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ICMM mining members make commitments to support a nature positive future

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Leading global mining and metals companies have today committed to take urgent action to support a nature positive future by 2030 that promotes the health, diversity and resilience of species, ecosystems and natural processes. With responsibly produced minerals and metals playing a critical role in advancing global sustainable development goals, ICMM members, representing a third of the global industry, have pledged that meeting this demand for critical materials must not be at the expense of nature.

Shaped by experts and leaders from a range of disciplines from across ICMM company and association members, as well as from civil society, academia, Indigenous representatives, and investor and disclosure bodies, ICMM’s new commitments set out a five-point plan for nature:

  • Protect and conserve pristine areas of our natural environment: no mining or exploration in World Heritage Sites and respect all legally designated protected areas;
  • Halt biodiversity loss at our operations: achieve at least no net loss of biodiversity at all mine sites by closure against a 2020 baseline;
  • Collaborate across value chains: develop initiatives and partnerships that halt and reverse nature loss throughout supply and distribution chains;
  • Restore and enhance landscapes: around operations through local partnerships, including with Indigenous Peoples, land-connected peoples and local communities; and
  • Catalyse wider change: acting to change the fundamental systems that contribute to nature loss and fostering opportunities for nature’s recovery.

These commitments apply to activities across all four realms of nature – land, freshwater, oceans and atmosphere – leveraging companies’ areas of influence – from their direct operations, value chains and wider landscapes, through to creating the conditions required to achieve systems transformation. They are supported by transparent disclosures on performance outcomes, including publishing the results of nature-related impact and dependency assessments, and setting targets to address these, ICMM says.

Rohitesh Dhawan, President and CEO, ICMM, announced the nature commitments at a Nature Positive Initiative event in Davos today, commenting: “The mining industry owes its very existence to nature. At a time when the health of our natural world is in peril yet the demand for critical minerals is set to soar, we have committed to significant collective action to help create a nature positive future. These commitments build on the significant individual goals and actions of ICMM members over several decades, including habitat conservation, species protection, and landscape restoration.

“There is no escaping that the act of mining directly affects nature, which is why the cornerstone of our commitments is to ensure at least no net loss of biodiversity at all mine sites by closure against a 2020 baseline. In addition, we have committed to take steps in our value chains, landscapes, and the wider systems in which we operate so that the total impact of our actions contribute to a nature positive future. These will be taken with the critical participation of Indigenous and land-connected peoples, and local communities, whose rights, values, and knowledge will be central to our actions.”

ICMM members have already implemented a number of initiatives focused on conservation and restoration, for example, strengthening protection for areas of high biodiversity value, developing innovative technologies for improved seed performance during landscape revegetation, and defending important habitats from invasive species. ICMM’s new commitments will enhance these to drive performance across the industry, it says.

Jonathan Price, President and CEO, Teck Resources Limited, and Chair of ICMM’s Council Nature Advisory Group, said: “Collaboration across all sectors is essential to help stop and reverse nature loss and ICMM’s nature commitments will help companies to scale up their existing efforts and drive local and regional partnerships to better protect and restore our landscapes and ecosystems for the benefit of all.

“At Teck, we’re taking action to conserve and restore nature while we also provide the critical minerals the world needs to decarbonize. For us, that means implementing initiatives including conserving and reclaiming at least three hectares for every one hectare we affect through mining.”

Marco Lambertini, Convenor of the Nature Positive Initiative, said: “Today’s commitment from the mining sector to contribute to a nature-positive future is welcome. Sector-wide coordination is key to halting and reversing today’s accelerating loss of biodiversity. To help secure a nature-positive world, it will now be critical that ICMM’s members translate this commitment into truly nature-positive outcomes. This means both safeguarding areas with high biodiversity value and contributing in their operations to measurable gains in the health, abundance, diversity and resilience of species, ecosystems and natural processes.”

The commitments on direct operations, value chain and governance and transparency apply to all members, and individual members will select at least one of three commitment options relating to wider landscapes and systems transformation, in order to maximise their positive contribution.

These commitments were published as part of a Position Statement setting out ICMM members’ approach to contributing to a nature positive future guided by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and ICMM’s existing commitments in relation to protected areas, Indigenous Peoples, water and respecting human rights as per the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Action on nature is an integral part of ICMM’s Mining Principles, representing our member companies’ comprehensive commitment to a responsible mining and metals industry.

ICMM offers up Scope 3 emission goal setting advice

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ICMM has published guidance to support mining and metals companies to set impactful short-, medium- and long-term targets for reducing their Scope 3 emissions.

The Scope 3 Emissions Target Setting Guidance underscores the importance of transparency and engagement with suppliers, customers, investors and regulators in setting targets, to help accelerate emissions reduction throughout the value chain, it said.

Scope 3 emissions are a critical area of focus for the mining and metals industry, representing up to 95% of a company’s total emissions, compared with 75% across other sectors, according to reports.

This guidance defines target-setting principles tailored to the specific considerations of the mining and metals sector, and is drawn from current EU, US, UK, Canadian and Australian regulatory frameworks, as well as guidance from the United Nations’ High Level Expert Group on Net Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities. Acknowledging the inherent differences in commodities and value chains, rather than endorsing a specific methodology, it provides mining and metals-specific context around commonly used approaches.

The guidance establishes a robust framework for companies to enhance their targets as their capabilities mature over time, ICMM says. It sets out leading practice across four maturity stages, with each stage outlining minimum expectations across five key dimensions: accounting and reporting, identification of emissions ‘hotspots’, business integration and alignment, assessment of decarbonisation pathways and organisational governance.

Rohitesh Dhawan, CEO, ICMM, said: “As the discussions at COP28 have made clear, each sector bears the responsibility to understand its part in the broader system and extend beyond immediate boundaries to unearth solutions to stubborn sources of emissions. As the base products in almost every industry – from renewable energy and sustainable transport, to construction and tech – metals and minerals are critical to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals and meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.

“ICMM’s Scope 3 Emissions Target Setting Guidance underscores ICMM members’ dedication to thoroughly understanding their value chain emissions and their capacity to influence change. Collaborating with customers, suppliers, investors and regulators, ICMM members aim to curtail emissions in line with global climate goals. We urge all mining and metals companies to embrace this guidance and set their own targets for reducing Scope 3 emissions.”

Iván Arriagada, CEO, Antofagasta plc, Chair of ICMM and member of ICMM’s Council Climate Change Advisory Group, added: “At Antofagasta, our commitment to addressing climate change permeates every aspect of our strategy and decision making. The introduction of ICMM’s Scope 3 Emissions Target Setting Guidance is an important step in enhancing transparency and catalysing collaborative efforts across the industry to curb these emissions.

“Tackling Scope 3 emissions requires a distinct approach from operational emissions directly or indirectly generated at sites. Setting targets within mining and metal value chains is a complex process, demanding a shift from direct emissions management to collaborative and integrated engagement. This involves building strong relationships with suppliers and customers, even within intricate supply chains.”

In 2021, ICMM members committed to achieve net zero Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 or sooner, in line with the ambitions of the Paris Agreement. They also committed to report on Scope 3 emissions and set reduction targets by end-2023 or as soon as possible. Significant progress has been made towards these commitments, and members remain focused on meeting their short and medium-term milestones, ICMM says.

In September 2023, ICMM published Scope 3 Emissions Accounting and Reporting Guidance, establishing a standardised framework for mining and metals companies to calculate and disclose their value chain emissions. This new Target Setting Guidance builds on these accounting and reporting principles.

ICMM looks to advance water stewardship across mining sector with new framework

Environmental, Mining services, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , ,

ICMM has published a Water Stewardship Maturity Framework designed to help mining and metals companies enhance their stewardship of shared water resources in ways that are socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and economically beneficial, it says.

Featuring a range of leading practices and real-world examples from different operating contexts, the framework addresses risks and priorities applicable at individual asset and corporate levels. It identifies five elements of water stewardship: governance and strategy; understanding water context, risks and opportunities; integration in business planning and decision making; performance and measurement; and transparency and reporting. It also outlines three progressive stages within these elements – basic, advanced and leading.

The framework is intended to support users to effectively manage water as a shared resource, acknowledging its critical importance, not only to the business, but also to the broader local catchment and its stakeholders, ICMM said. It supports the integration of water’s pivotal role into various corporate agendas, such as climate resilience, cultural heritage protection, nature-positive approaches, social performance and inclusion, and operational excellence.

The framework aligns with leading external guidance and reporting initiatives, including the Global Reporting Initiative, Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosure and the Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosure.

Rohitesh Dhawan, CEO and President, ICMM, said: “Access to water is a basic human right and a fundamental requirement for healthy, functioning ecosystems. We live in a world of increasing pressure on water resources, compounded by the impact of climate change. We hope that ICMM’s Water Stewardship Maturity Framework will be a valuable tool to advance water stewardship across our industry and to navigate the challenges in delivering critical minerals for a more sustainable future.”

Martin Preece, Interim CEO, Gold Fields, said: “ICMM’s Water Stewardship Maturity Framework will help companies like ours to advance sustainable water management. Water Stewardship is one of our six key ESG priorities, as water is a critical resource we share with our host communities and host countries. The self-assessment and verification process carried out by all our mines, gives us the confidence that we are managing water responsibly and helps us build trust with our stakeholders, particularly host communities.”

The new framework, developed with input from water and environmental experts from ICMM’s membership, draws on members’ experiences, providing clear pathways and examples to support enhanced water stewardship practices across the industry, ICMM said.

ICMM publishes Scope 3 guidance to help drive value chain emission reduction partnerships

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Today, the ICMM has published its Scope 3 Emissions Accounting and Reporting Guidance that, it says, provides a standardised framework for mining and metals companies to calculate and disclose their value chain emissions.

The guidance aims to improve transparency and accelerate collaborative action with suppliers and customers on reducing these emissions, the ICMM says. It is based on the most widely used standard for accounting and reporting corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally – the GHG Protocol Scope 3 Standard from the World Resources Institute and World Business Council for Sustainable Development – and tailored to the unique characteristics of the mining and metals industry.

Scope 3 emissions represent 75% of the emissions profile of a company, on average – which can extend to 95% for mining and metals companies depending on their commodity portfolio, the ICMM says. As minerals and metals are the foundation of so many industries, this creates a particularly complex profile of Scope 3 emissions for the mining and metals sector, with significant variance across commodities and geographies. The guidance, the ICMM says, helps companies to understand their unique emissions profiles and identify ‘hotspots’ where they can target efforts in partnership with suppliers and customers to achieve meaningful emission reductions.

It sets clear parameters for calculating emissions across the 15 categories of Scope 3 emissions in the GHG Protocol, and supports companies in applying the protocol’s principles of Relevance, Completeness, Transparency, Accuracy and Consistency.

Rohitesh Dhawan, CEO of the ICMM, said: “The goals of the Paris Agreement depend on a massive increase in the use of low-carbon technologies and the essential minerals that enable them. But production of these materials is not without its own carbon footprint. Since all action on Scope 3 emissions depends on good quality calculations and reporting, this needs special focus for the mining and metals industry.

“ICMM members – who represent one third of the industry – have embraced their role in supporting customers and suppliers with their own efforts to decarbonise. And, while transparency and action begin with us, the urgent progress required will need collaboration at a scale we’ve never seen before. We hope that ICMM’s Scope 3 Emissions Accounting and Reporting Guidance drives partnerships that can significantly reduce value chain emissions in line with global climate goals.”

The guidance was developed with support from experts on Scope 3 from ICMM’s membership, and in consultation with investors and standard owners.

Jakob Stausholm, Chief Executive, Rio Tinto, and Chair of the ICMM Council’s Climate Change Advisory Group, said: “Climate change is the key challenge of our generation. ICMM’s Scope 3 Emissions Accounting and Reporting Guidance will help to improve the understanding of mining and metals companies’ Scope 3 emissions profiles, as well as provide opportunities to accelerate emissions reduction.

“Each company is on their own Scope 3 journey, and so the guidance recognises that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach does not work in the accounting and reporting of Scope 3 emissions, and that there is a need to accommodate different levels of calculation and reporting maturity across the industry. This guidance can be used by any mining operation, regardless of commodity or geography, and so we call on all companies to adopt its use in their own accounting and reporting of Scope 3 emissions to help improve alignment in disclosures across the industry.”

In 2021, ICMM members committed to reach net zero Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 or sooner, in line with the ambitions of the Paris Agreement, as well as report on Scope 3 emissions by the end of 2023 and set reduction targets, if not by then, as soon as possible. Important progress has been made towards all aspects of these commitments, and members remain on track to meet their short and medium-term milestones, according to the ICMM.

ICMM report highlights fall in mining fatalities in 2022

Mining safety, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , ,

ICMM has, today, released a report that benchmarks the 2022 safety performance of its members, highlighting that 33 people from ICMM company members lost their lives at work in 2022.

This number compares to 45 in 2021 (after an additional two were retrospectively added to the count) and 44 in 2020.

ICMM says its members are unwavering in their commitment to operate responsibly, as they work to eliminate fatalities towards a goal of zero harm.

To support this commitment, ICMM compiles, analyses and publishes the safety data provided annually by company members, which collectively represent a third of the global mining and metals industry. The full report, ‘Safety Performance: Benchmarking Progress of ICMM Company Members In 2022,’ is available here.

The report analyses fatalities from ICMM company members based on the cause (or ‘hazard’) and provides safety performance metrics by county and company. In 2022, nine of the 33 fatalities were related to mobile equipment and transportation, and five fatalities were caused by falling objects. Company member operations in South Africa had the highest number of fatalities (seven), accounting for 21% of the total fatalities across ICMM members. Thirteen out of 26 members reported zero fatalities.

Rohitesh Dhawan, President and CEO, ICMM said: “Everyone deserves to work free from harm, within a safe and healthy industry environment.

“ICMM has remained steadfast in our belief that we can always find new ways to improve, and as we enter a period of unprecedented demand for minerals and metals, we will continue to focus on identifying new ways to eliminate fatalities from mining and metals operations.”

ICMM began collating and publishing data on members’ safety performance in 2012 with the intention of driving knowledge-sharing, transparency and continual improvement across the industry. This data is compiled using ICMM’s ‘Guidance on Health and Safety Performance Indicators’ which was updated in 2021.

ICMM welcomes AusIMM as 40th association member

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The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) has welcomed the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) as a new association member.

Founded in 1893 and celebrating its 130th anniversary this year, AusIMM is a member-based, professional association leading the way for people working in the resources sector.

Representing 15,000 members in 100 countries, AusIMM showcases leadership, upholds industry standards, creates communities, and shapes careers through world-class professional development including online courses, technical conferences and thought leadership events, AusIMM says.

Rohitesh Dhawan, CEO and President, ICMM, speaking at the World Mining Congress, said: “We are delighted to welcome AusIMM as our newest association member. We’ve a very positive history of working collaboratively with AusIMM to promote leading practice on environment, social and governance issues in our industry. I’m looking forward to building on this partnership even further as we co-develop the tools needed to help industry professionals continue to responsibly produce the critical minerals and metals required across the globe.

“This cements an already strong and collaborative relationship between our organisations. This will enable us to share insights and drive leading practice to make our industry safer and more sustainable.”

Stephen Durkin, CEO, AusIMM, also speaking at the World Mining Congress, said: “Both the ICMM and AusIMM are committed to responsible resource development. The AusIMM’s expertise in sustainable mining practice and professional education courses such as in ESG & Social Responsibility will be enhanced by working more closely with ICMM. For example, our upcoming new Professional Certificate on Integrated Mine Closure will be based on ICMM’s Good Practice Guide.”

AusIMM has become ICMM’s 40th association member, joining 25 company members, which represent one third of the global metals and mining, and 39 associations that represent different commodities, national jurisdictions and professional groups.

ICMM members commit to new diversity, equity and inclusion collective

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Today, ICMM is announcing a new collective commitment by members to improve diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the mining and metals industry and positively influence the communities that mining companies are a part of.

ICMM members have committed to work together to improve the experience of all workers and eradicate discrimination, harassment and assault from the workplaces. To achieve this, the following four actions will be taken by the end of 2024:

  • Accelerate action – Accelerate individual and collective action to eliminate harmful behaviours from our workplaces and communities. This includes developing a roadmap which will outline the direction of the actions being taken and set out key milestones to help achieve agreed goals;
  • Set goals – Set individual and collective goals, relevant to operating contexts, to eliminate all forms of harassment and discriminatory behaviours. This will help to demonstrate progress;
  • Increase transparency – Disclose aggregated performance against these goals in accordance with ICMM’s Social and Economic Reporting Framework. This includes disaggregating data by gender and ethnicity, where possible, helping to assess the progress being made; and
  • Collaborate for greater effect – Work together with companies, industry associations, underrepresented groups, communities, investors, and others to advocate for and find solutions to the challenges relating to DEI in the industry.

Rohitesh Dhawan, CEO and President of ICMM, said: “Whilst we have seen good progress by individual companies, this collective commitment aims to prioritise and accelerate collaborative efforts to eliminate discrimination, harassment, and assault. This is so we can build psychologically safe and truly diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces in the mining industry. It is not only our solemn duty to do so, but the only way to attract and retain the talent essential to grow responsible mining at the huge scale that is required. This is why I am calling on the wider industry, alongside our members, to join us in this collective effort to drive the progress needed.”

Tom Palmer, CEO of Newmont and Chair of the ICMM Council Social Performance Council Advisory Group, said: “Demonstrating our commitment and taking action on these critical issues is aligned with our vision of safe, inclusive, and sustainable workplaces. No one should ever feel harassed, threatened, or discriminated at work. We know our actions are key to earning the trust of our employees and stakeholders. We must ask ourselves the question – what more can I personally do and what more can we do together? Working collectively as a membership and with others to overcome the barriers to diversity, equity and inclusion, we can eliminate harmful behaviours from our workplaces, and influence positive cultural change in communities and across society.”

Elizabeth Broderick, Special Rapporteur and Independent Expert for the UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls, said: ““If we don’t actively and intentionally include women, the system will unintentionally exclude them. The reason for this is that the systems in the mining industry were invented by men, for men and even today are largely run by men. Forcing women into systems and cultures designed for men is not an effective strategy to build greater levels of diversity and inclusion. The solution lies in shifting the systems rather than fixing the women.”

Andy Mason, Head of Active Ownership at abrdn, said: “I’ve already seen positive steps being taken by the mining industry to address diversity and inclusion challenges. This commitment by ICMM members takes it one step further and helps to demonstrate collective action being taken by some of the world’s biggest miners. To keep this momentum going, continued collaboration between the industry and investors is critical. As active owners we must work with investee companies to support and encourage efforts to address challenges. Our future depends on the metals and minerals the industry produces.”

This Position Statement builds on the individual company requirements which were updated in June 2022 and represents a joint ambition from companies that make up one-third of the global mining and metals industry.

ICMM members, the ICMM says, are united in the belief that discrimination, harassment and assault have no place in the industry or anywhere else in society. Members acknowledge their duty and the increased effort required, to remove the inequalities within the industry, and to help eliminate harmful behaviours that exist in society.

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.”

The ICMM addresses mine tailings reduction ambition with new roadmap and initiative

Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining industry recognition, Mining policy, Mining services, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , ,

Today, the International Council on Minerals and Metals (ICMM) has published a Tailings Reduction Roadmap which, it says, lays out innovative approaches and solutions capable of significantly reducing tailings from the mine life cycle, as part of a broader Tailings Innovation Initiative.

The initiative brings together a third of the global mining and metals industry to collaborate with technology innovators, including suppliers and academia, to accelerate technology for reducing tailings waste and to explore the potential to eliminate it in the long term, the ICMM says.

The Tailings Reduction Roadmap sets out short- and long-term technology options. These include mature solutions that can be implemented in the short term, such as coarse particle flotation technology to enhance the recovery of coarser particles of ore that have traditionally been seen as waste, and solutions with the potential to reduce tailings in more significant quantities, but that will require further development over the next 10-15 years, such as higher precision mining and artificial intelligence.

Developed through a series of engagements between technology suppliers, innovators and ICMM members, the roadmap offers strategic direction to the mining industry on how to accelerate the development and adoption of technologies to reduce tailings, the ICMM says. It addresses technological challenges, such as testing new technology on a different range of ore characteristics, as well as enabling factors, including business case and regulatory requirements, in parallel.

ICMM members are already piloting technologies laid out in the roadmap that match their commodities and site characteristics, so that learnings can be applied to solutions that can be scaled up to benefit the whole industry.

Rohitesh Dhawan, CEO of ICMM, said: “Catastrophic tailings failures in recent years including at South Africa’s Jagersfontein mine just last week have brought into sharp focus the need for urgent action to produce less tailings as we supply the metals and minerals that are critical for the energy transition and sustainable development. If we continue to use traditional production processes, we run the risk of multiplying tailings waste many times over. There is no easy solution, and we will continue to need tailings storage facilities into the future. However, this initiative signals our clear intent to act with urgency and purpose to find ways of minimising or potentially eliminating waste at every stage of the mining cycle.

“Work has already begun, but if we are to match our ambition, we need to work collaboratively in accelerating the types of breakthroughs that can be adopted widely in any existing or future operations around the world. Our ambition is that ICMM’s Tailings Reduction Roadmap and wider Tailings Innovation Initiative will help to identify and accelerate opportunities for wider collaboration and serve as a catalyst for advancing more partnerships between industry and technology innovators on piloting these technologies.”

ICMM 2021 safety report highlights drop in fatalities among members

Mining industry recognition, Mining policy, Mining services, , , ,

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.