At the close of the National Mining Congress of Colombia, and having as witnesses Marianick Tremblay, Ambassador of Canada to Colombia, and Ivan Duque Marquez, President of the Republic, the Asociación Colombiana de Minería (ACM) announced the adoption of Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM), a performance system developed by the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) that improves environmental and social practices in the mining sector.
Accordingly, ACM and its affiliates, producers of coal, gold, nickel, emeralds, copper, dredged material, cement, limestone, brickyards and industrial minerals in the country, will adopt a set of indicators that will enable them to measure and report publicly on the quality of its management systems.
“To meet the global demand for the minerals and metals we need to build the greener world we dream of, the Colombian mining industry is now taking another big step forward in terms of sustainability. We have pioneered best practices around the world. This standard will allow companies to measure and demonstrate their patterns of positive social and environmental impact,” said Juan Camilo Nariño, President of ACM.
The ACM joins eight other mining associations around the world, the third in South America with Brazil and Argentina, in adopting the standard. With support from MAC, ACM will tailor TSM’s performance areas to reflect the unique aspects of its mining industry and is committed to implementing them over the next five years.
TSM is a globally recognized sustainability program that helps mining companies manage key environmental and social risks. TSM was the first mining sustainability standard in the world to require site-level assessments and is mandatory for all member companies of implementing associations. Through TSM, eight critical aspects of social and environmental performance are assessed, independently validated, and reported publicly against 30 separate performance indicators.
“The coolest thing about the TSM Standard is that communities and other interest groups have the opportunity to actively participate so they can learn about commitments and progress during each company’s implementation process. participant,” added Nariño.
“We feel privileged that Colombia has chosen TSM to drive the environmental and social performance of its mining sector and we are very proud of TSM’s increasingly global reach,” commented Pierre Gratton, President and CEO. from MAC. “The last five years have seen the adoption of TSM by other mining associations around the world and the program is now being implemented in Norway, Finland, Spain, Botswana, Brazil, Argentina , the Philippines and Australia, which allows us to say that TSM is a truly global standard.
VDMD’s performance is assessed through a set of detailed environmental and social performance standards, including climate change, tailings management, water management, Indigenous and community relations, safety and health, biodiversity conservation, crisis management and prevention of child labor and forced labour. TSM helps improve performance where it matters – at the site level – and helps ensure support for the mining activities of the communities where it operates.
“Exporting Canada’s expertise in environmental and social stewardship is an important way to contribute to responsible mining practices around the world,” said Mr. Gratton. “As an ever-evolving standard, TSM is particularly attractive globally because of its focus on climate change, effective tailings management, and good practices of respectful engagement and collaboration with Indigenous communities, three focal points of our industry. Countries that adopt the program openly commit to going beyond the law when it comes to sustainable practices.
Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/environment-sustainability/28102021/colombia-mining-association-adopts-macs-towards-sustainable-mining/
