1
25-049
International Standards for Tailings Management
Charles Dumaresq
Mining Association of Canada,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
INTRODUCTION
The management of mine tailings poses a complex range
of potential risks, including physical risks, such as the risk
of catastrophic failure of a tailings facility and chemical
risks such as the risk of long-term leaching of contaminants
into the downstream environment. If these risks material-
ize, they can lead to a wide range of impacts on people
and the environment, including human fatalities and severe
impacts on downstream ecosystems, and the costs of recov-
ery borne by industry, communities, governments, and
society as a whole can be immense. Tailings facility failures
in Canada (2014), Brazil (2015 and 2019), South Africa
(2022), and in other locations around the world underscore
how high the stakes are when mines produce and manage
tailings (WISE Uranium Project 2019). Understandably,
many people do not trust the mining industry to manage
tailings responsibly. As an industry, it is our responsibil-
ity to manage tailings in a manner that is responsible and
strives to minimize harm associated with tailings manage-
ment, including effectively managing both the physical and
chemical risks associated with tailings.
Standards have an important role to play in responsible
tailings management by setting expectations for standards
of care and providing a means to measure and report on
performance. In jurisdictions with strong legal require-
ments for tailings management, standards play a comple-
mentary role, pushing performance improvements in
areas that may be difficult or impossible to address in legal
requirements. In jurisdictions where legal requirements are
lagging, standards may represent the de facto leading prac-
tice and may be the primary tool to help ensure responsible
tailings management.
Implementation of standards can help companies dem-
onstrate that tailings are being responsibly managed and
help build trust and credibility. Most importantly though,
standards are important tools to help ensure that the risks
associated with tailings are reduced, and that remaining
risks are effectively managed.
However, we must recognize that conformance with
standards can have a down-side – the proverbial two-edged
sword. Having standards is vital but there is a risk that
implementing standards becomes a “box checking” exer-
cise, with ongoing conformance leading to complacency.
We must not allow ourselves to fall into the trap of believ-
ing that, just because we are complying with applicable
standards and laws, we are therefore doing our best, and
that “it can’t happen to us.” In addition, if conformance
becomes the goal and the standard does not have mecha-
nisms to drive continual improvement, then once the stan-
dard is met, there may be no incentive to improve.
The point of complying with standards is not to pass
the test. The point is to manage tailings responsibly, pre-
vent catastrophic failures, and minimize harm. The point is
to do better, because we must do better. To do that, we need
to strive not for conformance, but for excellence in tail-
ings management, driven by continual improvement and a
quest to do better.
There are currently three international standards for
tailings management:
• The tailings management component of the Towards
Sustainable Mining ® (TSM) initiative, introduced in
2004 by the Mining Association of Canada (MAC)
(TSM Initiative 2024a).
• The waste and materials management component
of the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance
(IRMA), introduced in 2018 (IRMA 2018).
• The Global Industry Standard on Tailings
Management (GISTM), introduced in 2020 (GTR
2020a).
This paper will focus on TSM and the GISTM since
these are the two standards in most widespread use. It
25-049
International Standards for Tailings Management
Charles Dumaresq
Mining Association of Canada,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
INTRODUCTION
The management of mine tailings poses a complex range
of potential risks, including physical risks, such as the risk
of catastrophic failure of a tailings facility and chemical
risks such as the risk of long-term leaching of contaminants
into the downstream environment. If these risks material-
ize, they can lead to a wide range of impacts on people
and the environment, including human fatalities and severe
impacts on downstream ecosystems, and the costs of recov-
ery borne by industry, communities, governments, and
society as a whole can be immense. Tailings facility failures
in Canada (2014), Brazil (2015 and 2019), South Africa
(2022), and in other locations around the world underscore
how high the stakes are when mines produce and manage
tailings (WISE Uranium Project 2019). Understandably,
many people do not trust the mining industry to manage
tailings responsibly. As an industry, it is our responsibil-
ity to manage tailings in a manner that is responsible and
strives to minimize harm associated with tailings manage-
ment, including effectively managing both the physical and
chemical risks associated with tailings.
Standards have an important role to play in responsible
tailings management by setting expectations for standards
of care and providing a means to measure and report on
performance. In jurisdictions with strong legal require-
ments for tailings management, standards play a comple-
mentary role, pushing performance improvements in
areas that may be difficult or impossible to address in legal
requirements. In jurisdictions where legal requirements are
lagging, standards may represent the de facto leading prac-
tice and may be the primary tool to help ensure responsible
tailings management.
Implementation of standards can help companies dem-
onstrate that tailings are being responsibly managed and
help build trust and credibility. Most importantly though,
standards are important tools to help ensure that the risks
associated with tailings are reduced, and that remaining
risks are effectively managed.
However, we must recognize that conformance with
standards can have a down-side – the proverbial two-edged
sword. Having standards is vital but there is a risk that
implementing standards becomes a “box checking” exer-
cise, with ongoing conformance leading to complacency.
We must not allow ourselves to fall into the trap of believ-
ing that, just because we are complying with applicable
standards and laws, we are therefore doing our best, and
that “it can’t happen to us.” In addition, if conformance
becomes the goal and the standard does not have mecha-
nisms to drive continual improvement, then once the stan-
dard is met, there may be no incentive to improve.
The point of complying with standards is not to pass
the test. The point is to manage tailings responsibly, pre-
vent catastrophic failures, and minimize harm. The point is
to do better, because we must do better. To do that, we need
to strive not for conformance, but for excellence in tail-
ings management, driven by continual improvement and a
quest to do better.
There are currently three international standards for
tailings management:
• The tailings management component of the Towards
Sustainable Mining ® (TSM) initiative, introduced in
2004 by the Mining Association of Canada (MAC)
(TSM Initiative 2024a).
• The waste and materials management component
of the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance
(IRMA), introduced in 2018 (IRMA 2018).
• The Global Industry Standard on Tailings
Management (GISTM), introduced in 2020 (GTR
2020a).
This paper will focus on TSM and the GISTM since
these are the two standards in most widespread use. It