The Negative Impacts of the

Silver Mining Industry

Sciencing.com

Luna & Rose

Table of Contents
Executive Summary............................................................................................................................3
How the Dangers of Silver Mines Affect Us All ....................................................................................3
Environmental Damage from Industrial Mining.................................................................................4
Devastating Impacts on Human Health from Industrial Mining ..........................................................5
Using Recycled Silver for New Products ..............................................................................................5
Selling Jewelry from Sustainable Companies is Beneficial to the Environment and Consumers .............5
Environmental Benefits of Recycling Silver .......................................................................................6
Conscious Consumption ..................................................................................................................6
The Future of Recycled Jewelry........................................................................................................6
Conclusion .........................................................................................................................................6
References .........................................................................................................................................8

Table of Figures
Figure 1: An abandoned gold mine that has been left mostly intact. ......................................................3
Figure 2: A graph displaying each state’s water withdrawals in 2015 .....................................................4
Executive Summary
Raw silver is used in the production of a wide range of products, including jewelry, silverware,
electronics, and medical supplies. It can be found in “keyboards, our teeth, water, swimming pools,
socks and bandages,” and in many other objects (Shen 7). While it serves many purposes in our
everyday life, silver ore is mined from the earth using extremely destructive practices, many of which
destroy the environment and leave damage that can last decades, if not centuries. According to the U.S.
Geological Survey, 26% of silver produced in 2020 was used for jewelry and silverware alone (Anderson).
Over a quarter of the United States’ silver was used for products that can easily be made from recycled
silver rather than mined silver, which is what we stand against. At Luna & Rose, we propose that our
jewelry provides consumers with sustainable jewelry that does not come directly from a mine. This
means that all our jewelry is made is ethically sourced and made from 100% recycled silver. We hope
that by selling our jewelry in physical stores, we can encourage consumers to purchase our product and
reduce the demand for new silver. Additionally, our success with large retail chains could encourage
other manufacturers to follow in our footsteps and, therefore, diminish the market for mined silver.

How the Dangers of Silver Mines Affect Us All

The mining industry has often been referred to as “one of the world’s most destructive industries,” and
while silver is often collected as a byproduct of gold or copper mining, around 30% of silver ore still
comes from silver mines (Lee). Any kind of ore mining is environmentally problematic; Figure 1 below
shows an abandoned gold mine and depicts some of the human pollution left behind. These mines are
often dangerous not only for the workers, but for the environment, which negatively impacts us all.

Figure 1: An abandoned gold mine that has been left mostly intact.
Image via Flickr
Environmental Damage from Industrial Mining

Some of the most impactful environmental damage from mining comes from the processes the industry
must use to excavate the silver. Industrial mining destroys not only the land which must be drilled, but
also the surrounding land which is often used for housing miners and transporting the ores. Drilling for
ores requires an area of land that is left devastated and usually deemed unusable. Digging creates holes
underneath the ground, and the affected areas become at risk for sinkholes. The damage to nature is
especially dangerous depending on the landscape and location of these silver mines. Animals are
displaced from the lands required for digging, and if the surrounding land is also destroyed, such as trees
being cut down to build roadways, the destruction caused by its ecological footprint multiplies tenfold
(Witchalls).

The abundant use of water for mining is also of notable concern. Many processes of industrial mining
require water, such as filtering through ores and the removal of dust particles. While some of this water
can be recycled, some of it will become contaminated with byproducts of mining such as arsenic. In this
case, that water can no longer be recycled (Witchalls). In 2015, 72% of water used in mining in the U.S.
was groundwater, and 65% of that groundwater was saline (usgs.gov). While most of that water was not
freshwater, the use of that water still depletes precious reserves and is still harmful to the surrounding
environment, particularly in drier regions. Figure 2 below shows that some of the driest states
(California, Nevada, Utah) had the highest water withdrawals.

Figure 2: A graph displaying each state’s water withdrawals in 2015 in gallons per day. Texas, California,
Nevada, and Utah had the highest withdrawal rates.

Graph via USGS

Pollution of the water and land are related to both the water usage and the destruction of land used to
extract silver. Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is a process by which sulfuric acid leaches out of excavated
rocks when it is exposed to air. Water, as it is greatly involved in the mining process, transports this acid
onto the surrounding land and bodies of water. This can have devastating effects, as sulfuric acid
poisons lakes and rivers, killing native fauna. Other chemicals such as cyanide have also been known to
leach into essential bodies of water due to chemical mining processes, in addition to heavy metals like
arsenic, cobalt, and copper (safewater.org).

