The Global Tailings Review, a project led by the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) partnered with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), has officially launched the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management.
This document is the first international standard on the operation of tailings facilities. It has the main objective of “zero harm to people and the environment with zero tolerance for human fatality” throughout the complete lifecycle of these structures. The Standard provides a framework for creating safe tailings facilities while leaving some room to operators on how to achieve it.
The framework sets out a series of principles and requirements for the managing of tailings facilities considering the following aspects:
- Affected Communities
- Integrated Knowledge Base
- Design, Construction, Operation and Monitoring of the Tailings Facility
- Management and Governance
- Emergency Response and Long-Term Recovery
- Public Disclosure and Access to Information
The Global Standard for Tailings Management was developed by the Global Tailings Review and undertook a public consultation where it collected feedback from professionals, public authorities, local communities and investors. The final document can be downloaded from our Resources page.
