Increasing the sustainability of mining operations does not mean reducing their profitability. This was the key message from Hexagon Mining senior business development manager Reece Hanning, who spoke during a panel discussion at the Africa Mining Week 2025 conference, held on Friday at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

“We look at safety as the basis of sustainability,” he explained. In studies undertaken in West Africa, for example, Hexagon found that fatigued haul-truck drivers not only increased the risk of accidents, but also consumed more fuel, thereby driving up both costs and carbon emissions. Reducing driver fatigue, therefore, saved money and boosted sustainability. “Sustainability does not come at the cost of profitability.”

Hanning highlighted that Hexagon’s digital platforms tracked “huge” volumes of data. Mines were using this data to monitor their operations and provide transparency to shareholders and stakeholders, including governments and local communities – which, in turn, helped build trust.

“Profitability and sustainability go hand-in-hand,” he reiterated. As an example, he noted that most mines refuelled their trucks every shift, regardless of whether they needed fuel. Hexagon discovered that optimising refuelling – topping up only when necessary – reduced fuel use, cut costs and lowered emissions, ultimately optimising profitability.

Looking to the future, Hanning said he was excited by the imminent application of AI to mining operations. “And more and more projects are coming up, with autonomous haulage and autonomous drilling.”

He added that autonomy enhanced both sustainability and safety by reducing waste and removing people from high-risk environments. Autonomous drilling systems, in particular, were significantly more precise than human-operated drills. The overall result was not job losses, but rather job relocation, along with reduced risk.

“Technology brings sustainability; you can be profitable and sustainable,” Hanning concluded. “We’ve shown that, over and over again.”