Adam North, Senior Client Executive Dassault Systèmes & Rohit Prabhu Industry Process Expert, Senior Specialist, Dassault Systèmes
How can environmental reporting become a driver of clarity rather than a burden? For decades, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reporting in mining has been seen as a compliance task to endure. Regulatory frameworks, government mandates, and investor scrutiny force companies to monitor and disclose emissions, yet the process often feels like a drain on resources. Spreadsheets, fragmented systems, and manual data entry have turned reporting into a minefield of complexity and risk.
That perception is shifting. With regulators raising the bar and sustainability becoming central to competitiveness, emissions reporting is no longer just about meeting rules, it is about creating value. Mining companies are finding that a clear reporting strategy can simplify compliance, increase transparency, and unlock operational and financial benefits.
Dassault Systèmes’ Mine Operations Management (MOM) solution shows how automation, integration, and emission reconciliation can turn reporting from a headache into a strategic asset.
The Challenge: Complexity in a High-Stakes Landscape
The regulatory environment around mining emissions is rigorous and fragmented. Global frameworks such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set the agenda, while national legislation like Australia’s Corporations Act amendments (2001) and the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) Act (2007) enforce strict reporting. Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards — particularly GRI 14 for mining, GRI 302 for energy use, and GRI 305 for emissions — require highly detailed disclosures.
For executives, the challenge is less about intent than execution. Reporting requirements are technical, evolving, and exacting. For example:
- Emission factors vary by region, energy source, and equipment type.
- Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect) emissions must be calculated differently, depending on whether fuel, electricity, or hybrid systems are used.
- Electricity emissions differ by state and grid mix. A mine in Queensland faces different reporting factors than one in Tasmania.
Without the right systems, these variables can overwhelm mining teams, leading to errors, late submissions, and compliance risks.
Why Transparency Matters More Than Ever
Investors want proof that companies are managing climate risks. Regulators demand accurate, auditable disclosures, while communities expect accountability. Transparency is not just about publishing numbers, it’s about showing where those numbers come from. That requires traceability: Every factor, calculation, and equipment specification must be linked to a verifiable source. In traditional systems this is nearly impossible; in a modern, automated system it becomes standard.
Dassault Systèmes’ MOM system, for instance, embeds references from official regulatory spreadsheets directly into the platform. MOM retains references for audit purposes, including emission factors and Global Warming Potential (GWP) values from the regulation.
Reports are not only accurate but defensible, building trust across stakeholders.
Automating Complexity Out of the System
Manual inputs and static spreadsheets are error-prone and struggle under regulatory pressure. Automation changes that.
With MOM, reporting is built into daily operations:
- Transactional-level reporting: Every movement of material, every hour of equipment uses, and every kilowatt of power consumed is logged.
- Equipment-specific configuration: Trucks, crushers, screeners, and hybrid assets can be modeled with real-world specifications, for example equipment efficiency, fuel or power consumption.
- Dynamic emission factors: National and regional constants are imported directly from regulatory spreadsheets, eliminating the need for manual updates.
Automation reduces human error, shortens reporting cycles, and delivers audit-ready disclosures on demand.
Unlocking Operational Insights Through Granularity
The real value of emissions reporting comes not from compliance, but from the insights granular data reveals. For example:
- A haul truck climbing a ramp consumes fuel at very different rates than when idling. MOM captures both scenarios, revealing the true energy and emissions cost.
- A crusher’s emissions profile changes dramatically depending on whether electricity comes from renewable sources, the grid, or a local mix.
- A hybrid screener running on both diesel and electricity can be modeled to reflect actual operating conditions for accurate reporting.
A higher level of visibility helps companies pinpoint “hotspots” in real time and act before problems escalate, whether by reassigning workloads, scheduling maintenance, or investing in more efficient assets.
Dashboards and Analytics: Making Data Actionable
Granularity matters only if it is usable. MOM turns complex data into actionable intelligence with dashboards and analytics. Emissions can be visualized by:
- Activity such as drilling, hauling, crushing, or reclamation.
- Equipment type such as trucks, crushers, or screeners.
- Energy sources such as diesel, electricity, or renewables.
- Energy consumption purpose such as stationary vs. mobile equipment.
Managers can filter by site, specific equipment, type of energy, emissions scope, timeframe, aligning reporting with both compliance and operational goals. They can also compare year on year performance to see if sustainability initiatives are delivering measurable results.
Reducing Complexity for Small and Mid-Sized Miners
Large mining houses may be able to electrify fleets or invest in renewables, but smaller miners face tighter budgets. For them, streamlined reporting is critical.
Emission reconciliation offers a practical approach:
- Target the highest-emission assets instead of attempting fleet-wide upgrades.
- Use dashboards to identify where scheduling changes or fuel substitutions have the biggest impact.
- Provide transparent, auditable reporting to regulators and investors without major capital outlay.
MOM lowers the barrier to sustainability for smaller miners, keeping them competitive as ESG performance grows more tied to investment.
Building an Integrated Reporting Strategy
A strong emissions reporting strategy cannot sit in isolation; it must be embedded in operational systems. Integrating emission reconciliation into MOM alongside material reconciliation, operational control, and asset performance creates a unified view of operations.
This approach has three key benefits:
- Higher transparency: Every number is traceable and auditable.
- Lower complexity: Automation removes the need to manually process large spreadsheets or reconcile data across multiple systems.
- Actionable insights: Reporting becomes a real-time performance tool, not just an annual compliance task.
Dassault Systèmes’ MOM: Reporting for a Competitive Edge
Mining’s decarbonization journey will take decades, but reporting strategies can deliver value today. Emission reconciliation lets companies meet regulations with confidence, build trust through transparent data, and identify inefficiencies and hotspots. It also lays the groundwork for long-term decarbonization. What was once a burden is becoming a cornerstone of operational excellence.
The industry’s future depends on balancing profitability with responsibility. An emissions reporting strategy built on transparency and simplicity is no longer optional, it is a competitive necessity. By embedding emission reconciliation into operational systems, mining companies can move beyond compliance, reducing complexity while strengthening trust and efficiency. Dassault Systèmes’ Mine Operations Management solution provides the automation, integration, and traceability to make this possible. For companies ready to rethink reporting, it can shift from regulatory checkbox to strategic tool for clarity and long-term competitiveness in a sustainability-driven world.