMEDIAusedispredominantlytext,withonlytwopictures(onefrominsideamineandoneofafour‐leafcloverdisplayingDannemora’svalues).

Dragon Mining  DragonMiningisaNordicgoldproducer,registeredinAustraliaandlistedontheAustralianSecuritiesExchange,withoperationsinVästerbotten,SwedenandinFinland.TheSvartlidenProductionCentreislocatedinnorthernSweden,westoftheSkellefteåMiningDistrict.SvartlidenwasbroughtintoproductioninMarch2005andrepresentsthefirstintegratedmineandtreatmentplanttobedevelopedunderthenewSwedishEnvironmentandMiningActs.BytheendofSeptember2012ithadproducedmorethan300,000ouncesofgold.TheSvartlidengolddepositisminedbyopen‐cutandundergroundmethods,withmaterialprocessedthroughacarboninleachplant(CIL)withadesigncapacityof300,000tonsperannum.Salesamountedto79millionUSDfor2012.ThewebsiteisstrictlybasedontheEnglishlanguage.Itisheadedbyascenicpictureofamineralstransportthroughasunnywinterlandscape.Tenheadingsarevisible;1)Aboutus,2)Operations,3)Exploration,4)Investor,5)Reports,6)ASXreleases,7)Gallery,8)Employment,9)Links,and10)Contacts.Nexttotheheadingsisaphotograph,whichautomaticallyswitchesbetweenfivedifferentpicturesofawinterlandscape,indooroperationalwork,minersinhelmetsandminingequipment‘inaction’.Thereisanewsflashsectionshowingshortheadingsonmatterssuchasthereleaseofanewfinancialreportoranewdisclosurepolicy.Therearelinkstothelatestannualreportsandpresentations,and‘liveinformation’onthecurrentsharepriceofthecompanyontheAustralianStockExchange(ASX).Eachheadingissupplementedwithsubheadings,themostplentiful,whichreferstothecategoriesofInvestor,ReportsandASXreleases.ThewebsitereferstoASXcorporategovernancepracticesandincludesadetailedcodeofconduct,adiversitypolicy,aremunerationandnomination(bonusscheme)charterandseveralotherformalpolicydocuments,butnosustainabilityreport.Thewebisbenttowardscommunicationwithinvestorsandpackedwithmanagerialjargonasevidencedbythisquote(italicsadded):“DragonMiningLimitedisaleadingNordicgoldproducerwiththemanagement,financialandresourcecapacitytodeliveronitsgrowthstrategytoproduce150,000ouncesofgoldperannum.TheCompanywillusecashflowsgeneratedfromoperationstoaggressivelyexploreanddevelopthehighlyprospectiveKuusamoGoldProjectinnorthernFinland.”TheMESSAGEismainlyconcernedwiththereportingoffinancialperformanceandwithregulationcompliance,makingthemessageorientedtowardsfactualcontentandcomplextograspwhilemostlyconcernedwiththecelebrationofsuccess.Thepresentationappearshighlysystematic.Oneinterpretationisthat

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thecompanyisusingthewebsitetoattracttheappealofpotentialinvestors,andthatinvestorsareseenasorientedtowardsfinancialsandtowardstheexistenceofformalpoliciesandguidelines,butnottowardsthesustainabilitydimension(asevidencedbytheabsenceofasustainabilitypolicy).TheSENDER/STYLEistop‐levelandusesanabstractvoice.Thereisverylittleuseofthepronouns“we”or“us”andevidentlyamatterofconveyinginformationauthoritatively.TheRECEIVERsappeartoalesserextenttoincludeemployeesandtoagreaterextenttoincluderegulators,authoritiesandinvestor,makingthetargetgroupglobalyetnarrow.TheFORMreliesheavilyontextandnumbersandtoalimitedextentonpictures.

LKAB Luossavaara‐KiirunavaaraAB(abbreviatedLKAB)isaninternationalmineralsgroupownedbytheSwedishgovernment.Thegroupisaworld‐leadingproducerofprocessedironoreproductsforsteelmaking,andagrowingsupplierofmineralproductsforotherindustrialsectors.LKABssalesfor2012amountedto26.971MSEK.Productionequaled26.3milliontonsofironoreproducts.Thegroupemploys4.100peoplein14countries.Threealternatingpicturesheadthewebsite.Oneshowsaminingworkerwearingahelmetandsafetyglasses,againstthebackdropofaplantandsurroundingmountains.Thispictureislinkedtothewords“resourceefficient”andasubtextonresourceandclimateefficiencyandsustainability.Thesecondpictureshowstesttubeswithtransparentfluidsandthewords“mineralsolutions”alongwithasubtextontheimportanceofmineralsformodernlife.Thethirdpictureexhibitsironorepelletsatcloserange,alongwiththewords“qualityfirst”andasubtextaboutcustomized,climatesmartironoreproductsandworld‐classservice.Therearefourmainheadingsonthewebsite:1)Aboutus,2)Ourapproach,3)Careers,and4)Future.Financialfactsandcorporategovernance,thelatterwithacorporategovernancecharter,areincludedunder“Aboutus”.Informationonvalues,policies,workenvironmentandsafetyaswellasqualityandenvironmentispresentedunder“Ourapproach”.Thesetwomainheadingsalsoaretheoneswiththemostplentifulsubheadings.Theheading“PerformanceinIronMaking”isavailableontherighthandside.Belowtherearetwobriefnewsheadingssuchasthereleaseofanewinterimreport.Underneatharelinkstosixsubsidiariesand12iconsonproducts,greenpellets,suppliers,sustainability,investments,shortfacts,newmainlevelsandnewmines,subsidiariesandR&D.ThesustainabilityiconleadstoLKAB’ssustainabilitystrategy2013‐2020.Thisstrategystatesasitsobjectivethat:“LKABgeneratesprosperitybybeingoneofthemostinnovativeandresource‐efficientminingcompaniesintheworld”.Thisoverallobjectiveisoperationalizedasfollows:1) LKABwillbeoneoftheleadingminingcompaniesintermsofresource‐and

climate‐efficientproduction.Ourcustomerofferisefficientironmaking

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(PerformanceInIronmaking)andclimate‐smartproducts(LKABGreenPellets).

2) LKABwillbeanindustryleaderinresearch,innovationandnewtechnologies.3) LKABwillbeadesirablepartnerforproductandtechnologydevelopmentwith

customersandsuppliers.4) LKABwillsetaninternationalexampleintheminingindustryintermsof

ethics,workenvironment,equalityanddiversity.5) LKAB’soperationwillenablesustainablecommunitydevelopmentand

generateprosperity.Accordingtothesustainabilitystrategy,sustainabledevelopmenthasthefollowingbenefitsandfoundations:1) Increasesourpositivecontributionstocommunitydevelopment,peopleandthe

environment,andstrengthensourlong‐termprofitabilitywhileminimizingnegativeimpactsonoursurroundings.

2) Contributestothebusinessbyhelpingusmanagerisk,strengthenourbrand,increasecompetitivenessandreducecosts.

3) IsbasedonLKAB’svalues:Commitment,InnovationandResponsibility.Fourstrategicfocusareasarepresentedwhicharecoveredinthesustainabilitystrategy:1)AttractiveLKAB,2)Attractivecommunities,3)Responsibleoperation,and4)Resource‐efficientproduction.Eachfocusareaincludesgoalsandactivities.From2012,thegrouppublishesanintegratedreport,whichincludestheannualreportandthesustainabilityreport.TheMESSAGEisacombinationoffactsandvalueswithmucheffortsdedicatedtofactsaimingtoexplaincompanyoperations(“aboutus”and“ourapproach”)andsomevaluesespeciallywhenitcomestothesustainabilitystrategy.Themessageisquitespecificandcomplexdetailingvariouscharacteristicsofthecompanyanditsoperations.Thecommunicationappearssystematic.Interestingly,thesustainabilitystrategyholdsinformationnotonlyonsuccessbutalso‐undertheheadingofresponsibleoperation–on“significantatmosphericemissions”and“dirtyingdust”.Analyzingthecompany’sIntegratedreportfrom2012withLeximancer,thefollowingkeythemesemerge,inorderofrelevance:financial,year,iron,LKABandcompany(Figure4.1).ThecontentsoftheLeximanceranalysissuggestanimportantpositionforfinancialaccountingandreporting.Thefinancialthemeiscomposedbysubthemesincludingaccounts,statement,assets,income,reportandbalance.Thereareconceptsthatrelatetosustainabilitybutthosearecomparativelygeneralandcanberelatedtomanyothermatterstoo.Suchsubthemesincludeenvironmental,employees,process,operations,andproduct.ItisfairtosaythattheLKABleximancerisbasedonanintegratedreportanditisthereforereasonabletoexpectthatfinancialreportingtermswillbemoreheavilyemphasizedintheircasethaninothercaseswheretheanalysisisstrictlybasedonasustainabilityreport.

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TheSENDERispredominantly“theGroup”whichcontributestoatop‐levelstyledespitethefrequentuseof“us”and“we”.Thevoiceisconcretewithmostcontentexpressedinsimpleandclearterms.Therearedialogicelementstothecommunication,forexampleinheadingssuchas“Pressedfortime?Readthecondensedversionof…”or“Contractororconsultant?Ifyou’reworkingwithusasacontractor.Visitthesuppliersiteatlkab.com”.ThemainRECEIVERSincludecustomers,suppliers,localcommunitiesandpotentialfutureemployees.Thus,thetargetgroupisbroadwithbothalocal(futureemployees,community)andglobaldimension(customers).Thecoverageofsustainabledevelopmentinthelocalcommunitiessuggestsacommitmenttotakeresponsibilityforthedevelopmentinthe“miningtowns”beyondtheextractionofironore.LKABdependsontheavailabilityofhumanresourcesfortheiroperations.TheFORMofcommunicationusedispredominantlytextwithillustrativepicturesbutalsonumbers(e.g.,inthesustainabilitystrategyortheintegratedreport).

Figure4.1.LKAB’sIntegratedreportfrom2012.

Lappland Goldminers LapplandGoldminersisaSwedishminingandexplorationcompany,focusingongold.Thecompanyoperatesaroundthe‘GoldLine’inthecountyofVästerbotten

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(Fäboliden),Sweden,andinFinnishLapland(Pahtavaara).LapplandGoldminersislistedonFirstNorth,analternativemarketplaceforNASDAQOMX.Its’strategyis,throughprofitablemineproduction,tocontinuallyexpandanddevelopnewareaswheregolddepositshavebeenfound.GoldproductioninPahtavaarabeganin2008.In2010itamountedtosome23800ounce,withanaverageextractionratioofsome87percent.TheSwedishsiteisinaprojectphase.Salesfor2012equaledsomeMSEK210andthetotalnumberofemployeeswas74.Thewebisstructuredaroundsevenmainheadings;1)Home,2)Aboutthecompany,3)Investors,4)Corporatesocialresponsibility,5)Mines,6)Miningprojects,and7)Exploration.Belowtheheadingsthereisanalternatingpictureofeachofthetwominingsitesaccompaniedbyshortfactsoneachofthetwo.Onthesublevelthereareshortwrittenfactstypicallyaccompaniedbypicturestakenoutdoorsintheregionsoftheminingsites.Underneaththemainheadingstherearesixicons;1)Careers,2)Pressreleases,3)Calendar,4)Shareprice,5)Presentationsand6)Contactus,ageographicalmapindicatingareasininterestintheNordiccountiesandapressreleasesection.Thelanguageusedisinformalanddown‐to‐earth.Undertheheading‘Corporatesocialresponsibility’,thereisashortenvironmentalpolicystatementandavaluestatementconcerningsocialresponsibility.TherearealsofilesattachedthatreportontheenvironmentalimpactassessmentmadeattheSwedishsite.Thereislittleattentiondevotedtosustainabilityonthewebpageandnosustainabilityreportisavailable.Asthereislittleexplicitcommunicationofsustainabilityonthewebsite,thisanalysisbecomesrathersketchy.Thereisrelianceonvalues(valuestatements)andfacts(environmentalimpactassessment),thefirstofwhichisgeneralandthesecondwhichisspecific.Themessageissimpleandad‐hoc.TheSENDER/STYLEhasalocallevel‐flairandiswritteninaconcretevoicewithdialogicelements(e.g.,“getintouchwithus,wearegladtohelpiftherearequestions”).RECEIVERsseemtobeenvisionedasmainlyexternalones,whoareaddressedusingtextandsomepictures.

