Why these CEOs are embracing regenerative design

Rob McEwen: We produce gold and silver from three mines in the Americas. Also, we own 48% of McEwen Copper, which owns 100% of the Los Azules copper project. This is where we are working to design a mine that will help redefine and transform the public’s negative impression of mining by creating the first regenerative green copper mine in the world. Los Azules is located in the beautiful Andes Mountains in northern Argentina, on the border with Chile.  

Eddie Opler: We’re a third-generation business that makes chocolate products, largely focused on bars and chocolate-covered nuts. Our goal has always been to provide a high-quality product at an affordable price. My grandfather founded the company, and I took over from my father in 2022.  

RM: The mining industry and in particular copper provides the foundation materials for the modern world. Copper is used extensively to manufacture electric vehicles, solar cells, wind turbines, all manner of electrical products, and it facilitates the Internet and AI. So the impact is substantial and critical to sustaining civilization as we know it. Unfortunately, most of the world is unaware of mining’s contribution but very critical of its history. It is this negative perception that we are working to change with our Los Azules project.  

EO: Well, for one thing, everybody loves chocolate! And we currently work with 3 million to 4 million families a year who sell our products as fundraisers, typically for schools that want to do things like enhance a computer lab or build a playground or take field trips. Beyond the benefits of raising money for projects, the sales process teaches kids valuable skills. We’ve also started partnering with large and small retailers across the country to help fund their charitable projects. We’ve raised over $4.6 billion over the years. 

RM: Nature’s beauty, majesty, diversity, and fragility fills me with awe! The location of our Los Azules project, which is at 10,000 feet above sea level, is inspiring. I could spend days with a camera capturing images of its broad valleys and variety of pastel colors cascading down the mountain peaks that pierce the blue sky. At night, the sky is so clear it seems like you can reach up and touch the stars. It’s a beautiful setting and it motivated me to figure out how to protect it, the people who will work there, and the people who live downstream. We are designing to minimize our disturbance while mining and ensuring our reclamation efforts benefit all creatures and humankind.  

EO: Nature has always been a big part of my life, and lately my kids have helped me understand the importance of climate change and our potential to have a positive impact on our business and beyond. And nature was such a key outlet for me during the pandemic that I’ve been inspired to make sure we can share it with future generations. These things have combined to make sustainability a key mission for me, something that I wanted to share with our employees, with our customers, and millions of kids.  

RM: Mining can be a large user of water and energy in the form of fossil fuels. The mine we are designing will not be your conventional copper mine because it will utilize a heap leach process that will use less than one quarter of the water and produce no tailings. Since it will be powered by renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydro, and utilize an electric mobile fleet and electric equipment wherever possible, it will emit one-third less carbon. Our design plans to be carbon neutral by 2038.

RM: Yes, you are creating a work camp like no other. The accommodations for miners working in remote locations like Los Azules are usually small, unimaginative industrial boxes: functional, but not attractive. With the industry experiencing a growing labor shortage, comfortable, attractive, restful accommodation will be a competitive advantage. I really like what you and your team have designed as it ties into the history of the region—adopting the terraced approach the Incas used to cultivate the mountainsides. Its terraces are enclosed in a light-filled structure providing multi-level walkways, hanging gardens growing fresh produce, collecting and treating its own water, and all powered by a large solar array. I believe it will be a very positive model for attracting scarce skills and talent and be a big advance in eco-innovation for mining. 

EO: I mistakenly assumed that our factory footprint would be the largest factor, along with our product distribution. But it’s actually a start-to-finish supply chain issue. After doing a study with you and your team, we were surprised to learn that about 90% of our environmental impact happens before the raw materials arrive at our factory, mainly involving cocoa production but also milk and sugar. Those learnings have helped us focus on reducing our carbon impact and figuring out ways to build sustainable practices into our business model going forward.  

RM: Mining will impact the economics of communities close to its activities. First, it is one of the highest paying industries, so there will generally be an increase in income. It almost always encourages the development of secondary and tertiary commercial activities to service the mine, as well as improved access to healthcare and training in many disciplines that increase one’s ability to have a higher standard of living. On the potential downside, there’s increased traffic and disruption of the labor pool for lower paying agricultural and farming jobs.  

EO: I’m excited about providing a pleasant place for people to work. We want to blend nature into the manufacturing facility so employees can have nature around them during break times and at lunch, and so they can have a comfortable space to unwind and work together. And we’re including an educational component for visitors that will connect with young people and adults, teaching them about the global supply chain and helping them understand what it takes to manufacture this product in the right way. We’ll showcase how we’re using energy and water, how we’re using modern technology like robotics and automation. I think it will be a very special thing to share, hopefully with millions of people. 

RM: We’re creating a new model for the mining industry, one that I hope will help to improve the public’s perception of mining. It is all about creating an environmentally sensitive and sustainable operation that the community and the country can be proud of, a beautiful and generative oasis in the mountains rather than a scar.  

EO: I’ve always been proud of the facility that my dad and grandfather built in Chicago. And now that our company has matured into a solid, strong, healthy business, sustainability needs to be top of mind as we think about what’s next for World’s Finest Chocolate.

RM: We need to protect the natural world. It’s a fragile ecosystem. We are working to find a balance between minimizing our impact on the environment and producing essential materials to support the modern world. We want to present a new model for the mining industry, one that can be admired and accepted by local communities, at the national level, and globally. To date, the response has been most encouraging. Both the mining industry and the general public have expressed surprise that mining could be done in such a different and improved way. Both groups want to see mining move quickly in this direction.  

EO: It’s a scary time, but it’s energizing to think about regeneration and new technologies, and how to use this as a catalyst for revitalizing communities. And I don’t want to wait. I don’t want to look back and know that I built a new factory in the old way. Why not look at this much more holistically now? I want to hold a beacon of hope out there. It’s not easy to make these decisions, but it’s the right thing to do.