ID: 2106
Presenting Author: Lucas Barbosa Cunha
Session: 602 - Synergies between Impact Assessment and the Circular Economy
Status: pending
Vale’s Waste to Value program applies circular economy principles to mining, reusing tailings and waste to produce iron ore and sand, cutting CO₂ emissions and driving sustainability.
The circular economy proposes a transition from a linear production and consumption model to a regenerative approach, aiming to maximize resource efficiency and minimize environmental impacts. This article explores the practical application of this concept in the mining industry through the analysis of Vale’s Circular Mining Program. Implemented in 2024, the program consolidated over 150 scattered initiatives for the use of waste and tailings into a structured strategy. It covers the reuse and the adoption of new production techniques to reduce waste generation, as well as the development of co-products through research and development projects. By the end of 2024, because of the program, 12.7 Mt of iron ore were produced from circular sources - approximately 4% of Vale’s total production that year - and 1.4 Mt of sustainable sand, generating a benefit of 23 kt in CO₂e emissions reductions. The program reaffirms circularity as a fundamental strategic pillar to drive innovation, strengthen environmental management, and position mining as aligned with global sustainability goals.
Lucas Barbosa Cunha, Senior Specialist Engineer at Vale, leads circular mining initiatives, focusing on tailings reuse, sustainability, and innovation through the Waste to Value program.
Coauthor 1: Francisco Manesco