Lovisagruvan LovisagruvanisasmallminingcompanyextractingorewithhighzincandledandsomesilvercontentsfromanundergroundmineinBergslagen.Themineralsfindingwasmadein1985byajointventurebetweenLKABandBP‐Minerals.LovisagruvandeliversitsproducttotheBolidenconcentratoratGarpenberg.Thecurrentproductionvolumeamountstosome3.000tonspermonth.Thetargetistoreach40.000tonsperyear.Lovisagruvanhas17fulltimeemployeesinproduction.Revenuesfor2012amountedtoMSEK43.2.LovisagruvanholdsashareintheownershipoftheStekenjokkmineinVästerbotten,whichisnotcurrentlyinoperationbutwheretherearefindingsofcopper,zincandpreciousmetals. Themainwebsiteshowsfouralternatingpicturesfromtheminingproductionsite.ThepicturesshowtheemployeesatLovisagruvananddifferentfacetsof

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production.Itisstrikingtonotehowthepicturesare“authentic”i.e.theyhavenotbeensubjecttoanystylingbutcouldhavebeentakenwithanycellphonecamerabyanyone.ThesiteisexclusivelyinSwedishandhassevenheadings:1)Home,2)Stockinformation,3)Organization,4)Production,5)Market,6)Mediaand7)Contactandinformation.Themaintextleanstowardsadescriptionofthemineralsfinding,theproduction,themachineryandtheproductionvolume.Thesevenheadingsrevealwrittenandnumericalinformationinastraightforwardwayaboutproductionandfinancials.Photographsappearoccasionally,thathavethesamestraightforwardcharacteristicsastheweboverall.Withtheexceptionofafewlinesonenvironmentalpermissionandemissionsrelatedtoitsoperations,whichappearundertheproductionheading,thereisnomentioningofsustainabilityissues.Thestorytoldisoneofasmall,localminingcompanywithinformalmanagementproducingoreforBoliden.Thereisarelianceonfactsandonspecificinformationaboutthemine.BeingasiteentirelyinSwedishandwithverylittlemarketingeffortsputin,theimpressionisthatthewebisterritorialandratheradhoc.TheSTYLEisinformal,concreteandorientedtowardsinformation.Informationseemstobeorientedtowardsthelocalcommunityincludingemployeesandtosomeextenttoinvestors.Textandnumbersdominatethepresentation.

Lundin Mining LundinMiningCorporationisadiversifiedbasemetalsminingcompanywithoperationsinPortugal,Sweden,SpainandIreland,producingcopper,zinc,leadandnickel.Inaddition,LundinMiningholdsa24%stakeintheworldclassTenkeFungurumecopper/cobaltmineintheDemocraticRepublicofCongo(managedbyFXC;seeamongthetopglobalcompanies).Lundinsoldformorethan721millionUSDin2012andhasabout1600employees.ItsheadquartersareinToronto,Canada.VisitingLundin’swebsite,theimpressionitgivesoffisoneofaglobalcorporationemphasizingfinancialaspects(stockquoteandfinancialstatementsarehighlighted,alongwithvideosonfinancialperformance)andconcreteminingactivities(videospresentingmines).Theimagedisplayedonthefirstpageshowsthreetrucksinwhatseemstobeanopen‐pitmine.Twoofthetrucksarefullyloadedwithrocksandthethirdisgoingtheotherway,empty.Lundin’swebsiteisstructuredaroundfourmainheadings,Investors,CorporateResponsibility,Operations&Development,andNews.OnlyInvestorsandOperations&Developmentcontainsub‐headings,wherenonebutaheadingonCorporateGovernancegivesanysignsofsustainabilityissuesbeingcommunicated.UndertheheadingCorporateResponsibility,theemphasisonconcreteminingistoneddown.Fourareasaredefined,Environment(pictureofalake,someforest,andasmeltery),Social(pictureoftwoblackwomeninagreenenvironment),HealthandSafety(pictureofexcavators),andCorporateGovernance(pictureofasmelteryandofficestakenfromabove).Theonlyclickablelinksunderthe

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CorporateResponsibilityheadingistoaccessthelatestsustainabilityreportandtotheexternalwebsiteofZincSavesKids,whichLundinsupports.ThevisitorofthesitecanalsofollowalinktosendLundinminingamessage.Inregardtosustainabilitycommunication,theMESSAGEonLundin’swebsiteisgeneralandvalue‐driven.Statementssuchas“tocreatesustainablevalue”andbeing“agoodcorporatecitizen”arenotreallysubstantiated,butcomeacrossaspositivevisionsandindicatorsofthecompany’sambitions.ThevisitorhastodownloadtheSRinordertogetmoreinformationonwhatismeantbysuchgeneralstatements.ThemostconcreteinformationonthewebsiteisthatthecompanyfollowstheGRIframeworkinitsSR.Themessageonthesiteisalsoapositiveone,oneofacompanycontributingtosociety,strengthenedbythelogotypeandsupportoftheinitiativeZincSavesKids.AgeneralobservationisthatthefinancialcommunicationisnevermixedwiththeCorporateResponsibilitycommunication.WhenrunningtheSR(simplynamedSustainabilityreport‐GRIlevelB)from2012throughLeximanceritisrevealedthatthekeythemesinthereportare,inorderofrelevance:operations,local,mine,safety,development,rock,andwater(seeFigure4.2).Water,rockandmineareexplicitlycoupled,buttheotherkeythemesshowveryloosecouplings.ThesustainabilitymessageintheSRthenisfirstoneinwhichsustainabilityhastodowithenvironmentalissues,suchaswasteandtailings,predominantlylinkedtoZinkgruvaninSweden.Itisinterestingtonotethatthekeythemedevelopment(tiedtocommunitydevelopment),linkedtosocialissuesinsustainability,istiedtoacertainplace,TFMinCongo.TheSRalsorevealsthatLundinworkswithICMM,EITI,UNGC,OHSAS,hasCGguidelinesandacodeofethics.Therathershort‐handedandsuperficialstatementsconveyedundertheCorporateResponsibilityheadingareinotherwordssubstantiallydevelopedintheSR.ItisasifthewebpageismeanttoremainanoverviewforsustainabilityissuesandthatanyoneinterestedinsustainabilityhastodigintotheSR.Financialaspectsaremoreprioritized.TheSENDERofLundin’ssustainabilitycommunication,theSTYLEinwhichthemessageisconveyed,isoneofaconcrete,top‐downandmatter‐of‐factstyle.Lundininformsthevisitoranddoesnot,exceptforthepossibilityto“SendusaMessage”,throughitscommunicationstyleinviteamoredialogicorientation.TheRECEIVERsofLundin’ssustainabilitycommunicationseemstobealimitedyetglobalgroupofstakeholders.Giventhatthefinancialissues,exceptforthosecommunicatedintheSR,arecommunicatedseparatelyfromsustainabilityissues,thereseemstobeanideaaboutdifferentsetsofstakeholdersforfinancialaspectsandsustainabilityissuesrespectively.TheMEDIAistraditional;text,picturesand,intheSR,alotofnumbersanddiagrams.IntheSRtherearealotofpicturesinrelationtotheamountoftext.Besidespicturesshowingcoreminingactivities,therearealotofimagesonnature,animalsandpeople.Diagramsonemissions,energyconsumption,explosivesetc.,arefrequentlyused.

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Overall,Lundingivestheimpressionofwantingtoputfiguresbehinditstalk,butsimultaneouslyusesalotofsustainabilityclichésinitssustainabilitycommunication.

Figure4.2.Lundin’sSustainabilityreportfrom2012.

New Boliden NewBolidenhasitsorigininthecountyofVästerbotten,Sweden,linkingitshistoryto1924whengoldwasdiscoveredoutsidethetownofSkellefteå.Thecompanynowdescribesitselfas“ametalscompanywithfocusonsustainabledevelopment”;integratingsustainabilityinthecorestatementofwhatthecompany’sisabout.Intheareaofmining,itfocusesonzinc,copperandpreciousmetal‐bearingores,andoperatesminesinSwedenandonIreland,bothopen‐pitandundergroundmines.Bolidenemploysabout4800peopleandhadsalesofmorethan6billionUSDin2012.TheheadofficeisinStockholm,Sweden,andthecompany’sshareislistedontheNASDAQOMXStockholmExchangeandontheTorontoStockExchange.

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EnteringNewBoliden’swebsite,there’safixedpictureofaworkeratasmelter.Ontherightsideofthepicturethereisaslogan:“Weproducemetalsformodernlife”,underwhichtherearemessagesclearlyrelatedtosustainability(restoringminingareasandrecyclingofelectronicscrap).Therearesevenheadings:About,Sustainability,Products,Operations,InvestorRelations,Press,andCareer.Pressreleases,news,careerandfinancialinformationdominatetheremainingpartofthefirstpage.Overall,thesiteiseasytonavigate.VisitingtheSustainabilityheading,thereisanimageofalakeandtree,withahorizontowhatseemstobetheocean.ThefirstMESSAGEthatmeetstheeyeis“Towardsasustainabledevelopment”,indicatingthatthesustainabilityworkisajourney.Assuchitisaverysimplemessage.Formulationsarealsogeneralandvalue‐oriented(ex.“ourambitionis”).NewBoliden’ssupporttoZincSavesKidsisalsohighlighted.Thereareseparatesub‐headingsforsocial,environmentalandeconomicresponsibility,aswellasforSRs,businesspartnersandinfocus.UndertheSocialresponsibilityheadingthevalue‐orientationcontinues(asinTheNewBolidenWay,theGroup’sorganizationalandproductionphilosophy),butwhenzoominginonthehealthandsafetyofworkers,themessageisalsomuchmorespecificandsupportedwithfacts.OHSAS18001ismentioned.Theresponsibilitiestowardthelocalcommunitiesinwhichthecompanyoperatesarealsoaddressed,predominantlyintermsofhavingagooddialogue.UndertheEnvironmentalresponsibilityheadingthemessagethatstandsoutistominimizeemissions.Therearebothspecificfactsandmoregeneralvalue‐orientedstatements.ForLand,Waste,EnergyuseandRecycling,themessageismorevalue‐orientedandgeneral.CurrentlicensingproceduresandsalientlegislationsaffectingNewBoliden’soperationsarealsolisted.REACHandISO14001arementionedintheEnvironmentalresponsibilitysectionaswell.ThemessageundertheEconomicresponsibilityheadingtargetsthecontributiontothelocalcommunitiesinwhichthecompanyoperatesaswellasverygeneralformulationsonresponsibilitiestowardinvestors,customersandsuppliers.Undereachsub‐heading,foreachofthethreesustainabilitypillars,thecompanyalsolistsitsgoalsintherespectivearea.ItshouldalsobementionedthatNewBolidenlistsitscorporategovernanceguidelines,butundertheheadingAbout.Thesub‐headingSustainabilityReportsmerelylinkstodifferentreports(notallclearlysustainabilityrelated),ofwhichtheGRIappendixisthemostsustainability‐relatedone.UndertheBusinesspartnerssub‐headingthereisanemphasisonCorporateSocialResponsibility(CSR)andondialogueswith,predominantly,customersandsuppliers.UNGC,ILOandISOarementioned,aswellasthecompany’scodeofconduct.Underthesub‐headingInfocus,thereisanextensivecommentaryonthecaseofdeliveringsmeltingresiduestoChileinthemid1980s.Thecompanypublishesaseparatesustainabilityreport(GRIB‐level),butitwasonlypossibletosendtheGRIappendixfrom2012throughLeximancer(seeFigure4.3).Fromthisappendix,thekeythemesthatwererevealedwere,inorderofrelevance:emissions,Boliden’s,Boliden,managementandcompany.Whatthispredominantlysignalsisthatthesustainabilityissuethatstandsoutin

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Boliden’ssustainabilitycommunicationisclearlyemissions.Thesocialresponsibilityissuesarenotasevidentinthisanalysis.TheSENDERandtheSTYLEinwhichthemessagesaresentarebothdoneinaveryinviting,bottom‐upway(asinimpactonlocalcommunitiesandondialogueswithpartners)andinamoretop‐downandauthoritarianway(asinthehealthandsafetyofworkers).Ingeneral,thestyleseemspermeatedbyNewBolidenwantingtoinvitethevisitortoitsjourneytowardssustainabledevelopment.TheRECEIVERsofthecompany’ssustainabilitycommunicationseemtobeabroadyetratherlocalgroupofstakeholders.Thesustainabilityissuesaremadesalientonthefirstpageandinthecompanystatementofwhatitisallabout,meaningthatnostakeholdervisitingthesitecanmissthesustainabilitymessage.Yet,whenfine‐tuningtheanalysisabit,thereseemstobeastronglocalfocus.Thehealthandsafetyissuesspecificallytargettheworkercollectiveandpotentialrecruits,whiletheissueoflocalcommunitiesseemstotargetthesecommunitiesatlarge.TheMEDIAusedbyNewBolidenisbasedontextandpictures,combinedinawaythatmakesthewebsiteveryeasytonavigate.Therearealsodiagramsandvideos,outofwhichonegoodexampleisthevideoonwhyNewBoliden’sproductsarenecessaryinmodernsocieties,listedunderAboutandFunfacts.

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Figure4.3.NewBoliden’sGRIappendixfrom2012.

Northland Resources NorthlandResourcesfocusesonironoreminingintwoparticularprojects,oneinthenorthofSwedenandoneinthenorthofFinland.Thefirstdeliveryofironorewasmadeearly2013.NorthlandResourcesS.A.islistedontheTorontoandtheOsloStockExchange,respectively.ItsheadquartersareinLuxembourg.Thecompany’sNordicheadquarterisinLuleå,Sweden.VisitingNorthland’swebsite,imagesofmining,workersandtheshipmentofironorearedisplayed.PressreleasesandLatestnewsarealsopresented,alongwithshareinformation.Therearesevenheadings:Projects,Workforus,Investorrelations,Product,Media,Aboutus,andContactus.Atafirstglance,itisdifficulttofindexplicitsustainabilitycommunicationonthewebsite,indicatingthatsustainabilityisnotamainMESSAGEforthecompanyatthistime.UndertheheadingAboutusandthesub‐headingVisionandstrategy,itis,however,statedthat:“TheCompanystrivestoachievesustainableandcost‐efficientoperations,

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incombinationwithstronglocalcommitmentandoutstandingbusinessrelations”(italicsadded),butnodetailsaboutwhatsustainableentailsaregiven.Movingtothesub‐headingCorporateGovernance,therearelinkstothreesustainability‐relatedpolicies:Whistleblower,CodeofBusinessEthicsandSustainableDevelopment.Boththewhistleblowerpolicyandthecodearemorerule‐andfact‐based,whilethesustainabledevelopmentpolicyismuchmorevalue‐orientedandgeneral,asin:“Werecognizethatintegratingstringentstandardsgoverningsafety,environmental,economicandsocialactivitiesintoourbusiness practiceisaconditionforoursuccessandabenefittosociety.Ourvisionofperformanceexcellencecanonlyberealizedthroughstrong sustainabledevelopmentpractices.”Alistofprinciplesthenfollows,ofwhichmostarewrittenintermsof“wefoster”,“westriveto”,“werespect”,“weaimto”etc.,strengtheningthevalue‐orientationandgeneralformulations.Underthesub‐headingOurapproach,itisfurtherstatedthatNorthland“startoutfromacommunitybuildingperspective”,butnodetailsaregiven.Totheright,therearesustainability‐relatedlinkstothethreepoliciesalreadymentionedandtoMiningResponsibly,whichincludealongtextthatdetailswhatismeantbythis.Thispageseemstobethemainsustainabilitypage.Severalinternationalinitiativesandstandardsarementioned(ISO14001,OHSAS18001,UNDHR,ICMM,WorldBankOperationalDirectiveonInvoluntaryResettlement,TheInternationalFinancialCorporation’s(IFC)PerformanceStandardsonSocialandEnvironmentalSustainability),butitisinthesameparagraphstatedtheseareconsideredandfollowedwhen“developingourownstandards”.Thelastsub‐headingcommunicatesNorthland’ssponsorshipofLuleå’selitewomen’s’basketballteam(“NorthlandBasket–diggingforgold”).ThereisnoSR,orsimilar,publishedbyNorthlandthatcanbeanalyzedthroughLeximancer.TheSENDERofNorthland’ssustainabilitycommunicationandtheSTYLEinthecommunicationseemtoberatherabstract,althoughmanagementseemstobetheonescommunicating.UnderOurapproach,thetextonthispageconcludeswith“Ifeelconfidentaboutthefuture”(italicsadded),implyingatop‐levelmanager’svoicebutwithoutspecifyingwhosaysthis.Thereseemstobearathergeneral,broadgroupofRECEIVERsofthesustainabilitycommunication.Giventhesustainabilityissuesperipheralplacementonthewebsiteanditsrathergeneralstatements,itisdifficulttopinpointanyparticularreceivers.RegardingtheMEDIAthroughwhichthecompanycommunicates,thereisingeneralamixoftext,picturesandvideos.Therearevideosonseveralpages,butnopagethatissustainability‐related.Thereisevenalivecamfromoneofitsmines,butagain,nosustainabilitycoupling.

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5. Findings – top companies globally Alcoa Thereisagoodchancethatifyouuseaproductcontainingaluminum(asoftdrink,forexample)ordecidetotakeaplanesomewhere,youareinamaterialrelationwithAlcoa.Onitshomepage,thecompanystatesthatit“istheworld'sleadingproducerofprimaryandfabricatedaluminum,aswellastheworld'slargestminerofbauxiteandrefinerofalumina”.ItsminesarelocatedinAustralia,Brazil,Suriname,Jamaicaandotherpartsoftheworld.Alcoaprocessesmostofthebauxiteintoalumina.Thecompanyemploysabout61000peoplein30countriesandsoldforcloseto24billiondollarsin2012.CompanyheadquartersareinPittsburgh,US,andthecompany’sshareislistedontheNewYorkStockExchange.VisitingAlcoa’swebsite,thesustainabilityissuesarehighlyvisible.ItisalsoevidentthatAlcoahasamorecomplexsetofstakeholderstoconsiderinitssustainabilitycommunicationthenmanyoftheotherlargeminingcompanies.Oftheelevenheadingsonthefirstpage,fourhastodowithsustainability:Safety,Sustainability,Community,andEnvironment.Picturesslidingonthefirstpagealsoincludesustainability,recyclingandtheAlcoafoundation(thecompany’scommunitywork).Exploringthewebsitefurtherrevealsacomplexsite,wherecross‐linksbetweendifferentpagesmakeitdifficulttoorient.ClickingonSafety,forinstance,leadsdirectlytoSustainability,andbothCommunityandEnvironmentcanbeaccessedthroughSustainability.OntheSustainabilitypagewelearnthat:“AtAlcoa,weuseourvaluestobuildfinancialsuccess,environmentalexcellence,andsocialresponsibilityinpartnershipwithallstakeholdersinordertodelivernetlong‐termbenefitstoourshareholders,employees,customers,suppliers,andthecommunitiesinwhichweoperate.”AlongsidethisquoteisapictureofAlcoa’sCEOandinthebackgroundtherearetwohandsholdingagrain.TheMESSAGEisofacompanyengagedinalldimensionsofsustainabilityandsuccessfullyso.ThemessageissubstantiatedwithveryspecificfactsaswellasthroughmoregeneralformulationsonvaluesadheredtoatAlcoa.Althoughthemessagetosomeextentisclear,itisstillverycomplexasAlcoaclosetoover‐communicatessustainabilityandprovideslittlehelpforavisitoraimingforamoreholisticunderstandingaboutitssustainabilityengagements.Thecompanyisalsowidelyengagedwithorganizations,standardsandinitiativesinthesustainabilityarea.AlcoaisincludedintheDowJonesSustainabilityIndex.ItispartofICMM,EITIandBSR;certifiedaccordingtoISO14001;and,itworkswithUNDHR,UNGC,ILO,MDG,REACH,andOHSAS.Italsocommunicatesitscorporategovernanceguidelines,itscodeofethics,publishesasseparateSR(GRIlevelA+),andprovidessustainability‐relatedcasestudies(stories).Runningthe2012SustainabilityHighlightsReportthroughLeximancerrevealsthefollowingkeythemes:Aluminum,sustainability,targets,andemissions

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(Figure5.1).Evidentcouplingsexistbetweenaluminum,emissionsandtargets,whilesustainabilityismoreconnectedtothekeythemeprograms.Environmentalissues,asinemissions,areinthemapde‐coupledfromthesustainability‐relatedprograms.ThewideextentandcomplexityinAlcoa’ssustainabilitycommunicationmightmirrorthediverseoperationsthecompanyisinvolvedin(predominantlythroughverticalintegration),althoughaluminaisacommondenominator.TheSENDERtherefore,moreapparentlytheninmanyothercases,hastospeakwithmanyvoices,appropriatetospecificareas,whencommunicatingthemessage.Intheperhapsmostsalientsustainabilityissuerelatedtomining,localcommunities(asinJurutiintheAmazonas),thevoiceisverybottom‐upandofadialogicorientation,aimingtocommunicatewiththesestakeholders.AsstatedundertheheadingCommunity:“Wearecommittedtotransparentandopenengagementwithstakeholders,aswellasimprovingthequalityoflifeinthecommunitiesinwhichweoperate.”Inotherinstancesitismoreaboutinformingstakeholdersaboutthecompany’sexcellenceinsustainabilityengagement,aswhenitcomesto“Improvingourproducts”,apageunderSustainability.Thestyleofcommunicationthenchangesintoamoretop‐downandauthoritarianvoice,asin“Webelieveworldmarketsincreasinglyshould,andwill,demandsustainableproductsasdefinedbycradle‐to‐cradledesignphilosophy.”ThecomplexityinAlcoa’ssustainabilitycommunicationmightthenbeexplained,oratleastbetterunderstood,byitsratherwideanddiversesetofRECEIVERs;fromlocalcommunitiesintheAmazonastoR&Dstaffatautomobilecompaniesortothoseinterestedintherecyclingofusedsodacans.Itisperhapsmostevidentinthewaypicturesareused.WhencommunicatingtothosestakeholdersinterestedinAlcoa’scommunitywork,therearepicturesofchildrenandofpeopleoutinnature.Whencommunicating“Improvingourproducts”,thereisapictureoftheleftfronttireofamoderncar.TheMEDIAusedisdiverse;text,numbers,pictures,videos,andthevoiceofanarratoronsomepages.TheformsthroughwhichAlcoacommunicatesarevaried,butthesheeramountoftextisstriking.Overall,Alcoacommunicatessustainabilitytoaverylargeextent,toawidesetofstakeholders,inawidevarietyofways,andthroughawidevarietyofmedia.Inthisway,itgivesoffaseriousimpression,butatthesametime,Alcoa’scommunicationseemstomirrortheverticalintegrationofthecompany.Thisresultsinacomplexsetofstakeholders,whichmightbeanexplanationtowhyitssustainabilitycommunicationismassive,verycomplexandnoteasilygrasped.

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Figure5.1.Alcoa’sSustainabilityhighlightsreportfrom2012.

Anglo American AngloAmericanisheadquarteredintheUKandlistedontheLondonandJohannesburgstockexchanges.Its’portfolioofminingbusinessesspansbulkcommodities–ironoreandmanganese,metallurgicalcoalandthermalcoal;basemetalsandminerals–copper,nickel,niobiumandphosphates;andpreciousmetalsandminerals.AngloAmericanemploys100000people.Theoperatingprofit(2012)was$6.2billionandearnings(2012)amountedto$2.8billion.Thewebsiteisheadedbyninecategories;home,aboutus,ourbusiness,sustainabledevelopment,media,investors,suppliers,ourviewsandcareers.Withtheexceptionof“home”and“ourviews”theheadingsleadtoarangeofseventofifteensubcategories,thelowestnumberreferringtothesuppliercategoryandthehighestnumberwhichconcernsinvestors.Beneath,thesiterevealsalargeimageofaminingfacilityembeddedinscenicsurroundings.Fromthisimage,“AngloAmericansindustryleadingmineclosuretoolbox”isdownloadable.TwelveheadingsdesignedtoresembleAppsthenfollow,someof

