Tag Archives: International Council on Mining and Metals

Equipping mining with the tools to minimise the biodiversity cost of decarbonisation

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As the race to net-zero intensifies, it is increasingly clear that the extractives industry has a crucial role to play supplying the raw minerals needed for decarbonisation. While navigating the balance between accessing new deposits and environmental sustainability is challenging, new methods of biodiversity monitoring offer a potential solution to minimise impacts on nature, Joe Huddart* says.

The race to net-zero is driving the fastest energy transition in history, and with the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggesting we will need to quadruple our mineral inputs by 2040 if we are to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, there has been an emphasis on the need for the extractives industry to ensure they can meet this demand.

However, given that 20% of existing mines tracked by the MSCI ACWI Investable Market Index (IMI) are in biodiversity hotspots, accurately assessing and measuring the impact of existing and future mines on biodiversity and the environment is vital. The Earth’s biodiversity remains our greatest asset, not only acting as “our strongest natural defence against climate change” according to the UN, but also fundamental to our global economy. The World Economic Forum estimates that more than 50% of global GDP “is moderately or highly dependent on nature”.

Therefore, it is critical that risks to biodiversity are central to decision making in all sectors to drive a sustainable future in the race to net zero. Of course, this includes mining. A sector which has historically been seen as a driver of environmental degradation; destroying ecosystems within their immediate footprint while damaging communities and ecosystems beyond their area of influence via pollution and contamination.

However, coupling this expected sector growth with the fact that 20% of global mines tracked by the MSCI ACWI Investable Market Index (IMI) are located in biodiversity hotspots, accurately assessing and measuring the impact of mining operations on their surrounding environments is essential. The Earth’s biodiversity is our greatest asset, not only acting as “our strongest natural defence against climate change” according to the UN, but also fundamental to our global economy.

The World Economic Forum estimates that more than 50% of global GDP “is moderately or highly dependent on nature”. Therefore, it is critical that nature-based considerations are central to decision making in all sectors to drive a sustainable future in the race to net-zero. This includes mining, which has historically been seen as a driver of environmental degradation, while also posing health risks to communities and ecosystems exposed to the pollution it creates.

As biodiversity loss, externalities, material risks and dependencies on nature go mainstream, the importance of protecting biodiversity is reflected in the alphabet soup of frameworks that have been launched in recent years, including the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), Science Based Targets Networks (SBTN) and the recently announced Task-Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosure (TNFD). The latter being a nature equivalent to the earlier Taskforce on Carbon-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) which is now incorporated into legal frameworks in many countries. The common goal of these frameworks and by those who have already adopted them, is to preserve biodiversity and establish the nature-positive practices necessary for a sustainable future. For business, there is a significant first-mover advantage for early adopters, as nature reporting mirrors the journey from voluntary to regulatory and compliance that carbon took. It is not just mining companies adopting these, but also financial institutions; with lenders, from institutional investors to banks, adopting these frameworks as prerequisites to mining customers accessing finance. This is similar to the earlier development banks biodiversity lender requirements, such as the IFC’s PS6 and EBRD’s PR6.

However, these biodiversity frameworks all acknowledge the complexity of reporting on nature impact. Compared with carbon emissions which are measured and widely traded as tonnes of CO2, the similar commodification of biodiversity is far more challenging. Biodiversity, loosely defined as the variety and number of plant and animal species in a given location, varies considerably across ecosystems. Developing standardised metrics that can be used to accurately measure, track, assess and report on biodiversity across ecosystems, from deserts to rainforests, to even coral reefs and the deep ocean, is therefore much more difficult.

While the frameworks provide businesses with a means to understand what they are required to monitor and how to disclose it within a standardised system, how to acquire the raw data needed to fulfil these requirements remains an elephant in the room. This is a shift away from species-specific monitoring of ‘trigger’ species – those that are particularly rare, threatened or indicators of ‘critical habitat’ – towards comprehensive, all-inclusive biodiversity baselining across taxonomic groups, from fungi to mammals, which comes with a range of issues and an expensive price tag.

