Teck Resources Ltd. has been Canada’s largest diversified resources company since it was formed in 2001 when the company’s Cominco and Teck merged. They are in the mining business and they produce materials such as copper, zinc and coal. Businesses in this line of work all come across a similar problem, the environment. In this article, Mark Hume speaks of how Teck Resources had devised a plan to fix the selenium pollution problem in British Columbia’s Elk Valley that they had caused but failed miserably. They created a $100 million water treatment plant that was supposed to be the solution to this problem. It was evident that it did not work when Environment Canada reported that selenium levels were so high that fish were being born with deformed body parts.
This is just a short description of what Teck resources does on a day to day basis.
Teck Resources’ treatment plant developed to improve their environmental stance. This clearly turned out to back fire on them and has become an even bigger problem. Their plan was to improve their corporate social responsibility. When Teck was developing their plan they kept in mind the three aspects of the Triple Bottom Line; social, environmental and economic. Socially, they recognized that the treatment facility would improve their brand image since the public would notice their efforts in saving the environment. Developing the plant shows that they are committed to improving the environment by reducing waste creation, increasing waste reduction and treating their polluting emissions. Both improving brand image and improving the environment go hand in hand. When you try to do one thing for your company you usually have to do the other too. These two things contribute to the final aspect of the triple bottom line which is economics. They both lead to the company being more profitable. Whether it is from increased public awareness due to the positive environmental actions or the possible growth opportunities that come from a more positive brand image.
This is an illustration of how a company must focus on CSR just as much as they do the business side of things.
Despite all the thought that Teck Resources may have put into their Triple Bottom Line and creating a more positive CSR it all went to waste. Their treatment plant did not work and seems as though it made the problem worse. This proves that it is not as easy as it seems to do these things. It takes well thought out planning, tough decision making, large amounts of money and precise execution. Something may look great on paper, just like Teck Resources treatment plant, but it is rarely the case where everything goes smoothly. Ultimately, the point is that contributing to sustainable development and creating a good Corporate Social Responsibily for a company is a difficult thing to do.
Here is a video showing what the pollution of these waters means for BC:
Source(s) Used:
Teck.com. Teck Resources, n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2014. <https://www.teck.com/Generic.aspx?PAGE=Teck+Site/Diversified+Mining&portalName=tc>.
Hume, Mark. “Teck Resources Water-Treatment Plant Shut After Dead Fish Found.” The Globe and Mail [Vancouver] 28 Oct. 2014: n. pag. Print.
https://www.teck.com/Generic.aspx?PAGE=Teck+Site/Diversified+Mining&portalName=tc