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whichcontainphotographs.Thecontentsrangefromsharereporting,sharepricesandnewstoHIV/AIDSandTBprogrammesandenterprisedevelopment,Optima‐thecurrentaffairsjournal,recenttweetsandFacebook.ThemainwebpageholdslinkstosocialmediaincludingFacebook,Twitter,Linkedin,Flickr,SlideshareandYoutube.Themessageonthemainwebsiteiscommunicatedin“we‐form”.Therearetwelvesubheadingstothesustainabilitycategory;Approachandpolicies,ourperformance,employees,environment,safetyandhealth,social,economicvalue,supplychain,mine‐closure,reports,contactus,andcasestudies.Thesesubheadingshaveahighlyfactualorientationandtheyarerathermany.Whilethemainsubheadingcontinuesinthelanguageof“we”,themessageinthefollowingsubcategorieschangesfrom“we”to“whatAngloAmericandoes”.Itisinterestingtonotehowemployeesandeconomicvalueistreatedaspartofsustainabilityandtheuseofdifferentstandardsandmodelsincludingasustainabilityperformancescorecard,FTSE4GOODstandards,GRIindicatorsandGlobalCompactmembership.TheMESSAGEcanbepartiallycategorizedasvalue‐based.Forthemostparthowever,themessageappearsstronglyfactualinitsorientation.Foreachsubcategorytherearespecificexamplesthatillustratethekeymessageinrathersimpletermsandwitharelianceonsuccessstories(thelatterwhichalsocanbefoundamongcasestudies).Themessageisterritorialinthesensethatexamplesaretakenfromseveraldifferentcountriesandlocationsbutglobalinthesenseofitscoverage.Theinterpretationisoneofahighlysystematicsustainabilitycommunicationtellingthestoryofanindustry‐leaderinsustainability.Sendingthe2012Sustainabledevelopmentreport,named“Creatingvalue:thefutureinmind”,throughLeximancerrevealsthefollowingkeythemes,inorderofrelevance:operations,management,development,business,local,mine,AngloAmerican,water,andimpact(Figure5.2).TheAngloamericanLeximancerincludestwelveconceptsandiscomparativelybroadinitsorientation.Theconceptsandsubconceptsincludedalsoindicateaconcernforlocallevelsustainabilityworkwithcommunitiesandanorientationtowardspeopleandemployees.Theswitchingfrom“we”to“Anglo‐American”canbeseenasasteptowardssignalingtheauthorityoftheSENDER.Thecommunication‐dimensionwhichcanbeinferrednotonlyfromtheuseof“we”onthemain(first)pagesbutalsofromlinkstosocialmedia,isalsoreplacedbytheprovisionofinformationinthesustainabilitydomain.TheRECEIVERappearstobeglobalandbroad,includingoperationsinvariouslocationsandmanystakeholders.Theuseofmodels,techniquesandstandardssuchasasustainabilityscorecard,responsibleinvestmentsandFTSE4GOODincludestargetswhicharesetthat,inturn,canbeanalysedtodetectboundariesforresponsibility.Iftargetsaremet,thereislittleusetogofurther.Onthewebthereisgreatrelianceontext,withphotographsasasupplementarymedium.Eachsustainabilitysubsectionisdominatedbytext.Numbersappearpredominantlyatthenextlevelofthewebsite.

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Figure5.2.AngloAmerican’sSustainabledevelopmentreportfrom2012.

BHP Billiton BHPBillitonisadiversifiedcompanythatminesaluminum,manganese,nickel,copper,ironoreaswellascoal,petroleumandpotash.BHPhadrevenuesof66billionUSDforthefinancialyear2013(brokenyear,June‐June)andwhenincludingcontractorsinitsworkforce,about128000peoplein26countriesworkforthecompany.ItislistedontheAustralianSecurityExchange(ASX),JohannesburgStockExchange(JSE),NewYorkStockExchange(NYSE)andLondonStockExchange(LSE),andthegroup’sheadquartersareinMelbourne,Australia.VisitingBHP’swebsitefourslidersmeettheeye,ofwhichoneissustainabilityrelated(“Asustainableandsociallyresponsiblebusiness”,withapictureoftwoworkersinthefield,onewomanandoneman).Therearesixheadings;Home,Aboutus,Businesses,People&careers,Investors&media,andContactus.“Sustainability”iscommunicatedasasub‐headingunderAboutus.Belowthefourslidersarefourmodules,ofwhichoneisabout“Sustainabilityinaction”and

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itleadstocasestudiespublishedbythecompany(22cases2012‐2013,andavideo),apagethatisalsoorganizedunder“Sustainability”.ExploringtheSustainabilityheading,thelargestimageisofagroupofpeople,sixcoloredmenandwomen,andonewhitewoman,inanenvironmentwithgreenplants:“Sustainabledevelopmentisakeypriority.Wearecommittedtohealth,safety,theenvironmentandthecommunitiesinwhichweoperate.”ThisMESSAGEaboutcommitmenttosustainabilityisalsodetailedinfoursub‐headings;Sustainabilityreporting(linkstothemostrecentandthelastyears’reports),Environmentalandsustainabilitycasestudies(thecasesmentionedabove),Sharingopportunitieswithourcommunities(thecompany’scommunitywork,forexampleTheBHPBillitonFoundation),andCreatinganenduringharmonybetweencommunityandnature(thecompany’senvironmentalwork).BHP’ssustainabilitymessageclearlyincludesthethreepillarsofsustainabilityandthecompanyprovidesspecificfacts(“communityinvestmenttotalledUS$245.8million”,“plantingofmorethan2.5millionnativetrees”)aswellasgeneralvalues(“committedto”,“welistento”)constitutingthecompany’ssustainabilitymessage.Amongthedifferentstandards,principlesandcertificationschemesthatrelatetothesustainabilityarea,BHPonlycommunicatesUNDHR.Acommonaspectofthemessageisthatallianceswithotherorganizationsandsocietiesarehighlighted,emphasizingthat‘weareinthistogether’,andthatcollaborationwithstakeholderssuchasNon‐GovernmentalOrganizationsissalient.BHPmanagestogivethevisitoraquickoverviewofthesustainabilitymessage,whilealsogivingmorespecificinformationoncethevisitoropenstheSRandthewiderangeofcasestudies.ItshouldalsobementionedthatsustainabilityiscommunicatedonseveralpagesbeyondthoseundertheSustainabilityheading.UnderOurcompany,thevisitorcanfindthecompany’scharter(corevalues),corporategovernanceprinciples,andcodeofbusinessconduct.UnderPeople&careers,respectandbenefitsrelatedtocommunityandenvironmentarementionedaspartofwhatmakestheBHPworkplaceunique.Asustainabilitymessageis,however,lessobviouswhendetailingthecompany’sStrategy,whichismuchmorefinanciallybiasedandmoretothepointintermsofdelivering“superiormargins”.BHPlabelsitsSRfrom2013“Oursharedvalues”andrunningitthroughLeximancerrevealsthefollowingkeythemes,inorderofrelevance:risks,community,people,business,operations,use,activities,andsustainability(Figure5.3).Thesocialsideofsustainability,intermsoftakingresponsibilityinthecommunitiesinwhichthecompanymines,standsout,butitisnotconnectedtotheenvironmentalsideofsustainabilityinthemap.Risks,asthemostrelevanttheme,indicateafocusonriskmanagementinthesustainabilitycommunication.Risksalsoinclude“environmental”,butasakeytheme,risksisbasicallyde‐coupledfromemissions,astheperhapsmostevidentsignoftheenvironmentalaspectsofsustainability.Emissionsmoreorlessoccupyanindependentplaceintheconceptmap.

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TheSENDERisaveryconfidentcompanythatspeaksinadifferentstyledependingonsustainabilityissue.Inregardtocommunityaspectsofsustainability,thetoneismoreinviting,dialogic,aboutgiving,sharing,voluntaryservices,donatingtimeetc.Inregardtoenvironmentalaspectsofsustainabilitythetoneismoreconcreteandauthoritarian,aboutpreventing,minimizingpollution,rehabilitatingland,protectingforestetc.GiventhesizeandglobalpresenceofBHP,theRECEIVERsofthecompany’ssustainabilitycommunicationarepotentiallyaverybroadandglobalgroupofstakeholders.BHP’ssystematiccommunicationofsustainability’sthreepillarsmightalsoreflectthatthecompanyattemptstocommunicatewide.Somedifferencesinwhothecompanycommunicateswithcanbenotedinthesameveinaswiththesender.Giventhelackofsustainabilitycommunicationinthecompany’sStrategy,asomewhatloosecouplingbetweencommunicatingwithfinancialinvestorsand,forexample,localcommunitiesandNGOscanbenoted.TheMEDIA,theformsthroughwhichBHPcommunicatessustainabilityincludetexts,numbers,picturesandvideos.Themixofmediacomesacrossasbalancedandhelpsmakethewebsiteofaverylargecorporationveryeasilyaccessedandnavigated.

Figure5.3.BHPBilliton’sSustainabilityreportfrom2013.

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Barrick Barrick’soperatesminesandexplorationanddevelopmentprojectsonfourcontinents,andholdslandpositionsonsomeofthemostprolificandprospectivemineraltrends.Thecorporationhasasitsvisiontobetheworld’sbestgoldminingcompanybyoperatinginasafe,profitableandresponsiblemanner.In2012,Barrickproduced7.4millionouncesofgoldand468millionpoundsofcopper.Revenuesamountedto14.457MUSD.Thewebsiteisheadedbyfourthemes:1)investors,2)operations,3)responsibilityand4)company.Apictureofaproductionfacilitywithamountainbackgroundfollowsbeneath,whereafterbriefnewsandeventsfollow,alongwithalinktothelatestquarterlyreportandavideoon“theremarkablepeopleofBarrickGoldNevada”.Inthelowendare“aboutus”,“mostpopular”andlinkstosocialmedia.The“responsibility”headingleadstoanimageshowingthecontoursofminersinhelmetsinextremesunlight,alongwiththetext“Modernminingincludestheworldaroundus”.Nexttoitthereisaclickablefilmsequenceon“miningclosuredoneright”andeightkeyfactstatements,oneeachconcerningwatermanagement,communityinvestments,energyandclimatechange,airemissions,communityengagement,employeesafetyandhealth,supplychain,andmanagementapproach,respectively.Therearetensubsectionstoresponsibility;CSRadvisoryboard,ourcommitment,environment,community,heartofgoldfund,safety&health,security,humanrights,ethicsandreporting.Beneath,therearetwolinks,onetoaseparatewebsitecalledBeyondBorders:ResponsibleMiningatBarrickGoldCorporationandtheotherleadingtothemostrecentsustainabilityreport.TheResponsibleMiningsitehastheformatofanewspaperwithheadings,illustrativepicturesandstoriesthatcovernewsrelatedtosustainabilityissuesgloballyinrelationtoBarrick.Thesustainabilityreportisstructuredaroundthirteenclickablethemes;materialityprocess,watermanagement,biodiversitymanagement,wasteandmaterialsmanagement,energyandclimatechange,employeesafetyandhealth,employeedevelopmentandengagement,humanrights,responsiblesupplychain,socialimpactmanagement,communityengagement,communitysafetyandsecurity,andcommunityinvestments.Alllinksdisplayphotographs,withmotifsincludingbirdsnestingnexttominingoperations,minerswearinghelmetsandtypicalattireinteractingwithnature(water)oramongstthemselves,orlocalcommunityinvolvedinvariousdailyactivities.TheMESSAGEcombinesfactsandvalues.ItisinterestingtonotetheuseofanewspaperformatoftheResponsibleMiningwebsiteandhowtheformatcancontributetotheinterpretationofthecontentsasfactual.Theuseofimages,photosandfilmsequencesisbothfactualandvalue‐based.Themessageisorientedtowardssuccess.Theimpressionissystematicwithamessagewhichisglobal,tellingthestoryofresponsiblemining.

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Analyzingthecompany’sCorporateResponsibilityReportfrom2012withLeximancer,thefollowingkeythemesemerge,inorderofrelevance:Barrick,employees,mine,community,safety,areas,water,andperformance(Figure5.4).Itisnotablethatthecompanynameiscloselylinkedtotheconceptof“environmental”intheLeximanceranalysis.Theconceptof“employees”iscloselylinkedtohumanrightsandtheconceptof“community”tolocal,business,supportanddevelopment.TheSENDER/STYLEisthatofthe“corporation”anditismoreorientedtowardsinformationthancommunication.TheRECEIVERSofBarrick’ssustainabilitycommunicationareinvestorsandotherstakeholdersglobally.Thetargetgroupappearstobebroad.TheMEDIAusedbyBarrickoccursbymeansoftext,numbers,picturesaswellasmovies.

Figure5.4.Barrick’sCorporateresponsibilityreportfrom2012.

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Fortescue Fortescueisafairlyyoungcompanyanddescribesitselfas“Thenewforceinironcore”.ThecompanyhasexpandedheavilyinthelastyearsandnowoperatestwominesinthenorthwestofAustralia.Forthefinancialyear2013(JulytoJune),Fortescueemployed3752personsand14536contractors,andhadrevenuesof8120millionUSD.Thegroup’sshareislistedontheAustralianStockExchange(ASX).Visitingthewebsite,thereareeightslidersofwhichfivearededicatedtofinancialperformanceandexportcapacities,andofwhichthreearededicatedtotheaborigines.Sixmainheadingsmakeupthemenu:Home,AboutFortescue,Ourbusiness,Investors&media,Community,andPeople&careers.Onthelowersectionsofthesite,thereispredominantlyinformationrelatedtocorporatefinancesandoperations,butforonelink,whichisdirectedtotheenvironmentalreport.TheCommunityheadingcoverssustainabilityissues.Tenopportunitiesareavailableontheleft‐sidemenu,whichisbrokendowntothethreemainareas,makinguptheCommunitypage(someofthesub‐pageswerenotworking).Thethreeareasare:Socialresponsibility(“weaimtoenhancecommunities”),Safety(“isapriority”),andEnvironment(“Protectingtheenvironmentisessential”).Thebroaderapproachseems,however,tobedescribedunderthefirstheadingontheleft‐sidemenu,CorporateSocialResponsibility,whichincorporatesmostissuesrelevanttothecompany’ssustainabilitywork.InthefirstparagraphanoverallMESSAGEinthesustainabilitycommunicationisstated:“AtFortescueweaimtoenhancecommunities,behavewithrespectandcareforpeopleandtheenvironment,takebroadresponsibilityfortheeffectsofourpresenceanddowhatwesaywewilldo.”Thisquoteemphasizesthevalue‐orientationofthesustainabilitycommunication,butthecompany’smessageisalsoveryspecificassuccessfulinitiativestowardinvolvingtheaboriginesinthebusinessesinandaroundFortescuearethemostvisibleactivitiesinthesustainabilitycommunication,bothintextandinpictures.Theprogram“Abillionopportunities”isagoodexampleofthisandthereareseveraltestimoniesfromaboriginalentrepreneurs.Anexamplefromoneofthemisquotedonthewebsitesaying: “IwassittinginNewmanwithmyfamilyand,just,youknow,thingswerenotgoinganywhere.Wedidn'thaveabusiness,wewerejustsittingwithnothinghappening.Andyougettiredofjustwaitingfortheroyaltieseveryyear.Soourfamilydecidedtogetoutandhaveagoanddoourbusiness.Soitjuststartedfromanideaanditscomethisfar.I'mreallyproudofourfamilythatwe'vecomethisfar.We'renotexactlyrichoranythingbutwecomefromaverypoorbackground,likemanyAboriginalpeople,andI'mjustproudthatwe'vecomethisfar.”Thesustainabilitymessagecanthereforealsobeconsideredasratherterritorial,aszoominginontheareasinandaroundthecompany’smines.Thecompanycommunicatesseveralsustainability‐relatedinternationalstandards,initiativesandcertifications,suchasUNDHRandtheGC.IthasacodeofconductanditfollowsthereportingguidelinessetbyGRIandreportsonlevel

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B.Fortescuedoesnot,however,publishasustainabilityreport,butseemstodivideitssustainabilityreportinginthreedocuments:theEnvironmentReport,theGRIindexandtheAnnualreport(inwhichthereareabout22pagesundertheheadingCorporateSocialResponsibility).FortheLeximanceranalysisthen,thesethreedocumentswereavailableandwedecidedtosendallofthemthroughLeximancer.Whatarestrikingarethesimilaritiesbetweenthedocuments,despitebeingthreedistinctlydifferentdocuments.ThekeythemesemergingfromtheGRIindexare:impacts,significantandFortescue(Figure5.6);fortheEnvironmentReport:financial,ended,Fortescue,performance,andoperations(Figure5.7);fortheAnnualReport:ended,Fortescue,during,performance,assets,environmental,andore(Figure5.8).Studyingtheheatmaps,thereare,inotherwords,fewsustainabilitythemesemergingasrelevantandthereseemstobeastrongerfocusonfinancesandoperations.TheSENDERofthecompany’ssustainabilitycommunicationisveryclearlythecompany’stopmanagement,atop‐downcommunication.SeveralpicturesinthesustainabilitycommunicationinvolvesthechairmanortheCEOstatinghowimportantsustainabilityis,orisseencollaboratingwithcommunityrepresentativesoremployees.TheSTYLEis,beyondthegeneralvalue‐statements,ratherconcreteandauthoritarian.TheRECEIVERsofFortescue’ssustainabilitycommunicationseempredominantlytobetheaboriginalcommunitiesandthosestakeholders(NGOs,localpoliticians)viewingtherelationbetweenthecompanyandtheaboriginesasthemostsalientsustainabilitytheme.Thereceiversofthemoreenvironmentalinformationseemto,givenitsmoretechnicaljargon,bemorelegislativebodies.TheMEDIAthroughwhichsustainabilityiscommunicatedonthewebsitearepredominantlytext,numbersandpictures,butonoccasionalsovideos(aswithAbillionopportunities,forexample).

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Figure5.6.Fortescue’sGRIindexfrom2012.

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Figure5.7:Fortescue’s2012Environmentalreport

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Figure5.8:Fortescue’s2013AnnualReport.

Freeport‐McMoRan FCX,anacronymknownbythosefamiliarwithmining,standsforFreeport‐McMoRanCopper&GoldIncorporated.FCXstatesthatit“istheworld’slargestpubliclytradedcopperproducer”,“theworld’slargestproducerofmolybdenumandasignificantgoldproducer”.ThecompanyoperatesminesinNorthAmerica,SouthAmerica,IndonesiaandtheDemocraticRepublicofCongo.FCXemploysabout35000peopleandhadrevenuesofabout18billiondollarsin2012.CompanyheadquartersareinPhoenix,US,andthecompanyislistedontheNewYorkStockExchange.Visitingthewebsite,thefirstmessageis“Expandingresources”andpicturesofthedifferentoperationsFCXisinvolvedareshown,togetherwithanemphasisongrowth.Onepicturedisplayssolarpanelsandthecompany’scommitmenttosustainabledevelopmentisstated.Overall,thefirstsitepredominantlycommunicatesfinancialaspects.Therearesixmainheadings;Ourcompany,Ourresources,Investorcenter,Sustainabledevelopment,Worldwideoperations,andCareers.

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ClickingtheSustainabledevelopmentheading,sixpictures(onaslider)meetthevisitor.Fourofthemareoncoloredpeople,presumablyindicatingthecommunityfocus(twoofcoloredwomeninwhatseemtobealocalvillagesettingandtwoofcoloredmenincompanygear,workingforthecompany),andtwoofthemareondifferentfacilities,indicatingtheenvironmentalfocus.Theheadingsare:Ourapproach,Sustainabilityreports,Workforce,Security&humanrights,Communities,andEnvironment.Eachoftheseheadingsinturnincludesnewsub‐headings.Overall,FCXdisplaysaveryencompassingsustainabilitycommunication.TheMESSAGEinFCX’ssustainabilitycommunicationisfirstoneofsustainabledevelopmentasseparatedtosomeextentfromfinancialaspects.OnceenteringtheheadingofSustainabledevelopment,however,thereisamixoffactsandvalues,ofspecificandmoregeneralinformation,andtheresultsisarathercomplexsustainabilitycommunication,noteasilygrasped.Thereisacontinuousemphasisonsuccess,onthecompany’scontributiontocommunities,inthesustainabilitycommunication.Explainingthecompany’sapproachtosustainabledevelopment,itisstatedthat:“Wemitigateimpactstotheextentpracticablethroughstate‐of‐the‐artcontrolandremediationmeasures.Wedevelopinfrastructure,supporthealth,safetyandeducationefforts,andprovidelocalemploymentandbusinessdevelopmentopportunities.Themetalsweproducearecriticalforasustainable,healthy,energy‐efficientsociety.”Thecompanyalsocommunicatesitsengagementwithawidegroupoforganizations,standardsandinitiatives,suchasICMM,ISO14001,EITI,BSR,UNDHR,theVoluntaryPrinciplesonSecurityandHumanRights,REACH,andOHSAS.Italsocommunicatesitscorporategovernanceguidelines,itscodeofethics,itsencompassingworkwithcarbondisclosureprojects(CDPs),andalsoprovidessustainability‐relatedcasestudies(stories).AcentralpartofthemessagethatFCXconveysinitssustainabilitycommunicationiscommunityinvolvementinpoorerareasandaboutcomplianceintheenvironmentalarea.ForFCX’scommunityprograms,thereisevenaseparatewebsite.AlthoughcommunityismorethanPTFreeportIndonesia(PTFI)andTengeFungurumeMining(TFM)inCongo,theseparticularsitesaredominantinthesustainabilitycommunication,resultinginaratherterritorialbias.ThecompanyproducesaseparateSR(GRIlevelA+)andrunningthe2012versionofthe“Workingtowardsustainabledevelopmentreport”,sub‐titled“Expandingresources”,throughLeximancerrevealsthesekeythemes,inorderofrelevance:operations,opportunities,PTFI,water,safety(Figure5.5).Opportunities,operationsandPTFIarerathertightlycoupled,indicatingapredominantcommunityfocusinFCX’sSR.Water,astheonlystandoutexampleofanenvironmentalissueinthemap,ismoreorlessdecoupledandsafetytiesintoopportunitiestosomeextent.TheSENDERofthesustainabilitycommunicationandtheSTYLEwithwhichcommunicationisconductedisverytop‐down,almostauthoritarian.Matter‐of‐factstatementscoupledwithemphasesonsystemsandstandardsdonotleave

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roomforamorebottom‐upanddialogicvoice.Thestylecouldperhapsalsobedescribedasbothmanagerialandtechnocratic.RegardingtheRECEIVERsofFCX’ssustainabilitycommunication,itisevidentthattheyoughttohaveaninterestinthecommunityaspectsinrelationtoIndonesiaandCongo.Asmuchofthefinancialcommunicationisdecoupledfromsustainability,itseemsasifinvestorsarenottargetedinthesustainabilitycommunication.Thewayinformationonenvironmentalissuesispresentedalsosignalsthatintendedreceiversarekeeneronfiguresandfacts(presumablyauthorities).Predominantlythosestakeholdersconsideringcommunityinvolvementassalientseemtobethemainreceivers.TheMEDIAusedbyFCXispredominantlybasedonrelativelylargeamountsoftext,andfrequentuseofpicturesanddiagrams.

Figure5.5.FCX’sWorkingtowardsustainabledevelopmentreportfrom2012.

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GlencoreXstrata ThemergerbetweenGlencoreandXstratawascompletedinMay2013anditisnowoneofthelargestcorporationsintheworld,employingaround190000peoplein50differentcountries.Thefirstsixmonthsrevealsrevenuesofmorethan121billionUSD.Thecompany’sshareislistedinLondonandHongKong,andithasitsheadquartersinSwitzerland.Thecompanyoperatesinthreeareas:miningandmetals,agriculture,andenergy.Inrelationtomining,thecompanyminescopper,nickel,zinc/lead,alloys,aluminaandironore.Italsooperatessmeltersandrefineries.VisitingtheGlencoreXstratawebsite,threepicturesasaslideshowmeetthevisitor.Onepictureisoftwocoloredworkerswatchingoveranopen‐pitmine;anotherofarefinery;andthethirdofalargecargoship.Thelastslidewiththeshiphasasustainabilitytheme:“Weaimtointegratesustainabilityineveryareaofourcompanyandtocreatesharedvalueforallourstakeholders”.Threemodulesbelowtheslidersincludeinformationon:Shareprice,News,andInvestorday.Abovetheslidersaresevenmainheadings:Aboutus,Ourbusiness,Investors,Mediacentre,Sustainability,Careers,andContactus.ExploringtheSustainabilityheadingthereisapictureofagroupofcoloredpeopleinagreenenvironment.TherearelinkstoOurapproach(furtherlinkstopolicydocumentson“ourvalues”anda“CodeofConduct”,availableinawidevarietyoflanguages,andareferencetothecompany’scorporategovernanceframework,detailedunderthemainheadingAboutus),Performance(pictureofaworkermeasuringsomethinginnature;GRIismentioned,theGRI‐levelisA+,andthefirstjointSRwillbepublishedlaterin2013),andSustainabilityreports(wheretherearelinkstotheSRsfrom2011,beforethemerger).Overall,itisaneasilynavigatedwebsiteintermsofsustainability.Perhapsgiventherecentmerger,thecompany’ssustainabilityMESSAGEislargelybasedonvaluesandrathergeneralstatements,asin“werecognize”,“weconstantlystriveto”,and“wearecommittedto”.Thereissimplicityinthemessagecommunicated:“Weseesustainabilityasbeingintegraltohowwedobusiness,reflectingourbeliefthatourlong‐termsuccessrequiresustoprioritisesustainabilitythroughoutourbusiness.”Themessageisthereforetosomeextentvague,butwhenreadingthecodeofconductthemessageismuchmorematters‐of‐factsandspecific(forexample,everyonewhoworksforGlencoreXstratamustcomplywiththecodeinordertoensurethatthecompany’scorevaluesarelivedby).