“We cannot decarbonise without exploring, developing and exploiting existing and new mineral deposits, but we can minimise the impact this will have on biodiversity and nature”

To monitor species at the biological community resolution using conventional, observation-based methods is often prohibitively time-consuming, expensive and invasive or destructive. For instance, it is almost impossible to survey fishes at scale without using nets, which nearly always results in high mortality, with mortality often needed to identify collected specimens to species-level back in the laboratory. Even then, there is a very real chance many species are missed as nets will miss certain habitats and so datasets remain incomplete.

We also need to ask ourselves: if, during the limited time in which ecological teams are in the field, environmental teams can they reasonably be expected to encounter, detect and identify all the fauna and flora present in biological communities? This is challenging in some of the species-poor regions of the world, but near impossible in the richest, the biological hotspots where many mines will need to be located. Then there are the considerable health and safety risks of having such teams in the field for extended periods of time to contend with, too.

The rise of nature intelligence

Thankfully, the last few years has seen the emergence of innovations in ‘nature intelligence’ technology, such as environmental DNA (eDNA), which are equipping companies with the means to measure nature accurately and cost-efficiently on a scale never before seen.

All life on earth – from bacteria to blue whales – leaves tiny traces of DNA in its environment. eDNA technology allows us to sample the environment for these fragments of DNA to reveal a complete picture of the biodiversity of that ecosystem. eDNA surveys allow organisations to survey for and identify at-risk invasive or protected species, alongside wider biological groups, simultaneously. This establishes comprehensive biological baselines from which changes in biodiversity, good and bad, can be detected. This allows companies to link activities to impacts and so better understand biological risks, monitor progress and guide the implementation of effective management actions.

The emergence of innovations in ‘nature intelligence’ technology, such as environmental DNA, is equipping companies with the means to measure nature accurately and cost-efficiently on a scale never before seen

Combining eDNA surveying with other nature intelligence technologies that capture the complexities of nature, such as Earth observation/GIS, bioacoustics and drones, is proving a game-changer. The granular scale at which biodiversity can be repeatedly monitored and assessed is enabling companies to track, understand, report on and, above all, better manage their operations’ relationship with nature.

Moving the dial towards nature-positive in mining

As it ramps up operations while faced with increasingly sophisticated biodiversity regulations, the mining industry is in a difficult position. The Lassonde Curve, the time from discovery to commercial extraction, still takes some 16 years; closing this gap will be vital to meet decarbonisation goals. However, this should not result in the loosening of environmental standards or ‘red tape’ and so come at the expense of already beleaguered biodiversity and the environment. If anything, quite the opposite. In conjunction with nature reporting, the need to speed up mining developments should catalyse the adoption of increasingly sophisticated environmental management by the mining sector through the deployment of nature intelligence to improve the quality and scale of biodiversity data. This will not only demonstrate improved due diligence and ‘going the extra mile’ to produce better environmental impact assessments but enable regulators to make faster decisions.

Many companies, including Anglo American, Sínese and Rio Tinto have already found success using these technologies for different purposes to support their drive to nature-positivity.

For Anglo American, eDNA has transformed their biodiversity monitoring across the project cycle, and they have deployed the technology in 16 projects across 11 countries since 2020.

Warwick Mostert, Biodiversity Principal at Anglo American, believes eDNA monitoring has “huge applicability…[firstly] in the discovery and exploration phase, where knowledge is limited about the potential biodiversity risk in the area…[also] when a mine is in full operation, it will become a key part of the ongoing monitoring and evaluation in terms of biodiversity performance…[and] when we start to get to the point where an operation is coming to closure, it will allow us to make sure the work has been done and we can meet our objective of restoring an environment to better than its pre-mining state”.

The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) has also noted the useful potential of the data that mining companies can generate, saying, “Mining companies can play a huge role in contributing biodiversity and environmental monitoring data in areas where such data has typically been scarce. Technologies like eDNA can also be used to unlock new pathways in democratising the collection of and access to data. More radical participation, transparency, openness and access to data is required to shift us towards a nature positive future. This should be at the core of both developing and implementing any corporate nature positive strategy.”

The mining industry has found itself at the nexus of two existential crises, climate and biodiversity. We cannot decarbonise without exploring, developing and exploiting existing and new mineral deposits, but we can minimise the impact this will have on biodiversity through nature intelligence. This will play a key part at all stages of the mining life cycle, ensuring mines can improve their management of biodiversity and that this can be reported efficiently in the incoming frameworks.

