The mining industry plays a key role in global decarbonisation through implementation of new technologies, sustainable designs and energy efficiency processes.
January 2026 - The mining industry has a critical role in the global transition to a lower-carbon footprint future. Through the adoption of new technologies, more efficient designs, and management models that integrate sustainability and productivity, the industry continues to reduce CO₂ emissions and strengthen the economic and social viability of its projects.
According to the consulting firm McKinsey, globally, this sector accounts for between 4% and 7% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, reinforcing its importance in decarbonisation strategies. Although global carbon dioxide emissions remain high, with an increase of 1.1% in 2025 associated mainly with the use of fossil fuels, mining is transforming this context into an opportunity to accelerate the adoption of low-carbon practices and technologies.
In line with this, countries such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico and Peru have established national commitments, such as reducing their GHG emissions by 35-45% by 2030, driving transformations in all productive sectors, including mining.
"Every mining project has enormous potential to move towards more efficient design and operation, with a lower carbon footprint. Our goal is to support our partners in the mining sector with consulting and engineering solutions that enable them to convert that potential into measurable results," said Gerson Bastos, Ausenco’s Digital Solutions & Decarbonization Lead.
Industry commitment
In recent years, the mining industry has taken important steps in reducing its carbon footprint: fleet electrification, use of renewable energy, process optimisation, heat recovery, and energy storage, amongst other advances aimed at improving efficiency and reducing emissions.
The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) emphasises that the sector must play a dual role: supplying the critical resources essential for a low-carbon economy while aligning its operations with the Paris Agreement objective of limiting global warming to well below 2°C (3.6°F).
Global engineering and consulting firms such as Ausenco are actively contributing to this process through sustainable design, digital solutions and measurement tools, and lifecycle analysis, creating opportunities for emissions reduction to be identified from the earliest stages of a project. Their approach is based on optimising energy efficiency, reducing material intensity, selecting materials with lower carbon footprint, streamlining logistics, integrating clean energy sources, and evaluating alternatives that verifiably reduce emissions across Scopes 1, 2, and 3.
Growing investor and regulatory focus
Investor and regulatory interest in sustainability and CO₂ reduction continues to increase across industries, including mining. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), sustainability disclosure has expanded significantly in recent years. As a result, most companies now report sustainability-related information in response to increased investor demand for transparency around climate-related risks and opportunities. These disclosures play an increasingly important role in institutional investors’ risk assessments, capital allocation decisions and the adoption of low-carbon technologies.
At the same time, governments in key mining jurisdictions including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, and Peru are strengthening regulatory frameworks and national climate commitments, encouraging companies to enhance reporting, set ambitious emission reduction targets and align operations with international climate objectives.
For mining companies, robust sustainability disclosure has become critical to securing financing and maintaining stakeholder trust. Integrating strong reporting frameworks early in project development positions companies to adopt low-carbon technologies, improve operational efficiency, and transparently track progress against CO₂ reduction goals.
Comprehensive project feasibility
Reducing carbon footprint influences both the economic viability and social acceptance of mining projects. More compact and efficient designs can reduce CAPEX and OPEX, and minimise the impacts associated with logistics, which strengthens the financial sustainability of the project and improves access to capital.
Ausenco anticipates technical, operational, and regulatory risks that may impact the long-term value of the asset, incorporating lifecycle analysis from the early stages of the project. This approach contributes to improving financial predictability through reducing risks and improving asset reliability, reducing exposure to future cost overruns, and strengthening decision-making, which are key aspects for investors and financial institutions.
Furthermore, by anticipating sustainability criteria from the planning stage, Ausenco helps mine owners determine relevant emission intensity metrics and benchmarks to align with reporting obligations and global climate disclosure frameworks. These disclosures help strengthen investor confidence and positions our clients at the forefront of international sustainability expectations.
"To make tangible progress toward operations with a lower environmental impact, Ausenco has developed solutions that allow sustainability to be integrated from the early stages of the project. These are supported by our integrated suite of digital tools that provide our clients with a unified, highly practical system for ESG oversight, emissions management, resilience planning and data-driven project management”, concluded Mariel Palomeque, Ausenco’s Sustainability Integration & Performance Director.