To meet society's expectations, companies must also take into account the needs, problems and expectations of their stakeholders in the local community. Researchers often advocate the benefits of integrating all aspects of sustainability into a common sustainability management system (SMS).

A single management system is easier to manage and control and enables companies and other organizations to improve their efficiency, communication and resource management and can thus help companies to continuously improve their sustainability performance. However, companies cannot focus on all aspects of sustainability at the same time. They therefore need to find ways to identify the significant sustainability aspects, i.e. the aspects that should be prioritized.

Researchers often advocate the benefits of integrating all aspects of sustainability into a single sustainability management system.

In a recently completed research project funded by the strategic innovation program STRIM, a collaboration between Vinnova, Formas and the Swedish Energy Agency, I (Helena Ranängen), Åsa Lindman and Osmo Kauppila at Luleå University of Technology (LTU) have tested whether conceptual frameworks for sustainability management systems work in practice and whether established stakeholder management models and the concept of materiality analysis are useful for the planning stage of an HLS for social acceptance. This research project has so far resulted in two scientific articles;

Guiding corporate social responsibility practice for social license to operate: A Nordic mining perspective

In the article 'Guiding corporate social responsibility practice for social license to operate: A Nordic mining perspective' we study how a Nordic mining company and its stakeholders value different sustainability aspects, what similarities and differences can be seen in this valuation and whether the tool of materiality analysis can be used in the strategic sustainability work. The purpose of using a materiality analysis is to determine the relevance and importance of a sustainability aspect for an organization and its stakeholders.

A sustainability aspect matrix was developed based on a large number of sustainability initiatives, guidelines and tools. The aspects in the matrix were then evaluated both by the case company's management teams at strategic and operational level and by the company's stakeholders. The materiality analysis visualized the similarities and differences well and the management teams considered it a useful tool for their strategic sustainability work.

The article is published in full in the scientific journal The Extractive Industries and Society.

Walk the Talk-A Sustainability Management System for Social Acceptance in Nordic Mining

In the article 'Walk the Talk-A Sustainability Management System for Social Acceptance in Nordic Mining' we focus instead on stakeholder management within a management system approach to improve the social acceptance of mining. More specifically, the paper addresses how conceptual frameworks for HLS can be used in practice and whether established stakeholder management models and the concept of materiality analysis are useful for the planning stage of an HLS for social acceptance. The aim is to describe a mining company's existing stakeholder management and identify areas of improvement using established models to achieve effective management of stakeholders and their needs and expectations.

The results show that the conceptual framework works in practice and that materiality analysis can advantageously be used for the systematization of stakeholder requirements in the planning stage of an HLS.

The article is published in full in the scientific journal Sustainability.

For more information or questions please contact me Helena Ranängen, Quality Engineering and Logistics at Luleå University of Technology, e-mail: helena.ranangen@ltu.se