Lastly, we have to remember that mines have a lifetime, and mine closure is a vital yet historically neglected stage in the life of mine cycle. Nature intelligence can assist here to ensure mines are demonstrably rehabilitated and handed back to communities in a decent biological condition that does not constitute an ongoing risk to humans, fauna and flora, but can actually benefit local communities and ecosystems. All biodiversity impacts are environmental impacts and – given our dependency on natural systems and ecological functions – all environmental impacts are ultimately social impacts. Nature intelligence will therefore ensure we embark on a mining trajectory that improves outcomes for both nature and society.

*Joe Huddart is Subject Matter Expert and Freshwater Ecologist at NatureMetrics

ICMM names Antofagasta’s Arriagada as new Chair

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ICMM has today announced Iván Arriagada, CEO of Antofagasta PLC, as its new Chair, succeeding Richard Adkerson, Chairman and CEO of Freeport-McMoRan.

ICMM is governed by its council which comprises the CEOs of 26 company members. The Chair is appointed from within this group and serves in the position for approximately two years.

The Chair leads council in driving ICMM’s overall purpose of leadership through collaboration to enhance the contribution of mining and metals to sustainable development, towards a vision of a safe, just and sustainable world enabled by responsibly produced minerals and metals, the ICMM explained.

Rohitesh Dhawan, President and CEO of ICMM, said: “I am very pleased to welcome Iván as our new Chair. Iván and I are united in fulfilling ICMM’s commitment to produce the metals and minerals that are critical to the energy transition and sustainable development as responsibly as possible.

“I would like to thank Richard for his leadership and valuable contribution to ICMM and our wider industry. His tenure has seen the achievement of significant milestones including our landmark climate change commitment. I look forward to continuing this journey with the benefit of Iván’s vast industry experience.”

Arriagada added: “In the eight years that Antofagasta has been a member of ICMM, I have experienced the value of being part of this leadership group that takes decisive collective action on the most important issues facing our industry. I am looking forward to working with Rohitesh and my fellow council members to continually strengthen our social and environmental performance and contribution to society.”

ICMM 2021 safety report highlights drop in fatalities among members

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The International Council on Minerals and Metals (ICMM) today released a 2021 safety performance report from its member companies that highlighted 43 fatalities among these firms last year.

ICMM members, the ICMM says, have an unwavering commitment to the health and safety of workers, and work unceasingly to eliminate fatalities and prevent injuries, towards a goal of zero harm. To support this commitment, ICMM compiles, analyses and publishes the safety data provided annually by company members, who collectively represent a third of the industry. The full report, ‘Safety Performance: Benchmarking Progress of ICMM Company Members In 2021′, is available here.

The 43 people from ICMM company members who lost their lives at work in 2021, compares with 44 in 2020, 287 in 2019 and 50 in 2018.

The report analyses fatalities from ICMM company members based on the cause (or ‘hazard’) and provides safety performance metrics by county and company. In 2021, 12 of these fatalities were related to mobile equipment and transportation, and eight fatalities were caused by ‘fall of ground’ incidents.

Company member operations in South Africa had the highest number of fatalities (27), accounting for 51% of the total fatalities across ICMM members. Eleven members reported zero fatalities including Alcoa, BHP, Boliden, Hydro, JX Nippon Mining & Metals, Minera San Cristobal, Minsur, MMG, Newcrest, Newmont and Rio Tinto.

Rohitesh Dhawan, President and CEO of the ICMM, said: “The health and safety of workers is of paramount importance to our members and therefore any year with even a single fatality is unacceptable.

“ICMM’s new three-year strategy is focused on ambitious collective action. Sharing lessons from failure is vital to improving safety, but it is not enough to achieve our goal of zero harm. As an industry, we can draw strength from how far we have come to drive down fatalities and injuries, but we will remain deeply uncomfortable until zero harm is actually achieved. We will work together to explore the root causes of why harm continues to occur and hunt for the next step change to make zero harm a reality.”

ICMM began collating and publishing company members’ safety data in 2012 with the aim of encouraging information and knowledge sharing among members, and catalysing learning across the industry. This data is compiled using ICMM’s ‘Guidance on Health and Safety Performance Indicators’ which was updated in 2021.

