Abstract
Aims of the Research: Originally the aim of the research was to carry out three separate projects, each of which was envisaged as contributing to knowledge in a unique way. The first related to management of material flows in the environment for a specific element - boron; the second related to environmental management and systems in industrial minerals operations; the third theme related to 'clean technology' and life cycle assessment of the production and use of boron based products. However, it became clear during the early stages of this work that there was a fourth, unarticulated, theme that underpinned the three projects originally identified. This theme was the relationship between minerals and metals and sustainable development, and required examination at the level of the global mining industry, through one of its leaders - Rio Tinto. Thus the management of mined materials in their environment, the management of mining operations, and the measurement and management of environmental performance in the context of sustainable development, became the foci of research - each providing a unique insight into the relationship between mining and sustainable development. The interaction of these themes is shown in Figure 1. [diagram].