Mining & Energy
The importance of Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) metrics and performance is largely accepted by leaders in the mining and energy sector, informing investor and board level decisions.
In particular, concerns around human rights abuses and social license to operate are top of mind. Ernst & Young consistently identifies License to Operate (LTO) as one of the top risks and opportunities for the mining sector. Failing to obtain public consent or losing the trust of the public has real costs and can disrupt the lifecycle of projects.
With increasing energy demands – the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts energy demand will increase by 19% by 2040; reduction of fossil fuel dependence to meet global climate goals – today, fossil fuels provide more than 80% of global consumption; and uptake of renewable energy – market is projected to grow to $1,512B by 2025 and has already faced public scrutiny, measuring and ensuring ESG compliance will be essential to secure investments and public support for necessary infrastructure projects.
How Ulula Supports Organizations in Mining and Energy
Ulula makes ESG compliance and community engagement possible at-scale through multichannel, multilingual surveys and information broadcasts. Ulula seamlessly facilitates this innovation and the transition to renewable energy from conventional energy sources, presenting an opportunity to advance social dialogue with communities and workers.
Meaningful dialogue and effective stakeholder engagement have the power to build trust, social acceptance and reputational legitimacy.
Open dialogue ensures that community members understand the impact of a project and have opportunities for clarification and input.
Consulting with Stakeholders, Achieving Compliance
Many companies struggle to implement effective consultation processes throughout the lifecycle of a project, even though public and community consultation are requirements for Environmental and Social Impact Assessments.
Open dialogue ensures that community members understand the impact of a project and have opportunities for clarification and input.Â
Ulula’s solution can complement in-person consultations by improving information sharing with community members and thereby building trust.
Through the Ulula platform, resources can be delivered to community members in advance of meetings, even in lieu of meetings if social distancing protocols are in effect.
The two-way communication mechanism facilitates inclusive dialogue by enabling community members to digitally submit questions if they cannot attend consultations or are reluctant to raise issues in person. The channel is maintained throughout the lifecycle of the project, ensuring community members are informed of updates and can access support when necessary.
Consulting with Stakeholders, Achieving Compliance
Many companies struggle to implement effective consultation processes throughout the lifecycle of a project, even though public and community consultation are requirements for Environmental and Social Impact Assessments.
Open dialogue ensures that community members understand the impact of a project and have opportunities for clarification and input.Â
Ulula’s solution can complement in-person consultations by improving information sharing with community members and thereby building trust.
Through the Ulula platform, resources can be delivered to community members in advance of meetings, even in lieu of meetings if social distancing protocols are in effect.
The two-way communication mechanism facilitates inclusive dialogue by enabling community members to digitally submit questions if they cannot attend consultations or are reluctant to raise issues in person. The channel is maintained throughout the lifecycle of the project, ensuring community members are informed of updates and can access support when necessary.
Engaging Communities With Digital Tools
Traditional on-the-ground communication methods often fail to reach stakeholders quickly, especially when there are physical restrictions in place — a challenge spotlighted by the pandemic.
Send early warnings and alerts straight to mobile phones, immediately and at-scale.
Notify community members about leaks, spills or blasts; disseminate information for public health; and send regular updates regarding day-to-day operations.Â
Surveys can help tailor training programs to a site’s specific needs and risks.
Schedule feedback surveys to gather insights on the effectiveness of community consultations and measure community perception in real-time to avoid potential crises.Â
Protecting Brand Image and Reputation
As demonstrated by the rise of ESG related proposals, it has become clear that shareholders recognize the value of positive ESG reputation to a company’s long term interests, share price and, ultimately, its bottom line. Ulula’s solution can help companies uncover and prioritize risks to mitigate reputationally damaging events.
Continuous data collection
Continuous digital surveys can gather information on the community perception of a company and its environmental impact.
Case management
The grievance mechanism enables community members to raise concerns and resolve issues directly with company representatives, rather than resorting to social media or community protests.
Visual analytics
Dashboards visualize analytics in real-time, creating digital reports for easy distribution with key stakeholders.
 The Impact of COVID-19 in Mining and Energy
In response to the pandemic, the energy and mining sector has had to quickly implement new health and safety guidelines for workers and further build trust with communities. Pandemic containment efforts, however, have limited in-person interaction via traditional communication channels such as meetings and site visits. Consequently, companies have encountered new obstacles to keeping in touch with workers and beyond. Ulula’s solution can support community engagement.
With Ulula, you can:Â
Workers and community members can access up-to-date COVID-19 information by calling or texting a toll-free number from their personal phones
Managers can send resources and updates to workers and community members, such as the delivery of supplies or new health and safety protocols.
Support audits and assessments such as the EIA digitizing consultation and data collection needed to satisfy assessment requirements.
Ulula Across Sectors
See how Ulula solutions address challenges across other sectors.
Achieve compliance and community engagement at scale
Get in touch to learn how Ulula solutions can make ESG compliance and community engagement possible at scale through multichannel, multilingual surveys and information broadcasts.
Maintaining a Social License to Operate
Facing social and environmental impacts, natural resource extraction companies benefit from an active license to operate strategy to stay ahead of risks and identify productive resolutions with the community members impacted by business operations. Meaningful dialogue and effective stakeholder engagement have the power to build trust, social acceptance and reputational legitimacy.
Ulula’s grievance mechanism facilitates anonymous two-way communication, closing the feedback loop necessary for meaningful dialogue, resolutions and outcomes.
Community members can anonymously contact field managers or engagement officers to raise concerns using their mobile phones.
Pulse surveys also keep lines of communication open by collecting information directly from community members, thus providing a thorough picture of the environmental and social impacts of operations.