ICMM aims to align and improve mining industry water reporting with latest guide

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The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) has launched an updated Water Reporting: Good Practice Guide to, it says, improve the quality and consistency of corporate water reporting that will enhance stakeholders’ understanding of, and ability to use, water reports and associated data.

The guidance broadens ICMM’s minimum reporting commitments to include new metrics for disclosure, such as holistic reporting of how water is used to meet operational demands and how it is actively managed; and reporting of aggregated water metrics for all sites within a company as well as a separate aggregated total for all sites situated in water-stressed areas, according to the ICMM.

“It supports mining companies to disclose water data in a consistent way that allows for easier comparison of performance by interested stakeholders,” the ICMM said.

The guide builds directly on external reporting guidance and definitions, including CEO Water Mandate, GRI, CDP Water and the MCA Water Accounting Framework. It captures practical experience from companies operating in diverse geographies, commodities and regulatory systems, and was developed in consultation with industry experts and investors, helping to make this resource a strong global tool, the ICMM said.

Aidan Davy, COO, ICMM, said: “Transparent reporting is important so that stakeholders such as investors, government, local communities and civil society have greater line of sight over mining companies’ water management practices and related data. The external reporting landscape is evolving, and ICMM’s updated Water Reporting: Good Practice Guide will help companies strengthen their management of this precious and shared resource for the benefit of all users, while reducing corporate risk exposure.”

Briana Gunn, Group Executive of Environment, Newmont, said: “The ICMM Water Reporting: Good Practice Guide was updated to support alignment between members on the information and methodologies for accounting for the inflow, use, loss, storage and discharge of water at our operations. Having a standardised method of reporting provides a higher level of comparability and increased transparency for member companies.”

Chris McCombe, General Manager – Sustainability, Minerals Council of Australia, said: “Australia’s minerals industry is proud to support ICMM’s new Water Reporting: Good Practice Guide, which reinforces the industry’s commitment to water stewardship through responsible water use and transparent and consistent reporting.”

ICMM members commit to apply strong and transparent corporate water governance, including to publicly report company water performance, material risks, opportunities and management response using consistent industry metrics and recognised approaches, the ICMM said. This guide builds on good practice principles from ICMM’s 2017 publication ‘A Practical Guide to Consistent Water Reporting’ as well as practical member learnings from its implementation, and is publicly available on ICMM’s website for use by the wider industry.

Barrick Gold advances emissions reductions targets after a year of ESG positives in 2020

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Barrick Gold has decided to up the ESG ante with a new emissions reduction target to 2030 that makes its goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050 that much more achievable.

The company said its ESG strategy delivered tangible results in 2020, included zero Class 1 environmental incidents, a new record of 79% water recycling and re-use by its operations, and the introduction of fully functional community development committees at all its operating sites to guide its social investment programs.

Speaking in a virtual presentation on sustainability this week, Barrick President and CEO, Mark Bristow, said: “At the beginning of last year, we set an emissions reduction target of 10% by 2030 against a 2018 baseline that combined the data from the legacy Barrick and Randgold operations as well as newly acquired assets. Through the year, we worked on identifying further reduction opportunities and this has enabled us to set an updated target of at least 30% by 2030 with an interim reduction target of 15% based on projects already being implemented, while maintaining a steady production profile.”

He added: “Ultimately our aim is to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, achieved primarily through greenhouse gas reductions and offsets for some hard-to-abate emissions,” he said.

Sustainability has long been a strategic business priority for the company, according to Bristow.

“Our strategy is based on four pillars: the creation of economic benefits for all stakeholders; the protection of health and safety at our mines and in their host communities; a respect for human rights; and the minimisation of our environmental impacts. For us, ESG is not a corporate compliance function: it’s integral to how we manage our businesses worldwide.”

In the same presentation, Barrick’s Group Sustainability Executive, Grant Beringer, said all the company’s sites had been certified to the ISO 14001:2015 environmental management standard. Each site had also been empowered to manage its own environmental issues under the oversight of the group’s strategic leadership. There was a particularly rigorous approach to management of tailings facilities, the company added.

Beringer said: “Our tailings and heap leach management standard has been aligned with the recently updated guidelines of the International Council on Mining and Metals, of which Barrick is a member, as well as those of the Mining Association of Canada. The standard sets out six levels of inspection and surety for the safe operation of tailings and heap leach facilities.”

ICMM appoints Rohitesh Dhawan as new Chief Executive Officer

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The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) has announced the appointment of Rohitesh Dhawan as Chief Executive Officer, following a competitive global selection process, to succeed Tom Butler, who will step down on April 6, 2021.

Dhawan is a sustainability specialist with significant experience in the resources sector. His most recent role was as Managing Director and Head of the EMEA region at Eurasia Group, a geopolitical research and analysis firm, where he led the climate change and sustainability practice. Prior to this, Dhawan’s roles included Global Head of Sustainability for the Mining Sector and Global Strategy Director at KPMG International. He currently serves on the expert panel on climate change for the UK government’s Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions Programme (PACT).

Richard Adkerson, ICMM Chair and Chairman and CEO of Freeport-McMoRan, said: “I am pleased to welcome Rohitesh as CEO of ICMM. He brings a deep commitment to sustainable development, and strong on-the-ground experience. His extensive knowledge of the challenges and opportunities facing our industry will be invaluable as we work together to address some of the biggest issues facing our sector, and advancing important initiatives that reflect our collective commitment to continuous performance improvement.

“I would also like to recognise Tom’s outstanding contribution to ICMM over the last six years, and on behalf of the council, I would like to thank him for his leadership and commitment. I am looking forward to working with Rohitesh to build on the strong foundation that Tom leaves behind.”

On his appointment, Dhawan said: “I am excited to be joining ICMM in arguably the most important decade for the industry. The foundations of a net zero emissions economy are being laid now, and minerals are critical to it. But many environmental, social and governance challenges remain unresolved, and I can think of no better vehicle than ICMM to convene the necessary solutions. I’m delighted to be in service of an industry that touches all our lives, and to join an organisation that is united in the goal of achieving the highest possible standards of sustainability.”

Tom Butler, CEO of ICMM said: “It has been an immense privilege to lead ICMM. During my tenure we have tackled some key challenges, but much remains to be done. I am pleased to be handing the reins over to such a strong leader for the next phase. I want to take this opportunity to thank our members and everyone in the ICMM team for their sterling support over the last six years.”

New ICMM reports reinforce mining’s role in economic development of host countries

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The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) has published two reports that highlight the contribution the mining industry makes to the economic development of host countries.

‘The Mining Contribution Index (MCI)’ and ‘ICMM Members’ Tax Contribution Report: 2019 Update’ demonstrate the pivotal role mining plays in many national economies, and the contribution it makes throughout commodity cycles, according to the ICMM.

The Mining Contribution Index (MCI): 5th Edition
This report shows that between 2016 and 2018, many of the world’s poorest countries relied on their income from mining as the primary driver of economic activity. As a result, 21 of the top 25 ranked countries in this edition qualify as “resource dependent” using the criteria applied in ICMM’s Social progress in mining-dependent countries report, it said.

Published every two years, the MCI ranks 183 countries from across the world according to the relative importance of mining to the economy of that country. The fifth edition saw seven new entrants to the top ranked 25 countries, with Suriname and the Democratic Republic of the Congo retaining the top spots. Across all five editions of the MCI, the top 25 remain dominated by low and middle-income economies.

Notably, six of the seven countries that dropped out of the top 25 in this edition were African, a contrast to the increase in African countries within the top 25 in the previous edition. These changes were due to a recovery in gross domestic product across the continent between 2016 and 2018, the ICMM said

“The fifth edition of the MCI confirms that many of the world’s most mining-dependent countries continue to rely on their natural resources as the primary driver of economic activity,” it said. “The Natural Resource Governance (NRGI) Institute’s Resource Governance Index rates 84% of the top 25 ranked countries in the MCI as weak, poor, or failing. It is therefore clear that there is more to do to ensure that mining’s contribution to national economies is maximised and that mineral wealth translates into broader-based economic and social progress.”

The ICMM Members’ Tax Contribution report: 2019 Update
This report, prepared by PwC, extends the dates covered by ICMM’s first Members’ Tax Contribution Report, to include 2018 and 2019. Over the full 2013-2019 commodity cycle, ICMM member survey participants reported corporate income tax (CIT) payments of $96.6 billion and royalty payments of $56.7 billion, totalling a contribution of 153.3 billion to public finances. During those seven years, for every $100 of profit before impairments, $39.40 was charged in corporate income tax and royalties, according to the report.

The 2019 update of the ICMM Members’ Tax Contribution report shows that after a decline in the first half of 2016, commodity prices recovered, and, together with general economic growth, led to an increase of tax and royalties. “However, even in 2016, when some members were making little to no profit, they still paid $5.5 billion in royalties, thus providing a dependable stream of revenue for host governments through the cycle,” the ICMM said.

In 2018 and 2019, the members of ICMM which completed the most recent survey reported total CIT and royalties of $25.5 billion and $26.8 billion, respectively, which was an increase from $17.3 billion in 2017.

Nicky Black, Director of Social and Economic Development at ICMM, said: “Taken collectively, both reports paint a picture of the contribution mining makes at a national level. We know from the Social progress in mining-dependent countries report that responsible mining can be transformative, leading to substantial reductions in levels of poverty and overall improvements in social wellbeing. Mining companies stimulate economic activity by providing exports, the revenue from which can be invested in education, healthcare, infrastructure and supporting government.”

She added: “ICMM members recognise that efficient, effective, transparent, and stable resource governance is critical in ensuring that mineral wealth translates into broad-based economic and social progress. Through these reports ICMM hopes to encourage evidence-based debate and focus attention on the vital role of effective mineral resource governance.”

Gold Fields to trial Caterpillar dual-fuel solution on haul trucks at Tarkwa mine

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Gold Fields plans to test the use of LNG to power haul trucks in a trial at its Tarkwa open-pit gold mine in Ghana, CEO Nick Holland told attendees of the IMARC Online event this week.

Speaking on a panel reviewing progress of the Innovation for Cleaner, Safer Vehicles (ICSV) initiative – a supply chain collaboration between the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) – Holland said the trial would involve a mix of LNG and diesel fuel at the operation, and four trucks would initially be tested with the fuel combination in 2021.

Gold Fields later confirmed to IM that the trial would take place in the second half of 2021 and involve the use of Caterpillar’s dual-fuel LNG Dynamic Gas Blending (DGB) retrofit system on four of the mine’s Cat 785C 146 t payload dump trucks.

The DGB conversion kits, available on Cat 785C and 793D haul trucks, are a dual-fuel technology that enables miners to substitute diesel fuel with LNG, according to Cat. The use of LNG has been proven to reduce emissions by up to 30%, as well as lower costs by up to 30%, Cat says.

DGB vaporises liquid fuel into natural gas, then replaces diesel fuel with LNG when possible. On average, DGB replaces about 60-65% of diesel with LNG, according to Cat.

Tarkwa, which is 90% owned by Gold Fields, produced 519,000 oz of gold in 2019, 1% lower than the 525,000 oz produced in 2018. It employs Engineers & Planners Co Ltd as mining contractor.

While this trial will potentially lower the company’s carbon emissions – as will Gold Fields’ plan to fit “diesel filters” on all its machines underground in the next 12-18 months – Holland pointed to a much loftier long-term goal during the ICSV panel.

“The challenge to our teams and OEMs is to move away from diesel completely,” he said.

Such a move could see the company employ both battery-powered and hydrogen-powered solutions at its underground mines, he added.

More OEMs join the ICMM’s Innovation for Cleaner, Safer Vehicles initiative

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The Innovation for Cleaner, Safer Vehicles (ICSV) initiative – a supply chain collaboration between the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) – has made significant progress towards understanding what is needed to transform today’s fleet of mining vehicles into tomorrow’s new generation of cleaner, safer vehicles, members of its CEO Advisory Group announced today at IMARC Online.

The ambitions of the ICSV initiative are to introduce greenhouse gas emission-free surface mining vehicles by 2040, minimise the operational impact of diesel exhaust by 2025 and make vehicle collision avoidance technology available to mining companies by 2025.

Two years on from announcing these ambitions, eight new OEMs have joined the initiative, taking the number of participating OEMs to 19, the ICMM said. This includes 3MTech, Behault, Future Digital communications, MTU, Miller Technologies, Miller Technologies, Nerospec, Newtrax and Torsa, the ICMM confirmed to IM.

ICMM members, representing around 30% of the global metals market with over 650 assets, have undertaken assessments to establish a clearer view of the progress made at site level towards each ICSV ambition. These assessments indicate ICMM members are generally at early stages of maturity in the journey, and show what progress will look like for each ambition, the ICMM said.

“This significant representation of industry can speak with an aligned voice, on aligned objectives with OEMs and third-party technology providers,” it added. “In its first two years, the ICSV initiative has achieved the critical step of sending strong signals to OEMs and third-party technology providers on their requirements, and on what is needed to accelerate development and adoption of technology across the industry.”

The initiative is led by a CEO Advisory Group comprising each leader of BHP, Anglo American, Gold Fields, Caterpillar, Komatsu and Sandvik, several members of which spoke today at IMARC Online about the collaborative model.

Nick Holland, Chief Executive, Gold Fields (and Chair of the CEO Advisory Group), said there was a critical need to advance work on cleaner, safer vehicles in mining, which will have important health and safety benefits and contribute towards the pressing need of decarbonising the mining industry.

“It is recognised that there are measures we can implement now, but other, more impactful, interventions are reliant on technology pathways that are still evolving,” he said. “This will undoubtedly take time, but the industry’s collaboration with OEMs, through the ICMM, is critical as we look for these long-term, sustainable and integrated solutions.”

Mike Henry, Chief Executive, BHP, added: “Safer, cleaner mining equipment is important for our people and the world. No one party can tackle this on their own though. The ICSV initiative brings together equipment manufacturers and ICMM members to accelerate the innovations required to improve equipment safety and reduce emissions. This is a great example of the collaborative industry-level effort that can help bring about the scale and pace of change that is needed.”

Denise Johnson, Group President, Caterpillar, said the OEM was committed to helping customers operate safely and sustainably, with the ICSV initiative helping it collaborate even more closely with the mining industry in these important areas.

“Its progress to date has helped to form a shared understanding of where the industry is on its journey and demonstrates that by working together we can more quickly accelerate the pace of change,” she said of the initiative.

Tom Butler, CEO, ICMM, added: “Partnership and collaboration fuels long-term sustainable development, and is crucial to addressing some of the mining industry’s biggest sustainability challenges. Progress made on the ICSV initiative has been building the widespread confidence needed to accelerate the level of innovation investment required to scale up commercial solutions. The initiative will benefit the entire industry and is open to all OEMs who would like to join.”

ICMM has developed tools to support the industry, OEMs and third-party technology providers to meet the initiative’s ambitions, it said. These tools include an ICSV Knowledge Hub that, the ICMM says, facilitates knowledge sharing of industry innovations, provides technical and practical resources including case studies, standards, regulations and a technology and solutions database.

Additionally, a set of “maturity frameworks” that help to “map, motivate and measure” progress against the ambitions have been published, with the intention to stimulate conversations within companies that drive thinking, decision making and action, it added.

In 2021, ICMM’s company members will focus on integrating the initiative’s goals into their corporate planning processes, allocating internal resources and effectively leveraging external resources such as synergies with other industry initiatives and collaboration between member companies, the ICMM said.

ICMM’s Butler talks tailings on anniversary of Brumadinho collapse

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One year on from the Brumadinho dam collapse, ICMM CEO, Tom Butler, says the mining industry may have made progress with how it operates, but it still has much more to do to on the environmental, social and governance front.

The collapse, which reportedly killed 270 people, was attributed to poor internal drainage and intense rain among other factors, Vale said back in December.

In a statement, he said: “The dam collapse at Vale’s Corrego do Feijão mine in Brumadinho, Brazil, on January 25, 2019, was a human and environmental tragedy. One year on, we remember the victims of this catastrophic event and our thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones.

“The anniversary is a stark reminder that, while the mining and metals industry has come a long way in improving how it operates, there is still much more to do to safeguard lives, improve its environmental performance and demonstrate transparency.

“Shortly after the disaster, in an effort to drive change and establish best practice, the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) co-convened the Global Tailings Review to establish an international standard for the safer management of tailings storage facilities. The Global Tailings Standard, once endorsed by all three co-conveners, will be published later this year. The standard will become a commitment of ICMM membership and we will encourage others to join us in advocating for it to be adopted more broadly across the industry.

“In addition, ICMM is taking action by working in partnership – with technology providers, experts and researchers – to promote innovation in the monitoring and surveillance of tailings storage facilities and the development of alternative methods of mineral recovery to significantly reduce or eliminate the generation of tailings.”