Therearenosustainabilityreportsfor2012andthecompanyreferstothe2011reportsfromtherespectivecompaniesbeforethemerger.RunningGlencore’sSustainabilityReport2011throughLeximancer,thesekeythemes,inorderofrelevance,emerge:operations,safety,Glencore,local,andbusiness(Figure5.9).Fromthisheatmapitisdifficulttofindaclearsustainabilityfocus,withtheexceptionoftheissueofsafety.ForXstrata,itsSustainabilityreportfrom2011,named“Creatingsharedvalue”,revealedthefollowingkeythemes,inorderofrelevance:local,business,mining,operations,andenergy(Figure5.10).Again,

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sustainabilityissuesarenotsalientinthisheatmap,withtheslightexceptionofenergy.

Inthecaseofthecodeofconduct,theSENDERistheemployerandtheRECEIVERsarethoseworkingfortheemployer.Otherpartsofthesustainabilitycommunication,however,seemmuchmorecommunicatedfromthecompanyinawidersense.Thevoiceisratherabstract,evenundertheheading“Performance”.Thereseemstobenowell‐definedreceiversofthismoregeneralandabstractsustainabilitycommunication.TheMEDIAisbasicallytextandpictures.WefoundnovideosorsoundundertheSustainabilityheading.

Figure5.9.Glencore’sSustainabilityreportfrom2011.

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Figure5.10.Xstrata’sSustainabilityreportfrom2011.

Goldcorp Inc. 

GoldcorpisagoldproducerwithoperationsanddevelopmentprojectslocatedthroughouttheAmericas.ACanadiancompanyheadquarteredinVancouver,BritishColumbia,Goldcorpemploysmorethan16000peopleworldwide.For2012,revenuesamountedtoMUSD5,435.GoldcorpislistedontheNewYork(NYSE)andonTorontoStockExchange(TSX).Its’sustainabilityreportcomplieswithlevelA+oftheGRIG3.Goldcorpfocusesonfivekeyattributesforgoalattainment:growth;lowcashcosts;astrongbalancesheet;regionswithlowpoliticalrisk;andresponsiblebusinessconduct.

TheGoldcorpwebsitehasfourmainheadings:1)WhyGoldcorp?2)Unrivalledassets,3)Investorresources,and4)Responsiblemining.Themainpageshowsthreealternatingphotographsandheadlines.First,theheading“onecompany,thousandsofstories”isaccompaniesbyanimageofminingtruckslinedupata

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miningsite.Second,theheading“Joinus”islinkedtoapictureofaminingworkeroutdoorsinsafetywestandhelmet.Third,themessagereads“CerroNegro:ournextcornerstonemine”.Thislineappearsagainstthebackdropofanimageoftheprospectiveminingsiteinquestion.Allthreemainheadingsandpicturesareaccompaniedbyaclickablevideosequenceprovidingmoreindepthinformationaboutthetopicinquestion.Beneath,thefollowinglineappears:“Goldcorpisthefastest‐growing,lowest‐costseniorgoldproducer,withoperationsanddevelopmentprojectsinpoliticallystablejurisdictionsthroughouttheAmericas.Ourstrongprojectpipelineispositionedtodrivelong‐term,sustainablegrowth.”(wordsunderlinedbytheauthors)Thereunder,linksappeartothemostrecentsustainabilityreport,theannualreportandlastquarterresultsincludingrelatedconferencecallsandwebcast.Numeroussocialmedialinkagesarefacilitated.Stockpricesappearinthetoprighthandcornerofthepage.Anewssectionappearsinthebottomlineofthepagealongwithlinksforinvestors,links,aboutus,careersandmedia.Stockpricesarethenrepeated.Undertheheadinglabeled“Responsiblemining”,eightsubheadingsappear:1)Partnerships&programs,2)Memberships&Commitments,3)Awards&Recognition,4)Governance,Policies&Guidelines,5)Reporting,6)Currentissues,7)Donations,and8)Blog.Thefirststatementunder“Responsiblemining”(avaluestatementlabeled“sustainableprosperity”)reads:“AtGoldcorp,responsibleminingisacompany‐widecommitmentthat’satthecoreofeverybusinessdecisionwemake.Everyoneofus,fromseniormanagementthroughtheworkcrewsateachofouroperations,strivestoconductourbusinesstoensurelastingsocialprogressandeconomicgrowthforallstakeholdersthroughoutthelifeofaGoldcorpmineandwellbeyond.”TheinformationprovidedexplainshowGoldcorpsubscribestoICMM'sSustainableDevelopmentFrameworkanditsmembershipofandcommitmenttostandardsincludingUNGlobalCompactandGRI.Moreover,informationisprovidedabouthowGoldcorpMexicowasnamedassocialresponsiblecompanyin2012,howthecorporationisnamedoneofCanada’sTop100employersanditsmembershipintheDowJonesSustainabilityIndexNorthAmerica.Thissectionreliesheavilyontext.ThesustainabilitycommunicationrevealsthatGoldcorpintroducedanewCorporateVisionStatementin2012:“Together,CreatingSustainableValue”.Sustainabilityisfurtherdiscussedundersevendifferentheadings;1)Strategyandgovernance,2)Economiccontribution,3)Workplaceandpeople,4)Safetyandhealth,5)Humanrights,6)Communityrelations,and7)Environmentalstewardship,allwithtext,numbersandpicturesandincludingnumeroussubsections.TheMESSAGEisoneofasuccessfulminingcorporationwhichcreatesvalueforitsstakeholdersANDforlocalcommunities,otherstakeholdersandindeedforsocietyatlarge.Thismessageiscommunicatedbymeansofacombinationoffactsandvalues.Thelevelofcomplexityisratherhighconsideringthemanycategoriesandsubcategoriesusedonthewebsiteandinthesustainabilityreport.Thecommunicationisverysystematic.

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Runningthe2012sustainabilityreport,labeled“Onecompany,thousandsofopportunities”,throughLeximancerrevealsthefollowingkeythemes,inorderofrelevance:human,employees,Goldcorp,operations,andsites(Figure5.11).Ascanbeseenfromfigure5.11thethemes“human”and“employees”arecomposedbyaparticularlylargesetofsubthemes,suggestingthatGoldcorp’ssustainabilitycommunicationisparticularlyelaborateinthesedimensions.TheSTYLEismoreauthoritativethandialogicandmainlyorientedtowardsprovidinginformation.Thetargetgroupisbroad.Havingsaidthat,thelanguageusedsignaltheinvestorsareaveryimportantstakeholdercategory(seeforexampletheunderlinedwordsintheintroductorystatementabove).However,thesystematicsustainabilityreportsuggeststhattheresponsibilitiesarebroaderthanthat,includingalsogovernments,localcommunities,employees,etc.Thereisarelianceontextonthewebasawhilebutalsomovies,picturesandnumbersareused.

Figure5.11.Goldcorp’sSustainabilityreportfrom2012.

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Newmont Mining Corporation 

Newmontisprimarilyagoldproducer,withsignificantassetsoroperationsintheUnitedStates,Australia,Peru,Indonesia,Ghana,NewZealandandMexico.Foundedin1921andpubliclytradedsince1925,Newmontisoneoftheworld’slargestgoldproducers(includedintheS&P500IndexandFortune500).HeadquarterednearDenver,Colorado,thecompanyhasaround40,000employeesandcontractors.Since2007,thecompanyispartoftheDowJonesSustainabilityWorldIndex.Newmontclaimstobean‘industryleader’withhighstandardsinenvironmentalmanagement,healthandsafetyandvaluecreationforitshostcommunitiesandshareholders.

OntheNewmontwebsite,sustainabilityisoneoffivemainheadings.ThefirstpageontheNewmontwebsiteautomaticallyswitchesbetweenfivepicturesthatdisplaymotifsfromproduction,miningsites,childrenplayingandemployeesthatcommunicateinanindoor(office)environment.Eachpictureisaccompaniedbyatextmessagewithfrequentuseofwe‐form”(e.g.,“AboutNewmont‐ourvisionsandvalues”,“Ourglobalpresence”,“Makingadifference.Oursuccessdependsoncreatingvaluewithinourcommunities”,“Joinourteam”,“Connectwithus”).Theremainingsectionsinclude“Ourvision”and“Ourvoice”“ExploreNewmont”and“LatestFacebookposts”.While“ourvoice”containsentrieswithmoreindeptharticles,“ExploreNewmont”isalistofnewsheadingswithanewsflashcharacter.

Underthesustainabilityheadingliesaseparatewebsite(”Beyondthemine–thejourneytowardssustainability”)whichhoststhesustainabilityreport.Theheadingofthiswebsiteiswrittenagainstaphotographicbackdropexhibitingdetailsfromaforest.Thewebpagealternatesbetweenthreedifferentpicturesthatshow:1)peopleofasupposedlyLatin‐Americanorigindiscussingdetailsexhibitedinwritingonaposter,2)asceneryfromawaterbasin(ataminingsite)and3)alargecongregationofAfro‐Americansposingtogetherwiththeirhandsraisedintheair(“localcommunity”).Underneaththerearefourlargeheadingswithaccompanyingpictures:1)Howtonavigatethisreport,(linkedtoapictureofminerals)2)MessagefromtheCEO,(withapictureoftheCEO)3)Goalsandobjectives(linkedtoapictureofscenerywithaforestandmountains)and4)Reportassurance(withapictureofalit‐upcraneinoperationataminingsite).

Thesustainabilityreportonthewebsitehasfivethemes;1)Inspiringourpeople,2)Communityrelationships,3)Environmentalstewardship,4)Corporategovernanceand5)Valuechainstewardship,allofwhicharelaidoutalongthex‐axisofthemainpageofthewebsite.Therearesixadditionalheadingsalongthey‐axis:1)Aboutthisreport,2)AboutNewmont,3)ReportGlossary&GRI,4)StagingourGrowth,5)ManagingSustainably,and6)CommunityRelationshipReview.Thus,thereareeleventhemesallinallonthemainwebsite,allofwhichincludeasub‐levelof2to10headings.

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TheMESSAGEonthemainwebsiteandthesustainabilitysiteispredominantlyvalue‐orientedandgeneral.Astherearequiteanumberofitems/headingsonthewebsiteandseveralpossibilitiesfornavigation,thereisacertainlevelofcomplexitytothewebsites.Bothsitesexhibitasystematicorientation.Itisonlyatthelevelofthesustainabilityreportthatthemessagebecomesmorefactualinitsappearanceandmorespecific.

Analyzingthe2012SustainabilityreportwithLeximancerrevealsthefollowingkeythemes,inorderofrelevance:local,environmental,work,Newmont,mine,andoperations(Figure5.12).Figure5.12revealshowthetopthreeconceptsaretightlyinterlinkedandinthecenterofpicture.Thesethreeconceptsarealsotheoneswhicharemostelaboratedintermsoftheextenttowhichthereisamultitudeofsubconceptsthatrelatetothemainconcepts.ItwouldseemthatNewmont’ssustainabilitycommunicationisheavilyinfluencedbytheenvironmentaldimensionofsustainabilityandbythecorporation’sactivitiesonthelocallevelwithcommunitiesthathaveaninterestintheirminingsiteareas.

TheSTYLE(SENDER)appearsmoretop‐downthanlocalbottom‐up.Theuseoftermssuchas“environmentalstewardship”and“corporategovernance”suggestsaratherabstractvoice.Themessageisoftenrather“instructional”andinformationrichwhichcontributestoitsauthoritativecharacterdespitesomedialogicelementsrelatedtoFacebookandothersocialmedia.TheRECEIVERspotentiallycanincludeabroadtargetgroupincludingprospectiveemployees,stakeholders,investorsandregulators.Theuseoflocallyorientedcontentappearstobedirectedtoglobaltargetgroup,signalingacommitmenttothelocalcommunityasanimportantpartofsustainability.TheMEDIAusedispredominantlytextandpictureswithmorenumericalcontentappearingonthelevelofthesustainabilityreport.

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Figure5.12.Newmont’sSustainabilityreportfrom2012.

