294 6th International Conference on Sustainable Development in the

Minerals Industry, 30 June – 3 July 2013, Milos island, Greece

Stakeholder identification in the planning phase of aggregate and quarrying

projects

K. Komnitsas and Z. Agioutantis

Department of Mineral Resources Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Greece

D. Shields
Department of Economics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA / Department of Envi-
ronment, Land and Infrastructures Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Italy

G.A. Blengini
Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructures Engineering, Politecnico Department i TDe-
partment rino, Italy

P.G. Tzeferis
Ministry of Environment Energy & Climate Change, Marble and Aggregate Quarries Division,
(YPEKA), Greece

ABSTRACT modern societies and consist of natural, manu-

factured or recycled materials. In essence, natu-
The need to accommodate social and environ-
ral aggregates are non-renewable, non-metallic
mental parameters in planning new quarrying
and non-fossil mineral resources and are pro-
activities is becoming increasingly apparent in
duced in quarries, while manufactured or recy-
modern societies in order to improve sustaina-
cled materials used for aggregates (i.e. broken
bility of the sector and manage social risk. In-
glass, slag, etc.) are processed in industrial
volvement of all interested stakeholders from
plants (Blengini and Garbarino, 2010).
the early stages of the planning phase is an inte-
The production of aggregates is one of the
gral part of the “social license” which is earned
faster growing activities worldwide (15 billion
and allows the society to monitor and measure
tonnes/y) and their total direct value is estimated
the performance of the project and the company
at €20 billion (UEPG, 2013). The U.S. Geologi-
throughout the quarry life cycle. The planning
cal Survey (USGS) in its 2013 Mineral Com-
process should include an in depth analysis of
modity Summaries estimates that the U.S. ag-
all political, economic, social and technological
gregates production of 2.08 billion tonnes in
factors involved. This paper aims to discuss the
2012 increased by about 7.6 percent over 2011
most important issues related to stakeholder
numbers (USGS, 2013). The value of primary
identification and analysis and the way this pro-
aggregates produced in the U.K in 2009 was
cess can be improved for the benefit of both the
£1.425 billion. Sales of recycled and secondary
company and the society. It is believed that such
aggregates also grow steadily accounting for
an approach also allows companies to achieve
just over 50 million tonnes (UK Office of Fair
realistic views of the concerns of the people and
Trading, 2011).
the way they value their environment within the
The extensive use of natural aggregates in
area of potential quarry development.
construction projects has been gradually deplet-
ing this resource near the areas where aggre-
1. INTRODUCTION gates are in high demand. The need for resource
conservation, eco-efficiency and increased sus-
Aggregates are essential and valuable resources tainability of the sector, highlights the im-
for the economic and social development of
6th International Conference on Sustainable Development in the
Minerals Industry, 30 June – 3 July 2013, Milos island, Greece
portance of quantifying the environmental and
social impacts associated to the entire aggre-
gates sector (Henry et al., 2011).
Economic development is closely linked to
the extraction and use of natural resources. Re-
cently, however, the demand for natural re-
sources has increased dramatically and has cre-
ated huge environmental problems including bi-
odiversity loss, ecosystem degradation and cli-
mate change, and, thus, it is now considered as a
serious threat to the economic and social equi-
librium of the planet. One of the key sustainabil-
ity challenges for the following decades is to
improve the management of natural resources in
order to reduce current levels of anthropogenic
environmental pressure (UEPG, 2012).
It is known that quarries are and should be
located close to urban centres otherwise the cost
of aggregate transportation becomes very high.
Unrestricted supply of aggregates requires ef-
fective and sustainable regional plans for both
primary and secondary aggregates, using relia-
ble data and in depth analyses. Successful plan-
ning for a resource-efficient management and
supply of primary and secondary aggregates is
required in order to mitigate environmental im-
pacts and improve the relations between indus-
try and stakeholders. In the opposite case, plans
may become unrealistic, impossible to achieve
and may be delayed by strong opposition.
Aggregate planning is a key sustainability is-
sue in all European countries and definitely the
broader mineral sector has to contribute towards
this direction (Blengini and Shields, 2010;
Shields et al., 2011). In this line, the European
Commission issued in 2011, the Communica-
tion “A resource efficient Europe” and the asso-
ciated roadmap aiming to reconsider the entire
life cycle of resource use (European Commis-
sion, 2011). Planning and production of aggre-
gates should be in line with established econom-
ic, environmental and social criteria (Blengini
et al., 2012).
The objective of this paper is to discuss the
