From the Whitehorse Mining Initiative Towards Sustainable Mining: lessons learned Patricia Fitzpatrick a, * , Alberto Fonseca b , Mary Louise McAllister b a Department of Geography, The University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg R3B 2E9, Canada b Department of Environment and Resource Studies, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada article info Article history: Received 3 June 2010 Received in revised form 24 October 2010 Accepted 25 October 2010 Available online 2 November 2010 Keywords: Sustainability Policy Learning Mining association of Canada Mining Minerals abstract Much debate has taken place within the mineral policy community about whether or not meaningful progress has been made towards more sustainable practices. This paper investigates the changing approaches towards sustainable development undertaken by the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) over a period of approximately 20 years. The analysis begins in the early 1990s when MAC initiated the Whitehorse Mining Initiative (WMI) and concludes in 2010 when the association was operating under a strategy entitled Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM). The goal is to consider the nature of the learning that has taken place towards sustainability within the mineral industry using the case of a leading national mining association. The investigation was undertaken through a literature review as well as key informant interviews with stakeholders affected by the Canadian Mining Industry. Findings suggest that MAC’s approach to sustainable development has shifted from an ambitious and holistic partnership involving a range of stakeholders to a focused, member-specific agenda that addresses a few perfor- mance issues. The transition to TSM was based on lessons learned through working with the WMI and subsequent efforts. It reflects broader corporate tendencies to address social and ecological issues through corporate social responsibility initiatives. The implications of these trends suggest that volun- tary initiatives in and of themselves should not be expected to replace the comprehensive regulatory responsibilities historically provided by government. Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Much debate has taken place within the mineral policy community about whether or not meaningful progress has been made towards more sustainable practices. Despite the increasing numbers of sustainable mining initiatives, many question their overall effectiveness (Fonseca, 2010; MiningWatch, 2004; Moody, 2001; Whitmore, 2006). For their part, industry players will frequently argue that mining has the potential to leave positive legacies for the environment and communities, thus contributing to sustainable development (ICMM, 2009; MMSD, 2002). The nature of the debate ranges from disputes about what the term sustainability implies to questions about motivation, action and effectiveness of initiatives. Such debates are particularly vociferous in resource-based countries such as Canada, which has been referred to as “the world’s miner” (Bassompierre, 2006, p. 50). Canada was among the world’s top producers of many minerals and metals throughout much of the past century and currently plays a leading role in global exploration (NRCan, 2008). In 2009, Canadian-based exploration companies contributed an estimated 34% of the world’s total exploration budget (NRCan, 2010b). The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) has long been considered an industry leader in Canadian social and environ- mental voluntary initiatives (McAllister and Alexander, 1997). Its endeavours have influenced mineral development in Canada while highlighting the importance of public participation, accountability, and environmental stewardship. This paper investigates the extent to which learning has taken place in the period of time between two of MAC’s most important initiatives: the 1993 Whitehorse Mining Initiative (WMI) and its Leadership Council Accord and the most recent Towards Sustain- able Mining (TSM). Learning, a key requirement of sustainability strategies (e.g., Keen et al., 2005), provides an insightful lens through which to analyse the merits and potential implications of policy shifts. * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ1 204 786 9481; fax: þ1 204 774 7134. E-mail address: p.fitzpatrick@uwinnipeg.ca (P. Fitzpatrick). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Cleaner Production journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro 0959-6526/$ e see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2010.10.013 Journal of Cleaner Production 19 (2011) 376e384