Lucy Crane & Ben Lepley – Public Perception of the Minerals Industry: Communicate through Connection

1Cornish Lithium Ltd, Cornwall, UK

2SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd, Cardiff, UK

The Critical Minerals Association (CMA) formed a number of committees to focus on some of the major challenges facing the raw materials extractive and downstream industries that form the value chain for critical materials. The CMA’s members represent a wide variety of speciality companies from exploration and mining, through consultancy to manufacture and engineering. The public perception of mining committee was formed with the purpose of engaging with and educating the wider public about the extractives industry, and its pivotal role in society. Its members asses the current situation and attempt to provide a platform for knowledge sharing through stakeholder engagement, as well as aiming to encourage the next generation into STEM subjects and a possible career in mineral extraction.

The committee has engaged with many companies, organisations, and governmental bodies to allow for dialogue between a wide range of stakeholders in the extractive industry. There are a huge array of resources available globally designed to inspire young people, empower general public through knowledge and influence decision makers. In this presentation we will show you our journey so far and hopefully highlight some tips for effective communication to improve the sometimes overwhelmingly negative perception of the industry within the wider public.
Fig 1. Improving Public Perception of the Mining Industry through Connection

Biography

Lucy is currently Innovation and Sustainability Manager at Cornish Lithium. A geologist by training, she is a strong advocate for the standardisation of sustainable and responsible practices in mining, promoting these actions to the wider public, and is passionate about making the industry a more diverse place to work. She has been on the committee for Young Mining Professionals London since its inception and is heavily involved in Women in Mining UK. She did a 2019 TEDx talk on ‘Mining our way to a low carbon future’ which has been well received.

Ben is an Environmental Consultant with twelve years of international experience, currently specialising in in environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects of exploration and mining projects. He also has experience in geology and the evaluation and estimation of Mineral Resources. He has a strong passion for geoscience education and communication.