Rio Tinto RioTintostatesthatthey“supplythemetalsandmineralsthathelptheworldtogrow”andthecompanyminesawidevarietyofmetalsandminerals:aluminum,copper,diamonds,coal,uranium,gold,borax,titanium,salt,andironore.About71000personsworkforthecompany,inmorethan40countries,basedinAustralia,NorthAmerica,Asia,Europe,AfricaandSouthAmerica.RioTintoisatrulyglobalcompany,thatis.Itsmissionisdescribedas“finding,miningandprocessingtheEarth'smineralresourcesinordertomaximisevalueforourshareholders”.Exploringthewebsitethemainimpressionis:coreproductsandfinancialinformation.Twoslidersmeetthevisitor’seyeonthewebsite,onerelatedtothelastquarter’sresultsandtheotherto“breathingnewlifeintooldsites”.Therearetwolayersofmainheadings,thetoponesmallersized,including:Corporatehome,Reportingcentre,Procurement,Features,andContact;andthebottomone

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largersized,including:Ourbusiness,Investors,Careers,Media,Ourcommitment,andAboutus.Mostsub‐headingsarealsorevealedandtherearesomeindicationsofsustainabilityissuesunderOurcommitment.Belowaremodulesonfinancialinformation,mediareleases,careersandourbusiness.Again,themainimpressionisthatsustainabilityisnotamainthemethatRioTintocommunicatesonitswebsite.Movingbeyondthefirstpage,however,onthecontraryrevealsaveryrichcommunicationonsustainability.UnderOurcommitment,threeslidersmeetthevisitor,oneontheUNGlobalCompactandprogressmadebythecompany,oneontheeconomicimpactintheoperationsinMongolia,andoneonemployingindigenouspeopleinAustralia.Belowthesliders,itiswritteninlargelettersthat:“AtRioTinto,ourcommitmenttosustainabledevelopmentisfundamentaltoeverythingwedo.”Thereareelevensub‐headingsandalldimensionsofsustainabilityarecovered.Followingthesub‐headingOurperformance,thereisalsoalinktoanewpageonwhich“Oursustainablebusiness”isprovidesanoverviewofthedifferentsustainabilityareasaswellasdetailingthecompany’sperformanceindifferentinteractive(andverypedagogical)charts.Thiscanalsobenotedinthewiderangeofinternationalstandards,initiativesandcertificationsthatthecompanyisengagedwith:GRI(levelA+),EITI,ICMM,MDG,CDP,UNGC,UNDHR,VoluntaryPrinciplesonSecurityandHumanRights,REACH.ItisalsolistedontheDJSIandFTSE4Good,anditmentionspartnershipwithuniversitiesandresearchcenters(UniversityofQueenslandandtheDanishinstituteforhumanrights).TheMESSAGEinthecompany’ssustainabilitycommunicationiscomprehensive.Withineachareatherearevalue‐statementsandfactualinformation,providingastructured,systematicstorywithineachoftheseareas.Giventhewiderangeofareasaddressedandthelayersofinformationundereacharea,themessagecanalso,however,beconsideredcomplex.RioTintopublisheslocalSRswithineachareaofmining,butitisthecompany’sSustainabledevelopmentreportfrom2012thatwesendthroughLeximancer.Thekeythemesrevealedare,inorderofrelevance:sustainable,work,operations,managementanduse(Figure5.13).Thereareexplicitcouplingsbetweensustainable,work,operationsandmanagement,wheresustainablepredominantlyisaboutdevelopinglocalcommunities;asocialemphasisonsustainability,thatis,.Energyandemissions,asimportantenvironmentalissuesinthesustainabilitywork,areverylooselycoupledtosustainability.TheSENDERistosomeextentthetop‐levelintheorganization,topmanagement,particularlywhencommunicatingthemorevalue‐orientedmessages.Thevoiceishereratherabstractanddialogic.Whenbecomingmoredetailedaboutsustainabilityperformancethevoiceismoreconcretebutstillratherdialogic.Anemphasisonshowing,throughfiguresandgraphs,softensthestyleinwhichthecompanycommunicatesitssustainabilitywork.TheRECEIEVERsareabroadgroupofstakeholders,reflectingthesizeandglobalpresenceofthecompany.Differentsustainabilityissues,however,targetdifferentaudiences.Communityissueszoominonaboriginesandlocalcommunitiesinwhichtheoperationsarelocated.Health,safetyandpeopleissuestargettheemployees,andwhen

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environmentalissuesarecommunicated,thereceiversseempredominantlytobethosestakeholdersmoreinterestedindataconcerningthecompany’senvironmentalimpact.TheMEDIAusedbyRioTintoisdiverse,includingtext,figures,images,videos,webcasts,andinteractivecharts.

Figure5.13.RioTinto’sSustainabledevelopmentreportfrom2012.

Teck Teckisdescribedas“Canada’slargestdiversifiedresourcecompany,committedtoresponsibleminingandmineraldevelopmentwithmajorbusinessunitsfocusedoncopper,steelmakingcoal,zincandenergy”.Thecompanyextractscoalandzincfrom13differentminesinCanada,USA,ChileandPeru.Italsohasbusinessunitsfocusedonenergyandspecialtymetals,suchasgermaniumandindium.Itisstatedthatthecompanyhasaworkforceofmorethan8000peopleandhadrevenuesof10.3billionUSDin2012.Thecompany’sshareislistedontheTorontoStockExchange(TSX)andtheNewYorkStockExchange(NYSE),anditsheadquartersareinVancouver,Canada.

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VisitingTeck’swebsite,threeslidersmeetthevisitor.Oneisofaworkerwithanamazinghighmountainbackdrop,withtheaccompanyingtextdirectlyrelatedtosustainability:“TeckNamedtoDowJonesSustainabilityWorldIndex”.Theotherisofaworkeroutsideamine,withthetext“Viewour2012AnnualReport”.Thethirdsliderisaimedtowardsfutureemployees,withtwoimagesofthesamewoman,thefirstinworkclothesandtheotherinleisureclotheswithahorse.Thetextstates“SeeYourselfatTeck”.Belowtheslidersisaone‐sentencedescriptionofthecompanyandbelowthistextismodulesonNews,Eventsandthecompany’sshare.Abovetheseslidersarethreemainheadings:Diversifiedmining,Responsibility,andInvestors(inasmallertextabovetheseareheadingsonAbout,Careers,Media,Products,andContacts).UnderDiversifiedminingtherearesustainabilityrelatedissuesaddressed,buttheydonotstandoutinanysenseinthecommunication.ThesamegoesforInvestors,where,forexample,theDJSIinclusionismentionedasnews.Interestinghere,underthesub‐headingLeadership,isthattherearenowomeninwhatiscalledtheleadershipteamexceptforthepositionasSeniorvicepresident,SustainabilityandExternalAffairs.ExploringthemainheadingResponsibilitythen,sustainabilityissuesareextensivelycommunicated.Apictureofafemaleworker,measuringthelengthofaplant,meetsthevisitor.Thetextonthepicturestates:“Viewour2012SustainabilityReport”.Sixsub‐headingsarelistedonaleft‐sidemenu:Sustainability,Safety&health,Corporategovernance,Communityinvestment,Recycling,andZinc&health.Whatseemstobeakeyphraseinthecommunicationisalsolistedonthefirstpage:“AtTeck,wearecommittedtoresponsibleresourcedevelopment.”Threecoreprinciplesaredetailedbelowthis;safety(“itispossibletooperatewithoutinjuries”,environment(“toprotecttheenvironmentandalwaysstrivetoactwithcareandsensitivity”)andcommunity(“developopen,honestandrespectfulrelationshipsandpartnerships”).Underthesub‐headingSustainability,thevisitorgetsagoodoverviewofTeck’ssustainabilitywork.Eachsustainabilityareaispresentedbasedonastructurefollowing:thevaluesandaims,short‐andlong‐termgoals,casestudies,andthenareferencetoSRforevenmoredetailedinformation.Teckalsocommunicatesalotofpoliciesandframeworksguidingthesustainabilitywork,suchasthecompany’sCharterofCorporateResponsibility,CodeofSustainableConductsandCodeofEthics,aswellas21standardsrelatedtothefulfillingofsuchcodes.Someofcertificationsandstandardslistedinclude:GRI,AA1000,CDP,ISO14001,ISO26000,VoluntaryPrinciplesonSecurityandHumanRights,MDG,UNDHRandILOcoreconventions.Awiderangeofpartnershipsandalliancesrelevanttosustainabilityarealsolisted,suchasBSR,UNGC,EITIandICMM.Forthecompany’scommunityworktheTeckCommunityInvestmentProgramandtheworkwithzincforkidsstandsoutinthecommunication.Regardingtheenvironmentalissues,fouroutofsixfocusareaspredominantlybelongtheenvironmentalare,addingtothisaseparatepageonthecompany’sworkwithrecycling.

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TheMESSAGEinTeck’ssustainabilitycommunicationcomesacrossasbalancedbetweenfactsandvalues,ofmorespecific,detailedinformationandofgeneralstatements.Valuestatementsarebacked‐upwithmoredetailedinformation,givingtheimpressionofacomprehensivesustainabilityworkineacharea.Itisonlywhensearchingforintegrationbetweenthedifferentissuesthatthesustainabilitycommunicationgetsabitcomplex.PartofTeck’ssustainabilitycommunicationisthebacklogofSRs.ThevisitorcandownloadSRsfrom2001andforward.TheSRfrom2012isnamed“Generations”andrunningitthroughLeximancer,thekeythemesemergingare:development,operations,management,performance,business,andemissions(Figure5.14).Fromthisheatmap,developmentisasalientsustainabilitythemeanditiscoupledtobusinessandmanagement.Emissionsemergeasthemostsalientenvironmentaltheme,buttherearenodirectcouplingstothesocialaspectsofsustainability.TheSENDER,particularlyregardingsustainability‐relevantpoliciesandstandardsaretop‐level,thetopmanagement,andintheseinstancesthereisaratherconcrete,authoritarianvoicemixedwithmorebottom‐up,abstractvoice.Thisreflectsthemixofhardrulesandsoftvaluestatementsinthesustainabilitycommunication.TheSTYLEinwhichsustainabilityiscommunicatedispedagogicalinitsmixofactorsandvoices(theuseofcasestudies,thirdpartyorganizationsetc.),makingamorebottom‐upanddialogiccommunicationstylealsopresentonthewebsite.Takentogether,theRECEIVERsareabroadandglobalgroup,butitcanalsobeconsideredalimitedgroupwhenzoominginonthecommunicationofeachparticularsustainabilityissue.Theinclusionofthecompany’sshareinthetwofinancialindexesindicatesthat(some)investorsareatargetedgroup,butthenagain,underthemainheadingInvestors,thereisscarceinformationaboutthecompany’ssustainabilitywork.Theenvironmental,safetyandcommunityworkaretosomeextentverylocal,tiedtospecificsitesinwhichTeckoperates.TheMEDIAarepredominantlytext,imagesandfigures,andthereisagoodbalancebetweenthesedifferentformsofcommunication.Videosappear,buttheyarenotsystematicallyused.

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Figure5.14.Teck’sSustainabilityreportfrom2012.ValeWithamarketcapitalizationofaroundUS$100billionandapproximately400000shareholdersfromallcontinents,Valeisoneofthelargestmetalsandminingcompaniesandoneofthelargestpubliclytradedcompaniesintheworld.Thecorporationisaproducerofironoreandironorepellets,rawmaterialsforsteelmaking,andnickel.Valealsoproducesmanganese,ferroalloys,thermalandcokingcoal,copper,cobalt,platinumgroupmetals,andfertilizernutrients.Ontheirwebsite,ValereferstoBostonConsultingGroupinsupportoftheargumentthatValeis:“…oneofthetop25sustainablevaluecreatorsintheglobe,duetoitsextraordinaryperformanceoverthelast10years”.

TheValewebsitestartsoffwithsixheadings:AboutVale,Business,Careers,Investors,PressandSuppliers.Underneaththeseheadingsthereisaspaceexhibitingpictures.Thepicturesalternateautomaticallyandeachpictureshowsarelatedtextmessage.

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Onetextmessageis:“Weareoneoftheworld’smainminingcompanies,presentinall5continents.GettoknowVale”.Thismessageappearsagainstthebackdropofanoutdoorimageoftwomeninhelmets.Anothertextmessageis:“Wetransformminingintosustainabledevelopment.Findouthowinourreport”.ThismessagehasasitsbackgroundaValeemployeeinahelmet,beddingaplantinanoutdoorenvironment.Athirdmessageis:“Transparencyandvaluecreationaresomeofourcommitments.VisitourInvestor'ssection”.ThismessageiswrittenagainstthebackdropoftwoValeemployeesataminingsitewearinghelmetsandsafetyvests,communicatingwitheachotherwhilelookingatatopographicalmap.Oneisholdingacellphoneandtheotherapen.Afourthtextmessageis:“Wesupportourminingactivitieswithanintegratedlogisticssystem”.Thismessageisconveyedwithabackgroundshowingalargetransportationvesselatopensea.Underneaththemainpicturesandtexttherearetenshortcutswiththefollowingheadings;Commercialrelations,Sustainability,Acrosstheworld,Imagineyourselfhere,Ipad,Paraguay,News,WasteManagement,MiningandCanada.

