e3 Plus follows on from the PDAC's highly-regarded website, "e3 - Environmental Excellence in Exploration" which focused on environmental stewardship. The original e3 manual has been incorporated as the environmental component of the Framework for Responsible Exploration
The acronym 'e3' now stands for excellence in exploration in three ways: social responsibility; environmental stewardship; and health and safety. The 'plus' indicates a significant expansion from the original environmental program to a Framework containing a hierarchical order of components initiating with Principles, Guidance notes, a set of three toolkits in the areas of social responsibility, health and safety, and environmental stewardship; and an accountability section containing performance objectives, reporting criteria and verification.
| e3 | e3 Plus |
| e3 was an environmental toolkit | e3 Plus is a whole Framework on CSR |
| e3 focused on environmental excellence and include a section on community engagement | e3 Plus integrates environmental stewardship, social responsibility and health and safety |
| e3 offered an orientation to the processes related to environmental excellence | e3 Plus is based on principles for responsible exploration in all CSR areas |