SUSTAINABILITY: Spain adopts MAC’s Toward Sustainable Mining program

[caption id="attachment_1003722345" align="aligncenter" width="479"] (Image: Mining Association of Canada)[/caption] MADRID – The national mining association of Spain (CONFEDEM) has decided to adopt the Towards Sustainable Mining initiative developed by the Mining Association of Canada in Ottawa. CONFEDEM will integrate TSM with its own Gestion Minero Metalurigica Sostenible (GMMS) standard. TSM elements – including external verification of site-level performance and the establishment of an independent community of interest advisory panel – will be added to oversee the Spanish program. While CONFEDEM will tailor its performance areas so that they reflect the unique aspects of its domestic mining sector, they will strongly align with those of Canada. A signing ceremony involving representatives of MAC and CONFEDEM was held on March 6 at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada’s annual meeting in Toronto. Spain is the fifth country outside Canada to adopt the TSM principles. National mining associations of Finland, Argentina, Botswana, and the Philippines have also signed on. TSM requires mining companies to annually assess their facilities' performance in key areas, including tailings management, community outreach, safety and health, biodiversity conservation, crisis management, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions management, and the prevention of child and forced labour. The results are freely available to the public and are externally verified every three years to ensure what has been reported is accurate. Learn more at www.Mining.ca.