Dialogues on sustainability: Analysis of the sustainability concept in Anglo American’s communication materials for the communities affected by the Minas-Rio Project

Abstract

Extractivist sector firms have increasingly engaged with environmental policy agendas. When it comes to the mining sector, this rapprochement unfolded amid a legitimacy crisis. Adopting sustainable practices has, therefore, become intertwined with rebuilding the sector's reputation before civil society. Against this backdrop, corporations began to employ notions such as “sustainable mining” and “best practices” to describe many of their operations. During the same period, Latin America experienced an expansion of the extractive frontiers, closely linked to the commodities boom of the early 2000s, pushing mining activities into previously protected areas. It is in this context that negotiations began for the Minas-Rio Project in the southern Espinhaço region in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The project's installation also generated conflicts stemming from the socio-environmental impacts consequent to its operations. The relations between Anglo American and the communities living in the region have been complex and marked by pronounced power asymmetries from the beginning, leading to violations of the affected population's fundamental rights. This article investigates the company's communication material aimed at the communities living in the region. Accordingly, the proposed question is: How does Anglo American define “sustainability” in its institutional discourse aimed at the surrounding communities of the Minas-Rio Project? To address this question, the study undertakes a content analysis of the firm's community-oriented institutional documents.

Keywords: Mining; Sustainable Development; Sustainability; Corporate Social Responsibility.