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Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM)

Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) is an initiative curated by the industry membership organisation the Mining Association of Canada (MAC).

The Standard evaluates eight topics related to social and environmental performance. TSM was the first mining sustainability standard in the world to require site-level assessments. It is mandatory for all companies that are members of the MAC for their Canadian operations and has been adopted by several other mining chambers around the world.

ResponsibleSteel Standard

ResponsibleSteel is an international, non-profit multi-stakeholder membership organisation and certification initiative.

The ResponsibleSteel Standard contains twelve principles for the responsible sourcing and production of steel, across a broad range of environmental, social and governance topics.

The Standard aims to maximise steel's contribution to a sustainable society. It sets benchmark levels of company performance in the implementation of its principles so as to encourage broad participation by businesses while meeting the expectations of civil society stakeholders.

Metals and Mining SASB Standard

The SASB Standards are curated by the Value Reporting Foundation, a nonprofit organisation that creates resources to help businesses and investors develop a shared understanding of enterprise value.

The Metals and Mining SASB Standard is designed to help businesses to identify, manage, and communicate to investors sustainability information that is financially material. It covers a range of environmental and social risks that are pertinent to the metals and mining industries.

Joint Due Diligence Standard for Copper Lead Nickel and Zinc

The Joint Due Diligence Standard was developed collaboratively by the Copper Mark (CuMark), the International Lead Association (ILA), the International Zinc Association (IZA), the Nickel Institute and the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI).

The Standard enables companies in the supply chain to comply with the London Metal Exchange Responsible Sourcing requirements, and covers risks associated with conflict and human rights abuses in mineral supply chains. The Standard is designed to enable effective due diligence for producers and traders. It builds on existing standards and it intends to provide flexibility for multi-metal producers which extract both primary and secondary (by-product) minerals at their production sites.

LBMA Responsible Gold Guidance

LBMA’s Responsible Sourcing Programme (the Programme) protects the integrity of the global supply chain for the wholesale precious metals markets. It was set up to consolidate, strengthen and formalise the existing standards of the LBMA Good Delivery Refiners’ due diligence practices. LBMA was actively involved in drafting the OECD Due Diligence Guidance and its Gold Supplement and continues to support the OECD’s work in supply chain due diligence and related projects. The LBMA Responsible Gold Guidance (RGG) has been in force since 2012 and in line with the evolution of best practices and standards for responsible sourcing.

Vital to the credibility of the LBMA Programme is its broad scope, which includes measures to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and human rights abuses globally. In addition, the Programme has also been developed to recognise the increasing importance of strong Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) responsibilities.

ITA-RMI Assessment Criteria for Tin Smelters

The International Tin Association (ITA) and the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) encourage the responsible sourcing of minerals from Conflict-Affected and High Risk Areas (CAHRAs), and, where relevant, artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) producers. To incentivize and improve supply chain due diligence in the tin value chain, ITA and RMI collaborated to issue these joint Assessment Criteria for tin smelting companies. This document sets forth the criteria for determining conformance with RMI and ITA program requirements, the OECD Guidance, as well as regulatory requirements on minerals due diligence.

ISO 45001 – Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems

ISO is a non-governmental international standard-setting organization with a membership of 167 national standards bodies. It establishes best practices in a very wide range of activities and is not limited to mineral supply chains.

ISO 45001:2018 specifies requirements for an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system, and gives guidance for its use, to enable organizations to provide safe and healthy workplaces by preventing work-related injury and ill health, and proactively improving their OH&S performance.

ISO 14001 – Environmental Management Systems

ISO is a non-governmental international standard-setting organization with a membership of 167 national standards bodies. It establishes best practices in a very wide range of activities and is not limited to mineral supply chains.

ISO 14001 sets out the criteria for an environmental management system and can be certified against these criteria. It maps out a framework that a company or organization can follow, to provide assurance to company management and employees as well as external stakeholders that environmental impact is being measured and improved.

GRI 14: Mining Sector

The Mining Sector Standard has been approved for development by the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB). The Standard is currently being developed by a multi-stakeholder expert Working Group, appointed by the GSSB.

It is proposed that the Standard for Mining will apply to organizations whose primary focus lies on:​
Exploration and extraction, including quarrying, and primary processing of all types of minerals, metallic and non-metallic, except for oil, gas, and coal. ​
Support activities for mining, such as transport and storage.​
Supply of specialized products and services to mining organizations, such as engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors.

The Standard will be required in addition to other applicable GRI reporting requirements.

IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining

The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) is a multi-stakeholder body created to meet global demand for more socially and environmentally responsible mining.

The Standard for Responsible Mining v.1.0 was created by IRMA through a multi-year collaborative process, led by a multi-stakeholder board of directors. The Standard is designed to support 4 overarching principles: Business integrity; Planning and Managing for Positive Legacies; Social Responsibility; and Environmental Responsibility.

The IRMA certification is third-party assured against a comprehensive standard for all mined materials (except thermal coal) from industrial-scale mines.

Global Industry Standard for Tailings Management (GISTM)

The Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management strives for the ultimate goal of zero harm to people and the environment, with zero tolerance for human fatalities from incidences associated with tailings. It requires operators to take responsibility and prioritise the safety of tailings facilities, through all phases of a facility’s lifecycle, including closure and post-closure. It also requires the disclosure of relevant information to support public accountability.

Copper Mark Criteria for Responsible Production

The Copper Mark is a comprehensive assurance framework focused on demonstrating the copper industry’s responsible production practices.

The Copper Mark Criteria for Responsible Production are management system requirements defined in the Risk Readiness Assessment and the Criteria Guide. The Criteria Guide provides additional guidance, including a description of the performance determination and means of verification for each criterion. All participants of the Copper Mark commit to fully meet all criteria within 24 months. The Risk Readiness Assessment (RRA) is created by the Responsible Minerals Initiative. It represents the core expectations from over 40 leading existing voluntary sustainability standards across all major environmental, social, and governance topics.

Participation in the Copper Mark is open to multi-metal mines that produce other metals alongside copper.

ASI Chain of Custody Standard

The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) is a membership initiative, designed to drive responsible production, sourcing and stewardship in the global aluminium value chain.

The ASI Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard complements the ASI Performance Standard, and is voluntary for ASI Members, though encouraged. The CoC Standard sets out a framework for the creation of a Chain of Custody for relevant material, including ASI aluminium.

ASI Performance Standard

The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) is a membership initiative, designed to drive responsible production, sourcing and stewardship in the global aluminium value chain.

The ASI Performance standard covers a broad range of environmental, social and governance topics, and can be applied at each stage of the aluminium value chain. It is currently in its third version. Members of the ASI are required to demonstrate Conformance to version 3 of the Standard in all new and re-certification audits conducted from 1st June 2023 onwards. Audits conducted between 1st June 2022 and 31st May 2023 may be against either version 2 or version 3 of the Standard.