Towards Sustainable Mining

sustainability program

Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM)

Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) began as an initiative of the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) and has since evolved into a globally recognized sustainability standard that enables mining companies to meet society’s needs in an economically and environmentally friendly way.

TSM was the first sustainability performance system in the world to require site-level assessments and be mandatory for all participatory MAC members. Increasingly, many countries around the world are adopting TSM protocols, including mining associations in Australia, Finland, Norway, Argentina, Spain, Botswana, Brazil, and the Philippines.

Towards Sustainable Mining Framework

TSM’s framework is a set of indicators and protocols that allow companies to engage with stakeholders in a transparent, credible, and accountable way. These protocols assist mining companies in understanding and attaining the TSM Guiding Principles.

Towards Sustainable Mining Guiding Principles

Communities and People

Indigenous and Community Relationships

Safety and Health

Crisis Management and Communications Planning

Preventing Child and Forced Labour

Environmental Stewardship

Biodiversity Conservation Management

Tailing Management

Water Stewardship

Energy Efficiency

Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Management

How Does Towards Sustainable Mining Integrate with Mine Closure?

TSM’s Mine Closure Framework provides a clear and consistent path to managing closure and achieving industry acceptance from communities, stakeholders, and the general public.

This tool is used to build incorporation of values, interests, and the needs of Communities of Interest (COI) through consultation throughout the mining life cycle. The framework provides guidance to the operator and assurance to COIs that plans are being developed with responsible environmental, social, and economic practices at the forefront.

TSM encourages facilities to work with communities to establish strategies that mitigate the socio-economic impacts of mining while developing plans for long-term economic development. Okane believes that there is great potential in the evaluation of alternative returning land use for closed sites.

This provides a tremendous opportunity to incorporate a community’s long-term economic development plans while mitigating the potential socio-economic impacts of mine closure. We help our clients develop accurate closure cost estimates and timelines that focus on mitigating areas of largest risks, at any stage of the mine or asset lifecycle. Okane has extensive experience in identifying and providing a foundation for an alternative strategy to post-closure land use and reclamation objectives for our clients.

To learn more about how we can help your company integrate the Towards Sustainable Mining framework into your mine closure plan, check out the Okane Toward Sustainable Mining Brochure.