Gold Fields has become the first mining group, registered as a signatory with the International Cyanide Management Institute (ICMI), to obtain accreditation for all its eligible operations with the International Cyanide Management Code. This follows both the Kloof and Driefontein mines, located in South Africa, attaining the standard. Gold Fields’ CEO, Nick Holland, commented: “We have now achieved the objective we set ourselves in November 2005, when we became a signatory to the cyanide code, for all Gold Fields operations to be ICMI accredited”.

Holland: “The Kloof and Driefontein achievements follow equally impressive accomplishments at Beatrix mine, which is also in South Africa and which achieved its full accreditation in February 2009, Tarkwa and Damang mines in Ghana that achieved full accreditation in June and May 2008, respectively, and the new South African mine, South Deep, which achieved full accreditation in December 2008. Cerro Corona mine in Peru does not require accreditation as it does not use large amounts of cyanide in its processes. The Agnew mine in Australia achieved substantial accreditation in June 2009 and is expected to achieve full accreditation in December 2009. This means that all of the eligible Gold Fields mines are now accredited and seven of the eight have achieved full compliance.”

The President of the ICMI, Paul Bateman, congratulated Gold Fields on being, “the first mining group to obtain accreditation for all its signatory operations”.

The code is recognised as best practice for cyanide management in the gold mining industry by the World Gold Council and the Council for Responsible Jewellery Practice. The ICMI accreditation process adheres to the principles of the International Council on Mining and Metals’ Sustainable Development Framework to which Gold Fields says it is fully committed. It has also been acknowledged by the International Finance Corp and the G8 Group of Nations as the best practice guide for responsible cyanide management.

Gold Fields’ support of the ICMI is consistent with the principles and objectives of the group’s sustainable development framework, which addresses every aspect of sustainability in the organisation, including the use of cyanide in the production of gold.