Devastating Impacts on Human Health from Industrial Mining

The damage done to the environment during the mining process doesn’t just affect the land and the
animals. In addition to animals, humans rely on safe drinking water and unpolluted land. Humans can’t
build on lands that surround mines because they might collapse due to sinkholes, or too many trees
have been cut down in the mining process that mudslides make the land uninhabitable.

Using Recycled Silver for New Products

Using recycled silver for any kind of product that requires silver means that it was made without
creating more damage to the environment. Each time silver is recycled, the demand for new silver
drops. If the demand drops low enough, the amount of silver and other precious metal mines will also
drop, halting some of the destruction currently being done to our earth. By putting our products in
Earthbound’s stores, we intend to decrease the amount of jewelry that is made using new silver, and
thus reduce the environmental impacts of silver mining. Placing our product with such a big company
would help us advertise our cause, and the success of our business will inspire other companies to do
the same. With our product in such a large business, our products will fill the market with a more
sustainable option that is easy to access for the average consumer, and the goal to reduce the
production of new silver can be achieved.

Selling Jewelry from Sustainable Companies is Beneficial

to the Environment and Consumers

For many, purchasing sustainable jewelry may feel like a challenge, as consumers may find it difficult to
find companies that are both accessible and reputable. In this section, we will discuss how stocking our
products will protect the environment and make sustainable jewelry accessible for the average
customer.
Environmental Benefits of Recycling Silver

Since 30% of the world’s silver comes from silver mines alone, decreasing the demand for new silver
would significantly decrease the overall number of ore mines (Lee). Since our company also uses
recycled gold for our jewelry, we have managed to reduce the demand for gold, thus reducing new silver
ore in the same process. Excess water does not have to be wasted to mine new silver, and recycling
silver doesn’t carry the same pollution risks that mining does. Additionally, recycling silver protects the
land in two ways: the first is that no digging must take place, since the silver is already out of the
ground. Secondly, recycling any kind of material means that it is kept out of a landfill, which is necessary
to protect our earth.

Conscious Consumption

Silver is used for many essential purposes such as medical supplies or electronics. Since it’s so versatile,
there are many resources from which silver can be ethically extracted that don’t require any
environmental disturbance. While jewelry may not be an essential product, consumers can feel better
about purchasing it if it means keeping silver out of landfills to give it a new life. From a consumer’s
perspective, it may be hard to justify buying a new silver ring or necklace if they know the kind of
damage mining does to the environment. Having a more sustainable option available for those who are
in the market for recycled jewelry will only expand sales. With a chain so big as Earthbound, our product
will be able to reach a much wider audience of people who generally shop for more sustainable clothing
and jewelry. Our brand can give consumers peace of mind as they shop since they will know that our
jewelry was made without feeding into the harmful mining industry.

The Future of Recycled Jewelry

We believe that the success of our product at such a large chain retail store would inspire other big
retailers to produce jewelry that is exclusively made from recycled silver. An increase in the market for
recycled silver would decrease the demand for mined silver, eventually to the point that silver is no
longer mined for jewelry at all. This would result in up to a 26% decrease in the amount of silver mined
per year (Anderson).

Conclusion

Using recycled silver is a great way to reduce unnecessary waste from both landfills and as a result of
mining. Our company is a medium through which silver is recycled and made into something beautiful
that will bring more customers to Earthbound’s stores and encourage consumption without excessive
harm to the planet. This will overall mitigate some of the damage that mining has caused to planet Earth
and will encourage other brands to implement these practices in the future.
References
Anderson, Schuyler. Mineral Commodity Summaries. 2021.

Lee, Matilda. Can Silver Ever Be Ethical? 1 Mar. 2009, https://theecologist.org/2009/mar/01/can-silver-

ever-be-ethical.

“Mining and Water Pollution.” Safe Drinking Water Foundation, 17 Dec. 2016,

https://www.safewater.org/fact-sheets-1/2017/1/23/miningandwaterpollution.

“Mining Water Use Active.” Mining Water Use | U.S. Geological Survey, 1 Mar. 2019,

www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/mining-water-use#overview.

Shen, Lindsay. Silver: Nature and Culture. Reaktion Books, 2017.

Witchalls, Sammy. “The Environmental Problems Caused by Mining.” Earth.Org, 3 Apr. 2022,

https://earth.org/environmental-problems-caused-by-mining/.