most important issues related to stakeholder
identification and analysis and the way this pro-
cess can be improved for the benefit of both the
company and the society.
295
2. STAKEHOLDER IDENTIFICATION
It is known that during the life cycle of aggre-
gates several stakeholders are directly or indi-
rectly affected to a varying degree.
The most important stakeholders in this sec-
tor include aggregate planning authorities, ag-
gregate permitting authorities, environmental
and transport authorities, the aggregates associa-
tion and aggregates industry representatives (in-
cluding recycled / manufactured / marine aggre-
gates), community representative groups,
NGOs, biodiversity groups, and even walkers,
fishermen, hunters and others (O’Brien, 2013).
In the process of stakeholder engagement the
first step is their identification which involves:
- An initial estimation of all stakeholders who
are related to or are affected by the project.
- Their key groups and sub-groups.
- The concerns, priorities or opinions each
group or subgroup or even some stakeholders
in each group or subgroup share about the
project.
It is known that some of the stakeholders
should be a-priori involved due to existing regu-
latory requirements.
Following the initial estimation a careful in
depth analysis is required in order to elucidate
the following issues:
- The interests of all stakeholders’ groups and
subgroups.
- The way they are involved or affected and to
which degree.
- The probable or potential influence they will
have on the project.
- The magnitude of their influence.
All these aspects are required in order to
begin formulating the best strategy for stake-
holders’ engagement. In order to identify the af-
fected stakeholders the following aspects should
be considered:
- The area of influence / impact by the project.
This area should be as broad as possible
- Main and secondary project activities (in-
cluding main project site, related main and
associated facilities, aggregate transport
routes, roads, power lines, potential for air,
296 6th International Conference on Sustainable Development in the
Minerals Industry, 30 June – 3 July 2013, Milos island, Greece
water, and soil contamination etc.)
- Areas which will be potentially affected by
direct, indirect and cumulative impacts, as
well as by impact interactions
- Short- and long-term anticipated impacts,
due to the expansion of activities or potential
changes in land uses in the wider project area
The use of aerial photographs, GIS or even
Google maps can be extremely useful in identi-
fying the broader area of interest and identify
potential stakeholders at the initial stage. Mod-
els can be also used to predict impacts within
the project area and in the wider areas. Thus
impacts can be compared to interests of various
stakeholders assisting thus in identification of
several gaps in the process.
First of all, the direct impacts due to the
quarrying activities should be identified. These
impacts may include:
- Land uses.
- Generation of wastes.
- Emissions on air and water.
- Noise and vibrations.
- Transportation and storage of aggregates, as
well as hazardous materials (on and off site).
- Socio-economic impacts, including new jobs,
market start-ups and the overall supply chain.
Identification and estimation of these envi-
ronmental and social impacts enable the identi-
fication of most stakeholders groups in each im-
pact area, immediate, in the vicinity or at longer
distance, so that an early consultation may be
initiated. This early consultation will enable
identification of potential stakeholders who
have not been considered in the first place.
It is helpful if at this initial stage a study is
carried out to define groups or even individuals
who are directly or potentially adversely affect-
ed by the project. In this study all project phases
should be considered, from preparatory works to
the “after quarry life” in the area. If a line is
drawn between those who are affected and those
who are not, this can be very helpful and defi-
nitely will minimize future problems.
Experience tells that in some cases communi-
ties or even individuals, who are active just out-
side the specified project area, may consider
that they will be affected in some way, and if
they are arbitrarily excluded from consultation
or potential project benefits may cause prob-
lems. Thus stakeholders should be defined using
“broader” criteria.
It is known that in some cases, and more spe-
cifically in gold projects, strong opposition may
come from stakeholders outside the affected ar-
eas, even from other parts of the country, from
other nearby countries, or from overseas. This
opposition, through protesting and boycotting
campaigns carried out by NGOs and specific
stakeholder groups, due to the lack of an early
recognition of their requirements, has resulted in
the past in cancelling of projects or long delays
and modification of strategic approaches (Har-
per, 2005; Urkidi, 2010).
This is not often the case in aggregates plan-
ning but indicates that the potential impacts of a
project should not be underestimated and the in-
terests of all stakeholders should be seriously
considered. So, accurate mapping of the inter-
ests of all stakeholders is considered very im-
portant in order to prevent future opposition. It
