Consulting Services: Extractives Industry
Extractives Industry
BSR works with a full range of businesses in this sector including oil, gas and forest products companies.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Strategy and Structure
BSR consults with companies to help them better define and integrate CSR into their business strategies and develop structures that drive CSR performance throughout the organization.
- BSR provides strategic counsel to senior managers of a major oil and gas company through a multi-year engagement to develop and implement a CSR strategy and reprioritize risks and opportunities linked to their core business.
- KBSR meets the ongoing research needs of companies in the mining, oil and gas industries by publishing news scans, issue briefs and concept papers. BSR provided a monthly publication of summaries and analysis of current issues to clients in the mining sector to enhance understanding and awareness of key CSR issues and trends.
CSR Assessment and Community Development
BSR helps companies better define and integrate CSR into their business strategies, and develop structures that drive CSR performance through the organization.
- BSR conducted an internal assessment for a forest products company to identify its internal business, operational and reputational risks, as well as issues and impacts. Through the lens of sustainability, BSR reviewed company policies and practices for issues such as environmental practices, human and labor practices, governance, transparency and corporate citizenship. BSR's analysis resulted in a set of priority issues material to the company's business and a roadmap for addressing risk and opportunity.
- • BSR used its Human Rights Risk Assessment (HRRA) tool to assist a mining company in identifying, measuring and evaluating its security and human rights risks. After a visit to the mining operation, BSR rigorously evaluated risk conditions and scenarios. The results highlighted where the operation was the most vulnerable and how the company could reduce the likelihood of human rights violations. The company is working towards mitigating the identified risks and plans to use the HRRA at two other sites.
- BSR has also developed an indicators-based approach to community investment management to assist companies in evaluating and demonstrating their programs' impacts on local human development.
Community Engagement and Transparency
BSR provides a range of tools and services in the areas of reporting strategy, report development and review, and engagement approaches to help companies better respond to the needs of their stakeholders.
- Following a community referendum in Esquel, Argentina, opposing the opening of a new mine, BSR led a large-scale stakeholder mapping, analysis and engagement strategy for Meridian Gold. The process involved interviews with 125 internal and external stakeholders and the facilitation of a public assessment process.
- BSR executed a site-specific risk analysis and stakeholder engagement plan at a Latin American mine. Following the findings of the stakeholder analysis, BSR is now facilitating the creation of a community environmental monitoring group.
- BSR developed a Train-the-Trainers Guide for an extractives company on the practical implementation of human rights principles in the field. The guide consists of easy-to-use training exercises for operating units at a particular mine site. The training sessions were designed to provide employees with an overview of what human rights mean in practice, why managing human rights makes business sense and how employees can support the implementation of human rights principles into company operations.
- BSR has designed various community engagement trainings for mining company personnel at different sites through Central and South America. The trainings consist of a workshop for site managers on practical tools and methods for community engagement and include instruction on the skills necessary to train employees at all levels. BSR customizes the curriculum by incorporating company policies and principles.
- BSR has worked with several extractives companies on CSR reporting strategies and frameworks at each stage of report development--from conceptualiziation to report creation--including identification of key audiences, development of content outlines, selection of key performance indicators, publication and stakeholder communication.
Industry Issues
Community consultation, Environment, Ethics, HIV/AIDS, Human rights, Indigenous peoples, Site closure, Sustainable community development, Social license to operate, Transparency
For more information, please contact us at web@bsr.org.