Thesustainabilityheadingleadstotheinformationcontentunder“AboutVale”.Thesustainabilityreportrepresentsoneofsixsubheadingsinthisareaofthewebsite.Thewebpageofthesustainabilityreportdisplaysanimageofmountainscoveredbyaforest.Inturn;thesustainabilityreportissubdividedintoeightdifferentthemes:1)2)3)6)Valeseekstobealeaderinthesocialfieldinordertoleaveapositivelegacyforthecommunitiesit’sapartof.Wearecommittedtorespectingandunderstandingcommunities,takingintoaccounttheirculturaldiversity“

Underneatheachvaluestatementthereisnumericalinformation(“facts”)ontargetfulfillmentindifferentfields,whichhavebeengroupedundereachoftheeightdifferentthemes(absolutenumbersandpercentages).Therearealsootherwebfeaturesrelatedtosustainability,includingasustainabledevelopmentpolicy,ahumanrightspolicy,ahumanrightsguideandinformationonseveraldifferentinitiativesincludingnaturereserves,botanicparks,azooanddifferentemissionreductionprograms.

TheMESSAGEonthemainwebsiteandunderthesustainabilityheadingisvalue‐orientedandpredominantlygeneral.ThevaluestatementsarerelativelysimplestatementsorientedtowardsthesuccessofVale.Thisisalsotruefortheoverallsustainabilitypage.Thesustainabilityreportincludesbothvaluesandfacts,representinggoalfulfillmentonaspecificlevelindifferentareas.Theinformationissimple(absolutenumbersandpercentages),depictingsuccessratherthanfailureanditisapparentlysystematic.

Analyzingthecompany’sSustainabilityreportfrom2012withLeximancer,thefollowingkeythemesemerge,inorderofrelevance:Vale,environmental,healthandareas(Figure5.15).AlargeleaptoproductionandBrazil.

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TheSTYLE(SENDER)appearsmoretop‐downthanlocalbottom‐up,butconcreteratherthanabstract.Itismostlyamatterofinformationsupplementedwithdialogicelementsrelatedtosocialmedia.TheRECEIVERscanpotentiallyincludeabroadtargetgroupincludingprospectiveemployees,stakeholders,investorsandregulators.Itwouldappearthatthereceiverscanbeglobalandlocalasthereiscontentofbothvarieties(andbecauselocalcontentforexampleofthespecificsofacertainminingsitemayappealtoreceiversonagloballevel).TheMEDIAusedisbroadandincludestextandpictureswithextensivenumericalcontentonthelevelofthesustainabilityreport,alongwiththeuseofavideo(movie).

Figure5.11.Vale’sSustainabilityreportfrom2012.

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6. Discussion and conclusions Basedonthisoverviewofhowandwhatminingcompaniescommunicateintheareaofsustainability,someimportantobservationscanbemade.First,thesetofcompaniesincludedisverydiverse,fromthesmall,localSwedishcompanyDannemoraminingtotheglobalgiantRioTinto.Thisrendersacompletecross‐casecomparisondifficult,butdespitethesignificantdiversityamongthecases,therearenotonlydifferencesbetweenthem.Afterall,allminingcompaniesaredependentuponactualminesfortheirvaluecreationandtheyneedtomanageandcommunicatebothenvironmentalandsocialimpacts.Below,wehavestructuredthediscussionaroundsalientthemesemergingfromouranalysis.Themainconclusionsdrawnonthebasisofthispre‐studyconcerntheMESSAGEcommunicatedbyminingcompaniesinthesustainabilityarea.Theemphasisonthemessagewhenitcomestoconclusionsisalogicalresultofthedesignofthispre‐study.Firstly,ourconclusionsconcerningthemessagerevolvearoundtensionsthatwehavefoundinthesustainabilitycommunication.Inthissectionwepresentfourmaintensionsthatcharacterizethesustainabilitycommunicationofminingcompanies.Secondly,ourconclusionsregardingthemessageconcerntheactualcontentandstructureofthemessagecommunicatedbythedifferentminingcompanies,i.e.thestorybeingtold.Hence,thissectionpresentsfourstoriesthatareconspicuousintheresultsofthispre‐study.Inbothsections,weenrollappropriatetheoriesinordertoillustratethesetensionsandstories.

Tensions in the sustainability communication of mining companies First,thisstudyrevealsatensionontheindustrylevel(atheoretical/empiricaltension).Accordingtoestablishedinstitutionaltheory(DiMaggio&Powell1991),isomorphictendenciesshouldariseforthesustainabilitycommunication,wherethecompaniescommunicatesimilarmessagesinsimilarways.Onereasonforsuchisomorphismcouldbeatendencyforsomefirmstobenchmarkandimitatethesustainabilitycommunicationofotherfirms(‘mimeticisomorphism’),oftenindustryleaders.Asecondreasoncouldbethatthecommunicationisincreasinglyhomogeneousbecauseoftheadoptionand/oradherencetothesamestandards,initiativesandnetworks(‘coerciveisomorphism’).Forexample,itisreasonabletoexpectthatGRItosomedegreeshouldtriggeracertaincoherencebetweenthesustainabilitycommunicationofminingcompanies.Withtheempiricalmaterialcollectedforthisstudyathand,evidencesofisomorphismcanalsobeidentified(mostmajorcompaniesareA+reporters,mostcommunicateallsevensustainabilityissuesetc.),butcoherencebetweenthecompaniesdoesnotseemtofollowfromthis.Isomorphismisnotdominantasallcompanies–also–communicatesustainabilityverydifferently.Whythesedifferencesoccurisinteresting,butbeyondthisparticularstudy.Relevantfactorsmightincludethegeographicallocationwhereeachcompanyoperates,thesizeofthecompany,theownershipstructure,andmore,butansweringthisquestiondemandsmorein‐depthempiricalandtheoreticalstudies.

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Second,theresultsindicateatensionbetweenthemesonthecorporatelevel.Whilethispatternisnotevidentacrossallthefirms,theresultspertainingtotheLeximancerheatmapssuggestthattheminingcompaniesincludeduseaboutadozenthemesfortheirsustainabilitycommunication,fivetosixofwhicharekeythemes.Typically,outofthesethemes,thereseemstobethreeorfourthatcanbeconsideredashighlyinterconnected,whereastheotherthemesappeartobelooselycoupledtotheSRinwhichtheyareincluded.‘Community’and‘operations’seemtobetwocommonkeythemes.Itisinterestingtonotethatinsomecases,‘community’isemphasizedinthesustainabilitycommunicationwhileacontrasting‘elite’or‘authority’themeisevidentinotherpartsofthewebcommunication.Third,basedontheface‐valueanalysiswefindtensionsonthecorporatelevelbetweenfinancialcommunicationandsustainabilitycommunication,andbetweentheenvironmentalandsocialsidesofsustainability.EvenifaparticularminingcompanyislistedontheFTSE4GoodorDJSI,thereseemstobeatensionbetweenfinancialcommunicationandsustainabilitycommunication.Simplyput,financialissuesareonething,channeledtoonesectiononthewebandusuallytoasignificantpartofthefirstsite.Forexample,Barrick,FCX,NewmontandTeckuseaseparatewebsitewhencommunicatingsustainabilitywhileLKABprovidesanintegratedAR/SR.Second,theenvironmentalsideofsustainability(asinemissionsandenergy)isoftenkeptseparatefromthesocialside(asincommunitydevelopment).Fourth,thereisanempiricaltensiononcorporatelevelidentifiedthroughthetriangulationofdatabetweenLeximancerandtheface‐valueanalysis.Intheface‐valueanalysis,thereseemstobeamoreintegratedimpressionofthesustainabilitycommunicationandanimportantideainGRIisalsotogettheorganization’ssustainabilityworktogether.IntheLeximanceranalysishowever,thereisoftenanapparentdecoupling,whichconcernsenvironmentalissuesandcommunityissuesinparticular.Insum,theconcurrenttendenciesofstandardizationanduniquenesscouldarguablybecharacterizedasopposingforces.Sincewefindevidenceofbothtendenciesinourresults,itwouldappearreasonabletosearchforanalternativeunderstandingoftheircoexistence.Rather,ourresultssuggestthatalthoughthereisadevelopmenttowardsstandardizationasmanifestedbyGRIandotherstandards,thestandardsofinterestarebroadenoughtoaccommodateasufficient“actionsphere”fortheminingcompanieswhereintheymayfulfillthereportingstandardwhilestillmakinglocallevelchoicesandadaptationstotheirsustainabilitycommunication.

What is the story? Turningtothesecondpartoftheconclusions,miningcompaniestellsustainabilitystoriesinordertoshowhowtheytakeresponsibilityandinordertoseeklegitimacyfortheiroperations.Therearedifferenceswithrespecttohowtheycraftthesestories.Inthisstudyitwouldseemthatlargecompaniestendto

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relyonabroadarrayofcommunicationmediaincludingnotonlywrittennarrativesandnumbersbutalsoimages,picturesandmovies,whereassmallercompaniesrelyonamorenarrowsetofmedia.Intheresultsreportedhere,fourtypesofsustainability‐relatedstoriescouldbeidentified.Innoparticularorder,thefirststoryisratherstraightforward:“Wecontributetosustainabledevelopment”.Thisstoryrestsonthediscourseofvalue‐creation,buteventhoughthevalue‐creationstorytosomeextentsharesitsrhetoricwithtraditionaleconomicvalue‐creation,valueshouldbeunderstoodinabroadsense.Inthisstory,italsoincludesenvironmentalandsocialvalue.Thelargeplayerspredominantlycommunicatethisstory.Intheliteratureonsustainabilityaccountingandcommunication(Gray2001;2010;Milneetal2006;2009),thisstoryiscriticizedforitsclaimtoproduce‘sustainabilityvalue’giventheenvironmentalimpactofminingandlargepowerasymmetriesbetweencompaniesandlocalcommunities.Thesecondstoryisbasicallyacommunity‐orientedstory:“Weareinthistogether”.Thisstoryisbasedonconveyingtheideathatseveralstakeholdersareworkingtogethertoachievesustainabledevelopmentandthatthecompanyisoneofthem.AllianceswithNGOs,communities,academia,othercompanies,andsoon,arehighlightedinthecraftingofthisstory.Onoccasion,thisstoryseemstosomeextenttohidepowerrelations(acompanycandownplayitsroleandresponsibilitybyshowingthatmanyotherstakeholdersaredemandedinthisprocess),butonotheroccasionsitseemsrealistic.OneexampleisLKAB,whooperatesinatownfarupnorththatistotallydependentonthecompanyandviceversa,thecompanyisverydependentonthepeoplelivingthere.Thethirdstoryfollowsafinanciallogic:“Weareanattractiveinvestmentopportunity”.Itis,simplyput,acalltoinvestorsthatyourmoneyisgoodwithus.Itisinterestingforthisstudythatfinancialinformationcrossessustainabilitycommunicationintherelianceonindicesandportfoliosthathaveaclearsustainabilityprofile.TheDJSIandFTSE4Goodaretwoexamplesofhowsustainabilityispartofthestoryofmakingthecompanymoreappealingtoinvestors.Initspureform,thisstorycanbeinterpretedassayingthatsustainabilitybecomesrelevantonlywhenincorporatedinthefinancialdiscourse.Thefourthandlaststoryemphasizessustainabilityasaprocess:“Weareonajourneytowardssustainability”.Inthisstory,thecompanypresentshistoricaldevelopments,ofcriticalevents,ofhowthecompanymovesforwardtowardssustainability.Itisnotuncommonthatthestoryincludesthemessagethat‘wehavealwaysworkedwithsustainability’,addressingthingsthathappenedlongbeforesustainabilitywasinfashion.Thistypeofstorycanbequestionedbasedonitshistoricalrevisionismandbecausesustainabilityasajourneymeansthatthedestinationneverreallyisaddressed(Milneetal2006;2009).Insum,acompanycanrelyonmorethanonestoryandeachstoryisoftenmoreorlesssalientforeachcompany.Oneobservationfromthisstudyis,however,thatifanyofthesestoriesispushedtoofar,itwillruntheriskofbecoming

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watereddown,maybeevenperceivedasabitridiculous,thusrenderinginalossofcredibility.Thisisperhapsmostnotableintheuseofpicturesbysomecompanies.Ontheotherhand,storytellingisveryimportantinminingcompanies’sustainabilitycommunication.Totellasustainabilitystorythatiscoherentandtrustworthyisarguablythemostimportantcontemporarychallengetominingcompanies.

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