is thus appropriate that open channels of effec-
tive communication, including public meetings,
dedicated websites, newsletters, media coverage
etc., should be established at an early stage and
maintained for as the project continues, and
even after closure if open issues remain.
The use of experts can be also considered at
an early stage to provide an independent opin-
ion. Experts can be proposed by all involved
parties since they can contribute to a construc-
tive dialogue between the company and the
community.
A better approach may be to prioritize stake-
holders and not engage them at the same time
during the planning phase. Prioritization can re-
ly on their interests and the anticipated impacts
to each stakeholder group at each phase. Care
should be taken during this analysis since some
times the interests of specific stakeholder
groups may change over time. In any case,
groups whose engagement is mandatory by law
should be always involved. It is also helpful if a
road-map is available to all on how the aggre-
gates plan is going to be developed.
Therefore the analysis related to the sequence
of stakeholder engagement should focus on the
following issues / questions:
6th International Conference on Sustainable Development in the
Minerals Industry, 30 June – 3 July 2013, Milos island, Greece
- Are there any stakeholders who can assist
during the design phase?
- Are there any stakeholder groups who sup-
port or oppose the project?
- Which group should be engaged first, which
second and which at later stages?
- Identification of direct, indirect and cumula-
tive impacts, as well as of impacts interac-
tions. Earlier studies based on similar pro-
jects may be useful in this direction.
- Identification of groups who will be affected,
to a lesser or higher extent, by potential envi-
ronmental and social impacts in the wider
project area of influence.
- Identification of impacts for each phase of
the project and each group of stakeholders. It
may be possible that different impacts are an-
ticipated for different stakeholder groups dur-
ing procurement, construction, operation and
decommissioning.
Past information from similar projects in the
same or other regions of the country or in other
countries, is always very useful both in terms of
identification of stakeholder groups, stages of
involvement and potential opposition due to
predicted or unforeseen reasons. All this infor-
mation may result in identifying potential risks,
liabilities, or any unresolved issues. These is-
sues should be prioritized in the strategy for
stakeholder consultation that will be followed.
Other issues that may be considered in the
adopted strategy are whether:
- The project is a new one or an extension of
an existing project.
- There are existing risk, environmental or im-
pact assessment studies for the area of inter-
est.
- Any consultations were carried out in the re-
gion for a similar or a different project.
- There are existing or foreseen community or
regional investment plans or even priority
development plans.
- Any other industrial activities have been
planned or are carried out in the area or the
region.
Large quarries may have impacts on people
and environmental receptors over a much larger
297
area, thus it is proposed that also socio-
economic impacts be well covered, if needed by
the use of external experts or advisory groups.
This approach may assist in the identification of
future engagement for specific stakeholder
groups and the assessment of impacts to specific
media or vulnerable groups or species. Fact
sheets that will be utilized in all project phases
may be developed by experienced social scien-
tists and should include:
- demographic characteristics,
- population numbers and activities,
- other activities in the area,
- natural resources management,
- social organization,
- future development plans in the area,
- cultural values,
- welfare and health care,
- potential sensitive areas,
- potential endangered species.
Another important aspect in the process of
stakeholder identification is the accurate identi-
fication of all stakeholder group representatives.
These representatives should be able to com-
municate and disseminate the outcome of the
consultation to their constituents in an appropri-
ate, efficient and sincere manner. The identifica-
tion of the appropriate stakeholder representa-
tives may be verified by contacting people who
can be potentially affected by the project. In the
same way the disseminated information can be
also verified. Representatives from stakeholder
groups may be:
- local and regional politicians and officials,
- elected in local or regional councils,
- representative of local organizations, NGOs,
cooperatives,
- representatives from social groups,
- representatives from scientific societies, sec-
ondary or higher education institutions.
Special care should be taken so that the ap-
propriate people are consulted in order to avoid
tensions from the early stages of planning. This
includes awareness of the possibility that some
individuals may represent the views of only a
subset of the community, regards, of what they
state.
298 6th International Conference on Sustainable Development in the
Minerals Industry, 30 June – 3 July 2013, Milos island, Greece
If the project area is in the vicinity of resi-
dential or agricultural land and part of this area
