Abstract

Mining activities can benefit the local economy, although they can also have a negative impact on society and the local environment. As the negative impacts have engendered an increased stakeholder pressure over the last decades the mining industry has given considerable attention to its social and environmental impacts by practicing corporate social responsibility (CSR). This article presents a case study on the Nordic mining industry and its stakeholders with the aim of investigating how a mining company and its stakeholders evaluate sustainability aspects, describing the similarities and differences in their evaluations and exploring whether the concept of materiality analysis can be used as a tool for a company’s strategic CSR practice. The mining company X was selected as the case company based on its high CSR profile, sustainability reporting, local context and interesting field competencies. Data has been collected through workshops with management groups, stakeholder surveys and stakeholder interviews. A sustainability aspect matrix was developed which the management groups at Company X and their identified stakeholders evaluated. The materiality analysis visualized the similarities and differences in a good way and the management groups regarded it as a useful tool for their strategic CSR practice.