*3.2. Total Results – The IESAMI Index*

According to the results from the implementation of the proposed framework, the final score of environmental sustainability for the examined facility was 3.0 points (IESAMI = 3.0 points). The score is considered satisfactory (moderate environmental sustainability) if we take into account the fact that the system under examination is characterized by very high environmental and social concerns and the particularities of the operation phase during the assessment year.

The minimization of environmental impacts is one of the biggest challenges of the mining industry. The proposed framework follows a more eco-centric approach according to which the facility examined should continually improve the efficiency of its processes, set long-term goals (e.g., complete land rehabilitation), and take into account concerns in which one cannot directly intervene (e.g., biodiversity of the area, availability of water in the area, etc.).

The assessment and analysis of the core indicators indicated significant room for improvement where the company should aim to further enhance its sustainability performance. A number of suggestions have been developed taking into account the possible ways to increase the score of the indicators with the lowest performance.


The structure of the framework and the assessment process presented a high level of flexibility that allowed its implementation with minimum resources and time available. Thus, one of the key objectives of the framework which is providing scalable levels of difficulty was achieved, thus allowing facilities of varying capacity to be able to implement it.

The procedure of quantifying and scoring some of the indicators presented great added value for the facility since, in several cases, it raised issues (and respective concerns) that were not taken into account until then. The need to develop analytical balances of materials/energy/water/waste and the extraction of composite indicators provided a general overview of the environmental performance of the facility, indicating areas of high concern. The complete implementation of the framework required the cooperation of different sections of the industry something that helps to detect broader issues and data gaps. Results obtained during the implementation of the steps could be used in parallel with the development/update of sustainability and corporate responsibility reports.

#### **4. Concluding Remarks and Future Research**

This study introduced a conceptual framework that is able to strengthen the evaluation and monitoring of the environmental sustainability of mining industrial facilities. The framework can be either utilized as a guide by industries who wish to enhance the way they assess environmental sustainability issues and/or as a stand-alone tool of assessment. It consists of 10 well-defined steps that include specific guidelines and tips that allow for its gradual implementation.

The framework attempts to adopt a more proactive approach, aiming to assess the actions that lead to reduced/increased environmental impact rather than the impacts themselves. The specific approach strengthens the probability that the results will be accepted from external relevant agents and auditors. The framework covers environmental issues in a wider spatial and temporal frame in accordance with the targets of sustainable development.

The reason for conducting the assessment on the industrial facility level (rather than corporate level) is that it enables the identification of unsustainable industrial processes at the source while taking into account specific spatial characteristics of the facility under examination. Consequently, the results of the assessment are expected to better facilitate the identification of amelioration actions. The proposed methodology is focused at the moment only on the environmental aspect of sustainability but can be adapted to include the economic and social aspects.

Linking environmental sustainability indicators to a sustainability reference point can provide a meaningful sustainability performance based on a distance-to-target approach. To cope with this challenge, a hybrid normalization procedure combining the categorical scale and the distance to a reference approach was introduced in the framework. The combination of these two methods enables the aggregation of indicators into a composite environmental sustainability index, whereas in parallel, it reflects a distance from an environmentally sustainable performance-target per indicator. These targets (and thus the assessment of the industry) must be re-evaluated and modified regularly due to the dynamic nature of environment.

The implementation of the proposed methodological framework indicated a number of particular points of interest that can further enhance its applicability. The categories that were harder to be assessed (in terms of data and time needed) were Category 1: mineral resources and materials and Category 2: emissions and waste. The development of an analytical input-output inventory and its reduction in the same units entails the conduction of transformations that can complicate the calculations and affect the reliability of the results. Therefore, it is particular useful to develop a conversion factor inventory to ensure reliable estimations. Despite the effort to minimize the data required for the assessment, the framework still requires information related to a number of different activities within the facility. The development of a standardized data acquisition form will reduce the time of implementation and will facilitate the exchange of information among the various departments of the facility.

The authors are planning to continuously improve the effectiveness of the proposed framework by updating sustainability reference points and developing supporting software that will enable its fast and reliable implementation. Additionally the framework should be implemented into a significant number of industrial facilities. The specific feedback will provide the opportunity to examine issues such as the framework's ability to predict future performance and concerns and the examination of interrelations among the proposed indicators. Other key issues that need to be examined in the future include the potential usability of the framework to assess economic and social aspects of sustainability, its combination with other methods to assess different types of systems, and its applicability to develop relevant sustainability eco-labeling schemes.

Industries and organizations in general will be expected to assess and report their environmental sustainability in the near future. The ideas and steps described in this study can help in developing a common methodological framework that can be applied by mining industries and promote environmental sustainability.

**Author Contributions:** All authors contributed equally to the text. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.

*Sustainability* **2020**, *12*, 2135

**Appendix A**


**Table A1.** Normalization and assessment procedure per indicator included in the proposed framework.