is required for the planned activities, care
should be taken that all affected people are di-
rectly contacted, using all available means of in-
formation, so that they are informed in advance
and they all receive appropriate compensation.
If the procedures are implemented through local
councils or governments, the transparency may
be limited in some cases, some people may not
be informed, and thus not receive compensation,
which increases the likelihood that future prob-
lems or conflicts may arise.
It is very important that stakeholder consulta-
tion takes place in the community rather than in
the offices of the company in a major city for
the following reasons:
- people in general feel more comfortable at
home,
- the process becomes more productive and
transparent since all members are directly in-
formed about discussions and views are
freely expressed by all parties,
- local representatives follow the process more
easily, avoid travelling and save time and
money,
- the representatives are verified and illegiti-
mate representatives are easily identified and
excluded from the process.
Government and regional authorities are al-
ways key stakeholders; thus it is necessary apart
from legal obligations that good relationships
are established with officials at different levels
and that they are always informed about pro-
ject’s activities and anticipated impacts. These
authorities always have contacts and relation-
ships with groups of stakeholders in the area,
they often meet representatives and they can
possibly influence them. Besides, if the topic is
a new quarrying project, local stakeholders can
be informed at an early stage about potential
benefits for the area in terms of advanced eco-
nomic planning and improved infrastructure.
Apart from government officials, non-
governmental organizations (NGOs) and com-
munity-based organizations (CBOs), can be im-
portant stakeholders, especially in cases when
impacts are anticipated for the region. Some
NGOs definitely have expertise regarding pro-
ject design and impact assessment from previ-
ous projects that may prove very useful during
the consultation phase. It should be explored
though whether specific NGOs or CBOs actual-
ly represent the affected community’s interests
and to which extent. In case these non-
governmental organizations have objections to
the project, it is better that they are engaged as
early as possible so that a relationship of trust is
established and all issues of concern are dis-
cussed.
If the issue is a project related to quarry ex-
tension employees should be always involved in
the process of consultations. They certainly
have the power to communicate messages about
the project and the company to the local com-
munity, to all other stakeholders, even to gov-
ernment and regional officials. Thus, their con-
tribution should be always sought since the local
workforce is always respected especially in
smaller regions. So, it is very important that
employees are well informed about new plans
and emerging issues since they can more easily
bridge communication gaps between owners
and population in general.
3. DISCUSSION
Early identification and analysis of stakeholders
is a key issue for planning a new aggregate and
quarry project.
It is believed that the role of the min-
ing/quarrying sector towards sustainability as
well as its relationship with various stakeholders
may be strengthened if several initiatives are
launched, mainly from mining or quarrying as-
sociations. A proposed initiative from the au-
thors of this paper could be one entitled “To-
wards Sustainable Mining and Quarrying
(TSMQ)” and may include sustainability princi-
ples, sets of commitments that address all im-
portant issues of mining and quarrying as well
as the importance of the sector to the regional
and national economy as well as to the growth
of the country.
Several indicators may be used to quantify
the above mentioned issues. These indicators
may be related to environmental, economic and
social aspects and may include among others:
6th International Conference on Sustainable Development in the
Minerals Industry, 30 June – 3 July 2013, Milos island, Greece
- production data,
- energy use,
- greenhouse gas emissions,
- waste management,
- health and safety,
- biodiversity conservation,
- risk assessment & crisis management plan-
ning,
- improvement of quality of life,
- an “after quarry” plan.
If in reports, annual or semi-annual, newslet-
ters and media communications these indicators
are openly discussed, then stakeholder identifi-
cation becomes easier and their involvement
more open since more trust is developed among
all involved sides.
It is also important that stakeholder identifi-
cation and engagement is integrated into poli-
cies and management systems while decisions
taken should always consider the views of dif-
ferent stakeholder groups.
Identification and proper communication
with all involved stakeholders is part of gaining
social license for mining and quarrying projects
(Franks et al., 2011; Shields, 2012). A social li-
cense is not a legal document issued by the gov-
ernment, but rather is granted by the public. It is
a statement that the community, however broad-
ly defined, accepts the presence of the mine or
quarry (Shields et al., 2006). This is considered
a promising approach in order to improve the
