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EXPAUSA

EXPAUSA: PIONEERS IN PONCE ENRIQUEZ, ECUADOR

Committed to innovation, and willing to become inspiration in Ecuador

CREATIVITY AT THE SERVICE OF SUSTAINABILITY

The mining organization was founded in 1991 by a group of students from the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL), who devised an innovative gold extraction method called “pulp carbon leaching” to process fine gold that could not be extracted by conventional methods. This system was a solution to take advantage of the mining waste that was thrown away in the Camilo Ponce Enríquez sector, where small-scale mining has traditionally existed. EXPAUSA became the first small-scale mining organization in the country to implement this extraction method.
Since its inception, EXPAUSA has focused on achieving the highest efficiency and profitability based on the development and application of efficient and clean technologies, for which reason they constantly carry out research in partnership with academia.
The mine is located in one of the largest mining districts in Ecuador: the Villa Rica mining district. Mining activity contributes to the social and economic development of the Ponce Enríquez sector, which has 17.404 inhabitants.

QUICK FACTS

Location: Camilo Ponce Enríquez, a canton in the province of Azuay, Ecuador.

Number of miners: 305 men and 23 women.

Type of extraction: Underground mining.

Fairmined Certification Date: February 26, 2023

AUDIT SUMMARY 

Learn about EXPAUSA’s audit results 2022, in relation to environmental protection, working conditions, development plan, and commercial relations.

WELL-BEING OF WORKERS AND THE COMMUNITY

  •  Expausa miners are constantly thinking about how to minimize the risks for workers in mining operations.
  • They improve the facilities to meet the needs of their workers.

ENVIRONMENT

  • The mining organization conducts research on how to improve its techniques and methods, minimizing its impact on the environment. For example, an analysis to implement solar panels is currently being worked on.

SOCIAL IMPACT

  • They have contributed to the improvement of parks for the community.
  • They have offered development training in the community with the accompaniment of a sociologist.
  • Currently, they are in a study to open a nursery.