Application of life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) in the gold mining sector: a systematic review

PurposeGold mining is one of the most generative economic activities in many developing countries. Gold mining operations are generally recognized not only as being too energy and material intensive, but also as a source of pollution, social insecurity, and instability. Faced with this challenge and the challenge of integrating gold mining into the framework of sustainable development, life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) seems to be an option, the most comprehensive assessment method to facilitate decision-making. LCSA is a tool based on life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle costing (LCC), and social life cycle assessment (SLCA). This study, as a systematic review, analyzes whether and how LCA is applied in the gold mining sector. MethodsA systematic review was conducted for the LCSA studies published between 1st January 2010 and 20th May 2022 in the gold mining sector. And the resulting studies were reviewed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) as a guideline.Results and discussionReview of the studies resulted in the selection of 16 publications in the gold mining sector. The content results showed that 94% of the publications, i.e., 15 out of 16 applied LCA and 6% of the publications, i.e., 1 out of 16 applied SLCA. However, the results showed that no publications were found not only on LCC but also on studies integrating LCA, LCC, and SLCA together. There were discrepancies between the selected studies in the definition of system boundaries and the selection of indicators, and diversity between studies in the choice of impact assessment methods and data quality. It was also noted that other methodological approaches were combined with the LCA approach.ConclusionThis work reveals the absence of LCSA and LCC studies and the scarcity of SLCA studies in the gold mining sector. Therefore, further studies in this sector should be encouraged, particularly on LCC and SLCA, which could focus on integrating the LCA, LCC, and SLCA approaches together (LCSA), defining the boundaries of the system and harmonizing impact assessment methods and indicators constituting the major challenges of applying LCSA in the gold mining sector.

Automated summary

Gold mining is an economically significant activity in many developing countries, but it is energy and material intensive and has negative social and environmental impacts. The use of life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) can help address these challenges and integrate gold mining into sustainable development. However, there is a scarcity of LCSA, life cycle costing (LCC), and social life cycle assessment (SLCA) studies in the gold mining sector. Further research is needed to integrate these approaches and harmonize impact assessment methods in order to promote sustainable gold mining practices.