resolution of planning strategies to identify and
address social criteria and allows companies to
achieve realistic interpretations of the people
and their environment within the area of poten-
tial mine/quarry development or expansion
(Steurer et al., 2005). As P. Lassonde pointed
out in 2003 “You don’t get your social license
by going to a government ministry and making
an application or simply paying a fee… It re-
quires far more than money to truly become
part of the communities in which you operate”.
The primary objective of gaining a social li-
cense is to minimize project risk. It has been
mentioned that “Successful mining and metals
operations require the support of the communi-
ties in which they operate now, and in the fu-
ture, to ensure continued access to land and re-
sources” (Render, 2005). Mining and quarrying
299
should thus become activities that promote eco-
nomic and social development of associated
communities and this can only be achieved
through an effective consultation and participa-
tion process.
Two of the most important aspects to gain a
social license are education of local stakehold-
ers about the process and ensuring open com-
munication amongst all stakeholders. Thus, the
company needs to have a quarry planning pro-
cess that enables an integrated and comprehen-
sive analysis of the political, economic, social
and technological factors that characterize the
situation in which the quarry would operate. In
this manner both the micro- and macro-
environment need to be carefully analyzed (Nel-
sen and Scoble, 2006).
Fundamental regional and local characteris-
tics and attributes have to be analysed in depth
so that the company makes an informed deci-
sion by considering all risks associated with de-
velopment in the area and establishes a strategy
to manage risks and adjust planning decisions if
required.
This analysis should be initiated early at the
quarry life cycle. Politics, Economics, Social
and Technological (PEST) and Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
(SWOT) Analyses are well-established strategic
management tools that can be used towards this
direction by the quarrying industry. The indus-
try thus needs to establish a closer communica-
tion strategy with the community and the stake-
holders involved so that decisions are based on
a thorough understanding of the risks and bene-
fits of quarrying operations (Gaillard et al.,
2011).
Thus, the sustainability of a quarrying project
and a company depends on the sustainability of
its stakeholder relationships. A company must
consider and engage not only shareholders, em-
ployees and clients, but among others also sup-
pliers, public authorities, local community and
civil society in general. It is believed that the
sustainability of stakeholder relationships must
be the guiding principle for the managerial deci-
sion-making process and the pillar of a more
comprehensive corporate strategy (Perrini and
Tencati, 2006).
The relationships between a quarrying indus-
300 6th International Conference on Sustainable Development in the
Minerals Industry, 30 June – 3 July 2013, Milos island, Greece
try and stakeholders influence the way a com-
pany is governed and, in turn, are influenced by
the company’s behaviour. In more depth, “the
capacity of a firm to generate sustainable
wealth over time, and hence its long-term value,
is determined by its relationships with critical
stakeholders” and “any stakeholder relationship
may be the most critical one at a particular time
or on a particular issue” (Post et al., 2002).
4. CONCLUSIONS
Accurate and early identification of stakehold-
ers, even from the planning phase, is considered
extremely important for the success of any ag-
gregate and quarrying project.
Confusion and lack of clarity in terms of
managing, assessing and reporting to the differ-
ent stakeholder groups will certainly create dif-
ficulties in analyzing and appreciating the sus-
tainability efforts of the company.
The quarrying company should always ad-
dress the economic, social and environmental
concerns of various stakeholder groups. This
point is crucial, especially for Small Mining En-
terprises (SMEs) which dominate the sector and
whose success is mainly based on stakeholder
interrelations. Thus, the entire set of stakeholder
relationships should become strategic and all
environmental and social criteria to maximize
sustainability and quality of life for the “affect-
ed” community should be seriously considered.
Economic prosperity, social cohesion and
environmental protection should be the pillars in
which a quarrying company should build rela-
tions with all associated stakeholders.
The analysis carried out should aim to assess
the sustainability of the interactions between a
quarrying company and its stakeholders through
qualitative and more importantly quantitative
information. This analysis is part of social ac-
counting and assists in understanding the eco-
nomic costs and benefits related to social activi-
ties and policies.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to acknowledge the fi-
nancial support of the European Commission
for the project SNAP-SEE (Sustainable Aggre-
gates Planning in South East Europe), Contract
No SEE/D/0167/2.4/X (http://www.snapsee.eu).
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