Seven Questions to Sustainability

The document presents the 'Seven Questions to Sustainability' framework, developed by MMSD North America to evaluate the long-term sustainability of mining and minerals projects. The framework covers engagement, people, environment, economy, traditional activities, governance, and synthesis. It is intended for use across all project phases—from exploration to post-closure—to aid in appraisal, planning, financing, and reporting for stakeholders including industry, governments, and indigenous groups.

• MMSD North America developed a framework of seven questions to determine if a mining or minerals project's net contribution to sustainability is positive or negative over the long term. These questions cover: engagement, people, environment, economy, traditional and non-market activities, institutional arrangements and governance, and synthesis and continuous learning.
• The framework is designed to be applied across all phases of a mining activity's life-cycle, including exploration (1–10 years), site investigation and construction (1–3 years), operation (2–100 years), temporary closure, final closure and decommissioning (1–5 years), and post-closure in perpetuity.
• The framework aims to clarify the practical meaning of sustainable development for the mining industry, provide consistency across project phases to increase efficiency, and help identify the business case for sustainability by highlighting associated benefits, costs, and risks.
• The Seven Questions approach can be utilized for various operational and strategic purposes, including early project appraisal, planning, financing and insurance risk assessment, licensing and approvals, internal corporate reviews, corporate reporting, and external performance reviews.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). Seven Questions to Sustainability. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mmsd_sevenquestions_brochure.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Seven Questions to Sustainability. n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mmsd_sevenquestions_brochure.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Seven Questions to Sustainability |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mmsd_sevenquestions_brochure.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentndseven, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Seven Questions to Sustainability}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mmsd_sevenquestions_brochure.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }