Narrative-Based Communication Backed by Hard Facts

Q: More than a year into the López Obrador administration, what is your outlook on Mexico’s mining industry?

A: We are going through a crucial time in Mexico’s mining sector. There was a period from 2004 to 2012 that saw strong investment in exploration. New mines were opened while others were expanded. Nevertheless, these projects are coming to an end. For instance, here in Sonora, the El Chanate mine has announced that is closing. What is worrisome is that the project pipeline is not getting replenished in Mexico, even when the international markets are signaling a recovery of the mining industry. If we look at exploration, the downward global tendency in investment was more accentuated in Mexico in 2019 than elsewhere. This is a result of previous factors that had been accumulating, but also of the inconclusive atmosphere the change of government generated.

One of the most pressing issue is for the granting of concessions to return to normality, which would be highly beneficial for boosting exploration. It must be understood that there is absolutely no problem if large areas of Mexico’s territory are granted as concessions. The fact that there are exploration activities on a piece of land does not mean that a mine will ever exist in that territory. In fact, the possibilities are rather slim, and exploration activities have a negligible impact on the territory. If granting of mining concessions is withheld, companies — Mexican and foreign — could start taking their investments to other jurisdictions.

Q: How can the cluster contribute to a sustainable value chain in Sonora’s mining industry?

A: The cluster works to reinforce Sonora’s status as a prime sustainable mining jurisdiction grouping together as many relevant producers, suppliers and contractors in the State as possible. This is important, as communication within the sector would become impossible if everyone were scattered. We work through our six different commissions. The sustainability commission and the supplier development commission are key for promoting sustainability. We help our members to become certified as Environmentally Responsible Companies. We train and advise suppliers and walk them through the certification process. Moreover, the Cluster has its own certification program which we call the Silver Certification. Its goal is for local suppliers to comply with all the different requirements operators ask for. Even if it emphasizes administrative aspects, the cluster’s Silver Certificate requires suppliers to meet social responsibility requirements and is thus an element that leads to sustainability all along the state’s mining supply chain.

Q: The public perception of mining does not tend to correspond with reality. What measures should the industry take to change this?

A: The incongruity between people’s perception of mining and the industry’s reality is a major challenge. Today, we produce and consume information mainly through social media, and mining is an easy target to punch at from an emotional angle. When somebody sees in their Twitter feed that Mining Company A is polluting the community’s water, it provokes a strong emotional reaction. In the past, the mining industry chose not to engage with these asseverations, but it has since started speaking up; however, it did so from an informative point of view, quoting facts and figures, and it eventually realized that it is hard to counterbalance emotional reactions with rational thought processes. So, we are now developing more effective strategies; namely, a communications strategy that tells actual stories from real people whose lives have benefited from mining. It is a matter of humanizing mining, and profiling men and women who have acquired good jobs with professional development opportunities thanks to the galvanization of the local mining economy. We are highlighting cases where mines have cleaned local water sources, saved endangered species, etc. This new tendency in communications is based on true narratives of real men and women and is backed by hard data.

As an industry, we have to become communication-savvy. When a reporter knocks at the mine’s doors, we cannot get nervous. We are not doing anything wrong. In fact, it is fundamental to open our doors to the public, so they can see for themselves what mining is really like. For example, an exciting new initiative is to hold races inside mines. Runners run through the mine for five or 10 kilometers, and then they come out marveled at the orderliness and high technology they encounter inside. Our companies, clusters and associations have to be intelligently and strategically active on social media. It is also crucial that we stop talking only among ourselves. Receiving input from people outside of the industry is a great way to generate self-criticism and improve our practices.

The Sonora Mining Cluster is a nonprofit civil association that brings together mining companies and mining suppliers throughout the state of Sonora. The cluster’s members have organized to generate an attractive environment for investment in the state, with the goal of turning it into a benchmark for responsible and sustainable mining.