Sustainable mining – Challenge of Polish mines

Abstract

The work analyzed the scope of implementation of sustainable development (SD) goals resulting from the activities of entities dealing in the exploitation of lignite in Poland. As the stage requiring implementation of solutions in line with the SD objectives, the design phase was indicated. It has been shown that although there are a number of tools and guidelines that contribute to sustainable development, there is no consistent, integrated approach to supporting the national mining industry. The main goal of the article is to indicate the role of sustainable development in the context of mining projects designing, indicating the available tools (software) and guidelines (including industry-specific GRI). In addition, several SD indices were selected in the article. The considerations were placed in the socio-environmental sphere, on the example of the development of two Polish local government units, in which opencast mining plants function together with the development potential for the selected area with prospective deposits. It has been shown that municipalities in which mining activities are carried out, supplying their budgets, can carry out activities in accordance with the SD. This results in improving the living conditions of local communities, thus providing an opportunity for the future development of areas that can be designated for exploitation.